HEARING “RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” HELD IN LOS ANGELES

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 27 2006

Yerevan, April 27. /ARKA/. At its meeting, the Los Angeles Municipality
Council held a hearing “Recognition of the Armenian Genocide” on the
occasion of the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The hearting, which was organized on the initiative of the Municipality
Council and the USA-base Hay Dat Commission, was attended by members
of the Los Angeles Municipality Council, RA Consul General in Los
Angeles Gagik Kirakosyan and representatives of the Hay Dat office.

On April 24, services were held at all Armenian churches in Los
Angeles.

On April 23, in Montebello, California, USA, members of the US Senate
and of the Senate of California, officials, the RA Consul General
in Los Angeles and the leaders of the Armenian Church took part in
the arrangements.

The arrangement was conducted by Senator G. Speers and Director of
the Department of Armenian Studies, University of South California,
P. County.

SEN. TOLMAN: NO DENYING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
By Sen. Steven Tolman/ Guest Column

Belmont Citizen-Herald, MA
April 27 2006

For Armenian-Americans, April 24 is an important day: It was on that
date in 1915 that the Ottoman Turkish Empire began its slaughter
of Armenians. Over the next several years, more than a million
Armenians were murdered in a calculated campaign to rid Turkey of
all Armenians. In other words, the so-called Young Turk government
committed genocide against the Armenian people.

Among scholars and genocide experts, there is no doubt about this
issue. The International Association of Genocide Scholars (the
definitive group of scholars on the subject), the Institute on the
Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem, and the Institute for the Study
of Genocide have repeatedly affirmed the historical facts of the
Armenian genocide, as has Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel and Pulitzer
Prize winner Samantha Power.

For those who are relatives of survivors, there can be no doubt about
this crime. Yet, sometime in the next several weeks, a federal judge
in Boston will hear arguments in a suit brought by the Association
of Turkish American Assemblies and others that seeks introduce
materials into Massachusetts classrooms denying that the Armenian
genocide occurred.

How, after all these years, can this still be open to debate?

Because the Turkish government and its American affiliate continue
to deny that the Young Turks committed this grave crime. And they
continue to seek forums to push their denialist point of view.

Now they’re bringing this campaign to Massachusetts, home to one of
the largest Armenian populations in the nation. They claim that the
Massachusetts Department of Education trampled on the First Amendment
when it decided not to teach “the other side” of the Armenian genocide,
i.e., that the slaughter was just the unfortunate byproduct of civil
war between the Turks and the Armenians.

This claim, refuted by reputable genocide scholars, is an affront to
thousands of Armenian-Americans living here in Massachusetts whose
families were victims of the Turkish government’s murderous campaign.

And it is particularly offensive for people like 99-year-old John
Kasparian of Worcester and 93-year-old Armine Dedikian of Watertown,
two survivors of the slaughter.

For anyone interested in ascertaining the truth about this genocide,
they need merely to hear stories like Mr. Kasparian’s, whose family
left its home the night before the Turkish attack that took 200 of
their fellow villagers and whose brother died of starvation while the
family fled. Or that of Mrs. Dedikian, whose father was killed just
before she was born and who was separated from her mother soon after.

(Mother and daughter were eventually re-united when 15-year-old Armine
arrived alone at Ellis Island to meet her mother, whom she had tracked
down in the U.S., using newspaper ads and family connections.)

Unfortunately, the U.S. government, afraid to offend Turkey, its
military ally, has not taken a stand on this issue. But all 12 members
of our state’s congressional delegation – Senators Kennedy and Kerry
and the 10 representatives in the House – have signed a resolution
calling on the President to recognize the atrocity.

Now we in Massachusetts find ourselves being pulled backwards into this
debilitating debate over whether a genocide, long confirmed by victims
and historians, ever existed. It is even more than ironic that this
court case was filed in a year when genocide has once again reared
its ugly head in Darfur, where thousands have died at the hands of
the Sudanese army, and in a year when the Iranian president has once
again put Holocaust denials on the front page. As unfathomable as the
crime of genocide is, it continues to occur in all its savagery. And
as offensive as the official denials are, they also continue, not
only when the crimes occur but for years afterward.

