PARISHIONERS DEFEND PRIEST
Hartford Courant
May 10 2006
By DANIEL E. GOREN, HILDA MUÑOZ And DON STACOM, Courant Staff Writers
NEW BRITAIN — Clara Semerdjian rushed in her car through the rain
to the home of her parish priest and friend of more than a decade.
Semerdjian had come to check on Krikoris Keshishian, 53, the longtime
priest at St. Stephen’s Apostolic Armenian Church on Tremont Street,
who was arrested Tuesday on charges that he molested a 12-year-old
girl.
Word spread quickly in the tightly knit Armenian community that
their patriarch had been accused of a terrible crime. The church’s
parishioners quickly rallied behind their pastor, protesting the
charges and wondering if he was being framed. They said their church,
regardless of what happens in the courts, will be devastated.
Police said Keshishian, of 21 Garry Drive in New Britain,
inappropriately touched the girl while acting in his official
capacity. He is charged with fourth-degree sexual assault and impairing
the morals of child by sexual contact. He was released on a promise
to appear and is scheduled to be arraigned in New Britain on May
23. Fourth-degree sexual assault is a felony punishable by 1 to 5
years in prison.
The charges stem from a single incident in May 2005, but there may
be more counts involving the same victim, said Sgt. Michael Baden.
He said the victim reported the alleged abuse to a family member,
who then called police.
Keshishian, who was aware of the investigation, went to police
headquarters Tuesday morning to be interviewed but did not know he
would be arrested, Baden said.
Keshishian lives with his wife, Arsha, in a two-story house owned by
the church in a quiet suburban neighborhood.
A silver Honda that the church leases for the priest’s use was parked
in his driveway Tuesday. No one answered his front door.
Semerdjian said she could not believe the accusations against her
friend and priest.
“Someone must be trying to do something terrible to him,” she said.
“He is a loving man, a wonderful man, who would give his heart to
anyone. … Something is very wrong with this.”
Parishioner Sophia Hovhannisyan of Berlin said a rumor spread through
the church in the winter but that nobody believes it.
“I heard that story – I think it’s a false statement. That’s
impossible,” Hovhannisyan said Tuesday night. “He is not this man.”
She said she trusts Keshishian with her 15-year-old daughter, Annie,
who is frequently at the church with him.
“I feel she is safe when she is with him,” Hovhannisyan said. “I
don’t believe that happened.”
She said Annie was at the church about six to eight months ago when
a 12-year-old girl fell and Keshishian helped her up.
“My daughter saw it. She said nothing happened. But the girl was
crying, and then crying more after [he picked her up],” she said.
“She was saying something happened, he touched her.”
Hovhannisyan said the girl had only recently joined the church and
never returned.
Hovhannisyan and her husband, Tigran, moved from Armenia with Annie
and their son, Vahe, about 10 years ago. She said she wants to help
Keshishian, but hasn’t been able to talk with him since the arrest.
“He’s like family,” she said. “I called his home, but I can’t find
him or his wife.”
Stephen Kevorkian, 90, and his sister, Shirley Kevorkian, 91, have
been a part of the church since their father helped build it in 1925.
Shirley played the organ at the church for 60 years and said she grew
close with Keshishian after he was hired more than a decade ago from
an Armenian church in Racine, Wisconsin.
Both siblings described Keshishian as a honorable man who would reach
out to help his parishioners. When Stephen Kevorkian had open-heart
surgery in 2001, the siblings said, Keshishian waited with Shirley
Kevorkian at the hospital until doctors said her brother was OK. “We
want to help the man,” Stephen Kevorkian said Tuesday. “Our community
needs to help. His life is finished. His reputation is ruined. Even
if he gets off the charges, the scar will still be there. It is going
to devastate the community.”
“It is going to ruin our church,” Shirely added.
–Boundary_(ID_S1qDKBHu6oSGMa46mCRDhA)–

NUMBER OF BIRTHS INCREASES IN HRAZDAN REGION
Noyan Tapan
May 10 2006
HRAZDAN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. According to data of the Hrazdan
Territorial Department on Civil Status Acts Registration, 755 births,
473 cases of death, 293 marriages and 42 divorces were registered
in 2005 in city communities of Hranzdan, Tsaghkadzor and rural
communities of the region. 207 births, 64 marriages and 9 divorces
were registered in the above-mentioned settlements during the first
quarter of 2006. Those indexes made correspondingly 178 births,
80 marriages and 4 divorces during the same period of time of the
previous year. 140 certificates were given by the Hrazdan Territorial
Department for Civil Status Acts Registration during four months of
the last year. 120 of those were given to young people to register
their marriage in other countries.

