60th ANNIVERSARY OF YEREVAN ACADEMY OF ART TO BE MARKED ON OCTOBER 28
Noyan Tapan
Oct 26 2006
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, NOYAN TAPAN. Yerevan State Academy of Art
turned 60.
This higher education institution was founded by academician, sculptor
Ara Sargsian immediately after the end of the Great Patriotic War,
in 1945 June. The Academy educated dozens of generations of painters
and sculptors. As Academy Rector, RA Honored Art Figure, painter Aram
Isabekian said at the October 26 press conference, the Academy’s
60th anniversary was to be marked last year, but its building was
in a very bad condition, so it was decided to postpone the holding
of the jubilee event. In A.Isabekian’s words, the repairs have been
already completed and the Academy’s jubilee will be marked soon in
solemn conditions. On the occasion of the Academy’s 60th anniversary,
on October 28, exhibition of Academy students’ works will open at the
Armenian National Gallery. A solemn sitting will also take place the
same day and a concert will be held in the evening at Aram Khachatrian
concert hall. Besides, Academy’s first Rector Ara Sargsian’s sculpture
will be placed near the entrance to the Academy. A.Isabekian said
that currently the Academy has 900 students, 690 out of which study
in Yerevan and the rest at Dilijan and Gyumri branches. He said that
the Academy had great achievements during 12 years of his tenure,
in particular, in the respect of increase of students’ number: 340
students studied at the Academy 15 years ago. The new studio bought
for the Academy in the center of Paris is also among the Academy’s last
achievements. The students will spend their practice at the studio.

IMMIGRATION RANKS 25TH ON THE LIST OF CONCERNS FOR RUSSIAN CITIZENS
Source: Vedomosti, October 24, 2006
The Russian Business Monitor (Russia)
October 25, 2006 Wednesday
The ethnic conflict in Kondopoga will be remembered for a long time to
come. St. Petersburg and Voronezh are on the way to becoming cities
dangerous for foreign students. Russians and Armenians are at each
others’ throats in the town of Bogandinsky in the Tyumen region.
Pollsters maintain that ethnic intolerance, once concealed, is
surfacing. Why would it do so? And why now?
The State Statistics Committee claims that real incomes in September
2006 were 10.1% greater than in September 2005, averaging 10,077
roubles a month. However, Russia’s richest 10% end up with 26% of
all income and the poorest 10% with 1%.
Russian citizens are dissatisfied with the existing system of health
care and education, the quality of housing and communal services,
corruption in local government structures and the police. The data
compiled by the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM) indicate the public
is concerned about the following issues (in descending order): high
tariffs for housing and communal services (46%), alcohol abuse (37%),
inflation (36%), medical services and medicines they cannot afford
(32%), shortage of money for food and commodities (28%), difficulty
finding a good job (28%), bureaucracy and civil servants’ tyranny
(25%), drug abuse (25%), housing shortages (21%), unemployment (20%),
corruption (19%), low quality of medical and social services (16%),
and so on. Problems of immigration were mentioned by only 5% of
respondents, ranking 25th on the list of concerns for Russian citizens.

SECURITY ON BORDERS PRIORITISES RUSSIA’S POLICY, PUTIN SAYS
ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
October 25, 2006 Wednesday 09:55 AM EST
President Vladimir Putin said ensure security on Russia’s southern
borders and improve the immigration policy are priority tasks.
In a question-and-answer televised conference with the nation on
Wednesday, Putin said, “This is our task and we should invest in it.
We’ll spend 500 million U.S. dollars to ensure security in the Caucasus
– from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea.”
“The total number of immigrants in our country (it is impossible
to calculate them exactly) is about from 10 million to 15 million
people. This is enormous. In Western Europe the situation is the
same, maybe less – about 10-12 million of immigrants. We should
defend our southern borders and improve our immigration policy. This
is our priority task. In order to ensure security in the Caucasus –
from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea we intend to spend about 500
million U.S. dollars,” President Putin stressed.
“It’ll take more time. But till the end of 2007 we’ll close the border
in full (for illegal penetration,” he added.
