PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
IRAQI PRIMATES VISIT ANTELIAS
His Holiness Aram I met with the primates of the Armenian and Syrian
communities of Iraq in his office in Antelias on May 30. Primate of the
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Iraq Archbishop Avak Assadourian and
Primate of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Baghdad and Basra Mor Severios Hawa
discussed with the Pontiff the situation in Iraq and particularly the
difficulties the country’s Christian communities face.
The primates assured His Holiness that despite the ongoing lack of security
in Iraq, the country’s Christian communities are well organized. They
pointed out that a number of projects planned by Churches in Iraq need
overseas funding.
The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) helps these Christian communities
to a certain extent. The Primates asked His Holiness Aram I to intervene
with the MECC for increased support taking into consideration the economic
crisis in Iraq.
##
View photo here: tm#2
*****
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

May 31, 2006 05:02:04 PM |
<; News From Georgia < ia> >>
Power games in the Caucasus
Source: BBc News: By Kieran Cooke, 2006-05-07
In Dgvari village, Georgia
Roman Gogoladze, a farmer living in the village of Dgvari, high up in
the mountains of Georgia in the Caucasus, points at the foot wide
cracks in the walls of his house.
The whole structure looks as though it will soon collapse and slide
down the valley.
“Big powers – the oil companies and the government – are destroying
our homes and our land,” he says.
“They are playing their money games and ignore people like us.”
The anger of Mr Gogoladze and other villagers in Dgvari is mainly
directed at BP, the energy giant leading a consortium which recently
completed the world’s longest pipeline project, stretching 1,767kms
from Baku in Azerbaijan via Tbilisi in Georgia to the port of Ceyhan
on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline and an associated South
Caucasus gas supply line are sunk into the mountainside less than one
kilometer above Dgvari.
Villagers say pipeline excavations have seriously destabilised
surrounding lands and allege that promised amounts of compensation
have not been paid.
BP insists work on the BTC is not to blame for Dgvari’s landslide
problems.
It says it has offered $1m (£550,000) of humanitarian aid to the
government to help resettle the villagers elsewhere.
Foreign investment
Georgia, one of the richest republics in the old USSR, went into sharp
economic decline following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the
country’s independence in the early 1990s.
As Russia’s economy went into free-fall, Georgia lost its key export
market, particularly for its food produce and wine.
More than a million of the country’s 5m people were forced to emigrate
in search of jobs.
Though there have been limited signs of economic improvement recently,
the country – with much of its infrastructure in a state of near
collapse, most of its industry at a standstill and estimates of
unemployment varying between 30% and 50% – is in desperate need of
investment.
The Georgian government says the BTC project will play a central role
in rejuvenating the country’s economy.
According to government statistics, more than 60% of total foreign
investment over the past two years has been associated with the
project.
“I have no illusions that this pipeline will solve all our problems,
but this is a start,” says Georgia’s president, Mikhail Saakashvili.
Seismic zone
However, many farmers along the route of the BTC, plus local
environmental groups, have voiced strong opposition.
The oil and gas pipelines go near the source of the country’s famed
Borjumi spring water, a principal export.
Georgia is in a seismic zone: the BTC’s critics say any earthquake
activity could cause massive environmental and economic damage.
The $3.6bn BTC project, strongly backed by the US and British
governments, plays a key role in an increasingly frenzied battle for
control of vital energy sources in the Caspian region and Central
Asia, with Washington and London viewing the presence of the pipeline
as a vital counterbalance to Russia’s growing control over the area’s
energy supplies.
The Georgian government not only hopes to gain much needed funds from
charging for the transit of oil and gas through its territory.
With much of its own energy sources, including a network of hydro
stations, in a state of severe disrepair, the country is heavily
dependent on imports, particularly of gas, supplied by Russia.
Moscow, which has military bases in Georgia, has watched with concern
as its former republic has turned to the West: US military advisors
are training the Georgian army – President Bush visited Tbilisi last
year, describing the country as “a beacon of freedom.”
At the beginning of this year Russia doubled the price of gas it
supplies to Georgia.
In late January, in the middle of one of the coldest winters on
record, an as yet unexplained explosion severed the pipeline carrying
Russian gas to Georgia, leaving a large part of the country without
power for a week.
President Saakashvili was quick to point the finger at Moscow,
alleging his country was the victim of “outrageous blackmail.”
Power and influence
Georgia is seeking to diversify energy supplies, though a gas import
agreement with Iran met with Washington’s disapproval and was quickly
terminated.
The government is now negotiating terms for a gas supply from the BTC
associated South Caucasus Pipeline project.
Yet while the government says it’s trying to escape from Moscow’s
shadow, there are indications powerful political factions are pressing
for the sell-off of the country’s power sector to Russian interests.
“Strange games are going on here,” says Mrs Salome Zourabichvili, the
country’s former foreign minister, sacked by Mr Saakashvili last year.
“There’s a lot of infighting in government with a pro-Moscow faction
seeming to get the upper hand.
“What is white is black and vice versa. As everywhere else in the
territories of the old Soviet Union, Russia is using its power as an
energy producer to further its influence.”
Empty promises
The complexities of local politics, big power rivalries and the energy
business mean little to Roman Gogoladze and his fellow farmers in the
village of Dgvari.
The government says there’s a growing danger of landslides and has
told the village’s 500 inhabitants they must leave.
“The Russians, BP, the government – they’re all the same,” says Mr
Gogoladze.
“All sorts of promises are made but nothing ever happens.
“When we protested against the pipelines, the police came and beat
people up. Not one person in the village was given work on the
project. Indians and Columbians were brought in instead and we were
left with nothing – but we are never going to leave our lands.”
