Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

AMID DISQUIET, TURKISH SUPPORT FOR EU MEMBERSHIP WANES
Middle East Times, Egypt
Sept 29 2005
ANKARA — Turks are losing their enthusiasm for EU membership amid
increasing doubts on whether their mainly Muslim country will ever
be welcome in the bloc and mounting pressure on Ankara to tackle its
most nationally explosive issues, analysts say.
Ankara’s four-decade drive to join the European Union has always
enjoyed strong public support, but the latest polls suggest a
significant drop as the country gears up for long-craved accession
talks on October 3.
A survey released in early September by the US-based German Marshall
Fund of some 1,000 Turks showed that only 63 percent believe that EU
membership would be a good thing, compared to 73 percent last year.
“I have no faith in the EU, they will never allow us in,” said Cengiz
Aybar, a 34-year-old lawyer. “Even if membership talks begin they
will go on forever with no result.”
Hulya Aslan, a 41-year-old retired banker, was just as pessimistic,
arguing that Turkey would never be welcome because of its Muslim faith.
“They are only playing with us,” she said. “They will try to extract
as many concessions as possible before selling us off.”
The main reason for the sour mood is a mounting debate in Europe on
whether Turkey should actually become a member of the bloc. This is
giving Turks the feeling that they are being badly treated, Cengiz
Aktar, director of the EU center at Istanbul’s Bahcesehir University,
said.
Rejection of the EU constitution in referenda in France and the
Netherlands earlier this year, influenced in part by opposition to
Turkey’s membership, has taken its toll on the euphoria in Turkey that
followed the EU’s commitment at a December 17 summit in Brussels to
begin accession talks.
In Germany conservative leader Angela Merkel, whose Christian Union
bloc narrowly won the September 18 general elections and is aiming to
lead a ruling coalition, has long wanted to offer Turkey a “privileged
partnership” rather than full membership.
In France another political heavyweight, Nicolas Sarkozy, president
of the ruling UMP party and a possible successor to President Jacques
Chirac, argues against opening membership talks with Turkey for the
immediate future.
“These are not the expressions of new partnership but of new animosity
– Turkey is presented like a bitter enemy of Europe,” Aktar said.
“This has created a bitter and negative environment of which even
the most pro-EU circles in Turkey have had enough,” he added.
Adding to what appears to Turkey like a U-turn on the EU’s commitment
is increasing pressure on Ankara to take steps that many would
consider betraying the country’s basic policies, said Cigdem Nas,
of Marmara University’s European Community Institute.
Tensions have flared over the divided island of Cyprus since July,
when Turkey extended a customs union agreement to the bloc’s 10 newest
members, including Cyprus, but insisted that the move did not amount
to recognition of the island’s internationally acknowledged Greek
Cypriot administration.
The EU hit back by insisting on proper recognition.
Another hot topic is the massacres of Armenians under the Ottoman
Empire during World War I, the forerunner of modern-day Turkey.
Armenians claim that up to 1.5 million of their people were slaughtered
in an Ottoman “genocide”, a claim that Turkey strongly rejects.
“Turkey is being gradually pushed into an internal settling of accounts
and this creates a backlash in a country where nationalism runs high
and the EU has come to symbolize all the foreign pressure on Ankara,”
Nas said.
The past few months have seen the rise of several new civic
organizations that take their names from armed resistance groups
that fought against allied occupation during Turkey’s 1919-21 War of
Independence, and which say that their aim is to save the country from
“treasonous collaborators”.
“Even though there is an ideological anti-EU movement in Turkey,
many know that the EU will be to the country’s benefit. So support
of EU membership will once again increase,” Nas predicted.
“But cornering Turkey on national issues such as Cyprus and the
Armenian massacres would lead to a further backlash,” she warned.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
September 28, 2005, Wednesday
ARMENIA BOUGHT TEN NEW RUSSIAN SU-27 FOR ITS ARMY
Armenia bought ten new Su-27 Russian fighters. Colonel Seyran
Shakhsuvaryan, the press secretary of the Armenian Minister of
Defense, confirmed the information. Colonel Shakhsuvaryan didn’t
specify which country sold the operational aircraft. Earlier deputy
Armenian Minister of Defense, Lieutenant General Artur Agabekyan
stated that, “Armenia buys new or refurbishes the possessed military
equipment as and when needed, and at this point the military
equipment of the Armenian Armed Forces is in normal condition”. Some
Armenian sources with reference to Agabekyan reported that the new
fighters were purchased from Slovakia.