“We have a huge border with Central Asia. It is the most dangerous
direction. It is becoming the most dangerous track because of drug
trafficking and organised crime,” Putin pointed out.
The protection of borders “is our common task and our
responsibility. It needs money and time. We have plans and we’ll
carry them out,” the president said.
The changes in Russia’s law regulating migration problems will be a
base for pursuing the policy of so-called selective migration, Minister
of Public Health and Social Development Mikhail Zurabov said. On
October 5, President Putin demanded to protect domestic producers
from racket and toughen the visa regime towards foreign citizens who
violate Russia’s legislation. Putin instructed the prime minister to
adopt corresponding normative enactments on ensuring national security.
Russia ranks first after the United States in migration volume.
According to different sources, at present from 10 million to
20 million foreign citizens who have no registration stay in the
country. Not more than 700,000 people are officially registered.
About 80 percent of migrants living in Russia are citizens of the
former USSR – Armenia (about 2.5 million), Azerbaijan (2 million),
Ukraine (one million), Georgia (one million), Tajikistan (504,000),
Moldova (over 154,000), and Belarus (70,000). Guest workers from China,
Vietnam, Turkey and Afghanistan arrive in Russia most of all.
Most guest workers work in the Moscow region – about three million
people. Labour migrants work in the construction sector – 42 percent,
trade – 28 percent, transport – 5 percent, agriculture and forestry –
7 percent.
Director of the Federal Migration Service Konstantin Romodanovsky
said illegal migration poses a threat to Russia’s national security.
Annually migrants bring out over 10 billion U.S. dollars. Economic
damage caused by illegal migrants because of tax non-payment reaches
over eight billion U.S. dollars every year.
In recent years much attention has been riveted to illegal migration.
Despite the fact that the deportation of illegal migrants is rather
expensive (about 1,000 U.S. dollars per people), a total of 89,000
foreign citizens were deported in 2004. In 2005 over 1.5 million
foreign citizens and stateless persons brought for administrative
responsibility for the violation of migration legislation. In 2006
certain amendments were made into the law that toughen responsibility
for crimes related to illegal migration.
The demographic situation in the country is not easy. In order
to prevent the decrease in labour force it is necessary to involve
about one million migrants in Russia annually. At the end of 2005 the
experiment was conducted to announce migration amnesty in 10 Russian
regions. About 7,500 migrants were legalised. Migration amnesty was
announced for residents of CIS countries with which Russia has a visa
regime, with the exception of Georgia and Turkmenistan.
Migrants should be involved due to the Russian economy’s needs. In
order to legalise the movement of labour migrants the Federation
Migration Service created a central database in January 2006 to take
account of those foreign citizens who crossed the Russian border.

THE BIG HITTERS MAKE A STAND – BABAKHAN MP BID
By Neil Keene
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
October 25, 2006 Wednesday
Newcastle Edition
THE Liberal party looks set to fight fire with fire in Newcastle
in next year’s state election, with its own high-profile candidate
poised to take on TV celebrity and ALP frontwoman Jodi McKay.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal University of Newcastle lecturer and
outspoken meteorologist Martin Babakhan is preparing to run for the
party, if he can win preselection from the Newcastle branch.
Armenian-born Mr Babakhan, who emigrated to Australia in 1967, would
not confirm or deny his interest in state politics yesterday.
But his ambitions are well-known within the party’s Hunter ranks.
Mr Babakhan would face a monumental struggle to overcome the Labor
stronghold and to divert surging interest in Lord Mayor John Tate,
who is running as an independent candidate.
He must also win preselection ahead of Newcastle branch president
James Herrington.
However, the 63-year-old is well placed to give his opponents a run
for their money.
Mr Babakhan already enjoys a high public profile in the city thanks
to regular radio, television and newspaper appearances and could win
green votes with his knowledge and passion for the environment.
He is also a skilled political campaigner, having run for Newcastle
Council in the Citizens Group in a 2002 by-election.
He lost that race to Ward Four councillor Sonia Hornery, but has had
the past four years to hone his strategies.
Mr Babakhan told The Daily Telegraph that with the “soap opera”
surrounding the ALP’s installation of former newsreader Ms McKay,
the time was right for a stronger Liberal presence in the city.
