Author: Zakarian Garnik

DELEGATES OF ARMENIA RECEIVED FIVE MORE BRONZE MEDALS IN TRABZON

Noyan Tapan
Jul 10, 2007

TRABZON, JULY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The first sports games of the member
countries of the Black See Economic Cooperation Organization finished
in Trabzon on July 8. Valter Margarian (46kg, Yerevan), David Gaginian
(50kg, Vanadzor), Sasun Belgarian (54kg, Vanadzor), and Karen Mkrtchian
(69kg, Garni) were awarded bronze medals in the competitions of
free-style wrestling. Kristine Haroutiunian of Gyumri, a triple jumper,
took third place in the competitions of athletes. She came up with a
result of 11m and 47sm. In the 400m race Anna Teleshcheva (Yerevan)
took fifth place.

AZERBAIJAN IS BASE FOR U.S. POSSIBLE ATTACK ON IRAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.07.2007 15:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Presently, Azerbaijan is important for the United
States as a strategic partner, political scientist Levon Melik
Shahnazaryan told a news conference in Yerevan. This first of all
proves the U.S. interest in Azeri energy resources, according to him.

"Azerbaijan is a bridgehead for the U.S. possible attack on Iran. And
last but not least, the U.S. will exert every effort to prevent Baku
from prolonging Russia’s lease of the Gabala radar base after 2012,"
he noted adding that the U.S. military bases will be deployed in
Azerbaijan sooner or later.

USA CALLS ON YEREVAN AND BAKU TO DISPLAY POLITICAL WILL FOR PUSHING AHEAD TALKS ON KARABAKH

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.07.2007 14:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The sides of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict have fixed
a significant progress during recent three years. And authorities of
Armenia and Azerbaijan deserve praise for their courage in dispute
settlement basing on principles of the problem resolution, OSCE
American Co-Chair, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European
and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza stated in an interview to the
PanARMENIAN.Net. "We regret that no progress was reached during
the St. Petersburg meeting, but as a OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair,
Washington remains adherent to assisting the negotiation process for
reaching a peaceful solution to the conflict. We call on Yerevan and
Baku to display political will for pushing ahead talks on Karabakh,"
the American diplomat underscored.

WARFARE GERMS LET LOOSE
by Victor Myasnikov
Translated by A. Ignatkin

Source: Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, No 20, June 29 – July 5, 2007, p. 7
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
July 6, 2007 Friday

African Plague Outbreak In Georgia Attributed To A Secret Us Military
Laboratory In This Country

An update on the plague outbreak in Georgia. Official Tbilisi is
suspiciously taciturn on the subject.

The Rosselkhoznadzor banned the import of hogs, pork, and other
meats from Georgia. Surprisingly, Tbilisi did not even accuse Moscow
of putting Georgia under political or economic pressure. What is
happening in Georgia is recognized as an epizootic outbreak of
African plague. All neighboring countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia,
Turkey) imposed a ban on pork import from Georgia, and even some
other countries (the Ukraine) followed suit.

South Ossetian media outlets immediately assumed the worst and
began speculating on a special operation run in Georgia with the
participation of US secret services. The assumption is based on the
fact that the outbreak was first reported in the areas of Georgia
populated with ethnic minorities – Samegreli, Guria, Imereti in
the western part of the country, Samtskhe-Javakhetia and Kvareli,
Telavi, Gurjaa, and Lagodekhi districts of Kakhetia in the east. The
districts of Kakhetia affected by the outbreak are mostly populated
with Ossetians, Azerbaijanis, and Dagestanis, Samtskhe-Javakhetia
with Armenians, and West Georgia with Megrelians.

South Ossetian media outlets suspect that Tbilisi launched a nationwide
purge and hopes to undermine the economy of the regions in question
and thus to force non-Georgians to emigrate.

The assumption is naive because cases are reported all over Georgia,
save for the mountainous districts and Ajaria. Besides, Azerbaijanis
and Dagestanis are Muslims who do not eat pork and this viral attack
against them (if that is what it really is) is pointless.

The defense ministries of Georgia and United States signed the accord
"On cooperation in the sphere of technologies and pathogens used in
germ warfare means and non-proliferation on relevant information"
in 2002. When US Senator Richard Lugar was visiting Tbilisi in 2004,
the two countries agreed to set up the Central Reference Laboratory
in the settlement of Alekseevka near Tbilisi. The bilateral treaty
on realization of Nunn-Lugar program was signed in August 2005.

