VARTAN OSKANIAN DWELLS ON NUMBER OF REGIONAL AND HOME ISSUES AT “HAYELI” CLUB PRESS CONFERENCE
AZG Armenian Daily #133, 18/07/2006
Press Conference
RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian believes OSCE Minsk Group is the
most efficient mission for the peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. He stated this at the July 14 press conference at “Hayeli”
discussion club, when commenting on the statement of the Ambassador
of Iran to Azerbaijan Afshar Suleimani that the “activity of OSCE MG
is inefficient”.
“Although the co-chairs stated that their fantasy has been exhausted,
I do not doubt that they meant that their mission is exhausted. I
believe it will continue its active participation in the process,”
the Mr. Oskanian said. As for the various proposals not from OSCE
MG, they may be included in the agenda of the negotiations if they
are interesting, irrespective of who makes these proposals NATO or
Iran. “But I think it is senseless to speak of Iran as a key mediator
as OSCE MG has not exhausted itself yet,” he said.
As for the information that proposals to the conflict parties have
been prepared by Pierre Lellouche, NATO PA Chairman, Mr. Oskanian said
that first of all, NATO PA is not yet NATO, and secondly, they will
touch upon the suggestions when they are made. In response to the
question about the alleged fires in the territories under control
of NKR, the minister said he had no time to waste on Azerbaijan’s
provocations. “We shall not play the games dictated by the Azeri side,”
he said, mentioning that OSCE Mission made a monitoring visit to the
territories and did not confirm the information of the Azerbaijani
party.
In response to the issue about the situation in Upper Lars,
Mr. Oskanian said that Armenia still hopes for opening of Upper Lars
check- point on the Russian-Georgian border in the nearest future. The
negotiations with Moscow for this purpose are continued, he added.
At the same time he thanking the Georgian party for the alternative
way through the Roki tunnel, the check- point of the border with South
Ossetia, the minister stated that “it is an exception and none knows
how long the Georgian party will make this exception for us.” It’s
worth mentioning that Upper Lars check-point was closed 10 days ago.
Touching upon the latest developments in Lebanon, Mr. Oskanian said
that Armenia condemns any violence, whether it is hostage- taking
or application of weapons. “Especially if application of weapons is
disproportionate to the situation and aims to destroy infrastructures
and causes the death of numerous people,” the minister added. The
situation arouses concern, he said. “Our desire is to see restraint in
the region as it is a very fragile region. We also want establishment
of cease-fire and restoration of negotiations,” Vartan Oskanian
emphasized.
In response to the question, whether he intends to run for presidency
in 2008, Mr. Oskanian said: “I want to further make my contribution
to the development of Armenia. And the time will show how.”
The minister said he has not thought yet of running for presidency
as his attention is fully concentrated on his direct duties.
The minister gave a similar answer when asked whether he intends
to join a party. “I have not thought of it, and I have got no such
proposals,” the minister stated. Vartan Oskanian refused to comment
on the information that Defense Minister Serge Sagrsian joined the
proportional list of the Republican Party of Armenia like it was in
2003. “I do not want to comment on the activity of my colleagues.
Everyone resolves how to participate in the development of the country
independently,” the minister said.
Touching upon the issue of Azerbaijan’s growing economy, Mr. Oskanian
said that in order to “struggle” Azerbaijan’s oil, Armenia should
develop its own resources.
He said that Armenia has three powerful resources, the home and
foreign resources and Diaspora. Stating that there is much to do in
all these directions, he touched upon each of the resources. As for
the home resources, he said that soon the country will enter a new
stage conditioned by the coming presidential elections in 2008 and
the necessity to preserve the country’s course. Oskanian said that
one should not only chose between the political forces, but also
choose between the goals that a political force can achieve.
He said that the society should define the necessary goals and make
a choice between the political parties. He pointed out that the home
resources also include the second generation of the economic reforms
that are to be implemented. As for the resource of Diaspora, Oskanian
said that Armenia has used only 1-2% of its potential. He said that
one should develop the relations between Armenia and Diaspora and
make our country more attractive for Diaspora.
By Nana Petrosian

VARTAN OSKANIAN STATES ARMENIA READY TO ACCEPT PRINCIPLES SUGGESTED BY OSCE MG AND CONTINUE
NEGOTIATIONS WITH AZERBAIJAN
AZG Armenian Daily #133, 18/07/2006
Opinion
The statement by OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen on Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement principles was not completely unexpected for
Armenia, said at the July 14 press conference RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian.