“At the end of the day, we need Newcastle to prosper,” he said.
“We have ports, we have energy, we have everything going for us,
but since the Olympics most of the money has been spent in Sydney.”
Mr Babakhan suggested even if Mr Tate won office, the city would be
no better off.
“Whether it’s Tate or Jodi McKay, it doesn’t matter which one it is,
they will still head towards Labor,” he said.
“That is not going to do the city justice.”
Colleen Hodges, a Liberal party veteran and delegate to the party’s
state council, backed Mr Babakhan’s push into the state arena.
“He is a very good candidate,” she said.
Preselection should take place next month.

TURKEY, GENOCIDE AND THE EU’S DOUBLE STANDARDS
Mideast Mirror
October 25, 2006 Wednesday
While the Turks may not be blameless, French and other EU pressures
regarding the Armenian genocide smack of hypocrisy, says Helia Hamad
al-Mukeimi in Saudi Asharq al-Awsat
The European Commission is supposed to begin a review of Turkey’s
application for EU membership on 24 October, notes Kuwaiti expert
on European affairs Helia Hamad al-Mukeimi in the Saudi daily Asharq
al-Awsat.
INCREASING PRESSURE: In the run up to this review, the Turkish
government has been coming under increasing pressure from the European
side designed to find pretexts to keep Turkey out of the club.
Turkey has been trying to become part of Europe since 1963, but to
no avail. One aspect of these pressures has been the insistence that
Turkey admits responsibility for the massacre of Armenians that took
place under the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1917, which cost 1.5
million Armenians their lives (according to Armenian figures).
The Turks deny that those killings constituted genocide, and maintain
that the Armenians also killed a large number of Turks. Some Turks
believe that the figures cited by the Armenians are exaggerated,
and that no more than 300,000 were killed. Nationalist Turks say that
admitting responsibility for these killings would constitute a grave
affront to Turkish identity. In spite of knowing how sensitive this
issue is to the Turks, the Europeans insist on raising it all the
time – but not on an official government level.
By raising the issue of the Armenian ‘genocide’ through national
parliaments, the Europeans have been keen to let the Turks know that
it is European public opinion that is against Turkey’s Ottoman past.
The latest report by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European
Parliament contained severe criticism of Turkey for its failure to
carry out the reforms needed to qualify it for EU membership.
Among these reforms are improvements to the rights of women and
minorities, freedom of expression, and religious rights. The report
also called on the Turks to recognize and establish normal relations
with Cyprus. It also made admitting responsibility for the Armenian
genocide a precondition for Turkish accession.
In fact, even the decision by the Swedish Academy to grant Turkish
writer Orhan Pamuk this year’s Nobel Prize for literature was not
devoid of political connotations. For in spite of Pamuk’s undeniable
talent as a novelist, he is also one of Turkey’s most prominent
advocates of recognizing the Armenian genocide. The fact that he was
nominated for the Nobel Prize last year undermined the government’s
efforts to try him for ‘deliberately insulting Turkishness.’ Pamuk
would have spent three years in jail had the accusations against
not been thrown out, thanks to the pressure exerted by the European
Commission on Ankara.
The announcement that Pamuk had won the Nobel prize coincided
with another event that caused uproar in Turkey. On the same day,
the French parliament passed a bill making it a crime to deny the
Armenian genocide. The new bill came on top of a previous piece of
legislation passed by the French parliament in 2001 recognizing the
Armenian massacre as a case of genocide.
The draft was tabled by the opposition socialist bloc, and was passed
by 106 votes to 19 amid loud applause.
Oddly enough, the French bill went beyond a bill passed in 1996
by the Greek parliament, which while recognizing the massacres as
genocide, did not go as far as criminalizing their denial. While it
was understandable that the Greeks should have passed such a law,
given the historical enmity between Greece and Turkey, why the French
passed their recent bill is still a mystery.
The position adopted by European governments is different however.
Officially, European governments seem eager to maintain cordial
relations with Turkey, and to avoid antagonizing the Turks. ‘We are
working hard to accept you in the club,’ they seem to say, ‘but what
can we do if our peoples do not want you in?’
