Category: News

A1 Plus | 16:51:16 | 09-03-2004 | Social |
KOCHARYAN DOESN’T GRANT CITIZENSHIP TO A WAR HERO
Robert Kocharyan has recently ignored the application by Jirayr Sefilyan on
citizenship. Sefilyan was the Commander of Shushi special battalion during
Artsakh War. {BR}
Later he was the Commander of NKR Defense Army brigade. He is a knight of
“Battle Cross” Order. During the recent years Sefilyan coordinates
“Protection of Liberated Territories” social initiative.
Intelligentsia Forum focused its attention on the fact president’s staff
didn’t grant citizenship to Jirayr Sefilyan. Intelligentsia Forum
established on the initiative of Silva Kaputikyan, Rafael Ghazaryan, Khoren
Palyan, Lenser Aghalovyan, Sargis Muradyan and other intellectuals approved
a statement condemning refusal by Kocharyan at its March 6 conference.
—

United Nations S/2004/168
Security Council
Dist.: General
1 March 2004
Original: English
Letter dated 1 March 2004 from the Permanent Representative of Armenia to
the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General
I have the honour to transmit herewith my letter regarding the concerns of
the Republic of Armenia arising from the recent intensification of the
political situation after the brutal murder of the Armenian military officer
by his Azerbaijani colleague in Budapest, Hungary (see annex).
I should be grateful if you would have the text of the present letter and
its annex circulated as a document of the Security Council.
(Signed) Armen Martirosyan
Ambassador
Permanent Representative
Annex to the letter dated 1 March 2004 from the Permanent Representative of
Armenia to the United Nations addressed to
the Secretary-General
Letter on the concerns of the Republic of Armenia arising from the recent
intensification of the political situation after the brutal murder of the
Armenian military officer by his Azerbaijani colleague in Budapest
On 20 January 2004, during the discussion of the item entitled “Children
and armed conflict” in the Security Council, the Azerbaijani representative
launched another round of unsubstantiated allegations towards Armenia and we
took them as such. However, the recent brutal murder in Budapest of an
Armenian officer in his sleep through axing by a young Azerbaijani officer
at a NATO “Partnership for Peace” training programme could not but raise
concerns over the increase of aggressiveness in Azerbaijani society as a
result of such groundless accusations by the authorities, encouragements,
distortions, exaggerations, in short, effective hate propaganda. It comes as
no surprise that the cultivation and encouragement of war rhetoric by the
authorities, which adversely affects the prospects of the peace process,
would outpour into such gruesome acts. The response and the further comments
made by the Azerbaijani officials on different levels trying to justify this
horrendous act, and the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of Azerbaijan on 20 February 2004, are simply testimonies to it.
The significant flare-up of falsified propaganda from the Azerbaijani
officials aimed at presenting a distorted picture of the roots and causes of
the Nagorno Karabagh conflict and the resulting situation on the ground,
which has greatly deteriorated during the last several months, and the
unconcealed efforts to obliterate the 12-year efforts of the international
community aimed at achieving final resolution to the conflict serve no other
purpose than discrediting the international mediation and the peace process.
Moreover, it threatens the ceasefire regime, the tenth anniversary of which
would be marked in May of this year, and increases the instability and
insecurity in the region as a whole. The speech of Ilham Aliyev, now
President of Azerbaijan, in the general debate at the fifty-eighth session
of the United Nations General Assembly, the recent announcements by the
Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan and the numerous speeches of Azerbaijani
representatives in different international forums, including the United
Nations, are a demonstration of the concerted effort by the Azerbaijani
leadership to fuel aggressiveness and war-mongering in the society to score
internal points. However, a natural result of this kind of intoxication is
the vicious act in Budapest, as the younger generation is the most
susceptible to propaganda.
It is regrettable that the political short-sightedness of the Azerbaijani
leadership does not allow it to learn lessons from tragic events of a
not-too-distant past, when the deliberate manipulation of the Azerbaijani
public led to massacres of Armenians in Sumgait, Kirovabad (Ganja) and Baku.
Sixteen years ago to this date, on 27 February 1988, Azeris went on a
three-day rampage in Sumgait, a new industrial town 20 miles from Baku,
murdering members of the town’s large Armenian minority, looting and
destroying their property. Most of the victims were burnt alive after being
assaulted and tortured. The murderers enjoyed total support of the
Azerbaijani authorities and full freedom in committing their inhuman acts
against the Armenian population. The peak of the atrocities committed by
Azeri perpetrators occurred from 27 to 29 February 1988. The events were
preceded by a wave of anti-Armenian statements and rallies that swept over
Azerbaijan in February 1988.
