LES ARMENIENS DU LIBAN MANIFESTENT CONTRE LA PARTICIPATION TURQUE A LA FINUL
Agence France Presse
8 septembre 2006 vendredi 12:02 PM GMT
Les Armeniens du Liban, qui n’ont pas oublie les massacres en 1915
sous l’empire ottoman, ont manifeste vendredi a Beyrouth contre une
participation de la Turquie a la Force interimaire des Nations unies
au Liban (Finul).
Brandissant des drapeaux libanais et des banderoles denoncant la
Turquie comme un “Etat assassin”, plusieurs centaines d’Armeniens
ont manifeste a Bourj Hammoud, une banlieue de Beyrouth où ils sont
majoritaires et appele l’Onu a revoir la participation de la Turquie
a la Finul.
“Genocide, massacre, deportation: la definition turque de la paix”,
“Non a la participation turque aux troupes de l’Onu”, proclamaient
les banderoles.
“Un million et demi de notre peuple a ete massacre par les Turcs et
vous vous attendez a ce qu’on les recoive a bras ouverts?” demande
Arous Ghougassian, proprietaire d’une galerie d’ameublement.
“Je peux vous assurer que je ne leur vendrai rien s’ils viennent dans
ma galerie”, dit-elle.
“Regardez mes mains, j’ai la chair de poule lorsque vous me parlez
d’eux”, s’insurge Hagop, employe d’un restaurant en levant son poing
en signe de defi. “S’ils osent venir dans ce quartier nous prendrons
soin d’eux”, dit-il.
Les Armeniens qui ont trouve refuge au Liban il y a 90 ans sont bien
integres dans le pays et leur communaute, qui a droit a six sièges
au Parlement (sur 128 membres), ne compte plus que quelque 140.000
personnes, selon ses responsables politiques et religieux.
Plusieurs centaines d’Armeniens avaient deja manifeste fin août devant
l’immeuble des Nations unies a Beyrouth pour protester contre une
participation de la Turquie a la Finul.
Ankara entend deployer jusqu’a un millier de soldats pour renforcer la
FINUL chargee de consolider la treve a la frontière israelo-libanaise.
–Boundary_(ID_Irkxkow6JJ4uGg7 Bkuffvw)–

ROUNDTABLE ON “ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS IN LEBANON: PROS AND CONS” HELD IN YEREVAN
ArmRadio.am
09.09.2006 11:49
The Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS)
convened a foreign policy roundtable entitled “Armenian Peacekeepers
in Lebanon: Pros and Cons” to discuss the viability, against the
backdrop of new geopolitical realities, of deploying an Armenian
peacekeeping contingent in Lebanon.
ACNIS director of research Stiopa Safarian greeted the audience
with opening remarks and deliberated on Armenia’s potential role in
the shaping of the Greater Middle East. “What occurs in the Middle
East today has certainly passed well beyond the perimeters of the
Arab-Israeli conflict, and involves new realities that are forming
in the region. The foreign policy of Armenia cannot treat the current
happenings with indifference. In the interests of European civilization
and security, in the spirit of peace, and as a sign of traditional
warm relations with the Arab world, this policy should play a unique
role in the strengthening of regional peace. Hence, a peacekeeping
mission to southern Lebanon, where thousands of Armenians live,
provides one such opportunity, ” Safarian mentioned.
In his address, Armenia’s former Minister of Defense Lieutenant General
Vagharshak Harutiunian reflected on the military aspect in the possible
dispatch of Armenian peacekeepers to Lebanon. The general likewise is
confident that ” Armenia must absolutely partake in the peace force,
but it has to determine the correct means of participation. This is
our duty since we have historically-profound and strong relations
with, and a huge Armenian community in, Lebanon.” Harutiunian also
noted that the presence of Armenian peacekeepers in that country is
in Israel’s interests as well because this would prevent the Israeli
towns from becoming targets of missile attacks from that area. In
General Harutiunian’s view, this mission is beneficial for the two
countries, for Hezbollah, and for the Armenian community of Lebanon.

