Category: News

International Herald Tribune
Choosing leaders from the war zone
John Kael Weston IHT July 23, 2004
BAGHDAD We write from Iraq, where the war is not over and the mission still
to be accomplished. Our group, Donkeys in the Desert (Democrats Abroad,
Iraq), is diverse and growing; members range from active and reserve
soldiers serving in the U.S. Army and Marine Corps to civilians working for
private contractors and the State Department
Individually, we wear many hats: interpreter, lieutenant colonel, force
protection, diplomat, sergeant, trade adviser, captain, fuel inventory
specialist and others. But it is as Democrats that we meet weekly and talk
politics, discuss non-partisan absentee voter outreach and, occasionally,
simply vent among the politically like-minded
Our group forms part of Democrats Abroad, a Democratic Party organization
that includes 70 other country committees worldwide, from Armenia to
Thailand
Fellow Democrats will gather later this month to nominate John Kerry and
John Edwards to our party’s 2004 presidential ticket. It is unclear how much
of the Iraq debate will pervade Boston the last week of July – probably
some, but in our view, not enough. Given continued American and Iraqi deaths
framed by graphic violence, Iraq might be even further sidelined during the
Republican Party convention in August
Why? Iraq is divisive on both sides of the political aisle; party unity,
unsurprisingly, will instead be the theme on display throughout the
conventions. For a few days in late July and August, Iraq amnesia could
overtake Boston and New York City
We Donkeys are in Iraq because we chose to contribute concretely to U.S.
reconstruction efforts, largely putting aside personal politics. Our
presence here is fundamentally about American credibility – not lost, but
damaged – and our nation’s long-term national-security interests
Some of our members disagree strongly about how our country got here in the
first place, with limited substantive international support and alienated
allies, motivations driven by neoconservative ideology, and a reconstruction
plan undermined by stubborn missteps and poor planning
We are where we are, however, and understand the need to follow through
pragmatically with American commitments, especially those on such a grand
scale and with deep strategic implications globally
Iraq, this distant and dangerous place where we find ourselves, is all about
high stakes – for Iraq it self, the United States and our allies, the Middle
East region and beyond, for years to come
We write also as concerned Americans, a category that transcends our party
identification. The Iraq debate back home especially worries us. It is time
for less partisanship and more civility, more balance. The consequences of a
premature U.S. pull-out from Iraq (as advocated by some Democrats and, most
vocally, by Ralph Nader) would be disastrous. To claim otherwise is to
pursue an “exit strategy” not grounded in current realities. We know; we
are here
In the coming months, we will be mailing our absentee ballots to voting
districts across America – in Red, Blue and swing states. There is nothing
like serving in a war zone to focus attention on life priorities; exercising
the right to vote in a crucial presidential election constitutes a top one
in our minds right now
The Boston and New York conventions represent an opportunity to set high
expectations for both nominees from the outset. Sidestepping Iraq does not
constitute presidential behavior
The election of a new American president will bring opportunities to rebuild
torn alliances and restore a U.S. role where we lead by example and choose
to act together with friends in the international community
Regrettably, the multinational force in Iraq has so far failed to include
many of our closest allies, and the costs of Iraq’s reconstruction have
overwhelmingly fallen on the backs of the American taxpayer
Our ability to build a better Iraq is enhanced by broad international
support, which we presently lack in concrete terms. The Bush/Cheney
instinctive go-it-alone approach has frustrated this objective. Worse, the
administration’s policy has divided allies and put us at odds with friends
A four-year job extension for the current White House team would only lead
to more expressions of unilateralism (however repackaged or softened) and
will, we believe, make our efforts on the ground in Iraq more difficult and
less likely to succeed
Donkeys in the Desert will continue our own debates in places called
Baqubah, Falluja, Tadji and Baghdad. But we will feel better knowing that
similar discussions are being held in electronic chat rooms, homes, schools,
and civic centers in more familiar places, such as Albuquerque, Blue
Springs, Akron, Tallahassee and countless other towns and cities across
America
We trust the American people to get this critical presidential election
right. Our absentee ballots, sent from the deserts of Iraq, will soon enough
be on their way. We will do our part; Americans back home – we urge you to
do yours, by turning out in record numbers on November 2. Participate.
Question. Compare. Then vote, and set an example for Iraqis. It is the
democratic thing to do. And, in so doing, give us a new commander-in-chief
John Kael Weston is serving in Iraq as a civilian adviser to the 1st Marine
Expeditionary Force. This article originally appeared in The Boston Globe.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
07/23/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1- ANCA Endorses Kerry For President 2- ANCA's Outreach to the White House and Republican Leaders 3- ANCA Backs up Endorsement by Calling for Greater Grassroots Activism 4- The Bush/Kerry Record 5- Armenian Democrats to Join Ethnic Diversity Celebration at Democratic Convention 6- Ethnic Democrats Caucus Meeting, Workshop at Democratic National Convention 7- Russia Cuts Off Georgia's Gas Supplies 8- Bush Administration's Shameful Attempt at Politicizing The Law 9- A Dark Day for Truth And A Darker Day for Republicans 1- ANCA Endorses Kerry For President Cites Senator Kerry's Long Record of Support on Armenian American Issues, President Bush's Retreat from his Pledge to Recognize the Armenian Genocide WASHINGTON, DC--In a move expected to impact electoral outcomes in key presidential election swing states this November, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), the nation's grassroots Armenian American organization, today announced its endorsement of the Kerry-Edwards ticket. "For Armenian Americans, the clear choice is John Kerry," said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. "Senator Kerry has been a friend of the Armenian American community for over twenty years, with a proven track record of fighting hard for issues of concern to Armenian Americans across the nation. He faces an incumbent, President Bush, whose record on Armenian issues has grown progressively more disappointing throughout his tenure in the White House, beginning with his broken campaign pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide, including his Administration's attempt to end military aid parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and up until this week, with his Administration's strident attacks on legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide." John Kerry welcomed the ANCA endorsement, stating that, "John Edwards and I would like to thank the ANCA for its endorsement. We are looking forward to working with all Armenian Americans to create a stronger America, more respected in the world. ANCA largest grassroots organization" "We call on Armenian Americans to compare the respective records of Senator Kerry and President Bush, to weigh the importance of their ballot for the future of US-Armenian relations, and to cast their vote for the Kerry-Edwards ticket on November 2nd," added Hachikian. The ANCA endorsement follows closely in the wake of the Bush Administration's forceful attack on the Schiff Amendment, a provision adopted last week by the US House that prevents Turkey from using US foreign aid to lobby against the Genocide Resolution. Armenian Americans, particularly those in key swing states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida, are positioned to play a decisive role in what looks, by all accounts, to be a hotly contested election. 2- ANCA's Outreach to the White House and Republican Leaders The ANCA has, on several occasions over the past four years, specifically asked for a meeting between President Bush and the Armenian American community leadership. These formal requests, which never received a response, were supported by a series of ANCA and community-wide letters outlining the views and disappointments of Armenian Americans on specific issues, ranging from the Armenian Genocide to foreign aid policy. In April of this year, the ANCA sent detailed letters to the Chairman of the Bush-Cheney campaign, Marc Racicot, and the Congressional Republican leadership voicing disappointment over the Bush Administration's record on Armenian issues, and expressing frustration with the lack of responsiveness by the White House to the concerns of the Armenian American community. The ANCA's concerns were grouped, in this letter, into three broad categories: unfulfilled commitments, opposition to community concerns, and failure to prioritize Armenian issues. The Senate and House letters, addressed to House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), highlighted the powerful leadership demonstrated by a great many Republicans on Armenian issues, notably by Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) Genocide Resolution author George Radanovich (R-CA), and Senators such as Mitch McConnell (R-KY), John Ensign (R-NV), George Allen (R-VA), Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), and many others. These letters included more than a dozen specific recommendations by the ANCA about how the Congressional leadership could encourage the White House to improve its standing among Armenian American voters. Neither the President nor his campaign responded to the ANCA's appeal for their intervention to help establish a constructive dialogue between the Administration and the Armenian American community. For additional information on the ANCA's outreach to Republican leaders concerning the Bush Administration's record on Armenian issues, visit: <;pressregion=anca>
.anca.org/anca/pressrel.asp?prid=554&pressregion=anca
3- ANCA Backs up Endorsement by Calling for Greater Grassroots Activism
Along with its Presidential endorsement, the ANCA reminded Armenian Americans
that their ability to impact policy-level decision-making depends, first and
foremost, on the continued expansion of advocacy efforts at all levels of
government. The ANCA’s detailed Congressional endorsements, which will be
announced later this year, will represent an important element of this process
by providing Armenian American voters with the information they need to
solidify the strong support our community enjoys in Congress.
