Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
May 3, 2006 Wednesday
COMMITTEE ON ARMENIA NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
HAD A SESSION IN YEREVAN
The 4th session of Interagency committee on Armenia National Security
Strategy project development too place today in Yerevan. Armenia
Defense Department Press-secretary Colonel Seyran Shakhsuvaryan
stated that the session was conducted under the chairmanship of
Armenia President Serzh Sarkisyan. The members of the 4th session
chose from 250 offers and included in the agenda the ones concerning
the following topics: Armenia outer security strategy, All-Armenian
integration strategy. After exchanging opinions, amendments have been
made and the offers accepted. The Committee secretariat is
responsible for editing the new topics.

Turkey warns France ties could be hit by Armenian genocide bill
Agence France Presse — English
May 3, 2006 Wednesday 11:08 AM GMT
Turkey warned France Wednesday that bilateral ties could suffer if
the French parliament adopts a bill that would criminalize any denial
that Armenians massacred during World War I were victims of genocide.
“In our meetings (with French officials), we stress that adoption
of the bill could lead to irreparable damage in long-standing
Turkish-French ties and that this should not be allowed,” foreign
ministry spokesman Namik Tan told a press conference here.
Tan said Ankara is doing everything it can to block the bill, adding
that the French government is doing the same.
The bill, expected to be voted later this month, provides for one
year’s imprisonment and a 45,000 euro (57,000 dollar) fine for denying
that Armenians were victims of genocide, according to Turkish press
reports.
If adopted, it will follow a 2001 French decision that infuriated
Turkey by acknowledging that the mass killings in the dying days of
the Ottoman Empire amounted to genocide.
Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in
orchestrated killings between 1915 and 1917 by Turks, as the Ottoman
Empire, modern Turkey’s predecessor, was falling apart.
Turkey categorically rejects the claims, saying 300,000 Armenians and
at least as many Turks died in civil strife when the Armenians took
up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with Russian
troops invading Ottoman soil.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

French experts trying to detect A-320 flight recorders’ signals
by Galina Solodovnikova
ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 4, 2006 Thursday 03:54 AM EST
The French experts have begun the search for the flight recorders of
the Armenian Airbus A-320 that plunged into the Black Sea on May 3.
“Despite the fact that the French have brought along all the necessary
equipment for the search of flight recorders, they are unlikely to
be found,” technical director for safety problems of the Interstate
Aviation Committee /IAC/ Rudolf Teimurazov told Itar-Tass.
He explained that “the equipment of the French experts has to detect
signals emitted by the flight recorders, but even if these signals come
in, it will be extremely difficult to pinpoint their exact location.”
The IAC remarked that “flight recorders of foreign origin have small
beacons emitting signals at a certain frequency using their own
electric charge.”
According to head of the Federal Air Navigation Service Alexander
Neradko, “the crashed A-320 had at least two flight recorders that
logged voice messages and flight parameters.”
Deputy head of the Emergency Situations Ministry’s operations
department Andrei Legoshin said the rescuers engaged in the operation
at the A-320 plane crash near Sochi, are monitoring and cleaning fuel
spills caused by the accident and collecting aircraft fragments.
“The second task for today is to scan the sea ground at the crash
site, to detect and hoist plane fragments,” Legoshin told reporters,
adding that the sea has calmed which makes the job much easier.

Armenian, Azeri presidents to meet over N Karabakh in June
By Tigran Liloyan
ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 5, 2006 Friday
A meeting between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorny
Karabakh will be held in early June within the framework of a meeting
of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
However, the exact date and the place of the two presidents’ meeting
haven’t been defined yet, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan
said at a forum devoted to the 5th anniversary of Armenia’s membership
in the Council of Europe.
According to Oskanyan, “the Armenian and Azerbaijanian foreign
ministers will discuss issues of preparations of the presidents’
meeting at their meeting in Strasbourg in two weeks.”
“The further pace of the negotiation process,” Oskanyan said,
“mainly depends on the availability of political will on the part of
Azerbaijan’s authorities.” “Just before a meeting of the presidents
in Rambouillet Armenia had made certain steps, and we expect that
the Azerbaijanian side will undertake return steps which will make
it possible to move the process,” the minister said.
The Armenian foreign minister urged not to look for ” a political
hidden motive in the fact that the co-chairmen of the Minisk OSCE
Group for Nagorny Karabakh, representing Russia, France and the United
States, haven’t visited the region together of late.
According to Oskanyan, it was “caused by lack of coincidence of the
mediators’ schedules, in the next few days, a joint visit of the
co-chairmen to the region will be held.”

