Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

DAY OF YEREVAN TO BE CELEBRATED IN OCTOBER

Panorama.am
21:01 13/08/2007

On October 12-13, the Day of Yerevan will be celebrated. On this day,
different communties of Yerevan will celebrate the day with various
events.

This was revealed in a conversation today with Kamo Movsisyan, head
of the culture and youth department of the city council. According
to Movsisyan, the types of events to take place are in the discussion
stage, with aa list of planned expenses needed. As to the question of
whether the condition of Yerevan’s streets, now under renovation, will
get in the way of the events, Movsisyan said there was no problem. He
also said that the "Old Yerevan" exhibit had opened in Yerevan, at
which were presented 40 works of young painters. The subject of the
paintings was old Yerevan and its monuments.

Armenian Library and Museum of America, Inc.
65 Main Street
Watertown MA 02472

Tel: 617 926 2562
Fax: 617 926 0175

On Sunday, August 19, the community is invited to a special
afternoon. At 4:00 p.m., the Armenian Library and Museum of America
(ALMA) and the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association (CYSCA) will
be hosting a public forum featuring museum managers from Armenia, as
well as ALMA curators Gary and Susan Lind-Sinanian, and Ara
Ghazarians, the curator of the Armenian Cultural Foundation in
Arlington. The forum aims to discuss common goals and challenges
involving preservation of the cultural heritage in general, and ethnic
artifacts, in particular. Furthermore, forum participants will
address issues involving the use of new forms of technology to attract
publicity and increase museum attendance.

In conjunction with the forum, on that same afternoon from 3:00
p.m. to 4:00 p.m., ALMA will be hosting a wine reception to mark the
opening of its new exhibit "GENATSED! Vine and Wine in the Armenian
Culture." The exhibit, curated by ALMA Curatorial Intern, Sarita
Olson, provides a look at Armenian viticulture history, wine
production, and the grape as an artistic motif. It showcases numerous
samples of art and architectural designs that incorporate the grape or
vine motif. This colorful exhibit will be on display through January
31, 2008.

The museum managers from Armenia represent ten cultural institutions
in the capital city Yerevan, as well as Byurakan, Gyumri, and
Yeghegnadzor: Yeghishe Charents Museum, Russian Art Museum, Yervand
Kochar Museum, Museum of Nature, Alexander Spendiaryan Memorial
Museum, Association of Museum Workers and Friends, Victor
Hambartsumyan Museum in Byurakan, Kumayri Museum, and Vayots Dzor
Museum. The museum managers are in the Greater Boston area as part of
their professional training program, hosted by CYSCA and administered
through World Learning, Inc. The training program, organized by CYSCA,
is aimed at improving museum management to preserve Armenia’s rich
national heritage and to promote tourism. During their three-week stay
in the US the group will visit major museums in the Greater Boston
area for seminars, presentations and workshops.

The forum is free and open to public. It will take place at ALMA’s
Contemporary Art Gallery at 65 Main Street in Watertown. For more
information or for the directions to the Museum please visit
or contact ALMA offices 617.926.ALMA(2562).

South Wales Evening Post
August 9, 2007 Thursday

Dawn raid ordeal for deportation row family

emma judd

A Swansea family have been taken from their home during an early
morning immigration raid.

The mother, daughter and son were taken from their Port Tennant house
to Cockett Police Station to await deportation to Azerbaijan, their
home country.

They have escaped from the country twice after being subjected to
abuse and violent assault because they are Armenian – a persecuted
racial minority in Azerbaijan.

The family say they do not want to be identified because they have
been left too distressed by the raid.

However, their 15-year-old daughter has agreed to speak to the
Evening Post about their ordeal.

She said: "We were all really scared. They had a key and let
themselves in, then told us to pack all our belongings.

"They told us they had booked a flight for us on Saturday, and they
would be taking us to a detention centre in Bedford until then."

In a twist, the Home Office immigration officials had to take the
family home again after it emerged they have an immigration appeal
lodged to be able to stay in Swansea.

But if the appeal fails, the family could be subjected to the same
ordeal once more.

"We’re scared this could happen again," said the daughter, who is
studying for her GCSEs at a Swansea school.

