TMCNet
April 14 2006
Canceled USC event featuring Turkish ambassadors draws controversy
(Comtex Business Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)LOS ANGELES, Apr 13,
2006 (Daily Trojan, U-WIRE via COMTEX) –An event at the University
of Southern California Center for Public Diplomacy featuring two
former ambassadors from Turkey was canceled late March, days before
its scheduled date, amid complaints and controversy about its
intended subject. Former Turkish ambassadors Gunduz Aktan and Omer
Lutem were scheduled to speak at USC to coincide with their visit to
Los Angeles, Calif., for an event at the Los Angeles World Affairs
Council.
The event was canceled, however, after administrators at the USC
Center for Public Diplomacy realized that the original topic of the
event had been changed, said Joshua Fouts, director of the center.
“When we first scheduled the event, it was described as an event
about Turkish civil society and Armenian relations,” Fouts said. “The
final description that was e-mailed described the event as a
discussion about the genocide.”
But despite the official reason given by USC, members of both the
Turkish and Armenian communities in Los Angeles expressed differing
opinions regarding USC’s decision.
Days before the event was scheduled to occur, members of the Armenian
community, including the Western region office of the Armenian
National Committee of America, sent a letter to Fouts encouraging the
university to cancel the event.
In the letter, Steven Dadaian, chairman of the ANCA Western region
office, wrote that the event would provide a forum for the Turkish
ambassadors to make false statements and deny historical facts about
the Armenian genocide.
“(Genocide) denial is a deliberate misrepresentation of fact and a
scientific fraud which must not be tolerated by the university,”
Dadaian wrote. “This panel will undoubtedly be considered an
extremely offensive event which disrespects the rights and dignity of
not only your students but to all the hundreds of thousands who are
the victims and surviving children of the Armenian Genocide.”
The letter went on to warn Fouts that “if USC chooses to proceed with
this program, our organization will be forced to take further action
to protest the University’s complicity in providing a forum for
genocide deniers.”
The letter to the university was written because “we didn’t want
these (genocide) deniers to have this platform in front of students,”
said Armen Carapetian, director of the ANCA-Western Region.
“(Aktan and Lutem) were going to talk about the Turkish perspective,
but the world community has already acknowledged that the Armenian
genocide occurred. All they have to do is throw a shadow of doubt
into it and confuse people,” Carapetian said.
One former student, who is Turkish, responded to the cancellation
with an e-mail of his own.
In the e-mail sent to USC administrators March 30, Evren Ugurbas,
former president of the USC Turkish Students Association, accused the
university of violating free speech and buckling to political
pressure for canceling the event during which the ambassadors were to
discuss Turkish-Armenian relations.
In the e-mail, Ugurbas wrote that the cancellation of the event,
which had been planned and scheduled by the USC Center for Public
Diplomacy, “was a grave and embarrassing mistake (the university)
made by cowardly resorting to censorship under partisan pressure by
local activists.”
The Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles scheduled the event with the USC
Center for Public Diplomacy, which “enthusiastically welcomed our
efforts,” said Engin Ansay, Consul General of Turkey in Los Angeles.
The purpose of the event, Ansay said, was to promote positive
relationships between the Turkish and Armenian communities by
discussing the long-debated Armenian genocide and “how best to remedy
the situation and shed light on this dark period in history.”
Turkish Consul General Ansay said, “It was not an exercise in Turkish
propaganda. We’re just trying to find a dialogue. There can be a
fruitful cooperation between the Turkish and Armenian communities,”
he said.
Ansay said that the consulate was surprised to hear from USC
informing it of the cancellation.
“We were astonished, flabbergasted, because where is the freedom of
speech? It was a big blow to everyone who heard about it. USC is a
respectable institution but we regret that it happened,” he said.
But Carapetian said that USC had been misinformed about the event.
“I think that they had heard from one side, and it was our
responsibility to let our community know and weigh in on the subject.
It was freedom of expression on our side,” he said.
In a press release posted on ANCA’s Web site, the organization
applauded the university for the cancellation, stating that “(t)he
quick action to draw attention to this issue by many groups and
individuals resulted in the ultimate cancellation once USC officials
were made aware of the real intent of the event.”
But Fouts said the Armenian community’s efforts had no bearing on the
center’s ultimate decision to cancel.
Instead, the reason behind the cancellation dealt with the relevance
of the intended discussion to the Center for Public Diplomacy’s
mission, he said.
“We have a great relationship with the Turkish Consulate, but we
can’t afford to host an event not central to public diplomacy,” he
said. “At the same time that we realized this, the Armenian community
was contacting us about it. As much as the Armenian community would
like to take credit for (the cancellation), it was just a
coincidence.”
Regardless of the reasons behind the cancellation, Armenian students
were satisfied with USC’s decision.
“They tried to change the topic before anyone realized it,” said
Nerses Ohanyan, a senior majoring in aerospace engineering and a
member of the Armenian Student Association. “But I’m very glad that
this event didn’t happen regardless of the reasons.”
Ugurbas, the Turkish former student who wrote the e-mail to
administrators, expressed concern that opposing viewpoints could not
be considered.
“(The Armenians) are talking, and we are listening. But we also want
to reflect our opinion. In a community like this we should understand
each other,” he said.
72137.htm