RA MINISTER OF HEALTH TO TAKE PART IN WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION’S 59th SESSION TO BE HELD ON MAY 22-28 IN GENEVA
Noyan Tapan
May 10 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Minister of Health Norayr Davidian
will take part in the 59th session of the World Health Organization to
be beld on May 22-28 in Geneva. Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed
about it by Hayk Grigorian, Head of the Ministry’s International
Relations Department. He mentioned that delegations of more than 150
countries will take part in the session.
H.Grigorian also informed that immediately after the session the
Minister will leave for New York for the purpose of taking part in
the conference dedicated to problems of HIV-AIDS to be organized by
UN and to be held from May 29 to June 2.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BODIES OF 47 VICTIMS IN A-320 PLANE CRASH IDENTIFIED
ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 10 2006
MOSCOW, May 10 (Itar-Tass) – The bodies of 47 victims as a result
of the crash of an airplane A-320 near Sochi have been identified,
the information department of the Emergencies Ministry told Itar-Tass
on Wednesday. “Four victims of this tragedy could not be identified
so far,” the information department said, adding that “during the
search operation rescuers managed to find only 51 bodies.” The crashed
airplane A-320 was carrying 105 passengers and eight crewmembers.
“Large parts of the airplane could not be recovered from the water,”
a source in the operational headquarters of the search operation
deployed in Sochi told Itar-Tass. However, the search operation
does not stop. Last weekend the special equipment was supplied from
France that allows examining the sea bottom and setting the accurate
coordinates of the flight recorders. “This equipment will be installed
on the sea tugboat “Navigator” on Wednesday,” the source said.
As many as 571 people, 27 vessels and one helicopter are involved in
the search operation, he pointed out.
The airbus A-320 belonging to the Armenian airline Armavia has
crashed in the Black Sea during another attempt at landing in the
Sochi airport overnight to May 3. The catastrophe claimed the lives of
113 people. According to the latest reports, 51 bodies were recovered
from the water. A Russian transport emergency airplane Il-76 brought
the bodies of 36 crash victims to Yerevan.

ARMENIAN PUBLISHERS TO PARTICIPATE FOR FIRST TIME IN “BOOK EXPO AMERICA” INTERNATIONAL FAIR-EXHIBITION HELD IN WASHINGTON
Noyan Tapan
May 10 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The National Association of Publishers
(NAP) of Armenia will participate for the first time in the “Book
Expo America” international fair-exhibition of books to be held in
Washington on May 18-22. As the Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed
by NAP Chairman Vahan Khachatrian, Armenian publishers participate
for the first time in that annual exhibition held in different cities
of the U.S. According to him, about 120 titles of literary-fiction,
popular scientific and children’s publishing products will be presented
at the exhibition. Publications dedicated to the Armenian Genocide
will also been presented. V.Khachatrian mentioned that the NAP will
also participate in international exhibition of book to be held in
September in Moscow as well, and in the annual exhibitions of book to
be organized in Germany (Frankfurt) and Turkey (Istanbul) in October.