Sydney MX (Australia)
May 4, 2006 Thursday
SYD Edition
TAKE IT ON DARCHINYAN
So good is Australia’s latest boxing import that his rivals are
running scared to higher weight divisions, as BEN BLASCHKE reports
Vic Darchinyan stands less than 167cm and smiles like an astronaut
in outer space, but walk into his left hand and there’s no doubt who
will be seeing stars.
The Armenian-born world champion is today’s version of the smiling
assassin – a lean, mean punching machine with a ruthless streak that
belies his otherwise amicable nature.
“I read the other day that I’m the hardest puncher pound for pound
and I love it,” he said this week in his best broken English.
“I know I can hit hard. It’s not (just) pleasure knocking people
out – I love it. I love entering the ring. I feel a bit sorry for
my opponent.
“The last one (Diosdado Gabi) – in one punch I broke his chin, one
punch knockout. It’s good.”
Did he have any contact with Gabi afterwards?
“No I didn’t have any contact with him,” Darchinyan said.
“The next day I saw him and his chin was already (indicates swollen
face) … I feel sorry for him, but what can I do? If I don’t punch
him he’ll punch me back.”
Clearly, Darchinyan – the IBF world flyweight champion makes no
apologies for the havoc he wreaks.
Unbeaten in 25 fights – 20 by knockout – he will be looking to add
to his already imposing record when he faces Mexican slugger Luis
Maldonado in Las Vegas next month. And he has the same fate planned
for the veteran Maldonado.
“He is undefeated and has 25 knockouts, but I know I will do the job
and I know I will knock him out,” Darchinyan said.
Following in the footsteps of his predecessor Kostya Tszyu, who
emigrated to Australia from Russia in 1991 and went on to unite the
belts in the junior welterweight division, Darchinyan is quickly
forging a fierce reputation in the name of his new homeland after
becoming Australia’s sole world champion two years ago.
Trained by three-time world champ Jeff Fenech, he has obliterated
all before him since returning permanently after the Sydney Olympics
and is already tipped to go down as one of the greatest of all Aussie
fighters.
“Without doubt he’s the best flyweight in the world right now and
soon he’ll unify the titles,” Fenech predicted, looking ahead to
potential bouts with WBA champ Lorenzo Parra and WBC holder Pongsaklek
Wonjongkam.
“He can punch up three or four weight divisions – he’s right up with
the best of them.”
Of more concern to Darchinyan is where to go from here.
A recent trip to Mexico to take on highly rated local Jorge Arce was
supposed to set him up for a run through the division, but instead
exposed Darchinyan’s greatest hurdle – fear.
“I challenged him, but he didn’t take my fight – he moved up a weight
division. He doesn’t want to fight me,” Darchinyan said.
“I don’t think people are running scared – I know they’re scared.
Why don’t they want to fight me?
I’m not the challenger, I am champion. They have to fight me to get
my belt, but they still won’t fight me.
“I’ll challenge (Arce) again and if he still doesn’t want to fight
me I’ll jump up too because no one wants to fight me in my weight
division.
“I want to go up, I want to show everyone I am strong – in any weight
division.”

