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March 17, 2006 Friday 8:54 PM AEST

Wght: Sarkisian bows out on sad note

by Sam Lienert

MELBOURNE March 17

Australian weightlifter Yourik Sarkisian’s long, illustrious career
came to a sad end at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne today.

The 44-year-old retired from the sport in disappointment immediately
after failing to win a medal in the 62kg division.

After failing in his final attempt of the competition, he removed
his shoes and held them up to his hometown crowd, the traditional
weightlifting gesture of retirement.

However, he later suggested the retirement might not be permanent.

“Today I am stopped, next year I don’t know,” Sarkisian said.

Sri Lankan Chinthana Vidanage won the gold medal, with a total weight
of 271kg.

India’s Arun Murugesan, the pre-event favourite, lifted the same
weight, but Vidanage won because of his lighter bodyweight.

Malaysia’s Roswadi Bin Abdul Rashid took the bronze medal with a
261kg total.

Sarkisian finished in eighth position with 255kg.

He said he felt he had been capable of winning gold, but had faltered
under pressure before his home crowd.

“Too much pressure, I never feel this pressure before,” he said.

“I feel nervous, that never happened before too.”

It could have been worse, he failed in his first two attempts at
the snatch, with 113kg on the bar, before making the lift with his
third attempt.

That put him in equal fifth place after the snatch, 8kg behind leader
Murugesan.

It meant he had to do something special in the clean and jerk to win
a medal.

After lifting 142kg with his first attempt, he moved up to 149kg,
which would have been enough for the bronze medal.

However, on both of his attempts at that weight, he could not even
complete the “clean” part of the lift.

After his final failure, he thumped the back wall with his hand,
raised his palms upwards with a look of resignation, before removing
his shoes and holding them to the cheering crowd.

Sarkisian, a native of Armenia who migrated to Australia in 1994,
won five world championship gold medals during his long career, broke
23 world records and won an Olympic silver medal for the Soviet Union
in 1980.

He also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals, in Manchester in
2002, and three silvers, in Kuala Lumpur in 1998.

Australian Weightlifting Federation president Sam Coffa said it was a
shame Sarkisian’s career did not end with a medal, after his amazing
contribution to the sport.

“He’s been a great competitor throughout the world, he’s possibly
one of the most decorated athletes our sport has ever seen,” he said.

SEVERAL BOILER-HOUSES TO BE PUT INTO OPERATION THIS YEAR

YEREVAN, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN. 7 months ago the US Agency for
International Development (USAID) started a program on apartment
heating, under which several boiler-houses will be put into operation
this year. The program director Gagik Hovhannisian said at the March
17 press conference that the allocated 1.5 mln USD will be used to put
these boiler-houses into operation and supply thousands of families
with heating. The program also envisages free advice services for
those organizations which will express an intention to participate
in the program on heating of apartment buildings.

Tamara Babayan, Director of the Fund of Renewable Energy and Energy
Saving of Armenia, noted that 15 mln USD provided by the World Bank
will also be used for repairs of heating systems. According to her,
the program’s main directions are heating of schools (it is envisaged
to restore the heating supply of about 100 schools) and grants for
vulnerable families in the form of gas supply provision and purchase
of gas stoves.

It was noted at the press conference that in addition to this program,
the World Bank envisages to allocate a 3 mln-dollar grant until this
summer in order to deal with the same problems.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

USAID TO PROVIDE 11 MLN-DOLLAR GRANT FOR REPAIRS OF ARMENIA’S HEATING SYSTEMS

YEREVAN, MARCH 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The USAID envisages to provide a grant
of about 11 mln USD for repairs of the Armenian heating systems in
the next 3-4 years. Simon Sargsian, expert of the USAID energy and
water sector, told NT correspondent about it. According to him, 1,5
mln USD of this grant will be used to purchase the respective goods,
and the remaining sum will be spent on technical assistance.

S. Sargsian noted that it is envisaged to use the grant for assessment
of the system’s current state, development of designs, analysis of
the legal field, training of operators for the system, attraction
of foreign experts, etc. A program has already been developed on
repairs of the heating systems in viable apartment buildings of the
cities of Vanadzor, Gyumri, Spitak, Charentsavan, Nor Hachn with
small investments.

It was noted that until now the heating systems of a Yerevan maternity
hospital and 20 schools and an orphanage in Sevan have been repaired
with USAID funds. Repair work of the heating systems in another 40
schools is now underway.