TITLES AND MEDALS AWARDED ON THE OCCASSION OF THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE
ArmRadio.am
09.09.2006 13:24
On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of RA independence, Presidnet
Robert Kocharyan signed a decree on awarding Mkhitar Heratsi medal
to Director General of “Nairi” medical center Harytyan Kushkyan for
the achievements in the healthcare sphere.
According to another decree of the President, Artashes Aznauryan and
Hayrapet Galstyan were awarded the Honoured Worker of Science title.
Honored Doctor’s titles were awarded to Sergey Abgaryan, Karlen
Yesayan, Susanna Hakobjanyan and Sargis Sazhumyan.
According to President Kocharyan’s decree Anania Shirakatsi medals
were awarded to Arshavir Bznuni, Gagik Galstyan, Ashot Tamrazyan,
Karen Karapetyan, Arsen Ghazaryan, Hovik Musaelyan, Karen Safaryan
and Sos Simonyan.

CORDOBA STATE OF ARGENTINA RECOGNIZED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
PanARMENIAN.Net
08.09.2006 18:25 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ September 6 the Parliament of the Argentinean State
of Cordoba passed a bill, according to which April 24 will be marked as
the Day of Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide Victims, reported the
RA MFA press office. The author of the document, MP Alexandro Vigo,
says that the “atrocities committed against the Armenian people by
the Ottoman Empire Government during the World War I and after it
are nothing else but a Genocide.” A corresponding law will come into
effect upon approval by the Governor of the state within ten days. The
bill also provides for introduction of the Armenian Genocide course
in the school curriculum.

ARMENIA TO MARK 5TH ANNIVERSARY OF NEW YORK TERRORIST ACT SEPTEMBER 11
PanARMENIAN.Net
08.09.2006 18:37 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ September 11 Armenia will mark the 5th anniversary
of the terrorist act in New York that claimed lives of over 3 thousand
people, U.S. Embassy PR officer Taguhi Jahukian told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter. “Commemoration events will be held in the town of Ararat. The
action participants will lay a wreath to the Memorial to the victims of
the tragedy and honor their memory with a minute of silence,” she said.

ARMENIAN SERVICEMEN WILL TAKE PART IN NATO EXERCISES IN KISHINEV
PanARMENIAN.Net
09.09.2006 13:25 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Three officers of the Armed Forces of Armenia under
the command of Hakob Melikyan will take part in the Cooperative Longbow
2006 exercises, to be organized within the NATO Partnership for Peace
Program in Kishinev September 10-21. According to the Armenian MOD
Press Service, another 11 Armenian servicemen under the command of
Karapet Salabashyan will take part in NATO Cooperative Lancer 2006
exercises, to be held in Kishinev September 18-29.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA 53RD IN ECONOMIC FREEDOM RATING
PanARMENIAN.Net
09.09.2006 14:33 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to the report, made public by the Cato
Institute, Hong Kong is the leader on economic freedom indicators in
the world. It is followed by Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland and
the US. The UK and Ireland are the sixth. The top ten also includes
Canada, Island and Luxembourg.
Among the countries of the former USSR Estonia has the highest place –
it is the 12th. Latvia and Lithuania are 35th and 40th respectively,
while Georgia and Armenia both on the 53rd place, and Azerbaijan is
the 83rd. Russia is 102nd, thus it occupies a place lower than most
of the former USSR country. The situation with freedom is even worse
in Ukraine, which is the 111th. Zimbabwe and Burma are on the last
places of the rating of 130 countries.
Cato Institute has been annually publishing the rating of economic
freedom of the countries of the world since 1980, reports Lenta.ru.

