Category: News

Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia
to the United Nations
119E 36th street, New York, NY 10016
Tel.: 1-212-686-9079
Fax: 1-212-686-3934
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
April 26, 2004
PRESS RELEASE
Ambassador Martirosyan speaks at the Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide
in the City Hall, New York
On April 23, 2004, Amb. Armen Martirosyan, Permanent Representative of
Armenia to the UN, made a speech at the New York City Hall gathering
commemorating the Armenian Genocide. In his speech he reflected on various
aspects of genocide as a crime against humanity, and touched upon questions
of the responsibility of the international community to protect people
threatened by genocide and ways to avert the repetition of this crime.
Please find below the text of the speech in full.
Speech of H.E. Ambassador Armen Martirosyan, Permanent Representative of
Armenia to the United Nations at the Armenian Genocide Commemoration in the
City Hall
April, 23, 2004, New York
Your Eminence, Reverend Clergy
Distinguished members of United States Congress,
Your Excellency Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus, representative of a
country that officially recognized the Armenian Genocide,
I thank all of you for being today among us and with us.
Professor Balakian, Professor Melson,
Dear compatriots,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to thank the organizers for making this important forum and for
granting me the opportunity to address the participants. I am indeed
privileged to speak in this historical hall, which has hosted many
remarkable events of this great city.
We have gathered again, as we do every year, to pay our respect to the
memory of the 1.5 million innocent Armenians that fell victim to the first
genocide of the 20th century. We are looking for the ways to future, but our
thoughts go back again and again to the nearly century-old events of 1915
and we keep asking: “WHY?” Why did it happen to us? Why did the world keep
silent when all the signs of the looming tragedy were there? Why did the
great powers of the time turn a blind eye when the ethnic cleansing was
being carried out in broad daylight? Why did not they bring the perpetrators
to justice? Why are attempts made to try to push the memories of the
Armenian genocide into oblivion, which allows for rejectionist policies not
only to be contemplated but also implemented? Did we, Armenians, learn our
lesson from the tragedy of our grandparents? Did the world learn from the
tragedy of Armenians?
Presumably, one may say that the world has changed today. The international
community adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the
Crime of Genocide in 1948 out of necessity “to prevent from happening again
that what had happened to Armenians during World War I and to Jews during WW
II”, as Rafael Lemkin, who coined the term “genocide” and co-authored the
Convention put it. “Never again”, was the basic message of the authors of
the Genocide Convention. Yet, about 2 weeks ago the world community was
commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide.
It is ironic that the same questions were being asked by the international
community on the reach of the international justice, the roots of violence,
responsibility of the international community to protect people threatened
by genocide and ways to avert the repetition of this crime against humanity.
“If the international community had acted promptly and with determination,
it could have stopped most of the killing. But the political will was not
there,” stated UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in his message to the Rwandan
Forum organized in March. When I read these words, they seemed to echo the
outcry of Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, the then US Ambassador to Turkey: “My
failure to stop the destruction of the Armenians made Turkey for me a place
of horror, and I found intolerable my further daily association with men
who, …were still reeking with the blood of nearly a million human beings.”
During the Armenian genocide the military and political establishment of the
world main actors allowed murder to take place without facing any
consequences. Thus cleansing became part of the political culture, an
“acceptable” way for solving problems.
The Armenian Genocide showed that it could be done: the policy of genocide
by the Ottoman Turkish Government went unchecked by other powers and in time
the possibility of such policy built up new brutalities. The vicious
developments did not stop at Auschwitz. The Holocaust and the tragic events
of WW II did not conclude the “age of genocide.” We, Armenians witnessed
another attempt in Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku at the end of the 20th
century…
There was one lesson the international community did not learn from the
Armenian Genocide: impunity, indifference and inaction pave the way for
repetition of the most horrible crime against humanity. The world has
witnessed Rwanda, Cambodia, Balkans.
“The silence that had greeted genocides in the past must be replaced by a
global clamor and a willingness to call what has happened by its true name,”
I would gladly subscribe to these words of the UN Secretary General hoping
that this message of remorse for the past inaction and negligence on behalf
of the international community also reflects the resolve and sound
commitment to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.
Pursuing this goal the international community during the second half of
20th century has undertaken necessary steps in the field of prevention of
genocide. 50 years after the adoption of the Genocide Convention, the
International Criminal Court was established to prosecute those responsible
for the crime of genocide, individual tribunals were established to punish
the perpetrators. Nowadays the United Nations is contemplating the idea of a
special rapporteur to analyze what further steps could be taken to better
equip the UN and member states to prevent genocide with resolve.
“There was a glaring and tragic lack of political will to intervene to stop
genocide, especially on the part of the UN most powerful members,” is the
resume of the messages repeated over and over by the speakers at the
commemoration of the Rwandan genocide. 90 years after the tragic events in
the Ottoman Turkish Empire we still hear the same words.
