Category: News

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
March 9, 2004
Blessing of Foundation Stones for
St. John Armenian Church
Takes Place in Boynton Beach
NEW YORK, NY-Sunday, February 29, was a memorable day for the Eastern
Prelacy and the Armenian community of South Florida. His Eminence Archbishop
Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church of America, together with V. Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar,
and Archpriest Fr. Vazken Bekiarian, blessed the sixteen cornerstones of the
new St. John Armenian Church of Boynton Beach, Florida. Joining the clergy
on this occasion were the deacons, the sixteen godfathers, the major
benefactor, Mr. George Pagoumian and his family, and the Faithful of the
community.
The sixteen cornerstones were purified with water and wine, then blessed
and anointed before being placed into their respective positions. With
everyone’s participation, the Andastan service (Blessing of the Harvest)
took place, beseeching the Lord for peace in all corners of the world,
goodness and glory for Armenia, and for the steadfastness of the Armenian
Church.
Archbishop Oshagan expressed his profound joy and gave thanks to God for
granting him the opportunity to preside over this ceremony. He explained the
meaning of the sixteen cornerstones, which represent Christ’s twelve
disciples, St. Paul, the evangelists Mark and Luke, and the father of the
Armenian Church, St. Gregory the Illuminator. “We are building this church,”
His Eminence said, “so that our lives will be solid and our faith will
remain immovable.”
Srpazan thanked the sixteen godfathers and especially George Pagoumian,
who along with his family, has made this God-pleasing gift in memory of his
father, John Pagoumian, in whose honor the new Church is named.
During the luncheon which followed the blessing of the cornerstones, the
Master of Ceremonies, Bedo Der Bedrosian, chairman of the Board of Trustees,
offered words of welcome and thanks and invited the chairman of the building
committee, Vahram Tanielian, to address the gathering. Mr. Tanielian
encouraged the attendees to continue the good work that has started with God
‘s blessings and to bring the project to a successful conclusion.
Mr. Pagoumian poignantly shared memories of his father. He said that the
building of this house of God provides the opportunity to spread the Lord’s
Word. He said that he considered it vital to put into practice the original
Biblical message, especially because in our modern times various currents
and movements have taken us far away from spiritual values.
Archpriest Bekiarian, who serves the Florida community, expressed his
thanks and emphasized that the building of a church is not the work of one
individual, but rather a collective effort of all of the Faithful.
In his closing words, Archbishop Oshagan extended his words of
appreciation and encouragement and spoke of the importance of this sacred
effort. He gave a brief view of the overall project, which includes the
Sanctuary, the fellowship hall with facilities for Saturday and Sunday
schools, and eventually a gymnasium. “We do all of this with love and
dedication because we believe that it is necessary for our future
generations to have their own home, where they will pray to God, learn their
mother tongue and history, so that they will find their true identity and
live as model citizens, keeping their faith and culture.”
Visit the Prelacy’s web site () for
photographs of the cornerstone blessing as well as up to the minute
information about Prelacy events and activities.

Politics.ie, Ireland
March 8 2004
Irish EU Presidency : EU Troika delegation met with Turkey’s Foreign
Minister – Cowen

An EU Troika delegation, led by Brian Cowen T.D., Minister for
Foreign Affairs, met with Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdullah
Gul, in Ankara today. Minister Cowen was accompanied by the High
Representative for CFSP, Javier Solana, EU Commissioner for
Enlargement Gunter Verheugen and the Foreign Minister of the
Netherlands, Bernard Bot.
At a press conference after the meeting, Minister Cowen said:
“We have had very useful discussions this morning with Foreign
Minister Gul covering EU – Turkey relations and a range of
international issues, including the Middle East, Iraq and Iran. We
also discussed current developments in Georgia, Armenia and
Azerbaijan, focusing on the positive role which Turkey, as a
neighbour, can play in the region. We will have further discussions
later today with Prime Minister Erdogan.
This is a very important point in the development of relations
between the European Union and Turkey, as we prepare for the European
Council decision in December. We have reiterated our strong assurance
that if the European Council decides in December that Turkey fulfils
the Copenhagen political criteria, the EU is committed to opening
accession negotiations without delay. A key element in that decision
will of course be progress in the reform process. We have warmly
welcomed the very substantial progress made to date in legislating
for reform. We discussed this morning a number of outstanding issues
in the process and the crucial importance of moving ahead with the
practical implementation of reforms at all levels of administration
and throughout the country.
We had a good discussion on the Cyprus problem. We confirmed the
strong support of the EU for the efforts of the UN Secretary General.
It is our firm hope that the parties will redouble their efforts in
the negotiating process now under way in Cyprus, on the basis of a
commitment to reaching a settlement based on the Secretary General’s
proposals. The clear preference of the EU is for the accession of a
united Cyprus. The only way to achieve this is on the basis of the
Annan Plan. The objective remains the agreement on a settlement which
will enable the accession of a united Cyprus on 1 May. This is
clearly in the interests of all the people of Cyprus, of the European
Union and of Turkey. It is also in the interests of the development
of ever closer relations between the EU and Turkey.
I have assured Foreign Minister Gul that the EU remains ready to
accommodate the terms of a settlement in line with the principles on
which the Union is founded. We are also ready, in consultation with
Secretary General Kofi Annan, to assist in any way which he feels
could usefully encourage agreement. ”
The Troika delegation will meet with Prime Minister Erdogan later
this afternoon.

The Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS (FJC), Russia
March 8 2004
Purim Celebrated Across the Former Soviet Union
On March 7th and 8th, Jews from 420 communities throughout the Former
Soviet Union, members of the Federation of Jewish Communities,
celebrated Purim.
The FJC and its member communities distributed over 200,000
‘Mishloach Manot’ gift packages throughout the CIS and Baltic States.
In fulfillment of a Purim mitzvah of helping those in need, the FJC
provided food packages and other assistance to more than 100,000
needy people. Volunteers from many Jewish communities are also
tending to the needs of homebound and disabled Jews for the holiday.
Thanks to the Rohr Family Foundation and the Ohr Avner Foundation,
more than 150,000 Jews attended ‘Megilat Esther’ readings and Purim
celebrations, involving more than 13,000 children from the Ohr Avner
Chabad school network.
This year, many Jewish communities and individuals celebrated Purim
for the first time. Yet other elderly members of the Jewish
community, still able to recall such celebrations from their
childhood, witnessed the revival of the Purim holiday in their
communities.
Many communities that don’t have a permanent rabbi celebrated Purim
with guidance from visiting Yeshiva students from Russia, Ukraine and
the USA. Students of the Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva in Rostov-on-Don were
particularly active, visiting communities in both Ukraine and Russia.
The following is an overview of community events held for Purim-5764:
Jews in MOSCOW, Russia, enjoyed Purim at the Jewish Community Center
at Marina Roscha. After words from Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar,
participants were treated to a variety show, a youth party featuring
popular rock group, a fashion show and an art exhibition.
The Sunday School of VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia, held a joint event with one
of the state schools, where Jewish children told children of other
ethnic groups and religions about Purim and Jewish traditions and
then held a Purimspiel and concert for them.
Despite an avalanche, over 40 Jewish youth from IZHEVSK, Russia,
turned up for the Purim carnival and discoteque.
200 guests gathered in a local cafe for a kosher Purim feast in
RYAZAN, Russia. Over 20 women participated in the ‘Esther the
Beautiful” contest. Though only one girl won, all participants walked
away with a prize.
In BARNAUL, Russia, the Jewish community held a Purimspiel at the
puppet theater.
Over 200 people gathered in KEMEROVO, Russia, to hear
recently-arrived Rabbi Dovid de Bresser read from ‘Megilat Esther’.
Jews of KOSTROMA, Russia, enjoyed the Sholom Aleichem play “Bloody
Joke”, staged by the Kostroma Chamber Drama Theater. The performance
included traditional Jewish songs and original music, as well as
wonderful dances.
Purim events at Ohr Avner Chabad Elementary and High Schools in
NOVOSIBIRSK, Russia, culminated in a firework display.
In KHABAROVSK, Russia, the ‘Mizrach’ community celebrated a Youth
Purimspiel for the first time in Russia’s Far East region. Jewish
youth enjoyed music and dancing all evening, with an interweaving of
Jewish modern, classical, and Chassidic music. The Women’s Club also
celebrated, with a turnout of over 110 people. Participants enjoyed
Jewish melodies, sweets, and a fashion show.
A Purim celebration took place in brand new Jewish Community Center
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia.
About 4000 people in KHARKOV, Ukraine, turned out for Purimspiel
performances at the local circus. Due to extra demand, there were two
separate celebrations, involving two separate concerts and readings
from ‘Megilat Esther’.
In CHERNOVTSIY, Ukraine, over 200 people gathered for a Purimspiel. A
lottery was held and Jewish books were given as prizes.
Youth in MINSK, Belarus initiated this year’s Purim events by
bringing gifts and holiday greetings to the sick, elderly and
underprivileged children. On Sunday, over 500 people gathered at the
‘Profsoyuz’ Cultural Center to celebrate Purim.
The Purim concert in VILNIUS, Lithuania featured a concert by the
Jerusalem Boys’ Choir.
Over 100 people in YEREVAN, Armenia gathering in a restaurant for a
meal and performance – in Hebrew and Yiddish – by the children’s
vocal group ‘Keshet’ (Raduga). The Sunday School held a Purimspiel
with a concert, contests, lottery, high-profile guests and gifts.
More than 60 children from the Jewish Kindergarten of TBILISI,
Georgia celebrated Purim. The children impressed guests with songs in
Hebrew, Yiddish, Georgian, Russian and English. Israeli Ambassador to
Georgia Rivka Cohen presented the children ‘Mishloach Manot’.
Jews of TASHKENT, Uzbekistan celebrated Purim at the ‘Alladin’
Theater. Following words by Chief Rabbi of Uzbekistan David Gurevich,
children from the Jewish school put on a performance. The Women’s
Club celebrated Purim with a traditional tea ceremony.
The Jewish Community of BAKU, Azerbaijan held a ‘Megilat Esther’
reading with contests and candies, a dinner and a concert. The Jewish
community of Azerbaijan also received congratulations from both
Muslim and Russian Orthodox leaders.
The Jewish children in ALMATY, Kazakhstan performed a Purimspiel in
four different languages for members of the Jewish community.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
March 9 2004
ROLE OF RUSSIAN LANGUAGE IN LIFE OF CIS PEOPLES DISCUSSED
[March 09, 2004, 14:58:48]
An int’l conference on the topic `Role of the Russian language in
life of the CIS peoples’ rounded in Bishkek city, Kyrgyz Republic.
President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akayev, Prime Minister Nikolay Tanayev,
renowned writer Chingiz Aytmatov, as well as scholars and lawyers
from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Moldova,
Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Poland attended the Conference,
AzerTAj correspondent reported.
Opening was the conference Mr. Chingiz Aytmatov, who emphasized that
the role of the Russian language in the CIS area would gradually
rise.
In a 3-day Conference, the participants discussed the issues of
language policy, the role of the Russian language in the field of
education of Commonwealth, significance of the Russian language and
journalism in strengthening of the role of the Russian language in
CIS space, the role of the Russian-speaking population in the
historical-cultural life of the CIS states.

Chicago Tribune , IL
March 9 2004
`THE SHIELD’
Back to basics — not bodies
By Steve Johnson
Tribune television critic
When “The Shield” — which returns for a sharp-looking third season
Tuesday (9 p.m., FX) — came on the scene two years ago, it made an
impact way out of proportion to its venue.
Airing on the then-little-known cable channel FX, the gritty series
about a violently corrupt cop drew a big-for-cable audience and even
won star Michael Chiklis an upset Emmy for best dramatic series
actor. It was a scorcher of a show, too, giving viewers an angle on
TV police work they hadn’t seen before: more violent, more venal and,
making it all seem more real, with an arresting attention to little
details such as the way a bystander reacts to a violent bust.
Then, last season, it seemed to suffer sophomore slump in the early
going. Creator-executive producer Shawn Ryan (a Rockford native) was,
perhaps, a little drunk on his freedoms, a little too stuck on the
idea that violence was what sold the show.
There was an ill-conceived violent foray into Mexico by Chiklis’
Detective Vic Mackey and his renegade Strike Team, and Mackey felt
the urge to punish one drug dealer by searing his face on an electric
stove coil.
By the end of the year, though, it had settled back into a study,
primarily, of the characters in the show’s pressure-cooker,
illuminating not just the dirty work of keeping the peace but the
brutal office politics among police and the family pressures the job
brings.
This third season, in its first four incendiary episodes, seems to be
following suit, more like the beginning of the first year than the
beginning of the second.
Ryan isn’t just piling up bodies here, he’s putting the carnage in
service to taut storytelling that’s often leavened by humor and
always features crackling dialogue and one of TV drama’s best casts.
The animating story is a version of “I’ve Got a Secret.” Last year,
Mackey and crew pulled off a massive heist of Armenian gang money.
This year, they’re feeling the pressure, and temptations, of keeping
the money.
“Just gotta ride things out,” says Detective Shane Vendrell (Walton
Goggins), Mackey’s increasingly troubled and troublesome second.
The plan is for the Strike Team to do everything by the book, draw no
attention, until it becomes safe to spend.
Playing it cool proves to be not so easy, however. First, the bodies
of dead Armenians start showing up as the gang leaders try to figure
out where their cash went. In one of the charming gruesome touches
that have become a signature of the show, they’re footless.
Straight-arrow Detective Dutch Wagenbach (Jay Karnes) is
investigating the murders, and he’s the kind of guy who’s likely, one
way or another, to figure out the truth.
Capt. Aceveda (Benito Martinez), newly elected to City Council but
still on the force until his term begins, has his own suspicions
about the money, even as he plays hardball to keep one-time ally
Detective Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder) from taking over the
captaincy.
And there are pressures at home for cash.
David Mamet, apparently a big fan, will direct an episode later in
the season, but he’ll have a tough time matching the penetrating eye
of Clark Johnson (“Homicide: Life on the Street”), who helms the
first two episodes of what is, once again, a first-tier TV series.

Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
March 9 2004
South Caucasus: Region Growing As Hub For International Drug
Trafficking
By Jean-Christophe Peuch
Central Asia is known as the preferred route for Afghan-produced
narcotics destined for West European markets. But drug-enforcement
officials say the South Caucasus — strategically located between
Asia and Europe — is also a major transit point for narcotics.
Corruption, instability, and separatist conflicts are all cited as
being behind the region’s rise in smuggling.
Prague, 9 March 2004 (RFE/RL) — On 1 March, the U.S. State
Department’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs (INL) released its annual review of progress in the global
fight against drug trafficking.
The INL’s “International Narcotics Control Strategy Report” praises
recent efforts made by the three South Caucasus republics of Armenia,
Azerbaijan, and Georgia in curbing illicit drug trade. The three
nations are all signatories of the three existing United Nations
drug-control conventions. Since 2001 they have been engaged in the
UN-sponsored Southern Caucasus Anti-Drug program, also known as SCAD.
In addition, all three have taken steps to curb trafficking and
prevent domestic drug use.
Armenia last year implemented a law on narcotics and psychotropic
substances and is currently working on a draft bill to combat money
laundering. Also last year, then-Georgian President Eduard
Shevardnadze signed into law an anti-laundering bill that was
strengthened last month by the country’s new leadership. Azerbaijan
is currently working on a similar legal package that could be
approved by parliament by the end of this year.
“The money that is generated by drug smuggling is being used to
purchase weapons and ammunition. It also serves to finance these
separatist regimes.”Yet, the INL believes a lot more remains for
these countries to do in the fight against drug trafficking,
especially since they are located in an area that is an important
transit route for illicit trade to Western Europe. The U.S. agency
expresses particular concern regarding Azerbaijan, which it says has
emerged as a drug-trafficking hub after armed conflicts in former
Yugoslavia disrupted traditional routes linking Iran to Western
Europe via Turkey and the Balkans.
International experts believe heroin represents up to 80 percent of
the illicit drugs transited through the region. Opium and marijuana
are also smuggled.
Mezahir Efendiyev is Azerbaijan’s national coordinator for the SCAD
program. He told RFE/RL a number of factors are contributing to the
region’s emergence as a major drug-trafficking route. “If one takes
into account, on the one hand, the fact that the three South Caucasus
countries are geographically located between Asia and Europe and, on
the other hand, the fact that the CIS states represent a major market
for heroin, it is natural that this route should suit the drug
mafias,” he said. “This route, which originates in Afghanistan and
goes to Europe through the South Caucasus and the rest of the CIS, is
a very easy one. In addition, these countries acceded to independence
roughly 10 years ago and they lack the modern technology that would
enable them to prevent drug transit through the South Caucasus area.”
Pavel Pachta works with the International Narcotics Control Board
(INCB), a Vienna-based body that monitors implementation of UN drug
conventions worldwide. He says the industrial South Caucasus area —
which lies at the crossroads of the so-called Balkan Route and its
sister “Silk Road Route” linking Afghanistan to Europe through
Central Asia — is important not only as a transit point for drugs,
but also as a potential provider of chemicals for Afghan-based heroin
producers.
“The countries of the Caucasus are very close to these routes and,
undoubtedly, there have been and there are attempts to use [them] for
smuggling. On the one hand, drugs are coming from Afghanistan to the
markets where there is a demand for them. On the other hand,
chemicals are going in the [opposite] direction, because to
manufacture heroin you need chemicals — for example, acetic
anhydride — and these chemicals are smuggled into Afghanistan,”
Pachta said.
The INCB, which released its own annual report on 3 March, notes
Afghanistan’s production of opiates increased by 8 percent last year.
The report blames authorities in neighboring Turkmenistan — a major
transit point for Afghan-made narcotics — for failing to cooperate
with the international community in the fight against drug
trafficking.
International experts say Afghan-produced drugs reach Azerbaijan, the
easternmost of the Caucasus republics, through two main routes. One
goes directly through Turkmenistan and the Caspian Sea. Another
crosses the 611-kilometer-long land border between Azerbaijan and
Iran. A third suspected route is the flight path recently opened
between Kabul and Baku, although the INL says there is so far no
evidence to support that theory.
Widespread corruption and the various armed conflicts that have
plagued the South Caucasus since the late 1980s both contribute to
making the region a haven for illicit trafficking. Georgia and
Azerbaijan have each lost at least a quarter of their territory to
separatist conflicts. Drug-enforcement officials say the
self-proclaimed governments now leading these breakaway regions are
suspected of profiteering from illegal trade, including drug
trafficking. Authorities in Azerbaijan claim the breakaway enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh has become not only a favored transit route for
drugs smuggled from Iran, but also a major heroin production center.
Mezahir Efendiyev of the UN-sponsored SCAD program says international
drug experts have been barred from Karabakh by local rulers, and are
thus unable to verify these claims. He also says a significant
section of Azerbaijan’s southern border has been under the control of
ethnic Armenian troops for the past decade, making it even more
difficult for the Azerbaijani government to fight drug trafficking
from Iran.
Paata Nozadze is SCAD’s national coordinator for Georgia. He says
separatist conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia have created
similar problems for the central government in Tbilisi. “These
so-called hot spots, or uncontrolled areas, perfectly suit drug
traffickers,” he said. “The money that is generated by drug smuggling
is being used to purchase weapons and ammunition. It also serves to
finance these separatist regimes. This situation perfectly suits drug
traffickers because all they have to do is strike a deal with local
governments. Elsewhere they would have to make separate arrangements
with border guards, customs officers, policemen, or state security
officials. For them these conflict zones are much more advantageous.”
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on 11 February described
Abkhazia as a drug-trafficking corridor, prompting a swift protest
from the separatist leadership in Sukhum.
Also last month, the recently elected South Caucasus leader — who
based his campaign on pledges to fight crime and corruption —
launched a security sweep to disarm Georgian guerrillas based in the
western Samegrelo (Mingrelia) region, an area that borders Abkhazia.
The so-called Forest Brothers group is suspected of controlling
smuggling activities in the area in conjunction with Abkhaz groups
and Russian peacekeepers posted on the other side of the demarcation
line that separates the province from the rest of Georgia.
Narcotics reach Georgia from Azerbaijan, South Ossetia, Turkey, and,
to a lesser extent, from Armenia. A report prepared in 2002 for the
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency says illicit
drugs are then transited either through Abkhazia, the Black Sea port
of Poti, or Batumi, the capital of the autonomous region of Adjaria.
>From there, they travel on to Ukraine and Romania.
Only a small percentage of illegal drugs transiting through the South
Caucasus region are seized by law enforcement agencies.
In Azerbaijan, which for two years has been receiving U.S.
counternarcotics assistance through the Freedom Support Act, the
Interior Ministry last year conducted a nationwide operation against
drug traffickers and local producers of poppy and cannabis plants.
SCAD program coordinator Efendiyev says that although Azerbaijan has
shown some progress in combating drug trafficking, it still has a
long way to go. “Only 10 to 15 percent of drugs that go through
Azerbaijan are seized by our law enforcement agencies,” he said. “In
2003, they seized over 211 kilograms of narcotic substances and
destroyed more than 290 [tons] of narcotic plants. By comparison, no
plantations were destroyed in Armenia and, in Georgia, only 34 tons
were destroyed.”
This month’s report by the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Affairs notes that although corruption permeates
Azerbaijan’s law enforcement sector, there is no evidence that local
police officers are participating in the illicit production or
distribution of narcotics. By contrast, in neighboring Georgia, a
number of police officers were recently arrested and charged with
involvement in the narcotics trade.
The amount of drugs seized in that country remains particularly low.
Georgia’s SCAD coordinator Paata Nozadze told RFE/RL: “The figures
for 2003 are very small. They include only 3 kilograms of heroin, 8.3
kilograms of opium, and 42.4 kilograms of marijuana. This is all that
has officially been seized. This is very little.” The Georgian expert
believes a lack of coordination among the agencies involved in the
antinarcotics fight could explain why the amount of illegal drugs
seized in the country is so small.
But there could be other reasons. A number of counternarcotics
officials and policemen suspected of involvement in illicit trade
activities were recently arrested in Georgia. This suggests that
large volumes of contraband drugs are being unofficially seized,
diverted and resold on the fast-expanding local black market.
Official statistics say there are just 18,000 drug users in Georgia,
a country of roughly 4 million. But independent experts believe the
actual number of drug consumers in that country is somewhere between
100,000 and 300,000.

ArmenPress
March 9 2004
GEORGIA’S PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN ARMENIA MARCH 12
YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS: The president of Georgia, Mikhail
Saakashvili, will pay an official two-day visit to Armenia on March
12 at the invitation of his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian.
Kocharian’s press office said the Georgian delegation is composed of
foreign, energy, infrastructures and development ministers, members
of the parliament, representatives of the Armenian-populated region
of Javakheti and journalists.
On March 13 the two presidents will have a private conversation
after the official ceremony of welcoming, to be followed by
Georgian-Armenian negotiations. The two presidents will also brief
the journalists on the results of their talks.
During the official visit Saakashvili will meet with Armenian
parliament chairman, prime minister and representatives of the
Georgian community in Armenia. He will be received by the head of the
Armenian Church Catholicos Karekin II. The itinerary of the Georgian
delegation includes also a visit to Genocide Memorial where he will
lay a wreath in commemoration of the victims of the 1915 massacre of
Armenians by Turkish authorities. He will then visit the nearby
Genocide Museum and Institute, then the Matenadaran Institute of Old
Manuscripts. Saakashvili will fly back the same day.

The Arizona Republic
March 9 2004
Caucasian label linked to highlands

Dan Kincaid
QUESTION: What is the origin of the term “Caucasian” for White
people?
ANSWER: Words sometimes hold a secret history within themselves.
Think of influenza, which originally referred to the supposed
influence of the stars on our health, an idea that predated the
modern germ explanation of diseases.
“Caucasian” is a word heard often. Police dispatchers, for instance,
frequently describe crime suspects as Caucasian rather than White.
Caucasian comes from the Caucasus, the region between the Black and
Caspian seas that includes the nations of Georgia, Azerbaijan,
Armenia and part of southern Russia. The towering ranges of the
Caucasus Mountains traverse it.
Why should the Caucasus provide a name for the lighter-skinned
peoples of western Asia, North Africa and Europe as well as for their
descendants around the world?
The late naturalist Stephen Jay Gould tells how the term arose as a
racial label in his 2002 book I Have Landed: The End of a Beginning
in Natural History.
In 1795, Gould says, the prominent German scholar and scientist
Johann Friedrich Blumenbach published a major work in which he
reclassified humanity into five races: American (Native Americans),
Mongolian, African, Malay and Caucasian.
Caucasian?
Blumenbach selected this term for lighter-skinned peoples Gould says,
because he felt that the skulls of people from the Caucasus region,
especially Georgians, were the most beautiful of all White peoples.
European that he was, Blumenbach thought Whites were generally the
most aesthetically pleasing of races in the first place. So great was
his influence that Caucasian caught on and remains a synonym for
White.

ArmenPress
March 9 2004
REPLACING BANKNOTES WITH COINS NOT TO DEPRECIATE THEIR VALUE
YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS: Armenian banknotes with a face value
of 50 and 100 drams, issued in 1993, were withdrawn from circulation
from December 31 2003, while banknotes with 1000 drams face value
ceased to be legal tender from 2004 March 1. Other banknotes with
face value of 10,25, 200 drams, as well as 50 and 100 dram banknotes,
issued in 1998 will be circulated until April 1.
An official of the Armenian central bank said today that all
listed banknotes have not lost their value and can be exchanged at
the central or commercial banks free of charge. He said there is no
deadline for their exchange.
He also said these banknotes are to be accepted by all trading
outlets before the deadline, adding that introduction of coins will
not lead to dram’s depreciation. The 5,000 dram banknotes, issued in
1995 will be withdrawn from circulation in 2004 July 1.
The official, Gevork Tumanian, the head of central bank’s emission
department, said the overall number of faked banknotes, if compared
with other CIS countries, is small in Armenia and their volume does
not pose any danger to the economy. He said the national currency is
faked either by professionals or amateurs, the first using advanced
technologies while the second print them by computers. More than
others is faked a 500 dram banknote. He said no instances of faked
coins were revealed, which he said requires special devices and is
more costly.

ArmenPress
March 9 2004
IRANIAN DELEGATION EXPLORES WAYS FOR COOPERATION
YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS: Members of an Iranian delegation,
led by the deputy governor of Ardabil province, Najafi Azeri, that
arrived in Armenia on March 8 for a three-day visit, were received
today by o Armenian agriculture minister David Lokian to explore
possibilities for establishing cooperation.
Minister David Lokian emphasized that Ardabil is known for its
highly effective agricultural sector, which he said is a good
precondition for establishing a bilateral collaboration in this
sphere. First contacts between the agricultural ministry of Armenia
and the province were established last year during a visit by the
governor of the Iranian province to Armenia. The main issue that was
discussed today was establishment of a potato processing factory. The
Iranian sides looks towards hiring some space in one of Armenian
regions to install its technologies.
Iranian officials are scheduled also to have meetings with
officials of Armenian trade and economic development ministry, they
will visit Armenian commerce and industry chamber and the Armenian
Development Agency. They will also be received by territorial
minister Hovik Abrahamian and the chief of presidential staff
Artashes Tumanian. They then will visit a range of enterprises in
Armenia.