I consider it unnecessary to give a detailed historical overview of the
pogroms in Sumgait here as the international community and the United
Nations, in particular, have been duly informed in the past of the events
through documents circulated on the occasion of the anniversaries of the
Sumgait tragedy, the latest one being A/57/742-S/2003/233. The international
community’s response to the events was explicit. On 7 July 1988, the
European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the massacres in
Sumgait, which read:
“The European Parliament,
“…
“B. having regard to the historic status of the autonomous region
of Nagorno-Karabakh (80% of whose present population is Armenian) as part of
Armenia, to the arbitrary inclusion of this area within Azerbaijan in 1923
and to the massacre of Armenians in the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait in
February 1988,
“C. whereas the deteriorating political situation, which has led to
anti-Armenian pogroms in Sumgait and serious acts of violence in Baku, is in
itself a threat to the safety of the Armenians living in Azerbaijan,
“1. Condemns the violence employed against Armenian
demonstrators in Azerbaijan;
“2. Supports the demand of the Armenian minority for
reunification with the Socialist Republic of Armenia;
“…
“4. Calls also upon the Soviet authorities to ensure the
safety of the 500,000 Armenians currently living in Soviet Azerbaijan and to
ensure that those found guilty of having incited or taken part in the pogroms
against the Armenians are punished according to Soviet law.”
The Sumgait events were organized with a view to hushing up and concealing
the Nagorno Karabagh problem. While the population of Nagorno Karabagh,
trusting in glasnost and perestroika, and after 70 years of unlawful
subjugation to Azerbaijani rule, raised its voice in peaceful demonstrations
for the legally and universally recognized right to self-determination, thus
choosing the democratic, constitutional and peaceful path to the exercise of
its right, the response of the Azerbaijani authorities was pogroms and
killings of Armenians. The premeditated killings in Sumgait were to
transform the problem of Nagorno Karabagh from a peaceful and democratic
process into a violent confrontation, which turned into one of the world’s
bloodiest ethnic conflicts after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The
atmosphere of total impunity, the repeated incitements to the perpetration
of further Sumgait-like massacres and the encouragement to those who showed
the greatest zeal by the Azerbaijani leadership greatly contributed to this.
The assault of a sovereign Government against its citizens continued. In
May 1988 in Shushi, the local authorities initiated the deportation of
Armenians living in that hilltop city from which Karabagh’s largest city,
Stepanakert, was to be so easily shelled for the next several years. By
September 1988, the last Armenians were ousted from Shushi. In November and
December 1988, a wave of Armenian pogroms swept Azerbaijan. The worst took
place in Baku, Kirovabad (Ganja), Shemakh, Shamkhor, Mingechaur and
Nakhichevan. In the winter of 1988, all Armenians were deported from dozens
of Armenian villages in Azerbaijan. The same fate befell more than 40
Armenian settlements in the northern part of Karabagh – outside the borders
of the autonomous region, which was demanding self-determination – including
the mountainous regions of Khanlar, Dashkesan, Shamkhor and Kedabek
provinces. The 40,000 Armenians of Azerbaijan’s third largest city, Ganja,
were also forcibly removed from their homes. When it was over, there were
fewer than 50,000 Armenians left in Baku, out of a total of 215,000.
Throughout 1989, sporadic attacks, beatings, looting and massacres in Baku
reduced that number to 30,000. By early January 1990, Armenian pogroms in
Baku intensified and became more organized. Several hundred Armenians were
killed, some of whom were burned alive, ripped apart or their bodies
dissected. Pogroms continued until 20 January when Soviet army troops were
brought to Baku. By then, the city was fully “liberated” from “Armenian
elements” except for a couple of hundred Armenians in mixed marriages.
During the military conflict over Nagorno Karabagh, the latter were
literally “fished out” for exchange with Azeri prisoners of war.
The revisiting of history by Azerbaijanis is no surprise to us. However, it
is appalling that in the same statement that my Azerbaijani colleague made
in the Security Council, he referred to these very events as “Soviet
invasion [when] on 20 January 1990, Soviet troops, 35,000 strong, stormed
the capital of Azerbaijan in a desperate, extremely brutal and yet futile
attempt to strangle the ever-growing independence movement and to stop the
demise of the communist regime in Azerbaijan”.