ARKADY GHOUKASYAN WISHED THE “KILIKIA” SAILBOAT HAPPY VOYAGE
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
May 10 2006
May 9 the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) President Arkady Ghoukasyan
received a publicist Zory Balayan.
According to the information DE FACTO received at the NKR President’s
Press Service, Zory Balayan informed Arkady Ghoukasyan of the beginning
of a current phase of the voyage of the “Kilikia” sailboat and the
programs to be implemented in the course of the trip.
In his turn the NKR President wished the navigators happy voyage and
expressed hope that the crew of the “Kilikia” sailboat would fulfill
its mission on restoring traditions of the Armenian navigation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RPA IS NOT INCLINED TO DEMAND NA SPEAKER’S RESIGNATION, RPA FACTION HEAD ASSURES
Noyan Tapan
May 10 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The processes connected with some MPs’
leaving the Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) Party and the parliamentary
faction according to their own applications in the recent days no doubt
will have an impact on the political field, but the parliament will
not choose the way of political tensions. Galust Sahakian, Head of the
RPA faction, the Orinats Yerkir Party’s coalition partner, expressed
such an opinion on May 10, meanwhile excluding possible formation of
a new parliamentary majority. According to him, primordially there
is already no political majority at the National Assembly.
“I think the Republican Party will cope with the parliamentary
functions as it has an experience, knows the ways for it, as well as
has been able to assume rather a serious burden in this way in the
recent 5-6 years,” the faction head mentioned. He also did not exclude
the possibility of some tension during the coming autumn session, which
will be conditioned by purely preelection processes. In response to
Noyan Tapan correspondent’s question, G.Sahakian said that he would not
like the developments in the OYP to result in the party Chairman Artur
Baghdasarian’s resignation from the position of the NA Speaker or to
expressing distrust to him. “I do not think that such a way is right,
in any case, political fenomenon is so that possible developments can
be always prognosticated. If there is an issue of resignation, it will
not be the Republican Party that will demand this, I think the party
will not choose such a way,” the RPA faction head said. According
to him, nevertheless, if the issue of resignation is set, RPA will
“treat it with respect” and will try “not to permit a failure of this
party”. Sahakian called false the romours that the current processes
in the OYP are guided by the power wing and personally by him in this
wing. The MP also did not exclude the possibility that the businessmen
MPs who left the OYP can join the RPA faction mentioning that the MPs
who are not included in the party’s preelection proportional list
cannot join the faction “but in general, as a man, a personality,
with their positions, everybody are included”. Another coalition
partner of OYP, ARF Dashaktsutiun, refused to give any commentaries.

GLITCH HALTS SEARCH FOR CRASHED JET
Sergey Ponomarev / AP
The Moscow Times, Russia
May 10 2006
Combined Reports
A man weeping as he holds roses during a ceremony on a ship at the
Black Sea crash site near Sochi on Friday.
The search for victims’ remains and flight recorders from the airliner
that crashed last week in the Black Sea was interrupted Tuesday as
a diving vehicle broke down, news agencies reported.
A Transportation Ministry official said Kalmar, a deep-sea device
that had been searching for the plane’s fuselage and the recorders,
would be fixed by late Tuesday and resume searching, RIA-Novosti said.
Some bodies are thought to be trapped in the fuselage. Authorities
believe it is about six kilometers off the coast.
The Armavia Airbus A320 went down early Wednesday near Sochi as it
was approaching Adler airport in a heavy storm.
The crash killed all 113 on board. Officials have blamed the crash
on bad weather and, possibly, human error.
The ministry official, who was not identified, did not elaborate on
what was wrong with the unmanned, Russian-made deep-sea device.
Meanwhile, equipment to help distinguish the flight recorders from
the fuselage was expected from France. Also, French specialists were
expected to assist in the search.
Vladimir Derkunov, head of the search effort out of Sochi, added
that the French equipment would help in the removal of the flight
recorders from the fuselage, RIA-Novosti said. The Russian ship
Navigator, which arrived Monday in Sochi from Novorossiisk, planned
to transport the French team and equipment to the disaster site.
As of Sunday, 47 out of 51 bodies retrieved from the water had
been identified, Interfax reported, citing officials at the search
operation’s headquarters in Sochi.
Russia and Armenia observed a day of mourning Friday.
“For us, the most important thing now is raising the bodies, because
we understand that for the victims’ relatives, not raising the bodies
or fragments would be an even bigger tragedy,” Transportation Minister
Igor Levitin said Friday.
The crash of the plane, which had been en route from Yerevan, the
Armenian capital, hit Sochi’s Armenian community particularly hard.
About 125,000 of Sochi’s 400,000 residents are ethnic Armenians.
Twenty-six of the victims were ethnic Armenians living in Sochi.
Another 70 or so victims were thought to be Armenian citizens.

GARY KAH “ENROUTE TO A GLOBAL OCCUPATION” BOOK PUBLISHED IN EASTERN ARMENIAN
Noyan Tapan
May 10 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Presentation of Hakob Bodrumian’s
translation of Gary Kah’s “Enroute to a Global Occupation” book in the
Eastern Armenian language took place in Yerevan on May 10. Earlier
the book was published in Beirut in Bodrumian’s Western Armenian
translation. According to Gevorg Yazechian who bound, edited and
published the book, the American author’s book in H.Bodrumian’s
translation is an event in the newest history of the Armenian public
ideology. In the book, G.Kah presents opposing global and satanic
forces striving for unity of the world and establishing anti-Christ
power. According to Yazenchian, reading of the book helps to penetrate
into in the real essence of the new and newest history and world
processes and events of our days (for example, the September 11,
2001 act of terrorism shocked the world, continuous war of Iraq,
obliging people’s numeration in RA with the help of social cards)
and understanding their real motives and goals. It is characteristical
that, according to initiators of the publication, it is first of all
envisaged for employees of national security as well as for political
figures, historians and students.

