RUSSIA, ARMENIA IN JOINT BID TO STAVE OFF ANOTHER EX-SOVIET REVOLUTION
By Emil Danielyan
Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
The Jamestown Foundation
Oct 17 2005
The leaderships of Russia and Armenia have underscored their persisting
concerns about the spread of anti-government uprisings across the
former Soviet Union by holding a joint exercise of their special police
forces. The extraordinary move comes less than two months before a
tense constitutional referendum in Armenia that opposition groups will
likely use for another attempt to topple President Robert Kocharian.
The Armenian opposition, buoyed by the spectacular success of the
revolution in Georgia, already tried to do that in the spring of
2004. But its three-month campaign of nationwide street protests
fizzled out due to a lack of popular support and unprecedented
repression unleashed by Kocharian’s regime.
The police exercises took place near the southern Russian city of
Krasnodar from September 24 through October 12. As many as 1,500
officers (the bulk of them presumably Russians) reportedly practiced
quelling an anti-government demonstration in the presence of top
law-enforcement officials from the two states, including Russian
Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliev and the chief of Armenia’s Police
Service, Hayk Haruitunian. The final and most important episode of the
exercises involved about 50 imaginary protesters seizing a government
building and taking hostages after demanding payment of their back
wages and the authorities’ resignation. Special police then burst
into the building and liberated the “hostages.”
According to Armenian press reports, participants in the exercises
simulated several violent methods of crowd dispersal dating back
to Soviet times. PanArmenian.net, a pro-government online news
service, reported that they also tested their shooting skills and
familiarized themselves with “rules for the use of firearms” and
“technical equipment” against those who challenge the authorities in
Moscow and Yerevan. “Russian and Armenian special forces are ready
to fulfill the tasks they are set,” Nurgaliev declared afterwards.
The presence of Russia’s and Armenia’s top policemen at the
drills attests to the great importance attached to them by the
two governments. They both have watched with alarm the wave of
ex-Soviet revolutions that set precedents for regime change through
the expression of popular will. Armenia is widely regarded as one of
the potential venues for the next such revolution, a prospect that
sets pulses racing in Moscow, Yerevan, and a number of other former
Soviet capitals.
“The Russian authorities have been having nervous breakdowns because
of the revolutions that took place in post-Soviet countries,” the
Yerevan daily Haykakan Zhamanak commented on October 12. “They are
holding joint exercises with Armenian special forces because there
has already been an attempt at revolution in Armenia and Russia fears
that it could be repeated.”
Apart from helping their Armenian counterparts, Russian security forces
also have something to learn from them. On the night of April 12-13,
2004, Armenian special police backed by interior troops brutally
broke up a peaceful demonstration near the presidential palace in
Yerevan that marked the climax of the last opposition offensive
against Kocharian. Scores of protesters were beaten up and arrested
by security forces armed with truncheons, stun grenades, and even
electric-shock equipment. “The excessive use of police force” was
strongly condemned at the time by Human Rights Watch.
The obvious purpose of the government-sanctioned violence was not
only to disperse the crowd of less than 3,000 people but also to
discourage as many Armenians as possible from attending further
anti-Kocharian rallies. Security forces also severely beat up
virtually all photojournalists that were present at the scene. One
of those journalists, who required hospitalization, insists that
Hovannes Varian, a police general who led the operation, personally
confiscated his camera before ordering subordinates to attack him.
Incidentally, Varian was among the Armenian law-enforcement officials
who monitored the Krasnodar exercises. Also in attendance was Ashot
Gizirian, the equally notorious head of a feared police unit that
is supposed to combat organized crime and terrorism, rather than
opposition activity.
The brutish police chiefs may again be called into action next month.
Armenians will go to the polls on November 27 to vote on a package
of constitutional amendments drafted by Kocharian and his governing
coalition. The draft amendments, endorsed by Europe and the United
States, are aimed at curtailing the sweeping constitutional powers
enjoyed by the Armenian president. But Armenia’s main opposition
forces dismiss the proposed changes as cosmetic and have pledged to
scuttle their passage. Opposition leaders have repeatedly pledged to
turn the referendum into a vote of no confidence in Kocharian.
“November 27 will be our day,” the most radical of them, Aram
Sarkisian, said in a recent newspaper interview.
With the Armenian public remaining apathetic about constitutional
reform, the ruling regime is widely expected to at least try to
falsify the referendum results. However, the kind of crude vote
rigging to which the authorities resorted in the last presidential and
parliamentary elections could give the opposition a powerful weapon
to spark a mass pro-democracy movement. Kocharian and his entourage
cannot fail to understand this. The Krasnodar exercises illustrate
the extent of their worries.
Aravot, another paper critical of the Armenian leadership, reported on
October 12 that the Armenian police are holding negotiations with the
Interior Ministry of Belarus over the purchase of anti-riot equipment
such as clubs, tear gas, razor wire, and even rubber bullets.
(Haykakan Zhamanak, October 12; Aravot, October 12;
, October 11; Human Rights Watch statement, April
17, 2004)

NILANJANA S ROY: PINTER’S BIRTHDAY PARTY
Business Standard, India
Oct 17 2005
SPEAKING VOLUMES
The audience had been queuing for an hour in order to hear Harold
Pinter speak at Edinburgh. This was 2002; the Iraq invasion was in
progress and phrases like “freedom-loving people” and “axis of evil”
were the common currency of the day.
Pinter had just recovered from major surgery for cancer of the
oesophagus, and written a poem-Cancer Cells-to celebrate, his first
published poem in decades. We expected him to speak about his fight
with cancer, which he did, eloquently and movingly.
And then he moved on to the matter of the US war in Iraq, and made
his strong opposition perfectly clear. Pinter likened Tony Blair’s
plans to bomb Iraq to an act of “premeditated murder”.