The Azeri leadership encouraged the ethnic cleansing and massacres of the
Armenians of Azerbaijan or the Armenians of Karabagh, directly and
indirectly, through creation of a conducive environment for violence and
impunity for such crimes. Unfortunately the same policy continues today
when, after the vicious act in Budapest, which was unequivocally condemned
by the international community, so-called “committees for the support” of
the Azerbaijani military officer are being created in Azerbaijan and the
perpetrator of a cowardly act is, right before our eyes, being transformed
into a hero.
Azerbaijan presents itself as the victim, giving a distorted picture of the
facts on the ground today. There are refugees and territorial losses on both
sides. The Armenian side has a refugee problem of 400,000 – almost equal to
Azerbaijan’s refugees. Indeed, today’s facts on the ground are the
consequences of a cycle of violence and intolerance that began with
Azerbaijan’s suppression of the calls to peaceful self-determination.
It is dangerous that the lessons of tragic history are being forgotten.
Moreover, Azerbaijan is ready to throw the 12-year efforts of international
mediation away and start from a “blank page”, as stated by its Foreign
Minister, threatening the peace process and the relative stability
established 10 years ago with a ceasefire. It seems we have come full circle
here – from Sumgait to Budapest.
Meanwhile, at every step Armenia has stated and demonstrated its
willingness to cooperate, wherever possible, to create and implement
confidence-building measures. Without building such confidence, neither side
can convince its own population to accept peace. At each step and every
opportunity Azerbaijan has refused to demonstrate any flexibility or
willingness to start a process of unfreezing the conflict in the minds of
its own population. It is the reduction of tension, hostility and pumped-up
hatred that will lead to resolution and peace, not the other way round.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
03/09/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Georgian Leader Due in Armenia on Friday, Unclear whether Javakhk will be discussed 2) Pipeline Construction Still an Issue for Armenians in Region 3) Abashidze Has Support of Ajaria Armenians 4) Senate Adopts Trade Measure without Key Armenia Provision 5) Schwarzenegger Names Deukmejian to Head Prison Reform Panel 1) Georgian Leader Due in Armenia on Friday, Unclear whether Javakhk will be discussed YEREVAN/PARIS (Armenpress, RFE/RL)--Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili will arrive in Yerevan on Friday for two-day official visit that will cover a broad range of bilateral issues. President Robert Kocharian's office said Saakashvili will lead a large Georgian government delegation composed of the ministers of foreign affairs, energy, and economic development, as well as senior parliamentarians. The trip will mark Saakashvili's first-ever face-to-face meeting with Kocharian. The 36-year-old popular leader, who was elected president in early January, is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian and Catholicos Karekin II. His itinerary includes a visit to the Dzidzernagapert genocide memorial in Yerevan. Economic issues are expected to dominate the talks, with the Armenian side likely to push for a reduction in disproportionately high transit fees charged by Georgia on cargo shipments to and from Armenia. Saakashvili publicly promised to lower them last December; however, his ministers have been more ambivalent on the subject. The two sides will also likely discuss the geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus. Saakashvili's dramatic rise to power as a result of last November's `rose revolution' in Tbilisi could solidify growing US presence in the volatile region and accelerate the closure of Russian military bases in Georgia. Tigran Torosian, the deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament, said Yerevan expects the new regime in Tbilisi to maintain a `balanced policy' on Azerbaijan and Armenia. Torosian also welcomed Saakashvili's recent calls for the creation of a regional single market, but said the realization of the idea is `unfortunately a long way off.' JAVAKHK ISSUE It is unclear whether the situation in Javakhk, the impoverished Armenian-majority region in southern Georgia will be on the agenda. Saakashvili has vowed greater central government attention to the grave socioeconomic problems Javakhk Armenians face. He recently appointed Tbilisi's outgoing ambassador in Yerevan Nikoloz Nikolozishvili, as governor of greater Samtskhe-Javakhk province. Speaking at a press conference in Paris yesterday, Saakashvili, when asked whether autonomy will be granted to Javakhk, responded by saying, `Our relationship with Armenia is on a very good level; such statements can not damage them,' but emphasized that they could have a negative impact on the Javakhk Armenians, and added that the issue is not at the top of the agenda during his upcoming visit to Yerevan Levon Mkrtchian, a leader of the coalition government's Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), stressed, however, that Javakhk will become `a center of Armenian-Georgian friendship,' if the Saakashvili administration ensures better protection of the local population's `economic and cultural rights.' 2) Pipeline Construction Still an Issue for Armenians in Region AKHALKALAK (A-INFO)--The Armenian population living along the construction route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipe-line (Tsalka, Borjomi, and Akhaltskha), has consistently opposed the project, and continue to voice their objections. Especially outraged are those living in the Tapatsghur village of the Borjomi province, who were promised financial payment for lands taken up by the project, but have not yet been compensated. In discussing security issues tied to the pipeline, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili recently announced during a visit to Azerbaijan that the Armenian population living along the pipeline's construction route do not oppose the project. 