31.5.2006
News From < aijan>
Azerbaijan >>
PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV RECEIVES UKRAINIAN DELEGATION LED MY MINISTER
OF FUEL AND ENERGY IVAN PLACHKOV
Source: Azetag, 2006-05-16
On May 16, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received at the
Presidential Palace the delegation of Ukraine led by the country’s
Minister of Fuel and Energy Ivan Plachkov.
The Head of State described current relations between Azerbaijan and
Ukraine as steadily developing. The President pointed out he had
recently discussed different aspects of bilateral cooperation with his
Ukrainian counterpart, adding they will meet during the forthcoming
summit of GUAM member states in Kiev.
Ivan Plachkov conveyed to the Azerbaijani leader greetings and letter
from President Viktor Yuschenko. In the letter, the Ukrainian leader
expressed readiness to promote further development of his country’s
all-round cooperation with Azerbaijan. Describing the
Azerbaijan-Ukraine relations as strategic, Viktor Yuschenko noted he
is looking forward to meeting with the Azerbaijani President during
the coming GUAM summit in Kiev.
President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude for the greetings from
Viktor Yuschenko, and asked Mr. Plachkov to convey his own ones to the
Ukrainian leader.
31.5.2006
News From Armenia < ia>
>>
FOUNTAINS AND GREEN ZONES OF NORTHERN AVENUE TO BE CHANGED
Source: Noyan Tapan, 2006-05-15
A considerable reconstruction work is necessary in order to put in
operation again the fountrains of Yerevan’s Northern Avenue currently
under construction, because the infrastructures supplying these
fountains are too old. Chief Architect of Yerevan Samvel Danielian
told NT correspondent about it. According to him, the Urban
Development Council of Yerevan is now examining a version of
constructing Northern Avenue, by which the upper level of the avenue
is viewed as a green area, while fountains will be installed below –
at the “minus 1” level. Besides, a version to build an underground car
parking space at the “minus 2” level all along Northern Avenue is
being discussed. The car parking lots will not be built only at the
area limited by Eznik Koghbatsi and Abovian Streets, where it is
envisaged to construct the Old Yerevan historical and architectural
complex of 14 buildings.
31.5.2006
International < mational>
News >>
Kazakhstan mulls Baku- Erzurum gas pipeline link
Source: New Europe, 2006-05-15
Kazakhstan is thinking about linking up with the Baku-Erzurum gas
pipeline, Danial Akhmetov, Kazakhstan’s prime minister, said at a
briefing in Baku. `Kazakhstan is thinking of linking up to this new
gas pipeline, which will create not only new alternatives for our
country but new and I’d say more interesting economic opportunities,
because Greece lies directly beyond Erzurum, and then Italy. This
would give Kazakhstan access to the European markets,’ Interfax quoted
Akhmetov as saying.
The Baku-Erzurum pipeline, capacity 30 billion cubic metres of gas
annually, will be built in September this year, Akhmetov said. The
pipeline will carry gas produced at Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz field to
market.
Akhmetov also said that he discussed Kazakhstan’s participation in the
Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline construction with Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad in Baku on Friday before last.
`The meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was devoted
primarily to the issue that the (Kazakh) President (Nursultan
Nazarbayev) asked (me to discuss), namely integration in the sphere of
energy resources, new opportunities and Iran’s attitude to
Kazakhstan’s participation in, say, the construction of the
Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline,’ Akhmetov said.
The Shah Deniz project participants are BP – 25.5 percent (technical
operator), Statoil – 25.5 percent (commercial operator), Azeri state
oil company SOCAR – 10 percent, Luk-Agip – 10 percent, Total – 10
percent, National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) – 10 percent and TPAO –
nine percent. The Trans-Caspian pipeline would be built along the
Tengiz (Kazakhstan) – Turkmenbashi (Turkmenistan) – Baku (Azerbaijan)
– Tbilisi (Georgia) – Erzurum (Turkey) route.
Kazakhstan also expects to sign an agreement to use the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline to transport its own oil in the
second half of June, Akhmetov said. `The agreement between Azerbaijan
and Kazakhstan on the BTC pipeline will in principle be closed in
May. I think that in the second half of June we will do everything
possible for the heads of state to sign it,’ Akhmetov said.
Azeri state oil company SOCAR and Kazakhstan’s national oil and gas
company KazMunaiGaz began talks on Kazakhstan using the BTC pipeline
in November 2002. Tankers will ship the Kazakh oil from Aktau to
Baku. Initially, the BTC will carry 7.5 million tonnes of Kazakh oil
per year, rising to 20 million tonnes per year in time. The
1,767-kilometre BTC pipeline is capable of carrying 50 million tonnes
of oil per year. The BTC project participants are BP (30.1 percent),
SOCAR (25 percent), Unocal (8.9 percent), Statoil (8.71 percent), TPAO
(6.53 percent), ENI (five percent), Itochu (3.4 percent),
ConocoPhillips (2.5 percent), INPEX (2.5 percent), Total (5 percent)
and Amerada Hess (2.36 percent).
31.5.2006
International < rence>
Seminar / Conference / Meeting >>
International Conference 2006: “Reviewing the past for reshaping the
future”
(Addressing root causes of Conflicts & Environmental Hazards)
This International Conference is organized by “Eastern University of
Sri Lanka” as a part of Silver Jubilee celebration on the theme
“Reviewing the Past for Reshaping the Future”.
Over the past few decades Sri Lanka had faced numerous natural hazards
and a major ethnic conflict which led to the loss of lives and
destruction of properties and the natural environment of the
country. The conference aims to examine various aspects of the issues
in order to initiate dialogue that can lead to formulate strategies
and mechanisms for a secure future.
Official Website of the International Conference 2006:
Re ference:
Conference Brochure
Researchers are invited to submit papers relating to one or more of the
following areas; (1) Political Economy of Development, (2) Environmental
Issues, (3) Revisiting Tsunami, (4) Conflict, (5) Good Governance, (6)
Traditions and Cultural Diversity, (7) Public Health, (8) Education, (9)
Gender Concerns.
