PACE NAGORNO KARABAKH SUBCOMMITTEE HEAD LORD RUSSEL-JOHNSTON TO VISIT REGION
TREND, Azerbaijan
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Aug. 17, 2006
The delegation led by Lord Russel-Johnston, head of the Council of
Europe Parliamentary Assembly subcommittee for Nagorno Karabakh is
due to visit Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh by the end of
this year.
Head of Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation to PACE Samad Seyidov told
journalists, APA reports. Mr.Seyidov said a lot of changes have been
made to the Azerbaijani and Armenian delegations of the subcommittee.
Seyidov also said PACE Monitoring Committee co-rapporteurs Andres
Herkel and Tony Lloyd will arrive in Azerbaijan in November. Reports
will be drawn up on the visit.
He added there is no issue directly concerning Azerbaijan in the
agenda of the PACE autumn session.

SAMAD SEYIDOV: WE’LL TRY TO RAISE THE ARMENIAN ARSONS IN OCCUPIED AZERBAIJANI LANDS AT PACE AUTUMN SESSION
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug. 17, 2006
“We’ll try to raise the Armenian-committed arsons in the occupied
Azerbaijani lands at the autumn session of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly,” Samad Seyidov, head of Azerbaijani
parliamentary delegation to PACE told journalists, APA reports.
He said as these arsons are part of the occupation, the Azerbaijani
delegation’s priority is to keep Armenia’s aggressive policy on
focus and fuel the work of the PACE Subcommittee for Nagorno Garabagh
problem.
“We are doing out utmost regarding all problems, including the Nagorno
Garabagh problem and the arsons and trying to bring these matters to
the Council of Europe’s attention,” Mr.Seyidov said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SHOULD BE MADE ANSWERABLE AT THE LAKHEY COURT, TURKISH SCIENTIST STATES
Author: A.Mammadova
TREND, Azerbaijan
Aug. 17, 2006
The Chairman Sefa Yuruel concluded the meeting of the Turkish Society
‘Researches into Genocide of Turks’ by stating that the Armenian
President Robert Kocharian should be made answerable for the crimes
committed in Khojaly.
Trend special correspondent in Turkey reported that the Scientist
went on to say that the Khojaly genocide was a crime against mankind
and Kocharian, who is to be answerable for it, should be convicted
in the European Court on Human Rights in Lakhey.

FINAL CONVOY OF MILITARY HARDWARE TO GYUMRI LEAVES AKHALKALAKI
Civil Georgia, Georgia
Aug. 17, 2006
A convoy of Russian military hardware departed from Akhalkalaki
military base headed for the Russian military base located in the
Armenian town of Gyumri on August 17, the Georgian Defense Ministry
reported.
The military hardware included four Strela-10 surface-to-air missile
(SAM) systems, five ZU-23/2 anti-aircraft systems, a BRM-1 armored
reconnaissance vehicle, and three BTC-4 middle tank tractors.
This is the last convoy to depart from Akhalkalaki to Gyumri, as the
rest of the military hardware will be sent to Russia via railway.
According to the Georgian Defense Ministry, the withdrawal of Russian
military hardware from Akhalkalaki will be completed by the end
of 2006.

ARMENIANS IMPEDE DISPOSAL OF TURKEY’S PEACEMAKING FORCES IN ARMENIA
Author: S.Alasgarov
TREND, Azerbaijan
Aug. 17, 2006
Representatives of the Armenian Diaspora and organization of the
Dashnaksutyun Party based in Lebanon are against the disposal of
Turkey’s peace-making contingent to this country.
Trend special correspondent in Turkey said that 6 MPs, Armenian by
origin, as well as the forces supporting them, come out against it
at the Lebanon parliament.
With respect to make pressures on Turkey the Armenian Diaspora tries
to gain a support of the pro-Armenian forces in the United States.

AZIMOV: “EXPERTS SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE MONITORING OF ARMENIAN ARSONS ON THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES”
Today, Azerbaijan
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Aug. 17, 2006
“I was not informed of Andrzej Kasprzyk’s visit to Armenia to
investigate the causes of Armenian-committed arsons on the occupied
territories.”
“On the other hand, Kasprzyk can hold monitoring under his mandate,”
Azerbaijani deputy foreign minister Araz Azimov told journalists,
APA reports. The deputy minister said experts should be involved in
the monitoring of the affected areas.
He noted that personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office,
Kasprzyk is not an ecologist, and Azerbaijan has already appealed to
the UN and OSCE authorities for the monitoring.
Mr.Azimov did not rule out international experts group’s visiting
the areas affected by the arsons.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THEATER CRITIC’S CHOICE: “LITTLE ARMENIA”
LA City Beat, CA
Aug. 17, 2006
In the neighborhood surrounding the Fountain Theatre, an immigrant
couple frets that their daughter wants to marry an outsider – an
Icelandic American. Meanwhile, an Armenian American teenager falls
in with a shady garbage collector, and two women worry about losing
their waitress jobs if a restaurant moves to Glendale. These are
among the narrative strands that intertwine in this research-based
play by three authors: Lory Bedikian, Aram Kouyoumdjian and Shahe
Mankerian. It sounds like a recipe for sprawl, but Armina LaMann’s
staging is remarkably concise and consistent in tone. The text balances
warm emotion with a few less than flattering perspectives and a wealth
of local color – the narrator’s home is on a street only a half-block
from the theater.
-Don Shirley
The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood, (323) 663-1525.
Thurs.-Sats. at 8 p.m.; Suns. at 2 p.m. Closes Sept. 3.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERBAIJAN TRANSFERS TO ATTACK TACTICS IN INFORMATION WAR WITH ARMENIA – HEAD OF SCWALA
Author: A.Mammadova
TREND, Azerbaijan
Aug. 17, 2006
According to the order of the president, Azerbaijan transfers to the
tactics of attack in the information war with Armenia, the chairman of
the State Committee for Work with Azerbaijanis Living Abroad (SCWALA)
Nazim Ibrahimov told on August 17, Trend reports.
He stressed that a forum of Azerbaijanis working in foreign mass
media will be held in 2007. It will be one of the works directed
towards bringing the realities of Azerbaijan to the attention of the
world public.
Besides, Ibrahimov noted that it is planned to hold the forum
of scientific workers so that they assist in the information
war. After the next conference of the heads of Azerbaijani diplomatic
representations, the diaspora of Azerbaijan, together with the
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, will strengthen its activities.