It is an awakening call. Unless the international community unanimously
acknowledges the Armenian Genocide, unless it accepts its responsibility for
negligence that allowed about 1.5 million innocent victims slaughtered for
their ethnic belonging, unless historical justice is done and selective and
politically-motivated application of the term of genocide stops, there will
be no guarantee for non-repetition and we may still hear the same words for
future atrocities: “If there was a political will…”
Armenian Genocide is an undeniable and incontrovertible fact. This is
absolutely clear not only for us, but is acknowledged by a large number of
countries that putting aside the sensitivity of their bilateral relations
with Turkey officially recognized and condemned the crime of Genocide
committed against the Armenian people. We are grateful to them.
It is vexing, however, that some states that exemplify democratic standards
and advocate protection and promotion of human rights worldwide, when faced
with the recognition of the Armenian genocide, still pursue their
geopolitical interests at the expense of universal human values. However,
reconciliation starts from the acknowledgement of the crime committed:
avowal is as vital for the victim as it is essential for the perpetrator. I
believe this moral ethics is particularly important for the present Turkey
striving to become a member of the European civilization at the same time
desperately avoiding of culpable pages of its own history.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The Armenian legacy counts decades of centuries, during which we often had
to fight against different conquerors, paying a high price for our faith,
our geography, and sometimes our own mistakes. However, we have managed to
come out of all the ordeals and trials of the destiny hardened in their
flames and contributing to the world cultural heritage. And there would be
few nations on this sinful Earth to be as grateful to the Lord as we,
Armenians, for our dramatic but rewarding journey through the history.
We are given much, but the expectations are also high. We are responsible
both to the memory of our ancestors and to the future generations, and we
cannot evade either of them.
We have learned our lesson: We are the guarantee for the tragedy not to
repeat itself. We have to build a strong nation with a competitive economy,
a society based on democratic stability and respect for human rights, which
is actively and constructively engaged in world affairs. The foundation is
there.
For the last three years Armenia has been registering double-digit growth
rates in economy and exports. Notwithstanding the recent turmoil, Armenia is
still the most stable country in the region and is considered to be a
reliable partner. It is steadily moving towards establishment of democratic
and rule-of-law society. It is not easy. There are many challenges ahead.
And as the not-so-past history shows, the most dangerous ones may come from
within. They threaten to shatter the foundations of the country inevitably
affecting internal stability and weakening the country’s bargaining power
internationally. Some would do anything to achieve their narrow personal
gains shrouding it under political stance. They even try to use the
Diasporan sentiments to their advantage by manipulating the public opinion
through negative and sometimes fabricated propaganda.
We have no choice but to be resolved: state-building is not an easy task and
we all learn on the path to democracy. A society based on rule-of-law should
be built through legal and constitutional actions. Following the law is a
thorny path both for the government and the civil society. Nevertheless, it
is the only acceptable and most profound one. We have to take it to build a
prosperous nation to pay a tribute to the memory of the victims of the
genocide and due respect to survivors who suffered through enormous
hardships to lay the foundation for our future. I do think about such a
future with all the hope that can come out of the warmest feelings, deep
commitments and dedication towards our Motherland-Armenia.
Thank you
END

Permanent Mission of the Republic of Armenia
to the United Nations
119E 36th street, New York, NY 10016
Tel.: 1-212-686-9079
Fax: 1-212-686-3934
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
May 1, 2004
PRESS RELEASE
Armenia’s Minister for Nature Protection participated at the 12th
session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
>From April 28-30, 2004, the delegation of the Republic of Armenia, headed
by H.E. Vardan Ayvazyan, Minister for Nature Protection, participated at the
High-Level Segment of the 12th session of the Commission on Sustainable
Development, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The
High-Level discussion focused on the issue of sanitation and human
settlements.
During the session Minister Ayvazyan made statements on water and
sanitation, which are considered to be core elements for sustainable
development. In his remarks he noted that the United Nations and its
agencies and funds, as well as international financial institutions could
play an important role in the implementation of national programs aimed at
addressing water and sanitation challenges in the country. He urged to focus
on rehabilitating dated sanitation systems and providing for new
environmentally and ecologically sound technologies.
Speaking about water issues, the Minister noted that Armenia suffered some
serious water problems, including water quality. Much of the water came
from underground, and was of a good quality. By passing through obsolete
water supply systems it loses its quality. Moreover, 50% of the water
entering the system gets lost due to leakage. In 2002, the country had
adopted a Water Code, with a focus on basin management, the first to be
developed and implemented in the South Caucasus. It had helped to introduce
integrated water resource management in the country.
Full texts of Minister Ayvazyan’s statements:
Statement by H.E. Vardan Ayvazyan
Minister of Nature Protection of the Republic of Armenia
at the High-Level Segment of the 12th session of the
Commission on Sustainable Development
April 30, 2004
(Statements and interactive discussion focusing on “Water”)
Dear Chairman,
Dear Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen,
For the Republic of Armenia, a mountainous country situated in an arid
region of the South Caucasus, the problems of the protection of water
resources, water quality, and access of the population to clean and safe
water are actual problems not only from ecological, but also from economic
and social perspectives.
In this regard it is worth mentioning here that the sustainable management
of the water resources remains one of the most important issues in Armenia.
The absence of an integrated approach to the management and use of water
resources in the period of economic crisis of the 1990s led to such negative
consequences as decline in the access to water supply, deterioration of the
water quality and gradual degradation of the corresponding infrastructure..