3) Abashidze Has Support of Ajaria Armenians (A-INFO)--The leader of the Armenian community of Ajaria Armen Gevorgian, said that it should not come as a surprise that the Armenians of the autonomous Georgian republic back its leadership. Gevorgian explained that the allegiance to President Aslan Abashidze, began in the early 90s when the St. Savior Armenian church in Batumi and surrounding territory were returned to the Armenian community because of Abashidze's efforts. Abashidze also put forth a special order that would allow the Batumi Armenian school to remain operational under any circumstance. `Mr. Abashidze promised that the school would continue operations, even if only one pupil remained,' said Gevorgian. He also explained that Armenians in Ajaria are not oppressed. In 1993, Abashidze signed a special order to protect the rights of national minorities. `Unlike Armenians in other provinces of Georgia, those in Ajaria have an opportunity to watch Armenian state TV, and with Abashidze's support, publish the `Aghbyur' Russian-language newspaper,' said Gevorgian. 4) Senate Adopts Trade Measure without Key Armenia Provision WASHINGTON, DC (ANCA)--The Armenian National Committee Of America (ANCA) voiced disappointment over the Senate's failure to include a key US-Armenia trade provision in a larger trade bill that cleared the body earlier on Friday. The provision, adopted by the House last November, would grant Armenia Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status. Adoption of this measure would ensure lower tariffs on Armenian imports to the US and give greater Armenian access to US government credit facilities on a permanent basis. `We are disappointed that the Senate missed this excellent opportunity to expand trade between the US and Armenia,' said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. `We are hopeful that, as the trade bill moves through the legislative process, supporters in both houses will be able to ensure the inclusion of the Armenia-PNTR provision.' An Armenia-PNTR resolution, S.1557, was introduced by Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) on August 1, 2003, and currently has 15 cosponsors. A companion measure, H.R.528, which was adopted by the House in November of last year, was introduced by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-chairmen Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ). In a letter last March to the House Ways and Means Committee, Hamparian noted that: `In order for Armenia's economic growth to continue and for its benefits to reach more people, Armenia needs to increase investment and trade. Armenia is dedicated to expanding its economic relationship with the United States, but, without PNTR, Armenia loses its ability to attract viable export markets in and investment from the United States. At the same time, without PNTR, American entrepreneurs who see Armenia as an emerging economy with potential for investment and trade, hesitate to establish ventures that cannot be protected by WTO rules or to import Armenian goods at higher, non-MFN tariff rates.' The Trade Act of 1974 excluded all Soviet countries from having normal trade relations (NTR) status with the United States. One provision of the Act, known as the Jackson-Vanick amendment, required the President to deny NTR to those countries that restricted free emigration. The policy was adopted, in part, in response to Communist government restrictions on the repatriation of Jews. According to the terms of the Jackson-Vanick amendment, when the President determines that freedom of emigration rights have been reinstated in a country, normal trade relations may be granted. To maintain NTR, the President must report to Congress twice a year that Jackson-Vanick requirements have been met. While successive Presidents have waived the Jackson-Vanick Amendment restrictions on Armenia during the past decade, the passage of the Knollenberg bill, would grant Armenia permanent NTR (PNTR) status, without the need for bi-yearly Presidential determinations. Permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status ensures lower duties on Armenian imports to the US, creating incentives for increased trade and investment opportunities between the two countries. As such, the measure strengthens bilateral relations between the two countries and helps reinforce the enduring friendship between the American and Armenian peoples. Increased US-Armenia trade and investment also helps to offset the impact of the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades, estimated by the World Bank at up to $720 million a year. 5) Schwarzenegger Names Deukmejian to Head Prison Reform Panel SACRAMENTO (AP)--Former Governor George Deukmejian will chair an independent review panel looking to reform California's youth and adult correctional systems. Governor Schwarzenegger says the panel must find ways to turn around a "crisis of confidence" in the state's prison system. Critics argue, however, that Deukmejian--who held office from 1983 to 1991--helped build the state's prison system into the nation's largest during a law-and-order administration. Schwarzenegger says the panel will examine the corrections system's "ethics and culture;" organization and operations; safety practices for inmates, employees, and the public; and personnel and training programs. He says the panel will report to him directly as part of his administration's larger performance review. 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.