Edmond Kassapian
by Shirley Lau
South China Morning Post
May 5, 2006 Friday
La Rochelle-based Edmond Kassapian is the president of Genevieve
Lethu, a 15-year-old French tableware and cutlery brand that opened
its first store in Hong Kong in December. An Armenian born in France,
Kassapian has a penchant for Chinese tableware, although, he says,
when it comes to fine quality you can’t beat France.
“I like the beautiful colours and designs of Chinese tableware,
especially those with lovely flowers. The details are very precise.
In terms of quality, however, French products are relatively finer and
more sophisticated. But, of course, Chinese antiques are excellent.”
Should top tableware be used for dining or for display only?
“In France, every family used to keep a very expensive set of tableware
at home. You put it on display and only used it once or twice in a
lifetime – perhaps when your grandfather came to visit or at your
wedding. It was so expensive you worried about breaking it.
This was silly, but it was the French way. Now things are changing.
People would rather spend the money on a plasma TV or a trip abroad.
They still want beautiful tableware, but it has to be inexpensive.
That’s why the prices of many tableware brands have gone down.”
How does the look of tableware play a part in a dining experience?
“Aesthetics are integral to dining and wining. When you have friends
over for dinner, you want to make sure you have a good time. You serve
them with good food on beautiful plates. It’s not just the meal that
matters, but also the decoration of everything on the table.”
So nice plates make the food taste nicer?
“You can put fois gras on the floor and eat it. Or you can put it
on a nice plate. It should taste the same. But the sentiment will be
very different.”

Govt. to assign 100,000 to family of every Russian air crash victim
By Galina Solodovnikova
ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 7, 2006 Sunday 10:07 AM EST
The government plans to assign 100,000 rubles to the family of every
Russian citizen killed in the Sochi air crash, Transport Minister
and investigation commission head Igor Levitin told a Sunday press
conference.
In addition, the families will receive 20,000 rubles from the Armavia
Armenian airline, he said.
“Sochi authorities have decided to pay 500,000 rubles to each local
family of the air crash victims and to bear the funeral expenses,”
he said.
“The governmental investigation commission will now move to Moscow
and visit the crash scene whenever necessary,” Levitin said.

The Washington Post
May 7, 2006 Sunday
Final Edition
Unfurling New Glory: America’s International Anthem
You say, “O say,” they say, “O zog!” “O! sagt” “O dites.” Let’s call
the whole thing a land of immigrants.
After Latino pop stars recently recorded “The Star-Spangled Banner”
in Spanish as “Nuestro Himno,” President Bush said the song should be
sung in English. But for generations the anthem has been rendered in
the voices of assorted Old Countries. Here are eight published
versions. All together now, with feeling!
English: O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Armenian: Usek gurnak took ter desnel vagh aikoon
Mutunshaghin ain turoshn mer woghtchoonads
Yiddish: O zog! konstu zen in likht fun sof nakht,
Vos mir hobn bagrist in demer-shayn mit freyd?
Samoan: Aue! se’i e vaai, le malama o ataata mai
Na sisi a’e ma le mimita, i le sesega mai o le vaveao
Polish: Ach! czy widac tam, patrzaj w swit bracie moj,
Dumny znak nasz co lsnil wczora gdy gasly zorza?
German: O! sagt, koennt ihr seh’n, In des Morgenroths Strahl,
Was so stolz wir im scheidenden Abendroth gruessten?
French: O dites, voyez-vous, Dans la lumière du jour
Le drapeau qu’on saluait, À la tombée de la nuit?
Spanish: Amanece, lo veis, a la luz de la aurora,
Lo que tanto aclamamos la noche al caer?
— David Montgomery
–Boundary_(ID_fyTu9+6W7nyReu1amvhc6g) —