CANADIAN MFA CONCERNED OVER BAKU MILITANT RHETORIC
PanARMENIAN.Net
09.09.2006 14:40 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A delegation representing the Armenian National
Committee of Canada (ANCC) met three senior officials of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, Central, East and South Europe Division to discuss
issues of concern to the Canadian-Armenian Community.
As reported by the ANCC, during the meeting, which lasted over an
hour, the ANCC delegates and the ministry officials discussed the
Nagorno Karabakh issue, the illegal blockade of Armenia by Turkey,
the establishment of a Canadian Embassy in Armenia, Canada-Armenia
bilateral relations, and future Canadian economic investment in
Armenia. The ministry officials were forthcoming and frank in their
approach and analysis of the issues. They said they were concerned with
the recent Azerbaijani Government military buildup and Baku’s rhetoric
to use force to solve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. They hoped that
the mediation efforts by the Organization for Security and Co-operation
in Europe (OSCE) will find a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

ISLAND TAKES TITLE OF MOST SCOTTISH PLACE IN SCOTLAND
Lianne Gutcher
Scotsman, United Kingdom
Sept 11 2006
CONSIDERED by many to be one of the most unspoilt islands in Britain,
the tiny Hebridean island of Barra now has another claim – it is the
most Scottish place in Scotland.
Research has revealed that Barra has a higher proportion of Scots
living there than any other part of the UK. About 85 per cent of its
residents have a name considered to be Scottish.
Experts used the Origins Info marking database to arrive at the
results. It categorises the population into 200 different ethnic
groups on the basis of their names.
Its developers attest to the tool’s reliability despite the tendency
of women to take their husbands’ names on marriage and immigrants to
assume a more “British name” to avoid discrimination.
The research was designed to show the characteristics of “melting pot”
Britain. The details were provided by the 42 million adults registered
to vote.
The database is used by charities, retailers and hospitals to tailor
their services to individual ethnic groups.
Jessie MacNeil, of Voluntary Action Barra, a body campaigning on
social and economic issues, said the island’s remoteness had played
a part in preserving its Scottishness.
She added: “The importance placed on the Gaelic language and culture
has contributed to its high-profile [Scottishness].”
The island holds an annual festival, Feis Bharraigh, to promote the
practice and study of the Gaelic language, literature, music, drama and
culture. Begun in 1981, it is the longest-running event of its type.
Coatbridge in Lanarkshire was identified as the least Scottish town,
with only 39 per cent of residents considered to have names that put
their origins in Scotland.
This was attributed to the influx of Irish immigrants – 28 per cent
of the townsfolk had names traceable to Ireland.
Port Glasgow and Clydebank also shared this Irish trend.
In the Borders, West Linton was the most English town in Scotland
while Berwick-on-Tweed was the most Scottish town in England.
Thanks to an influx of steelworkers in the 1930s, the Northamptonshire
town of Corby also has a high density of residents who are Scottish
or of Scottish descent.
Many there still speak with Scottish accents, celebrate Burns Night
and host an annual Highland games.
Throughout the rest of the country, Ripley in Derbyshire is the most
English place, with nearly 89 per cent of residents having English
ethnic roots.
South Tottenham in North London, home to 113 ethnic groups, is the
most diverse.
The survey showed that immigrants from Armenia and their descendents
are the most successful ethnic group along with those from Japan,
Cyprus and the Netherlands.
Those from Sierra Leone, Syria and Bangladeshi Muslims fare the
least well.
Richard Webber, a professor of spatial analysis at University College
London, who developed Origins Info, said: “The patterns that this
analysis uncovers are very striking. We are hoping it will provide
a valuable tool for government and business.”

FRENCH PRESIDENT TO VISIT ARMENIA SEPTEMBER 29 ACCORDING TO PRELIMINARY DATA
PanARMENIAN.Net
09.09.2006 14:52 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to preliminary data, French President
Jacques Chirac will pay an official visit to Armenia on September 29,
French Embassy Spokesperson Meri Hakobyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter. In her words, the final date of the visit of the French
President usually becomes clear 15 days in advance.
The French President will officially open the Year of Armenia in
France. On September 30 – the first day of the festivities – Charles
Aznavour and famous French singers will perform a concert at the
Republic Square in Yerevan.