Thursday, March 16, 2006
**************************************
We brag as naturally and thoughtlessly as a canary sings. But whereas canaries have no credibility problem, we do.
*
In a letter from the Publisher of a new Armenian magazine I read the following: “We are one of the few people of the ancient world that have survived to modern times with a language, culture, and memory of our history.”
*
Whenever I read assertions of this type I am seized by an irresistible urge to footnote the text if only for the sake of accuracy and honesty; also in order to inform readers that we are not all braggarts or dupes of braggarts.
*
We have survived to modern times? What if most of us, among them the best, did not survive?
*
With a language? What if most of us neither read nor speak the language?
*
Culture? I see more culture in yoghurt than in an Armenian community center. An odar friend, who is more interested in our literature than most Armenians, tells me: “I have yet to meet an Armenian who has read a single book by Raffi or Zarian.”
*
Memory of history? What’s there to remember? Military defeats and moral victories followed by centuries of oppression, subservience, lamentation, betrayal, collaboration with the enemy, massacres, dispersion, internecine conflicts, and more lamentation….
#
Friday, March 17, 2006
********************************
Things change, people change, life changes, and I am no longer what I used to be. Once upon a time I too was a cliché-spouting, loudmouth chauvinist propagandist. Then I met a Jewish boy from, of all places, Azerbaijan, and bragged about Armenians being the smartest people on the face of the earth. To prove it I went into the old routine of making a list of our celebrities:
“Anastas Mikoyan,” I said.
“Karl Marx,” said he.
“Aram Khachaturian,” I said.
“Mendelssohn, Mahler, Schoenberg, Aaron Copland,” he countered.
“William Saroyan,” I said next.
“Shalom Alecheim,” he said.
“Alecheim Shalom,” I replied.
“I meant the writer,” he said.
“Never heard of him,” I said.
“FIDDLER ON THE ROOF,” he said.
“He wrote that?”
“Who else?”
“Akim Tamiroff,” I said next.
“Who is he?” he wanted to know.
“One of the greatest actors in the world,” I explained.
“Charlie Chaplin,” he said.
“Beat Calouste Gulbenkian if you can, the wealthiest man that has ever lived,” I said.
After a few moments of reflection, he said:
“Jesus Christ, Freud, Einstein.”
And that was the last time I ever bragged about our celebrities.
#
Saturday, March 18, 2006
******************************************
Historian David Irving six years ago in a British courtroom: “More women died on the back seat of Edward Kennedy’s car at Chappaquiddick than ever died in a gas chamber in Auschwitz.”
Found guilty in an Austrian court of law, Irving is now having second thoughts on the subject. If only he had taught himself to put aside his personal prejudices and to say, “I don’t know,” or “I am not sure,” or even “I have studied many documents but not all of

them.”
*
And consider Toynbee who, after an interview with Hitler in the 1930s, stated: “I am now

convinced Herr Hitler wants peace.”
*
According to a French historian, Louis XIV never said, “I am the State.” On the contrary,

on his deathbed, his final words were, “I go, but the State remains.” What if this was a

case of deathbed conversion?
*
According to a Biblical scholar, Jesus was in his fifties when he was crucified.
*
One can prove anything by quoting historians who are notorious for their inability to get

their sh** together. Something similar could be said of political and religious leaders: One can legitimize all crimes by quoting them.
*
Marx called some nations “unhistorical,” because they contributed nothing to world progress. We owe our status as a “historical” nation to the fact that we have contributed many things, but mostly victims.
*
We must teach our children to listen to the other side of the story, and by that I don’t just mean the Turkish side, but also the Armenian moderate, non-partisan, and anti-partisan side.
*
To those who question the validity of my assertions, I can only say that everything I write is based on the published works of our writers and my own experience. I may not have God and capital on my side (or is it Capital and god) but I do have that which is God-given, namely logic and common sense.
#

Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Georgia issued visa to Armenian delegates to visit Baku

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
March 17 2006

[ 17 Mar. 2006 20:24 ]

The Azerbaijani Embassy in Georgia issued visa to the Armenian
delegates to visit Azerbaijan to attend the conference “Enhancing
transportation security in OSCE region” organized by OSCE in Baku.

Diplomatic sources informed APA about it. According to the information,
Armenians arrived in Baku through Yerevan-Tbilisi-Baku route.

The spokesman of the Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Georgia Elkhan Polukhov
told APA that the Embassy did not grant a visa to any Armenian citizen
to visit Azerbaijan.

The Armenian delegation composed of head of Foreign Ministry OSCE
department Varuzhan Nersesyan, deputy head of the Armenian delegation
to OSCE Hambarsum Minasyan and deputy chief of Armenia’s Transport and
Communication Ministry Vahan Badalyan attended the two-day conference
in Baku./APA/

Azerbaijani embassy in Russia sent a note to Russian Foreign Ministry

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
March 17 2006

[ 17 Mar. 2006 20:12 ]

Azerbaijani embassy in Russia sent a note to Russian Foreign Ministry
in connection with the fact that Nagorno Garabagh is shown as the
territory of Armenia in the website of Inter RAO EES company.

