HEARING FOR GENOCIDE DENIAL CASE SET FOR SEPTEMBER 18
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 18 2006
On Monday, September 18, a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a
Turkish group and others seeking to rewrite history with respect to
the Armenian Genocide, will be heard in US District Court in Boston,
Massachusetts.
The lawsuit, filed last year by the Assembly of Turkish American
Associations (ATAA), asserts that the Massachusetts Department of
Education’s decision to remove denialist materials in the school
curriculum amounts to “censoring” and therefore would be a violation
of the First Amendment. The Armenian Assembly immediately responded
when the suit was filed, hiring a first-rate legal team that includes
Irwin Chemerinsky of Duke University and co-counsel Arnie Rosenfeld
of the firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham LLP, to fight
against this latest assault waged by revisionists seeking to deny
the Armenian Genocide.
The ATAA lawsuit is part of an ongoing Turkish campaign to deny the
historical truth. Having failed to insert their denialist materials
into the state curriculum, the ATAA brought the suit, arguing a tired
and discredited position that contradicts the current trend in Turkish
society to understand its past.

OSKANIAN: THE CO-CHAIRS ARE ASPIRING TO REVIVE THE KARABAKH SETTLEMENT PROCESS
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 17 2006
During today’s meeting Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian and
heads of Armenian diplomatic corps discussed issues of countering the
new challenges our country faces, as well as questions of economy,
politics and transport. Reference was made to the GUAM initiative to
transfer the issue of frozen conflicts to UN General Assembly agenda.
In Vardan Oskanian’s words, inclusion of the question in the UN agenda
demands active diplomatic work from us.
“Azerbaijan’s efforts to transfer the Karabakh issue to the UN
agenda pursue the aim of diverting the attention from the Minsk Group
process,” the Foreign Minister said. In his opinion, there are positive
prospects of achieving progress the OSCE framework.
“The Co-Chairs are aspiring to revive the document put on the table,
the principles of which are acceptable to us, RA Foreign Minister
stated.
Vardan Oskanian confirmed once again that in case Azerbaijan transfers
the Karabakh settlement process to the UN, Armenia will stay evolved
in the process but only together with Nagorno Karabakh.
Nevertheless, the Minister noted that the UN is not entitled to take
any decision.

REPORT ON MISSING PERSONS IN KARABAKH AND ABKHAZIA TO BE PRESENTED AT PACE WINTER SESSION
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 18 2006
In January 2007 the report on the missing persons in Nagorno
Karabakh and Abkhazia will be presented at the winter session of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, PACE Rapporteur on
Missing Persons Leo Platvoet told the journalists today. He said,
in particular, that his visit falls in the framework of the program
of International Committee of the Red Cross on exchange of prisoners
of war and missing persons. He noted that it is important not to
politicize the question and to cooperate. All the sides are ready for
cooperation, the Rapporteur noted, informing that the major aim of
his report is to collect information about the condition of prisoners
of war in the region.

RATIONAL ARMENIAN CITIZENS DO NOT WANT TO FACE DEATH BY PROTECTING ADVENTUROUS POLICY OF ARMENIAN PRESIDENT – AZERI MP
Author: J.Shahverdiyev
Trend
Today 19.09.2006
The concerns of Armenia on the development of Azerbaijan is clear,
politician Aydin Mirzazade, member of the Political Council of ruling
New Azerbaijan Party (NAP), Deputy Chairman of the Commission of Milli
Majlis [Azerbaijani Parliament] for Defense and Security, told Trend,
commenting on the statement made by Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
on 18 September in the Republic Forum “Armenia-Diaspora”.
It should be mentioned that the President of Armenia stated that
the “heroic fight of Artsakh and the negotiation process is part of
the 15-year independence of Armenia”. Touching upon the statement
regarding the war from the Azerbaijani side, he noted that he does
not consider the comment warrants a reply because the victory in the
war was achieved due to the battle spirit of people.
Mirzazade stressed that the Armenian President tries to hold
parallel measures in response to the steps of the Azerbaijani
President. “Recently he conducted meetings with Armenian Ambassadors
abroad. In parallel with the Congress of World Azerbaijanis, a congress
of Armenian diaspora was held last year. Probably in the future, they
will try to repeat the steps of our President. But I do not think
that they will be able to achieve it. This is because the potential
of our President and Kocharyan are different. Azerbaijan is eager
to restore its territorial integrity, but Armenia wants to connect
itself to the land of neighboring countries,” Mizazade stressed.