He spoke of the war as an exercise in power, he spoke of the silence
and acceptance that greeted the ritualised killing of people outside
the “Western world” and he said: “I could be a bit of a pain in the
a***. Since I’ve come out of my cancer, I must say I intend to be
even more of a pain in the a***.”
In the three years since his Edinburgh comeback, Pinter has kept that
promise. He has heckled Bush and Blair, campaigned against the war,
and written cheerfully obscene poetry slamming the US army’s tactics
in Iraq.
This record has helped many see the 2005 Nobel, awarded to Pinter
shortly after his 75th birthday, as one of the most politically
charged decisions in the history of the literature Prize. The Nobel
announcement was delayed by a week; there was speculation that the
Academy was considering Orhan Pamuk, the Turkish writer who’s in
trouble for speaking out against the Armenian genocide. (Turkey
officially refuses to accept that the mass killings of Armenians
occurred on the scale on which Pamuk and other observers point to,
and refuses to call those murders genocide.) There is now much
speculation, as one commentator put it, that this year’s Prize is a
rebuke to America, an anti-US Nobel.
To see the Prize simply as a politically correct decision would be
to overlook Pinter’s work. That would be naïve: I cannot see how you
could possibly look at this century in theatre-and film-and ignore
Harold Pinter’s contribution. (He would probably be amused to know
that in Calcutta theatre troupes, a standard stage direction was:
“Aaro Pinteresque deen, dada!”, meaning that more Pinteresque pauses
were necessary.)
His first two plays, The Room and The Birthday Party, were ahead
of their time. Their themes would eventually become familiar,
much-imitated cliches of the stage-the damage that families inflict
on each other, the struggle for power in everyday domestic life, the
power of obsession, violence and the erotic, all of this presented by
a man who had a gift for listening to the silences that lie between
the lines.
The Birthday Party ran for just a week, initially, before being taken
off, and Pinter tells of how he met an usher on his way to one of
the last performances. She asked who he was; he said he was the author.
“Oh, are you?” she said. “Oh, you poor darling.”
The late Samuel Beckett, who greeted his Nobel Prize with dismay
rather than Pinter’s expletive-laden exclamation of delight, had
rather less trouble than those early audiences in recognising his
younger colleague’s talent.
He and Pinter met often; I would have liked to have been a fly on
the wall when Edward Albee, Beckett and Pinter spent a long evening
in a pub discussing the Marquis de Sade-the three great chroniclers
of the absurdities of modern times on the life of the sensualist who
took the pursuit of pleasure to lengths beyond the absurd. Pinter
sent Beckett his plays, in typescript, and Beckett reserved a special
place in his library for Pinter’s dedication copies.
Pinter’s plays, from The Room to Ashes to Ashes and Remembrances
of Things Past, are still performed today. If you’ve seen the film
versions of The Comfort of Strangers, The French Lieutenant’s Woman,
The Trial or The Last Tycoon, to name just a few of his adaptations,
you know that he is also one of the greatest screenplay writers of
our time.
What I’m looking at is not the work, or the man, but at his signature:
Harold Pinter, scrawled in a bold, unwavering hand right across the
page, the letters large and uncompromising. That signature, the mark
of the author, the political protestor, the man who refuses to back
down, is scrawled all across the 20th century.
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BOXING: KELLY NEXT CHALLENGE FOR DARCHINYAN THE RAGING BULL!!!
By Gavin Stone
EastsideBoxing.com
Oct 17 2005
Darchinyan will make the third defense of his IBF Flyweight world
title against Northern Irelands Damaen Kelly on November 25 at the
State Sports Centre in Homebush, Sydney.
Although this will be the third defense of his title, the Australian
citizen is yet to fully gain the recognition from the Australian public
that he deserves as he is unquestionably Australia’s number one boxer
on a pound for pound scale along with fellow eastern European born
fighter Kostya Tszyu.
With this in mind, it is interesting to take a look at what has led
the southpaw Darchinyan (who is also to holder of the IBO title at
Flyweight) to the current stage of his career in which he holds a
24-0 professional record.
Darchinyan moved to Australia to train under the guidance of 3 time
world champion and Hall of Fame legend Jeff Fenech after the 2000
Sydney Olympic Games. Darchinyan reached the Quarter Finals of the
Sydney Games, and Fenech saw potential in the young Armenian who
finished with a 170 (152-18) amateur fight record. Fenech enticed
the young Darchinyan to join his growing team of fighters, and
sponsorship was obtained from Mr. Henry Hacobian, a well respected
Armenian businessman living in Sydney, Darchinyan was also given the
ring name of “The Raging Bull” by corner man Angelo Hyder and is a
reflection of Darchinyan’s aggressive boxing style. Darchinyan then
made his professional debut in November 2000 at the Sydney Star City
Casino, on a card which was shown live on Fox Sports.
After being steadily brought up through the professional ranks over a 4
year period and picking up one National and two Regional title belts,
Darchinyan built a solid 21-0 record and was ready to challenge for
a world title.
In December 2004 Darchinyan traveled overseas to fight undefeated
Colombian Irene Pacheco for the IBF Flyweight world title. Pacheco had
been world champion for 5 years, and went into the fight as a strong
favorite. In an open air arena in the Hollywood suburb of Florida
(USA), Darchinyan took the reigning champion apart and won the title
via way of an 11th round TKO.
Darchinyan was now on the way, a world title was his and he was ready
to take on the other champions in the division.
Darchinyan made the first defense of the IBF title in a unification
bout with IBO champion Mzukisi Sikali of South Africa. Darchinyan
proved far too strong for the experienced Sikali and won via an 8th
round stoppage which was of the suggestion of Sikali’s corner.
