Category: News

Gang called in top doctor as negotiator
By Julius Strauss and Heather Thompson
The Telegraph, UK
Sept 3 2004
After herding more than 300 children and adults into the school gym,
the terrorists lost no time in telling the authorities who they
wished to negotiate with.
A Moscow-based paediatrician named Leonid Roshal was on the list. He
started talking to the hostage-takers by mobile phone immediately,
and yesterday morning arrived on the scene.
The rebels called specifically for Dr Roshal because they see him as
an honest broker who will not be commandeered by the Kremlin to
implement its will. His first priority will be to get the gunmen to
accept a shipment of food for the children, who have not eaten in 36
hours.
Aged 70, Dr Roshal gained international reknown in 2002 for the
crucial role he played in the 2002 Dubrovka theatre hostage-taking in
Moscow. One of few people to pass freely between Chechen terrorists
and Russian authorities during the three-day siege, Dr Roshal served
as a chief negotiator, medical support and main liaison, bringing
food, medicine and comfort to those inside and news to the rest of
the world. During the siege he treated hostages inside the theatre
and was photographed taking out the body of a woman who was shot by
the terrorists.
Before Russian special forces ended the stand-off by pumping
knock-out gas into the theatre, the doctor helped to secure the
release of eight children. Despite Dr Roshal’s insistence that he was
simply fulfilling his role as a paediatrician, he was awarded a
Russian Order of Valour later that year. Dr Roshal is currently the
head of the emergency surgery and child trauma department at the
Paediatrics Research Institute, a branch of the Russian Academy of
Medical Sciences.
He spent much of his 45-year career helping children in crisis,
travelling to disaster sites across eastern Europe and in Egypt,
Japan, Afghanistan and Turkey.
After participating in the relief effort following the devastating
1988 earthquake in Spitak, Armenia, he founded an international aid
organisation which aims to rescue children in trouble. By 2003, the
organisation had assisted children involved in more than 20 disasters
around the world.
An advocate of the much criticised Russian system of public health
care, Dr Roshal spoke out against a planned reform last April, in an
interview with The Daily Telegraph. “There’s no ideal health system
in the world,” he said, “but ours is as good as any. All we need is
more money.”

The Amazing Race’s plucky duo
The Star Online
Thursday September 2, 2004
Mirna Hindoyan and Charla Faddoul who were eliminated after the seventh
episode tell ZACK YUSOF of the good and trying times they faced competing in
The Amazing Race.
Their trek on The Amazing Race may have ended in tears for plucky
contestants Mirna Hindoyan, 27, and Charla Faddoul, 28, but nobody expected
host Phil Keoghan to be visibly moved as well.
“At each pit-stop, Phil was so gracious to us and I can tell you that he
wasn’t like that with the other teams,” said Mirna in a telephone interview
from Maryland.
Charla Faddoul (left) and Mirna Hindoyan were fierce and determined
competitors throughout seven legs of The Amazing Race.
“I think Phil and us have mutual respect for each other. We are big fans of
the show. Unlike some of the other teams, we didn’t get on the show through
an agent, but it was through our own will, trying very hard to prove that we
had what’s needed to be on the show.
“I think Phil also respected us because we had respect for the locals. It
was obviously hard for him to see that after all our hard work, we just
could not advance further.”
On this occasion, the normally ice-cold host of the top-rated TV adventure
race could not contain his emotions and allowed his eyes to well up when the
122cm-tall Charla explained her motivation for competing on the show after
they were eliminated.
It’s a physically challenging 29-day race, with 11 teams travelling
116,800km and at the same time performing challenging tasks for a US$1mil
(RM3.8mil) prize. Few people gave Charla and her team-mate and cousin Mirna
Hindoyan much chance of making it past the early stages.
But having survived seven episodes using their wits and wiles, the two have
gained the respect of audiences around the world.