The Politician emphasized that Armenian officials have increased
their public-speaking in this regard. But irrespective of their
foreign optimism, the social-economic development of Azerbaijan is of
great concern for them. “The statements of high battle spirit of the
Armenian army are mere words. If Armenian soldiers have occupied the
territory of Azerbaijan, then the Azerbaijani soldier will release
his lands. It is clear that in this relation, the patriotism and
battle spirit of Azerbaijan soldier are high enough,” he underlined.
Mirzazade stressed that over the recent period, Armenia tries to avoid
the negotiations. The politician added that the international community
has begun to take an objective position regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. “Today the leading European countries require to withdraw
Armenian forces from occupied Azerbaijani territories. Today the
development of Azerbaijan and the policy of the Azerbaijan President
will lead to primary goals, the restoration of territorial integrity,
and it will happen soon,” Mirzazade pointed out.
In addition, Mirzazade stressed that the internal and foreign policy
pursued by Azerbaijan is true. In this respect, Armenia cannot
keep pace with Baku. The concerns of Armenia on the development of
Azerbaijan is clear. “Because today Armenia does not possess the
previous military capacity and support in international areas, the
sensible Armenian citizen does not want to face death by defending
the policy of the Armenian President,” he underlined.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CHIRAC TO VISIT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MONUMENT
United Press International
Sept 19 2006
PARIS, Sept. 19 (UPI) — French President Jacques Chirac plans to visit
a monument to the victims of Turkish genocide on a trip to Armenia.
Turkey has been unwilling to acknowledge that thousands of Armenians
were killed during World War I.
A Turkish newspaper, The New Anatolian, reporting on Chirac’s plans,
referred to the massacre as “the so-called Armenian genocide” and
said the president’s trip could be an additional strain on relations
between France and Turkey.
Chirac is scheduled to arrive in Armenia Sept. 29. He and President
Robert Kocharian are expected to discuss Armenian genocide claims and
the relationship between France and Armenia, The New Anatolian said.

ARMENIA’S TIGRAN HAMASYAN WINS FIRST PLACE IN 2006 THELONIOUS MONK INTERNATIOANL JAZZ PIANO COMPETITION
All About Jazz, PA
Posted: 2006-09-18
Helonious Monk Institute Of Jazz Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Music Legends Join Political Leaders For Star-Studded Gala
Stevie Wonder Honored By Former Secretaries Of State Madeleine Albright
And Colin Powell
Washington, DC–The world’s greatest jazz artists were on stage at
The Kennedy Center last night to honor the Thelonious Monk Institute
of Jazz and its two decades of music education. Herbie Hancock, Wayne
Shorter, Ron Carter, Patti Austin, John Patitucci, Terence Blanchard,
George Duke, Terri Lyne Carrington and many others joined a group
of young artists who have emerged from the Institute’s numerous
education programs over the years in a star-studded Gala Celebration
that was televised for broadcast on PBS and BET and will be broadcast
nationally over NPR and internationally over Voice of America.
The evening was the culmination of a weekend of festivities paying
tribute to the Institute, the world’s leading jazz education
organization. The weekend kicked off with President and Mrs. Bush
hosting a dinner and concert at the White House. The East Room concert,
hosted by Barbara Walters, will be telecast as an “In Performance at
the White House” PBS Special. Ms. Walters shared with the audience her
personal experiences and love of jazz through her father Lou Walters,
owner of the famed Latin Quarter jazz and music clubs located in Boston
(opened in 1937), Miami Beach (opened in 1940) and New York City
(opened in 1942). The concert included performances by Anita Baker,
Herbie Hancock, Nnenna Freelon, Clark Terry and many others.
The White House Concert was followed on Friday by a luncheon in the
United States Capitol hosted by Senators Ted Stevens and Thad Cochran
and Congressman John Conyers. All three of the legislators are major
advocates of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and have Institute
public school programs in their states and district.
Saturday featured the Semi-Finals of the Thelonious Monk International
Jazz Piano Competition at the Smithsonian Institution’s Baird
Auditorium. The Thelonious Monk Competition is the world’s most
prestigious jazz competition and has launched the careers of many
young jazz artists including pianists Marcus Roberts, Jacky Terrasson,
Joey DeFrancesco; saxophonist Joshua Redman and vocalists Jane Monheit
and Tierney Sutton. Saturday’s Semi-Finals featured 12 aspiring young
artists competing for major scholarships and the worldwide recognition
associated with participating in this annual internationally acclaimed
music event.