The now unified IBF and IBO Flyweight world champion made his most
recent defense against Jair Jimenez at the Sydney Entertainment
Centre in August of this year. Darchinyan put on a superlative
performance against the strong willed South American winning by a
5th round TKO after Jimenez corner saved their fighter from further
damage, a reoccurring trend with Darchinyan opponents. In this fight
‘The Raging Bull’ showed a tenacity that has been lacking from other
Australian’s in world title fights.
Darchinyan recently returned from a trip to his country of birth in
which he opened a boxing gym in his native town of Vanadzor, and
after coming back refreshed Darchinyan is now ready for his next
challenge. Damaen Kelly will be this challenge.
Kelly holds a 21-2 record and the current IBO Super Flyweight
champion. The 32yo Kelly has also held Flyweight title belts for the
IBO and WBF, and is a recognised world class fighter. The Northern
Irishman will provide Darchinyan with a solid test, however it’s
difficult to see Kelly overcoming the power and strength of the
hometown fighter.
In the opinion of a boxing fan, Vic Darchinyan is one of, if not the
most exciting boxer to watch from a fans point of view. Darchinyan
is enthralling viewing as he exhibits a mental and physical power
that his opponents so far have found impossible to overcome, and
this is delivered in a unique style, a style where by his ring name
“The Raging Bull” suits him down to a tee. Vic Darchinyan is must
see TV for not just any boxing fan, but for all sporting fans alike.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SURPRISINGLY NOBEL PINTER
By Caroline Walters and Lianne Vella
Edinburgh Student Newspaper, UK
Oct 17 2005
Considering that in recent years Harold Pinter has been more known for
his politics than his plays, it seems surprising that this year’s Nobel
Prize Commitee has chosen him as the recipent of this lauded accolade.
The secretive Swedish Commitee have a massive 1.3 million euros
(c.£890,000) to give away. These judges consistently decide which
literary gods we should worship but have been known for their
unpredictability and the often, can we say, randomness of their
choices.
An example is last year’s controversial Elfriede Jelinek, famous for
The Piano Teacher. She’s only the tenth woman to ever win. A member of
the jury announced a year after the event, clearly he’s a slow reader,
that her books are “whingeing, unenjoyable, violent pornography”. Knut
Ahnlund decided to quit the academy in protest against their arbitrary
decisions, as he felt no-one had actually read Jelinek and would have
noted her explicit sexuality. She did cause controversy but her books
are interesting coming from someone who’s actually read them.
What should actually constitute an award-winning Nobel prize writer?
Is it given for merit? Or personal preferences?
In the current political climate it was hoped that they might make a
riskier choice. One of the favourite picks to win was Orhan Pamuk,
Turkish author of Snow and My Name is Red. He’s currently up for
trial, as he claimed that the Turkish state had committed genocide
against the Armenians and the Kurds. Turkey’s current bid to enter
the EU also gives it a more politically interesting context.
Another tipped choice was Joyce Carol Oates, who we personally like,
because of her visceral quality. She has just published her 44th
critically acclaimed novel, quite a feat and proof of her staying
power, at times a rare occurence with Nobel winners. But, the
admittedly well-known Pinter swung out of nowhere and stole the prize.
His career began in 1957 when his first play The Room was performed
at Bristol University. But it was from 1960, with the critically
acclaimed The Caretaker, that his fame really began to bloom. The
Academy’s citation about Pinter indicates one of the reasons for his
critical acclaim: his work “uncovers the precipice under everyday
prattle and forces entry into oppression’s closed rooms.” This is one
of the characteristic features of his absurdist plays that have come
to mean so much to the band of eighteen intellectuals.
However, in the past few years he has decided to abandon his career as
a playwright for that of a poet. This shift to lyricism was sparked
by his fervent beliefs against the war in Iraq. He demonstrated his
passionate opinions by speaking in the House of Commons in 2002: “They
are determined, quite simply, to control the world and[…] they don’t
give a damn how many people they murder on the way.” Most people are of
the opinion that this is probably the reason he won the award. Although
his political consciousness is admirable and full of venom, he is more
likely to be remembered by the literary community for his 29 plays.
Pinter has an epic back catalogue that clearly deserves the award.
However, in the past the Academy have been arguably unfair in their
decisions. There are some notable ommisions from the 104 winners,
including Joyce, Woolf, Ibsen, Zola, Conrad, Kafka, Tolstoy and
Proust. Prizes by their nature won’t include everyone, but you have
to ask, why did they leave these out?