Source: Regnum news agency, September 26, 2005
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Timeline: Azerbaijan
BBC News Online
29 September 2005
A chronology of key events:
1828 – Turkmanchay treaty between Russia, Persia divides
Azerbaijan. Territory of present-day Azerbaijan becomes part of
Russian empire while southern Azerbaijan is part of Persia.
1848-49 – World’s first oil well is drilled south of Baku.
1879 – Nobel brothers set up oil-production company.
1918 – Independent Azerbaijani Republic declared.
1920 – Red Army invades; Azerbaijan is declared a Soviet Socialist
Republic.
Soviet rule
1922 – Azerbaijan, part of Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Republic,
becomes founder member of Soviet Union.
1936 – Transcaucasian Soviet Federative Republic dissolved ;
Azerbaijan becomes full republic of Soviet Union.
1967 – Heydar Aliyev becomes head of Azerbaijani KGB; becomes head of
Azerbaijani Communist Party in 1969.
1982 – Heydar Aliyev becomes full member of Soviet Politburo and first
deputy chairman of USSR Council of Ministers.
1987 – Heydar Aliyev leaves Politburo and Council of Ministers.
Soviet era ends in violence
1988 – Nagorno-Karabakh region seeks to become part of Armenia. Ethnic
Azerbaijanis begin to leave Karabakh and Armenia and ethnic Armenians
leave Azerbaijan. At least 26 ethnic Armenians and six Azerbaijanis
are killed in violence in Azerbaijani town of Sumqayit.
1990 – Ethnic strife between Armenians and Azeris escalates. Azeri
nationalist Popular Front rallies support amid growing disorder.
Trouble flares along border between Nakhichevan exclave and Iran as
rioters destroy border installations. Tension eases after Soviet and
Iranian authorities agree to ease restrictions on crossing between the
two countries.
Dozens die in interethnic violence in Baku. Popular Front
demonstrators demand resignation of communist authorities. Soviet
troops use force to end unrest, killing at least 100 people. Azeri
nationalists put death toll at several hundred.
Ayaz Mutallibov becomes Azeri Communist Party leader.
Communist Party later retains power in multiparty elections but
parliament has an opposition for the first time.
1991 – After failed coup attempt in Moscow, Azeri parliament votes to
restore independence. In elections boycotted by opposition, Mutallibov
becomes president.
Heydar Aliyev becomes leader of the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan.
Leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh declares the region an independent
republic. Inter-ethnic hostilities escalate.
War over Karabakh, political unrest
1992 – Hostilities develop into full-scale war over Karabakh. More
than 600 Azerbaijanis are killed as they flee an Armenian attack on
Karabakh town of Khodzhaly. Ethnic Armenian forces break through
Azerbaijani territory to create a corridor linking Armenia to
Karabakh, President Ayaz Mutallibov resigns. Abulfaz Elchibey, leader
of nationalist People’s Front, becomes president in Azerbaijan’s first
contested elections.
1993 – Armenia launches offensive into Azerbaijani territory around
Karabakh.
Rebel army commander Col Surat Huseynov takes control of Azerbaijan’s
second city, Gyandzha, and marches on Baku. President Elchibey invites
Aliyev to return to the capital and subsequently flees.
Aliyev assumes leadership. Huseynov becomes prime minister and is
placed in charge of defence and security forces. Referendum indicates
massive loss of public confidence in Elchibey. Aliyev wins
presidential elections boycotted by Elchibey’s People’s Front.
1994 – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh sign a ceasefire
accord. Ethnic Armenians remain in control of Karabakh and a swathe of
Azerbaijani territory around it.
Aliyev cracks down hard on People’s Front. Azeri forces mount Karabakh
counteroffensive.