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 14 2006
ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, US CONGRESS DELEGATES DISCUSS OPENING OF
`MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT’ OFFICE IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, April 13. /ARKA/. Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan
and US Congress delegates discussed opening of a `Millennium
Challenge Account’ office in Yerevan in June 2006.
The Press Service of the RA Foreign Ministry, the US delegation
includes Executive Director of `Millennium Challenge Account’ John
Danilovich, Chairman of the subcommittee for foreign appropriations
of the committee for foreign programs of the House of Representatives
Jim Colby and the member of the budget commission and finance
services of the House of Representatives Scott Harriett.
During the meeting they also discussed issues of implementation of
the regulations of the agreement considering transparency of spending
corporation’s funds and awareness among the population. The parties
also discussed the issues of strengthening democracy and development
of a free economic system in Armenia.
They also touched upon the issues relating to the Armenian-Iranian
and Armenian-Turkish relations.
During the meeting Oskanyan presented in a general way the situation
with the settlement to the Karabakh conflict after the negotiations
in France.
The Armenian Government and the American `Millennium Challenge
Account’ corporation signed the agreement on earmarking $235.65mln
for a 5-year period to Armenia for developing agricultural
infrastructures, particularly restoration of roads and irrigation
systems. R.O. –0–

Regnum, Russia
April 14 2006
5th energy unit of Hrazdan TPS has caused dismissal of head of
Armenian presidential administration?
Head of Armenian presidential administration Artashes Tumanyan was
dismissed mainly for the talks he conducted with Iran on construction
of 5th energy unit of Hrazdan TPS. Opposition MP Arshak Sadoyan is
quoted by a REGNUM correspondent as stating it during 13 April
discussion on selling of the 5th energy unit to the Russian Gazprom.
According to him, the head of presidential administration, who was
also co-Chair of the Armenian-Iranian Intergovernmental Economic
Commission, agreed with the Iranian side in January 2006, that Iran
would construct the energy unit. In connection with the question,
`problems arose with Gazprom, and the Armenian authorities decided to
dismiss Tumanyan under pretence of fact, he established party,’
stressed Sadoyan, adding there was no other way to cancel Tumanyan’s
agreement with the Iranian side.
It should be reminded, Robert Kocharyan signed a decree on Artashes
Tumanyan’s dismissal from the post of Armenian presidential
administration’s head on February 24. On March 16, the former
administration head suddenly rejected his initiative to form the New
Country Party, which aim was Armenian membership in the European
Union till 2015.

Armenia, Revisited
Amid Protests, PBS Slates Film and Panel Show
The Wall Street Journal
April 14, 2006
Page W2
The mass killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during World War I
still elicits both rage and denials — as the controversy over two new
PBS programs shows.
On Monday, the public broadcasting network will air “The Armenian
Genocide,” a one-hour documentary that details both the horrors of that
ethnic-cleansing campaign and the Turkish government’s efforts to deny
that what occurred qualifies as genocide. Narrated in somber tones by
celebrities such as Juliana Margulies, Ed Harris and Natalie Portman,
the film presents evidence that the slaughters were planned centrally,
including letters from U.S. government officials and others who
witnessed parts of the campaign. They describe forced deportations,
during which many Armenians were killed or died, and government death
squads that mopped up stragglers.
The film includes some of the first statements from Turkey-based
academics agreeing that the genocide occurred, as well as oral histories
from Turkish people who recall their own families’ involvement. “There
is something my grandfather did personally,” one man, filmed on a
Turkish street, says. “They caught Armenians and put them in a barn and
burned them. My grandfather says their voices didn’t leave his ears for
years.” (According to many scholars, more than one million Armenians
died in that period, though Ankara says the toll was much lower.)
In Turkey, one of the professors involved in the film says he faced
death threats when he spoke out in a Turkish newspaper about the
genocide. In the U.S., the topic rouses passions as well. Filmmaker
Andrew Goldberg, fearing a partisan protest, says he has hired off-duty
police officers for added security for Monday’s premiere of the
documentary in a Los Angeles movie theater. Meanwhile, a separate
discussion panel that PBS commissioned to run after the documentary is
causing an outcry among pro-Armenian groups because it includes two
academics who reject the label “genocide.” PBS says it has received more
than 8,600 letters and phone calls opposing the broadcast.
While the documentary itself will be accessible to about 93% of U.S.
television households, most major PBS affiliates in the top 20 TV
markets aren’t airing the panel show. That program will nevertheless
reach about 58% of U.S. households through smaller PBS affiliates. A
spokeswoman for WGBH in Boston, which is among the channels not airing
the panel, says the station felt the documentary “stood on its own.”
(“The Armenian Genocide” airs in most markets on Monday, 10 p.m. EDT;
check local listings)
[PHOTO CAPTION] Century-old wound: Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in a
scene from the PBS documentary “The Armenian Genocide.”

FAREED ZAKARIA’s Foreign Exchange on most PBS stations
mp;PHPSESSID=e4698441e428fb3b4831448897ca1f47
In Focus: Genocide?
The word genocide didn’t exist until World War II when it was used to
describe the horrors of Nazi atrocities. In this week’s In Focus we
preview a new PBS documentary that examines whether the word should be
used in reference to the hundreds of thousands of Armenians who
perished in 1915 as a result of actions by the Turkish government. The
film airs this week, check local listings
( .php) for times.

RECONSTRUCTION OF EDUCATIONAL CENTER OF RA POLICE TO FINISH IN LATE OCTOBER
Noyan Tapan
Apr 13 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The third, final stage of the
reconstruction works of the educational center of the RA Police started
on April 13. As Major General Ararat Mahtesian, the First Deputy of
the RA Police Chief mentioned at the event organized on that occasion,
roofs of the subsidiary building of the center have been fundamentally
restored, doors and windows were changed before that. It’s envisaged
to implement repairs of the shooting-ground, training grounds, the
educational subsidiary building during the third stage. According to
the contract, it’s envisaged to finish works in late October. Works of
reconstruction of the center preparing the staff of non-comissioned
officers for the RA Police are implemented on the account of the 500
thousand U.S. dollars allocated by the U.S. Government as well as
owing to the financial assistance of the Governments of Belgium and
Sweden. The reconstruction of the center is a part of the wide-spread
program of assistance to police implemented in 2004 by the OSCE Yerevan
Office. The main three directions of the program are reconstruction of
the educational center, working out of the educational program as well
as introduction of the model of community police in one of Yerevan
communities. According to A.Mahtesian, it’s envisaged to create new
fulcra by the model of community police where an attempt will be made
to solve the most part of issues jointly with the community councillor,
without taking the offender to the police department. The draft will be
implemented during the coming 1-2 years. Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin,
the OSCE Yerevan Office head mentioned that assisting to formation
of the new democratic police in the post-Soviet territory is one of
the most important directions of the OSCE activity. The Ambassador
mentioned that it’s envisaged to invest about 1.5 mln dollars for
implementation of the RA police assistance program, at the same time,
the most part of that money will be directed not only to technical
assistance but to re-trainig of policemen. According to V.Pryakhin,
creation of the community police arises first of all from interests
of the inhabitation. The Ambassador mentioned that it’s envisaged to
create new points of public order by which the inhabitation will have
possibility of direct and close contact with representatives of the
police. It’s envisaged to continue in future implementation of the
program in the whole territory of Armenia.

EDGES OF MUTUAL AGREEMENT OUTLINED AMONG KOZERN INHABITANTS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF YEREVAN MAYOR’S OFFICE
Noyan Tapan
Apr 13 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, NOYAN TAPAN. Inhabitants of the Kozern district of
Yerevan and officials of the Yerevan Mayor’s Office agreed to start
works in the district from April 13 in the direction of defining
the factual number of the district inhabitants, registration of
those left without registration and measurement of their private
property. Anahit Poghosian, an inhabitant of the district participated
in the meeting held in the RA President’s staff office, among the
inhabitants and representatives of the Mayor’s Office, informed
the Noyan Tapan correspondent about this. According to her, it was
decided to meet once in every ten days and discuss done works only
at the end of which the issue of privatization of the property will
be discussed. The process may last for 2-3 months. The inhabitants
of the Kozern district organized an action of complaint on April 12,
in front of the RA President’s residence. They asked the President
to take under his personal control and solve the issue of the
district inhabitants. The inhabitants are not against sale of the
territory, they simply demands to re-establish their violated right of
property. According to them, since still 1990s, they have continuously
appealed for privatization of the territory occupied by them. But
they were refused: with a reasoning that it is a zone for sale, is
not subject to privatization, though the territory was recognized a
zone for sale by the RA Government’s decision only in 2004. According
to the inhabitants, the Prime Minister sent a message to the Mayor’s
Office and instructed to form within 7-days term a commission to study
the problems of the district and to discuss them jointly. But, at the
April 11 meeting with inhabitation, Yerevan Mayor Yervand Zakharian
stated that he is not going to create any commission. Besides,
Y.Zakharian accused the Chairman of the “Community and Right”
organization undertaken protection of the district inhabitants’
rights, of “giving political lining” to the issue.