Certainly, Armenia was aware of the intention to disclose the Content,
he said. In general, the statement will help to start objective
discussions in the Armenian society, said Mr. Oskanian. He said that he
has neutral attitude to the statement and to the conflict settlement
principles. He added that he has no intention to persuade anyone to
accept them, as Azerbaijan has not accepted them in its turn. “If
the terms were ideal for Armenia, I would be the first person to
start persuading everyone to accept those terms,” he said. Anyway
the document is not a perfect one, but it represents a balanced
combination of mutual compromises, which could become a good ground
for further negotiations between the conflict sides.
In response to the question about the probable meeting of Ilham
Aliev and Robert Kocharian, he said that this issue will discussed
during the visit of Minsk Group Co-Chairman Matthew Bryza. He also
said he cannot give any certain information about the coming visit of
Bryza. Mr. Oskanian also commented on the reports about contradictory
statements by the two OSCE Co-Chairmen and the contradictions
between the positions of Armenia and Karabakh on the abovementioned
statement. He said that the settlement terms are acceptable for
Armenia in general.
Mr. Oskanian said emphasized that Armenia will express its official
position on the matter during Matthew Bryza’s visit to Armenia. Most
of the principles are not convenient for Armenia, as the necessity of
accepting them cannot be so easily explained. Nevertheless Armenia
is ready to accept the principles suggested by the Minsk group and
renew negotiations with Azerbaijan.
By Nana Petrosian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HEAD OF SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION SAYS POLL NEEDED TO MEASURE RATING OF REPUBLICAN PARTY
Panorama.am
16:48 17/07/06
Head of Armenian Sociological Association Gevorg Poghosyan thinks
there is a need to conduct a public opinion poll to determine the
rating of the Republican Party after defense minister Serz Sargsyan
teams up with it.
International Republican Institute և Gellup conducted surveys
to find out the ratings of political parties in Armenia. The results
of the survey were not made public but they were delivered to the
political party leaders. Gevorg Poghosyan says 12 pro-government and
opposition parties were included in the poll. Republicans were not
in the lead.
Gevorg Poghosyan indicated that the rating of Republican Party may
rise upon Serz Sargsyan’s entry. However, he does not rule out
the contrary taking into consideration the huge mass of opposition
electorate in the country. /Panorama. am/

Students Remember the Horrors of Genocide with Yom Ha’Shoah Events
Hillel.org, DC
May 1 2006
With drama, music and the sounds of thousands of names being read,
Jewish students across the country led their campuses in remembering
the Holocaust last week during Yom Ha’Shoah (Holocaust Memorial Day)
and Holocaust Awareness Week activities. Hillel student leaders ensured
that the lessons learned from the Holocaust and other genocides would
not be forgotten as they planned meaningful programs that touched
the entire community.
University of Rhode Island Hillel paid tribute not only to the
victims of the Holocaust, but also to those currently suffering in
the Darfur region of Sudan with a “Field of Flags” on campus grounds.
Students planted more than 2,000 multi-colored flags that represented
both the 6 million who perished during the Holocaust and the 400,000
victims of the Darfurian genocide. Although a memorial service provided
a more intimate setting for reflection, URI Hillel Director Amy Olson
said the field’s central campus location gave thousands more students
and faculty an easy way to experience the exhibit throughout the week.
“It’s hard to get people to come out for something because everyone
is busy, they have a class or they have to study. This way, everybody
walks through the campus and experiences it without making that extra
effort to go to something,” Olson told the Providence Journal.
URI students weren’t the only ones who called attention to the victims
of other genocides during Yom Hashoah programs. University of Southern
California Hillel partnered with the campus Jewish Law Students’
Association and the Armenian Students’ Association to sponsor a
candlelight vigil in remembrance of the Holocaust and the 1.5 million
Armenians who died during the 1915-1923 genocide in Turkey. At North
Carolina State University, Hillel students organized a campus-wide
information fair in which visitors could learn more about the Holocaust
and the situations in Darfur, Kosovo and Bosnia, among others.
“The reason we’re doing this is because there are still a lot of
problems with people hating each other and persecuting each other,”
Ben Mazur, the NC State Hillel treasurer, told the Technician student
newspaper. “Every time this happens, we try to learn a lesson from it
and we try to educate people about it, but there are still problems
like this going on today.”