In 1939, when announcing his decision to begin killing Polish men,
women and children, Hitler infamously uttered: “Who, after all,
speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” He was counting
on the world to forget his atrocities, as he believed the world had
already forgotten the Turkish murders.

Fortunately, the world has not forgotten either the Nazi crimes or
the Turkish slaughter. But denialists continue to try to spread their
peculiar amnesia. We in Massachusetts, home to a significant Jewish
population and one of the largest Armenian-American populations in
the country, must never forget.

Submitted by state Sen. Steven Tolman, Rep. Rachel Kaprielian and
Rep. Peter Koutoujian.

WINCHESTER TEACHER AMONG THOSE URGING SEARCH FOR TRUTH
By Melody Hanatani/ Staff Writer

Lexington Winchester Star, MA
April 27 2006

A new coalition of diverse local ethnic groups kicked off an
anti-genocide campaign with a rally at the State House last Friday,
following the annual Armenian genocide anniversary commemoration.

The group, called kNOw Genocide, includes 10 organizations such as
Rwanda Outlook, the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association, and the
Jewish Community Relations Council.

On his way from the ceremony to the rally, state Sen. Steven Tolman
talked about why the coalition was formed.

“Today is a reaction of a diverse group to the lawsuit about the
denial of the Turks that this [genocide] even happened,” he said,
referring to a lawsuit seeking to introduce materials denying the
genocide into the statewide curriculum.

In listing the genocides that have occurred over the past 100 years,
such as Armenia, Bosnia and Cambodia, U.S. Rep Edward Markey called
on President George W. Bush to recognize the genocides in Armenia
and Darfur.

“Don’t forget Palestine, Markey,” said one protester. “It’s been too
long for them too.”

The protester was later escorted farther down Beacon Street, where
he continued to yell at the speakers.

Attorney General Tom Reilly, a Watertown resident and gubernatorial
hopeful, said the pending case in Boston is not about limiting free
speech. He said the only way to find a more just and peaceful future
is to face the “ugly truth of our past.”

State Rep. Peter Koutoujian, D-Waltham, announced new “landmark”
legislation would be filed this week to force the state to divest from
any country where genocide occurs. He said the legislation would be
the first of its kind in the country, and hopes it will be a model
for other states.

Markey said earlier that the legislation would “ratchet up pressure
on the Bush administration to take a firmer stand in Darfur.”

According to some humanitarian groups, about 400,000 people have died
in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Belmont resident Heather Krafian, a teacher at Muraco Elementary School
in Winchester, is a granddaughter of Armenian genocide survivors. She
spoke about the importance of teaching about the genocide in the
schools.

She spoke out against the denial of the genocide, and said it has
become the modus operandi of the Turkish government. She said there
is no doubt among scholars and experts that the Armenian genocide
occurred.

“The thread of lies Turkey has woven for 91 years is slowly beginning
to unravel,” said Krafian. “The fabric of denial has become torn and
tattered. The truth will not be killed, but will prevail.”

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MARKED IN MONTEVIDEO

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 26 2006

Yerevan, April 26. /ARKA/. An arrangement marking the 91st anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide was held in Armenia Square, Montevideo,
Uruguay, on April 24, 2006.

The participants laid wreaths to the memorial “Armenian Genocide”.

Participating in the arrangement were Speaker of the country’s
Parliament Walter Kordeson, Minister of Territorial Administration
Mariano Aravan, and the Parliament member Lilian Keshishyan,
representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholic Church,
Evangelical Church, intellectuals and journalists.

Uruguay was the first country to recognize the Armenian Genocide in
1965.

CANADIAN PARLIAMENT KEEPS MINUTE OF SILENCE IN MEMORY OF VICTIMS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 27 2006

Yerevan, April 27. /ARKA/. The Canadian Parliament kept a minute
of silence in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide in
the Ottoman Empire in 1915. The pres and information department,
RA Foreign Office, reports that an Armenian delegation was invited
to the Parliament’s sitting on April 24, 2006.