“I just wanted to prove to the world how much I can do, and the pressure is
greater when there are always people thinking you can do it,” said Charla to
a teary-eyed Keoghan when they were eliminated.
Mirna and Charla were fierce and determined competitors throughout seven
legs of The Amazing Race. They gave as good as they got on their travels but
got themselves eliminated after gambling on an earlier flight from Abu Dhabi
to Dubai, which was later delayed by three hours. Their final destination
was to be Nairobi, Kenya.
“That was the worst moment of the race for us. Everything was going so well
until then. That killed our lead.” said Mirna.
Since the fifth season of the series began airing in the United States on
July 6, Mirna and Charla have emerged as one of the most interesting teams
on the show, while angering other teams and polarising popular opinion. The
other contestants like Colin and Christie in particular were so against the
two women.
“Let’s just say that Colin’s a very offensive person and he is not open to
people of different cultures. From day one, he had some choice words that he
used on us. We are Armenian and very proud of our heritage. He wanted to
beat us and we wanted to do our best. Some people just resort to blocking
doorways and others just try to use their brains and play their own games.”
In fact, the cousins were prepared to resort to almost any measure,
including using Charla’s small stature, to get ahead. From the very
beginning of the race, Charla had admitted that people were inclined to
offer her help because of her size. She was proven right as early as the
third episode when she claimed that she needed a doctor so that she could
secure a seat on a plane. Unscrupulous maybe, but having a small person
among their ranks definitely worked in Mirna and Charla’s favour.
As it turned out, Charla proved to be such an able competitor. She ended up
performing most of the tasks at the roadblocks, which made many people
speculate that she was doing most of the work.
“I really would like to respond to that,” stated Mirna firmly. “Most people
don’t realise how much of a struggle the race was for us. Charla may be the
smallest person in the race but she weighs as much as me. I’m a 160cm girl
who weighs 48kg and I must say that although I’m a very hardworking person,
I’ve never worked as hard as in the race.
“I’m very proud of her because for the first 10 days of the race I was ill
and on antibiotics. But also, for the two people challenges, I was there
with her and a lot of time I had to do it on my own like herding the goat
and finding the dancer in Argentina.
“I joked and laughed about it but it hurts me when people think that I
didn’t contribute. If we weren’t a team, I don’t think we would have made it
that far.”
Between the two of them, they speak a variety of languages including
Armenian, Turkish, French and Spanish, and have travelled extensively to
foreign countries. Their linguistic skills and experience of different
cultures certainly helped them on various legs of the race.
“We like to have a good time,” explained Charla. “We love experiencing
different cultures and meeting people. There are lots of beautiful things in
the world to experience. We try to communicate with the locals because in my
travelling experience, I find that when you respect people, they treat you
very graciously. It’s nice to try and speak their language. Speaking
different languages definitely gave us an edge over the other teams.”
Certainly, Mirna and Charla’s stint on The Amazing Race has made them
household names back in the United States. People, In Touch, Jay Leno,
Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight have all requested interviews
with them.
In a CBS poll conducted just before they were eliminated, the two ladies
were voted as the team most likely to win. Even after their elimination from
the race, the fan websites garner more comments about Charla and Mirna than
any other team.
For the record, Mirna and Charla are first cousins from Towson, Maryland,
and Phoenix, Arizona, respectively. Both are Armenian and were born in the
same hospital in Syria one month apart. They emigrated to the United States
when they were young children.
As well as co-owning/ managing 10 sportswear stores, Charla said that she is
married to the man of her dreams. Although she has a form of dwarfism, she
stressed that she does not consider it a limitation. Mirna is an attorney
who graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law at 23, the
youngest in her class.
Now that they are eliminated from the race, which of the remaining teams are
they rooting for to win the grand prize?
“We like the mums, and Chip and Kim. They are very nice people to be around.
They are very positive people,” said Charla.
Added Mirna: “At the end of the day, we are proud of what we have
accomplished. Our families and people who stopped us in the streets are
proud of us. I got letters from Singapore and all over the world where the
senders said they were proud of us. We never expected any of this and we are
very appreciative.”