Genocide armenien: l’ambassadeur turc au Canada rappele pour consultations
Agence France Presse
6 mai 2006 samedi 2:13 PM GMT
Ankara a rappele son ambassadeur au Canada “pour consultations”,
après des declarations du Premier ministre canadien Stephen Harper
sur le “genocide armenien”, rapporte vendredi le quotidien
montrealais The Gazette.
L’ambassadeur Aydemir Erman s’est rendu a Ankara pour discuter avec
les responsables turcs des mesures a adopter pour exprimer leur
mecontentement face a l’attitude d’Ottawa, selon un diplomate turc
cite par le journal.
Le retrait officiel de l’ambassadeur pourrait etre envisage, selon la
meme source.
Le ministère turc des Affaires etrangères s’etait dit “consterne par
les declarations du Premier ministre qui soutiennent (…) les
allegations armeniennes sans fondement”.
Il avait souligne que cette prise de position allait “affecter de
manière negative les liens turco-canadiens”.
Le chef du gouvernement canadien avait salue le 21 avril tous ceux
qui commemoraient le genocide armenien.
Les Armeniens estiment que jusqu’a 1,5 million des leurs ont peri
dans un genocide orchestre par l’empire ottoman entre 1915 et 1917.
Ankara soutient que 300.000 Armeniens et au moins autant de Turcs ont
ete tues au cours de troubles suscites par des soulèvements
d’Armeniens et leur ralliement aux armees russes en guerre contre
l’empire ottoman et lors des deportations qui ont suivi.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Genocide armenien: des historiens “choques” par la proposition de loi socialiste
Agence France Presse
6 mai 2006 samedi 1:44 PM GMT
PARIS 6 mai 2006 — Plusieurs historiens de renom se declarent
“profondement choques” par la proposition de loi recemment deposee
par le groupe socialiste qui vise a sanctionner penalement la negation
du genocide armenien, dans un texte transmis samedi a l’AFP.
Dans ce texte, les signataires, qui avaient deja lance en decembre une
petition – “Liberte pour l’histoire!” – s’opposant au vote de “lois
memorielles”, se declarent “profondement choques par la proposition de
loi deposee par le groupe socialiste qui devrait venir en discussion
devant l’Assemblee nationale le 18 mai”.
Cette proposition de loi complètera, si elle est adoptee, la loi du
29 janvier 2001 par laquelle l’Etat francais reconnaît le genocide
armenien de 1915 mais qui ne prevoit pas de sanction en cas de
negationnisme.
“Nous avions naguère mis en garde contre le vote et la promulgation
de verites officielles indignes d’un regime democratique”, poursuit
le texte.
Selon la proposition de loi, la negation du genocide armenien devrait
“etre punie des memes peines que la negation de la Shoah”. “Pareille
disposition, poursuit le texte des historiens, aggraverait les
atteintes a la liberte d’expression. Elle prendrait une nouvelle fois
les enseignants en otage. C’est affligeant”.
Les signataires du texte se declarent d’autant plus choques qu’ils
avaient rencontre, en decembre 2005, des responsables de groupes
parlementaires de l’Assemblee nationale “qui leur avaient assure a
demi-mot qu’aucune nouvelle disposition ne viendrait aggraver les
lois memorielles”.
Outre l’historien Jean-Pierre Azema, on trouvait parmi les signataires
de la petition “Liberte pour l’histoire”, des universitaires comme
Elisabeth Badinter, Marc Ferro, Jacques Julliard, Pierre Nora, Mona
Ozouf, Jean-Pierre Vernant, Pierre Vidal-Naquet.
Le vice-president UMP de l’Assemblee nationale, Eric Raoult, a depose
une proposition de loi similaire.
Dans leur petition “Liberte pour l’histoire!”, plus de 400
universitaires se declaraient notamment “emus par les interventions
politiques de plus en plus frequentes dans l’appreciation des
evenements du passe”. Ils demandaient en outre l’abrogation d’un
certain nombre d’articles de loi “indignes d’un regime democratique”
En ce qui concerne le genocide armenien, la Turquie rejette
categoriquement la thèse d’un genocide, estimant qu’il s’agissait
d’une repression dans un contexte de guerre civile où les Armeniens
se sont allies aux troupes russes qui avaient envahi l’empire ottoman.
Ankara evalue a 300.000 le nombre d’Armeniens massacres et affirme
qu’au moins autant de Turcs ont ete tues.
Les Armeniens affirment pour leur part que le nombre de morts durant
des massacres ou des deportations avoisine 1,5 million.
Recemment, a Lyon, des inscriptions en francais et en turc niant le
genocide avaient ete decouvertes sur des stèles du memorial qui lui
est dedie, quelques jours avant son inauguration.
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