March 09, 2004
Mystery over ‘mercenary’ plane held in Harare
FROM MICHAEL DYNES IN JOHANNESBURG
Zimbabwe military officials hold up wire cutters on the seized cargo plane
yesterday
Mystery and confusion surrounded a US cargo plane seized at Harare airport
on suspicion of carrying mercenaries after Equatorial Guinea said today that
it had arrested a 15-man advance party linked to the impounded aircraft.
The ageing Boeing 727-100, which is alleged by Zimbabwe to have been
carrying 64 mercenaries of various nationalities, including South Africans,
took off from Polokwane airport in Limpopo Province yesterday, before being
held by Harare over a false declaration concerning its cargo.
Aviation authorities are still trying to establish the aircraft’s
destination. It has been variously reported to have been heading for
Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the oil rich West African
nation of Equatorial Guinea.
But the Government of Equitorial Guinea, a tiny former Spanish colony wedged
between Gabon and Cameroon, said that it had arrested 15 mercenaries
suspected of plotting a coup.
“Some 15 mercenaries have been arrested here, connected with that plane in
Zimbabwe. They were the advance party of that group,” said Agustn Nse Nfumu,
the Information Minister.
The 15 included a group of black and white South Africans, along with
nationals from Germany, Kazakhstan and Armenia, Mr Nfumu added.
Beeld, the Afrikaans-language daily, also reported South African
intelligence sources confirming that the aircraft was on its way to
Equatorial Guinea, sub-Saharan Africa’s third-largest oil producer.
Rumours of an impending coup were rife in the country amid growing tensions
among President Mbasogo’s family, whose members hold most of the top jobs in
the country.
Witnesses who saw the aircraft being loaded before it left South Africa said
it contained equipment such as hammers, bolt-cutters and shovels.
“It looked more like people going on a mining expedition,” one witness said.
“It’s certainly not the type of stuff I would like to start a war with,” he
added.
One unconfirmed report claimed that the aircraft was on its way to
Bujumbura, packed with de-mining equipment, as part of an international
effort to clear minefields in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Zimbabwean authorities announced yesterday that they had impounded the
aircraft “after the owners had made a false declaration of its cargo and
crew”.
Officials said that the flight was carrying “military materials,” and that
its passengers were suspected mercenaries.
Zimbabwean state television broadcast footage of the cargo, including a
rubber dinghy, sleeping bags, satellite phones, knives, bolt cutters,
hammers, green camouflage uniforms, and mace spray.
But no firearms, ammunition or explosives could be seen in the news
bulletins, which described the equipment as being “used by commandon
specialised missions”.
The aircraft and its passengers, most of them white, were taken to a nearby
military airfield for questioning.
Air Force and army bomb disposal experts are still examining the cargo “to
determine whether there is possible arms of war”.
No formal charges have yet been laid against any of the passengers.
The Zimbabwean authorities said that the suspected mercenaries would be
shown to the media once its investigations were completed.
“We are going to parade these men but I cannot say when exactly,” one
official said.
“That would depend on how the investigations are going,” he added.
The aircraft’s registration number, N4610, is assigned to Dodson Aviation
Inc, based in Ottawa, Kansas. But Robert Dodson, the company director, said
that it had sold the aircraft a week ago to Logo Logistics, a South African
company.
The South African authorities have so far failed to trace the whereabouts of
the new owners.
Jerry Ndou, the South African High Commissioner to Harare, is scheduled to
meet Zimbabwean officials to investigate claims that some of the alleged
mercenaries were South Africans.
Under South Africa’s 1998 Foreign Military Assistance Act, it is illegal for
South African nationals to offer military services to foreign countries
without the prior approval of Pretoria. The offence is punishable by ten
years in jail and a one million rand (£83,000) fine.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]
March 9, 2004
Contact: Ardashes Kassakhian 818.500.1918
OUTSTANDING WORK OF ANC CHAPTERS AND ACTIVISTS ACKNOWLEDGED AT AWARDS EVENT
Evening Thanks Individuals and Chapters for Hard Work and Dedication
Glendale, CA – The hard work of over a dozen ANC chapters from across
the the Western United States was recognized at the first annual
ANCA-WR Grassroots Awards Event held on February 29, 2004 in Glendale,
California. On the same night that Hollywood was honoring its best
across town at the Oscars, ANC leaders and supporters from throughout
the Western Region gathered in Glendale to acknowledge each other’s
hard work and celebrate their dedication and commitment to the
Armenian Cause. Activists from Sacramento, Los Angeles, San
Francisco, San Diego, Orange County, amongst many others came together
for this unique and special event.