The Amazing Race airs on Wednesdays at 8pm on Astro’s AXN channel.

BUKINIST BOOKSTORE SUED BY JEWISH COMMUNITY
A1 Plus | 15:17:34 | 02-09-2004 | Social |
On Thursday, Gherch Burstain, chair of Jewish Mordekhay Navi community
in Armenia, speaking at a seminar on ethnic minorities held in Yerevan,
voiced alarm at appearing signs of anti-Jewish sentiments in the
republic saying they can become dangerous.
In his opinion one of these sentiments’ reasons is that Armenians
are ill-informed about other nations’ history. He said people’s
insufficient knowledge in this area stirs up ethnic hatred.
Burstain said in recent days the community launched a legal action
against Bukinist bookstore for disseminating anti-Jewish literature
that is intended for planting hatred against Jews and damage relations
between the two nations.
Head of the Ethnic Minorities Coordination and their Rights Awareness
program Stepan Safaryan said the delay in the Ethnic Minorities Law
adoption is hobbling solution of these problems.
Stepan Safaryan is convicted that urgent solution of ethnic minorities’
problems is one of the means to obtain the CE confidence toward
Armenia.

Armenian Fest marks its 8th anniversary
By KEITH J. O’CONNOR, Staff writer
The Republican, MA
Sept 2 2004
Thursday, September 02, 2004
While various towns held “taste” events this summer to sample the
“tasty” fare from area restaurants, it’s the Armenian community
now inviting the public to enjoy a fun day of traditional foods and
dancing with them at their eighth annual Armenian Fest Sunday.
“It’s a time to share our common, everyday foods and our traditions
among ourselves and with other communities,” said Eleanor Demirjian
of St. Mark Women’s Guild.
“And it’s a time to have fun and see friends you only see on occasion
and to catch up on what has been happening with them,” she added.
The event, noon-6 p.m., will be held on the grounds of St. Mark
Armenian Church at 2427 Wilbraham Road, Springfield.
According to parishioner Hagop “Jack” Boyajian, the festival began
eight years ago as a picnic “in the confines of the church hall,”
but soon outgrew its quarters indoors.
“The festival is multipurpose in addition to bringing people together,”
Boyajian said.
“It also serves to sustain the basic needs of the parish such
as meeting gas and electric charges, as well as raising money to
provide charitable funds, such as when we helped those impacted by
an earthquake in Armenia,” he added.
Admission to the festival is free, but money is raised through the
sale of food and other items.
This year’s menu will include hot shish kebab, chicken kebab, and
losh kebab, which is beef and lamb with spices, priced at $10 to $12.
“The dinners come with rice pilaf, salad and bread,” Demirjian said.
Members of the St. Mark Women’s Guild have been cooking around the
clock to stock a bake table where diners can enjoy an appetizer or
dessert “on the spot” or order some to take home. Among Armenian
delicacies for sale will be flaky turnovers called cheese boreg,
spanakopita or spinach boreg, string cheese and boorma, a flaky pastry
with sugar syrup. There will also be a sweet bread called choreg,
stuffed grape leaves and butter cookies.
“Paklava, which is the same as baklava, is a layered filo dough with
nuts, cinnamon, honey and sugar, and is the king of our pastries,”
Demirjian said.
“Our queen of pastries is the boorma, a flaky dough that is a lighter
version of our paklava, with the same ingredients and a nice light
sugary sauce,” she added.
Frozen lahmejune, or flat meat pies, will also be available for sale
to take home by the dozen, Demirjian noted.
“These are flat, like a pizza but with no cheese, and a meat topping
along with spices, peppers, onions and other vegetables,” she said.
To add to the festivities, live music to sit back and tap your toes
or to get up on your feet and dance, will be provided by Hye Echoes.
