PEOPLE VOICE THEIR SUPPORT TO U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA AT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL
Yerevan, April 24. ArmInfo. Action in support of U.S. Ambassador
to Armenia John Evans is underway at Armenian Genocide Memorial
in Yerevan.
Yellow ropes with yellow ribbons are stretched along the path to the
Memorial as an action in support of Ambassador John Evans. To note,
Washington intends to recall the Ambassador for unofficial recognition
of Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in 1915, American Mass Media
report. In his turn, John Evans visited the Genocide Memorial on
April 24, but avoided any comments to journalists.

TABOO ON DISCUSSION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN TURKEY WILL BE LIFTED
Yerevan, April 24. ArmInfo. “We would give much for the Turkish
nations to reconcile themselves with the historical fact of the
Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey,” the chairman of the “Union
Against Genocide” NGO (Turkey) Ali Ertem.
He is sure that the taboo on the discussion of the Armenian Genocide
in Turkey will be lifted in the coming years. Turkey’s intention to
become a EU member will promote the freedom of speech in the country.

THE PARENTS OF THE DEAD INDIAN STUDENT ADDRESSED THE AUTHORITIES TO FIND OUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE LETHAL ACCIDENT
Yerevan, April 24. ArmInfo. The parents of Prashant Anchalia, Indian
student who died falling out of the window of a dormitory in Yerevan,
addressed the President, Speaker and Prime Minister of India to find
out the circumstances of the lethal accident.
Through the Indian Embassy in Armenia the parents also intend to
address the Yerevan Medical University with a similar request.
‘Telegraph’ newspaper, India, reports that the parents of young
Anchalia, as well as his university-fellows, do not trust the version
of suicide. The body was delivered to India on April 23.
The death of Prashant Anchalia roused the protest of numerous
Indian students in Armenia who were irritated by the indifference
of the police, University administration and the ineffective work
of the ambulance. Most of all the Indian students were offended of
the actions of Gohar Kialian, rector of the Medical University who
vulgarly expressed disrespect for all the Indian nation.
A criminal case has been roused on this fact. The General Prosecutor’s
office has published the evidence of eyewitness Prabhat Kumar,
neighbor of Anchalia. Kumar confessed he had a quarrel with Anchalia
on the day of his death. Anchalia was accusing Kumar for stealing $120.

TURKISH ORGANIZATIONS IN NEW YORK DEMAND AN END TO ACCUSATIONS AGAINST TURKISH PEOPLE OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Yerevan, April 24. ArmInfo. Federation of Turkish Organizations
of the USA as well as “Young Turks” organization rallied in New
York yesterday against the action organized by the local Armenian
community on the occasion of the 91st anniversary of Armenian Genocide
in Ottoman Turkey.
Hurriyet reports about 500 Turks and Azerbaijanis as participating in
the rally. They were demanding an end to the accusations of Armenian
Genocide and carrying flags of Turkey and Azerbaijan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS VISITS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE MEMORIAL
Yerevan, April 24. ArmInfo. Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II
visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial Titsernakaberd today, reports
the press service of the Holy See of Echmiadzin.
Together with Armenian President Robert Kocharyan His Holiness laid
flowers to the Memorial and gave a liturgy in the memory of the
Genocide victims.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANKARA WILL RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AS SOON AS WASHINGTON DOES
Yerevan, April 24. ArmInfo. Ankara will recognize the Armenian
Genocide in the Ottoman Turkey, 1915, as soon as Washington does so,
said in an interview to ‘Voice of America’ program Aram Abrahamian,
director executive of ‘Hay Dat’ (The Armenian Case) Washington office.
Mr. Abrahamian underlined that recognition of the Armenian genocide
will prevent similar crimes against mankind in the future. ‘The
Armenian people is unsafe until the genocide is recognized,’ he said.
He also said that the mission of the Hay Dat organization
is to represent the approaches of the Armenian side, enhance
American-Armenian relations. The organization also works to make the
USA authorities acquainted with the history of the Karabakh conflict.
Nevertheless the main goal of Hay Dat is to achieve worldwide
recognition of the Genocide.