Important Dates of the Conference,
Submission of Abstracts – 07th July 2006
Revision of Abstracts – 31st July 2006
Submission of Full papers – 20th September 2006
Final Submission of Full papers – 20th October 2006
Date of Conference – 11th and 12th December 2006
Inauguration of the International Conference will be on the 10th
December
2006 and the Conference will be held at the Eastern University, Sri
Lanka on
the 11th and 12th December 2006.
Read more -> (.PDF File
Format,
4 MB)
Interested personnel can register now.
Postal Address:
Conference Secretariat,
International Conference -2006,
Eastern University of Sri Lanka,
Vantharumoolai,
Chenkalady 30350,
Sri Lanka.
Contact Persons: Dr. M. Printhan and Ms. V.R. Ragel
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: +94-65-2241205, 2240757
+94-65-2240490 Ext-404
Fax: +94-65-2241205, 2240758
Registration Fee,
Participants from SAARC countries, U.S. $ 50 accompanying U.S. $ 25
(SAARC countries are India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal,
Bhutan, Sri Lanka and The Maldives)
Other Foreign Participants, U.S. $ 100 accompanying U.S. $ 50
Local Participants, Rs. 1000
Local Students, Rs. 250
Payments to be made by a bank draft to the Account Number 1-67-000503-3
at
the Peoples Bank-Chenkalady Branch, Sri Lanka.
31.5.2006
< gt; Job / Internship / Study Opportunity >>
EarthCorps – Training Programme
EarthCorps has five open positions for the Greenway training program
scheduled for February 2007. Please find the EarthCorps international
position < ion.doc>
description, Candidate
< %20Nomination%20form.doc>
Nomination
form and also information on what to
< ct%20-%20ECG.doc> expect.
Candidate Nomination Deadline: 1 July 2006.
For more information, please visit website:
nal.php
International Corpsmember: Environmental Conservation and Restoration
EarthCorps: Greenway International Program
Location: Seattle, Washington (USA)
For more information, please contact Mark Howard, International
Coordinator:
[email protected]

Mark Howard
EarthCorps
International Coordinator
6310 NE 74th St., Suite 201E
Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 322-9296 ext. 224 office
(206) 322-9312 fax

31.5.2006
Announcement < ncement> >>
CLIMATE JUSTICE PHOTO COMPETITION LAUNCHED
Source: ENWL, 2006-05-17
On May 17, 2006 Friends of the Earth International announced the
launch of its first-ever photo competition, which will gather photos
on the theme of climate justice from around the globe. The best shots
will feature in a 2007 FoEI wall calendar and in a traveling photo
exhibit.
Friends of the Earth International is the world’s largest grassroots
environmental network, uniting 71 diverse national member groups and
some 5,000 local activist groups on every continent, and totaling 1.5
million members and supporters around the world.
We are looking for imaginative, striking photos that illustrate the
impacts that the changing climate is having on people and the
environment; that show who is responsible for dangerous climate
change; and that show the way forward towards climate justice.
Our global photo competition is free of charge, and both professional
and amateur photographers are invited to submit photos. We
particularly encourage young people, women and people living in the
developing world to take part.
The deadline for entries is July 15, 2006.
FOR MORE INFORMATION and competition rules:
31.5.2006
Su bscribing Information
CENN lists are created to maintain e-mail discussions of Caucasus
Environmental NGO Network members. CENN has been distributing
information since 1998.
All the published digests and bulletins issued in both English and
Russian languages present incredibly rich environmental information
base that give the reader the whole picture of the environmental
process taking place during the recent 5 years in the South Caucasus
region as well as abroad.
To subscribe or unsubscribe from CENN mailing list service, please
send an email to [email protected] and place the
`subscribe’ or `unsubscribe’ command as the first line of the message
body.
If you would like the information about your organization and
activities to be distributed via the CENN mailing lists (the current
number of CENN mailing list members represents 11049), if you want
your voice to be heard around the world, please send your information
at the following email: [email protected].
For more information about the program, please visit CENN web-page:

Caucasus Environmental NGO Network 2006
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
Tel:+995 32 75 19 03/04
Fax:+995 32 75 19 05
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: <;

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Center for National and International Studies
75 Yerznkian Street
0033 Yerevan, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 10) 52.87.80 or 27.48.18
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website:
May 30, 2006
ACNIS Hosts Policy Forum on Middle East Peace
Yerevan–The Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS)
today convened in its conference hall an off-the-record presentation and
panel discussion, entitled “Big Dream, Small Hope,” on the Middle East peace
process.
Addressed by visiting experts Professor Mohammed Dajani Daodi, director and
founder of the American Studies Institute at Al-Quds University and the
Jerusalem Studies and Research Institute, and Dr. Daniel Noah Moses of the
Harvard School of Education, the meeting brought together scholars, policy
specialists, diplomats, media commentators, political leaders and other
public figures. It was moderated by ACNIS senior analyst Hovsep Khurshudian.
Founded in 1994 by Armenia’s first Minister of Foreign Affairs Raffi K.
Hovannisian and supported by a global network of contributors, ACNIS serves
as a link between innovative scholarship and the public policy challenges
facing Armenia and the Armenian people in the post-Soviet world. It also
aspires to be a catalyst for creative, strategic thinking and a wider
understanding of the new global environment. In 2006, the Center focuses
primarily on civic education, conflict resolution, and applied research on
critical domestic and foreign policy issues for the state and the nation.