Visitors can even do a little shopping at this year’s fest where a
“country store” has been set up to sell cracker bread, grains, dried
flowers, a yogurt drink called tahn, Armenian coffee and more.
For those feeling lucky, Anita Assarian will have some fun predicting
fortunes as she reads the future from coffee residue left in a cup
after drinking.
This year’s Armenian Fest will also feature live cooking and dancing
demonstrations.
“We are currently preparing a video cookbook for sale and will be
running a sample of it near the bake table showing the preparations
for several of the baked items we will be selling,” Demirjian said .
To keep the kids entertained, there will be games and a bounce house.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Detroit Free Press, MI
Sept 2 2004
About Chechnya
Population: 1.2 million; 85 percent are Sunni Muslim Chechens, the
remainder are Christians, mostly Russians or Armenians.
RELATED CONTENT
Terror takes over Russian school
Size: About 5,000 square miles.
History: Chechens have been fighting Russian occupation since the
late 18th Century. But the seeds of the current revolt go back to
World War II, when Chechnya was a semiautonomous republic within the
Soviet Union. While most Chechen males fought German troops, Soviet
dictator Josef Stalin ordered Chechnya wiped off the map. Secret
police burned villages and deported the entire Chechen population to
Kazakhstan and Siberia, accusing them and other Soviet Muslims of
collaborating with the Nazis.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, an independence movement
formed in Chechnya, but Russia refused to allow the secession. As a
result, Chechnya has undergone two civil wars, which have left most
of Chechnya under the control of the federal military. Chechen
separatists still claim an independent Chechnya and have orchestrated
attacks in Chechnya and other regions of Russia, including Moscow.
Some 150,000 people have died as a result of Chechen civil strife
from 1994 to 2003.
The rebel force: Military analysts estimate the number to be in the
low thousands. The rebels are thought to have the support of up to 30
percent of the Chechen population, although the vast majority of
Chechens say they are tired of the bloodshed. Apart from indigenous
Chechen fighters, the separatist force includes foreigners. Some top
commanders are from Saudi Arabia. Suicide bombers have notably
included so-called black widows — Chechen women who lost husbands in
fighting.

Foreign Minister on Prague meeting results
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 2 2004
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov expressed his satisfaction with
the outcome of the meeting with his Armenian counterpart Vardan
Oskanian in Prague on Monday. The results of the meeting have not
been disclosed. Mammadyarov told local ATV channel that
the meeting was a step forward in settling the Upper Garabagh
conflict and that a specific decision on continuing the talks will
be made after the meeting results are reported to the two countries’
presidents. Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents are scheduled to
meet within the summit of the CIS heads of state due in Astana,
Kazakhstan on September 15. Oskanian earlier told journalists that
he did not expect the Prague meeting to yield positive results and
that its only outcome was determining the direction of future talks.
Ankara to mediate talks
A meeting of Azerbaijani, Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers will
be held in Ankara in September, the Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan
Ahmet Unal Cevikoz has told journalists. He said that the date and
agenda of the meeting have not been determined yet. The ministers
will exchange views on issues related to eliminating tensions in the
region, the ambassador added.

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
Sept 2 2004
Police, fire seek diversity
Both Glendale departments strive to hire more minorities for public
safety jobs.
By Jackson Bell, News-Press
GLENDALE — For Hagop Kurdian, the youthful dream of becoming a
firefighter wasn’t warmly received by the adults in his family and
elders in his community.
That’s because Kurdian, a Glendale resident of Armenian descent whose
parents immigrated from Lebanon, comes from an ethnic background that
generally regards work in civil service as a “last-resort job” when
one can’t succeed in business.
That was in Lebanon, where firefighting was primitive and a career on
the force was not a well-paid or well-respected career. But in the
U.S., he said firefighters receive good salaries and are held in high
esteem in the community.
“A lot of Armenians are not educated as to what the firefighters do,
so they don’t see this as much of an honorable profession or career,”
said Kurdian, a 23-year-old Glendale fire cadet who aspires to join
the force. “But the more they learn about [the job], the more
supportive they become.”