ARMENIAN INTELLECTUALS’ DELEGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN MOSCOW IN EVENTS DEDICATED TO 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF CIS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 13 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On the occasion
of the 15th anniversary of the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS), a forum of creative and scietific intellectuals will be held
in Moscow on April 13-16. Alexander Grigorian, the Artistic Head of
the Russian Dramatic Theater after K.Stanislavski, Anelka Grigorian,
the Director of the History Museum of Armenia, Henrik Igitian, the
Director of the Children’s Aesthetic Center, and David Muradian, the
Secretary of the Writers’ Union will participate in that authoritative
forum from Armenia. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the Press Service of
the RA Ministry of Culture and Youth Issues, Inga and Anush Arshakians
will participate in the joint variety concert dedicated to the 15th
anniversary of the CIS.

DAY OF RA NAS NEW CHAIRMAN’S ELECTION TO BE DEFINED ON APRIL 19
Noyan Tapan
Apr 13 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The day of electing the new Chairman of
the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia will be decided at April 19
sitting of the RA NAS Chairmanship. Academician Sergey Hambardzumian,
the acting Chairman of the CIS stated about this at the April 12 annual
general meeting. Academician-Secretary Eduard Ghazarian presented
the report on work of the academy. According to the report data, as
of January 1, 2006, 3724 people, including 2115 scientific workers,
80 full members and 18 corresponding members of the RA NAS work in
the academy staff. The total sum of financing of the academy made
a bit more than 3 bln drams (about 6.7 mln U.S. dollars), 2 bln 244
mln drams of which is budget financing. The academy got additional
140 mln drams from the RA Government’s reserving fund for purposeful
programs and capital construction. Non-budget financial resources made
630 mln drams. 75% of all the financial resources was allocated to
scietific-research institutes, 5% to academic institutions, including
libraries, the Scientific-Educational Center, etc. The share of
the RA NAS Chairmanship made about 5%. Fadey Sargsian, the former
Chairman of the NAS, whose resignation took place at his request,
thanked all those who he has worked with during the last years. He
mentioned that the year of 2005 was a difficult one for the academy,
particularly, in the sense of coming reforms. But according to him, the
academy employees were able to widen the international scientific ties,
implement a number of most important researches and workings out. He
expressed confindence that anybody who will occupy the Chairman’s
post, will work better than he, even owing to his being younger,
and wished success to the new administration. The general meeting
estimated the 2005 work of the academy satisfactory.

PROGRAM DIRECTED TO INVALID CHILDRENS’ INTEGRATION TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN ARMAVIR MARZ
Noyan Tapan
Apr 13 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The “Healthy Start: Protection
of Invalid Childrens’ Rights” three-years program will be
implemented in Armenia, on the initiative of the “Mission to East”
Danish organization. This will first of all be implemented in 10
communities of the marz of Armavir, by the “Nairi” organization of
invalid children’s parents, the “Bridge of Hope” (Huysi Kamurj) NGO
and by the “Arabkir” medical complex. As Gayane Azoyan, the “Nairi”
Chairwoman mentioned at the April 12 press-conference, the goal
of the program is to change the society’s attitude and health care
sphere specialists’ approach in the interests of invalid childrens’
integration. She mentioned that within the framework of the program,
children having physical deformity will be found out and involved
in the education system. Besides, parents’ groups having necessary
knowledge and skills will be created in the marz of Armavir. G.Azoyan
also mentioned that there are 450 invalid children in Armavir. As
Inna Mnatsakanian, the Armenian office head of the “Mission to East”
Danish organization mentioned, the National Council for Protecting
Invalids’ Interests will also be created within the framework of the
program. The Council will regulate works done in that direction. It
was also mentioned that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
finances the program.