The minute of silence was announced by Speaker Peter Milliken with
the parliamentarians’ consent at the end of the Government’s hour.

Hundreds of representatives of Armenian communities in Canada arrived
in Ottawa from Montreal and Toronto. The Armenian delegation visited
the RA Embassy in Canada and laid a wreath to the monument “Eternal
Armenia” in front of the Embassy. The same day, Armenian organizations
held a procession of protest in front of the Turkish Embassy in Canada.

On April 23, a large-scale function in memory of the Genocide victims
was held at the Armenian center in Toronto. Speaking were Chairman
of the New Democratic Party Jack Leyton, the leader of the official
opposition John Torin, candidate for the post of chairman of Liberal
Party Joe Volpen, representatives of the Greek and Armenian communities
of Canada, members of the Canadian Parliament. Premier of Ontario
Delton Mcguiny addressed a message to the participants.

Executive Director of the Canadian Institute of Genocide Research
Rich Hinges was a keynoter at the function.

Similar arrangements were held in Montreal on the initiative of the
Hay Dad Montreal Commission and the Armenian Congress in Canada.

On April 23-24, Canadian TV channels marked the 91st anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide. Liturgies were offered in Saint Grigor
Lusavorich and Saint Hakob churches in Montreal and in Saint Mesrob
church in Ottawa.

INSULTING ANY PROPHET, ANY RELIGION WRONG: CLERIC
By Ashwin Honawar

Peninsula On-line, Qatar
April 27 2006

Photo: Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian

DOHA: Christians have also been victims of blasphemous caricatures
long before their Muslim brethren: A leading Iranian daily published
caricatures insulting Jesus Christ and the 12 Apostles about a
year and half before cartoons blaspheming Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)
appeared in a Danish daily, Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian, Primate of
the Armenian Prelacy of Tehran, said here yesterday.

In an interview with The Peninsula yesterday, Archbishop Sarkissian who
heads the 150,000-strong Armenian Christian community of Iran, said,
a Tehran-based Farsi-language daily, Hamshami, had published about a
year-and-half before the Danish daily, a caricature of Jesus Christ
and the 12 apostles. The caricature showed Jesus and the apostles at
the Last Supper, feasting on pizzas and Pepsi. It showed Jesus Christ
passing a hamburger sandwich to one of the apostles,” he said.

The Christian community in Iran, he said was deeply saddened by this
blasphemous act but the reaction was peaceful. “We did not take it
as seriously. I personally told the government that what was done
by that daily was wrong. I pointed out, how can there be amity among
Iranian citizens of different faith if their prophets were blasphemed
by the media. I declined to participate in a dialogue of religions
and refused an interview on the state-run TV to vent the feelings of
the community,” he disclosed. “In so many Islamic countries, Jesus
Christ has been blasphemed. Why Christians do not demonstrate? In the
Christian world, there is no media censorship while there are a few
Muslim countries that do not have press censorship,” he added. When
told that Islam strictly forbids any form of imagery, Archbishop
Sarkissian pointed out, Muslims also indulge in photography.

He said, there was an urgent need to educate the media against
insulting holy icons of all faiths since they only tend to create
animosity among the public while dealing serious setbacks to the
dialogue of religions, which was crucial. The media should be made
fully aware of the consequences that result from such blaspheming of
any community’s holy figures and prophets. Sarkissian, at the Doha
4th Conference for Religious Dialogue yesterday gave a presentation
on the problems faced by religious leaders in approaching the media
to respect prophets held sacred by believers of different religions.

The outcry and violent reaction in some countries caused by the
publication of cartoons by a section of the Danish press, he said,
were the fallout of exaggeration of the issue by the media in the
Muslim world.

Despite such incidences, the archbishop said, the Armenian Christian
community lives in amity with people of other faiths in Iran, a
majority of whom are Muslims, about 20,000 Jew and another 20,000,
followers of the Zoroastrian faith, among others. ” Before the Islamic
revolution in Iran, there were no religious restrictions.