“The 2004 ANCA-WR Grassroots Awards event acknowledged chapters and
activists who comprise the core that make the ANC the largest, most
effective and efficient Armenian-American grassroots public affairs
organization,” statedANCA-WR Executive Director Ardashes Kassakhian.
One Grassroots Activists from each ANC chapter received a special
recognition. In addition to individual awards, awards were also given
to individual chapters for Best Website, Most Innovative Project,
Media Outreach, Voter Outreach, Up-and-Coming Chapter, as well as
others.
“The dedication and strength of our ANC chapters is a tribute to the
democratic principles of America’s founding fathers and the pioneers
of theArmenian Cause,” commented ANCA-WR Chairman Raffi Hamparian
after the event. “On a daily basis, ANC members encourage Armenian
Americans to vote and to participate in the political life of our
nation. I am very proud of each and every ANC chapter and activist
who was honored at our Awards Event.”
The Master of Ceremonies at the ANC Awards Event was longtime
community activist and former Burbank ANC Chair, Stepan Boyadjian.
With a good dose of humor, Boyadjian kept those in attendance laughing
as he kept the program moving along. Assisting Boyadjian was ANCA-WR
Executive Director Ardashes Kassakhian who thanked everyone in
attendance for their dedication and support.
“What makes the Armenian National Committee such a unique organization
is the simple fact that this organization doesn’t function with the
sole work of one or two individual staffers but rather through the
constant effort of thousands and thousands of individuals who do their
part every day of ever week of every year,” commented Kassakhian. “We
owe our supporters a big ‘thank you’,” he added.
The highlight of the evening was the presentation of awards in a
variety of categories, including individual honors. Each chapter
nominated an individual who had made an impact or exceptional
contribution to his or her respective chapter. Individuals were
nominated from their chapters to receive recognition. Presenting ANC
Chapter Awards were ANCA-WR Board Members Aida Dimejian and Garo
Ispendjian. In a creative display of solidarity, the Burbank ANC
nominated the Burbank ANC Chapter Activist as their individual
honoree. The selfless nomination served as the closing theme for the
evening as Burbank received the 2004 ANCA-WR Grassroots Activist of
the Year award for the entire Western Region of the United States.
The other awards for individual chapters wereas follows:
– Crescenta Valley – Saro Senekerinian
– Fresno Central California – Ara Kachadourian and Rich Sanikian
– Sacramento – Hovannes Boghossian
– Glendale – Milene Apanian
– Pasadena – Susan Berberian
– San Diego – Dr. Robert Deranian
– San Francisco – Raffi Momjian
– Montebello/San Gabriel Valley – Serge Samoniantz
– East San Fernando Valley – Vahe Shahinian
– West San Fernando Valley – Nichan Kulukian
Chapters were also recognized for their outstanding work throughout
2003. The honorees for each category were as follows:
– 2004 ANCA-WR Rising Star – Crescenta Valley ANC for their
outstanding work in establishing a relationship with their local
community and involving a wide cross section of the community in ANC
activities;
– 2004 Best ANCA-WR Local Website – Central California/Fresno ANC for
their website;
– 2004 ANCA-WR Best Local Voter Outreach Campaign – San Francisco /Bay
Area ANC for regularly emailing and updating Bay Area Armenians on
local, state and federal elections in 2002-2003 with special
recognition for the ANC San Francisco Mayoral Debate;
– 2004 ANCA-WR Best Local Voter Outreach Campaign –
Montebello/SanGabriel Valley ANC for their voter outreach and
registration drive and being the deciding factor in their local
municipal election with pecial recognition for the “Honoring the
Montebello City Council” event;
– 2004 ANCA-WR Most Outstanding Initiative by a Local Chapter – San
Francisco/Bay Area ANC for their Genocide Education Campaign with
special recognition for the project;
– 2004 ANCA-WR Best Media Outreach Campaign – Pasadena ANC for press
coverage in the Pasadena Star News on the Policeman’s Appreciation
Luncheon and the Person of the Year Event.
ANCA-WR Chair Raffi Hamparian thanked each chapter and the ANCA-WR
office staff for their hard work and encouraged every individual in
attendance to strive for greatness in the coming year in the pursuit
of the ANC’s goals. Among the officials present at the event were
Congressman Adam Schiff, California State Senator Jack Scott,
California State Assemblyman Paul Koretz, former ANC Chairmen Jack
Misserlian, Armand Keosian, Dr. Sahag Baghdasarian and Steven Dadaian.