For further information on the Center and its activities, call (37410)
52-87-80 or 27-48-18; fax (37410) 52-48-46; e-mail [email protected] or
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Center for National and International Studies
75 Yerznkian Street
0033 Yerevan, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 10) 52.87.80 or 27.48.18
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website:
May 31, 2006
RAFFI HOVANNISIAN WELCOMES FLETCHER DELEGATION
Yerevan–Raffi K. Hovannisian, Armenia’s first Minister of Foreign Affairs,
received Dean Stephen Bosworth and Professor Alan Henrikson of the Fletcher
School of Law and Diplomacy at ACNIS headquarters today. They were
accompanied by Mrs. Christine Bosworth, Tufts University trustee Joyce
Barsam, and president Aso Tavitian of the Tavitian Foundation.
Raffi Hovannisian greeted his distinguished guests, warmly recalling his
acquaintance with Dean Bosworth and his study under Professor Henrikson, who
taught American Diplomatic History to Hovannisian a quarter of a century
ago. Hovannisian offered a tour d’horizon of Armenia’s foreign and public
policy, its regional challenges and international prospects.
Raffi Hovannisian graduated from the Fletcher School, located in Medford,
Massachusetts, with a M.A.L.D. degree in 1982, specializing in International
Law and Diplomacy, the Foreign Policies of Communist Countries, and
Civilization and World Affairs.
Founded in 1994 by Raffi Hovannisian and supported by a global network of
contributors, the Armenian Center for National and International Studies
(ACNIS) serves as a link between innovative scholarship and the public
policy challenges facing Armenia and the Armenian people in the post-Soviet
world. It also aspires to be a catalyst for creative, strategic thinking and
a wider understanding of the new global environment. In 2006, the Center
focuses primarily on civic education, conflict resolution, and applied
research on critical domestic and foreign policy issues for the state and
the nation.
For further information on the Center and its activities, call (37410)
52-87-80 or 27-48-18; fax (37410) 52-48-46; e-mail [email protected] or
[email protected]

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:
PRESS RELEASE
May 31, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
GRASSROOTS PRESSURE BUILDING FOR
CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS ON EVANS FIRING
— Armenian American Activists Sending ANCA
WebFaxes to their Members of Congress
— Tens of Thousands in Armenia Participate in
“Yellow Ribbon” Campaign to Protest Evans Firing
WASHINGTON, DC – Tens of thousands of Armenians – in the United
States and Armenia – have voiced their outrage over the
Administration’s firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall
Evans, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
In Armenia, tens of thousands of Armenians took part in the “Yellow
Ribbon Campaign” to protest the Evans firing and, more broadly, to
voice opposition to a number of recent instances in which foreign
diplomats stationed in Armenia have denied the Armenian Genocide.
The campaign, which took place at the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to
the Armenian Genocide in Yerevan, started on April 24th with
countless thousands of individual Armenians each tying a single
yellow ribbons on 100-yard lengths of rope stretched along the
walking path leading to the Genocide Monument.
In the United States, Armenian American activists have called for
Congressional hearings into the Government of Turkey’s role in
dismissal of this highly-respected 35-year Foreign Service veteran
over his honest and accurate description of the Armenian Genocide
as a clear case of genocide. The ANCA WebFax system – on the web
at – has been used by activists from throughout the
United States – including a large number from state and districts
represented by Members of committees with oversight responsibility
of the State Department. In their WebFaxes, these concerned
citizens have stressed that: “Ambassador Evans is, in effect, being
punished for honoring his President’s pledge to properly recognize
the Armenian Genocide – a promise that George W. Bush made on the
campaign trail in February of 2000 but abandoned once in the White
House. Ambassador Evans should be praised, not dismissed, for
rejecting “gag-rules” imposed by the Turkish Government on the
discussion of the Armenian Genocide by America’s leaders at home
and diplomats abroad.”
In demanding hearings on the Evans firing, the WebFaxers note that
these inquiries should “include testimony by all the key figures
involved, including the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and
National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. Among the issues that
should be explored are the role of the Turkish Government in
exporting its suppression of speech to the United States and the
implications for the future of the Foreign Service if a senior
American diplomat’s career has been ended simply for acknowledging
the historical record on one of the world’s greatest human rights
tragedies.”
Commenting on the lack of openness by the Administration in dealing
with this matter, the WebFax letters note that, “the Administration
has lacked the courage to speak honestly – either to Congress or
the American people – about its reasons for firing Ambassador
Evans. Hopefully, these hearings will provide the transparency
that we, as citizens, have the right to expect of our government.”
The firing of Amb. Evans was the result of his February 2005
statements at Armenian American community functions characterizing
the Armenian Genocide as a genocide. Following his statements,
Amb. Evans was forced to issue a statement clarifying that his
references to the Armenian Genocide were his personal views and did
not represent a change in US policy. He subsequently issued a
correction to this statement, replacing a reference to the genocide
with the word “tragedy.”
The American Foreign Service Association, which had planned to
honor Amb. Evans with the “Christian A. Herter Award,” recognizing
creative thinking and intellectual courage within the Foreign
Service, reportedly rescinded the award following pressure from the
State Department a few days before Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Washington, DC to meet with President
Bush.
Congressional Response:
On the eve of the announcement of Evans’ replacement, sixty Members
of Congress, led by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), sent a letter to
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking for clarification of the
reasons behind Amb. Evans’ recall. Earlier, Congressional Armenian
Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) had each officially called on
Secretary Rice for a clarification of the State Department’s
position on this issue. They have yet to receive any response to
their inquiries.
Media Response:
The Los Angeles Times, in a strongly worded March 22nd editorial,
made direct reference to Amb. Evans’ impending dismissal, calling
on the Turkish Government and U.S. State Department to end their
policies of Armenian Genocide denial.
On March 24th, the Fresno Bee, published a similarly strong
editorial condemning Evans’ firing. The Washington Times, on May
26th, ran a story about the “geopolitical firestorm” created by
Evans’ remarks.