It should be mentioned that more than 90% of the drinking water used in the
country is formed out of the underground water sources. This water is of
quite a high quality, but as it passes through water supply systems, which
are very dated and do not correspond to sanitary requirements, the quality
of the water significantly deteriorates. Moreover, 50% of the water entering
the system gets lost due to leakage.
In the water policy of our country great attention is paid to the question
of financial assistance from international financial institutions for the
implementation of national water programs. In this connection I would like
to emphasize the activities of the UN Agencies, the World Bank, and other
financial institutions, as well as the donor countries aimed at assisting in
the implementation of environmental programmes, particularly in the field of
water resource protection, such as the restoration of the ecological balance
of the lake Sevan, which is one of the unique natural water reservoirs on
the planet. According to expert estimates, this freshwater mountain lake,
situated 2000 meters above the sea level, is the only perspective source for
drinking water in the South Caucasus. Starting from the 1930s, the water
resources of the lake were used for agricultural and energy purposes, which
resulted in the drastic decrease of the water level for about 19,5 meters.
Activities undertaken by the Government of Armenia during the last few years
led to the increase of the water level for about 1 meter.
In 2002 the new Water Code of Armenia was adopted. One of the main ideas of
the Water Code is the creation of basin management system that will
contribute to the sustainable use and integrated water resource management.
I would like to mention that Armenia is the first country in the South
Caucasus to introduce the basin management system. In the same year the
National Council on Water, headed by the Prime-Minster, became operational.
Since then more than 100 normative and regulatory acts have been elaborated
and adopted. The establishment of basin management bodies continues. The
articles of the Water Code are being vigorously implemented. Financial
assistance from our international partners in this phase could greatly
contribute to the sustainable water resource management.
One of the priorities of the Armenian Government is the elaboration of the
National Water Policy and the National Water Programme. In the National
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper special attention is paid to the
advancement of the irrigation system, which aims to increase the
effectiveness of the agricultural activities and mitigate the
desertification processes.
The improvement of the financial mechanisms in the water sphere would aim at
achieving a speedy resolution to the water problems in Armenia in the
context of country’s sustainable development. Armenia’s joining the
strategic partnership on water in Johannesburg was in compliance with that
approach. I consider the EU’s Water Initiative and its component for the
Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and the Central Asia, in particular, a
good basis for the development of real mechanisms of cooperation aimed at
the realization of both the decisions of World Summit on Sustainable
Development and the regional and national action plans. This would be our
contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in the
field of water resources.
In conclusion I would like to state that the Government of the Republic of
Armenia recognizes that the effective and comprehensive management of the
water resources could provide for the sustainable and environmentally
justified economic development of the country.
Statement by H.E. Vardan Ayvazyan
Minister of Nature Protection of the Republic of Armenia
at the High-Level Segment of the 12th session of the
Commission on Sustainable Development
April 30, 2004
(Statements and interactive discussion focusing on “Sanitation”)
Dear Chairman,
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As it was stated in Johannesburg, ensuring availability of safe water and
adequate sanitary conditions is a core element for sustainable development.
Creation of a healthy environment and prevention of adverse impact of
unfavorable environmental factors on the health of the population are
several of the main goals that were duly reflected in the national
programmes and action plans adopted by the Government of Armenia in the
recent years. Water-resource management, water supply and sanitation are
considered to be determining factors. The implementation of these programmes
implies intersectoral cooperation and integrated planning. Support from
international organizations, and that of the UN agencies in particular, can
be very instrumental and play a positive role in implementing these
programmes.
It should be noted here that the economic mechanisms regulating the
reduction of water pollution are not yet sufficient in Armenia. We are
actively working towards the creation of appropriate legal and institutional
systems, which could provide for the allocation of financial resources to
the end of solving the acute problems in the water sector.
The 1990s were marked by economic crisis and decline of the industrial
production by over 70% in Armenia, whereupon the untreated or poorly treated
municipal and agricultural wastewater became the main source for the water
pollution.
In most of the human settlements, the wastewater drains into water objects
either bypassing the treatment plants or, if they go through treatment
plants, gets an inadequate treatment. The problem is exacerbated by the mere
fact that none of the existing 20 wastewater treatment plants in Armenia
function in full capacity. Wastewater undergoes a partial mechanical
treatment only.
All treatment plants were put into operation before 1990 and the
technologies applied there do not correspond to the actual demands. In
addition, these technologies were developed taking into account the low-cost
of the energy consumption at the time, and their utilization presently is
associated with colossal expenses.
It is also worth mentioning that with the projected economic growth and
recommencement of industrial activities the water quality can deteriorate
because of the absence of necessary infrastructure for wastewater treatment.
In this respect, I would like to draw your attention to a point which was
rightfully brought up in paragraph 46 of the Document on Sanitation
(E/CN.17?2004/5), stating that there is a necessity for shifting the
evaluation of sanitation system from the monitoring of the existence or
absence of appropriate infrastructure to the efficiency of its functioning.
As far as Armenia is concerned, the problem is not the absence of such
infrastructure, but rather its poor functioning and deterioration.