Last night’s 20th Anniversary Gala Concert featured the three
Finalists selected by the distinguished panel of judges, including
Herbie Hancock, Andrew Hill, Danilo Perez, Renee Rosnes, Billy Taylor
and Randy Weston. Each of the three Finalists – Gerald Clayton,
Tigran Hamasyan and Aaron Parks – performed before a packed house
at The Kennedy Center. Following the Finalists’ performances, the
evening shifted to an All-Star concert featuring a series of historic
performances including pairings of Wayne Shorter and Joshua Redman,
Terence Blanchard with Patti Austin, Jane Monheit with Herbie Hancock
and Ron Carter, and Monk’s son T.S. Monk performing Thelonious Monk’s
“Four In One.”
Honorary Co-Chairs of the 20th Anniversary Celebration Madeleine
Albright and Colin Powell shared with the audience their love of
jazz and support of the Institute’s global programs that range from
Calcutta, India to Lima, Peru and Cairo, Egypt. Albright and Powell
presented the Institute’s annual award, the Maria Fisher Founders
Award, to Stevie Wonder for his long time support of the Institute
and jazz education.
Albright and Powell were joined on stage by Quincy Jones and Herbie
Hancock for the presentation.
Hosts for the evening included Quincy Jones, Phylicia Rashad and Billy
Dee Williams. The 20th Anniversary Celebration was sponsored by General
Motors and Northrop Grumman. The Thelonious Monk International Jazz
Piano Competition was sponsored by G.M.A.C Financial Services.
The evening concluded with the announcement of this year’s Piano
Competition winners:
First Place: Tigran Hamasyan Second Place: Gerald Clayton Third Place:
Aaron Parks
ABOUT TIGRAN HAMASYAN Tigran Hamasyan was born in Gyumri, Armenia and
began playing piano at age 10. He currently attends the University
of Southern California where he is studying jazz piano. Influenced
by Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum,
Miles Davis and Bud Powell, Hamasyan began writing his first piano
compositions at a young age. He recently won first prize at the Monaco
Jazz Soloist Competition and has performed at concerts, competitions,
festivals throughout Europe.
ABOUT GERALD CLAYTON Gerald Clayton was born in Utrecht, The
Netherlands and was raised in Los Angeles. He began playing piano at
the age of five. Currently, Clayton is pursuing a Bachelor of Music
degree in Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California. In
addition to his studies, Clayton performs frequently and has played
with a host of well-respected musicians including Benny Green,
Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Baron, and Clark Terry. He recently appeared
on Back in the Swing of Things with the Clayton Brothers.
ABOUT AARON PARKS Aaron Parks was raised in Seattle, Washington and
began playing piano at age 10, learning mostly by ear.
He began is career in jazz at the age of 16 after leaving the
University of Washington to focus more intently on jazz studies at
the Manhattan School of Music in New York. Parks won first place in
the 5th American Jazz Piano Competition and is a Cole Porter Fellow
of the American Pianist Association. Currently, he tours with Terence
Blanchard and is featured on Blanchard’s CDs Bounce and Flow.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS REAL, AUTHOR SAYS
By Kristen Stimola – News Writer
Lehigh University The Brown and White, PA
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
“The Armenian genocide is to World War I as the Holocaust is to World
War II,” Peter Balakian, author of the critically acclaimed book,
“Black Dog of Fate,” said Thursday.
During World War I, the Turkish government allegedly massacred
Armenians. The facts of the masacre and the use of the term “genocide”
are still being disputed among some countries and organizations.
Balakian’s talk was spurred from a letter written to the Lehigh Patriot
last year, which was previously called The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy.
The letter was from an Armenian student who was telling his story,
the following week the letter was contradicted by the Turkish Student
Union.
More than 30 students were protesting outside Whitaker Lab and police
were on guard. A hundred students, faculty, and community members
attended the lecture.
“Genocides are crimes against humanity,” Balakian said.
The Turkish Student Union was handing out pamphlets denying the
Armenian genocide.
Balakian said some writers are facing jail sentences from publishing
information about the Armenian genocide.
“Turkey doesn’t allow intellectual freedom,” Balakian said. “You are
being denied access to your own history.”
Turkey leads the world with the number of writers and reporters on
trial for reporting on this issue.