The publisher of the California Courier, Harut Sassounian, in his
weekly column, urged U.S. Senators to place a “hold” on the
nomination of Richard Hoagland, the diplomat slated to replace
Ambassador Evans. This action in response to the Administration’s
unresponsiveness, argued Sassounian, will force the White House to
fully explain the reasons behind its early termination of
Ambassador Evans’ career.
Armenian Youth Response:
At the Armenian Youth Federation Junior Educational Seminar, held
in Western Pennsylvania over the Memorial Day weekend, over 400
young Armenian Americans designed, produced, and signed original
petitions protesting the Administration’s decision to fire Amb.
Evans for telling the truth about the Armenian Genocide.

May 31, 2006
PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: <; WESTERN PRELACY'S NEW RELIGIOUS AND EXECUTIVE COUNCILS ELECT THEIR DIVANS The newly elected Religious and Executive Councils of our Western Prelacy, elected at the 34th National Representatives Assembly (May 19 and May 20), held their first meeting on Tuesday, May 30, at the temporary Prelacy office in Encino. During the meetings, held under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, the new councils elected their divans. The Religious Council's meetings took place in the afternoon of May 30. The council consists of the following divan and advisors: Very Rev. Fr. Muron Aznikian Chairman Very Rev. Fr. Barthev Gulumian Vice-Chair Rev. Vazken Atmajian Secretary Rev. Gomidas Torossian Advisor Rev. Razmig Khatchadourian Advisor Rev. Vahan Gosdanian Advisor Rev. Ardag Demirjian Advisor The Executive Council's meeting took place in the evening of the same day. The council consists of the following divan and advisors: Dr. Garo Agopian Chairman Dr. Hagop Der Megerdichian Vice-Chair Mr. Boghos Sassounian Secretary Mr. Vahan Bezdikian Treasurer Mr. Garbis Bezdjian Advisor Mr. Garo Avakian Advisor Mr. Meher Der Ohanessian Advisor Dr. Navasart Kazazian Advisor Mr. Nerses Melkonian Advisor Mr. Vahe Hovaguimian Advisor Mr. Varoujan Der Simonian Advisor Divan Western Prelacy

NEWS RELEASE
CS Media Enterprises, LLC
15 South Fifth Street, Suite 900
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402
Contact: Vincent Lima
Tel: 374-93-939392
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
“THE ARMENIAN REPORTER INTERNATIONAL”
CHANGES HANDS, REMAINS INDEPENDENT
“The Armenian Reporter International” was purchased on 19 May by CS
Media Enterprises, LLC, which is owned by the Cafesjian Family
Foundation, a private foundation established by Gerard L. Cafesjian.
Based in the New York metropolitan area, the “Armenian Reporter”
carries news from every Armenian community in and out of the United
States. The newspaper, established in 1967, likewise covers political,
social, cultural, and other developments in Armenia and surrounding
countries.
CAFESJIAN FAMILY FOUNDATION INVESTS
The Cafesjian Family Foundation is a partner is the largest
independent media company in Armenia . CS Media Armenian operations
include Armenia TV, CNN Armenia, TV 5, ArmNews, Radio FM 107, CS Films
(formerly HyeFilm), Armenia Film Studios, and CS Publishing. Armenia
TV, the largest and highest rated television channel in Armenia, is
broadcast throughout the Republics of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh,
and is available via satellite in Europe , Russia, and the Middle
East, and via Dish Network in the United States .
Mr. Cafesjian has numerous other business and philanthropic activities
in Armenia. They include Cascade Capital Holdings, a financial
services group that is introducing Western insurance, credit, and
banking practices in Armenia; SolarEn International, an energy company
with an emphasis on environmentally friendly technologies working to
promote and develop Armenia’s independent energy sector using solar,
wind, hydro, and fuel-cell energy; and the Cafesjian Museum
Foundation, which is developing The Gerard L. Cafesjian Center for the
Arts in central Yerevan. Together, these entities currently employ
some 1,500 citizens of Armenia.
PLANS TO REACH MORE READERS
In an editorial discussing the change in ownership, the publishers
promised to reach out to Armenian-Americans everywhere, to invite them
to read the newspaper and get involved in Armenian affairs. They also
promised “changes in design, printing, and electronic delivery.”
The new owners announced that certain things will stay the same. The ”
Armenian Reporter” will maintain its status as a nonpartisan
newspaper. Sylva Boghossian will remain as publisher and Aris Sevag
will continue to serve as managing editor. Edward Boghosian, the
founder of the “Armenian Reporter,” will become a consultant and
contributing editor. Additional personnel will be added as the
“Armenian Reporter” expands its content and coverage.
In the editorial heralding the change in ownership, the newspaper
commits itself to “remain a forum for diverse views expressed in
columns, articles, and letters.” The newspaper also plans to maintain
its investigative edge, promising to hold people “who rely on the
support of the community” accountable.
In announcing the changes, the Boghossian family stated: “As part of a
larger network, we will be able to reach many more readers and will be
better able to provide our readers with relevant content. An important
part of our decision to join the CS Media family was the fact that the
‘ Reporter’ would remain nonpartisan. We’d like to thank all of our
subscribers who stayed loyal to us these past forty years, and we look
forward to continuing to serve our community through the paper under
the new ownership.”
In announcing the acquisition, Mr. Cafesjian said, “I am grateful to
Eddie Boghosian for forty years of service, and I welcome the
continued involvement of Eddie and his daughter Sylva in the newspaper
they built. Together, we will build on what’s best about the ‘
Armenian Reporter,’ and make it a source for increasingly effective
communications to ultimately benefit Armenians everywhere.”
###
“The Armenian Reporter International”
EDITORIAL, 27 May 2006: “GREETINGS – AND THANKS”
As of this week, the “Armenian Reporter” is owned and operated by CS
Media Enterprises, LLC, which is owned by the Cafesjian Family
Foundation, a private foundation established by Gerard L. Cafesjian.