2006 MUST BECOME YEAR OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION: ARKADY GHOUKASSYAN
Stepanakert, April 24. ArmInfo. The Nagorno Karabakh Republic is
commemorating the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide today.
NKR President Arkady Ghoukassyan, MPs, officers, clergymen and
intelligentsia came to the Armenian Genocide Memorial in the morning to
pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the tragic events of 1915.
“2006 must be the year of the international recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. Today this is one of the key goals of our nation, and I am
sure that we will attain it,” Ghoukassyan said.
Speaker of the NKR Parliament Ashot Gulyan said that all available
parliamentary ties must be used for attaining the international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the NKR authorities must
make their contribution to this cause.
NKR Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan said that commemorating our
compatriots today we must realize the necessity of our national
unity. “We must learn a lesson from our past mistakes and must chose
the right way to lead our nation to prosperity,” Ohanyan said. He
noted that by recognizing the Genocide Turkey will improve its
relations with its neighbors and will be recognized in the world as
a democratic state.

Christian Science Monitor
April 26, 2006
iq.html < .html>
Kurds quietly angle for independence
Oil revenue could give Iraq’s Kurds greater economic distance from
Baghdad, experts say.
By James Brandon | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
ARBIL, IRAQ – As Iraq’s government takes shape after months of
political deadlock, the country’s leading Kurdish politicians have
promised to work toward a cohesive and peaceful Iraq.
“If [Prime Minister Jawad] al-Maliki quickly establishes a powerful
government that includes all groups, he will be an asset for the Iraqi
people,” said Jalal Talabani, the Kurdish president of Iraq, after
Iraq’s Parliament approved his second term and named Shiite politician
Mr. Maliki to replace the embattled Ibrahim al-Jaafari.
The Kurdish desire for independence, however, still runs deep. And
with parts of Iraq increasingly unstable and growing more Islamic,
experts say the Kurds, who are relatively secular, are working quietly
to consolidate and extend the autonomy they have enjoyed since 1991.
The Kurdish Regional Government, which has run the Kurd’s autonomous
zone in northern Iraq since the early 1990s, recently has signed
contracts with foreign oil companies to explore for new oil fields in
Kurdish-ruled areas of Iraq. Experts say they hope the revenue
generated from these deals could provide greater economic, and thus
political, independence from Baghdad.
“The Kurds are offering attractive terms to companies that are willing
to take a gamble on the legal situation,” says Rafiq Latta, a Middle
East editor of the Argus Oil and Gas report in London. “And some small
oil companies are prepared to take the bait.”
The Norwegian oil firm DNO has been quickest off the mark, followed by
Canadian firm Western Oil Sands. DNO began exploration in northern
Iraq in 2004. But two weeks ago it announced that it would be able to
begin pumping oil from one newly discovered field near the city of
Zakho in early 2007.
At present Kurdistan’s annual budget comes from its share of Iraq’s
overall oil revenues, which are distributed according to
population. As a result, the Kurds receive 17 percent of Iraq’s
overall $30 billion annual oil revenues.
Iraq’s oil exports, however, are mainly from the Shiite-dominated
south – meaning that Iraq’s Shiite rulers, theoretically at least,
could shut down Kurdish northern Iraq’s economy at will.
Kurdish oil aspirations are also challenged by poor security and the
Constitution, which states that, unlike oil exploration, contracts to
repair existing oil fields must be negotiated by the Oil Ministry in
Baghdad.
Last week, Shamkhi Faraj, head of marketing and economics at the
Ministry of Oil in Baghdad, estimated that Iraq’s oil industry needed