.php?article_id=20051017135956
–Boundary_(ID_mhP bJeP+3jopjIeFneX7FQ)–

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
10/17/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Azerbaijan: still waiting for Rasul Guliyev 2) First Population Census in Mountainous Karabagh Republic since Independence 3) Hawk's Eye View of Armenia and Italy 4) SKEPTIK SINIKIAN: WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE BORDER? 1) Azerbaijan: still waiting for Rasul Guliyev BAKU (Eurasianet.org)Azeri opposition leader Rasul Guliyev, chairman of the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, was detained by Ukrainian law enforcement authorities on October 17 while trying to return to Baku after nine years in exile. The former parliamentary speaker was arrested in the Simferopol Airport, in the capital of Crimea, Ukraine, en route to Baku from London to take part in the November 6 parliamentary elections. Guliyev was stopped at the airport at the request of Azeri authorities and is now being questioned by an Interpol representative in Crimea. A decision on the outcome of Guliyev's case is still pending, according to statements made by the Simferopol regional police department to news agencies. Guliyev, who was expected to arrive in Baku around 4pm local time, had chartered a flight earlier in the day from London to Simferopol where he negotiated with Azeri authorities to be allowed to fly on to Baku. According to Sabir Ilyasov, vice-president of Azerbaijan Airlines, the state-owned company that runs Baku's airport, the company received a landing request from a chartered plane carrying five passengers, including Guliyev. "We allowed them to land in Baku's airport, but he [Guliyev] refused to do it," Ilyasov said. Guliyev, however, has stated that the plane was denied permission to land. Members of Guliyev's Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, a member of the tripartite Azadlig bloc, the largest opposition election alliance, have said that the authorities fear Guliyev's return, and have argued that a large number of senior Azerbaijani officials support the return of the opposition leader from exile. Speaking in a paid advertising slot on the Azerbaijani TV station ANS on October 12, DPA member Qurban Mammadov vowed to publicize the names of these officials after Guliyev's return to Azerbaijan. "Many people will reveal their positions then," Mammadov said. "Thousands of state officials, including those with a high rank, have become members of the national committee for protecting the rights of Rasul Guliyev." General Prosecutor Zakir Garalov has repeatedly emphasized that the state intends to pursue its prosecution of Guliyev, wanted since 2000 on charges of embezzling more than $100 million in state funds while head of Azerbaijan's Azarneftyag oil refinery. Guliyev, who has been placed on an international wanted list, has denied the accusation and called it a political fabrication. Guliyev fled to the United States in 1996 after a falling out with then President Heidar Aliyev, father of Azerbaijan's current leader, President Ilham Aliyev. It is expected that representatives of the interior ministry will leave for Ukraine within a few days to negotiate Guliyev's extradition to Azerbaijan, ministry spokesman Sadiq Gezalov said. Although a candidate for parliament, Guliyev has been denied immunity from prosecution. Nonetheless, it is unclear how Guliyev's return to Azerbaijan--even under extradition--will play with members of the opposition. Guliyev's supporters had been urging followers to welcome him at Baku International Airport on October 17. On October 16, Interior Minister Ramil Usubov cautioned journalists and diplomats to stay away, warning of likely clashes with police forces. As of 10AM on Monday morning, automobile traffic on the highway leading to the airport was strictly restricted. Scores of Interior Ministry troops, armed with automatic rifles and wearing helmets, joined traffic police at a beefed-up checkpoint on the road between the airport and Baku. Usubov explained the heavy troop deployment by saying that authorities had received information that the so-called "radical" opposition intended to attack the airport and the surrounding areas in a two-pronged attack, under pretext of welcoming Guliyev. In a broadcast on the pro-government Lider TV, police showed several combat grenades and a pistol found on the roadside approaching Baku's airport. Police were also deployed within Baku, around the parliament building, the Soviet-era government house and Freedom Square, an occasional meeting place for unauthorized opposition demonstrations. Among those turned away from the airport was US Ambassador Reno Harnish, Azerbaijani Public TV reported. "All private and embassy cars have been banned from entering the airport territory since the participation in such an action runs counter to diplomatic activities," read an interior ministry statement in reference to the refusal to allow Harnish access to the airport. "Only people with tickets for certain flights and staff of the airport are allowed to enter the airport in special buses." In preparation for Guliyev's arrival, law enforcement agencies also arrested 26 individuals who officials believed likely to cause "provocation" in connection with the opposition leader's return. Former Finance Minister Fikrat Yusifov, and the former head of the Ganja city police department [and the incumbent DPA deputy chairman], Natiq Effendiyev, were among them. In an interview with the privately owned pro-government Lider TV, Interior Minister Usubov claimed that those arrested "bribed some people and . . . have drawn up plans to use force against the police. This plan exists." The minister claimed that 100,000 euros, $60,000, a pistol, and additional funds "for Guliyev's return" were found in Yusifov's apartment. Turan news agency reported that Democratic Party political council member Gurban Mamedov and Guliyev's nephew, Etibar Guliyev, have been detained by police. By the evening of October 17, more than 1,000 activists from the opposition Azadlig bloc had been arrested, according to Democratic Party of Azerbaijan headquarters. The interior ministry, however, puts the number of detainees at only 10-35 people. 2) First Population Census in Mountainous Karabagh Republic since Independence STEPANAKERT (Armenpress)--Authorities in Mountainous Karabagh Republic will conduct a population census October 18-27, making it the first since since the country declared independence from Azerbaijan. Officials said the census is another step towards "consolidating Karabagh's independence." In guiding the procedure, Armenia will be sending the head of its National Statistics Committee, Stepan Mnatsakanian, to detail the process that will be conducted by a government commission, which Karabagh's deputy prime minister heads. President Arkady Ghukasian said the census is necessary in order for the government to target specific projects and forecast socio-economic developments, based on the returns. The last census in Karabagh was held in 1989, when the population was 192,000 (76 percent Armenian; 23 percent Azeri; 1 percent Russian and Kurd). 3) Hawk's Eye View of Armenia and Italy YEREVAN (Combined Sources)--Photographer Hrair "Hawk" Khatcherian presented his new "Soaring Hawk," 160-page photo album last week at the Nareg Arts Union Hall. The photos, taken from a helicopter, represent all regions of Armenia and historical-cultural complexes of Mountainous Karabagh, Lake Sevan, mountains, as well as different corners of the capital city of Yerevan. "Our country is amazing from above," says the Canadian Armenian photographer. Addition works by Khatcherian, more than 50 photographs of medieval Armenian and cultural monuments in Venice and Rome, are featured in an exhibit that kicked-off on Monday in Yerevan to celebrate Days of Armenian-Italian Friendship. Commissioned by Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the exhibit of the Canadian Armenian photographer will run through October 21. Days of Armenian-Italian Friendship, organized jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Italy in Armenia, also features a one-month festival of 15 films directed by the world-famous Taviani brothers, a National Gallery exhibit titled "See the Country of Italy," as well as a collection of treasures of the Mkhitarian Order in Saint Lazarus Island in Venice, Italy. 