Keith Ross, a case worker with the Asylum Justice organisation, said
the officials took a doctor with them to attend to the mother, who is
now receiving psychiatric treatment.

He said: "The doctor gave her diazepam, and quite a lot of it. He
wouldn’t let her use her own medication at all. She had a panic
attack in the car on the way to the police station because of it.

"We will now see what happens with the appeal. The family have told
me they have got fresh evidence, which means we might put in a fresh
application for asylum based on that evidence.

"The last time they were in Azerbaijan the mother was assaulted in
front of her children and had to spend five days in hospital because
of it."

In June, the Evening Post reported how the Masih family, also of Port
Tennant, were almost deported to Pakistan because the Home Office did
not believe they were Roman Catholic rather than Muslim.

Officials raided their home and sent them to a remote detention
centre. They were given an 11th-hour reprieve after members of St
Illtyd’s Roman Catholic Church pleaded for their release.

A Border and Immigration Agency spokesman said: "We cannot comment on
individual cases. The Government has made it clear that it will take
a robust approach to removing people where they have no legal right
to be here.

"While it is preferable for those with no right to remain in the
United Kingdom to return home voluntarily, it is regrettable that not
all choose to do so, and in those circumstances it may be necessary
to enforce removal. We would not seek to remove someone where there
are any outstanding barriers to removal.

"Detention is an essential element in the effective enforcement of
immigration control, in particular in support of our removals
strategy."

TRAIN WITH RUSSIAN WEAPONRY LEAVES BATUMI BASE IN GEORGIA

RIA Novosti, Russia
Aug 9 2007

MOSCOW, August 9 (RIA Novosti) – A train carrying military equipment
left a Russian base in Georgia early Thursday as part of a 2006 deal
to withdraw all Russian bases from the ex-Soviet Caucasus state,
a Russian military official said.

A spokesman for the Russian Ground Forces said the train is carrying
28 vehicles and 65 tons of other military hardware from the 12th
Russian military base in Batumi on the Black Sea.

The official said another four trains and a truck convoy are scheduled
to deliver part of the remaining military equipment from the Batumi
base to Russia and the 102nd base in Gyumri, Armenia, until the end
of the year.

Under an agreement between the former Soviet allies, Russia must
complete the removal of its base in Batumi by the end of 2008.

Russia completed the pullout of its military garrison from the Georgian
capital, Tbilisi, handing over control of its headquarters to Georgia’s
Defense Ministry last December, and formally handed over its military
base at Akhalkalaki in southern Georgia to Tbilisi in June, ahead of
the October 2007 deadline.

The spokesman said Russia is fulfilling all its obligations under
the 2006 agreement and strictly adheres to the withdrawal schedule.

Assyrian International News Agency
Assyrians Commemorate Martyrs Day Worldwide
Posted GMT 8-8-2007 16:53:33

Los Angeles (AINA) — Assyrians (also known as Chaldeans and Syriacs)
commemorated Martyrs Day on August 7th, the official Assyrian memorial
holiday. The holiday was observed in cities worldwide, including Los
Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Toronto, Stockholm, London,
Amsterdam and North Iraq.

The Assyrian Martyrs day remembers the victims of genocides and
pogroms, including the Turkish Genocide of Assyrians, Greeks and
Armenians in World War One, in which 750,000 Assyrians (75%) were
killed.

The date August 7th was chosen because in 1933 the newly formed Iraq,
having gained its independence from the British just one year earlier,
massacred the Assyrians of the village of Simmele and its surroundings
in north Iraq, killing 3000 Assyrian men, women and children.

.htm

BELGRADE SETS RULES FOR KOSOVO TALKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.08.2007 16:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Serbian government on Friday sent countries
involved in negotiations over Kosovo a list of proposed rules for the
talks, amid reports it was ready to cede some elements of sovereignty
to the breakaway province.

The government said it sent the list to the ambassadors of the
United States, Great Britain, Russia, Germany, France and Italy – the
countries of the so-called Contact Group – state television reported.

The proposal envisages direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina,
held without a deadline.

