LENNMARKER’S REPORT ON NK TO BE HEARD AT OSCE PA SESSION
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
June 25 2006
The regional security, human rights, conduction of elections, secret
prisons and trafficking in people will be discussed at the 15th annual
session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to be held in Brussels
July 3-7.
The resulting document with recommendations on the above-mentioned
and other issues will be adopted on the final day, PanARMENIAN.Net
reports quoting OSCE PA Headquarters in Copenhagen. The report on
Nagorno Karabakh prepared by the OSCE PA Special Representative Goran
Lennmarker will be heard at the sitting of the Permanent Committee
July 4.

RADANOVICH LEADS CONGRESSIONAL EFFORT TO URGE
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
June 25 2006
Four leading Congressional friends of Armenia, George Radanovich (R-CA)
and Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Congressional Caucus Co-Chairmen Frank
Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), have strongly encouraged
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to reconsider the recall of
Ambassador Evans, reported the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA).
In a June 22nd letter, the legislators noted that “after months of
speculation,” the recall of Ambassador Evans “was confirmed when the
President nominated Richard Hoagland to serve as the new United States
Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia on May 23. While there has been
no official acknowledgement that Ambassador Evans removal was a result
of his February 2005 statement that the Armenian Genocide was the first
genocide of the 20th Century, all evidence points to that conclusion.”
“We join with Armenian Americans across the country in thanking
Congressman Radanovich, Schiff, Pallone, and Knollenberg – the four
lead authors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution – for once again
taking the lead in challenging the State Department’s failed policy
of complicity in Turkey’s denial of this crime against all humanity,”
said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “We share their
belief that Ambassador Evans’ recall should be reversed and look
forward, in the days ahead, to learning more about the circumstances
behind this ill-advised, morally unjustifiable, and increasingly
controversial action.”
The Congressional letter closed with the four legislators expressing
their belief that “the United States must formally recognize the
Armenian Genocide, and we will continue to work towards that goal.
Allowing John Evans to continue as Ambassador to Armenia sends a
strong message on the necessity of Turkish recognition, and will be
an important step in establishing the U.S. position on the Armenian
Genocide.”
The State Department, with the blessing of the White House, fired
Amb. Evans in response to his February 2005 statements at Armenian
American community functions, during which he properly characterized
the Armenian Genocide as “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 U.S. 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 decided
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 in the days leading up to Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Washington, DC to meet with President Bush.

DREAM TURNS REAL WHEN MCC EMPLOYEE BECOMES A CITIZEN
Mohave Valley News, NV
June 25 2006
BULLHEAD CITY – A decision was made, determination set in and the
dream was realized Saturday as Mariam Yesayan was sworn in, by a U.S.
District Court judge in Phoenix, as a naturalized citizen of the
United States.
“I live here, I like it here and I wanted to be a part of this nation,”
Yesayan said. “I had to wait five years to begin the process of
becoming an American citizen and 20 more months during the process
of becoming an American citizen.
“I have been waiting a long time for this day to come,” she said. “I am
grateful to this country and proud that I had and took the opportunity
to become a citizen.”
Yesayan, who is the Mohave Community College coordinator for the
English Language Acquisition for Adults (ELAA) program, was born in
Yerevan, Armenia, which was a part of the former Soviet Union.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in English language and literature
and her master’s degree in linguistics from Armenia State University.
After completing her master’s degree, she taught English language
and literature at the same university.
Yesayan traveled to California in 1997 to visit her only sister. She
liked California and the United States and, at the request of her
sister, she decided to stay.
It was in California in 1999 that she met Sergiy Kuzminsky, a Bullhead
City resident who was visiting California on vacation. The two married
in 2000.
As the newlyweds approached Bullhead City together in 2000, Kuzminsky
pointed out that the city was small and that it had a small college
and a small-city atmosphere.
“As I drove by the MCC campus, I had a feeling I would work there;
it was an enchanting campus,” she said.
In California, Yesayan had worked as an interpreter in a paralegal
office in Burbank, helping out the Russian/Armenian community in
the area.
At MCC, she started in 2000 as a member of the associate faculty
teaching ELAA English courses, and, in 2004, she obtained her present
post as college coordinator of ELAA.
The ELAA program helps non-English-speaking newcomers to learn spoken
and written English.
“The object of the program is to see that not a single adult in the
community is left behind and that we help them learn or improve their
English skills so they are able to contribute to their community
through their knowledge of written and spoken English,” she said.
“Then they can become United States citizens, too.”
In 2002, Kuzminsky became a naturalized American citizen in the same
courthouse in Phoenix, and Yesayan said she couldn’t wait to join
him in obtaining citizenship papers.
“Now I feel that I am a real part of this blessed nation,” she said.
“The United States gives a motivated person the tools available to
accomplish their goals, no matter how high those goals are.”
The family’s Bullhead City home now includes Yesayan, Kuzminsky and
their children, Paul, 5 and Anna, 4, who are both American citizens
since they were born in the United States.
Yesayan had to live five years in the United States before she could
apply for her citizenship papers.
Once the process was started, she had to be fingerprinted in Las Vegas
for a criminal background check, had to interview with officers of
the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Phoenix, pass U.S.
history and civics tests in Phoenix and then take the citizenship oath
in Phoenix. She took that oath last weekend along with 82 others from
around Arizona.

CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS MET REPRESENTATIVES OF 30 TURKISH MEDIA
ArmRadio.am
26.06.2006 16:49
Yesterday the Catholicos of all Armenians Garegin II met the
journalists in Istanbul. Representatives of about 30 Turkish media,
both print and broadcast, participated in the meeting with the Supreme
Patriarch. Editor-in-chief of the Turkey based “Zhamanak” newspaper
Ara Kochunyan told “Radiolur” that among others the Armenian Issue
was discussed.
As we have informed earlier, on June 20 the Catholicos of All Armenians
Garegin II left for Istanbul at the invitation of Archbishop Mesrop
Mutafyan and Ecumenical Patriarch His All-Holiness Bartholomew
I. This was the third visit of Armenian religious leaders to Turkey
during the last 50 years. In 1961 Vazgen I paid an official visit to
Turkey. In 1996 Garegin the First’s visit was non-official. Garegin the
Second’s visit is also of a non-official character. It was, however,
a unique opportunity for Turkish journalists to meet the Catholicos
of all Armenians.
The issue of the accident at Ataturk Airport on the day of the visit
of the Patriarch was not evaded, either.
To remind, a group of 50 people organized an act of protest next t
the airport. Those protesting threw eggs on cars of two Patriarchs,
who were meeting Garegin II According to the editor-in-chief of
“Zhamanak” daily, the media coverage of today’s press conference and
the Catholicos’s visit was rather balanced and objective.
The hooliganism of the nationalists did not receive proper attention
of the media; the political parties did not respond, ether.
By the way, in the framework of the PACE summer session Turkish Prime
Minister Rejeb Tayyib Erdogan is expected to deliver a speech before
the European MPs on June 28. The topic is rather interesting: the
necessity of maintaining the balance between the freedom of speech and
the respect for the believers’ rights. The Armenian delegation will
try to receive the Prime Minister’s response regarding the Turkish
version of respecting the religious feelings.

IT’S STILL TOO EARLY TO DREAM OF QUITTING THE MONITORING PHASE
Karine Asatryan
A1+
[04:29 pm] 26 June, 2006
“Monitoring can’t stop until Armenia and Azerbaijan have settled
the conflict”, Rene van der Linden, PACE President told the “A1+”
correspondent. According to him, this is a problematic issue not only
for the CoE, but also for the other international structures.
“I hope the conflict will be settled finally after such a long time”,
the PACE President told a news conference in Strasbourg. He also
referred to a number of issues among which those included in the agenda
of the session and combat against terrorism. A report on “Alleged
secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers in Europe” will be
represented in the session. “This is not an anti-American report”, Mr.
van der Linden said. He claimed that the authors of the report have
carried out much work and gathered enough information in order to
reveal the truth.
Although there are no issues directly concerning Armenia in the agenda
of the session, the Azerbaijanis will probably mention the name of
our country many times. For example, during the press conference one
of the Azeri journalists informed the PACE President that forests
are burning “in the territories occupied by Armenia” and this issue
must be represented in the session during the discussions about the
protection of forests.
By the way, Azeri delegate Rafael Huseynov has already represented
a document “About the exploitation of the mines in the Azeri areas
occupied by Armenia”.
According to the document, Armenia creates danger for the future of
Azerbaijan and its people. In particular, they are concerned by the
fate of the gold mines in Gizibulag, Veynal and Zod.