The arts continued to play a vital role in conveying the memories of
the lives lost in the Holocaust. University of Missouri, Columbia
Hillel co-sponsored “Silenced Voices, a Concert of Remembrance,”
which brought back to the life the music of many Jewish composers
that was banned by the Nazi regime. Ithaca College Hillel brought
author Ken Shuldman and filmmaker Rich Newberg to campus to discuss
their works on chronicling the experiences of Holocaust survivors.
And at California’s Chapman University, the Hillel Foundation of Orange
County and the Student Society of Entertainment Arts partnered to
present the Jurek Becker play “Jakob the Liar.” Senior Anna Scanlon,
who adapted the play about misinformation in a German-occupied Jewish
ghetto in 1944, said it has become an important educational tool for
both the audience and the actors and crew.
“The students involved have really learned a lot about the Holocaust
as well as Judaism. They went to a special learners Shabbat since
only two members of the cast are Jewish, and they really, really
liked it. I think it’s brought more humanity to the event, even more
so than the audience, because they live and breathe these characters
for several weeks and get to know their character like a good friend,
so it makes the Holocaust much more real,” Scanlon said.
As in previous years, many Hillels also sponsored daylong or 24-hour
vigils in which students took turns reading the names of Holocaust
victims. Hillels at West Virginia University, the University of
Virginia, Binghamton University, the University of Iowa, Arizona
State University and Elon University were among those who organized
readings. Holocaust remembrance activities were funded, in part,
by the Darmstaedter Estate through the UJA-Federation of New York.
0/5BE30648D7E87ED6852571610060AA5B?OpenDocument

Flood of claims for ‘Noah’s Ark’ Legendary vessel of Genesis story goes from nowhere to everywhere
WorldNetDaily, OR
July 17 2006
By Joe Kovacs
After centuries of scouring the Earth for Noah’s Ark, claims are now
flooding in that the legendary vessel of the Bible has been found.
‘Noah’s Ark’ by Pennsylvania artist Edward Hicks, 1846
Last month, headlines screamed that a Texas team of archaelogists
believed they had possibly located the biblical boat in Iran.
But hang on to the “Hallelujah!” chorus a little longer.
There are numerous claims about the final resting place, from Ararat
to Armenia. With modern technology and digital photography being
utilized in the hunt, it seems like everyone is finding what they
think is Noah’s Ark.
The Iran claim
As WorldNetDaily reported June 30, a 14-man crew that included
evangelical apologist Josh McDowell says it returned from a trek to
a mountain in Iran with possible evidence of the remains of Noah’s Ark.
The group, led by explorer Bob Cornuke, found an unusual object
perched on a slope 13,120 feet above sea level.
Cornuke, president of the archeological Base Institute and a veteran
of nearly 30 expeditions in search of Bible artifacts and locations,
said he is cautiously, but enthusiastically, optimistic about the find.
Some of the team’s photos can be seen here.
Also on the team were Barry Rand, former CEO of Avis; Boone Powell,
former CEO of Baylor Medical Systems; and Arch Bonnema, president of
Joshua Financial.
The team returned with video footage of a large black formation,
about 400 feet long – the approximate length of the ark, according
to the Bible – that looks like rock but bears the image of hundreds
of massive, wooden, hand-hewn beams.
Bonnema observed: “These beams not only look like petrified wood, they
are so impressive that they look like real wood – this is an amazing
discovery that may be the oldest shipwreck in recorded history.”
The team said one piece of the blackened rock is “cut” at 90-degree
angle.
Even more intriguing, they said, some of the wood-like rocks tested
this week proved to be petrified wood.
It’s noteworthy, they pointed out, that the Bible recounts Noah sealed
his ark with pitch, a black substance.
Mount Ararat
Despite the hype, there are those who maintain the vessel is definitely
on Mount Ararat, in present-day Turkey.
Among them is Edward Crawford, a former draftsman illustrator for the
U.S. military who now teaches Christian theology at Evergreen Bible
Presbyterian Church in the Seattle suburb of Pullayup, Wash.
Crawford has made numerous climbs up Ararat, and says in 1990, he
discovered a large, rectangular structure buried in the ice at an
elevation of 14,765 feet.
“I don’t have any doubt about it at all, and the Turks don’t either,”
he told WND.
He says the structure currently sits under snow and ice, which he calls
“ridiculously hard stuff,” but he expects it will be at its highest
point above the frozen water this summer, as forecasts call for an
unusual warm-up.