Olli Rehn, the EU commissioner for expansion warned that the new
French law would damage efforts to settle differences between Turkey
and Armenia, while Rehn’s spokesperson Christina Nagy said, ‘When this
bill becomes law, it will undermine reconciliation efforts.’ Nagy went
on to say that, laws cannot write history, only historians can do that.
She stressed that taking responsibility for the Armenian genocide
should not be a precondition for Turkey’s accession to the EU. For its
part, the French government opposed the bill, saying that it restricts
freedom of expression. But President Jacques Chirac seemed to side
with parliament by paying an unprecedented visit to Armenia last month.
After laying a wreath on a monument to the victims, Chirac urged
Turkey to ‘do its duty’ and take responsibility for the genocide,
insinuating that this would have a bearing on Turkey’s accession. The
French president declared, ‘Nations stand tall when they admit their
mistakes.’
‘Germany,’ Chirac said, ‘took responsibility for the Holocaust. That
did not lose it its credibility; on the contrary, it grew in the eyes
of the world. The same can be said of France and other nations.’
Orhan Pamuk’s position is similar. Yet it is different for a Turk
to call for recognizing the genocide. Pamuk’s insistence that Turkey
must take responsibility for the massacres is a call for his country
to reconcile itself with its past. Only then, he believes, could
Turkey be prepared to come to terms with the West in its vain quest
for EU membership.
The West sees it differently. Western insistence that Turkey take
responsibility for the Armenian genocide is designed to widen the
gap between Ankara and the EU thus making accession impossible.
Clearly, Pamuk himself finally understood this difference. Commenting
recently on Turkey’s efforts to gain EU membership, he said: ‘Yes,
I support Turkish membership, and have written extensively to that
effect. But I find myself chasing a mirage. I believed that Turkey
and Europe could live in harmony with each other. Unfortunately,
I discovered that there is no love lost between them. That is why I
decided to return to my novels.’
Taking responsibility for the Armenian genocide means that Turkey
has to compensate the victims financially and morally. This would
mean that economically weak Turkey would have to wait even longer
to fulfill the EU’s stringent economic criteria. Thus, we see that
taking responsibility for the genocide is not so much a condition
for EU entry as it is an obstacle.
Also, comparing Turkey’s assuming responsibility with the experience
of other European nations is neither fair nor valid. Turkey, a Muslim
nation with 70 million inhabitants on the fringes of Europe is not
Germany, the beating heart of Europe and the continent’s economic
engine. Calls for reconciliation with the past do not mean the
same thing.
As far as Turkey is concerned, reconciliation with the past means
admitting mistakes, while for the West it means forgetting the
colonial past.
France for example has never apologized for killing up to one million
Algerians. Although France does give certain privileges to citizens of
its former colonies, it has never apologized to, much less compensated,
its victims.
Belgium is another case in point. Despite its crimes in Africa (in
Congo especially), Belgium still takes pride in its colonial past,
as witnessed by Brussels’ African Museum. Did Belgium reconcile itself
with its past before it was chosen as the EU’s capital?
Criticizing Western double standards does not necessarily mean
accepting the mistakes committed by the Ottomans. In fact, the Ottoman
Empire played a major part in keeping its possessions (including
the Arab world) in a state of backwardness. European colonialism
only exacerbated this backwardness and institutionalized a state
of inequality that still exists today. Thanks to this inequality,
the former Arab Ottoman provinces now provide a fertile soil for the
growth of extremism and terrorism.
Had the Ottoman Empire not become so backward in its latter years,
Western colonialism could not have flourished. This means that the
Ottoman Empire unintentionally did the Western colonial powers a
great service. How then can these powers still demand that Turkey
apologize for their past mistakes?
If secular Muslim Turkey admits responsibility for the Armenian
genocide (a la Germany and the Holocaust), will it then be accepted
as a member of the EU?

ROMANIAN PREMIER PROPOSES LIBERAL SENATOR AS COUNTRY’S REPRESENTATIVE TO EC
Associated Press Worldstream
October 25, 2006 Wednesday 3:04 PM GMT
The premier has nominated a Liberal party senator to serve as Romania’s
representative to the European Commission, with the country set to
join the bloc next year.