IMPORTANCE OF HISTORICAL CONSCIOUSNESS
Zaman, Turkey
Aug. 17, 2006
Life is like a living organism; the traditions, customs, governmental
systems, cuisines and dressing styles are all subject to the inevitable
reality — change. The changes that occur are the consequences of the
“dynamism” embedded in life itself; life does not fossilize thanks
to this dynamism, the driving power, in its structure.
Historical consciousness enables societies to exist despite these
inevitable changes. If this consciousness is not strong enough,
it may break our national consciousness into pieces and may turn it
into a schizophrenic situation.
All social and natural events in our lives have historical
backgrounds. As long as we avoid explaining these events to ourselves,
we will continue walking in our sleep. However, if we try to conceive
of events, we will understand their meanings and feel the need to
think of how we can make them better. Societies lacking historical
consciousness consider themselves only as tools, means, shadows
and nameless fragments. Hence, such societies seek happiness or the
continuation of their existence in the lives of other societies.
We are at the threshold moment opening up to a new future
after ages-long struggles, and to countries we conquered with
fanfare. This means history is not entrapped by history, on the
contrary, it is life put in front of us. Historical consciousness
keeps our consciousness awake by saving us from a rootless identity
and links us to eternity. This phenomenon which functions in society
as historical consciousness is created by the philosophy of history
that is a product of intellectual minds.
The philosophy of history reproduces itself in the society as wisdom,
not as knowledge. It cannot fully explain the events but can predict
them. The literacy rate during the Turkish War of Independence was
between 10-12 percent. University graduates were very rare. There was
hardly any governmental authority in territories under Turkish control
and the country was on the verge of disintegration. An incredible
number of foreign organizations were operating in the country. The
British brought Kurdish rulers together in the northern city of Van
and lectured them on the need to establish a new state.
Kurdish rulers realized that the British really wanted to establish
an Armenian state in the region. The British attempted once again
to actualize their plans of establishing small states in Western
Anatolia. However, the Circassian people who lived in the region
opposed the establishment of a Cricassian state more than any other
minority. Thanks to the national consciousness of Turkish citizens
in Eastern and Western regions, the Turks could easily guard against
the tricks that threatened our national existence and secure our
independence.
The Soviet Union attempted to occupy Afghanistan. Despite the severe
imbalance of power between the two countries, the tough Afghan warriors
defeated the Soviet forces. It was not difficult for them to recognize
the enemy that’s why they could easily achieve unity.
However, the Afghan people could not enhance domestic peace when
there was no enemy threatening their existence, because their national
consciousness was not strong enough and the slightest difference was
enough to tear them apart. In all societies there are differences
that can easily turn into clashes but national consciousness does
not allow them to disturb social order. For instance, is it possible
to separate Germans as Catholics and Protestants? Can you shake the
German national consciousness bolstered by the philosophy of history
acquired as a result of thorough historical analyses and experiments?
National consciousness is not a God-given quality. The metaphysical
atmosphere, historical knowledge, painful experiments and other
similar factors constitute national consciousness. However, the
greatest source of national consciousness is historical awareness.

LOMAIA IS SATISFIED WITH AKHALKALAKI SCHOOL UPGRADES
The Messenger, Georgia
Aug. 17, 2006
Akhali Taoba reports that Minister of Education and Science Kakha
Lomaia positively assessed the current rehabilitation works in
Akhalkalaki schools, part of a national programme.
The paper writes that during the meeting with teachers and entrants,
Lomaia confirmed that students from Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda
[districts predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians] have achieved
much better results in the national exams than last year. While
visiting Akhalkalaki, Lomaia also visited the Javakheti branch of
the Tbilisi State University, acquainting local government with the
prospects for further development of this branch.
The minister also visited the Akhalkalaki resource centre, where
immediately after the completion of the rehabilitation works a new
resource centre will start functioning. Lomaia also met with Father
Nikolozi of Akhalkalaki and promised to support cultural and spiritual
development of the local youth.