4) SKEPTIK SINIKIAN: WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE BORDER? Remember back a few months ago, when an entire herd of sheepliterally hundreds of sheepjumped off a cliff to their deaths in some village in Eastern Turkey and nobody could explain why? Well, apparently sheep aren't the only farm animals that Turkey's farmers have problems raising. This week, the World Health Organization and numerous other health organizations announced that Turkey has suffered an outbreak of the infamous Avian "Bird" flu. "What does that mean?" you ask. Well, let me put it this way: If you're in Turkey and you start sniffling, shivering, and coughing then don't have the chicken noodle soup. Why? Because you just might be looking at the source. The Avian "Bird" Flu is a disease that originated in Asia and is transmitted through birds, specifically chickens. Apparently, it's very dangerous, having killed 60 people since 2003 and the virus spreads like wildfire. In fact, the World Health Organization is predicting a pandemic soon. Not just an epidemic but a PANdemic. In case you were wondering, a pandemic is worse than an epidemic. It's an epidemic on steroids. Europe is shaking in its boots. As if Europe needed yet another reason to reject Turkey's accession into the European Union, the news of the bird flu in Turkey could not have come at a better time. I know what you're thinking. You're saying "OK, Skepo. We get it. Chicken flu. Turkey. We see the poultry puns coming a mile away." Well, you're wrong. This is serious business. Poor Turkey already became the butt of all sheep jokes with the mass suicide of 450 sheep. Now it has to quarantine almost 8000 chickens due to the lethal virus. I'm not saying that the spread of this disease was avoidable. No country is completely safe from this disease. For all I know, the next 9 piece chicken McNugget Happy Meal I order may come with an extra helping of McFlu. But I'm willing to bet hard currency that the Turkish authorities still don't have this problem under control and instead of tightening security and monitoring all imports, some corrupt official is allowing truckloads of chickens across the border as you read this. Another message this epidemic outbreak sent across the Bosphorus to Europe is that the Republic of Turkey is in a sad, disorganized, and corrupt state and that they can't take care of their own poultry. Now, Armenians have known for sometime that something was "a foul" in Turkey (I tried but I couldn't resist) but now, slowly but surely, the rest of the world is witnessing how incompetent the Turkish government is. This must be a serious blow to Turkey's ego. But Turkish citizens, don't worry. The Turkish government's top historians and spin doctors are hard at work at this very moment rewording the recent events that have occurred in their country to fit their psychological needs. I can just imagine what the official stance of the Turkish Department of Agriculture will be. It may sound something like this: "It is a tragedy that chickens have suffered during this time but we have to remember that scientists and historians disagree on how the chickens died. In fact, farmers in Turkey are lying about the figures of chickens which have been culled. Also, the chickens are not going to be destroyed but are being relocated from their chicken coops for their own safety. And let's not forget that many sheep have died during this period as well and the chickens aren't the only ones who suffered. The bottom line is this~E those damn chickens were siding with their Chinese chicken brothers across the border to overthrow the status quo in Turkey and if the Turkish government did order their extermination, then those stupid chickens deserved it! We are the Turkish Government and we approve of this message." I'm imagining a Colonel Sanders type character wearing a red fez, reading this message on TV and then cutting to a commercial of Kazakhi Fried Chicken. Well, all I can say is this: To all the people that were complaining that Turkey was blockading Armenia for so long, look who's smiling now! Was there ever a time you were more happy to hear that Turkey has no trade with Armenia? Blockade us all you want. What goes around, comes around. You can keep your border closed and take your bird flu with you! Hayastan will do just fine with what we have plenty of-pork, the other white meat. I always liked the McRib better anyway. Skeptik Sinikian is the current Southern California Zankou Chicken Eating Champion. This competition is not an official event. It's organized by Mr. Sinikian and he is the only participant and three year defending champion. If you would like to challenge him or suggest an answer to the question in the title of this article, email him at [email protected] or visit his ridiculously outdated blog at <; All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the United States
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 223-4330
Fax: (202) 315-3339
Email: [email protected]
Web:
MEDIA ALERT
DATE: October 17, 2005
TO: Media Colleagues
RE: The Washington Post publishes NKR Representative’s Letter
Today, The Washington Post published NKR Representative Vardan Barseghian’s
letter to the Editor in response to an October 5 news story entitled,
“Independent Candidates Court Anger in Azerbaijan Campaign”. Representative
Barseghian’s letter is included below:
The Washington Post
Letters to the Editor
Conflict in the Caucasus
Monday, October 17, 2005; Page A14
While reporting on the parliamentary election campaign in Azerbaijan, Philip
Kennicott misrepresented key facts about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict [news
story, Oct. 5].
In response to the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s democratic aspiration for
self-determination, Azerbaijan launched a war against Nagorno-Karabakh, not
Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh was able to take the war outside its borders,
pressuring Azerbaijan into signing the 1994 cease-fire agreement.
Nagorno-Karabakh, not Armenia, now controls some 8 percent, not 16 percent,
of Azerbaijani territory. This buffer zone between Nagorno-Karabakh and
Azerbaijan helps maintain a relative peace in the region.
VARDAN BARSEGHIAN
Representative
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Washington
* * *
This material is distributed by the Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic
in the USA (NKR Office) on behalf of the Government of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic. The NKR Office is registered with the U.S. Government under the
Foreign Agent Registration Act. Additional information is available at the
Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the United States is based in
Washington, DC and works with the U.S. government, academia and the public
representing the official policies and interests of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic, Artsakh.

California Courier Online, October 20, 2005
1 – Commentary
TIME Prints Full-Page Letter
To Rectify Turkish DVD Flap
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The Califorrnia Courier
2 – Harvest Gallery Presents
expressionist Exhibit on Oct. 21
3- Building a Bridge Between Silicon Valley
And the American University of Armenia
4 – Dr. Der Yeghiyan
To Speak on Historic
Armenia Pilgrimage
5 – Lincy Foundation Donates $10,000 to
Glendale Association for the Retarded
6 – Armenian National Peace Officers’
Association to Host Gala on Oct. 30
7 – AIWA and AGBU to Honor Cecile Keshishian at Nov. 20 Luncheon
*************************************************************************
1 – Commentary
TIME Prints Full-Page Letter
To Rectify Turkish DVD Flap
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
TIME magazine came a step closer this week to properly address a major
dispute with Armenians worldwide over its distribution of a Turkish DVD
denying the Armenian Genocide.