Sen. Varujan Vosganian’s nomination by Prime Minister Calin Popescu
Tariceanu must be approved by European Commission President Jose
Manuel Barroso and European lawmakers.
Barroso must also decide on the area of responsibility for the new
Romanian and Bulgarian commissioners, who will take up their posts
once their countries join the bloc Jan. 1.
Vosganian, 48, chair of the Senate’s budget and finance committee,
is known for supporting free market policies. He is also one of the
fervent backers of the country’s flat tax of 16 percent, which Romania
introduced in 2005 to replace a progressive taxation scheme ranging
from 18 to 40 percent.
A mathematician and economist, Vosganian is also a writer and poet.
An ethnic Armenian, he heads the National Union of (Ethnic) Armenians
in Romania.
The European Commission consists of 25 representatives one from each
EU nation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CATASTROPHE D’UN AIRBUS A SOTCHI: LES ARMENIENS JUGENT L’ENQUETE INCOMPLèTE
Agence France Presse
25 octobre 2006 mercredi 11:27 PM GMT
La direction de l’aviation civile armenienne (ACA) a juge mercredi
incomplets les resultats de l’enquete russe sur la catastrophe de
l’Airbus armenien qui s’est abîme en mer Noire au large de Sotchi
(Russie) le 3 mai faisant 113 morts.
Les conclusions de l’enquete, devoilees le 26 juillet, mettent en cause
le “facteur humain”, mais l’ACA estime que l’enquete doit egalement se
pencher sur un possible dysfonctionnement du radar meteorologique de
l’aeroport de Sotchi, ainsi que sur le travail de l’aiguilleur russe.
“De toute evidence, il y avait des conditions climatiques dangereuses
que le radar n’a pas detectees pour des raisons inexpliquees”,
affirme l’ACA dans un communique.
Les pilotes de l’A320 de la compagnie Armavia avaient renonce au
dernier moment a atterrir a l’aeroport de la grande station balneaire
russe et de retourner a Erevan a cause de la mauvaise visibilite.
Informes par l’aeroport d’une eclaircie, ils avaient ensuite tente une
deuxième approche avant de s’ecraser, avaient declare des representants
d’Armavia après la catastrophe.
L’ACA soutient egalement que l’enquete a omis d’evaluer le travail
de l’aiguilleur russe au moment de la deuxième approche.
“Nous demandons d’evaluer le travail de l’aiguilleur entre le moment
où l’avion a entame sa deuxième approche et la collision avec la
surface de l’eau”, ajoute le communique.
Les 113 passagers et membres de l’equipage de l’A320 qui effectuait
la liaison Erevan-Sotchi ont peri dans la catastrophe.
–Boundary_(ID_SWLaUkc+X40/DxKTxjxD6 g)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARRET LE 13 DECEMBRE POUR LE QUID ATTAQUE SUR SA PRESENTATION DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN
Agence France Presse
25 octobre 2006 mercredi 4:59 PM GMT
La cour d’appel de Paris se prononcera le 13 decembre sur l’action
en justice intentee par plusieurs associations contre le Quid pour
sa presentation jugee contestable du genocide armenien dans son
edition 2003.
Quelques jours après le vote en première lecture de la proposition de
loi socialiste rendant passible de prison la negation de ce genocide,
la 11e chambre de la cour d’appel de Paris a examine mercredi l’appel
forme par le Quid contre sa condamnation civile prononcee par le
tribunal de grande instance (TGI) de Paris, le 6 juillet 2005.
Ce jour-la, le TGI de Paris avait estime que la presentation par le
Quid de cet episode historique etait fautive “au regard des exigences
attendues d’un ouvrage a vocation pedagogique qui se prevaut d’un
souci d’exactitude et de neutralite”.
La societe Robert Laffont et la societe Quid avaient ete condamnees
a payer solidairement a chacune des associations un euro de
dommages-interets.
Le Comite de defense de la Cause armenienne (CDCA), auquel s’etaient
jointes plusieurs associations, dont J’accuse et Memoire 2000,
remettaient en cause la presentation faite par le Quid 2003 du massacre
des Armeniens par la Turquie, estimant qu’elle aboutissait a nier le
caractère genocidaire de cet evenement historique.