“What’s controversial inside Turkey isn’t controversial in the rest
of the world,” Balakian said.
The movement for Armenia began in Boston’s Faneuil Hall in November
of 1894.
The President of the United Friends of Armenia was Julia Ward Howe,
a speaker against the Turkish massacres of Armenians.
Balakian said Armenians were drafted into amele taburlari, labor
battalions of the Ottoman army.
Stripped of weapons, they were massacred while on labor
assignments. The plan was to get rid of all able-bodied men first.
“People say, ‘denial of genocide is the final stage of genocide,'”
Balakian said.
Clara Barton was the first person to take the Red Cross out of the
United States to aid Armenian survivors in 1896. This was the first
movement of its kind.
Previously, the United States had sent money, but this was the first
time they went to the country in person.
Balakian said he thought the Armenian genocide should be taught in
history as a part of World War I.
He said it was the first modern example of genocide and a landmark
event that changed history.
Balakian said the history of the 21st century cannot be explained
properly without understanding the Armenian genocide.
Balakian’s award-winning book, “Black Dog of Fate,” recounts the
experiences of his ancestors during the Armenian genocide.
It was selected as a Notable Book of 1997 by the New York Times and was
described as “at once a family memoir, a history of the extermination
of the Armenians in Turkey, and the story of a young man’s passage
into adulthood.”
“Black Dog of Fate” earned the 1998 PEN Martha Albrand Prize for Memoir
and the 1998 New Jersey Council for the Humanities Book Award. It
was also a best book of the year selection for the Los Angeles Times,
Publisher’s Weekly and Library Journal.

CATHOLICOS KAREKIN II: ARMENIAN DIASPORA’S DREAM BECOMES REALITY
REGNUM
September 19, 2006
“After 15 years, time has come to serve people, uniting forces of
Armenia and Diaspora. It is our ultimate goal, it is exactly here
that our nation’s prosperity source is,” the Catholicos Karekin II
is quoted by REGNUM correspondent to state on Sep 18 at the third
Armenia-Diaspora Forum’s opening ceremony.
“Armenian people should use its state government and Diaspora to keep
pace with economic development.
Besides, to strengthen spiritual values, it is necessary to build
new churches and schools. Armenia today faces numerous challenges,”
he stressed. Karekin II also emphasized the importance of programs
aimed at rural areas’ developing, considering it to be an important
element of the country’s social-economic development. Concluding,
the Catholicos reminded that Armenian Diaspora has been dreaming of
returning home for centuries; now, every opportunity is available to
realize the dream.
Catholicos of Cilicia Aram I noted that Diaspora’s participation
in Armenia’s life should not be restricted to economic
donations. According to him, Armenia’s main problems are the
issue of recognition of Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey and
recognition of Nagorno Karabakh Republic independence – “Diaspora’s
participation in these programs will provide them with all-Armenian
understanding.” “This cooperation should be based on supreme
values. The building of Armenian nation should stand on a stable
foundation that should be built by us – the whole Armenianhood,”
Aram I stated.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

138 FREIGHT CARRIAGES DELIVERED FROM GEORGIA TO ARMENIA
Author: E.Huseynov
Trend
Today 19.09.2006
One hundred thirty-eight freight carriages have been delivered from
the Group of Russian Forces military base dislocated in South Caucasus
to Armenia, Elbrus Orujev, the Military Attach¨¦ of the Azerbaijani
Embassy in Georgia told Trend in an exclusive interview.
Six trains comprised of 121 freight carriages were withdrawn from 12
military bases in Batumi to 102nd base in Gumri (Armenia) by rail,
while one train comprising of l7 carriages left the 62nd military
base in Akhalkalaki. The equipment comprises 19 armored vehicles, 12
missile artillery weapons, 121 automobiles, 6 communications equipment,
8 engineering material, and 38 food service equipment.
In parallel with the supplies from 102 bases in Gumri, 182 pieces
of military equipment were withdrawn by automobiles. The supplies
comprised of 12 pieces of 100mm anti-tank guns §´-10, 19 battle
vehicles of anti-tank missile complexes Shturm -§³, 9 missile systems
of volley fire BM-21 Grad, 4 zenith missile complexes Strela 10 and
8 tons of ammunitions of different caliber.
Undertaking an OSCE obligation, after repeated statements by the
Georgian authorities and the Parliament, Russia withdrew its military
bases from Georgia.