Belgrade rejected, as a basis for negotiations, a UN proposal that
Kosovo be granted internationally monitored independence. But it
still urged UN supervision of the process, the Tanjug news agency said.

Also Friday, the Danas daily newspaper quoted government minister
Slobodan Samardzic as saying Belgrade was ready to grant some
international rights to Kosovo, such as separate membership in the
International Monetary Fund or the World Bank, as part of a compromise.

"The institutions of substantial autonomy in Kosovo could have
cooperation with international financial institutions and could
even have their own representation, meaning a certain capacity of
independent conduct in international relations," Samardzic told
the newspaper.

There was no immediate reaction from the Kosovo Albanians. They
have rejected similar proposals in the past, insisting instead on
full independence.

Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed diplomat as saying
that direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina could start late next
week. "We are simply considering such a possibility and awaiting a
response from Belgrade and Pristina," the source said.

The Contact Group has taken over the negotiations from the United
Nations after UN-brokered talks produced no result in the dispute
between Serbia and Kosovo ethnic Albanians.

Kosovo is formally a province of Serbia, but it is inhabited primarily
by independence-minded ethnic Albanians. The province has been run
by the UN and NATO since a 1999 NATO air war halted a Serb crackdown
against the separatists, the IHT reports.

LENA CHAMAMYAN’S ‘SHAMAT’ BRINGS OUT LONG SEQUESTERED FOLK SONGS
By Hanan Nasser

Daily Star, Lebanon

Aug 4 2007

Review

BEIRUT: "Oh mother, don’t. Oh aunt what do you want of me? I beg you
to let me be and leave the beautiful one alone … She has driven me
insane with her gazelle’s eyes."

With these imploring words Syrian musician Lena Chamamyan begins her
latest album "Shamat," or beauty spots, a compilation of modern yet
folkloric Middle Eastern songs.

Chamamyan, who is of Armenian descent, studied oriental song at the
Aleppo conservatory after earning a degree in business in 2002. She
integrates everything from jazz standards to Armenian folk songs into
her music.

"Shamat" stems from the joint effort of Chamamyan and fellow Syrian
musician Basel Rajoub, who plays saxophone and trumpet on the album.

Rajoub studied Middle Eastern and European classical music as well
as jazz, all of which influence his sound, which is accented by such
instruments as piano and brass.

On the first of the album’s nine songs, a lover complains of his
family’s constant interference in his personal life, a common practice
in traditional societies. The song, "Yomma Lala (Mother Don’t, Don’t),"
features a piano that puts listeners on guard for a melancholic piece,
which is further accentuated by Chamamyan’s delicate voice. Then,
midway through the track, an accordion comes in and creates a
distinctively Parisian ambiance.

In addition to love songs, "Shamat" explores patriotic songs, lyrics
with roots in liturgy and the traditional wedding music that is still
played in Syrian villages today.

"Shamat" is Chamamyan and Rajoub’s second album together. Their first,
"Hal Asmar Ellon (Oh Dark Skinned One, Tell Them)" was released in
2006. Last year, Chamamyan and Rajoub won the first-ever Moyen-Orient
Music Award, for a competition organized by Radio Monte Carlo and
the European Commission.

According to the liner notes for "Shamat," Chamamyan and Rajoub
consider their latest album another step in a journey "to shed more
light on some of the folkloric songs that … remain confined to
their native towns and neighborhoods."

True to their word, the album has one heartbreaking song, "Daouny
Ajoud (Let Me Cry Abundantly)," which was translated from a Syriac
hymn in which the Virgin Mary laments the death of her son.

An Eastern Aramaic language, Syriac was spoken throughout the Levant in
the days before Arabic became a dominant language. It was the language
of literature throughout the region from the second through the eighth
century. Though it has fallen out of mainstream circulation, Syriac
is still spoken in small, scattered communities in Syria, Lebanon,
Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Israel, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Chamamyan and Rajoub use their knowledge of oriental music and jazz
to crack open traditional songs and give them a personal touch. They
employ a wide range of Western and Middle Eastern instruments such as
the oud, Turkish dohol – a double-headed cylindrical drum – Turkish
clarinet, bozok, derbakke, saxophone, accordion, cello and violin,
among others.