Accordingly, for countries like Armenia, the rehabilitation and
modernization of the wastewater treatment plants through the utilization of
modern technologies, as well as the construction of new ones are a priority
as far as the provision of safe water and quality of surface and ground
water is concerned. The latter is an integral part of our national policy in
the field of water resources. To solve these problems under current
conditions great financial resources are needed, and the Armenian Government
is creating stimulating economic mechanisms today to attract these
resources.
The problems existing in Armenia related to the condition of water resources
and sanitation can be solved gradually parallel to the economic development
of the country, the possible increase of the state budget capacities, the
creation and implementation of new mechanisms for a target-oriented
financing and with adequate environmental administration, as well as
significant financial assistance for the national programmes by
international financial institutions.
END
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

newBrainframes.org
KARABAKH: FIRST INDEPENDENT PAPER
Ashot Beglarian (01-05-2004)The first non-government publication in the
Armenian-controlled province aims to cover themes which previously went
unreported.
Setting up an independent newspaper for Nagorny Karabakh has long been a
dream of Gegam Bagdasarian, head of the Stepanakert Press Club. Now
it's happened, and Bagdasarian is editor-in-chief of a twice-monthly
paper called Demo.
The idea behind it was to create a newspaper that is not beholden to the
authorities or any opposition movement, but is a voice for the public at
large – hence the title Demo, as in “democracy”. The paper's 16 pages
are in Armenian and Russian.
“Every citizen should have the chance to know what is actually happening in
his motherland and not just from one source but from several,” explained
Bagdasarian. “We intend to become a really independent source.”
Founding an independent newspaper is a very delicate project in a society
which emerged from a devastating conflict ten years ago. Until now there has
only been one main newspaper, the government publication Azat Artsakh.
Bagdasarian says he is well aware of the sensitivities. “We understand what
a responsible mission we are undertaking, as there is virtually no precedent
in the Armenian information space,” he said. “Demo is trying to become a
free publication in the classic sense, meaning it depends only on the
reader. We are not forcing our views on anyone. When we have a free market,
the reader himself can choose what reason and conscience dictate.”
Karabakh president Arkady Gukasian, himself a former journalist, told IWPR
last month that he welcomed the project. “A free press is a sign of the
formation of civil society,” Gukasian said. “We are now facing the biggest
challenge – helping democracy to take root here.”
But the new paper will undoubtedly create controversy. The first issue
touched on sensitive issues such as the resignation of Karabakh deputy prime
minister Yury Gazarian and a property dispute over a collective farm in the
town of Stepanakert. A column by Boris Navadasardian expressed concern about
Armenian reactions to the recent murder in Budapest of Gurgen Markarian, an
Armenian army officer, by Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov.
Demo is supported by the British-based non-government organisation
Conciliation Resources, as part of a wider consortium which is beginning a
series of projects in both Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage with the Nagorny
Karabakh dispute, with funding from the British government's Conflict
Prevention Pool.
In this spirit, the paper has also set itself the goal of building bridges
across the ceasefire line with Azerbaijan. It is covering events in the
Caucasus as a whole, and is publishing a page of IWPR's Caucasus
articles in each issue.
“We will be publishing articles about events in Azerbaijan, Georgia and
Armenia, trying to fill the information gap that has formed,” said
Bagdasarian. “I hope this will help us find common points of agreement.”
So far, readers have responded positively to Demo. “The articles published
in the newspaper are not only interesting but relevant,” said Armen
Sarkisian, a civil servant. “The whole spectrum of socio-political life in
Nagorny Karabakh is reflected there.”
Albert Voskanian, a well-known local activist who heads Stepanakert's
Centre for Civic Initiatives, said, “It is a lively newspaper which touches
on and investigates topics which are not only interesting but also painful,
and which worry people. I have no doubt it has a future.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Assembly of Armenians of Europe
Rue de Treves 10, 1050 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 647 08 01
Fax: +32 2 647 02 00
The Armenian Community in Sweden paid homage to the memory of victims of
the Armenian Genocide of 1915
Stockholm, 02/05/04 – On April 24, 2004 in Uppsala, Sweden the Armenian
Community of Sweden and many foreign representatives paid homage to the
memory of the victims of Armenian Genocide. Many came to Uppsala from
far cities to take part in the commemoration soiree, organized by the
Union of Armenian Associations in Sweden, Swedish Armenian organizations
and the Swedish Church. The commemoration ceremony took place in the
main church of Uppsala.
The bells of this wonderful church rang to the memory of the victims of
the Armenian genocide and the Armenian flag fluttered over Uppsala from
the eminent highness of the church. The anthem of the Republic of
Armenia was performed and the service was given to the repose of
victims. The service was followed by a concert. The public admired the
recitals of Arpine Zakhinian with the piano accompaniment of Lilit
Soukiassian, the performances of Karine Sedrakian, Karine Gevrogyan,
Swedish singer Annette Taranton and the duduk of Hayk Hakobian. Sting
Lundstrom the Swedish poet recited his poems dedicated to Armenian
people, and Jan Gustavson performed the Armenian traditional song
“Krunk” on his trumpet.