In its June 6, 2005 issue, the European edition of TIME ran a four-page ad
placed by the Ankara Chamber of Commerce promoting tourism in Turkey. As
part of that paid ad, the magazine included a DVD insert That had a
70-minute segment that denied and distorted the facts of the Armenian
Genocide. This highly offensive material, hidden behind a couple of benign
segments on tourism in the DVD, was disseminated to half a million TIME
subscribers in a dozen European countries.
Initially, the editors of TIME did not seem to realize the grave error they
had committed by becoming accomplices to Turkish denialists. They dismissed
Armenian complaints about this hateful and hurtful Turkish DVD by simply
stating that TIME did “not endorse the views of any organization or
government.”
However, when the Switzerland-Armenia Association wrote a letter
threatening to sue TIME for violating a Swiss law against the denial of
crimes against humanity and genocide, the magazine’s managing editor, James
Kelly, wrote back stating that no one at TIME had “adequately reviewed” the
offensive segment of the Turkish DVD. He apologized profusely and
repeatedly to the Armenian community and to all its readers. Mr. Kelly said
that the DVD presented a distorted view of history that did not meet the
magazine’s
“standards for fairness and accuracy.” He added: “we would not have
distributed [the DVD] had we been aware of the content.”
The Swiss-Armenian group, however, was not satisfied with this response.
They wrote back pointing out that the magazine had not addressed the issue
of redressing the damage caused by the malicious Turkish DVD to the
descendants of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
Meanwhile, five French organizations hired an attorney in order to pursue
their legal rights under French laws that call for the protection of “human
dignity.” Mémoire 2000, the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations
of France (CCOAF), the Armenian National Committee of France (CDCA),
J’Accuse, and the Movement Against Racism and for Friendship Among Peoples
(MRAP) wrote a lengthy joint letter of complaint that was published on a
whole page in the October 17 issue of TIME’s European edition.
The French organizations requested that TIME distribute free of charge an
objective DVD on the Armenian Genocide and donate the income from the
Turkish ad to non-profit organizations that advocate the truth about the
Armenian Genocide.
In an “Editor’s note” published along with the letter, TIME restated the
apology that it had expressed earlier to the Switzerland-Armenia
Association. The note added that TIME was publishing this letter “pursuant
to French law (‘droit de réponse’)” [right of reply].
The ANC of France (CDCA) stated in a press release that by printing the
letter and expressing its apology, TIME had partially acknowledged its
error. This right of reply “is the initial result of a common and long-term
initiative by the associations fighting against racism, anti-Semitism and
for the defense of the memory of the Armenian people” said Harout
Mardirossian, Chairman of CDCA. “If TIME magazine thinks that this right of
reply settles all accounts, it is sadly mistaken. TIME magazine’s response
does not redress the terrible suffering of those who saw this sordid tool
of denialist propaganda. Taking into account the most heinous content of
this DVD, our demands for redress go far beyond this simple right of reply
and we intend to attain them,” said Mardirossian.
The Chairman of CDCA reiterated the demand of the five organizations for
the magazine to disseminate free of charge to its European subscribers an
objective DVD on the Armenian Genocide, and to have TIME donate the
revenues from the Turkish ad to non-profit organizations that advocate the
truth about the Armenian and all other genocides.
By acknowledging its error, apologizing for it and publishing a full-page
letter, TIME magazine has begun to take responsibility for the pain and
suffering it has caused to Armenians worldwide.
TIME’s executives and the representatives of French and Swiss organizations
now have to sit down together and consider the proper ways to undo the
damage caused by the Turkish DVD. As has been suggested previously, one
such way would be for TIME to disseminate to its readers an accurate DVD on
the Armenian Genocide. Another possible step would be for the magazine to
donate the revenues from the Turkish DVD to non-profit organizations. It
would be wrong for TIME to profit from tainted funds belonging to
revisionists and denialists of genocide!
**************************************************************************
2 – Harvest Gallery Presents
expressionist Exhibit on Oct. 21
GLENDALE -Harvest Gallery presents expressionism (with a small e), opening
on Oct. 21 in Glendale.
expressionism (with a small e) features four artists from diverse
backgrounds with works expressing their own inner observations. With
differing emphasis and styles, each shares infinite perceptions of the
world; loss, estrangement, isolation, fear, joy, hope, love and dreams.
Vera Arutyunyan attended Yerevan State University, and while her interest
in art was always apparent, she became a geologist. However, it was through
geology and her love of nature that she returned to art. Vera steeps all of
her paintings in exuberant colors and movements.
Gregory Brisson is a graduate of St. Cloud University in Minnesota and the
San Francisco Art Institute. His work is inspired by historical and
religious subjects, and his images often present animals and humans in
humorous ways. Greg recently presented his art in a solo show at The Dream
Gallery in Los Angeles.
Karyn Janowski, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, moved to
Los Angeles in 1992. She has worked for numerous private collections and
has exhibited in Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Long Island. Karyn
paints in thin layers and often use the sfumato technique of blurring and
softening one tone into another.
Hrair Simitian has exhibited his paintings throughout the southern
California area, as well as in Washington D.C. and Palm Beach, FL. His art
is displayed in private collections in Moscow, Paris and Los Angeles. Hrair
believes that “art is the soul of life, which gives it color, shape and
taste~E.”