Continuing the “Armenian Reporter”‘s forty-year history of public
service, and aware of the expanded resources available to it as part
of the Cafesjian Family Foundation, we are excited about the new era
ahead of us.
There are hundreds of thousands of individuals and families of
Armenian origin throughout the United States. Many are actively
involved in Armenian affairs – sustaining associations and churches,
supporting the Armenian lobby, visiting Armenia and Karabagh, and
contributing to their development. Part of our newspaper’s role is to
connect you, and to reach out and bring more and more individuals and
families into community life.
Our goal is to create a new era of Armenian journalism. To do this, we
will offer a newspaper that is reliable in content, scrupulous in
separating fact from opinion, and relevant to today’s Armenian
American, regardless of his or her age.
Over the months to come, you will observe changes in design, printing,
and electronic delivery. Our goal is to improve your reading
experience and make it more convenient to your lifestyle.
But, most importantly, we will strive to play an important role in
Armenian affairs.
Our editorial pages will remain a forum for diverse views expressed in
columns, articles, and letters from our readers. We will cultivate and
welcome new voices and new perspectives from the United States ,
Armenia and Karabagh.
The commitment of CS Media Enterprises and the Cafesjian Family
Foundation is clear: we want a free, independent, democratic Armenia;
we want Armenia to be secure in its borders; we want to promote ever
stronger bonds between Armenia and its friends; we want to encourage
responsible investment in Armenia so that its economy may grow in a
manner that is sustainable, that benefits the entire population,
particularly the working people; we want to encourage educational,
scientific and technological progress that makes life easier, yet
protects the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat;
we want Armenian arts, culture, and sports to flourish.
And we want an Armenian Diaspora that celebrates its diversity, yet is
able to come together and act as one where needed. We seek a Diaspora
that builds strong institutions that work for the common good. In
short, we are committed to a nation that is cognizant of its history
and looks forward to a bright future.
In our news pages, we are especially well positioned to offer original
reporting from Armenia and Karabagh. You will see more of this in the
weeks and months to come. We remain deeply committed to our coverage
of Armenian-American events. To this task we will commit additional
journalistic resources.
We expect people in government, leaders of organizations, and others
who rely on the support of the Armenian community to act responsibly,
transparently, and in the best interests of their constituents. Our
readers can rely on us to report responsibly.
In our reporting, when we cover organizations and businesses in which
the owners of the newspaper have business or philanthropic interests,
we will alert our readers. The Cafesjian Family Foundation is a
partner is the largest independent media company in Armenia . CS Media
Armenian operations include Armenia TV, CNN Armenia, TV 5, ArmNews,
Radio FM 107, CS Films (formerly HyeFilm), Armenia Film Studios, and
CS Publishing. Armenia TV, the largest and highest rated television
channel in Armenia , is broadcast throughout the Republics of Armenia
and Nagorno Karabagh, and is available via satellite in Europe ,
Russia, and the Middle East, and via Dish Network in the United
States.
In addition to media, the owners’ interests now include SolarEn
International, an energy company with an emphasis on environmentally
friendly technologies working to promote and develop Armenia’s
independent energy sector using solar, wind, hydro, and fuel-cell
energy; Cascade Capital Holdings, a financial services group that is
introducing Western insurance, credit, and banking practices in
Armenia; real estate holdings; and the Cafesjian Museum Foundation,
which is developing The Gerard L. Cafesjian Center for the Arts in
central Yerevan. Together, these entities currently employ some 1,500
citizens of Armenia , and we expect robust growth in the future.
As the “Armenian Reporter” enters this new era, we are grateful to
you, our readers and advertisers, for staying with us and sustaining
us in our commitment to public service. Greetings and thanks!

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
05/31/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) Azerbaijan Flattens Sacred Armenian Site 2) Armenia and Turkey Hold Secret Talks 3) Parliament Postpones Election of New Leadership 4) Kocharian-Aliyev Meeting to Take Place in Bucharest 5) Oil Reaches Turkey through BTC Pipeline 6) Another Armenian Reportedly Killed In Moscow 1) Azerbaijan Flattens Sacred Armenian Site (The Independent)--Fears that Azerbaijan has systematically destroyed hundreds of 500 year old Christian artifacts have exploded into a diplomatic row, after members of European Parliament were barred from inspecting an ancient Armenian burial site. The predominantly Muslim country's government has been accused of "flagrant vandalism" similar to the Taliban's demolition of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan. The claims center on the fate of rare "khatchkars," stone crosses carved with intricate floral designs, at the burial ground of Julfa in the Nakhichevan region of Azerbaijan, an enclave separated from the rest of the country by Armenia. The works--some of the most important examples of Armenian heritage--are said to have been smashed with sledgehammers last December as the site was concreted over. The Azeri Government, which denies the claims, is now at the center of a row with MEPs, some of whom it accused of a "biased and hysterical approach." Its ambassador to the EU also says the European Parliament has ignored damage to Muslim sites in Armenia. Azerbaijan has refused to allow a delegation of Euro MPs permission to visit the 1,500 year old Julfa cemetery during their trip to the region last month. Most of original 10,000 khatchkars, most of which date from the 15th and 16th century, were destroyed by the early 20th century, leaving probably fewer than 3,000 by the late 1970s. According to the International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos), the Azeri Government removed 800 khatchkars in 1998. Though the destruction was halted following protests from UNESCO, it resumed four years later. By January 2003 "the 1,500 year old cemetery had completely been flattened," Icomos says. Witnesses, quoted in the Armenian press, say the final round of vandalism was unleashed in December last year by Azeri soldiers wielding sledgehammers. The president of Icomos, Michael Petzet, said: "Now that all traces of this highly important historic site seem to have been extinguished all we can do is mourn the loss and protest against this totally senseless