Le CDCA reprochait notamment aux auteurs de l’ouvrage d’avoir
ecrit pour l’annee 1915: “Transfert d’Armeniens vers les province
meridionales de l’Empire ottoman (…) nombreux decès (epidemie,
maladie) pendant le voyage”.
Une presentation qui, selon la defense du CDCA, conduisait a gommer
“les massacres et donc forcement l’aspect genocidaire”.
Devant la cour, les associations ont repris les memes arguments,
defendant par ailleurs le fondement juridique de leur action, etabli
sur l’une des dispositions majeures du Code civil, l’article 1382
(“Tout fait quelconque de l’homme, qui cause a autrui un dommage,
oblige celui par la faute duquel il est arrive, a le reparer”) et qui
etait conteste par la defense du Quid, assuree par Me William Bourdon.
–Boundary_(ID_9/h6N7D+rbph8+Op1ZRRlA)–

ROUMANIE : LE SENATEUR LIBERAL VARUJAN VOSGANIAN FUTUR COMMISSAIRE EUROPEEN
Agence France Presse
25 octobre 2006 mercredi 12:08 PM GMT
Le senateur liberal Varujan Vosganian a ete designe comme futur
commissaire europeen de la Roumanie, après son adhesion a l’UE au 1er
janvier 2007, a annonce mercredi le Premier ministre Calin Tariceanu
au cours d’une reunion du gouvernement.
Age de 48 ans et issu de la minorite armenienne de Roumanie, qu’il
a representee au Parlement entre 1990 et 1996, M. Vosganian est un
economiste respecte et l’auteur de nombreuses etudes ainsi que de
plusiuers volumes de poesie et de fiction.
Depuis 2004, il etait senateur du Parti national liberal (PNL, au
pouvoir) et vice-president de l’Union des ecrivains.
Sa designation a fait l’objet d’âpres negociations entre M. Tariceanu,
qui est egalement president du PNL, et le chef de l’Etat Traian
Basescu, issu du Parti democrate (PD).
Selon des sources au sein de ces deux formations qui forment ensemble
l’Alliance DA, la nomination de M. Vosganian, proche de M. Tariceanu,
aurait ete acceptee par M. Basescu en echange de la demission du
ministre liberal de la Defense Teodor Atanasiu, annoncee egalement
mercredi.
Après avoir ete officiellement designes par leur gouvernement, les
nouveaux commissaires bulgare et roumain doivent etre entendus par
les commissions parlementaires competentes, selon le portefeuille
qui leur aura ete attribue.
Pour pouvoir accueillir les deux nouveaux venus, la Commission
europeenne, qui comptera 27 membres, devrait d’ici la reorganiser
les portefeuilles de certains de ses commissaires.
Le Parlement europeen se reunira en session extraordinaire le 4 janvier
prochain pour investir les nouveaux commissaires bulgare et roumain.
–Boundary_(ID_DQ5Tho4wNhj9+ESOzb1yAg)–
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIE ET TURQUIE
Stephanie Renaud
La Tribune de Geneve
25 octobre 2006 mercredi
Edition Tribune de Genève
Versoix, 19octobre. Enfin un geste ne serait-il pas temps pour
les Turcs d’assumer l’histoire de leur pays? Et tout simplement,
d’assumer leurs erreurs? Nier un tel massacre est pire que tout pour
la memoire des Armeniens et cela vaut pour tous les massacres qu’il y
a eu. Tolererions-nous que les Allemands descendent dans les rues pour
nier le massacre des juifs? Clamant haut et fort qu’ils n’y etaient
pour rien et que ca ne s’est pas passe? Non. La Turquie veut rentrer
dans l’Europe? Très bien, mais une telle fuite devant des actes passes
reflète bien la lâchete de ce pays et le fait qu’il n’assume rien. ( )
Regarder simplement la moyenne d’âge des Turcs qui manifestent contre
cette loi et vous comprendrez bien vite que les mentalites n’ont pas
change et ne sont pas pretes de changer
–Boundary_(ID_0lLB9Nkv+cZjrje5AccLyg)–