Crawford has put much of his discovery online at a website called
Project von Bora, where photographs and diagrams are available,
and he alleges the structure has 90-degree angles.
Edward Crawford believes a rectangular Noah’s Ark lies at this location
on Mount Ararat (courtesy Edward Crawford)
“Those don’t happen in nature,” he said. “If you think someone went
up there to build that, it would take a greater miracle than the Flood
[of Noah] itself.”
Crawford is now urging the Ankara government to formally acknowledge
his find, and grant him permission to explore the site again this
summer.
“This is not a politically correct discovery,” he said. “I never
imagined that I would discover the structure and its disposition. I had
no idea it would take this long to sort through the Turkish red tape.”
Not far from Crawford’s “structure” on Mount Ararat is something which
made headlines in March with the release of a new, high-resolution
digital image of what has become known as the “Ararat Anomaly.”
Satellite image of ‘Ararat Anomaly,’ taken by DigitalGlobe’s QuickBird
Satellite in 2003 and now made public for the first time (courtesy:
DigitalGlobe)
The location of the anomaly on the mountain’s northwest corner has
been under investigation from afar by ark hunters for years, but it
has remained unexplored, with the government of Turkey not granting
any scientific expedition permission to explore on site.
“I’ve got new found optimism … as far as my continuing push to have
the intelligence community declassify some of the more definitive-type
imagery,” Porcher Taylor, an associate professor in paralegal studies
at the University of Richmond, said at the time.
For more than three decades, Taylor has been a national security
analyst, and has also served as a senior associate for five years at
the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
“I had no preconceived notions or agendas when I began this in 1993
as to what I was looking for,” he said. “I maintain that if it is
the remains of something manmade and potentially nautical, then it’s
potentially something of biblical proportions.”
The anomaly remains ensconced in glacial ice at an altitude of 15,300
feet, and Taylor says the photos suggest its length-to-width ratio
is close to 6:1, as indicated in the Book of Genesis.
The mountains of Ararat
Some 15 miles from Mount Ararat is perhaps the most well-known
candidate vying for the title of Noah’s Ark.
Many believe this is Noah’s Ark, already found on a mountain next to
Mt. Ararat (courtesy: wyattmuseum.com)
A boat-shaped object thought by many to be the fossilized remnants of
the the vessel sits in Dogubayazit, Turkey, and was first photographed
in 1959 by a Turkish air force pilot on a NATO mapping mission.
It gained worldwide attention after its photo was published in a 1960
issue of Life Magazine.
The man most responsible for promoting this location as the ark’s
actual resting place from the Bible was Ron Wyatt, who died of
cancer in 1999 after years of searching for biblical antiquities,
also claiming to have found the remains of Pharaoh’s chariots that
chased Moses through the Red Sea, and the “true” location of Mount
Sinai in Arabia.
In 2004, Wyatt’s widow, Mary Nell Wyatt Lee, published a history of
the discovery in a book titled, “The Boat-Shaped Object on Doomsday
Mountain.”
She writes that on Dec. 12, 1987, “it was the official decision of
members of [Turkey’s] Ministry of Foreign Affairs, of Internal Affairs,
and researchers from Ataturk University, among others, that the
boat-shaped formation did indeed contain the remains of Noah’s Ark!”
An Associated Press story from that month read:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A group of Turkish researchers has decided that
a boat-shaped formation found in 1977 on a hill in eastern Turkey
is the remains of Noah’s Ark, a Turkish tourism official says.
Her Cornersville, Tenn.-based foundation, Wyatt Archaeological
Research, is filled with on-location photographs and charts promoting
its case with physical evidence including radar scans of bulkheads
on the alleged vessel, deck timber and iron rivets, large “drogue”
stones which are thought to have acted as types of anchors.
However, there’s been no shortage of critics from both scientific
and Christian circles who think the Dogubayazit site is erroneous.
Lorence Collins, a retired geology professor from California State
University, Northridge, joined the late David Fasold, a one-time
proponent of the Wyatt site, in writing a scientific summary claiming
the location is “bogus.”
“Evidence from microscopic studies and photo analyses demonstrates
that the supposed Ark near Dogubayazit is a completely natural
rock formation,” said the 1996 paper published in the Journal of
Geoscience Education. “It cannot have been Noah’s Ark nor even a
man-made model. It is understandable why early investigators falsely
identified it.”