“The challenge before the Armenian American community, as in years past,
remains growing our activism and strengthening our voice in the public policy
debates and within the foreign policy community,” said Hachikian. “We call on
Armenian Americans to meet this challenge by increasing our engagement with
the
Executive Branch and providing the strongest possible support for our friends
in the US House and Senate on November 2nd and throughout the 109th Congress.”
4- The Bush/Kerry Record
The Kerry Record

During his long tenure in the US House and Senate, Senator Kerry has
consistently been a leading advocate of issues of concern to Armenian
Americans. As a US Senator, Kerry has forcefully fought for US recognition of
the Armenian Genocide, and is currently a cosponsor of the Genocide
Resolution,
S.Res.164. In 1990, Senator Kerry voted on the Senate floor for Senator Bob
Dole’s (R-KS) Genocide Resolution.
The Massachusetts Senator has been a vocal and effective champion of stronger
US-Armenia relations and has consistently backed legislative initiative to
increase aid and expand trade with Armenia. He is currently a cosponsor of
legislation, S.1557, which would grant Armenia permanent normal trade
relations
status.
Senator Kerry has spearheaded a number of initiatives to lift the Turkish and
Azerbaijani blockades. In 1991, he was the lead sponsor of legislation, which
was later enacted as Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, restricting US
aid
to the government of Azerbaijan until its blockades of Armenia and Mountainous
Karabagh are lifted. He also worked for the adoption of the Humanitarian Aid
Corridor Act, which called for US aid to Turkey to be cut off unless Turkey
lifted its blockade of Armenia. As recently as this January, Senator Kerry
formally called on President Bush to press the visiting Prime Minister of
Turkey to lift his nation’s illegal blockade of Armenia.
The Bush Record
The full text of the Armenian American Presidential Report Card on the
Administration of George W. Bush is provided below:
Broken campaign pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide
Almost immediately after taking office, President Bush abandoned his campaign
pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide. This promise, which he made in
February of 2000 as Texas Governor, was widely distributed among Armenian
Americans prior to the hotly contested Michigan primary. It read, in part, as
follows: “The twentieth century was marred by wars of unimaginable brutality,
mass murder and genocide. History records that the Armenians were the first
people of the last century to have endured these cruelties. The Armenians were
subjected to a genocidal campaign that defies comprehension and commands all
decent people to remember and acknowledge the facts and lessons of an awful
crime in a century of bloody crimes against humanity. If elected President, I
would ensure that our nation properly recognizes the tragic suffering of the
Armenian people.”
Rather than honor this promise, the President has, in his annual April 24th
statements, used evasive and euphemistic terminology to avoid describing
Ottoman Turkey’s systematic and deliberate destruction of the Armenian people
by its proper name – the Armenian Genocide.
Opposition to the Congressional Genocide Resolution
The Bush Administration is actively blocking the adoption of the Genocide
Resolution in both the House and Senate. This legislation (S.Res.164 and
H.Res.193) specifically cites the Armenian Genocide and formally commemorates
the 15th anniversary of United States implementation of the U.N. Genocide
Convention. The Genocide Resolution is supported by a broad based coalition of
over one hundred organizations, including American Values, the NAACP, National
Council of Churches, Sons of Italy, International Campaign for Tibet, National
Council of La Raza, and the Union of Orthodox Rabbis.
As recently as July 16th of this year, the Bush Administration reiterated its
opposition to legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide. In response the
adoption by the US House of the Schiff Amendment, which blocks Turkey from
using US aid to lobby against the Genocide Resolution, the Administration
pressed Congressional leaders to prevent the enactment of any provision
recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
Failure to condemn Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide
The Bush Administration has failed to condemn Turkey’s recent escalation of
its campaign to deny the Armenian Genocide. Notably, the Administration has
remained silent in the face of the decree issued in April of 2003 by Turkey’s
Education Minister, Huseyin Celik, requiring that all students in Turkey’s
schools be instructed in the denial of the Armenian Genocide.
The State Department’s 2003 human rights report on Turkey uses the
historically inaccurate and highly offensive phrase “alleged genocide” to
mischaracterize the Armenian Genocide. In addition, despite repeated protests,
the Bush Administration’s State Department continues to host a website on
Armenian history that fails to make even a single mention of the Genocide.
()
The Waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act
The Bush Administration, in 2001, aggressively pressured Congress into
granting the President the authority to waive Section 907, a provision of law
that bars aid to the government of Azerbaijan until it lifts its blockades of
Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. President Bush has subsequently used this
authority to provide direct aid, including military assistance, to the
government of Azerbaijan, despite their continued violation of the provisions
of this law.
Reduction in aid to Armenia
In the face of the devastating, multi-billion dollar impact of the Turkish
and
Azerbaijani blockades on the Armenian economy, President Bush has, in each of
the past three years, proposed to Congress that humanitarian and developmental
aid to Armenia be reduced.
Abandonment of the Military Aid Parity Agreement
The Bush Administration abandoned its November 2001 agreement with Congress
and the Armenian American community to maintain even levels of military aid to
Armenia and Azerbaijan. Instead, the Administration, in its fiscal year 2005
foreign aid bill, proposes sending four times more Foreign Military Financing
to Azerbaijan ($8 million) than to Armenia ($2 million). This action tilts the
military balance in favor of Azerbaijan, rewards Azerbaijan’s increasingly
violent threats of renewed aggression, and undermines the role of the US as an
impartial mediator of the Nagorno Karabagh talks.
Mistaken Listing of Armenia as a Terrorist Country
The Bush Administration, through Attorney General John Ashcroft, sought,
unsuccessfully, in December of 2002 to place Armenia on an Immigration and
Naturalization Service watch list for terrorist countries. This obvious error
was reversed only after a nation-wide protest campaign. Neither the White
House
nor the Department of Justice has apologized for the offense caused by this
mistake.
Neglect of US-Armenia relations
While the Bush Administration has maintained a formal dialogue with
Armenia on
economic issues through the bi-annual meetings of the US-Armenia Task
Force, it
has, as a matter of substance, failed to take any meaningful action to
materially promote US-Armenia economic ties. Specifically, the Administration
has not provided leadership on legislation, spearheaded by Congressional
Republicans and currently before Congress, to grant Armenia permanent normal
trade relations (PNTR) status. Nor has the Administration initiated any steps
toward the negotiation of a Tax Treaty, Social Security Agreement, Trade and
Investment Framework Agreement, or other bilateral agreements to foster
increased US-Armenia commercial relations.
The President neither visited Armenia nor has he invited the President of
Armenia to visit the United States.
Failure to maintain a balanced policy on Nagorno Karabagh
The Bush Administration, to its credit, took an early initiative to help
resolve the Nagorno Karabagh issue in the form of the Key West summit meeting
in 2001 between Secretary of State Powell and the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan. After Azerbaijan’s failure to honor its Key West commitments,
however, the Administration failed to hold Azerbaijan accountable for
unilaterally stalling the Nagorno Karabagh peace process.
Increased grants, loans and military transfers to Turkey
The Bush Administration has effectively abandoned America’s responsibility to
link aid, loans, and arms transfers to Turkey’s adherence to basic standards
for human rights and international conduct. The most notable example was
the $8
billion loan package provided to Turkey in 2003 despite Turkey’s refusal to
allow US forces to open a northern front during the war in Iraq.