Glendale School Board Member Greg Krikorian, Burbank School
BoardMember Paul Krekorian and Glendale Community College Board Member
Ara Najarian were also in attendance.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughoutthe United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.
Editor’s Note: Photos available upon request.
#####

Los Angeles Daily News
March 9 2004
Police, family baffled by shooting
No motive apparent in fatal freeway gun-down of driver
By Naush Boghossian and Phillip W. Browne
Staff Writer
NORTH HOLLYWOOD – The son of Armenian immigrants, Garen Ketikyan had
a strong work ethic, holding down a full-time job at a supermarket
while studying business at Valley College.
But the 20-year-old’s dreams were cut short early Tuesday when he was
fatally shot by gunmen in a white Ford Mustang as he and a friend
drove on the Hollywood (170) Freeway.
“He wanted to be successful. … He was like a best friend to me,”
said the victim’s older brother, Harut Ketikyan, 24, a Los Angeles
County probation officer.
“Mom and Dad would always tell us, ‘The reason we brought you to this
country is there is more opportunity here.’ To get life cut short
like that is sad.”
Ketikyan was killed just after midnight as he drove his 1998 Mercury
Marquis north on the freeway near Sherman Way. His passenger, whose
name was not released for his safety, was uninjured.
Detectives initially believed the case might be connected to
narcotics, gangs or other criminal activity, but those leads proved
false, and the motive remains a mystery.
“All indications are that they are good, hard-working kids. And they
were just out having some fun and visiting friends,” said LAPD
Detective Mike Coffey.
He said Ketikyan and his passenger were stopped at a traffic signal
at Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Victory Boulevard about 11:45 p.m.
Monday, and beeped their horn at two motorcyclists who didn’t move
when the light turned green.
“The men got off the bikes, removed their helmets and began walking
toward the Mercury in a threatening manner,” Coffey said. “Somehow
the confrontation ended without incident and everyone drove away.”
About 15 minutes later, Ketikyan was on the freeway when a white
Mustang, with chrome wheels and a new-car registration pulled
alongside and someone inside fired 10 to 15 rounds, Coffey said.
Ketikyan was struck in the head and died at the scene.
The passenger later told detectives he believed the men in the
Mustang were the motorcyclists who had accosted them earlier.
“It seemed kind of far-fetched to us that the assailants could switch
vehicles and find the victims that quickly, but it’s not impossible,”
Coffey said.
Ketikyan moved with his family from Armenia in 1991. He worked at
Jon’s Market in West Hollywood while studying business at Valley
College.
“I just never thought something like that could happen to our family,
until one day it does,” Harut Ketikyan said.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Coffey at the
LAPD’s North Hollywood station, (818) 623-4075. On weekends and
during nonbusiness, contact the 24-hour toll-free number at the
Detective Information Desk, at (877) LAWFULL, (877) 529-3855.

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 10 2004
ARMENIA, RUSSIA EXTEND AGREEMENT REGULATING VOLUNTARY MIGRATION
YEREVAN, MARCH 10. (RIA NOVOSTI CORRESPONDENT HAMLET MATEVOSYAN) -A
protocol on the continued validity of an inter-government agreement
between Armenia and the Russian federation, “On regulating voluntary
migration processes”, of August 29, 1997 was signed in Yerevan by
Minister for Territorial Government and Infrastructure Coordination
Ovik Abraamyan and Russia’s ambassador Anatoly Dryukov in Armenia.
Under the protocol, the sides have agreed to extend the agreement for
another five years, reports the Armenian government public and press
liaison department. The agreement is targeted at creating favourable
conditions for the voluntary migration of Armenian and Russian
citizens, said Gagik Yeganyan, chief of the Armenian government
department for migration and refugees.
It is especially important now, with a notable stream of repatriates,
added Yeganyan.
On instructions from the Armenian government, he continued, a
delegation will go to Russia next week to enlighten Armenian citizens
living in Russia on the essence of the inter-government agreement.

EUobserver.com, Belgium
March 10 2004
Georgian President: My country is ‘culturally European’

Jacques Chirac “fully supports” Georgia in its bid to draw closer to
the EU (Photo: European Parliament)
In an interview with French daily Le Monde, Georgian President
Mikhaïl Saakachvili has said that his country is European, both
geographically and culturally.