For a city that estimates nearly one-third of its population is of
Armenian descent, Glendale Fire and Police representatives say their
department personnel does not reflect that statistic. And both
agencies are striving to interest community members of all minorities
to join their ranks.
As of July 31, 2003, the police department’s staff of 368 sworn
officers and support staff had 17 people of Armenian descent, 23 with
an Asian/Pacific Islander background, seven blacks and 84 Latinos,
according to city auditors. The fire department’s staff has two of
Armenian descent, eight Asian/Pacific Islanders, six blacks and 33
Latinos. Fire officials added that the department has never had a
sworn firefighter of Armenian descent, and the employees with an
Armenian background are civilian employees.
Another reason Battalion Chief Harold Scoggins believes Armenians are
underrepresented is because there has been a dramatic uptick in
immigration over the past 25 years. And since the Glendale Fire
Department hires less frequently than other agencies, he said it’s
hard for the department to keep up with sharp demographic shifts.
“But just because we don’t have one, it doesn’t mean that we aren’t
working hard to get Armenians on the department,” said Scoggins, who
heads recruiting and hiring. “We have to start somewhere, and
everyday we’re getting closer.”
Glendale Police, although more diversified than its public-safety
counterpart, is still making efforts to spur more community interest,
said Lt. Bruce Fox, who heads the department’s Professional Standards
Bureau.
An outreach meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Glendale
Police Station’s Community Room, 140 N. Isabel St., where people can
learn how to join the force. Officers of Armenian, Asian and Latino
descent will also be on hand to meet with the public.
But fire and police representatives say standards for candidates will
not be lowered just to diversify their staff.
People interested in learning more can call Scoggins at 548-4050, log
onto or stop and talk to a
firefighter on the street, if they are not responding to an
emergency.

PRESS RELEASE/NEWS REVIEW
MELKONIAN ALUMNI CYPRUS
Contact: Masis der Parthogh
P.O. Box 16077, CY 2085
Nicosia, Cyprus.
Tel. +-357 22 678666
Fax. +-357 22 678664
Email: [email protected]
Melkonian students remain in uncertainty
There were no registrations for the new school year
PHILELEFTHEROS – Monday, August 30, 2004
(Translation)
By Frixos Dalitis
The prospect of the new school year being the last one for the historic
Melkonian school of the Armenians is imminent. Everybody despises this
outcome but the intention of the Armenian General Benevolent Union
(AGBU) charity foundation is to close the school and sell the land.
The registrations for new students have not taken place this year by
decision of the Executive Board of the foundation and the decision
is to close the school at the end of the new school year. The issue
has caused the extensive reaction of the Armenian community, which
on the initiative of the school’s Alumni Association is resorting to
actions to prevent this closure.
As the vice president of the Alumni Association, Masis der Parthogh,
told “Phileleftheros”, registrations did not take place this year by
decision of the foundation that manages the school. Also, he said,
the local representatives of the AGBU are warning parents that the
school will close and they deserve to find something better for
their children.
As regards the Melkonian, the Environmentalists’ Movement had raised
the issue in November 2003 suggesting that the development zoning
levels for the whole estate be reduced to prevent anyone from selling
it. On April 2, by decision of the Minister of Interior, two thirds
of the land (the twin buildings, the founders’ villa, the boarding
house and the forest) were declared as a protected area. However,
according to Mr. der Parthogh, the company that administers it has
objected to the proposal to declare the land as protected.
“I don’t think this decision can change, because the matter has to go
to the Council of Ministers which I consider is impossible to change
the declaration,” Masis der Parthogh said.
Also, on March 26, the House plenary session called on the government
to intervene so as not only to declare the buildings as protected but
also for it to continue to operate as a school and for the AGBU board
that is based in New York to come into contact and cooperate with the
Armenian community of Cyprus and to discuss the future of the school.