Taxpayer financing of the Baku-Ceyhan bypass of Armenia
The Bush Administration is supporting American taxpayer subsidies for the
politically motivated Baku-Ceyhan pipeline route that, at the insistence of
Turkey and Azerbaijan, bypasses Armenia.
Refusal to pressure Turkey and Azerbaijan to end their blockades
The Bush Administration has not forcefully condemned the Turkish and
Azerbaijani blockades as clear violations of international law, nor,
outside of
occasional public statements, has it taken any meaningful steps to pressure
the
Turkish or Azerbaijani governments to end their illegal border closures.
Lobbying for Turkish membership in the European Union
The Bush Administration has aggressively pressured European governments to
accept Turkey into the European Union, despite Turkey’s consistent failure to
meet European conditions for membership, on issues ranging from the
blockade of
Armenia and the Armenian Genocide to the occupation of Cyprus and human
rights.
Down-grading relations with the Armenian American community
Breaking with the tradition of the last several Administrations, the Bush
White House failed to reach out in any meaningful way to our nation’s one
and a
half million citizens of Armenian heritage. While the State Department,
Pentagon and National Security Council maintained their long-standing,
policy-level dialogue with the Armenian American community leadership, the
White House itself essentially neglected Armenian Americans as a political
constituency. Perhaps the most telling example of this is that, during the
course of the past three years, despite repeated requests, the President did
not hold any community-wide meetings with the leadership of the Armenian
American community, nor did his Secretary of State or National Security
Advisor.
Armenian American appointments
To the Administration’s credit, the President appointed Joe Bogosian to an
important Deputy Assistant Secretary position at the Commerce Department, John
Jamian to a key maritime position in the Department of Transportation, and
Samuel Der-Yeghiayan as a Federal Judge in the Northern District of Illinois.
5- Armenian Democrats to Join Ethnic Diversity Celebration at Democratic
Convention
BOSTON–The Armenian American Democratic Leadership Council (AADLC) and
Armenian American Democrats from across the country will participate in a
celebration of ethnic community activism hosted by the National Democratic
Ethnic Leadership Council (NDELC) at next week’s 2004 Democratic National
Convention in Boston. The reception is part of a series of programs, meetings
and events spotlighting the key role of ethnic communities in this election
season and throughout the American political process.
Grassroots leaders representing a diverse groups of ethnic American
communities, including Albanians, Arabs, German, Greeks, Italians, Irish,
Polish, Serbian among many others, will be joining together at the
reception on
Wednesday, July 28th, at The Harp, across from the Fleet Center. Participation
in the “NDELC’s Celebration and Appreciation of Ethnic Democrats” is by
invitation only and has received enthusiastic responses from Convention
delegates, Members of Congress and community leaders who understand the
pivotal
role that ethnic voters are expected to play in electoral swing states this
November. The reception is one of several daytime and evening functions
organized by ethnic communities throughout the Convention week.
“The Armenian American Democratic Leadership Council is proud to partner with
the NDELC as it brings together ethnic community leaders from across the
country in support of the Democratic Party agenda,” stated NDELC Board Member
and AADLC activist Sushan Demirjian. “We look forward to mobilizing the
Armenian American community, with its active presence in key swing states
across the country, to play a decisive role in support of the Kerry/Edwards
ticket and pro-Armenian democratic candidates on November 2nd.”
The National Democratic Ethnic Leadership Council (NDELC) is an ethnic
constituency based organization encompassing the community of immigrants and
descendants of immigrants who primarily trace their heritage from Europe and
the Mediterranean. During the Clinton presidential campaign in 1992,
democratic
activists began a deliberate initiative to redefine the Democratic Party’s
relationship with Ethnic Americans. Over the past twelve years, the party has
made great strides to ensure that Ethnic Democrats continue to be players in
American politics. The NDELC, with its diverse membership including
representatives of the Armenian American Democratic Leadership Council,
plays a
pivotal role in nurturing that relationship.
6- Ethnic Democrats Caucus Meeting, Workshop at Democratic National Convention
The 2004 Democratic Convention will also feature a first-ever Caucus Meeting
and Workshop bringing together ethnic leaders committed to a Kerry-Edwards
victory in November. Community representatives will participate in briefings
and a full agenda of activities on Wednesday, July 28th from 10:00am to
12:00pm
at the Sheraton Hotel.
“Ethnic Americans have always been a base in the Democratic party. The values
of family, hard work, faith and opportunity are the values that they bring to
the Democratic Party and contribute to building a stronger America,” explained
John Kerry for President Director of Ethnic Outreach George Kivork, who is
helping to coordinate the function.
The AADLC works with the Democratic National Committee to foster support
within the Armenian American community for the Democratic Party and national
Democratic office holders, while promoting the election of Armenian American
Democrats to political office and encouraging participation by Armenian
American Democrats at all levels of the public policy process.
7- Russia Cuts Off Georgia’s Gas Supplies
TBILISI (AFP)–Russia has begun to cut off gas supplies to the Georgian
capital
of Tbilisi, amid escalating tensions with its neighbor over the pro-Russia
separatist region of South Ossetia.
Tbilisi officials confirmed on Thursday that Russia’s Gazprom energy giant
began to limit supplies on Wednesday and that four of the city’s regions would
be left without gas by Thursday evening.
The Tbilgaz official said Gazprom was demanding payments from the
impoverished
republic that dated back half a year.
“Tbilisi needs 370,000 cubic meters of gas and now we will only be getting
200,000 cubic meters,” Tbilgaz’s Leval Pertselatse said by telephone.
Georgia is exclusively reliant on Russia for gas supplies and has for years
struggled to pay its debts.
But the latest delivery cut came during the current rift between Moscow and
Tbilisi in regards to the South Ossetian conflict.
Gazproma Russian state-controlled companyhas previously cut supplies to
Ukraine and Belarus on Russia’s western border during diplomatic disputes with
the two former Soviet republics.
The move comes at a time when both Russia and Georgia are widening their
military presence in South Ossetia, and only a day after Tbilisi threatened to
break a 1992 peacekeeping agreement. The agreement was signed after Georgia
lost to South Ossetian forces, which had received military assistance from
Moscow. The region then declared its desire to become part of Russia.
Georgia’s border with South Ossetia is now patrolled by Russian, Georgian and
South Ossetian troops. All sides claim that the others are sending additional
supplies and reinforcements in breach of the agreement.
Earlier this week, Georgia accused Russia of sending 40 armored personnel
carriers and tanks destined for the South Ossetian forces. Russia denied the
accusation and said the supplies were intended for vehicle repairs.
8- Bush Administration’s Shameful Attempt at Politicizing The Law
Seto Boyadjian, Esq.
The Bush Administration’s persistent courtship of Turkey during recent months
give the impression that President Bush and the Republican leadership are
treating the Republic of Turkey as the 51st state of the Union. In the
political markets of the Middle East, the Transcaucasus and Europe, our
President and his envoys–discarding all traditional norms of international
diplomacy–have embarked on special missions in defense of Turkish interests.
What’s worse, they are employing similar conduct in our country as well.
Against the will of the American people, and sometimes even at the cost of
discarding the law of the land, they are using the governmental apparatus in
defense of purely Turkish objectives.
This pro-Turkish campaign manifested a dangerous aspect last week, when the
State Department and the Congressional Republican leadership had the temerity
to question a legislative initiative proposing the implementation of law. At
issue here is an amendment to the fiscal year 2005 Foreign Aid Bill HR 4818
that was introduced on the House floor by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA). The
Representatives passed the amendment by a voice vote and added it to HR 4818.
Soon after, the House passed the entire Foreign Aid Bill by a vote of 365 to
41, with 27 non-voting.
The Schiff Amendment provides that funds made available under the Foreign Aid
Bill cannot be used by the Government of Turkey in contravention of Section
1913 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 USC Sec 1913), for purposes of
lobbying against H Res 193 that reaffirms support for the Genocide
Convention.