Lugar visited Tbilisi again in late August 2006. Health Care Minister
Lado Chipashvili and Lugar visited the laboratory in Alekseevka
where "research into abatement of biological hazard to Georgia" was
already under way. Chipashvili told journalists that the laboratory
in question was trying to find antidotes to various viruses including
the bird flu virus. Lugar in his turn said the laboratory had cost
$30 million and that the US Administration was prepared to finance
construction of several similar objects in Georgia and had already
set $65 million aside for the purpose.

The parliament of Georgia ratified amendments to the 2002 accord
two weeks later. Strictly speaking, activity of the laboratory was
classified. Georgian Deputy Defense Minister, Mamuka Kudava, announced
that the United States had initially allocated $15 million for the
laboratory but upped the sum to $95 million. It became clear then
that the Pentagon was running several secret programs in Georgia. CIA
secret jails gave way to the US Army’s secret biolabs.

The Alia newspaper reported some details of the Georgian-American
agreement. One of its clauses specifies the delivery of cattle to
the laboratory. Khronika, another Georgian newspaper, stated that
viruses from all over the world were to be brought to Alekseevka. Paata
Imnadze, the head of the Disease Control National Center, denounced
Khronika’s report by saying that "We only intend to study the viruses
found in Georgia. A global dump for viruses is out of the question."

Reports from Georgia on how the outbreak is being handled are unusually
infrequent. No statistical data is available. The latest reports are
dated late May and early June when the death rate for hogs was 20,000
and 22,000 animals. Tbilisi’s silence is alarming.

When the disease is conquered, this success is always reported. When
it is not, the general public ought to know.

Should the plague cross Georgian borders, all of Europe will be
in trouble. Nikolai Vlasov of Rosselkhoznadzor, a specialist in
African plague and other exotic germs, proclaims the virus capable
of destroying all piggery in Russia.

Public opinion in Georgia pins the blame for the outbreak on the
American laboratory. Hence the veil of secrecy. South Ossetian and
Abkhazian media outlets are convinced that the outbreak is actually a
result of germ warfare tests that went out of control, but in Georgia
itself everything is ascribed to dereliction of duty on the part of
laboratory personnel.

Specialists work on vaccines against diseases in laboratories, civilian
and military, all over the world. They come up with new strains that
will hopefully help against new and new germs. As a matter of fact,
they study floral and faunal diseases rather than human ones more
and more often. It fits the popular concept of non-lethal weapons
for future wars to be fought to subdue the enemy to the winner’s
will rather than destroy him. In these wars, a strike at the enemy’s
economy or food chain may accomplish the mission even without the
use of the regular armies.

A FRIEND GIVES PETER A HAND WITH THAT PESKY WOLF
By Vivien Schweitzer
Richard Termine for The New York Times

New York Times
July 7 2007

Photo: Kevin Kline and the New York Philharmonic, conducted by
Bramwell Tovey, performing "Peter and the Wolf" at Avery Fisher Hall
on Thursday.

Sometimes the best children’s toys are coveted by adults. During a
performance of Prokofiev’s charming "Peter and the Wolf" by the New
York Philharmonic and Bramwell Tovey at Avery Fisher Hall on Thursday,
it seemed as if a storyteller and his musical accomplice were re-
enacting a favorite bedtime story for a rapt audience that even
included some real kids.

"Peter and the Wolf," which Mr. Tovey called a work for "children of
all ages," has been recorded innumerable times with starry narrators,
including Leonard Bernstein, David Bowie, Sean Connery and Sophia
Loren. The actor Kevin Kline was added to the distinguished lineup
in Thursday’s concert, part of the Philharmonic’s annual Summertime
Classics series. Mr. Kline engagingly relayed the adventures of
Peter and the animals with whimsy and charm, while Mr. Tovey and
the musicians eagerly conveyed the musical ingenuity of Prokofiev’s
picturesque score.

There was plenty of other colorful music by Russian composers during
the concert, "Moscow on the Hudson," which was performed under a
backdrop depicting Red Square. The program opened with an energetic
rendition of Glinka’s ebullient Overture to "Ruslan and Ludmila,"
performed far more frequently (outside Russia) than the opera itself.

The orchestra members, in their summer uniform of white jackets,
seemed to be enjoying themselves, with the sumptuously spun-out cello
melody particularly lovely.