For general information about the exhibit, call Harvest Gallery at
818.546.1000 or visit
**************************************************************************
3 – Building a Bridge Between Silicon Valley
And the American University of Armenia
OAKLAND, CA – Papken and Claire Der Torossian recently opened their home in
Saratoga, Calif., for the American University of Armenia (AUA) to host a
unique evening dedicated to promoting cooperation and communication between
Silicon Valley executives and the AUA School of Business and Management.
Dr. Rubina Ohanian, the Dean of the School of Business and Management, an
accomplished marketing solutions specialist with over 15 years of
consulting and corporate experience, was among the guests. She gave a brief
overview of the MBA program, emphasizing that the School of Business and
Management strives to provide its students with quality instruction and a
state-of-the-art curriculum to help them achieve their professional goals.
Dr. Ohanian spoke very highly of the MBA students’ aptitude and the
potential that they have to make a difference to Armenia’s future. She
invited the Silicon Valley leaders to support the University, get involved
in the future of its students. Outsourcing of successful Silicon Valley
businesses to Armenia will create job opportunities for our youth.
President Haroutune Armenian shared with the guests that AUA is an
institution of change and transformation, offering its students quality
education, technology and know-how for entrepreneurial endeavors. “As a
student-centered university, the top priority is our students, and our most
important objectives are maintaining academic excellence, becoming a
knowledge enterprise and developing regional role”, said Dr. Armenian.
This was an emotional evening for Seta Karamardian, the widow of Stepan
Karamardian, who was the founding Dean of the School of Business and
Management. “Seeing AUA Business School prosper is the realization of my
husband’s dream and vision”, said Karamardian.
Yervant Zorian, Vice President and Chief Scientist at Virage Logic
Corporation, also a member of the American University of Armenia
Corporation (AUAC) Board of Trustees, highlighted the main purpose of the
evening, which is to establish a permanent bridge between the Silicon
Valley Armenian Community and AUA, that will be beneficial to both groups
over the years to come. “AUA is one of the best fruits that the
independence of Armenia resulted in,” said Dr. Zorian. “It fully realizes
the vision of its three founders and it has been materialized with the
great patronage of AGBU”.
Dr. Zorian told the guests that he has had the chance to witness the growth
of AUA at different intervals during the past decade, and has been
impressed with the quality of its programs that Virage Logic employees in
Armenia were offered as part of their continuing education.
Many valuable ideas were exchanged, and pledges for continuous support
renewed. This will help the American University of Armenia to improve its
entrepreneurship programs to enhance the leadership and organization skills
of the students, and to prepare them for active participation in building a
brighter future for Armenia.
***************************************************************************
4 – Dr. Der Yeghiyan
To Speak on Historic
Armenia Pilgrimage
GLENDALE – Mashdots College President Dr. Garbis Der Yeghiyan, will speak
on “Stunning Moments with History: A Pilgrimage to Western Armenia and
Cilicia, on Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. at the Glendale Church of the Nazarene,
411 E. Acacia Street, in Glendale.
A powerpoint presentation will incude more than 400 historic pictures
covering the following cities and sites: Moussa
Ler, Gorigos, Mersin, Beylan, Kirkkhan, Iskenderoun, Adana, Sis, Anarzapa,
Marash, Aintab, Berejik, Urfa, Garmouj, Diyarbekir, Severeg, Kharpert,
Mush, Erzurum, Kars, Ani, Pergri, Van, Akhtamar, Mt. Ararat and Bolis.
The event is organized by the Glendale Church of the Nazarene. Admission is
free.
***************************************************************************
5 – Lincy Foundation Donates $10,000 to
Glendale Association for the Retarded
GLENDALE – Thanks to a donation of $10,000 from the Lincy Foundation, the
Glendale Association for the Retarded will continue to provide vocational
training and social adjustment for developmentally disabled adults at its
work training center.
Currently 38 percent of the clients served in the program are immigrant
Armenians.
“We are deeply grateful to the Lincy Foundation for providing us with
continued support,” said Carole Jouroyan, Executive Director of the
Association. “Gaining independence is a goal we all strive for in life. To
accomplish this in America is important for our clients, as well for their
families.”
The Lincy donation will support programs designed to address language,
cultural and social needs of the clients. Services include English as a
Second Language, academics, social and community skills. The program
provides work opportunities to earn money and develop self-esteem.
In addition to services, the Association owns and operates three group
homes – the Alma House, David Gogian House and Hamilton House. Clients live
in Glendale, Burbank, Hollywood, Eagle Rock and La Crescenta.
***************************************************************************
6 – Armenian National Peace Officers’
Association to Host Gala on Oct. 30
BURBANK, Calif. – The Armenian National Peace Officers’ Association will
host its first Gala Celebration banquet on Oct. 30 at the Western Diocese’s
Nazareth and Sima Kalaydjian Hall of the Arshag and Eleanor Dickranian
Complex, 3325 North Glenoaks Blvd., in Burbank.
California State Senator Chuck Poochigian (R-14th District) will be the
keynote speaker. Robert Philibosian, former L.A. County District Attorney,
will be the Master of Ceremonies.
Association President Vahak Mardikian said the members are proud to have
two distinguished members of the Armenian-American community participate in
their first event.
Poochigian has been a dedicated public servant, having served two terms in
the State Assembly is presently is in his second term in the State Senate.
He has been named “Legislator of the Year” by law enforcement groups and
local law enforcement leaders throughout his legislative career.
Robert Philibosian was a vigorous prosecutor in the L.A. County D.A.’s
Office and served as D.A. from 1983-1984.
The Armenian National Peace Officers’ Association, established in 2993, is
the first Armenian-American law enforcement officers’ association in the
United States. Its mission is clearly stated in their logo: “Upholding the
finest law enforcement traditions in the United States.” The association
currently has approximately 120 police officers representing 22 different
federal state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the country.