Goran Gunner, professor at Faculty of Baptist Theology in Stockholm and
honored worker at the research department of the Swedish Church, author
of the book “Nostalgia for Ararat” reminded the public of the bitter
historical truth and the wishes of the Armenian people aspiring to
justice.
Garo Hakopian the chairman of the Union of Armenian Associations in
Sweden and Assembly of Armenians of Europe made a speech on the subject
“the present and the past”. He noted “to forget the past means not to
see the present, not to see the present means not to have future. We
believe that our people, in spite of all difficulties will create
brighter future. ”
Union of Armenian Associations in Sweden

Los Angeles Times
MAy 1 2004
Russians Again Foreigners in Latvia

As the Baltic state begins its integration with the West, resentment
of the past empire surfaces to close many doors to longtime residents.
By Kim Murphy, Times Staff Writer
RIGA, Latvia – Viktor Dergunov has lived in this graceful old city of
church spires and cobblestone streets since 1961, when the Soviet army
dispatched his father to this tiny Baltic republic that once formed
the forbidding edge of the Iron Curtain.
Over the decades, the Russian family came to see Latvia as their
home. Dergunov met and married Yelena, who was born in Riga. So were
their children and, last year, a granddaughter. But when Latvia
entered the European Union today along with nine other nations,
Dergunov and his family did not join other Latvians as new EU
citizens.

Their Latvian passports are marked “alien.” They will not be able to
travel through the rest of Europe, at least for the next few years,
without obtaining a visa. There are limits on the jobs they can hold
and the property they can own. They cannot vote, although a Spaniard
who establishes residence here is now eligible, as an EU citizen, to
vote in municipal elections.
When Dergunov, a 53-year-old anesthesiologist, was asked about
Latvia’s decision to join the European Union, he was blunt. “I can say
one thing: They didn’t ask us. We didn’t take part.”
The hundreds of thousands of Russians still living in Latvia, Estonia
and Lithuania 13 years after independence are among the most visible
reminders of the stunning transformation of the post-Cold War
landscape. In recently joining NATO as well as the EU, republics that
once were part of the Soviet Union are for the first time becoming
members of an alliance that for years was Russia’s sworn enemy.
In the Baltics, the Iron Curtain’s fault line still looms large. The
region carries the footprints of Hitler and Stalin’s armies, of five
decades of Soviet rule, of a grass-roots independence movement that
helped close the book on Russian dreams of enduring empire. In Latvia,
with half as many Russians as ethnic Latvians, there is little chance
of agreement on which is the greater cause for regret.
“To the majority of the Russian people, Latvia is something that was
ours and got away,” said Karlis Kaukshts, vice rector of the Baltic
Russian Institute. “It’s like an unfaithful husband.”
For Latvians, NATO membership represents security for a nation that
was subjected to Nazi and Soviet occupation. The tiny nation lost more
than half a million people to death, deportation and flight during
World War II, including more than 90,000 Latvians, Jews and Gypsies
who were killed in Nazi concentration camps.
Thousands more were deported to Siberian gulag camps after the war.
“It seemed peculiarly appropriate after the removal of the Iron
Curtain, and the whole of Eastern Europe finally being free of this
tyranny, to join a community of nations that had been totally
expanding, and at every wave of expansion had gained in strength,
gained in effectiveness and had shown visible benefits to every
country that had joined,” President Vaira Vike-Freiberga said in an
interview.
Moscow has watched the Baltics defecting to the West with
ill-concealed anxiety. When NATO F-16s began patrolling Baltic
airspace last month, a Russian jet illegally probed the edges of
Estonian airspace. Six Russian diplomats have been expelled from the
Baltics for alleged espionage since February, and Moscow has
reciprocated.
The greatest uproar occurred in March, when Vladimir V. Zhirinovsky,
the flamboyant Russian nationalist politician, predicted that NATO and
Russia would come to apocalyptic blows in the Baltics.
“Hatred of the Russians is pushing the Baltics into the paws of NATO,
and this puts them on the brink of death,” Zhirinovsky said. “The
conflict between NATO and Russia will be in the territory of the
Baltics. We will not be bombing Brussels. We will bomb Vilnius, Riga
and Tallinn.”
Leaders in those Baltic capitals issued furious protests.
“This is the head of a party who represents, what, 15% of Russian
voters? This is the vice speaker of their Duma. Make your own
conclusions,” Vike-Freiberga said. “What do you call it if someone
says they’re going to wipe you off the face of the Earth?”
The U.S. ambassador to Latvia, Brian E. Carlson, said there is no talk
of NATO bases in the Baltics. Yet he declined to downplay the fears
that drove Latvia into NATO’s embrace.
“The face of Russia seen up close is maybe not as benign as it looks
from a distance away,” he said. “People who are living here have
memories. Russia has marched into these countries before, and the idea
that people like Zhirinovsky are looking for an invitation to reoccupy
these countries to them is not that farfetched.”
Russia’s ambassador to Latvia, Igor Studennikov, said Russia “presents
no threat” to the Baltics. “We are proceeding from the assumption that
every country is entitled to join the alliances it wants,” he said.
“But we doubt it will enhance security in the region…. Humankind is
now faced with new kinds of threats – terrorism, illegal transborder
migration, drug trafficking – and these alliances do not protect
anyone from these threats.”