destruction." Some MEPs believe that, boosted by its oil revenues, Azerbaijan is adopting an increasingly assertive stance in the region. Charles Tannock, Conservative Foreign Affairs Spokesman in the European parliament, argued: "This is very similar to the Buddha statues destroyed by the Taliban. They have concreted the area over and turned it into a military camp. If they have nothing to hide then we should be allowed to inspect the terrain." When MEPs passed a critical resolution in February, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister, Elmar Mamedyarov, made a formal protest. Then, when the parliament's delegation for relations with Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, asked to combine a mission to Armenia with a visit to the Julfa archaeological site, their request was refused. The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly hopes to visit the site and its Secretary General has offered to set up an expert group to examine cultural sites in Azerbaijan and Armenia. MEPs insist that the authorities in Azerbaijan should open their doors if they have nothing to hide. Hannes Swoboda, an Austrian socialist MEP and member of the committee barred from examining the site, said he hopes a visit can be arranged in the autumn. He added: "If they do not allow us to go, we have a clear hint that something bad has happened. If something is hidden we want to ask why. It can only be because some of the allegations are true." And he warned: "One of the major elements of any country that wants to come close to Europe is that the cultural heritage of neighbors is respected." 2) Armenia and Turkey Hold Secret Talks (PanArmenian)--Secret talks between Turkey and Armenia, launched after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote a letter to Armenian President Robert Kocharian, have failed to make any headway coming out of their third round. A part of the third session of secret talks was held on the sidelines of the Turkey-European Union meeting in Vienna, Austria last March. The Turkish side proposed the establishment of two committees to simultaneously hold talks on political issues and the Armenian genocide. In response, Armenia rejected the preconditions set by Turkey. It underlined that scholars can debate the issue in conferences. Nevertheless Armenia did request the revival of political talks between the two countries. Following Yerevan's objection to the establishment of the two committees, Ankara is now preparing for the fourth round of secret talks. The New Anatolian reported that Ankara will exert an effort to solve its problems with Yerevan. 3) Parliament Postpones Election of New Leadership YEREVAN (Armenpress/RFE/RL)--An emergency parliament session convened Wednesday to elect a new Parliament Speaker and heads of two committees, vacated following the resignation of former Parliament Speaker Arthur Baghdasarian and the pullout of his Orinats Yerkir party from the governing coalition, decided to put off the elections until June 1. Deputy Parliament Speaker Tigran Torosian--widely expected to replace Baghdasarian--said to journalists that it was his decision to postpone the election. He said under the parliament statutes it is the person who chairs emergency session who decides the order in which issues on the agenda are considered. Torosian, who is affiliated with Prime Minister Andranik Markarian's Republican Party (HHK), did not deny that he is Baghdasarian's most likely successor. He said he will consider his new job as "yet another duty." On Monday, Baghdasarian formally ceased to perform his duties, reaffirming his decision to step down. "In accordance with the National Assembly statutes, I am relinquishing the duties of National Assembly chairman," he told reporters in the halls of Parliament. Baghdasarian refused to answer any questions, saying that he wants to "leave in peace." 4) Kocharian-Aliyev Meeting to Take Place in Bucharest (Combined Sources)--A spokesman for President Robert Kocharian said that the Armenian leader and his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, will meet on the sidelines of a summit of Black Sea nations which is scheduled to take place in Romania's capital Bucharest on June 5. The French, Russian, and American mediators have expressed hopes for advancements in Karabagh conflict settlement following talks in Romania. Diplomats from the foreign ministries of the Minsk Group co-chairing states, as well as co-chairs themselves visited Baku and Yerevan in late May, setting up the latest meeting between the two presidents. 5) Oil Reaches Turkey through BTC Pipeline ANKARA (UPI)--Azeri oil began flowing through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline and reached Ceyhan, Turkey, over the weekend. Oil reached the Turkish Mediterranean port on Saturday, according to the Azertag news agency Sunday. The BTC pipeline is designed to take Azeri and Kazakh oil through Georgia and Turkey to international markets. The $4 billion, 1,000 mile pipeline is aimed at reducing Western dependence on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. The pipeline, which runs from Azerbaijan via Georgia to Turkey, avoids Russia. Construction of the pipeline began six years ago. 6) Another Armenian Reportedly Killed In Moscow (AFP)--A Russian man of Armenian origin has been stabbed to death by a group of young people on a train in a Moscow suburb, Moscow Echo radio quoted a lawyer as saying Tuesday. Simon Tsaturian, who represents the family of another ethnic Armenian killed in Moscow last month, said the stabbing of Artur Sardarian, 19, took place on May 25 and cited witnesses as saying the attackers were chanting "Glory to Russia!" The attackers then stopped the train by setting off an alarm and escaped, Tsaturian said. Moscow police said the incident was being investigated and the Armenian Union of Russia confirmed the murder had taken place. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

PRESS RELEASE
From:Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director
Haigazian University
Rue Mexique – Kantari
P.O. Box 11-1748
Riad El-Solh 1107 2090
Beirut – Lebanon
3rd Annual International Business Conference
“Current Issues in Business and Information Technology”
On May 10, 2006, for the 3rd consecutive year, the Business Conference, on
“Current Issues in Business and Information Technology,” took place with
great success.
The conference, organized by the department of Business Administration and
Economics, in cooperation with the department of Mathematical Sciences,
with 11 participants from different universities, dealt with important
business issues in finance, trade, exchange rates, optimization of
production, career development, franchise contracts, and information
technology.
The organizers of the conference had assembled an impressive program of
research papers which fostered a lively dialogue among academicians, public
sector officials, and business and information technology professionals.