Nineteen people killed in two Baku underground station explosions
described by authorities as terrorism.
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh sign a ceasefire. Ethnic
Armenians remain in control of Karabakh and a swathe of Azerbaijani
territory around it.
Three members of the special police force are arrested after the
assassinations of the deputy head of parliament and Aliyev’s security
chief. Special police units led by Rovshan Javadov storm the
Prosecutor’s Office and their colleagues are released.
President Aliyev describes the incident as a coup attempt and declares
a state of emergency. In a separate incident, rebel forces capture key
buildings in second city Gyandzha but are driven out by Aliyev’s
forces.
Despite his denial of involvement in rebel activity, PM Huseynov is
dismissed and flees to Russia.
“Contract of the century”
1994 – Azerbaijan signs what it calls the “contract of the century”
with a consortium of international oil companies for the exploration
and exploitation of three offshore oil fields.
1995 – Government troops crush rebellion by Rovshan Jovadov’s special
police. He and dozens of other rebels are killed.
Nagorno-Karabakh, now acting as an independent republic, holds
legislative elections. Robert Kocharyan, formerly head of Karabakh’s
State Defence Committee, becomes executive president.
The New Azerbaijan Party, led by President Aliyev, wins the majority
of seats in independent Azerbaijan’s first multi-party elections,
which, observers say, fail to meet international
standards. Azerbaijan’s new constitution is approved in a referendum.
1996 – Incumbent President Robert Kocharyan retains his post in direct
presidential elections in Karabakh.
1997 – Robert Kocharyan leaves Karabakh to become prime minister in
Armenia. Foreign Minister Arkadiy Gukasyan is elected Karabakh
president.
Former PM Surat Huseynov is extradited from Russia. Following a
lengthy trial for high treason he is eventually sentenced to life
imprisonment.
Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart Levon Ter-Petrossian agree to OSCE
proposal for staged Karabakh solution. The Armenian leader is
criticized at home for making too many concessions and subsequently
resigns.
The first oil is produced by the Azerbaijani International Operating
Company under the “contract of the century”.
1998 – Opposition activists arrested at protests against what they say
are unfair elections in which Heydar Aliyev is returned as
president. International observers report irregularities.
Death penalty abolished.
Into the new millennium
2000 – Assassination attempt on Karabakh President Arkadiy Gukasyan
fails. Samvel Babayan, Karabakh’s former defence minister, is jailed
for 14 years for masterminding attack.
2001 – Azerbaijan becomes full member of Council of Europe, though
council officials criticise it over human rights record.
US-brokered talks on Nagorno-Karabakh, held between Azerbaijani and
Armenian presidents, end without result.
US lifts aid ban, imposed during Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, after
Azerbaijan provides airspace and intelligence after 11 September
attacks.
Talks between five Caspian countries on ownership of the sea continue
all year but are inconclusive. Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey reach
agreement on oil and gas pipelines linking Caspian fields with Turkey.
Azerbaijan officially shifts to the Latin alphabet for the Azeri
language, the fourth alphabet change in a century.
2002 May – Pope John Paul II makes his first visit to Azerbaijan and
appeals for an end to religious wars.
2002 August – Referendum on amendments to constitution said to get
strong support from voters. Critics allege irregularities, say poll is
ruse to allow president to hand over power to his son.
2002 September – Construction work starts on multi-billion-dollar
pipeline to carry Caspian oil from Azerbaijan to Turkey via Georgia.
Political succession
2003 August – Aliyev appoints his son, Ilham, as prime minister.
2003 October – Ilham Aliyev wins landslide victory in presidential
poll said by observers not to reach international
standards. Opposition protests met with police violence; hundreds
arrested.
2003 December – Heydar Aliyev dies in a US hospital, aged 80. He was
being treated for heart and kidney problems.
2005 March – Thousands mourn after journalist Elmar Huseynov, an
outspoken critic of the authorities, shot dead in Baku.
2005 May – Western diplomats voice concern after police use force to
prevent opposition rally in Baku on eve of opening ceremony for
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipleine.
2005 September – Police use force to break up opposition demonstration
in Baku just weeks before parliamentary elections.