The Armenian factor
The final entrant is Leroy Blevins, a New Richmond, Ohio, man who
carries a 1950 Catholic Press Bible which states the ark rested
“upon the mountains of Armenia,” leading him to believe the location
of the vessel is indeed in the former Soviet republic.
Is this Noah’s Ark on Mt. Aragats in Armenia? (courtesy Leroy Blevins)
Blevins offers little proof for his claim, except a series of photos on
his website, as he purports the ark is situated on Armenia’s highest
point Mount Aragats, not to be confused with the similar sounding
Ararat in Turkey.
“No one has ever looked for Noah’s Ark on this mountain in Armenia,”
he told WND. “There is a rectangle-shaped boat on the top of this
mountain. This boat has what appears to be either a vent or windows.
You can see the whole outline of this ship and it is locked in the
mountains. … You can see that it is big and man-made.”
Joe Zias, a Jerusalem-based anthropologist who is a former curator
at the Israel Antquities Authority, is quick to throw cold water on
all these claims of the ark being discovered.
“Just when I think I’ve seen it all, another group of nutters shows
up,” he told WND.
Zias says the parties making the discovery claims are “pimping”
off the Bible for money, suggesting they have no training in geology,
archaeology or anthropology; nor any peer-reviewed articles, university
appointments and “any credibility whatsoever in academic circles.”
“Aside from myself who follows this craziness, few if any in the
profession have ever heard of them,” he said.
In both the Old and New Testaments, the Bible speaks of Noah and
the ark, and Jesus Christ and the apostles Paul and Peter all make
reference to Noah’s flood as an actual historical event.
According to Genesis, Noah was a righteous man who was instructed by
God to construct a large vessel to hold his family and many species
of animals, as a massive deluge was coming to purify the world which
had become corrupt.
Genesis 6:5 states: “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great
in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continually.”
Noah was told by God to take aboard seven pairs of each of the “clean”
animals – that is to say, those permissible to eat – and two each of
the “unclean” variety. (Gen. 7:2)
Though the Bible says it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, it also
mentions “the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty
days.”
The ark then “rested” upon the mountains of Ararat, but it was still
months before Noah and his family – his wife, his three sons and
the sons’ wives – were able to leave the ark and begin replenishing
the world.

Grange hears from Peace Corps volunteers
Evening Observer, NY
July 17 2006
7/18/2006 – FALCONER – Peace Corps volunteers Jason and Terra Sprague
presented the program at a recent Ross Grange meeting.
The former area residents are serving in Armenia, formerly part of
the Soviet Union. They are involved in the Gavar school for special
children. It is the only one of its kind in the country. They showed
pictures of the washing machine installed with the help of Ross
members’ donations.
The school has nearly 100 special children and will have about
25 more next year. Women were doing the laundry by hand, so were
very appreciative of the gift. The Armenian people are especially
interested in education and pictures and lifestyle were discussed.
The Spragues have spent two years in the Peace Corps and will return
to Armenia for one more year.
Hazel Porter, Ross treasurer, presented a $1,000 check for use in a
special project to Mr. Sprague. She also presented a check for $500
to Mary Jane Griffith and Laurene Rice, representing the Ellington
Farman Free Library. A similar gift has been given to Falconer,
Fluvanna and Sinclairville public libraries.
Members are planning a display booth at the Chautauqua County Fair,
July 24 to 30 in Dunkirk. The committee shared ideas and specific
needs with others.
Officers were recently elected, with installation of new officers
at the Aug. 14 meeting. Marlyn Griffith, community service chairman,
asked volunteer hours be turned in to her by that date. Blood pressures
will be taken before the meeting and those attending should bring
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

British warship to evacuate Aussies
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
July 18 2006
Some Australians will be able to escape Lebanon on a British warship
after the United Kingdom agreed to allow them to board its aircraft
carrier being dispatched to the Middle East.
The federal government is continuing round-the-clock efforts to
get thousands of Australians out of war-torn Lebanon, but is facing
increasing criticism from people stranded in Beirut and other parts
of the country.
Australia’s efforts have been unfavourably compared with those of
other nations like the United States, Britain, Italy and France.
Eighty-six Australians, including members of a Sydney dance troupe,
were evacuated to Syria on three buses last night.
The government is planning to repeat the operation today with four
buses that could carry about 90 people, and also is trying to charter
a ferry to evacuate up to 600 people to Cyprus.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer also confirmed the government was
seeking the help of the British to get some Australians out.