In essence, the amendment is a reiteration of a law of the land–namely 18
USC
Sec. 1913, that makes it a crime and prohibits lobbying with appropriated
moneys. It provides that no part of the money appropriated by Congress
shall be
used to influence in any manner a Member of Congress, to favor or oppose, by
vote or otherwise, any legislation or appropriation by Congress. This law
applies to all involved in lobbying and to all circumstances involving
lobbying. Thus, the Schiff Amendment is simply an expression of this law that
should also be applicable to all moneys appropriated for Turkey.
Instead of respecting the law, the Republican leadership of the legislative
body entrusted with the enactment of our laws, showed its fiercest reaction to
the Schiff Amendment.
A few hours after Foreign Aid Bill passed, House Speaker Dennis Hastert
(R-IL), Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Majority whip Roy Blunt (R-MO)
posted a joint statement on the front-page of Speaker Hastert’s website,
declaring they are “strongly opposed” to the Schiff Amendment. The statement
also avers that the Bush Administration has expressed its “strong
opposition to
the amendment,” as well. (A few hours earlier, however, the very same Messers.
DeLay and Blunt, instead of opposing HR 4818, voted favorably for its passage;
as for Mr. Hastert, he was apparently absent at the time of the vote).
In their joint statement, the Republican leadership trio also reaffirmed they
“have no intention of scheduling H Res 193. . . during the remainder of this
Congress.” As for their position, they base their opposition to the Schiff
Amendment on two points: first, that for decades Turkey has been a reliable
ally of the United States; second, that the amendment is meaningless, because
current US law already prohibits foreign governments from using American
foreign aid for lobbying purposes.
The next day, on July 16, the State Department joined the Bush
Administration’s anti-amendment onslaught. State Department spokesperson
Richard Boucher announced in a press statement that the “Administration
strongly opposes this amendment which seeks to restrict US assistance to
Turkey.” Indicating that Turkey is “our key NATO ally, and Armenia, our close
friend,” Mr. Boucher stated that the amendment is “detrimental to the
cause” of
“reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia.” He further underscored, “Our goal
is to bolster cooperation between these two countries rather than to separate
them.”
However, we should not be misled by the Administration’s double-talk. No one
is naive enough to believe that the Schiff Amendment will disrupt the State
Department’s illusory concept of cooperation between Turkey and Armenia. No
one
is ignorant enough to accept that Turkey is really a reliable ally. The
objective of the Bush Administration is blatantly transparent. It is merely
attempting to politicize a legislative enactment that is based on the
fundamental laws of the United States. The arguments forwarded by the State
Department and the House Republican leadership have no bearing on Title 18,
Section 1913, of the US Code. The Schiff Amendment does not question the Bush
Administration’s policy in defense of Turkey. Nor does it attempt to curtail
appropriated funds earmarked for Turkey. In fact, Turkey is entitled and
should
receive all the funds made available under the Act. In compliance with US law,
however, Turkey cannot use such funds in our country for lobbying purposes.
And
that’s the law.
Beyond the legal attributes of the Schiff Amendment, the Bush
Administration’s
arguments and positions raise serious questions involving our national
concepts
of legality and moral values.
First, over the past months, the damaging effects of our experience with the
Turkish Government cast serious doubts about Turkey’s reliability as an ally.
Last year, Turkey refused to allow US forces to open a northern front during
the war in Iraq; as a result, our armed forces suffered added casualties. More
often than not, the use of US bases in Turkey is denied or restricted. Nearly
two thirds of Turkey’s population holds an unfavorable view of Americans.
Second, the Schiff Amendment cannot be viewed as meaningless merely because a
current US law already exists for that purpose. Such a simplistic
argument–coming from the Speaker of the legislative branch of our
government–is neither acceptable nor tolerable. According to adopted
procedures, a legislative enactment often includes provisions of procedural
and
substantive laws in order to ensure the acts proper and lawful implementation.
Third, the Schiff Amendment does not seek to restrict US assistance to
Turkey.
It merely ensures that US funds made available to Turkey are used in a manner
prescribed by US laws. As such, the amendment cannot and should not disrupt
State Department efforts at bolstering relations between Turkey and Armenia.
No matter how hard the Bush Administration tries to paint Turkey as a
reliable
ally, the stubborn facts will always refute such illusory claims. At best,
Turkey may be viewed as a precarious ally. And precarious allies are
necessarily unreliable partners.
No matter how resourceful the Bush Administration may be at its attempts to
politicize the law, 18 USC Sec. 1913 will not cease being the law of the land.
And in our country no one can be above the law–not even President George W.
Bush or his protégé Turkey.
9- A Dark Day for Truth And A Darker Day for Republicans
By Skeptik Sinikian
The other day I was driving down Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks when I saw
a bumper sticker on a car that said “Friends Don’t Let Friends Vote
Republican.” That bumper sticker pretty much sums up how I feel this week
after
reading the joint statement from Speaker, Majority Leader and Whip of the
House
of Representatives on the Schiff Amendment regarding the Genocide. I’m too
angry and tired to do a recap of the last week’s events regarding the Genocide
resolution. I suggest that all the oblivious cave dwellers reading this column
spend a few seconds on the Asbarez website and catch up to the rest of us.
Don’t worry. We won’t go anywhere. We’ll wait for you.
OK, now that you’re back, we can move on. Wasn’t that one of the worst
statements made by any elected official pertaining to Armenians? After I read
it, I had that emotionally wrecked and numb look on my face like Michael
Corleone when he found out that Fredo had set up their brother Sonnie to be
killed in the second Godfather movie. I just held the printout of the email my
friend gave me and stared at it for what seemed like a full hour. The words
were so harsh, I wasn’t able to distinguish whether this malarkey was a dream
or reality. Never in my life did I think that the Republican leadership of
Congress would so blatantly slap Armenian-Americans in the face. They didn’t
just insult us as Americans, but also spat on us as voters–and in a year when
their fearless leader in the White House can use ever last vote that his
friends can muster up. Don’t the Republicans realize that at the rate
President
Bush is going, he’ll need a relative as Governor in every state, if he’s going
to pull-off a victory this November? He needs every vote he can get.
I let the statement fall from my hands, stared at my friend, and coldly said,
“There is no way in hell that I will vote for any Republican this
November.” My
friend, who is a Republican but can’t explain why, looked at me and responded.
“You know this is all just a political game. The only reason they [Democrats]
introduced this amendment is to put the Republicans in a tough spot with
Turkey, especially in an election year!”
I don’t know what was more sad. His explanation, or the fact that he actually
believed it. Here’s what upsets me and should upset any Armenian American who
is a registered Republican. In Speaker Hastert’s statement there is the
obligatory mention of refusing to raise the genocide as an issue, out of fear
of offending Turkey as an important NATO ally. That would make some sense only
if Turkey actually WAS an ally instead of a backstabbing, barbaric, fair
weather friend who’s idea of loyalty means extorting 32 billion dollars from
American tax payers. That’s almost twice what we spend every year fighting the
war on drugs in this country.
So what if this amendment was a Democratic, Republican, Green, Pink or
whatever kind of political game. Good for whoever decided to play it. I think
Armenians should push for more in election years, otherwise what’s the whole
point of voting? And more important, the genocide issue shouldn’t be a
political football in anyone’s hands. It’s a political no-brainer–especially
since Turkey has been screwing with us time and again over the course of the
last three years. I challenge Hastert and DeLay to name me one positive,
proactive thing that Turkey has done since 9/11. JUST ONE!
What Speaker Hastert, Majority Leader DeLay, and Majority Whip Blunt
should do
is stop for just one second, take a real close look at Turkey, and decide
whether they want to give any more money or respect to this country.
Even the Israeli have beef with Turkey now. The strategic partnership has
become strained since Turkey refused to sell water to Israel, and began
publicly criticizing the construction of the wall around the Palestinian
territories. The only reason Turkey is even criticizing Israel over its
treatment of its Palestinian population is because its: a) trying hard not to
further offend any number of Muslim nations that already hate Turkey, and b)
trying to curry favor with Europe which it is trying desperately to join.