NATIONS WITH POOR RIGHTS RECORDS WIN SEATS ON NEW HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates
May 10 2006
UNITED NATIONS – Cuba, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia won seats on the
new UN Human Rights Council despite their poor human rights records
but two rights abusers, Iran and Venezuela, were defeated.
Human rights groups said Tuesday they were generally pleased with
the 47 members elected to the council, which will replace the highly
politicized Human Rights Commission. It was discredited in recent
years because some countries with terrible rights records used their
membership to protect one another from condemnation.
“The spoiler governments, the governments that have a history of trying
to undermine the protection of human rights through their membership
on the old commission are now a significantly reduced minority when
it comes to the council,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of
Human Rights Watch. “That doesn’t guarantee that the council will be
a success but it is a step in the right direction.”
Even before the vote, Roth said, “the council was a vast improvement
over the discredited commission” because many countries that violate
human rights who had been commission members didn’t seek seats on
the council including Sudan, Zimbabwe, Libya, Congo, Syria, Vietnam,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Yvonne Terlingen, UN representative for Amnesty International, said
it was “fairly pleased” that the council members “constitute a good
basis to make a fresh start with creating a strong and effective
human rights body.”
“Some countries have been elected with weak human rights records,
but they also are now committed to uphold the highest human rights
standards,” she said.
The United States opposed the establishment of the council, saying it
did not go far enough to prevent rights abusers from winning seats,
and the US decided against being a candidate.
But US Assistant Secretary of State Kristen Silverberg said “on the
whole, we think it is an improvement over the commission.”
“We are committed to engaging actively in the coming weeks with all
of the elected members … to make sure that this body is effective,”
she said. “We think that the real test of this council will be whether
it can take effective action in serious cases of human rights abuse
like Darfur, … Burma, North Korea and other places.”
Senator Norm Coleman, a Minnesota Republican and critic of the UN,
criticized the vote, saying Cuba’s election showed the new council
suffers from the same weakness as the commission. The new council,
he said, “is the perfect example of the UN’s failure to reform.”
Anne Bayefsky, an adjunct professor at Columbia University Law School
who runs a web site on UN activities, said that at least 20 countries
that were elected “are ranked `partly free’ or `not free’ by Freedom
House,” a Washington-based organization that promotes democracy around
the world.
“That’s an astonishing number of countries that have made it on to
the UN’s primary human rights organ,” she said.
Under the rules for the council, any UN member was eligible to run
and 64 countries submitted their candidacies but Kenya dropped out at
the last minute. Members needed to be elected by an absolute majority
of the 191 UN states – 96 members.
To ensure global representation, Africa and Asia were given 13 seats
each; Latin America and the Caribbean eight seats; Western nations,
seven seats; and Eastern Europe, six seats.
Roth said Human Rights Watch would have preferred that Cuba, China,
Russia, Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan had not won seats because of
their poor human rights records.
“The good news is that two of the least deserving governments were
not elected,” he said. “Both Venezuela and Iran failed to make the
cut. That is a step in the right direction.”
Richard Grenell, spokesman for the US Mission to the United Nations,
said Iran’s defeat “just shows their lack of standing in the
international community.”
Russia’s UN Ambassador Sergey Lavrov congratulated his countrymen
and women for being elected in the first round, expressing hope that
Moscow’s presence “will contribute to the balanced composition of this
council and to the balanced … discussion of the human rights agenda.”
Russia was a candidate in the most hotly contested regional group –
Eastern Europe – which fielded 13 candidates for six seats. It was
the only group where a second round of voting was needed.
The other winners were Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania
and Ukraine. The East European losers were Albania, Armenia, Georgia,
Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovenia.
With Kenya dropping out, Africa fielded 13 candidates for the 13
seats and all won: Algeria, Cameroon, Djibouti, Gabon, Ghana, Mali,
Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia and Zambia.
The 13 Asians elected to the council were Bangladesh, Bahrain, China,
India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines,
South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Sri Lanka. Those defeated were Iran,
Iraq, Kyrgystan, Lebanon and Thailand.
In Latin American and the Caribbean, the 8 seats went to Argentina,
Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay. Nicaragua
and Venezuela were defeated.
The 7 countries elected from the Western bloc were Britain, Canada,
Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland. Greece and
Portugal lost their bid for seats.