“(Britain) has agreed to take Australians on that ship, which is
very generous of them. We’ve negotiated that arrangement with them,”
he told Southern Cross Broadcasting.
Mr Downer suggested it was unfair to complain Australia was not
doing as much as a country like Britain, which had the world’s third
biggest navy.
“The ship isn’t there despite the fact they have the world’s third
biggest navy and they have ships in the Mediterranean but they still
do not have a ship in Lebanon,” he said.
“People can be critical (of Australian efforts) but the British
haven’t got their ship in and they, obviously, have many logistical
advantages over us.”
Prime Minister John Howard urged stranded Australians to be patient
while the government negotiated with Israel to secure a safe path out.
“I do ask people to understand that as we speak attempts are being
made in different ways to arrange for people to be extracted,” Mr
Howard told ABC radio.
“It’s better not to give too many details of those arrangements. I
hope people understand that.
“We fully appreciate the concern of Australians who have loved ones
in Lebanon and we are doing everything we humanly can.”
Meanwhile, the government was unable to confirm a report Australians
have been killed in Lebanon, Mr Downer said.
An Australian man who fled the bloodshed, who gave his name only as
Michael, told the ABC last night he believed Australians had died in
clashes near the southern Lebanese town of Aitaroun.
“I believe there are Australians as well who passed away. I don’t
know who they are but it’s a very tense situation, very dangerous,”
Michael said.
But Mr Downer said today the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
had been unable to substantiate those reports.
“I can’t confirm that at all, we have no information on that,” he
told the Nine Network.
Some Australians have managed to flee war-torn Lebanon but hundreds
more remain trapped as Israel steps up its military attack on Hizbollah
guerrillas.
More than 600 Australians could be evacuated by ferry to Cyprus
tomorrow, Mr Downer said.
“Security permitting, we’ll continue with the bus evacuations during
the course of today, and then we hope to have a ship tomorrow,”
Mr Downer said.
“Of course, we’ve got to persuade the ship charter company that it
would be safe for its ship to go into a Lebanese port and start to
evacuate people from that port, because … ports have been very much
targeted by the Israelis.”
Mr Downer said he did not know how many Australians wanted to leave
Lebanon, as up to 25,000 had dual citizenship and had been living
there permanently.
But he expected many of the 4,600 registered with the Australian
embassy would want to be brought home.
Mr Downer said he was “very sympathetic” to the plight of Australians
stranded in Lebanon, but urged them to be patient.
“This is a war zone and you cannot expect miracles in a war zone,”
he said. “The war will not just suddenly stop and allow Australians
to leave – you can’t do that.
“It will continue, I’m sure, for quite some time, unfortunately,
and people just have to be … calm.
“It’s a frightening experience for them but there isn’t any alternative
in getting excited and shouting and dishing out abuse to people.”
Parliamentary secretary for Foreign Affairs Teresa Gambaro said the
first group of evacuees, which included young members of a Armenian
dance troupe, had arrived in the Jordanian capital Amman.
“I can confirm that they have arrived safely in Jordan, that is the
latest advice that I have and we’re very relieved,” she told ABC radio.
“They make up an Armenian Dance Group of 69 members and nine aid
workers … but we are working to make further arrangements for
further evacuations at the moment.”
Ms Gambaro said currently 6,291 people had registered with the
Australian Embassy and that it was likely the majority of that number
would want to leave.
“Our priority is to make sure we get out the elderly, the sick,
families, children and then we will evacuate others after that,”
she said.

Gholam Shire’i praises Iranian Armenians’ role in Iran’s construction
Persian Journal, Iran
July 17 2006
Mullah-run majlis speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel known as “Gholam
Shire’i” for his addiction to opium, said Iranian Armenian scientists
and experts have played an important role in the country’s construction
and progress.
According to Majlis Media Department on Monday, Gholam Shire’i,
in a meeting with the Armenian head of Iran-Armenia parliamentary
friendship group Galvest Sahakian and his accompanying delegation,
explained Iran’s Armenian community role and status in the country.
Mullah-run majlis speaker also expressed pleasure with expanding
trend of bilateral ties in all fields and said friendly relations
between the two countries are based on old and historical ties and
interests of the two nations.
Gholam Shire’i called the role of parliamentary friendship groups
in deepening mutual ties “very effective”, and added parliamentary
groups have a positive role in closeness of viewpoints and stances
of the governments and nations.