I mean c’mon people, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist or an Ivy League
educated psychiatrist to see the game Turkey is playing here.
I’m tired of our members of Congress and the Republican leadership playing
hardball with everyone around the globe and at home, except for Turkey. Does
Turkey have some sort of mental problem we should all be aware of and treat it
differently because it’s special? I say forget Turkey and forget the
Republicans. From here on out, the gloves need to come off and the showdown is
November 2nd.
If there are any Armenians American Republicans left out there with a
shred of
dignity and self respect, they would put their trust funds where their mouths
are (be sure to remove the silver spoon first) and call up these clowns who
call themselves Leaders and give them a piece of their mind.
In a letter written in 1891, the immortal Mark Twain described Members of
Congress as “the smallest minds and the selfishest souls and the cowardliest
hearts that God makes.” After reading the joint statement from the Republican
Leadership in the House, I’m not sure even God wants to take credit for this
group of clowns.
I just wrote an entire column and I still can’t believe what I read. Where
have you gone Senator Bob Dole? The Republican Party needs your moral clarity,
poise, and honesty now more than ever. We need our Republican friends who
believe in what’s right to stand up. But until they do folks, never let them
vote Republican again, until we have made out point loud and clear.
Visit the ANCA website if you’re mad as hell and want to share your thoughts
with our Congressional Leaders.
Skeptik Sinikian refuses to divulge his party registration but assures his
readers that this week’s diatribe was in no way, shape, or form motivated by
his personal, non-Armenian political views. He encourages everyone to write to
Congress and protest, and copy their letters to him at
[email protected].
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) 2004 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.

Oil & Gas Journal
July 23
Construction begins on Iran section of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline

By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, July 23 — ZAO Armrosgazprom has begun construction on the
100 km Iranian section of the $210-220 million Iran-Armenia natural
gas pipeline that will promote gas deliveries from Turkmenistan
through Iran to Armenia (OGJ, Feb. 3, 2003, p. 62). Iran is funding
its section, which is being built by an Iranian contractor, Russia’s
Interfax news agency reported Thursday.

Armrosgazprom, a consortium of Russia’s OAO Gazprom, 45%, Armenia’s
Energy Ministry 45%, and Russia’s Itera 10%, will operate the
Iran-Armenia pipeline.

Gazprom has completed a feasibility study for the Armenian section,
which will extend 41 km from the Iranian border to Kajaran, about 320
km from Yerevan in southeastern Armenia. The $140 million Armenian
section also will include rehabilitation and partial replacement of
parts of the existing Kajaran-Yerevan gas pipeline. Armenia is
seeking funding for its project, and investor proposals have not yet
been announced.

Under terms of an agreement the two nations signed in May, the 700 mm
diameter pipeline initially will deliver 1.1 billion cu m/year of
natural gas to Armenia for 20 years, increasing to 2.3 billion cu m
at the end of the contract, which could be extended by 5 years. The
gas, slated for first delivery in January 2007, will be used to fuel
Armenian power plants that will export electric power to Iran and
Georgia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RigZone
July 23 2004
Iran Begins Building Gas Pipeline to Armenia

Iran has begun building a 140 km long gas pipeline to Armenia, said
the Itar-Tass news agency monitored here Thursday.
The two countries signed an agreement on the project worth around
120m
US dollars in May, when Iranian Oil Minister Bizhan Namdar- Zanganeh
visited Yerevan.
Under its provisions, Iran will be supplying 36bn cubic meters of
natural gas to Armenia annually from 2007 through to 2027.
Itar-Tass, citing OPEC sources in Vienna, said that the pipeline
might be used to ship Iranian gas to Georgia, Ukraine and farther on
to Europe in the future.
The news agency said the sources had got the news from Armenian
ambassador to Tehran, Gegam Garibdzhanyan
To make the whole scheme possible, a 550-kilometre-long section of
the pipeline will be laid at the floor of the Black Sea, stretching
from the Georgian port of Supsa to Feodosiya in the Crimean, it said.
According to the same sources, the project is estimated to cost about
five billion US dollars.
Forecasts suggest that once the project is implemented, the Iranian
gas supplies to Europe may reach 60bn cubic meters a year, of which
Ukrainian imports will likely account for 10bn cubic meters.
Tehran has already a multi-billion-dollar contract with neighbouring
Turkey to supply gas for 25 years.
The gas flow was launched in December 2001 via a 2,577 km pipeline,
running from the northeastern city of Tabriz to Ankara, which
supplies gas from southern Iran near the Persian Gulf.
The contract has been a boon to Iran’s bid to become a sustainable
gas supplier to Turkey and Europe.
Looking for alternative markets, Tehran has also held talks with the
Persian Gulf littoral states and the Central Asian nations for the
sale of gas.
The country sits on the second largest proven gas reserves of the
world after Russia, which has been a headache for Iran by getting
into, what is feared to be, an unnecessary and costly competition.
Iran has begun building a 140 km long gas pipeline to Armenia, said
the Itar-Tass news agency monitored here Thursday.
The two countries signed an agreement on the project worth around
120m
US dollars in May, when Iranian Oil Minister Bizhan Namdar- Zanganeh
visited Yerevan.
Under its provisions, Iran will be supplying 36bn cubic meters of
natural gas to Armenia annually from 2007 through to 2027.
Itar-Tass, citing OPEC sources in Vienna, said that the pipeline
might be used to ship Iranian gas to Georgia, Ukraine and farther on
to Europe in the future.
The news agency said the sources had got the news from Armenian
ambassador to Tehran, Gegam Garibdzhanyan
To make the whole scheme possible, a 550-kilometre-long section of
the pipeline will be laid at the floor of the Black Sea, stretching
from the Georgian port of Supsa to Feodosiya in the Crimean, it said.
According to the same sources, the project is estimated to cost about
five billion US dollars.
Forecasts suggest that once the project is implemented, the Iranian
gas supplies to Europe may reach 60bn cubic meters a year, of which
Ukrainian imports will likely account for 10bn cubic meters.
Tehran has already a multi-billion-dollar contract with neighbouring
Turkey to supply gas for 25 years.
The gas flow was launched in December 2001 via a 2,577 km pipeline,
running from the northeastern city of Tabriz to Ankara, which
supplies gas from southern Iran near the Persian Gulf.
The contract has been a boon to Iran’s bid to become a sustainable
gas supplier to Turkey and Europe.
Looking for alternative markets, Tehran has also held talks with the
Persian Gulf littoral states and the Central Asian nations for the
sale of gas.
The country sits on the second largest proven gas reserves of the
world after Russia, which has been a headache for Iran by getting
into, what is feared to be, an unnecessary and costly competition.
Iran has begun building a 140 km long gas pipeline to Armenia, said
the Itar-Tass news agency monitored here Thursday.
The two countries signed an agreement on the project worth around
120m
US dollars in May, when Iranian Oil Minister Bizhan Namdar- Zanganeh
visited Yerevan.
Under its provisions, Iran will be supplying 36bn cubic meters of
natural gas to Armenia annually from 2007 through to 2027.
Itar-Tass, citing OPEC sources in Vienna, said that the pipeline
might be used to ship Iranian gas to Georgia, Ukraine and farther on
to Europe in the future.
The news agency said the sources had got the news from Armenian
ambassador to Tehran, Gegam Garibdzhanyan
To make the whole scheme possible, a 550-kilometre-long section of
the pipeline will be laid at the floor of the Black Sea, stretching
from the Georgian port of Supsa to Feodosiya in the Crimean, it said.
According to the same sources, the project is estimated to cost about
five billion US dollars.
Forecasts suggest that once the project is implemented, the Iranian
gas supplies to Europe may reach 60bn cubic meters a year, of which
Ukrainian imports will likely account for 10bn cubic meters.
Tehran has already a multi-billion-dollar contract with neighbouring
Turkey to supply gas for 25 years.