One of the highlights of the banquet will be the presentation of the Hagop
:Jake: Kuredjian Scholarship Awards. This scholarship awards program was
created for qualified students in the name of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Deputy Kuredjian, who was tragically slain in the line of duty in 2001
while protecting the citizens of Santa Clarita, Calif.
Applications for scholarships are accepted from current high school seniors
through college seniors of Armenian heritage and cultural background. The
scholarships are in keeping with a major objective of the association, to
recruit more Armenian Americans into a career in law enforcement and to
introduce them to the various types of rewarding positions that exist
within a police department. Ten awards of $500 each will be presented at
the banquet.
For scholarship applications and more information, students should contact:
Armenian National Peace Officers’ Association, Scholarship Committee/Jake
Kuredjian Scholarship, 3436 Foorthill Boulevard, B606, Glendale, Calif.
91214.
**************************************************************************
7 – AIWA and AGBU to Honor Cecile Keshishian at Nov. 20 Luncheon
LOS ANGELES – The Armenian Women’s International Association and the
Armenian General Benevolent Union will honor Ellis Island Medal of Honor
recipient Cecile Keshishian at a gala luncheon, Nov. 20, at 1 p.m., at The
Wishire Country Club in Los Angeles.
The Ellis Island Award is given to distinguished citizens who have embraced
American values and demonstrated service to humanity in any field,
profession or occupation, and who have advanced the traditions of their
ethnic heritage
Keshishian immigrated to the United States from Beirut, Lebanon in 1968
with her husband, Kevork, and two young children, quickly integrating into
the mainstream of American society without abandoning her Armenian
heritage.
Her volunteerism, generosity, determination, optimism and work for the
betterment of mankind, has led her to many achievements.
She founded the AGBU Girl Scout movement in Lebanon. She, along with her
husband, were among the leaders who formed the AGBU “Committee to Aid
Armenia,” raising thousands of dollars for the 1988 earthquake relief.
Keshishian is also a charter member of the Samaritans, a 24-hour teenage
suicide prevention hot line still in existence. She was also the President
of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire Medical Society Auxiliary, which
helped provide scholarships for nursing students, raising over $500,000.
In addition, she was a board member of the American Children’s Theater in
New Hampshire. Keshishian was also a delegate to the first world-wide
Armenian Women’s Convention in Yerevan. She also served as a Armenian
Missionary Association of America’s Health Committee Delegate to the White
House Conference for a Drug-Free America with President and Mrs. Ronald
Reagan.
Keshishian is also a founding member of the AIWA, 15 years ago. She was the
Registration Chair and a member of the Award Committee for the first AIWA
International Conference in London.
The honoree has requested that the proceeds from the Nov. 2o luncheon be
used to benefit AIWA scholarships for the Women’s Entrepreneur Project in
Yerevan, and also for similar programs in the United States.
The Wilshire Country Club is located at 301 North Rossmore Ave., Los
Angeles.
For more information and reservations, call: Hermine Janoyan (818) 342-4600
or Lily Balian, (310) 472-2454.
**************************************************************************
**************************************************************************
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–Boundary_(ID_ZmGwtmvNTjq+VcKCLJeWrg)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FOR THE HOMELESS
A1+
| 16:00:48 | 17-10-2005 | Social |
In 2006 budget will allot 88.9 million AMD in order to build houses
for the people OFNA in Armenia.
Member of the “Democratic Delegate” fraction Hakob Hakobyan wondered
if the problems of all the other social strata were solved and
asked if the homeless people had applied to the Social Ministry
themselves. Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Aghvan Vardanyan
announced that today the country can afford to think about suchlike
problems as well. According to Mr.
Vardanyan, there are 70 homeless people in Yerevan.
The discussion of the 2006 budget in the NA standing Committees
revealed today that in 2006 the social security field will be allotted
8.2 billion AMD more that last year. On the whole the Ministry will
be allotted 54.1 billion AMD. Aghvan Vardanyan informed that 26 new
projects will be realized with that money.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH TO HOLD FIRST POPULATION CENSUS
Armenpress
Oct 17, 2005
STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS: The chief of Armenia’s national
statistical committee, Stepan Mnatsakanian was in Nagorno- Karabakh
on October 15 to discuss with its president, Arkady Ghukasian, a set
of issues on holding a population census.
Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh are planning to conduct the first ever
population census, since it declared independence from Azerbaijan,
between October 18-27, which they believe ‘will become another
step towards consolidation of Karabakh’s independence. According to
Ghukasian, the census returns will help the government to design its
projects and forecast social-economic developments.
A special government commission, headed by a deputy prime minister,
was established to conduct the census. The last population
census in Karabakh was held in 1989, when it had a population of
192,000. Armenians made 76% and Azeri 23%, with Russian and Kurdish
minorities.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NEW FIELD FOR COMPETITION
Victoria Abrahamyan
A1+
| 15:45:25 | 15-10-2005 | Politics |
Trying not politicize the matter of returning the deposits, Human
Rights Defender Larisa Alaverdyan has the following approach towards
the problem: “If a person deposited money and cannot receive it back,
it is the violation of human rights”, she stated.
In her opinion, the state is obliged not only to return the deposits
but also to reimburse the people the absence of possibility to use
the sums in the course of years. “The matter should be discussed and
brought to the notion of the interested persons”, Larisa Alaverdyan
says.
In her words, the position of the interested party is being
ignored in the issue. “The legislation should say that if the
depositor dies his heirs should exercise the right of receiving the
compensation. Otherwise the state will artificially protract the
settlement of the issue and thus get rid of the problem”, he noted.
The problem of returning the deposits exists in all the post
soviet states and it can be settled only after clarification of
the legislation.
The human rights defender assures she is not aware of the possibilities
the state possesses for returning the deposits. “I must be impartial. I
positively assess the fact that the issue is being discussed. Ignoring
of this matter would be offensive for the people”, she added. To note,
in her opinion, political forces should compete on the issue.