The third track on "Shamat," entitled "Seher (Magic)," an oriental
jazz piece, illustrates the duo’s ability to marry seemingly disparate
musical influences. The end result is a humorous piece that draws
on the saxophone, rek, derbakke, percussion and Chamamyan’s voice
as instruments. The song sends listeners swinging off their seats,
only to bring them back and send them off again.

Another up-tempo piece is "Kabl El Isha (Before Nightfall)," a song
that is typically sung for weddings in villages in northeast Syria.

The lyrics paint a picture of villagers lining up in the heart of
the town to dance the dabkeh and praise the values of eternal love,
albeit enshrined in marriage vows. The words translate the villagers’
attachment to land and nature. The piece relies mainly on the derbakke
and the dohol and is livened up by the presence of saxophone, piano,
cello and percussion.

The Armenian population has a long history in Syria. Most arrived
after escaping mass killings by Ottoman Turks in 1915. Some 1.5
million Armenians were killed and hundreds of thousands fled south and
eventually settled in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt and elsewhere.

There are currently some 200,000 Armenians in Syria, many of whom
reside in Aleppo.

As an ode to her origins, Chamamyan concludes her album with a
traditional Armenian song, "Sareri Hovin Mernem (To Die for the
Cold Wind)." Unaccompanied by any instrument, Chamamyan sings of
the overwhelming pain caused by the separation of two lovers. She
dedicates the song to all the lovers in the world who are kept apart
by circumstances more powerful than their bond.

MATTHEW BRYZA: CO-CHAIRS PREPARE NEW PROPOSALS ON THE SOLUTION OF NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug 3 2007

There is a progress in the solution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, but
I can not give additional information about it, US Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, OSCE Minsk
Group co-chair Matthew Bryza told the journalists, APA reports.

He said that the co-chairs are preparing new proposals at present.

"New proposal can not be initiated unless both sides agree. I am
doing this work on the behalf of all co-chairs at present. I regard
that there will be new proposals," he said.

American co-chair replying to the question regarding the next meeting
of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents stressed that it depends on
the Presidents of the two states.

"The meeting is due to be held in October or November. There is no
agreement about the next meeting of the foreign ministers of the two
countries yet. The ministers should agree themselves," he said.

Mr. Bryza appreciating situation in the solution process of the
conflict said that they were disappointed after the Presidents’
meeting in St. Petersburg.

"But I saw that the process continued in the meetings I had in Armenia
and Azerbaijan," he said.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
August 3, 2007
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION GAINS STRENGTH AS ADDITIONAL LAWMAKERS
OFFER SUPPORT

Grassroots Activism Helps Build Crucial Support

Washington, DC – A congressional resolution that reaffirms the
U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide and urges the President to
acknowledge the genocide, gained additional support this week as
Congressmen John Hall (D-NY), Ray LaHood (R-IL) and John McHugh (R-NY)
signed on as the bill’s latest cosponsors, bringing the total number
of cosponsors to 224 Members to date.

H. Res. 106, introduced by Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA), calls upon
the President to "ensure that the foreign policy of the United States
reflects appropriate understanding" of the "Armenian Genocide" and to
"accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation
of  1,500,000 Armenians as genocide," in the President’s annual
message. 

Earlier this week, Congressman Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), an original
cosponsor of the resolution and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus
on Armenian Issues, urged Congress to pass H. Res. 106, which is
supported by a majority of House Members.

In a statement for the congressional record, Knollenberg said in part:
"By acknowledging the events of 1915, Congress will finally recognize
the history of an entire nation – a nation whose population was driven
out of their homes, massacred, but never forgotten," Knollenberg
explained.

"The United States owes Armenians recognition of this great crime, and
should pass House Resolution 106," he added.

"We’re pleased that the Armenian Genocide resolution continues to
garner such wide-spread support and thank Congressmen Hall, LaHood and
McHugh for their stand on this issue," said Assembly Executive
Director Bryan Ardouny.  "We also thank community members who are
joining us in urging lawmakers to sign on as the resolution’s
cosponsors in the face of Turkey’s ongoing denial campaign."