The gas flow was launched in December 2001 via a 2,577 km pipeline,
running from the northeastern city of Tabriz to Ankara, which
supplies gas from southern Iran near the Persian Gulf.
The contract has been a boon to Iran’s bid to become a sustainable
gas supplier to Turkey and Europe.
Looking for alternative markets, Tehran has also held talks with the
Persian Gulf littoral states and the Central Asian nations for the
sale of gas.
The country sits on the second largest proven gas reserves of the
world after Russia, which has been a headache for Iran by getting
into, what is feared to be, an unnecessary and costly competition.

The International News Pakistan
July 23 2004
Turkey and the Armenian myth
Masud Akhtar Shaikh
The writer is a retired Colonel and freelance columnist
[email protected]
Ever since Turkey started its arduous journey towards the membership
of the European Union (EU) over three decades ago, some members of
the Union who are allergic to the very name of this country have been
confronting it with one set of obstacles after another in order to
prevent it from gaining entry to this exclusively Christian club. It
goes to the credit of the tenacious Turks that they have been
faithfully complying with all the preconditions specially tailored in
order to keep the doors of the EU shut on their country. Turkey’s
crisis-ridden economy, its allegedly unsatisfactory human rights
record and maltreatment of the Kurdish minority, the discordance of
its civil and criminal penal code with the EU standards, and a host
of other objections have been cleared one by one, only to be
supplemented by fresh preconditions. The latest in the series comes
from the Socialist Party leader of France who has linked the start of
talks scheduled for December next regarding Turkey’s entry into the
EU, with the Turkish government’s recognition of the alleged mass
killing of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman forces in 1915 as
“genocide”. This preposterous conditionality is based on an
allegation that the Armenians and their Turkey-hater Western
supporters have failed to prove with credible evidence but which has
been successfully implanted in the minds of ignorant people as truth,
thanks to the sheer power of mighty propaganda machinery that has
been working in this direction for years.
The hoax of Armenian “genocide” is revived every now and then in
order to blackmail Turkey for some specific purpose, or just to
rekindle the flame of hatred against the Turks in the minds of the
younger generation of Armenians and their supporters. The present bid
to revive this frozen issue for use as a gimmick to block Turkey’s
membership of the EU, was reinforced by commandeering a large number
of Armenians settled in France to organise a demonstration against
Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister, during his three-day
visit to that country.
The aim of the present article is to give a brief account of the
so-called “Armenian genocide” and to show how the resources of a
group of determined enemies can be pooled to churn out highly
effective propaganda that can inflict mortal damage on their
opponents.
The Armenians had been living as one of the most trusted minority
communities in the Ottoman Empire for centuries, many of them
enjoying key positions in the official hierarchy throughout that
period. They were generally more prosperous than their Turkish fellow
countrymen, holding a monopoly of some of the most lucrative
professions. It was only towards the last quarter of the 19th century
that they were instigated by Russia and the Western powers to revolt
against the Ottoman Empire so as to expedite its liquidation. These
powers promised them an independent Armenian republic on the
Caucasian, Iranian, and Eastern Anatolian soil. The misguided
Armenians who also indulged in covert sabotage activities for more
than two decades attempted a series of open revolts. These operations
were planned and executed by highly organised Armenian terrorist
organisations with the active moral and material support of outside
powers interested in the fall of the Ottoman Empire. In this process,
they killed thousands and thousands of innocent Turkish men, women,
and children in various towns and villages of Eastern Turkey where
the two communities had been living in peace and harmony for
centuries. The mass killing of Turks at the hands of the Armenian
terrorists continued during the first year of the First World War.
With the Ottoman Empire busy fighting a war of its survival, the
Armenians joined hands with the enemy and participated in operations
against the Turks, both on the frontline as well as in the rear
areas. Voluntary regiments composed of Ottoman and Russian Armenians
acted as vanguards, leading the main body of the Russian army into
Eastern Turkey. Armenians serving in the Ottoman ranks deserted the
army along with their arms and ammunition, some of them joining the
ranks of the Russian army while others organised themselves into
terrorist gangs.
In cooperation with the Armenians living in various towns and
villages of Eastern Anatolia, these gangs put to sword most of the
Turkish women, children, and old persons left behind by their male
family members who had gone away to the battlefield. They also
indulged in widespread sabotage activities, stabbing the Ottoman
forces in the back, cutting off their lines of communication,
blocking their logistic supplies, blowing off bridges, and inflicting
casualties on soldiers by ambushing military convoys. The Armenian
rebels captured the Ottoman province of Van and handed it over to the
Russian army, an “achievement” for which the Tsar of Russia thanked
them telegraphically for the services they had rendered to the
Russians.
Under these circumstances, the Ottoman government was left with no
alternative but to order the arrest of mischief-makers and to order
the mass transfer of all Armenians from the Eastern war zone to areas
in the interior of the Empire. More than two thousand Armenian
terrorists were arrested in April 1915. A large number of Armenians
died on the way during move from the East to the West due to severe
climatic conditions, disease and epidemics on account of poor medical
facilities, interrupted food supplies, and delays in movement caused
by damaged lines of communication. There were also many casualties as
a result of retaliatory attacks on the way by local Turks whose
families had suffered human and material losses at the hands of the
Armenian terrorists. Of course the Turks also sufffered heavy
casualties due to climatic conditions, disease, shortages of
foodstuffs, and skirmishes with the Armenians, but this fact is
completely ignored by the Armenian chroniclers. The Armenians
designate this whole operation as “genocide” that they claim was
replanted, officially sponsored scheme which resulted in the killing
of 1.5 million Ottoman Armenians. To prove their point of view, they
launched a massive campaign to produce volumes and volumes of forged
documents and fabricated evidence, most of which has since been
exposed as fake, not only by Turkish researchers but also by many
neutral foreign scholars. Unfortunately, the response from the
Turkish side was considerably delayed, primarily because of Ataturk’s
policy of “peace at home and peace abroad”, a tenet based on the
principle of “forgive and forget”. As a result of this policy, the
Turkish side of the story has remained in the dark for many decades,
allowing free play to the Armenian fabricators to poison the mind of
the world community against Turkey by painting a one-sided picture of
the Armenian issue on the basis of forged documents, exaggerated
figures, and concocted evidence.
Rather than telling the world community to forget the bitter past and
talk about making the future pleasant for everybody, the Turkish
government should now use all the resources at its disposal to expose
the myth of Armenian genocide by presenting the true picture of the
events that has emerged on the basis of authentic documentary
evidence. Let the Armenians not get away with the mass murder of
thousands of innocent Turks by taking shelter behind the cooked up
story of the so-called Armenian genocide. As far as the prospects of
Turkey’s admission to the EU are concerned, our Turkish friends
should not nourish great hopes because the members of this entirely
Christian association see Turkey, a nation of 70 million hardworking
Muslims, as a real nightmare. They are terribly scared of accepting
Turkey as a member state because this country has common borders with
Iran, Syria, and Iraq, each one of these being an anathema for the
West. With the ruling party of Tayyip Erdogan having its roots in
Islam, they visualise the rise of Islam in Turkey in the not too
distant a future. How can they afford to let Muslim Turkey share with
them the secrets meant to be shared exclusively by the non-Muslim
powers?

ArmenPress
July 23 2004
I HATE DOGS
YEREVAN, JULY 23, ARMENPRESS: A documentary shot by Pea Holmquist,
an independent Sweden filmmaker and Suzanne Khardalin, a Lebanon-born
Armenian journalists, called I Hate Dogs is about the 1915 Armenian
Genocide, planned and carried out mercilessly by the government of
the Ottoman Turkey. The main character is a 98 year-old Armenian,
Garbis, a survivor of the genocide.
Garbis tells his devastating story-about how he survived the
genocide. He lost his entire family when he was only 9. One morning
the Turks seized his village; the men were separated from the women.
Garbis did not realize the gravity of the situation and took leave of
his mother- a last hug and a last kiss, as it was to be, from his
weeping mother.