$25 billion to repair war damage and replace old equipment and
infrastructure.
So far the Shiite-controlled Ministry of Oil has been largely
unsuccessful in signing contracts to repair the oil fields. Experts
say that foreign companies are worried by possible insurgent attacks,
but also by the political uncertainty of Baghdad.
Consequently, the Kurds have been unable to fully repair the oil
fields around Kirkuk, largely under Kurdish control since 2003. This
is a source of frustration for the Kurds, as the fields contain around
15 percent of Iraq’s oil wealth.
But even if the Kurds could fund the reconstruction of oil facilities
in Kirkuk themselves – as some are now suggesting – this would mark
only a start. The Kurds would also have to build new pipelines to
export their oil.
“Under Saddam the oil fields were very badly damaged,” says
Mr. Latta. “Water was pumped into them as cheap way to increase
output, and a huge amount of foreign investment is going to be needed.
“And even then it’s not just a simple matter of having oil reserves
and turning on the taps,” he says. “Managing that investment will
require a lot of expertise, which the Kurds simply don’t have.”
The Kurds have, however, at least consolidated their physical control
over Kirkuk’s oil. Before the US invasion in 2003, Kirkuk was a mainly
Arab city. Today Kurds are the majority, having driven out many of the
Shiite Arabs brought in by Saddam Hussein to “Arabize” the city.
“Those who were brought to Kirkuk by Saddam should leave and then
there should be a referendum,” says Azad Jundiani, head of the media
office of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) – one of the two main
Kurdish political parties.
But a recent move by influential cleric Moqtada al-Sadr indicates that
Shiites are trying to counter Kurdish control of Kirkuk. The
Washington Post reported Tuesday that “hundreds of Shiite Muslim
militiamen have deployed in recent weeks” there. The newspaper said as
many as 240 fighters loyal to Mr. Sadr have arrived to the city.
Almost as important to long-term Kurdish ambitions is Tal Afar, an
Iraqi city that’s ethnically Turkish but Shiite by religion. It lies
between Mosul and the Kurdish enclave of Sinjar near the Syrian
border.
“Tal Afar is the Kurds’ access route to Sinjar, and through Sinjar
they have access to Syrian Kurdistan,” explains Joost Hiltermann, a
Middle East analyst at the Brussels-based International Crisis
Group. In other words, if the Kurds can also take and hold Tal Afar,
then their dream of a greater Kurdistan remains alive.
“They claim Tal Afar to be a Kurdish area and a place where many
Kurdish live but, in fact, it’s an important milestone on the road to
the creation of Greater Kurdistan,” says Dr. Hiltermann.
In the past few weeks fighting there has revived awareness of Kurdish
vulnerability, especially as reports circulate that Iranian and
Turkish troops are concentrating along the borders of Iraq’s Kurdish
north.
Many Iraqi Kurds are increasingly aware of the obstacles to greater
independence. Both Kurdish political leaders and ordinary citizens are
resigning themselves to remaining part of Iraq for the foreseeable
future.
“The Kurds desire to rule themselves,” says Farhad Auny, head of the
Journalists’ Syndicate in Arbil. “But at the same time it is not to
the benefit of the Middle East, the international community or the
Kurds themselves to ask for independence now.”
And to this end the Kurds are starting to think the unthinkable and
begin a process of forgiving their Arab compatriots.
“Since the establishment of Iraq 80 years ago the Kurds have been
exploited and tortured by all Iraqi governments,” says Mr. Auny. “We
are not going to talk about what we have suffered from the Arabs but
it has taught us that we must build a modern and developed country.
“The Kurdish people are flexible and forgiving but they never forget,”
he says. “To hate is to be weak. You cannot grow good crops in a soil
of hatred.”
| Copyright © 2006 The Christian Science
Monitor. All rights reserved.