–Boundary_(ID_7R8nb45ULhBi2ts3OcATIw)–

AWAITING ANOTHER KONDOPOGA
By Nabi Abdullaev – Staff Writer
St Petersburg Times
September 19, 2006
MOSCOW – Stoking fears of escalating xenophobia, a man died in a
brawl involving ethnic Armenians in the Saratov region last week and
three people were hospitalized after an attack on an anti-migration
rally in St. Petersburg on Sunday (see story, this page).State Duma
deputies sounded the alarm about a surge in violence. But they also
approved legislation that would increase penalties for those who
employ illegal migrants – a populist vote, critics said, that tapped
into widespread xenophobia.
The country is on edge after clashes and riots targeting Chechens in
the Karelian town of Kondopoga killed two people earlier this month.
Local residents clashed with four ethnic Armenians in a cafe in the
town of Volsk on Sept. 10, Saratov regional police said Friday. Three
ethnic Russians suffered knife wounds, and one later died in the
hospital.
Police and the local Armenian diaspora downplayed suggestions that
the fight was racially motivated. But Ekho Moskvy radio reported the
fight was followed the next day by an attack on ethnic Armenians at a
Volsk technical college that injured one student. Police denied the
report and said two ethnic Armenians involved in the cafe fight had
been placed on a national wanted list.
On Sunday, masked people attacked a rally by the radical Movement
Against Illegal Immigration in St. Petersburg, sparking a fight that
led to three people being hospitalized, Interfax reported.
About 30 activists were attending the rally to demand the expulsion
of Caucasus natives from Kondopoga, where people raided and destroyed
small businesses run by Caucasus natives after two locals were stabbed
to death in a fight with Chechen migrants.
The Movement Against Illegal Immigration also organized a
rally Thursday in Moscow to protest Caucasus natives in Russian
universities. Police tried to prevent the rally by detaining about
200 young men near the Dobryninskaya metro station.
Also Thursday, several dozen young men, some of them described by
witnesses as skinheads, participated in a fight inside the Oktyabrskaya
metro station. No one was detained.
In the Duma on Friday, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party Deputy
Sergei Ivanov likened the situation around the Moscow rally and metro
fight to that in Kondopoga. He said many of those detained at the
rally were carrying knives. As for the metro fight, Ivanov said,
“This was not a routine clash, and it happened in the capital,”
Interfax reported.
United Russia Deputy Alexander Khinshtein deplored a clash between
Chechen youths and police in the city of Saratov on Aug. 29 that
killed one officer and injured three others.
“Police are afraid to bring these people to justice,” he said,
accusing the youths of being “closely related to the Chechen
authorities.” The fight occurred after the officers quarreled with
three Chechen youths in a cafe, Saratov press reported. The three
left the cafe and later returned with a dozen friends, armed with
knives and baseball bats. Three suspects have been detained.
Several nationalist web sites reported Friday that revenge attacks were
being carried out in Volsk after the Sept. 10 fight. A spokesman for
the Saratov regional police, Alexei Yegorov, said police were worried
and had dispatched more street patrols in Volsk. But he denied any
escalation in ethnic tensions. “There have not been any pogroms in
Volsk after that drunken brawl, no friction whatsoever between the
locals and members of the Caucasus diaspora,” he said.
Araik Kosyan, vice president of KRUNK, the biggest Armenian diaspora
organization in the region, said he was not aware of any revenge
attacks. “I’ve talked to representatives of other diasporas, the
Azeris and the Chechens, and they also do not confirm any attacks
against their people,” he said.
Politicians might be overreacting to incidents involving Caucasus
natives after Kondopoga, said Boris Makarenko, an analyst with the
Center for Political Technologies. “Now the voices of the ‘hawks’
will be much better received by the public than those of sober-minded
politicians and media,” he said.
The public seems to be ready for ethnic violence: Over 57 percent of
Russians believe violence could break out in their towns, according to
a survey this month by the state-controlled VTsIOM pollster. Russians’
belief that their town could be affected grew in proportion with the
size of the town, reaching 89 percent in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Human rights activists said the authorities needed to intervene
to prevent routine clashes from escalating into Kondopoga-style
violence. “Authorities need to state clearly that any calls to expel
natives of the Caucasus will never be met because they are against the
law,” said Galina Kozhevnikova of Sova, which tracks ethnic violence.
Alexei Mukhin, an analyst with the Center of Political Information,
suggested that the flare-up in xenophobia might be used by the
government to push through stricter anti-migrant laws.