Many Russians in Latvia, like ethnic Latvians, opposed the Soviet
state and demonstrated for independence beside them in the streets of
Riga. They felt cheated after Latvia granted automatic citizenship
only to those who were citizens before Soviet occupation in 1940 and
to their descendants. For naturalization, residents must pass a test
on Latvia’s history and language, which many Russians see as an
insult.
“We grew up here. Our children grew up here. We buried our relatives
here. I’ve paid taxes. Do I really need to pass a test for that?”
Dergunov said. “Does the state really need this moment of palpable
humiliation to forgive me my origin?”
Conservative politicians have argued that Russians who do not wish to
learn Latvia’s language and history don’t belong.
“Most of the Russian people in Latvia are children or grandchildren of
the occupiers and colonizers of our homeland who invaded our country
in 1940…. After the war was over, their army was supposed to go
away, but they stayed,” said legislator Peter Tabunas, a member of the
nationalist Fatherland and Freedom faction.
“We made a very big mistake by going the long way of compromises with
them,” he added. “If they were really discriminated against, if they
really thought their life was so bad here, they’d be going back to
Russia. But they’re not.”
With EU membership likely to bring an influx of entrepreneurs lured by
Latvia’s low wages and prices, many Latvians see the preservation of
their language as a matter of national survival. The population is
dwindling at the rate of 1,000 a month – Latvia has the lowest
birthrate in Europe – and for many it is worrying that Russian is the
mother tongue of nearly 40% of the people.
Vike-Freiberga, who spent many years working as a psychologist in
Canada before returning to Latvia in 1998, began to understand the
problem when she went to a clinic for a vaccination.
“You arrive at the clinic speaking Latvian, in a country where Latvian
is the official language, and you find that nobody can answer you,”
she recalled. “It can be very distressing. And I think it could be
even more distressing for a Latvian to call up the fire station to say
there’s a fire, and be told, ‘Chto?’ ” – Russian for “What?”
Lawmakers ignited a firestorm in 1998 when they called for public
schools to teach only in Latvian. About 80,000 Russian-speaking
children attend school in Latvia, many at state-funded
Russian-language schools. Public universities already conduct all
instruction in Latvian.
Furious Russian teachers and parents appealed to the EU, arguing that
the move was an affront to European human rights standards. Latvian
officials compromised, backing regulations that will require secondary
schools to conduct at least 60% of their instruction in Latvian
beginning in September.
Karina Rodionova, a native of Armenia who met her Latvian husband
while attending college in Riga, sent her 14-year-old daughter,
Ruzanna, to a Latvian school for the first time last September. But
Ruzanna began failing all her classes and said the teachers refused to
help.
“Geography was a total humiliation,” the girl said. “The teacher
turned to me, looked me in the eye, and she said … ‘If Russians want
their education in Russian, why don’t they go the hell back to
Russia?’ All the children turned their heads. They were not laughing,
but they were looking at me. I rushed to the bathroom and cried.”
Rodionova scheduled a meeting with her daughter’s Latvian literature
teacher, who Rodionova said had repeatedly castigated the girl in
front of the class for being “stupid.”
The teacher spoke in Latvian. Rodionova speaks Russian, Armenian and
Georgian fluently but has never learned Latvian. ” ‘What’s the matter,
don’t you speak Latvian?’ ” Rodionova recalled the teacher asking. “I
said no. And she continued speaking in Latvian, even though she is
completely able to speak Russian. That’s the moment I began to
understand everything.”
Such stories are relatively rare in a country that has been
multiethnic through much of its history. The school debate has been
more political than personal, and in cities such as Riga, residents
seem to slide between the languages with little thought.
“I think it’s abnormal if a person is living here for 13 years and
can’t learn one language on an elementary level,” said Janis Olups, a
26-year-old waiter.
“But I think we young people, to continue to live a normal life, we
have to forget about the past. We should live in one nation. Because
we cannot resolve problems that were created by Stalin and Hitler.”
Times staff writer Sergei L. Loiko contributed to this report.

The Globe and Mail, Canada
May 1 2004
PM peeved at Pettigrew pronouncement

The Prime Minister blows a gasket
It was a furious Paul Martin at this week’s caucus meeting, according
to Liberal sources. His face was red; he was gesticulating angrily,
and some say he was shouting. All this because of remarks by Health
Minister Pierre Pettigrew, who had suggested to a Commons committee
that the government was prepared to allow the provinces to
“experiment” with private health-care delivery.
Mr. Martin told his caucus that he had watched his father, Paul Sr.,
work hard to bring in medicare and wasn’t prepared to stand by to
watch it all unravel, according to a source. He told his MPs that Mr.
Pettigrew was going to march out of the caucus and correct the
impression he had left about the publicly funded system. Following
orders, Mr. Pettigrew did exactly that. He marched out of caucus and
read his clarification from a (PMO?) prepared text.
Brian Mulroney
to be a grandfather
Last month the former Progressive Conservative prime minister, Brian
Mulroney, became a senior citizen. In October he becomes a
grandfather. And he and his wife, Mila, couldn’t be more excited.
