Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
April 15 2005

Russia transfers artillery arms to Armenia

Baku, April 14, AssA-Irada

Russia has transferred to Armenia 16 artillery facilities taken from
its base in Georgia. Armenia has placed the weapons on its border
with Azerbaijan close to the Gazakh district, local ANS TV reported
on Thursday.
The 152-mm missiles are designed for firing to distances ranging
between 20 and 40 kilometres.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
April 15 2005

FM says Turkey won’t open border with Armenia

BAKU

Turkey will not open its border to Armenia, Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul said during the discussions on the “Turkish-Armenian relations
in history” concerning the fake `Armenian genocide’ have completed
in the Turkish parliament.
“Concessions to Armenians should end. We will not open our border
with a country not recognizing our brotherly country Azerbaijan.”
Gul noted that Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan has forwarded a
letter to the Armenian President Robert Kocharian proposing to set up
a joint commission to reveal the historic facts. Armenia responded as
usual. Its Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian told a news conference
dedicated to the 90th anniversary of `Armenian genocide’ that Turkey
may launch a counter-assault against Armenia. “Armenia cannot feel
safe with this country possessing a powerful army”, he said.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan said Armenia’s false `genocide’
claims are not in line with wholesome neighbourhood relations.*

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
April 15 2005

Armenia still withholds Azeri captives

BAKU

The fate of three Azerbaijani soldiers withheld by Armenia in
Khankandi for about two months remains uncertain.
“Although an agreement was reached to return them at a meeting of
the relevant Azeri-Armenian commission, Armenia is not attending to
the problem”, says coordinator of the international working group on
prisoners, hostages and missing people on Azerbaijan Avaz Hasanov.
Hasanov told journalists that Armenia has been ignoring appeals from
international organizations and hopes are now bound with the
newly-appointed head of the International Committee of the Red Cross
on Upper Garabagh. The working group has already appealed to him over
stepping up activity aimed at releasing the Azeri soldiers soon,
Hasanov said.
In compliance with the ceasefire signed in 1994 and international
norms, both sides are required to return prisoners and hostages
immediately.*

Watertown TAB & Press, MA
April 15 2005

Plant a tree, grow hope

The Armenia Tree Project is looking for people to adopt one of 90,000
they hope to plant in Armenia this spring – 1,000 trees for each year
that has passed since the Armenian Genocide – as part of its “Trees
of Hope” campaign.

“ATP is inviting Armenians all over the world to join us as we
remember the past and embrace the future by planting Trees of Hope
all across the Armenian homeland,” said Jeff Masarjian, executive
director of ATP, which is based in Watertown. “These memorial trees
are not only an inspiring way to honor our lost ancestors, but also a
very practical way to preserve the precious Armenian homeland,
restoring its environmental integrity and scenic beauty.”

The project’s goal is to grow thousands of trees to maturity by
the Genocide’s 100th anniversary commemoration, Masarjian said.

Those who adopt Trees of Hope may participate with gifts
starting at $15, which covers the propagating, planting and
care-taking of one tree. In addition to a single commemorative tree,
they can adopt a four-tree cluster, an eight-tree grove, a 35-tree
arbor, a 100-tree woodland or a 335-tree forest. Participants can opt
to receive a personalized Trees of Hope certificate as a keepsake.

Donations may be made by mail, phone or online. For more
information, call 617-926-8733 or log on to

IranMania, Iran
April 15 2005

Iran, Armenia to broaden consular cooperation

LONDON, April 15 (IranMania) – The first joint consular meeting
between Iran and Armenia was held in Yerevan on Thursday.

The meeting held concurrently with the current visit of the Iranian
foreign ministry’s director general in charge of consular affairs
Rasoul Mohajer, studied social affairs of Iranian and Armenian
nationals in both countries as well as consular issues.

In the first round of talks, the two sides underlined the important
role of such meetings in promoting good-will among neighboring
countries.

In the two-day meeting a number of issues concerning social affairs,
residence of Iranian and Armenian nationals, easing formalities for
issuance of visas, education and transportation are to be discussed
by the two sides.

Both sides underlined that having good-will in developing ties in
various fields and the historical commonalties shared by the two
countries are considered as suitable back-up for deepening of such
ties.

The Armenian side, for his part, called the presence of Iranian
university students in Armenia as very effective and underlined that
the Yerevan government is to provide them with their required
facilities.

The Iranian delegation is scheduled to confer with a number of
Armenian officials on issues of mutual interests.

Reuters, UK
April 15 2005

EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Prisoners face death by starvation, says Amnesty
15 Apr 2005 14:26:11 GMT

Source: IRIN

LIBREVILLE, 15 April (IRIN) – At least 70 prisoners being held in
Equatorial Guinea’s notorious Black Beach prison outside the capital
Malabo are facing death by starvation, Amnesty International said in
a report this week.

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema went on air to deny the allegation,
saying on national radio that “although there are many prisoners
incarcerated at Black Beach, they are well treated.”

Amnesty said those most at risk in the former Spanish colony were
dozens of political prisoners arrested last year who were being held
without trial, and 15 foreign nationals who were deprived of contact
with family and lawyers.

Many were particularly at risk since they had been severely weakened
by ill-treatment, torture and lack of adequate medical care for
chronic illnesses, the London-based rights watchdog said in a
statement.