STEPAN HAKOBYAN HAS BEEN ARRESTED
A1+
[04:42 pm] 26 June, 2006
On June 24 Stepan S. Hakobyan born in 1978 was arrested in connection
with the June 22 murder in Malatia. No charge has been brought against
Hakobyan yet but he is suspected of keeping illegal weapon.
During the search in his house cartridges have been found. The
information has been confirmed by press secretary of the Prosecutor’s
office Sona Truzyan.
It is noteworthy that Stepan Hakobyan is the nephew of NA deputy Hakob
Hakobyan. Let us also remind that Stepan Hakobyan and Sedrak Zatikyan
who was murdered on June 22 had a terrible quarrel two years ago.
Stepan Hakobyan will be accused of keeping illegal weapon. The
investigation is under way.

RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE FIRST OF ALL TURKEY’S DOMESTIC ISSUE
PanARMENIAN.Net
26.06.2006 15:48 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia is always ready to dialogue with all
its neighbors, Armenian Speaker Tigran Torosyan stated, when
answering questions of readers of the Golos Armenii. In his words,
this refers both to Azerbaijan and Turkey. At that he noted that “it
is impossible to solve any problems under the conditions, which are
created in Azerbaijan and Turkey, where hatred to Armenian people is
inseminated.” “The latest evidence is the meeting of the Catholicos
of All Armenians in Istanbul, which is shameful for Turkey,” the
Speaker emphasized.
As for the issue of the Armenian Genocide, Torosyan remarked that
“it would have been strange, if we doubted the fact of the Genocide
and started discussion with Turks of whether it happened or not.”
“We have another question to discuss with them – how to advance. Thus,
it is first of all a domestic issue for Turkey and its people,”
Torosyan said. The Speaker added that peoples become increasingly
aware that genocide is a crime against humanity and it is necessary
to recognize that fact to avoid its repetition. “This is evidenced by
recognition of the Genocide by Parliaments of many European countries,”
Torosyan remarked.

TWO KILLED, ONE ARRESTED
Lragir.am
26 June 06
On June 24 Stepan S. Hakobyan was arrested and charged with the
murder in the community of Malatia-Sebastia, Yerevan on June 22. In
a street shooting Sedrak Zatikyan, 1980, the son of the former head
of the community Vahan Zatikyan, was killed. Karineh Sargsyan, 1969
was killed when passing by the place.
By the way, Stepan Hakobyan is the cousin of the Member of Parliament
Hakob Hakobyan, who also lives in Malatia-Sebastia.

NEW ORGANIZATION IN JAVAKHETI
Lragir.am
26 June 06
A-Info reports that on June 24 United Javakheti Popular Alliance
NGO was founded in Akhalkalaki. The goals of the organization were
proclaimed, including improvement of the social and economic state
of the Armenians of Javakheti, giving Armenian a status of a second
official language in the region, granting cultural sovereignty to
the region. The board of the NGO including 13 members was elected.

WHY DO YOU RECALL EVANS?
Lragir.am
26 June 06
The Armenian National Committee of America told the news agency ARKA
that four U.S. House representatives sent a letter to Condoleezza Rice,
calling for reconsidering the decision to recall U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia John Evans. The letter was signed by George Radanovich, Adam
Schiff, Frank Pallone and Joe Knollenberg. John Evans is said to have
been recalled for directly using the word “genocide” in a meeting
with the Armenian community in the United States. The letter says
that the reason for the recall is unclear, and if John Evans remained
ambassador to Armenia, it would be a powerful signal to Turkey to
recognize the genocide, and would reinforce the stance of the United
States on this issue, think the representatives of the U.S. House.