Mr. Tovey, whose personality is as ebullient as this music,
interspersed the works with a lively stream of jokes and anecdotes.

One related the origins of Tchaikovsky’s lighthearted "Capriccio
Italien," written in 1880 (an unusually happy year in the oft-tormented
composer’s life) while he was staying in a hotel in Rome next to a
cavalry barracks. No one likes being waked up at the crack of dawn
on vacation, but Tchaikovsky put his rude awakening to good use and
wove the early-morning trumpet call of his noisy neighbors into the
opening fanfare of the Capriccio, a musical postcard of his sunny
respite in Rome.

There was more sunshine in the stirring Pas de Deux from "Spartacus,"
the ballet by Khachaturian, the son of an Armenian bookbinder living
in Georgia, who moved to Moscow to study in his late teens in 1921.

Like many of his colleagues, Khachaturian ran afoul of the Soviet
regime, but this work, depicting the uprising of repressed slaves
against their wealthy masters, was naturally a hit with the
authorities, and it was awarded the Lenin Prize in 1959.

Then the plot shifted from ancient Rome with Borodin’s programmatic
"In the Steppes of Central Asia," the most subdued work on the
program. The composer provided a detailed written description to
guide his listeners’ imagination, his musical brushstrokes evoking
a caravan of horses and camels slowly crossing the dusty steppes.

"Would you like one more?" Mr. Tovey shouted at the audience at the
end of the concert. They hollered back a resounding "yes" and were
rewarded with a vivacious reading of Khachaturian’s popular "Sabre
Dance" from the Gayane Suite No. 2.

AZERI MFA ISSUES A STATEMENT ON PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN NKR

armradio.am
06.07.2007 11:48

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has issued a statement
on the presidential elections in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, in
which it "reiterates that the unrecognized separatist regime in the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan represents nothing but an illegal
structure established by Armenia on the basis of ethnic cleansing of
Azerbaijani population."

It is noted in the document that "the so-called "elections" are
conducted in order to camouflage the annexation policy of Armenia and
are aimed at consolidation of the results of the continued occupation
of the Azerbaijani territories.

Conduct of such "elections" gravely violates the relevant provisions
of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the norms and
principles of international law, since they are held in absence of
the original Azerbaijani population of the Nagorno-Karabakh region,
and, therefore shall have no legal effect whatsoever.

Any kind of elections in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic
of Azerbaijan may be recognized as fair and free once the expelled
Azerbaijani population takes full, direct and equal part in their
conduct in lawful and democratic environment equally to the Armenian
population of the region.

Holding such elections will be possible after the withdrawal of the
Armenian occupying forces, normalization of life in the region,
creation of necessary conditions for restoration of the dialogue
and cooperation between the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities
of Nagorno-Karabakh. These steps will open up possibility for the
elaboration of an autonomy model for the Nagorno-Karabakh population
within Azerbaijan.

The Republic of Azerbaijan calls upon the Armenian side to stop
its destructive practice of illegal steps, which does not have
any prospects, and instead to demonstrate a good will and take a
constructive position in the negotiation process in order to find
a soonest and durable solution to the conflict on the basis of the
norms and principles of international law."

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock)
July 5, 2007 Thursday

EDITORIALS
Genocide’s big buddy Sudan plus Red China equals Darfur

WANT TO know how to get away with murder? Here’s one way: Hide behind
a powerful protector-like, say, the government of the most populous
nation on Earth. Hey, it works for Sudan.

Black Africans in Darfur, the western region of Sudan, are being
slaughtered by the thousands. Sudanese officials deny it, but the
evidence is clear enough. The bodies keep piling up.

The world has expressed its outrage, its horror, its demand that the
killing stop, blah, blah, blah . . . . Talk, diplomats are good at.
Stopping a genocide, not so much. The world should have learned that
much long ago-at least since the Armenian massacres early in the last
century. What’s happening today in Darfur can be traced back through
a whole history of the world’s indifference to suffering.

The Sudanese government’s latest ploy in this farce and tragedy was
to agree to a large contingent of peacekeepers from the United
Nations and the African Union, then deny that force entry to Darfur.
What agreement? Who, us?

As always, Sudan is aided and abetted by its ally and trading
partner, mainland China.

When Condoleezza Rice, our secretary of state, suggested a few days
ago that it’s time for more trade and diplomatic sanctions to get
Khartoum’s attention, Chinese officials were against the idea-as
usual.