At the opening session, the Dean of Business Administration and Economics
Dr. Fadi Asrawi welcomed the audience, and tackled the issue of
transformation and competition.
“Nowadays transformation is taking place in the relationship between
universities and business, as universities rise to the challenge of the
knowledge-driven economy. Lebanon is far from competing with its
surroundings in terms of capital, technology or low cost production. As a
result; we must seek a competitive advantage by exploiting capabilities
which cannot easily match. These distinctive capabilities must be
knowledge, skills, creativity and leadership,” Asrawi said.
In his turn, the president of the university Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian
explained his understanding of conferences.
“Academic conferences are, among other things, conversations during which
resourceful parties not only share knowledge and expertise with others but
also open themselves up to their partners. Conferences are also occasions
for beneficial change. And finally conferences are a challenge to the
people in academia to study further, research, and produce, ” Haidostian noted.
The first keynote speaker, the vice-governor of the Central Bank of
Lebanon, Mr. Alain Balian discussed the need of Lebanon for a new vision in
politics and economics, in order to foster economic growth and higher
living conditions.
Balian explained that investment in the country constitutes the main
generator of production and growth.
“Transparency in Public Service, in addition to Meritocracy in public
officials appointments, are the basis of improvement in public service
delivery and attracting investors,” Balian explained.
Balian concluded his speech by emphasizing on the opportunity that Lebanon
should grasp, given the unprecedented international economic supported
granted to it.
The 2nd keynote speaker, the director general of the Ministry of Finance,
Mr. Alain Biffany had for subject the Monetary Policy of Lebanon: Problems
and Recommendations.
Biffany considered that the main obstacle to economic advancement is the
absence of accountability towards politicians and public sector officials.
He elaborated that the role of governments, historically, were to
distribute rights equally
among citizens, except that in Lebanon, the role of government after the
war was in a way fostering the concentration of rights among the ruling
class, which resulted in political and economic tensions among citizens,
thus forcing them to emigrate.
“Reform should be organic and general covering all sectors of the public
service. It needs a strong political will and determination, coupled with
tremendous public support and accountability,” Biffany concluded.

Sunday, May 28, 2006
******************************************
Of the many forms of cowardice, fear of free speech is the worst. I have said this before but it bears repeating.
*
Some of the most devastating comments on Armenians, like the following, were made not by our critics and dissidents, but by darlings of the establishment, among them Hagop Garabents (Jack Karapetian): “Once upon a time we shed our blood for freedom. We are now afraid of free speech.”
*
Whenever I speak of corruption in high places, some of our defenders of the establishment are eager to inform me that, very much like the rest of mankind, we have our share of rotten apples. What they don’t say is that, the only way to explain the longevity of our rotten apples is that they enjoy the tacit support of semi-rotten apples like themselves.
*
When you are wrong, they make fun of you, but when you are right, they hate you.
*
I wear the insults of my readers like a medal of honor. As for those who insult me anonymously: I don’t see any reason why I should take cowards, that is to say, men without honor, seriously.
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Monday, May 29, 2006
*************************************
QUOTATIONS FROM
JEAN-FRANCOIS REVEL (1924-2006)
************************************************
“Man has not yet acquired a taste for truth and freedom.”
*
“In free countries, information is seldom designed to inform.”
*
“Among the arts, the art of leadership is one of the least developed.”
*
“Why is it that men feel the need to support a regime whose aim is their own destruction?”
*
“I have met many remarkable personalities that were not famous, and many celebrities who were not in the least remarkable.”
#
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
****************************************
Sidney Morgenbesser (b. 1921), American philosopher: “”To explain why a man slipped on a banana peel, we do not need a general theory of slipping.”
*
Love of freedom was the only reason why we rose against the Ottoman Empire at the turn of the last century, or so I was brought up to believe. It never even occurred to me to ask, “Does that mean during the preceding 600 years we hated freedom?”
*
Sometimes what remains unsaid can be much more revealing than what is said.
*
There is a Rashomon-type witness in every historian. A thousand historians writing about the same occurrence will have a thousand, sometimes even a thousand and one, different versions of it. A dupe is one who believes only the version that is flattering to his ego.
*
We rose against the Empire because we saw an opportunity; which means that our idealism was modified by a touch of opportunism.
*
The Empire was disintegrating and may even have been a shadow of its former self, true. But in so far as we believed as rabbits we were strong enough to deal with a wounded tiger, we behaved like dupes of our own illusions or wishful thinking.
*
We had the moral or verbal support of the Great Powers, also true. But in so far as we believed that their support would translate into military alliance, we behaved like dupes.
*
Reality is not an extension of our ego. If we want to understand and learn from it, we will be better off to choose the version that is most injurious to our vanity or least favorable to our self-interest.
*
To persist in thinking that which we thought a hundred years ago only means that we have learned nothing during the last hundred years.
#
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
************************************
Standing between a hungry carnivore and his kill can be as dangerous as standing between a civilized man and his source of income.
*
I think it was Jean-Luc Godard who once remarked that the most complex philosophical system can be reduced to a cliché. Consider the following passage in Levi-Strauss: “Sartre deplores the ‘mythopoetic thinking’ of primitives which he contrasts with the ‘logico-empirical’ thinking that permits the construction, or even the use, of machines that can melt cities.” Or, “Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose” (the more things change the more they stay the same). Or again, can we really speak of progress if a primitive kills with arrows and civilized man with weapons of mass destruction.
*
Benefactors operate on the assumption that they are helping people who are in need of their help. But what if, by helping the wrong people, they end up doing more harm than good? Hence their need to surround themselves with flunkies whose most important function is to remind them, as princes among men, they can do no wrong.
*
Once upon a time when I could not yet think for myself, I never questioned my infallibility. Now, all my efforts are concentrated on avoiding being spectacularly wrong. Some day I hope to be right once or twice a year.
#