The Armenian parliamentary official, for his part, expressed pleasure
over his trip to Iran and evaluated his visit “very good”, and said
“All Armenian groups and political parties emphasize the expansion
of ties with Iran.”
Referring to his visit and talk with Iranian Armenian community,
Sahakian said Iran’s Armenians enjoy a very suitable position in
the nation.

Conflict hinders evacuations from Lebanon
ABC Online, Australia
July 18 2006
Prime Minister John Howard says it is becoming more challenging for
officials to evacuate Australians as fighting intensifies in Lebanon.
Buses took 86 Australians to Syria last night and the Federal
Government is hoping to evacuate more by bus today.
Mr Howard estimated 4,000 Australians had registered with the embassy
in Beirut.
He says the Government is doing everything it can to help Australians
wanting to get out.
“The fighting is getting heavier, it’s more dangerous [on] the
alternative exit routes and I ask people to bear with us in a situation
that is very traumatic for them, but extremely challenging,” he said.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says he hopes more busloads can
leave Lebanon today and another 600 people can be ferried to Cyprus
by a chartered ship later this week.
Safely home
One of the Australians evacuated from Lebanon says it was a long and
hard journey to safety.
Levon Demirian, from the Armenian Sydney dance troupe, stranded in
Beirut, says it took 17 hours to get to Amman.
“It was very tiring, especially for the young ones and the old ones
that we have, but for the freedom’s sake we were actually happy for
it,” he said.
About 30 Queenslanders are still stranded in Lebanon.
Australian Lebanese Association Queensland president Antoine Ghanem
says his son, cousin and uncle are among those trying to get out.
He says the Australian Government should avoid using buses to evacuate
Australians because the roads are too dangerous.
“I think the best option is a ship … to Cyprus, I think it is a
better option and a safer option especially if they coordinate it
with the Israelis,” he said.
One woman who arrived at Melbourne Airport this morning says she and
her two daughters spent several days trying to get back to Australia.
She says they were fortunate to make it.
“It was very dangerous everywhere, especially near the embassy down
there,” she said.
“Wherever we go, the road blocked behind us – we were so lucky –
some families weren’t that lucky.”

Relief for dancers’ families
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia
July 18 2006
The families of Australian children with an Armenian dance troupe on
tour in the Middle East say they are relieved their loved ones are
among 86 Australians rescued from war-torn Lebanon.
The Sevan Dance Group’s 45 young performers and 36 parents and
supervisors were this morning safe in the Jordan, the Federal
Government said.
The Government had organised three buses to pick up the group and
some others from their Beirut hotel. The convoy headed north along
the Mediterranean coast road early last night (AEST) and crossing the
Syrian border to the capital, Damascus.
Parliamentary secretary for Foreign Affairs Teresa Gambaro said today
the group had now arrived in the Jordanian capital Amman.
Silva Vartabebian, whose 18-year-old daughter is part of the dance
troupe, said she had yet to speak to her daughter, but was relieved.
“Very relieved, very relieved,” she said on Channel 7. “It’s a bad
experience, I’m sure it was worse for them. Very anxious waiting at
home. No sleeping, just constantly worrying, talking to parents all
the time, asking if they’d heard anything.
“Nothing crossed our minds that something like this would happen, to
this extent anyway.”
She said her daughter originally wasn’t going to go, but a job she
had fell through and there was a last-minute cancellation in the
troupe.
Ms Vartabebian said Australian foreign affairs officials had gone to
the Armenian Cultural Centre to reassure parents and update them on
what was taking place. She said she was not sure when they would be
coming home.
Tatiana Arabian, whose 15-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter were
also on the tour, said it had been a tense wait.
She said she would not relax until she knew her children were to
catch a flight home.
“Since Thursday 2pm it’s been terrible and … now I can finally say
that they are safe, but still I can feel I might even receive a phone
call saying it’s not going as positive as you are think, so fingers
crossed that they will be home as soon as they reach Jordan,” she
said on Channel 9.
“Last time I talked to them, they were in Beirut, in the hotel, they
were in a safe place.
“That was two days ago.
“My son was quite all right but my daughter, who is 16, and she was a
bit scared because she could hear the bombs and she said: ‘The
building is shaking, and Mum it’s really scary.
“I said: ‘You have to hang on there until the embassy will try and
get you all out’.”
Ms Arabian said she expected her children home tomorrow morning.