Together with his father and several thousand other Armenians,
Garbis was forced to go on a death march, all the way to the Syrian
desert. He was in the company of his elder brother and a cousin but
en route both of them died of hunger and exhaustion and several days
after died his father. He was only nine years old and some people
helped him carry the body away and bury it.
Later in the evening Garbis wanted to see his father’s grave.
“Then I saw several stray dogs feeding on my father’s flesh. They
were tearing his thighs apart. I grabbed some stones and threw them
at the dogs to frighten them off, but the dogs had become wild-they
started growling and ran towards me. I was terrified, so I ran away.
That picture has haunted me all my life. I see the dogs, right in
front of me, just ten meters away.”
Garbis started his first business at the age of 15 in Mosul, Iraq,
then he moved to France where he settled down. His son Serge, has
taken up his business of a textile factory. “It took my dad 40 years
before he felt able to tell me the story. He just could not tell it
to me,” Serge, a very distinguished gentlemen, living in a
fashionable apartment in Paris, says.
Turkey has not recognized the genocide so far, but is eager to
join the EU. “I am planning to live at least 100 years. There are so
few of us left and for God’s sake, I am not ready to take my story
with me to the grave,” Garbis says.
Holmquist, a film school professor in documentaries and Suzanne
Khardalian, have shot other films about the Armenian genocide and
Armenians-Back to Ararat and Her Armenian Prince.

ArmenPress
July 23 2004
DELEGATION TO LEARN KARABAGH CONFLICT HISTORY AND ITS CONSEQUENCES
YEREVAN, JULY 23, ARMENPRESS: Foreign minister Vartan Oskanian
received July 22 a joint delegation of the German Marshall Fund (GMF)
of the U.S and Project on Transitional Democracies (PTD). The
Armenian foreign affairs ministry said the delegation has arrived
here to examine the Nagorno Karabagh conflict history and its
consequences and to learn the positions of Armenia and Karabagh on
how it should be resolved through a series of meetings and
discussions.
The delegation’s visit is within the frameworks of GMF and PTD
Project on the Resolution of Europe’s Frozen Conflicts. One of its
goals is to inform leading experts and decision-makers in Washington
and NATO on the Karabagh conflict, encouraging interested governments
to show assistance for its resolution.
The delegation members were received the same day by Armenian
president and deputy defense minister. Today they are leaving for
Karabagh on a one-day visit to meet with its authorities. After
wrapping up the visit the delegation members will present their
findings to senior officials and lawmakers in Washington.

ArmenPress
July 23 2004
PROSECUTORS RESHUFFLED TO BE IMMUNE FROM LOCAL INFLUENCE
YEREVAN, JULY 23, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s chief prosecutor Aghvan
Hovsepian explained today that a major reshuffle of prosecutors last
week was to keep them immune from, as he put it, “the local
influence.” He also said the reshuffle was in line with the principle
of rotation of prosecutors.
Speaking to reporters, the chief prosecutor also argued that “some
of prosecutors have already exhausted themselves,” saying some new
and younger prosecutors are expected to work more effectively.
Under a recent decree by president Robert Kocharian, who is
entitled by the Constitution to appoint and dismiss prosecutors, 70
percent of all prosecutors were replaced, including all prosecutors
of Yerevan communities and heads of two divisions of the chief
prosecutor’s office.
Hovsepian said also that 27 prosecutors were dismissed by various
reasons in the first six months of this year. New appointees will
have from now on to get the approval of a special attestation
commission and go through an interview with members of the ruling
board of the prosecutor’s office. The entire staff of the office now
is 601 employees.

ArmenPress
July 23 2004
ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT GEORGIA ON JULY 25
YEREVAN, JULY 23, ARMENPRESS: On July 25 Prime Minister Andranik
Margaryan will pay an official two-day visit to Georgia. Armenian
Prime Minister will confer with his Georgian counterpart, Zurab
Zhvania and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. Prior to these
meetings Andranik Margaryan, as a co-chairman of Armenian-Georgian
joint commission on economic cooperation, will participate in its
regular session.
Within the frameworks of the visit Armenian Prime Minister will
visit the Pantheon, where many prominent Armenian writers, musicians
and scientists rest and a Monument commemorating heroes, who fell for
the cause of Georgia’s unity. Then Andranik Margaryan will visit the
Armenian Church of Saint Gevorg, the site of a planned meeting with
representatives of the Armenian community of Georgia.
The Prime Minister will also visit the Georgian Art Museum,
Georgian State Museum and Jvaria and Svetitskhoveli Mother Cathedral.
Andranik Margaryan will be hosted also by the Armenian Embassy in
Georgia.
After the concluding meeting of the Armenian-Georgian commission
on economic cooperation and the ceremony of documents signing, Prime
Ministers Andranik Margaryan and Zurab Zhvania will hold a joint
press conference.
The delegation, headed by Andranik Manukian includes members of
the inter-governmental commission Vardan Khachatryan, Minister of
Finance and Economy, Karen Chshmaritian, Minister of Trade and
Economic Development, Armen Movsisyan, Minister of Energy, Vardan
Ayvazyan, Minister of Nature Protection, Tatul Margaryan, Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Artak Sahradian, Deputy Minister of
Education and Science, Gagik Gyurjyan, Deputy Minister of Culture and
Youth Issues, Gagik Khachatryan, deputy Chairman of
Government-Affiliated State Customs Committee, Stepan Margaryan,
Advisor to Prime Minister, as well as Ararat Khrimyan, Chief Manager
of Armenian Railway cjsc, Hovsep Kloyan, Deputy Minister of
Agriculture, Vladimir Badalyan, a parliament member, heads of the
government and foreign ministry appropriate staffs.

ARKA News Agency
July 22 2004
RA President gives concrete guideline via to instability of national
currency rate
Outstanding figure of Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Dashnaktsutyun left this world
Armeconombank, Conversebank (Armenia), Artsakhbank and
Ardshininvestbank leading in ARKA Press Rating for Q2 2004
Robert Kocharian: RA sincerely interested in stability of Georgia
RA President highly appreciates activity of US Ambassador to RA
Armenian fiction film Sniper receives Grand Prix on Kids for Kids
International Film Festival in Athens
The Ukraine Embassy in Armenia opens a book of sorrows in regard with
the tragedy on `Coal Company `Krasnolimansk Mine’
*********************************************************************
RA PRESIDENT GIVES CONCRETE GUIDELINE VIA TO INSTABILITY OF NATIONAL
CURRENCY RATE
YEREVAN, July 22. /ARKA/. During today’s working meeting with the
ministers of finance and economy, trade and economic development, the
chairmen of CBA, State Custom Committee RA President Robert Kocharian
gave concrete guideline via to instability of national currency rate,
President’s press office told ARKA. The details of the meeting are
not represented.
Note today CBA increased exchange rate of USD by 3.97 AMD up to
515.99 AMD per $1. It is the first increase of exchange rate for last
several weeks. On previous week the rate was decrease in average by
1.5-2 AMD daily. For the first three days of current week the rate
decreased by 10.35 AMD, of which only yesterday – by 8.04 AMD. L.D.
-0–
*********************************************************************
OUTSTANDING FIGURE OF ARMENIAN REVOLUTIONARY FEDERATION
DASHNAKTSUTYUN LEFT THIS WORLD
YEREVAN, July 22. /ARKA/. Outstanding figure of Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun, Director of Munich Institute
of Armenian Studies Eduard Ovannisian left this world being 72 years
old, ARF (D) told ARKA All his life Ovannisian cared about past,
present and future of Armenian people. Press release notes that he
was an advanced soldier in modern fight in Diaspora for protection of
Hai Dat and became its driving force. `Loss of Eduard Ovannisian is
terrible for his party friends and by all means for all Armenian’,
press release notes.