Their daughter Caroline Mulroney, 29, who married Andrew Lapham in
September, 2000, is expecting a baby in October. This will be the
first grandchild for the Mulroneys. Meanwhile, the entire Mulroney
clan is off to Antigonish, N.S., where Mrs. Mulroney is to receive an
honorary doctorate from St. Francis Xavier University Monday in
recognition of her charity and volunteer work, especially for cystic
fibrosis.
Of cabinet solidarity
and genocide
Behind the closed doors of the cabinet room last week, Prime Minister
Martin singled out Revenue Minister Stan Keyes as a shining example of
cabinet solidarity after he voted against a private member’s motion to
recognizes as genocide the mass killing of Armenians during the First
World War.
There were reports after the controversial vote that Mr. Keyes was
cursing the fact that some of his colleagues had missed the vote while
he was forced to vote against the motion, a gesture that was not
without political cost for him. This was acknowledged by Mr. Martin,
who was angry with some of his cabinet ministers for abstaining or for
ducking the vote by leaving the House without permission. The Liberal
back bench voted with the opposition, and the motion passed.
Meanwhile, the rule, according to a senior Liberal, is that cabinet
ministers must seek permission in advance to miss the vote. Mr. Keyes,
who had sought that permission, was already in the chamber when the
vote began and decided not to leave because, as he told someone,
“[I’d] feel like a heel walking out.”
Hot and not
Not: The Prime Minister’s briefers who neglected to inform him what
the gift he’d received from President George Bush.
Foreign leaders always exchange gifts on visits. After a prompting by
Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham, Mr. Martin told reporters he
received a “pen.”
The Martins gave the President a riding vest and Margaret MacMillan’s
celebrated book, Paris 1919.
Hot: Nova Scotia Liberal MP Scott Brison for trying to sell
U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice on a summer vacation
in his home province. Milling around the White House Rose Garden
yesterday, Mr. Brison did a hard sell on the breathtaking ocean views
of Cape Breton’s Cabot Trail. Shameless.
Not: The White House. The U.S. President says the White House is nice
but his ranch is better. And he says this in front of Paul and Sheila
Martin. Was that an invite to the Crawford, Tex., enclave? Jean
Chrétien was never invited to the ranch.
Hot: Dennis Mills, the editor.
Not: Dennis Mills, the MP. NDP Leader Jack Layton thanks Dennis Mills
in the preface of his newly released book. Why? Dennis Mills and
Mr. Layton are already in a pitched battle for the riding of
Toronto-Danforth.
Coincidentally, however, Mr. Layton’s editor is also named Dennis
Mills. He clears up the confusion in his book, writing it’s the
editor, not the MP.
Hot: Conservative MP Brian Pallister is inducted into the Manitoba
Softball Hall of Fame today.
He’s a pitcher of some renown in the province. “There are a lot of
similarities between softball and politics,” he writes. “The bad: the
cutoffs, the put outs, the heckling . . . the clash of egos. The good:
The sacrifice . . . and as a pitcher, something I always appreciated
. . . when someone is caught stealing.”

Cyprus Mail, Cyprus
May 1 2004
Preservation order lifeline for Melkonian
By Jean Christou
THE government has slapped a preservation order on the Melkonian
Educational Institute (MEI) in Nicosia, giving the school, slated to
close next year, a temporary reprieve.
The preservation order, issued by the Town Planning Department, states
that `no alteration or construction be executed on the buildings,
group of buildings and areas … considered of special architectural /
historical / social importance’ and clearly marked in the relevant
government land surveys plans, an announcement from the MEI’s alumni
said.
`However, there are still no assurances about the school’s
continuation beyond June 2005, after which a good number of Armenian
students living in Cyprus would be left deprived of a
national-language school, while the boarding students are under threat
of being sent home,’ the announcement said.
The central board of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), in
New York said last month that the 78-year-old school would close in
June 2005, but the alumni says that the Melkonian brothers’ will does
not confer to the AGBU the right to `denature or destroy these
Armenian structures’.
The loss-making Melkonian is sitting on a £40 million plot in the
capital’s commercial district and reports are rife that it was up for
grabs by developers.
The AGBU said in November that the school was not for sale, but then
changed tack and announced the closure. The alumni are convinced the
foundation’s only aim is to `take the money and run’.
The preservation order covers the twin buildings of the school, which
was erected as an orphanage by the Melkonian brothers in 1926, the old
residence of the founders, the wooded area on the main Limassol road,
the boarding house and the teachers’ apartments.
`In effect, the school is now out of bounds for any developer or any
other school contemplating to take over the Melkonian grounds to
develop their own campus, as the preservation order forbids any
development or construction work beyond the present state of the
buildings.
The Town Planning Department in is decision took into account the fact
that the Melkonian buildings were characteristic or unique examples of
urban architecture of Nicosia.
`The preservation of the architectural or historical heritage, the
above examples of which are part of, regarding the important factor
for the successful evolution and development of the town planning
infrastructure of Nicosia,’ the order said.

Mehr News Agency, Iran
May 1 2004
Kamkars Returns After One-Week UK Concert Tour
TEHRAN, May 1 (MNA) — Iranian traditional music group Kamkars has
returned to Tehran after a one-week concert tour of Britain.