International consortium in huge oil deal; takes the oath of office,
swears to serve the people with dignity.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
PARTICIPATION IN AN INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON
“HOLY SCRIPTURES IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH”
IN THE VATICAN
The Primate of the Diocese of Aleppo, Bishop Shahan Sarkisian represented
the Catholicosate of Cilicia in a congress held in Rome on September 14-18
and entitled “Holy Scriptures in the life of the Church”. The congress was
organized by the Catholic Biblical Federation and the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity.
The congress was held on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the
promulgation of the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis
redintegratio, a document that specifies the role of the Holy Bible in the
Roman Catholic Church. The document was published by the Vatican.
Over 380 attendants, representatives from various churches, lecturers,
special committees and workshops reviewed the document in detail and its
adoption from the time of its publication to the present. They discussed
ways of publishing and disseminating the Holy Bible in light of the
challenges the current world poses and contemporary local and regional
circumstances.
The participants in the meeting stressed the importance of making God’s word
heard to the modern man through contemporary translations understandable to
people and readings. They also emphasized the importance of brining out the
contemporary messages of God’s word and looking for solution for current
social and moral problems in them.
The participants visited Pope Benedict XVI on September 16. Bishop Shahan
conveyed His Holiness’ greetings to the Pope and made proposals for fruitful
cooperation between the Armenian Church and the Roman Catholic Church within
the context of ecumenical relations.
Bishop Norvan Zakarian from Leon represented St. Etchmiyadzin in the
meeting.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

Hürriyetim
28.09.2005
Lawyers won’t drop the Armenian conference: new court case opened
Following the closure of the controversial two day Armenian conference at
Istanbul’s Bilgi University, a group of lawyers from the Lawyers’ Union in
Istanbul has opened a court case against 17 individuals they claim went
against the earlier ruling of an Istanbul court that the conference could
not proceed. The conference, titled “Ottoman Armenians During the Collapse
of the Empire,” had been originally scheduled for May of this year, and was
postponed following outcry over what was perceived as its pro-Armenian
agenda.
The rescheduled conference was then blocked by a last minute court order
brought about by a group of lawyers from Istanbul’s Lawyers’ Union. The
conference, forbidden from taking place at Bosphorus University, was then
transferred to Istanbul’s Bilgi University. The same group of lawyers from
the Lawyers’ Union filed for their case at Beyoglu’s Turkish Republic
Prosecutor’s offices yesterday. Among the 17 people listed in their file as
defying court orders are the rectors of Bosphorus, Sabanci, and Bilgi
universities, as well as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
09/28/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) EU Parliament Demands Turkey Recognize Armenian Genocide 2) Rocking Denny's Boat: System of a Down, ANC, AYF rally outside Hastert's office 3) Update on ARS Hurricane Relief Efforts 1) EU Parliament Demands Turkey Recognize Armenian Genocide STRASBOURG, France (Combined Sources)--European Union lawmakers chided Turkey on Wednesday, five days before it is due to open EU membership talks, demanding that Ankara recognize the 1915 massacre of Armenians as genocide before it joins the bloc. The European Parliament gave grudging blessing to the start of negotiations next Monday after a heated debate in which many members vented strong criticism of Turkey's human rights record. With 356 votes in favor, 181 against and 125 abstentions, the EU legislature adopted a resolution that "calls on Turkey to recognize the Armenian genocide" and "considers this recognition to be a prerequisite for accession to the European Union." The non-binding resolution was a political slap in the face for Turkey, which still insists there was no genocide. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn also warned Turkey it would have to amend its new penal code, adopted to meet EU criteria, if hardline judges were still able to prosecute the country's leading novelist for expressing his views on the killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule. "The case of author Orhan Pamuk is emblematic of the difficulties ensuring effective and uniform implementation of these reforms, and also of the struggle between reformers and conservatives in Turkey," Rehn told the European Parliament. An Istanbul judge is prosecuting the writer for "denigrating Turkish identity" by endorsing the term genocide. He faces up to three years in jail if convicted. Other judges tried in vain to halt an academic conference in Istanbul on the Armenian genocide last week. The Brussels-based European Armenian Federation [ANC Europe] welcomed the Strasbourg-based parliament's statement. "This latest appeal by the European Parliament ahead of the negotiations with Turkey must serve as a guideline for the European Council and the European Commission," its chairman, Hilda Tchoboian, said in a statement. The Federation last week staged a high-profile conference in the parliament, drawing attention to the issue. "Europeans can be confident those negotiations are effective only if leaders are responsive to the desires of the population; we therefore call on the EU foreign ministers to touch upon the genocide issue during their meeting in Luxembourg on October 3," added Tchoboian. The EU legislature also demanded that Turkey recognize Cyprus and said negotiations could be suspended unless it grants access to Cypriot aircraft and shipping by next year. EU governments remain deadlocked on a negotiating mandate for the talks, with Austria holding out for a more explicit mention of an alternative to membership. Ankara reaffirmed on Wednesday it would accept nothing less than full membership. Diplomats said the 25 EU foreign ministers would probably hold an emergency meeting on Sunday night in Luxembourg, hours before negotiations are meant to start, to seek an agreement. 2) Rocking Denny's Boat System of a Down, ANC, AYF rally outside Hastert's office BATAVIA--System Of A Down singer Serj Tankian, leaders of the Armenian National Committee (ANC), and the Armenian Youth Federation headed up a rally in front of Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert's district office in Batavia, IL, urging the Speaker to "do the right thing" and schedule a vote on Armenian Genocide legislation currently before the House of Representatives. With the street in front of Hastert's office cordonnned off by police, BBC, ABC, Fox, and other media outlets were on hand, as hundreds of people of all ages listened to Tankian, John Dolmayan and Armenian National Committee representatives Aram Hamparian and Greg Bedian address the crowd, thanking them for their support and urging them to continue building momentum for the legislation. All four members of System Of A Down lost family members in the genocide and the band has done a number of things, including its annual Souls benefit concert, to increase awareness of the issue. Tankian and Armenian American community representatives passed on to Hastert's aides a letter urging the Speaker to move the legislation forward and presented hundreds of letters from community members calling for a vote. In a personal letter delivered to Speaker Hastert's office, Tankian stated "My grandfather, Stepan Haytayan, is a 97 year-old survivor of the genocide. He's my only link to this past. I promised him that I would try to reach you and explain how important American recognition is to the surviving children of the first genocide of the 20th century." "On these particular [resolutions] he [Hastert] hasn't been dragging his feet--yet," said Greg Bedian, chairman of the Armenian National Committee of Illinois. "But three strikes and we'll see what happens." When Tankian finished reading his letter, the audience cheered for him to give a rallying speech, but he said he would rather meet everyone individually. As he worked his way through the crowd, taking pictures and signing autographs, some greeted him in Armenian while others thanked him for making them aware of the issue. "Up until a couple days ago, I had heard nothing of this," 15-year-old David Gerhard of Downers Grove told Tankian. "But I became outraged that something like this hasn't been taught in any of our classes." Gerhard, like many of the young people in the crowd, heard about the event--and the issue--through the band's e-mail, which wasn't sent out until Monday night. Bassist Shavo Odadjian said he believes the group is making headway: "Every time someone asks me a question about it, I think we've gotten a step closer. It's just the fact that it makes news, and people talk about it, and it becomes an issue that it actually did occur. That's our biggest issue with it: that they still don't admit to it occurring." The rally was organized by the popular rock band, along with Axis of Justice, the Armenian National Committee of America, and the Armenian Youth Federation. In addition to members of the Armenian-American community of Greater Chicago, attendees traveled from Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota, California, and Washington, DC to take part in the event. The numbers of Armenian Americans were buoyed by the participation of throngs of fans of System Of A Down and supporters of Axis of Justice. Heratch Doumanian