Eduard Ovannisian was born on February 16, 1932 in Yerevan. He
graduated from Moscow Instrument Making Institute. In 1964 defended
his doctoral degree. In 1984-93 he was a director of Armenian Edition
of Radio Liberty. Ovannisian took active part in creation and edition
of The Armenian Genocide book in Munich. In 2003 he issued a book
called Hai Dat Problems and the Ways of Their Settlement. L.D. –0–
*********************************************************************
ARMECONOMBANK, CONVERSEBANK (ARMENIA), ARTSAKHBANK AND
ARDSHININVESTBANK LEADING IN ARKA PRESS RATING FOR Q2 2004
YEREVAN, July 22. /ARKA/. ARKA News Agency published Press Rating of
Armenian banks for Q2 2004. The leaders of ARKA’s Press-Rating for
the II Q, 2004 are 4 banks 1. Armeconombank, 2. Conversebank, 3.
Artsakhbank, 4. Ardshininvestbank. As the analysis of press signals
showed, Q2 appeared to be more active from the point of banking pres
information as a result of which the number of press signals
increased by 6.9%, while the Total Index (TI), characterizing the
number of information depending of its address increased by 4.3%. At
that there can be observed a stable tendency of reduction of negative
press signals, the weight share of which versus the previous Q
reduced from 7.5% to 3.7%.
In the structure of the overall information for Q2 2004 versus the
last Q, the share of information for the sections `General on Banks’
and `Banking Activities in Figures’ increased in the total volume of
information about the banks for the 2nd Q, 2004 from 27.4% to 32.5%
and from 37.6% to 41.6% correspondingly, as compared to the same
period of 2003. Meanwhile, information entries for the other sections
reduced. Thus, the share of information for the section `Bank
Development Policy’reduced to 18.9% versus 23.8% in the 1st Q, 2004,
for `Clients and Service’ – to 2.2% versus 3.6%, for `Bank’s Economic
Forecasts and Opinions’ – to 4.8% versus 7.7%. According to the
analysis of the structure of the total information of banks, the
share of negative press releases reduced from 7.5% to 3.7% as
compared to last Q.
In the 2st Q, 2004 the highest index for information entries was for
the section `General on Banks’ for Ardshininvestbank. Armeconombank
became a leader in sharing information for `Bank Development Policy’
and Banking Activities in Figures. Conversebank and Armenian
Development Bank were most active in sharing information for `Clients
and Service’. At that, the most active in making prognosis of the
economic development were Conversebank, HSBC Bank Armenia and
Armsavingsbank.
To remind the leaders of ARKA Press Rating for Q1 2004 were the
following banks: 1. Armeconombank, 2. Conversebank, 3. Bank Anelik,
4. Ardshininvestbank, 5. Armsavingsbank, and 6. HSBC Bank Armenia.
The ARKA Press rating is calculated not based on fianncial -economic
indicators, but the facts of actual activity of the banks which are
reported thru mass media. As a result, the higher the level of actual
information on the bank’s activity, the more efficient is its policy.
When composing the Press rating, the information of advertising type
was not subject of study and analysis.
Please see more detailed information in Banking Information Bulletin
#03 (22) for Q2 2004.T.M. -0–
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ROBERT KOCHARIAN: RA SINCERELY INTERESTED IN STABILITY OF GEORGIA
YEREVAN, July 22. /ARKA/. `RA is sincerely interested in stability of
Georgia’, RA President Robert Kocharian said during his meeting with
the Salome Zurabishvili, Georgian Foreign Minister who is visiting
RA. As RA President’s Press Service told ARKA, Robert Kocharian
expressed his satisfaction that the relations of RA and Georgia are
on high level and are based on centuries old trust and friendship
among the peoples of two countries. Mentioning that Georgia currently
lives quite hard times, the President expressed confidence that the
Georgian authorities would be able to overcome the difficulties
rapidly. During the meeting the sides touched upon the key issues
concerning Armenian-Georgian relations and perspectives of the
region.
In words of officials, the current level of mutual economic relations
does not correspond to the real capacities of two countries.
Kocharian attached importance to more active work of
Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation. Kocharian and
Zurabishvili stressed that inclusion of the South Caucasus countries
into EU Neighborhood creates large possibilities for the cooperation.
T.M. -0–
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RA PRESIDENT HIGHLY APPRECIATES ACTIVITY OF US AMBASSADOR TO RA
YEREVAN, July 22. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharian received
today Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the USA to RA
H.E. John Ordway who completed his diplomatic mission in the country.
As RA President’s Press Service told ARKA, the Head of the Armenian
State highly appreciated the activity of the activity of the US
Ambassador aimed at deepening of the Armenian-US relations.
The Ambassador in his turn expressed his gratitude to the RA
President for his support during his diplomatic work.
During the meeting the sides discussed the reforms that are being
implemented in RA and the related support of the US Government.
John Ordway was appointed US Ambassador to RA in 2001. He will
continue his diplomatic mission as US Ambassador to Kazakhstan. US
President George Bush offered appointing as new US Ambassador to RA
John Marshall Evans, the Head of US Department of State on Russian
Affairs. T.M. -0–
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ARMENIAN FICTION FILM SNIPER RECEIVES GRAND PRIX ON KIDS FOR KIDS
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL IN ATHENS
YEREVAN, July 22. /ARKA/. Armenian fiction film Sniper received Grand
Prix on Kids for Kids International Film Festival in Athens, as Nune
Manukyan, Chairman of Rolan Bykov Armenian Foundation. In his words,
Grand Prix in Animation, fiction, documentary and sportive films
created by the kids in the age from 6 to 12 years was handled to
authors of Sniper – Hovnan Bagghdasaryan (8) and VArdan Arshakuni
(10), representing educational-cultural center Manana. Manukyan
mentioned that the members of the jury of the Festival were
thunderstruck by the flight of mind of the authors of Sniper, that
were able to create in the film an atmosphere of permanent
expectation. She also said that in nomination `art and documentation’
in 13-16 age category film Grandmother of an inmate of the same
center Nane Sahakyan was ranked among six best films. The Chairman of
Rolan Bykov Armenian Center mentioned that 44 states were
participating in the festival and only 22 films were selected.
In her turn Ruzanna Baghdasaryan, Director of Center Manana told that
that this was the third success of Sniper in international festivals.
In her words, in March and July 2004 the film won on festivals in
Tampere, Finland and Sheffield, UK. She also added that the film was
shot with the support of UNIFEM – UN Development Fund for Women. As a
whole, she mentioned that the inmates of the center were awarded many
times on various international festivals (Italy, Holland, Germany,
Spain, US) and their films were shown TV companies of more than 20
nations. She also mentioned that lack of technical means of the
Center do not allow bringing to life many ideas and scenarios of the
kids. In her words, for this reason the films shot by the inmates of
the Center do not exceed 1 – 1.5 minutes.
Kids for Kids International Festival was held in Athens on 18-21
June. The festival was organized by ECFA – European Children’s Film
Association and CIFEJ – International Center of Films for Children
and Young People. The jury consisted of representatives from Armenia,
Iran, Serbia, England, Sweden, Australia, Denmark and Canada. T.M.
-0–
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THE UKRAINE EMBASSY IN ARMENIA OPENS A BOOK OF SORROWS IN REGARD WITH
THE TRAGEDY ON `COAL COMPANY `KRASNOLIMANSK MINE’
YEREVAN, July 22. /ARKA/. In regard with the accident on `Coal
Company `Krasnolimansk Mine’ (Donetsk region), which happened on July
19,2004 and as a result of which some miners died, the President of
the Ukraine declared July 21-22 as mourning days in the Ukraine. As
ARKA was informed in the press service department of the Ukraine
Embassy in Armenia, a book of sorrows is opened in the Ukraine
Embassy in Armenia on July 22, where everybody can write his
condolences regarding the tragedy.
To remind, an explosion of methane happened 997 meters under the
ground on July 19 at about 7:55 p.m. by the local time. The explosion
was followed by fire. At that time 48 miners were underground. 12 of
them managed to get out of the mine by themselves, and the bodies of
31 dead miners were taken out of the mine, 20 of which were
identified. Five miners are missing. A.H.–0–
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress