Category: News

One-Minute Interview: Kurds know how they view the world but how does the world view them?
By Bashdar Ismaeel
London (KurdishMedia.com)
5nd June 2004:
Interview with Margot R. Main.
Margot R. Main is an American lady currently residing in New York City.
Margot comes from a legal background and is a great supporter of the
Kurds and Kurdish issue and is active in KurdishMedia.com.
When did you first hear about the Kurds and how?
In 1991 when American news reported on the uprising in Northern Iraq by
Iraqi Kurds and the subsequent “no fly zone” that was enforced by NATO.
Where is Kurdistan?
Smack dab in the middle of a rock and a hard place; S. Turkey, N. Iraq,
Syria and Iran, up to the tip of Armenia.
Briefly, what do you know about Kurdistan, its history and itâ^À^Ùs
people?
Briefly? Well, I am a writer!
To hide and protect the most beautiful women in the world from
vengeful deities; in the beginning, angles gathered the most beautiful
women from all over the planet and hid them in the mountains of
Kurdistan. The angels blessed the land and chose the original Kurdish
tribe (Yezidis) to protect these beautiful women. Itâ^À^Ùs from
these beautiful women Kurds were born. This is why all Kurdish women
are beautiful and why Kurdish men respect and adore beautiful women
today.
However, this theory of origination may also help to explain why Kurds
have been continually persecuted for over 7,000 years. Originally,
the fighting began when Arabs and Turks tried to steal the beautiful
women away from the Kurds. The Kurds fought them off and forever
sealed the trust of the beautiful women. However, over time Arabs
and Turks became increasingly jealous that all the beautiful women
in the entire world chose to remain with their “guardian angels” –
the Kurds. This jealousy eventually turned to racism then later to
full-on rage and hate.
As the years wore on the fighting continued. Kurds began to use
ever more of their blessed resources to effectively do their duty to
protect their beautiful women. Unfortunately, the resources started
to become scarce and the Kurdish men become vulnerable to the plague
of “inferiority complex”. The beautiful women, having sealed their
trust to Kurds, committed themselves to fighting this plague that
was eating their Kurdish protectors alive.
They began to take up arms and weapons and help protect the land
that housed their guardians who had protected them from vengeful
deities thousands of years earlier. The Kurds (who now included all
the Kurdish descendants of the world â^À^Ùs most beautiful women)
became forever bound to themselves and their land. They took a vow
to protect each other and the land the angels had blessed for them
thousands of years earlier. This vow was heard by the angels and
demonstrated the depth of commitment by the Kurds. However, even
though the angels approved, they knew to bless the Kurds with even
more physical beauty and strength would be to increase the hate and
jealousy of Turks and Arabs. Thus, the angels blessed the Kurds hearts
with an abundance of compassion, empathy and love.
And that is why the Kurds are the most beautiful souls on the planet
today.
Today, Kurds stand strong in the face of opposition; but, also,
know when to yield to not completely destroy the land.
What is you opinion about the Kurdish issue and how to you propose
it to be resolved? In a series of steps. The first step will be the
inclusion of Kurd Federalism in the New Iraq Constitution/Transitional
Law. The second step will be the establishment of Kurdistan as a
protectorate of either the US, NATO or a shared protectorate US/EU. The
third and final step will be the final establishment of a Kurdistan
and an independent nation.
Where you for or against the war in Iraq?
Way FOR!
Do you blame U.S foreign policy for the problems in Iraq and the
Middle East?
No. U.S. foreign policy is developed and encouraged by and with the
consent of Middle East “leaders” and Europe.
Whatâ^À^Ùs your view on the current situation in Iraq e.g. violence
and killings in Falluja?
Iraq has a lot of problems that Iraq has to work out. Itâ^À^Ùs
easier to hate a faceless America than it is to try to get along with
your neighbours.

School to welcome new principal
Metz to take reins at SoPas Middle
By Mary Bender , Staff Writer
Friday, June 04, 2004
Pasadena Star News
SOUTH PASADENA — A school that has become the district’s focal
point will get a new principal this summer, as the board of
education Thursday night unanimously hired a Glendale assistant
principal. Mercedes Metz, who works at Woodrow Wilson Middle School in
Glendale, will take the reins of South Pasadena Middle School, perhaps
as early as July 1. Her salary will range from $85,344 to $92,379.
“Her students describe her as ‘cool,’ ‘ Superintendent Mike Hendricks
said, introducing Metz to the five-member board, also noting that
she is “highly organized.’ Metz was one of 25 candidates.
“Thank you for this vote of confidence. I’m thrilled to be here,’
Metz told the board.
“The future is going to be bright,’ she said, pledging to uphold
“rigorous standards’ at the middle school, “in an environment that’s
going to be truly nurturing.’
About 1,000 sixth- , seventh- and eighth-graders are enrolled at South
Pasadena Middle School. The campus will undergo a major expansion
and renovation in the coming years, a project to be paid for with a
$29 million bond approved by voters in 2002.
The school board and district staff are in the thick of planning and
environmental review for the project.
Metz is a 10-year veteran of Glendale Unified, where she began her
career as a substitute teacher. She then won a permanent teaching
post at John Muir Elementary School in 1995.
She began transitioning into administrative work in 1999, with posts at
Eleanor Toll Middle School, before moving to the assistant principal’s
office at Wilson in 2001.
“She’s a very hard worker (and) she’s very bright. I’m losing a very
good person. She’ll certainly be missed here,’ said Richard Lucas,
principal at Wilson.
“I’ve seen her grow in three years quite a bit, and I think she’ll
be a wonderful principal there.’
Wilson has 1,286 students, mostly seventh- and eighth-graders, with
just a smattering of sixth- graders who win the right to enroll under
a district lottery, Lucas said.
The Glendale campus is racially diverse, with Armenian students
accounting for 34 percent of the enrollment, Latinos 24 percent, Asians
predominantly Korean 12 percent, and Filipinos 7 percent, Lucas said.
It’s not clear when Metz’s duties will be complete at Wilson, because
she had been named principal of the summer school, which runs June
30 to Aug. 6.
The principal’s post at South Pasadena Middle School had been
the center of controversy as the April 28 application deadline
approached. Parents and a open-meeting watchdog criticized the work
of an eight- member committee, appointed by school board President
Tammy Godley to help encourage qualified candidates to apply.
In recent years, there has been considerable turnover among the
middle school’s principals: Rich Boccia served one year before
returning to the Pasadena Unified School District, and Katy Schneider,
his successor, won the job two years ago. Schneider submitted her
resignation in March.
Meanwhile, 28 people applied to become South Pasadena Unified School
District’s next superintendent. The application deadline was May 27.
Hendricks’ last day is June 30; in a closed-door meeting in February,
the school board decided not to renew his contract. Godley said
Thursday night that the field will be whittled to 10 superintendent
candidates, who will be interviewed next week.
— Mary Bender can be reached at (626) 578-6300, Ext. 4456 or by
e-mail at [email protected] .

Missionaries retire in peace
RICHARD DYMOND
Herald Staff Writer
Posted on Sat, Jun. 05, 2004
EAST MANATEE – In a village of salmon and pale green duplexes just
off State Road 64, roughly 100 retired missionaries and their spouses
live quiet lives surrounded by swaying palms and four man-made lakes
stocked with fish.
But the stillness of Bradenton Missionary Village doesn’t silence
the strong emotions these retirees feel for their brethren serving
in missionary fields around the world.
“On Thursday, missionary doctors were killed in north Afghanistan,”
said Berge Najarian, 79, who had a 25-year missionary career in the
Middle East, Caribbean and Africa. “But this is a calling. Even though
we are always in danger, we feel safe in the center of God’s will.”
Established in 1980 by Anthony T. Rossi, the founder of Tropicana
Products Inc., Bradenton Missionary Village allows needy retired
missionaries to live rent-free for as long as they can live
independently. Many of these residents worked 20 to 40 years as
Christian missionaries and came away with no money for rent or to
buy a home.
Najarian, whose parents escaped the Armenian massacres in Turkey,
estimates he earned only $3,000 or $4,000 yearly in his missionary
life. When he began in the 1960s, he and his family received only
$100 a month plus free rent.
“I thank God for this place every day,” said Najarian, who has a
duplex on the 300-acre tract, about 200 acres of which are scheduled
to be sold to developers.
Rossi was a born-again Christian whose second wife, Sanna, was a
missionary, said Ken Solomon, 77, a Pennsylvania-born resident who
spent 14 years in Argentina and 11 years in Colombia.
“Before Mr. Rossi passed away, he sold Tropicana and a large part
of that money went to create the Aurora Foundation that supports
Missionary Village,” Solomon said.
Rossi, who was 92 when he died in 1993, left the president’s chair at
Tropicana a year after the company’s stock was purchased by Beatrice
Food Co. in 1978 for $490 million.
There is a handsome picture of him in the Rossi Activities Center,
which includes a large cafeteria, a well-stocked library and offices.
The cafeteria serves a sumptuous lunch meal for residents and their
guests every day for $3.
“We are all a lot more plump than we were in the field,” Solomon
kids. “The food is great here.”
Every Friday morning, many retirees attend a worship service and
prayer requests. Most residents spend their days volunteering at
area hospitals, churches and nursing homes. On Sundays, there are
no services in the Village, allowing the retirees to attend their
own churches.
There are also two swimming pools, shuffleboard courts and a Jacuzzi.
But the pleasant surroundings and the sound of birds in the trees
that rim the Village don’t keep out the outside world and all its news.
“Recently I read about the killing of one of our pastors in Colombia,”
Solomon said. “It was discovered that he was slain by Satan worshippers
who were opposing the spread of the gospel.”
Solomon dodged bullets himself during 11 years in Medellin, Colombia,
from 1973 to 1984. Fights between guerrillas and government troops
would lead to scattered gunfire.
“Once we had to duck in the doorway of a shop while bullets were
flying,” Solomon said. “Sometimes I would have to keep parishioners
at our church inside until the shooting was over.
“But you know, I never experienced any great fear,” Solomon added. “I’m
not especially brave. But we knew our lives were in his hands.”
Fred Kowalchuk, 79, served 30 years in Peru and 12 in Spain. One year
a rumor spread through the jungles of Peru that the U.S. government
was rendering people into grease for atomic weapons, Kowalchuk said.
“We were told that people would greet us with shotguns when we came,”
Kowalchuk said. “We never had trouble. But I was at peace. When you
place yourself in God’s hands, if he wants to take you, he takes you.”
Richard Dymond, East Manatee reporter, can be reached at
[email protected] and 782-5517.

AZERI TV ACCUSES US ENVOY OF MAKING IRRESPONSIBLE STATEMENTS ON KARABAKH
Lider TV, Baku
30 May 04
A commercial Azerbaijani TV channel has accused the US ambassador of
making inconsistent statements on the unrecognized Nagornyy Karabakh
Republic and on the role of US companies in Karabakh’s economy. As
part of its weekly analytical programme “167th hour”, broadcast on
30 May, Lider TV looked at some of the ambassador’s remarks and named
US companies which it said were active in Karabakh.
Introducing the topic, the presenter said, “And now we would like to
show you an analysis of how and why the US ambassador to Azerbaijan,
Reno Harnish, is making contradictory statements.”
A correspondent’s report followed over video of the US embassy
compound. “The US ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to
Azerbaijan, Reno Harnish, has been creating truly extraordinary
situations recently,” the correspondent said. “Diplomats are usually
noted for not saying what they actually think, but this is true of
situations when at issue are the national interests of the state they
represent. In the case of Reno Harnish it is the other way round,
as the scandalous and inconsistent statements he has recently made
have discredited not only him, but also his country. A professional
diplomat should at least be able not to create such tension and
misunderstandings. For instance, let’s recall his answer to the
question about the work of US companies in Nagornyy Karabakh.”
A clip was then shown of Reno Harnish speaking to microphone in
English, with an Azeri voice-over. “The United States government
believes in free trade,” the ambassador said. “We do not believe in
applying trade restrictions on any country.”
The correspondent continued: “Not only does Harnish support economic
relations with Karabakh, it even appears from his words that he
considers the self-styled entity to be an independent state. He goes
on to say that no sanctions will be applied against the companies
cooperating with Karabakh. According to the ambassador, the sanctions
should have been applied against Azerbaijan. In other words, Harnish
considers that a country which is recognized all over the world and is
a member of most of the international organizations, including the UN,
is equal in status to a separatist entity which is not recognized by
anyone in the world. No other US ambassadors have made such illogical
statements since the establishment of the US embassy in Azerbaijan.
“But the lack of logic does not end here. When the ambassador was
asked immediately after all these statements whether he recognized
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity after all, he said there was no
point in discussing politics. It seems, doesn’t it, that the support
for Nagornyy Karabakh on the part of American companies is more of an
economic issue, while the expression of an attitude to Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity is a political matter.
“Quite naturally, this position of the head of the US diplomatic
mission in Azerbaijan has caused profound public outrage in
the country. The issue was even brought up in the Milli Maclis
(parliament). And after all this, Reno Harnish denied having said
anything to this effect at a meeting with students of Baku State
University.”
Another clip shows Harnish, speaking to camera, again with an Azeri
voice-over: “The United States does not support or encourage investment
or trade in Nagornyy Karabakh. I would like to emphasize again that
whether the issue is raised by Parliament Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov
or by others, the gist of the issue is that the USA does not have or
support any investment in Nagornyy Karabakh.”
“Apparently, the statements made by Harnish were either nothing but
a collective hallucination of journalists, or the ambassador has a
short memory,” the correspondent said. “A normal diplomat representing
a superstate such as the United States of America cannot and must
not make such irresponsible and contradictory statements, not least
because any careless statement by a representative of a superpower
is capable of undermining all the ongoing processes. It is highly
unlikely that Harnish is unaware of that. If so, then how can his
actions be explained? Maybe the fact that he used to lead the State
Department’s political and economic programmes in Central Asia and
then worked as environment, science and technology counsellor in Rome
has overshadowed his diplomatic skills. Or maybe the ambassador, who
came to Baku directly from Kosovo, got so carried away by his previous
mission that he cannot distinguish between Karabakh and Kosovo.”
Another correspondent’s report then looked into companies cooperating
with the separatist Karabakh regime. These include the Karabakh Telecom
mobile communication operator, which maintains roaming cooperation
with 65 companies in 43 countries worldwide.
The presenter than interviewed the director of the international
strategic research centre in Azerbaijan, Rovsan Novruzoglu. Novruzoglu
said that US companies had invested in gold mining, the timber industry
and carpet-weaving in Karabakh.

WORKING GROUP SET UP TO DRAW UP KARABAKH CONSTITUTION
Mediamax news agency
3 Jun 04
Yerevan, 3 June: The first sitting of the new composition of the
constitutional commission of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic (NKR)
was held in Stepanakert (Xankandi) today.
According to a Mediamax correspondent in Stepanakert, NKR President
Arkadiy Gukasyan told the sitting that “life dictates the urgent need
to adopt the NKR constitution”. According to Gukasyan, the adoption
of the constitution will become another important step in establishing
the NKR’s statehood.
Gukasyan said that the delay in the elaboration of the NKR constitution
could be explained by a number of objective domestic and foreign
policy reasons, including with regard to the settlement of the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict.
“We cannot wait forever until Azerbaijan deigns to start a direct
dialogue with Nagornyy Karabakh for a political settlement to the
problem. The NKR should develop in line with the norms of a modern
democratic society where the supremacy of the law is a must,”
Gukasyan said.
He said that there were all opportunities in the republic today to
prepare and adopt the NKR constitution.
At Gukasyan’s proposal, the sitting made a decision to establish
a working group to elaborate a draft NKR constitution. The NKR
presidential adviser for state and legal issues, Armen Zalinyan,
was appointed head of the group. He was instructed to submit a list
of the working group members to the constitutional commission for
consideration.

US MEDIATOR, ARMENIAN PRESIDENT DISCUSS KARABAKH SETTLEMENT
Mediamax news agency
3 Jun 04
Yerevan, 3 June: The US co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Steven
Mann, and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan discussed the settlement
of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict in Yerevan today.
Mediamax learnt from the Armenian presidential press service today
that Mann had arrived in Yerevan from Baku where he attended the
Caspian Oil & Gas 2004 International Exhibition and Conference. He
informed Kocharyan about his meetings with the Azerbaijani leaders.
(In a separate report on the same day, Mediamax said that Mann and
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan had also discussed the
forthcoming meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign
ministers in Prague on 21 June)

ARMENIAN TV CHANNELS REFRAIN FROM COVERING PROTEST ACTION
A1 Plus | 13:53:23 | 04-06-2004 | Politics |
Every-day protest action outside the Prosecutor General Office in
Yerevan continued Friday. Protesters keep on demanding a number of
political prisoners to be released from jail.
Only Aravot TV Company is highlighting the event.
Armenia’s other TV channels prefer to keep silence about that,
despite the organisations that staged the picket have repeatedly
invited crews from all TVs.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The PM: After the first six months
Windsor Star (Ontario)
June 2, 2004 Wednesday Final Edition
Prime Minister Paul Martin, like all politicians mired in an election
campaign, is running on a slew of promises. In his first week on the
hustings, Martin promised to hand cities at least $2 billion annually
from the federal gasoline tax and dump nine billion new dollars into
health care without raising taxes or introducing premiums to pay
for either.
But promises come cheap. Ontarians learned that the hard way when
Premier Dalton McGuinty whacked them with the biggest tax hike in a
decade just months after vowing on the stump to not raise taxes and
to balance the books.
With that in mind, prudent voters have no choice but to assess
politicians — particularly those who’ve governed and had the chance
to make changes — on past performances just as much as future pledges.
So how does Martin’s performance stack up? What did he accomplish in
his 163 days as prime minister before dropping the writ that might
convince Canadians to vote for him?
Sadly, very little. First, Parliament under Martin was a legislative
wasteland. His government passed only one major new bill — a piece
of legislation handing municipalities a 100-per-cent rebate on
the GST. Most of the other bills it passed, like one to establish
independent ethics officers for the House and Senate and another to
change the Patent Act so generic companies could sell cheap AIDS drugs
to Africa, were recycled offerings introduced in Jean Chretien’s final
term. The few major bills Martin’s government actually introduced
died on the order paper when the election was called.
Second, Martin failed to slay what he termed the “democratic
deficit.” He consulted with more people, more often, to be sure; but
his efforts at democratic reform were half-baked. After promising more
free votes in the House, he cracked the whip on a vote to continue
funding the rifle and shotgun registry and forbade his cabinet
ministers from voting in favour of a motion condemning Turkey for
the 1915 Armenian genocide. On the Supreme Court front, Martin hasn’t
given any clear indication how he’ll pick judges, despite the fact two
vacancies are pending. Martin gave no indication he’s about to engage
in meaningful Senate reform that would take the appointment process out
of the PMO. And Martin’s plans to expand the powers of parliamentary
committees produced only the farce that was the sponsorship hearings.
That brings us to another of Martin’s failures. He bungled the
investigation into the advertising money scandal. After he pledged
to get to the bottom of the mess, the Liberal majority on the public
accounts committee cut short its inquiry into the alleged scam 12
days before the election call.
All this ignores a host of other positive changes Martin might have
made as prime minister. He could have scrapped the gun registry, began
work on Senate reform and started the ball rolling on a much-needed
retooling of the High Court. But he didn’t. Overall, he has little
to show for nearly six months at the country’s helm.
A Martin performance review would be unfair and incomplete if it
ignored his nearly nine years as finance minister. As a fiscal manager
he did trim spending and cut taxes to revitalize Canada’s economy
and balance the country’s books for five straight years. But his
record was hardly blemish free. His balanced budgets were largely the
result of slashed transfer payments to the provinces. The sponsorship,
HRDC and gun registry fiascos occurred on his watch.
Since winning the top job, Martin has proved relatively inept; he
talks a good game but takes no action.
For that reason Canadians are right to question if Martin might not
be better suited to playing second fiddle than leading the band. At
the very least they have to question the veracity of his election
promises. He hasn’t delivered as prime minister. Canadians have a
right to wonder if Martin would morph into the mailman if re-elected.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY GETS ARMENIAN INTERNS
Baltic News Service
June 1, 2004
VILNIUS, Jun 01 — Armenian diplomats are attending an internship
at the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry to learn more about European
integration.
During the internship on May 31 through June 11, the Armenian diplomats
will study the Lithuanian experience of preparations for European Union
membership, various aspects of coordination of EU-related activities
and formation of the public opinion on Euro-integration.
The diplomats will attend a series of meetings at the President’s
Office, the parliament and the government and visit the Vilnius
University’s International Relations and Political Science Institute,
the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry’s press service said.
A similar internship was held for Ukrainian officials in January.
In the framework of the program to transfer the Lithuanian
Euro-integration experience to the countries of South Caucasus,
representatives of these countries will attend various training on
public administration in Lithuania in 2004-2005 The training will
be held in cooperation with the Lithuanian Institute of Public
Administration.

Armenia advocates cooperation in CIS
RosBusinessConsulting Database
June 2, 2004 Wednesday
The Armenian government is interested in close cooperation between
the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the CIS in the sphere of
small and medium-sized businesses. Armenian Prime Minister Andranik
Markarian made a corresponding statement at the 2nd meeting of the
Council of Chairmen of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the
CIS. According to him, the role of Commerce and Industry Chambers
is obviously very high in reforming economies of the CIS members,
their integration and creating the Common Economic Area.