Mr Saakachvili – who came to power late last year after ousting
former president Eduard Shevardnadze in a bloodless “rose revolution”
– said, “geographically, culturally, Georgia feels European and
Georgians are enthusiastic Europeans”.
Georgia, along with its Caucasus neighbours Armenia and Azerbaijan,
are likely to be included in the EU’s “wider Europe” programme, which
aims to create a ring of countries around the Union as part of a vast
internal market.
And after talks with French President Jacques Chirac last night, Mr
Saakachvili said that he had France’s support for closer EU ties.
According to Iter-Tass, he said, “He (Chirac) fully supported
Georgia’s option to draw closer to the EU”.

Long Beach Press-Telegram, CA
March 10 2004
Hollywood man killed in mysterious freeway shooting
By Phillip W. Browne
Staff Writer
NORTH HOLLYWOOD – Detectives this morning were trying to unravel the
mystery behind an early morning shooting along the Hollywood (170)
Freeway that claimed the life of a Hollywood grocery clerk.
Garen Ketikyan, 20, was gunned down by someone inside a white Ford
Mustang just after midnight as he drove north on the freeway near
Sherman Way. His passenger, whose name was not released for his
safety, was uninjured.
The assailants are believed to be the same men who, just minutes
earlier, were riding motorcycles and got into a confrontation with
the victims, police said. Detectives also originally believed the
case might be connected to narcotics, gangs or other criminal
activity. But that also proved false, and the motive remains a
mystery.
“We ran a check on Garen and the passenger, and neither have a
criminal record,” said Detective Mike Coffey, with the LAPD’s North
Hollywood Division. “All indications are that they are good, hard
working kids. And they were just out having some fun and visiting
friends.”
The drama began about 11:45 p.m. Monday when Ketikyan, a student at
Valley College, and his passenger were stopped at the intersection of
Coldwater Canyon Avenue and Victory Boulevard “cruising and looking
for girls to talk to,” Coffey said. They were inside a 1998 Mercury
Marquis.
At the traffic signal, there were two men on motorcycles and a woman
driving a Lexus who were stopped in front of them. When the light
turned green, the Lexus drove away but the men on motorcycles did not
move.
“The victim began honking his horn, and the men got off the bikes,
removed their helmets and began walking toward the Mercury in a
threatening manner,” Coffey said, adding that the victims noticed the
men were Armenian. “No words were exchanged but the incident scared
them. Somehow the confrontation ended without incident and everyone
drove away.”
About 15 minutes later Ketikyan was driving north on the Hollywood
Freeway when a white Mustang, with chrome wheels and paper plates,
pulled alongside them and someone inside fired between 10 and 15
rounds, striking Ketikyan in the head, Coffey said.
A North Hollywood patrol officer on Sherman Way heard she shots, and
saw Ketikyan’s car come to a stop on the overpass. The passenger
jumped out and began screaming for help as the officer raced up the
onramp to investigate, Coffey said.
Ketikyan was pronounced dead at the scene.
The uninjured passenger told detectives he believed the men in the
Mustang were the same people on the motorcycles.
“It seemed kind of far-fetched to us that the assailants could switch
vehicles and find the victims that quickly, but it’s not impossible,”
Coffey said. “We’re following all the leads we can.”
The northbound 170 Freeway was closed between Burbank Boulevard and
Sherman Way until about 4:40 a.m. while police investigated the
shooting, said California Highway Patrol Officer Francisco
Villalobos.
Detectives did not have a good description of the suspects, except to
say they are Armenian. They also want to question the woman who was
driving the Lexus.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Coffey at the
LAPD’s North Hollywood station, (818) 623-4075. On weekends and
during off-hours, contact the 24-hour toll free number at the
Detective Information Desk, at (877) LAWFULL, (877) 529-3855.

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
March 10 2004
Azeri officer in Budapest gets lawyer

Hungarian lawyer Peter Zalay will defend Azerbaijani officer Ramil
Safarov, who has been arrested in Budapest on charges of murdering
Armenian officer, Turan News Agency said.

10/03/2004 14:45
Baku Today
Azeri lawyer Adil Ismayilov, who met with Zalay in Budapest said, in
a TV interview, Zalay quite a responsible lawyer ,however, he said,
one cannot be confident about the positive outcome of the case for
the Azeri officer beforehand.

Ismayilov, who visited Safarov on March 4 said, the Azeri officer has
been charged with article 166 of Hungarian criminal code which
stipulates for from between 10 – 15 years of imprisonment to life
imprisonment.