came from Indiana to participate in the event and honor his grandparents and uncles and aunts who "died in the desert." "[The legislation] will prevent future genocide," Doumanian said. "If people realize they're accountable for it." Demonstrators from the Armenian National Committee of Illinois had picketed Speaker Hastert's "Mobile Office Tour 2005" on Wednesday, July 20, demanding that he honor his five-year-old pledge to move the Armenian Genocide Resolution forward in the House of Representatives. Hastert made the pledge to have the full House vote on Armenian Genocide legislation in August of 2000, but reneged in October of 2000 citing pressure from then President Clinton. He also prevented a similar resolution from reaching the floor in 2004. Staffers committed to providing the Speaker's feedback to the constituents very soon regarding the current bill. 3) Update on ARS Hurricane Relief Efforts The Armenian Relief Society chapters throughout the Western region are continuing to raise funds for Hurricane Katrina victims. Its San Francisco "Garin" and East Bay "Erepouni" Chapters took advantage of their annual St. Gregory Church bazaar and set up collection stations all over the bazaar site in San Francisco; the Montebello "Nairy" Chapter set up a table at Holy Cross Cathedral; the Studio City "Meghry" Chapter used the Armenian Center as a collection station; other chapters got on the phone and collected funds for the Hurricane victims. In Orange County, California, where the "Sevan" and "Karni" Chapters are located, a fundraiser is planned at Zov's Bistro in Tustin, on October 30. Zov Karamardian, who is underwriting all the cost of the event, said that she was moved to do her part for the evacuees. Meanwhile, the ARS Eastern USA, is working to provide assistance to families who have escaped to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, from the New Orleans area. The organization is focusing on assistance to families and schools. The ARS has been contacting mostly Louisiana schools, to provide school supplies, uniforms, play clothes, and toiletries for children who have transferred from the hurricane stricken regions. "We feel responsible to make a difference in the lives of the families and children who have been devastated by Hurricane Katrina," ARS-WR Chair Angela Savoia siad. "We all know how burdened schools are these days, and we are glad to assist those that have taken in evacuee children; this is the most effective way to impact the lives of those who have lost everything." The Western Prelacy has designated the ARS as one of the agencies to offer Gulf Coast disaster relief donations. Tax-deductible donations may be sent, payable to the "ARS of Western USA," to: 517 W. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale, CA 91202-2812; the organization requests that donations be marked: "Hurricane Victims Fund." All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

KOCHARIAN: ARMENIA INTERESTED IN PRESENCE OF RUSSIAN BASE
Pan Armenian News
27.09.2005 04:34
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The presence of the 102-nd Russian military base in
Armenia is country’s security component, Armenian President Robert
Kocharian stated at a joint news conference with Finnish President
Tarja Halonen. The Armenian leader flatly denied the opinion that
Russian military presence is imposed upon Armenia. “No one obliges
anyone, we are interested in the presence of the Russian military
base ourselves, as we have a complicated region and relations between
regional states are complex,” R. Kocharian remarked. He also added
that the issue of expansion of the Russian military presence in
Armenia is not discussed at the moment.

ARMENIAN LULU KABOBS GOBBLED UP
By Jennifer Kapiolani Saxton
Belleville News-Democrat, IL
Sept 25 2005
Lincoln Place festival celebrates diverse neighborhood
GRANITE CITY – For Mary Firtos of Granite City and her two friends,
the Lincoln Place Heritage Festival meant a chance to get authentic
ethnic food.
“We got Hungarian, Armenian and Mexican food,” Firtos said as she
and her friends left the one-day festival Saturday afternoon.
The aroma of Armenian Lulu kabobs and the sound of Scottish
bagpipes filled the streets of Lincoln Place neighborhood near the
community center on Niedringhaus Avenue in one of the city’s oldest
neighborhoods.
The Lincoln Place Heritage Festival drew more than 1,000 to enjoy
cultural foods from Hungary, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Armenia and Mexico.
“(Lulu kabob) is the Armenian version of a hamburger,” said Nancy
Avdoian, who was volunteering at the festival for the St. Gregory
Armenian Church in Granite City. “They have a lot more flavor than
your ordinary hamburger. It’s got a lot of kick to it.”
Using ground lamb, the meat is mixed with seasonings and onions, then
topped with a tomato-parsley mix. It is covered with a yogurt-garlic
sauce and placed in pita bread.