Azerbaijani embassy in Russia told APA that the note reads publication
of information questioning territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is
unacceptable. The embassy requested the Russian Foreign Ministry to
focus on correction of the error made by INTER RAO EES Company and
not to allow publication of such false information in future.

In the website of Inter RAO EES company about the Southern Caucasus
countries, territories of the Nagorno Garabagh and Nakhchivan AR aren’t
shown as Azerbaijani territories, at the same time, Azerbaijani city-
Shusha is shown as ‘Shushi’ and Lachin as ‘Kashatag’. /APA/

Ukraine concluded WTO negotiations with Armenia and Columbia

ForUm, Ukraine
March 17 2006

Ukraine has concluded talks with Armenia and Columbia relating to the
World Trade Organization bills, RIA Novosti informed Friday referring
to Ukraine Economy Ministry.

“We have concluded the WTO accession talks with Armenia and Columbia,”
Arseniy Yatsenyuk said, adding that there have also been positive
developments in the negotiations with Australia.

The minister said that Ukraine intends to intensify the negotiating
process now when the bilateral agreement with the United States has
been passed.

A presidential administration official previously said that the
country could complete talks on joining the body governing global
trade before the end of March 2006.

Ukraine has signed protocols with the majority of WTO members,
including with the United States on March 2, on mutual access to
commodities and services markets. In mid-February, the U.S. granted
it market economy status after the European Union declared Ukraine
a market economy at the end of 2005.

Ukraine completes market access negotiations with Armenia, Columbia

Interfax – Ukraine News Agency , Ukraine
March 17 2006

Kyiv, March 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine has completed negotiations
on market access agreements with Armenia and Columbia as a part of
its preparations for World Trade Organization accession.

The press service of the Economy Ministry told Interfax-Ukraine
about the end of the talks on Friday, citing Economy Minister Arseniy
Yatseniuk.

Having agreed with Armenia and Columbia, Ukraine now must complete
similar talks with Australia, Kyrgyzstan, Panama, Egypt and Taiwan
before it can apply to join the WTO.

Armenian serviceman attempting to pass front line in Terter detained

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
March 17 2006

[ 17 Mar. 2006 19:15 ]

The military men of Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry detained an Armenian
military man Saakyan Vardan Martikovich, who passed the front line
in Hasangaya village of Azerbaijani region of Terter, near contact
line of troops on 3 February, this year.

The investigation found out that Saakyan Vardan was born in Uits
village of Sisian region, Armenia, on June 25, 1986, and he is
Armenian citizen.

Azerbaijan’s State Committee for Prisoners of War, Hostages and
Missing Persons informed APA that Saakyan was drafted to Armenian
Army under a contract and sent to Azerbaijan’s occupied province of
Nagorno Garabagh for military service.

The international organizations (the International Committee of the
Red Cross, the International Working Group to Search for the Missing,
Hostages and Prisoners of War) have been informed about Saakyan./APA/

U.S. Negotiators Say Peace Talks Stall but Not Dead

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
March 17 2006

17/03/2006 19:12

A senior American diplomat believes there is still an opportunity
for Armenia and Azerbaijan to make a breakthrough in the Karabakh
settlement process.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Daniel Fried said in Yerevan on Thursday that he is convinced that
negotiations can be continued despite the lack of progress at the
latest round of high-level talks at Rambouillet.

“Both governments express their countries’ interests and take the
Karabakh settlement process seriously,” Fried said, sharing with
the media his impressions of the meetings with officials in Baku
and Yerevan.

On the last leg of his regional tour in the Armenian capital, Daniel
Fried met with Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian, Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian and Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian.

Fried, who had visited Azerbaijan and Georgia, said the goal of his
trip was to study the situation in the region after the Rambouillet
meeting between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as
to discuss a number of issues pertaining to the future of the region,
including energy security.

OSCE Minsk Group Cochairman from the United States Steven Mann, who
accompanied the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and
Eurasian Affairs in his tour, said: “It is a difficult fact that we
did not move ahead at Rambouillet. But the two countries’ presidents
are willing to move forward.”

On Wednesday, Fried and Mann had dinner with a dozen politicians
representing Armenia’s pro-government and opposition forces.

Fried said the U.S. Government is also interested in the democratic
situation in Armenia.

The American diplomats left Yerevan for Istanbul later on Thursday
to attend a meeting of the Minsk Group cochairmen due to be held there.