The group gave several performances honoring the Italian composer
Luciano Berio in Oxford, York, Manchester, Birmingham, and Nottingham,
accompanied by the London Sinfonietta Orchestra.
Omaggio was the first festival celebrating Berio’s work after the
composer’s unexpected death last spring. At the time, Berio had been
working on a piece combining elements of Sicilian folksongs and
Kurdish songs.
Organized by Gillian Moore, the manager of the London Sinfonietta
Orchestra, the festival also included performances by the renowned
Armenian duduk player Jevan Gesparian.
Berio is considered to be one of the 20th century’s leading
composers. He was a pioneer in the use of electronic and avant-garde
composition techniques. In terms of influence he is often placed in
the same league as Stravinsky. During his career he taught at
Tanglewood, Mills College, Harvard University, and Juilliard College.

Zaman, Turkey
May 1 2004
Turkey’s Foreign Aid Declines
Turkey provided US$145.7 million in official support to various
countries in 2003, down from US$157.7 million in 2002. The State
Institute of Statistics (DIE) conducted research to detail how Turkey
disbursed its foreign aid.
According to the research, the US$145.76 million in official support
could be further broken down into US$38.7 million in official aid,
US$40.2 million in official donations to foreign countries and US$66.8
million in payments to various international organizations in 2003.
While Turkish aid to Palestine dropped 23 times, from US$115,000 to
US$5,000 when compared to the previous year, support to Israel
increased 39 fold, from US$592 to US$19,500 in 2003.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) also received less aid
from Turkey. The figure was US$1.9 million in 2003 while it was US$8.4
million in 2002.
In addition, contributions to some countries were totally cut
off. Armenia, Algeria, Ghana, Guinea are among those.
Habib Guler
Ankara

New York Daily News, NY
May 1 2004
Love story has faith, hope – and a charity

We interrupt this war to bring you a love story. And news of a very
important charity. They’re connected. First, the love story:
On May 10, Carol Channing, the great Broadway star of “Hello Dolly,”
will celebrate her first wedding anniversary to Harry Kullijian, 84,
her very first love, with whom she reunited last year after 67 years
apart.
On Friday, Channing will perform at Molloy College in Rockville Centre,
L.I., followed by a party and silent auction to raise money for the De
La Salle School in Freeport, a small Christian Brothers Catholic school
that provides a highly structured Catholic education for 25 inner-city
kids.
“Recently a foundation was formed to support Catholic schools in
disadvantaged areas that educate over 4,000 underserved students in 18
states,” says Marty Bevilacqua, who was a wild Brooklyn kid before his
parents enrolled him in the La Salle Military Academy, which changed
his life.
Bevilacqua and other La Salle alumni, working with Brother Thomas
Casey, founded the Freeport School two years ago to keep the traditions
of Lasallian education alive.
“The goal is to help young boys become civilized ‘gentlemen,’ ready to
thrive in society,” Bevilacqua said.
While at La Salle, Bevilacqua, today a successful builder, became a
gentleman and developed a deep love for opera and Broadway musicals,
which has made him a patron of the arts.
Through his association with Glenn Roven, a Broadway conductor,
Channing has agreed to do the benefit concert for the De La Salle
School to help those inner-city kids get a shot in life.
The concert will be Friday at the Hayes Theater of Molloy College.
Tickets are $75 for the show and $50 for the meet and greet party with
Channing afterwards.
Which brings us back to the love story.
“I love what this charity stands for,” Channing says. “I also truly
love my new husband, Harry. Harry was my first love. We went steady as
teenagers. But at 16, I went away to Bennington College in Vermont and
later to New York to become an actress.
“I always loved Harry, but I wasn’t aware that I was still in love with
him.”
The two lost touch. While Channing strode the Broadway boards to fame
and fortune, she married three times before she was widowed in 1998.
Meanwhile, back in California, Harry Kullijian, a successful real
estate entrepreneur had become a widower.
“I thought sure Harry must be dead,” Channing says.
Then last year, a good buddy of Kullijian’s read Channing’s
autobiography, “Just Lucky, I Guess,” in which she wrote glowing words
about her first love. The friend urged him to give ole Carol a buzz. He
did.
A week after that, he drove 125 miles north from Imperial Valley to
Channing’s condo in Rancho Mirage. Channing said, “Hello, Harry!”
It was so nice to have each other back where they belonged after all
those years.
“It was like we just picked up our lives where we left off 67 years
ago,” says Channing.
“Two weeks later, I proposed to her,” Kullijian says.
They married, moved into Kullijian’s Modesto farmhouse, and they’ve
been running around the country like a couple of newlyweds ever since,
doing paid gigs and charity benefits, many for Kullijian’s favorite
Armenian organizations.
When Roven asked her to do a concert for underprivileged kids at the La
Salle School in New York, Channing jumped at the opportunity.
“Carol will also be getting the Oscar Hammerstein Award while we’re in
New York,” Kullijian says.
“This marriage is going to work,” Channing says. “I’m happier than I’ve
ever been. It’s my pleasure to spread some of this good feeling
around.”
For tickets, call (516) 536-2223.