After the revolution too, there are no restrictions and the right to
religious freedom was added to the constitution,” he said.

Asked about Iran’s nuclear controversy, the religious head, said, all
Iranian citizens were worried about the propaganda that the programme
was to build weapons, being churned by some segments of the Western
press. ” We usually do not include political and other issues in our
sermons at the mass but due to the seriousness of the issue, we did
speak about it a couple of times,” he added. The negative propaganda,
he noted, affects all Iranians, regardless of their faith.

ews.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+Ne ws&month=April2006&file=Local_News20060427 83059.xml

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT MAKES DECISION TO PROVIDE STATE PERPETUAL COUPON BONDS TO CBA

Noyan Tapan
Apr 27 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, NOYAN TAPAN. Pursuant to provisions of the RA
Law on the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA), the Armenian governmnt
on April 27 made a decision to provide, for the purpose of making
investments in the CBA capital, the CBA with RA state (treasury)
perpetual coupon bonds of 12 bln 734 mln 237 thousand 325 drams in
the amount exceeding the total of the bank’s reserves in order to
compensate for the losses in the CBA balance in 2005. NT was informed
about it from the RA Government Information and PR Department. The
RA Ministry of Finance and Economy was assigned to ensure the issue
of the RA state (treasury) perpetual coupon bonds by the indicated
decision and to provide these bonds to the CBA. Under the law, in case
the total of reserves is exceeded in the financial year, with the
aim of compensating for the losses in the CBA balance, the Armenian
government provides the CBA with state perpetual bonds in the amount
of exceeded sum at the market interest rate, as an investment in the
CBA capital, within 30 days after the balance has been published.

REPS OF LITHUANIA’S IT SECTOR INVITED TO ARMENIA

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 26 2006

YEREVAN, April 26. /ARKA/. Representatives of Lithuania’s IT-sector
have been invited to Armenia to take part in a Month of information
technologies, RA Premier Andranik Margaryan stated at his meeting
with Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus.

The RA Premier informed the Lithuanian President that a Month of
Information Technologies is to be held in Yerevan in September-October
2006. A number of conferences, as well as an annual international
exhibition “DIGITEC 2006”, will be organized as part of the Month. A
programming competition, an international e-content contest,
an international conference as part of the Armenia-Diaspora forum,
as well as exhibitions and special IT training courses in Armenia’s
schools, are expected to be organized.

DOUBLING OF NKR’S GDP EVIDENCE OF ACHIEVEMENT OF GOALS, NKR PM STATES

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 26 2006

STEPANAKERT, April 27. /ARKA/. The doubling of the GDP of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) over the last four years, a more
than 43% increase in internal revenues, as well as the creation of
new jobs testify that the set goals have been achieved, NKR Premier
Anushavan Danielyan stated at meeting of the NKR Government.

According to him, a steady GDP growth and stable economy are obvious
now. Danielyan pointed out the importance of analyzing the recorded
indices for further formation of a more balanced budged with minimal
risks.

The NKR Premier spoke of further plans of developing the country’s
industry, agriculture, irrigation system and municipal economy. In
2005, the NKR’s GDP totaled AMD 51.4bln against AMD 42.830bln in
2004. ($1 – AMD 446.53).

REGULAR JOINT SITTING OF COMMISSION FOR NKR-ARMENIA INTERPARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION HELD EFFECTIVELY: VICE-SPEAKER

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 26 2006

STEPANAKERT, April 27. /ARKA/. A regular joint sitting of the
Commission for interparliamentary cooperation between the NKR and
Armenia was held very effectively, Chairman of the Commission for
interparliamentary cooperation, Armenian Vice-Speaker Tigran Torosyan
told reporters in Stepanakert.

According to him, during two days a few questions were discussed
concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, drafting of the
NKR constitution, bringing the NKR legislation in conformity with
the European standards and increase of effectiveness of cooperation
between the two country’s parliaments.

He also reported that the Commission’s sittings will be held twice
a year, and extraordinary sittings will be convened in case of
necessity.