“It’s a common dish in most Armenian houses,” Avdoian said.
Also, on display at the festival were memorabilia provided the
association by the descendants of the immigrants who once lived in
this neighborhood.
Varsenig “Vee” Throne, 83, moved back in the 1990s after being married,
raising her children and traveling the world. As a child, Throne grew
up with her four brothers and sister in the brick house across from
the Lincoln Place Community Center. She lives there again today.
“It was different back then,” Throne said. “It didn’t make a difference
what nationality you were. Everybody was very close to one another.”
Throne and her daughter, Norma Asadorian, who is president of the
Lincoln Place Heritage Association, are working to bring back the
heritage and life to this neighborhood.
“Norma and I and a handful of other people are trying really hard to
revitalize this place,” Throne said.
The revitalization process has included flower pots along Niedringhaus
Avenue, which runs down the center of the neighborhood; a welcome sign;
and in the future, antique light fixtures along the avenue.
For more information about future association activities, send an
address to Lincoln Place Heritage Association P.O. Box 476 Granite
City, IL 62040.

ARMENIAN AIRCRAFT CREW SUSPECTED OF SMUGGLING
Armenpress
Sept 26, 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS: A commercial manager of Armenia’s
biggest private carrier, ArmAvia, denied Friday rumors that the
Armenian crew operating Yerevan-Paris-Yerevan flight had been arrested
by French customs officers a week before, but admitted that the crew
had had some problems with customs officers.
The manager, Arthur Zakarian, said the crew were taken to the customs
office for examination, which showed that they breached some of
customs norms, established by French law. Zakarian said the pilots
were trying to bring from France more cigarettes than allowed by
customs regulations.
He said ArmAvia is carrying an internal investigation. He said the
crew are banned from operating flights, adding that the amount of
cigarettes the pilots were trying to take out of France was small.

Agence France Presse — English
September 23, 2005 Friday 2:57 PM GMT
Azerbaijan police crack down on protest over activist
BAKU
Police in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan violently
disbanded a demonstration Friday where protesters demanded the
release from custody of a youth activist.
Some 40 police officers charged a group of 15 peaceful demonstrators
as they unraveled signs that read “Free Said Nuri,” a leader of the
Yeni Fikir (New Idea) youth protest movement who was arrested and
hospitalized after being questioned earlier this month.
Police were seen punching demonstrators in the chest before the
protestors fled while one man who appeared to be a plain-clothes
security official was seen hitting Razi Nurullayev, a candidate in
upcoming parliamentary elections.
“We tried to use the Georgian method and protest peacefully but they
just charged us” one of the demonstrators, Murad Gassanly said in
reference to the popular revolt that toppled a regime in neighboring
Georgia in 2003.
Demonstrators included members of three protest movements — Yeni
Fikir, Magam and Yokh — which have modeled themselves on groups that
played a lead role in peaceful revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine.
The crackdown comes just before this strategically important oil-rich
nation — sandwiched between Russia and the Middle East — holds
parliamentary elections in November.
“This is very bad for Azeri society because they came for a peaceful
protest,” said Nurullayev, who leads the Yokh opposition youth
movement.
Police who broke up the demonstration refused to identify themselves
or explain their reasons for acting against protestors while Interior
Ministry officials left phones unanswered on Friday.
Nuri was arrested earlier this month for questioning in connection
with alleged plot hatched by the protest movement to overthrow the
Azeri regime.
Two other Yeni Fikir activists have been arrested for anti-government
activity which the authorities allege was backed by Azerbaijan’s foe
Armenia and the Washington-based National Democratic Institute.
Both Armenia — with which Azerbaijan fought a war in the early
1990’s — and the US democracy advocacy group have denied the
allegations.
Nuri was hospitalized two days after his arrest with acute liver
failure in what the opposition said might be a case of police
brutality.
After his hospitalization became public, prosecutors announced they
were not pressing charges against him.
Nevertheless access to the 20-year-old continues to be blocked by a
police detachment over 10 days after his detention.
Azerbaijani law allows for suspects to be held for a maximum of 48
hours without charge.