Genocide as History, Legal Flashpoint
A lawsuit questions how Massachusetts schools portray
the Armenian tragedy. But for victims on the 91st
anniversary, there can be no doubt.
By Elizabeth Mehren
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
April 25, 2006
BOSTON – She was only 3 when her family fled their Turkish homeland 91
years ago. Alice Shnorhokian and her brother were too small to walk
the long road to safety in the Syrian desert, so their parents
strapped them in boxes on the sides of a donkey that carried the
family possessions.
On the eve of what came to be called the Armenian genocide,
Shnorhokian saw fellow Armenians trying to escape from every village
she passed. There was no food, water or shelter, she said. Babies and
old people were dying along the way. Eventually, about 1.2 million
Armenians would perish.
“In Turkey, in genocide times, we Christian Armenians had three
options,” Shnorhokian said. “We paid a heavy tax, became Muslim or
died.”
The retired nurse-midwife offered her recollections as this region’s
large Armenian community gathered at the Massachusetts statehouse
Monday on the anniversary of the 1915-1918 massacres. The observance
this year took on new weight in the wake of a lawsuit pending in
federal court here that addresses how the Armenian genocide should be
portrayed in Massachusetts public schools.
Griswold vs. Driscoll was filed last fall by high school senior Ted
Griswold, two of his teachers and a Turkish-American advocacy
organization. The plaintiffs contend that Department of Education
Commissioner David P. Driscoll and other state officials violated the
1st Amendment by removing material from a human rights curriculum that
questioned whether the mass killings nearly a century ago constituted
genocide.
“It’s a case of academic freedom,” said Griswold, who lent his name to
the suit to show his support for freedom of speech, and who admitted
he knows little about Armenia or the genocide.
“A greater perspective makes the truth easier to find,” he said,
adding: “This is nothing personal about the Armenians. I realize it is
an emotional issue for them.”
Six years ago, the Massachusetts Legislature mandated that high
schools offer a curriculum on genocide and human rights. Topics
included the Holocaust, the Irish potato famine, the trans-Atlantic
slave trade and the genocide in Armenia.
At first, the syllabus about the Armenian genocide included opposing
views from several Turkish scholars and organizations – many of whom
dispute whether genocide took place. As recently as this month, when a
public television show on the subject was aired, Turkish Ambassador
Nab Ensoy called the events of 1915 “an unresolved period of world
history.”
In a statement from his embassy in Washington, Ensoy said: “Armenian
allegations of genocide have never been historically or legally
substantiated.”
Several months after the curriculum was introduced, the Turkish
interpretation was removed when a state legislator said the dissent
opened the door to denial of a historical tragedy.
Harvey A. Silverglate, the Boston lawyer who brought the suit, said
the case is about allowing all sides to be heard, not genocide denial.
“Whether there was or was not a genocide is of no importance in this
case,” he said. “Each of my clients has their own personal points of
view. But this is not about their viewpoint. It’s about the right to
have other viewpoints expressed.”
He said the case has special significance in an era of culture wars,
“where each side would like to shut the other side up.”
But UCLA historian Richard Hovannisian said the freedom-of-speech
argument permits “rationalizing or relativizing of what happened.”
Hovannisian, author of many volumes on modern Armenian history, said
the Armenian genocide had become an embarrassment to many Turks.
“They went through a long period of amnesia,” he said.
He dismissed the suggestion that opposing camps are entitled to equal
time in historical analysis. “This is about politics, and the
geopolitical importance of Turkey,” he said. “It is revisionism,
state-sponsored and state-organized.”
The case has drawn attention, especially in California, with the
world’s largest concentration of Armenians. Massachusetts has this
country’s second-largest Armenian population, with at least 25,000
residents claiming Armenian descent in the most recent U.S. census.
Shnorhokian remembered that as her family set off on its involuntary
exodus, her mother hid money in her children’s clothing. In case they
became separated from the family, they would thus have the means to
pay for food or shelter. Along the route of their journey, Shnorhokian
related, her father prayed and sang, asking God’s help.
Ultimately, Shnorhokian landed in Beirut, where she was educated and
married. With her husband and children, she immigrated to
Massachusetts, where her husband was a pastor.
The Armenian experience must be remembered, she said, “so it will not
be repeated. That was the call, that we should remember always, and we
should teach our children. And everybody should know. The whole world
should know. Well, how can you forget?

TATUL MANASARYAN: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IS VULNERABLE IN ARMENIA
ArmRadio.am
25.04.2006 15:52
At least two most essential competitive advantages of Armenian can
be considered a success. According to MP Tatul Manasaryan, these
include science or, in a broader sense, the intellectual property of
the country and professional capacity of the Diaspora. Despite this,
according to the Deputy’s assessments, the intellectual property is
to some extent vulnerable in our country. In this sense the Deputy
is going to come forward with a legislative initiative, which will
contribute to the resolution of problems of effective governance of
intellectual property in Armenia.