There’s been some heartening discussion of a boycott of the 2008
Olympics in Beijing, and it seems to have caught the attention of the
ChiCom bosses. They don’t like all this talk about a Genocide
Olympics. (Ah, if they could just control the Western press the way
they do their own!) Officials in Beijing don’t like to be reminded
that they’re complicit in what’s happening in Darfur, so they say the
Olympics are supposed to be non-political.

Non-political? Like the 1936 Oympics in Berlin? Or the 1980 Olympics
in Moscow that the United States boycotted? Or the 1984 Olympics the
Soviets boycotted in turn? The Olympics have been part political
since the Greek city-states vied for honors at the first one.

Pretending that everything is just swell in Beijing while its regime
is aiding and abetting this massive crime would be a political
statement, too. It would amount to endorsing the horrors in Darfur.
For silence still gives comment. Especially when the world should be
yelling bloody murder.

(Blood) Red China has been running interference for Sudan for years
now. Why? Well, Sudan provides its gigantic trading partner with lots
of oil. Why jeopardize something important, like the supply of
petroleum, for the sake of mere human life? Business is business.

Estimates of the dead in Darfur vary widely. Nobody’s really sure of
the toll to date. The consensus is that at least 200,000 have died
there since 2004; the real count could be twice that. Who really
knows?

Hundreds of thousands, millions . . . . You’d think the rest of the
world would get a little more worked up over such numbers. But the
world’s reaction could be summed up as one big yawn-despite all the
diplomatic jaw-jaw.

If Beijing can be blamed for providing political cover, let’s not
forget who’s doing the killing: the Sudanese regime.

Secretary Rice sounded tired of the old runaround when she called for
additional sanctions. It’s about time somebody ran out of patience.
Anyone with eyes to see and a heart to feel knows what needs to be
done: The UN peacekeepers need to take up their positions to protect
the refugees.

Yes, the peacekeeping force needs to have a heavily African makeup,
and it should be heavily armed. Other countries, Western countries,
can provide the logistical support the peacekeepers will need,
including enough aircraft to enforce a no-fly zone over Darfur. Put
those measures into effect, along with some meaningful economic and
political sanctions, and Sudan might begin to lose interest in
killing.

The solution isn’t really complicated. What’s missing is the will to
do what’s needed. Which means the will to show Sudan-and China’s
commissars-that the world won’t put up with games any longer. PENSION
funds in this country, tired of waiting for governments to act, are
beginning to disinvest in companies that do business with Sudan’s
murderous regime. The Arkansas Teachers Retirement System has decided
to disinvest in the Sudan. Good for the teachers. May their tribe
increase. Economic boycotts can be a powerful weapon. Khartoum may
not care about human life, but it cares deeply about its economic
interests. They need to be squeezed. Never underestimate the power of
the dollar. And after Sudan, Iran. Americans need not wait for the UN
to do right, and private funds need not wait for Washington to take
action. It’s time to put our money where our conscience is.

School Library Journal Reviews
July 1, 2007
THE BOOK REVIEW; Grades 5-up; Pg. 108

At Ellis Island: A History in Many Voices

by Luann Toth

PEACOCK, Louise. At Ellis Island: A History in Many Voices . illus.
by Walter Lyon Krudop. 44p. reprods. further reading. Web sites. CIP.
S & S/Atheneum . 2007. RTE $18.99. ISBN 978-0-689-83026-6 . LC
00-054281.

Gr 4-6- A picture book that is stronger in concept than in execution.
In a format similar to her Crossing the Delaware (S & S, 1998),
Peacock describes the immigration experience to children. The first
fictional narrative presented (in red type) is that of a modern child
visiting Ellis Island, intertwining facts she has gathered about her
family at the museum. The second narrative thread is delivered
through letters written in cursive handwriting. They are from a
fictional Armenian girl, Sera, who in 1910 makes the long journey to
join her father in New York. She describes to her mother back home
the Statue of Liberty, being in the Baggage Hall among swarms of
people speaking different languages, and the pervasive feelings of
uncertainty and fear. The third element is the inclusion of numerous
quotes from actual immigrants, an interpreter, a surgeon, and other
officials. Overall, the story is a powerful one, but the whole is
more likely to confuse than to inform young readers. The book’s
approach is sketchily explained in the author’s note and not
sufficiently introduced in the main text, which is divided into
separate boxes, each of which appears in a different color and font.
Krudop’s gouache paintings are evocative and expressive, and archival
photographs are sprinkled throughout. There may be some use for this
offering in a classroom with some guided reading, but youngsters who
come to it on their own will most likely feel lost.-Luann Toth,
School Library Journal

Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, July 5, 2007

Contact: Haig Hovsepian

Tel: (818) 500-1918

ANCA-WR Welcomes Passage of SB 515 by California Assembly Committee
— Passage Extends "Sunset" of the California Trade Office

Sacramento, CA – The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
(ANCA-WR) welcomed news of the passage of SB 515 through the California
Assembly Jobs and Economic Development Committee. The Assembly Committee
passed SB 515, which extends the "sunset" of funding for the California
Trade Office (CATO) by 2 years until 2010. The CATO, which opened under the
leadership of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) and California Senator
Jack Scott (D-Pasadena), was administered to stimulate trade between
California and the regions of Eastern Europe, Western Asia, and the Newly
Independent States (NIS) of the former Soviet Union.

Testimony in support of the CATO was provided by Johnny Nalbandian, CATO
Trade Specialist and the Executive Director of the Foundation for Economic
Development, Inc., which is the privately-funded sole contractor of the
CATO, and Souzi Zerounian-Khanzadian, Chairwoman of the Los Angeles –
Yerevan Sister City Association (LAYSCA).

During testimony, Nalbandian discussed the operation of the CATO going
forward, the 1500% increase in CATO’s website traffic in the past year
(), and the progress in working with companies such as
Marani Spirits which now distributes through chains like Safeway, Ralphs and
California Pizza Kitchen. Additionally, Nalbandian explained that the CATO
is working with California companies such as Hard Rock Café, Nic-Nak
Clothing, Coffee Bean and Tea, Mattel and a pharmaceutical company that is
exploring the feasibility of constructing a specialized facility in Armenia.
Nalbandian also informed the Assembly Committee of simultaneous Town Hall
meetings to be conducted in November in Los Angeles and Yerevan. These
meetings would provide an opportunity for local and regional businesses to
learn more about CATO’s work and outreach to promote economic growth between
California and the NIS. The Town Hall meetings will precede a Trade Expo
and Conference featuring companies from all over California and the NIS that
will take place in the spring of 2008. Finally, Nalbandian mentioned the
possibility of establishing, through an Armenian carrier, a direct flight
between Los Angeles and Yerevan which would offer exciting opportunities for
freight and passenger travel between the two cities.

Following Nalbandian, Zerounian-Khanzadian elaborated upon the relationship
between the LAYSCA and the CATO. Zerounian-Khanzadian stated that the
LAYSCA facilitates relationship building between Los Angeles and Yerevan
businesses and helps promote the goals of CATO. Furthermore, LAYSCA and
CATO will be working together on securing the direct Los Angeles – Yerevan
flight.

After testimony, the Committee passed SB 515 by a vote of 6-0.

"Passage of SB 515 through the Assembly’s Jobs and Economic Development
Committee signals another important milestone for California’s economy,"
commented ANCA-WR Executive Director Andrew Kzirian. "The CATO provides a
unique opportunity for California companies to discover and engage vast new
markets," he added.

The Armenian National Committee of America is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots political organization. Working in
coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout
the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA
actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad
range of issues.

RA GOVERNMENT SHOULD START REDUCING GAS SUBSIDIES AS SOONAS POSSIBLE,
IMF OFFICIAL SAYS

YEREVAN, JULY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Marta Castello-Branco, the head of the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation, which is in Armenia from
July 26, at the July 2 press conference, said that the RA government
should start reducing gas subsidies as soon as possible to soften the
consequences of growth in gas prices for vulnerable strata.

It should be mentioned that in 2006, the RA government, handing over
Hrazdan TPP’s 5th energy unit to Russia, received the possibility to
keep the price for 1 cubic meter of gas imported from Russia at the
level of 55 dollars for final consumers through subsidizing.

In her words, the operation term of the current gas subsidy will expire
in late 2008. From the begninning of 2009 prices for gas could grow
abruptly and make more than 200 USD, and in order to soften the
consequences of the latter, gas subsidies should be gradually reduced.
M. Castello-Branco said that the steady appreciation of the dram should
help smooth this process by making gas import cheaper in dram terms.