H. Res. 106 is currently pending before the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, of which Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
serve as the Chair and Ranking Member. Both Lantos and Ros-Lehtinen
voted in favor of an identical resolution (H. Res. 316) before the
Committee last Congress.  

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public
understanding and awareness of Armenian issues.  It is a 501 (c) (3)
tax-exempt membership organization.

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NR#2007-090

YOUTH TAKING THE REINS OF RECOVERY
By Joy Portella

Mercy Corps (press release), OR
6
Aug 1 2007
Lebanon

Children

Joy Portella in Mercy Corps’ youth leadership center in Bourj Hammoud,
Lebanon. Photo: Mercy Corps Lebanon

Beirut, Lebanon – Burj al Barajneh is a tough part of town. Entering
this southern neighborhood of Beirut is like entering another world –
the city’s many well-heeled, cosmopolitan dwellers are replaced by
women in traditional Islamic cover and families in densely packed
apartments. The poverty is palpable, and it’s so hot and crowded that
just breathing is difficult. Burj al Barajneh is, by every indicator,
an urban slum.

It’s also a war-torn slum. Burj al Barajneh is considered a Hezbollah
stronghold, and last summer’s war between Israel and Hezbollah
devastated the neighborhood – killing civilians, destroying homes
and public facilities, and knocking out critical transportation
infrastructure. Rebuilding has progressed rapidly, but the shells of
bombed-out apartment houses and bridges are still easy to find.

The grind of life in Burj al Barajneh is most difficult on children.

Looking out on the crowded, dusty streets, I couldn’t imagine where
kids would play or find any sense of relief. Then I saw the Mercy Corps
Center for Excellence, which just opened in May. From the outside,
the building looks new, clean and orderly – in sharp contrast with
the rest of the neighborhood. But it’s what goes on inside that is
truly exciting.

The Center for Excellence serves a number of roles: technology training
hub, educational facility and small business incubator. It is meant to
be a place where the community, particularly young people, can come
together and learn, work, connect with the outside world and gain
access to technology tools they wouldn’t otherwise have. Additional
Centers for Excellence are planned in Lebanon; the one in Burj al
Barajneh is the first.

The Center’s manager Lina Harakeh greeted us warmly before returning
to a computer tutorial with her student, a 30-something man in a
wheelchair. We passed rooms of high-school students studying for
exams and young girls meticulously coloring depictions of "Dora the
Explorer." In the main computer room, approximately 20 stations were
occupied by children and adolescents concentrating on everything from
IM chats to homework to the basics of PowerPoint.

The Center’s social worker Sherine and the IT instructor Hussein told
us that the already-full space is usually more crowded but many high
school students were in exams. "We’re expecting heavy traffic this
summer," explained Sherine. "The kids in this neighborhood don’t have
anywhere to go or anything to do." The high demand has caused the
Center to put time limits on how long each child can use a computer.

I was amazed by a little boy masterfully manipulating PowerPoint.

"The adults need more help than the kids," noted Hussein. "Some of
them have never even turned on a computer before, so we sometimes
need to personally sit and guide them. But the kids pick things up
without any problem."

This was a common theme: Time and again in Lebanon I saw young people
solving problems and driving progress in a way that many adults
could not:

Leadership groups for high school students in Burj al Barajneh and
Bourj Hammoud, an underserved Armenian neighborhood of Beirut, told
me about their plans to contribute positively to their communities
and pursue higher education.

At a lively retreat for young people training to be community
mobilizers, I heard debates on topics ranging from the status of
Lebanese women to the current security and political difficulties.

In the eastern city of Baalbek, also hit hard by last summer’s war,
Mercy Corps’ work with our local partner LOST is helping young people
to undertake environmental cleanup campaigns, paint public murals
and run a wildly popular basketball tournament.

During my three days touring these and other projects in Lebanon,
I saw a country filled with equal measures of promise and doubt –
a strong tradition of tolerance, openness and prosperity marred
by repeated episodes of violence and political impasse. Mercy Corps
understands that a peaceful Lebanon will be built on the foundation of
young, motivated leaders. Like the little boy who so easily picked up
PowerPoint, young people are naturals at building and spreading hope.