Since then, Mr. der Parthogh said, nothing has happened and the AGBU
representative in Cyprus ignores the House decision and continues to
implement the decisions of the foundation’s board without coming into
contact with anyone.
“We, as the Association, sent a letter to the President of the House,
as well as to all the deputies of the House Education Committee and
the Ministers calling for their immediate intervention, because these
people have not only put aside any decision of the House, but they
ignore it as well. We say, through our Representative in the House,
that we are in a position to undertake the complete management of
the school, if the State, the Parliament or any other body can start
a dialogue for us to take control of the school’s administration,”
Masis der Parthogh said.
Referring to the Association’s position and the actions they are
taking to prevent the school’s closure, he said: “That ground, we
do not accept that it belongs to them, as they claim. Our lawyers
here have been working for months trying to prove the opposite,
that they simply had the administration of the school and not its
ownership. The Melkonian is a private school that belongs to a trust,
the administration of which is in the hands of the foundation.
“From the 1920s to the early 1930s efforts were made to transfer
the ownership to the Armenian Patriarchate in Constantinople. This
is what we are trying to discover with our lawyers with searches in
many countries. Furthermore, what we are saying is that as this is a
trust they cannot sell it, but they can only administer it and nothing
else, so it has to revert to the Armenian community. We are trying
to involve all the bodies, political parties, etc., in order for a
political decision to be taken to ensure the continued operation of
the Melkonian school.”
Ministry of Education’s hands are tied
The Melkonian school is a private school for secondary education with
an offer for free education by agreement of the Republic of Cyprus. It
was established in 1926 and initially operated as an orphanage,
providing shelter and board and later education to orphan Armenians who
survived the genocide by the Turks. Gradually, the Melkonian school
was transformed to a large educational institute for the Armenian
diaspora with an international reputation and for the national culture
for the Armenian community of the diaspora. The school’s continuation
is considered as vital for the Armenian community in Cyprus.
The Ministry of Education, through the Director of Secondary Education,
Andreas Skoteinos, assures that it is doing everything possible within
its ability for the school to continue to operate.
“Some legal problems prevent the Ministry from taking further action
as the school is private and the law does not allow for any further
involvement in the matter,” he said. However, he expressed the hope
that “we will not be led to the prospect of the school closing.”
“O Phileleftheros Ltd.”

Azeri capital’s authorities ban anti-Armenian picket outside French embassy
ANS TV, Baku
2 Sep 04
[Presenter over video of Qudrat Hasanquliyev, chairman of the United
People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party, UPFAP] The Baku city executive
authorities have not permitted the UPFAP to stage a picket outside
the French embassy on 3 September in protest over Armenian officers’
planned visit [to Azerbaijan to attend NATO exercises].
The city authorities said that Azerbaijan’s authoritative bodies
have set some conditions to international organizations in connection
with the Armenian officers’ planned participation in the Baku-hosted
exercises and that the conditions protect the interests of our country.
Hasanquliyev said that the conviction of the members of the Karabakh
Liberation Organization will not make his party give up its struggle.

Azeri pressure group appeals to authorities to arrest Armenian officers
MPA news agency
2 Sep 04
Baku, 2 September: The Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO)
has appealed to the leadership of the republic and the heads of the
law-enforcement agencies for conducting a detailed investigation into
the identities and the military career of the Armenian officers who
intend to take part in the Cooperative Best Effort exercise as part
of the NATO Partnership for Peace programme in Baku on 13-27 September.
The appeal says that the appropriate bodies should investigate if
the Armenian officers took part in military operations during the
Karabakh war and if they have been involved in war crimes. If such
facts are discovered, they should arrest [the Armenian officers]
and bring [them] to account.
The KLO is also planning actions of protest. Its deputy chairman
Samil Mehdi said that the KLO will hold nonstop protests during the
exercise to demand that the authorities deport the Armenian officers
from Azerbaijan if they visit Baku.