Among the prisoners are six Armenians and five South Africans
convicted last November of preparing the ground for a mercenary
invasion to overthrow Obiang. The former army officer has ruled the
tiny oil-rich nation with an iron hand since he deposed and killed
his uncle in a 1979 coup.

Four Nigerians have also been held at Black Beach prison for several
months without charge or trial and without their embassy being
notified, Amnesty said.

Prison officials reduced the daily food ration for inmates in
December from a cup of rice to one or two bread rolls, but since the
end of February “provision of any prison food at all has been
sporadic,” the report said.

“Unless immediate action is taken, many of those detained at Black
Beach prison will die,” said Kolawole Olaniyan, the director of
Amnesty’s Africa programme. “Such near starvation, lack of medical
attention and appalling prison conditions represent a scandalous
failure by the Equatorial Guinea authorities to fulfil their most
basic responsibilities under international law.”

Both Amnesty and exiled opposition sources said prisoners often were
dependent on food handed to prison guards by families.

This made the situation all the more difficult for foreigners and for
people from the mainland part of Equatorial Guinea, 200 km to the
southeast, since they had no family nearby, Amnesty said.

Black Beach is situated on Bioko, a mountainous volcanic island
formally known as Fernando Poo, where the country’s offshore oil
industry is based.

Amnesty said all prisoners were kept in their cells for 24 hours a
day and that foreign detainees were held with their hands and legs
cuffed at all times.

The foreigners were handed sentences of between 14 and 34 years in
jail in November for their alleged role in an abortive invasion by
South African mercenaries. Their trial was slammed as unfair at the
time by Amnesty and the London-based International Bar Association.

Former South African soldier Nick du Toit, the alleged leader of the
group, was the sole defendant to have initially confessed to a role
in the conspiracy. He later said that his admission of guilt had been
obtained by torture.

Obiang, the present head of state, has been widely accused of
corruption and human rights abuse during his 25-year rule of what
used to be one of the world’s poorest nations.

Equatorial Guinea now produces 350,000 barrels per day of oil and has
become Africa’s third-biggest oil producer after Nigeria and Angola,
but most of its 500,000 people still live in dire poverty.

Although oil generates US $30,000 per year for every one of the
Equatorial Guinea’s 500,000 inhabitants – giving the country a gross
domestic product per capita equivalent to that of Switzerland or
Denmark – life expectancy remains low at 49 and less than half the
population have access to clean drinking water, according the UN
Human Development Index.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Rocky Mountain News, CO
April 15 2005

Speakout: A little modesty might serve U.S. well
By Christoph H. Stefes, Special to the News

Fifteen years after the revolutions that overthrew the communist
dictatorships of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, the region has
witnessed once again a wave of political upheaval, starting with
Georgia in November 2003, followed by Ukraine a year later and
Kyrgyzstan last month. In these former Soviet republics, massive
demonstrations toppled political leaders who failed to fulfill the
hopes of their citizens for a better, more prosperous and democratic
life.

The Bush administration welcomes these so-called democratic
revolutions, emphasizing the success of the American battle to spread
democracy worldwide. Yet the Rose, Orange and Tulip “revolutions” in
Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, respectively, were not revolutions
by any stretch of the term. It is not even clear if they can be
called “democratic,” as democratic institutions look feeble in these
countries.

Furthermore, U.S. democracy assistance has only been one factor among
many that have caused these recent transitions. By claiming
differently, the Bush administration downplays the role of domestic
factors and provokes the authoritarian leaders of surrounding
countries to further crack down on the opposition. The U.S. also
risks further disrupting cooperation with Russia on Chechnya and
terrorism. In short, it might be better if the U.S. government
continued to promote democracy in the region but was less
ostentatious about it.

First, the events in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan bear striking
similarities. In all three countries, the post-Soviet leaders
initially appeared to embrace the values and institutions of
democratic and free-market societies. They rapidly privatized state
companies and liberalized the economies. Moreover, they encouraged
the formation of civic groups and a free media and refrained from
repressing their political opponents.

Unfortunately, from the mid- 1990s on they allowed relatives and
political supporters to seize the most prosperous economic sectors at
the expense of the general population of which more than half live in
deep poverty. As clientelism and corruption sparked public outcry and
threatened to defeat the ruling parties at the ballot box, they
relied on massive electoral fraud to stay in power.

Moreover, in Georgia, Ukraine and (to a lesser degree) Kyrgyzstan the
popular uprisings were orchestrated and led by opposition leaders who
had served as top-ranking officials under the previous regime. These
leaders are unlikely to seek a radical transformation of the
societal, economic and political structures of their countries.

>From this brief analysis, it should have become clear that we are not
dealing with a replication of the 1989-’91 revolutions. This may not
be worryisome, since strong, democratic leadership can be just as
responsible for the improvement of people’s lives as can revolutions.
Viktor Yushchenko provides this leadership in Ukraine, but we can be
less sure about his Georgian counterpart, Mikhail Saakashvili, who
has recently amassed presidential power at the expense of the
parliament. In Kyrgyzstan, the outcome of the recent events is even
less clear, as the opposition is divided and new clan networks have
already begun to infiltrate government structures. In short, it might
be a bit too early for the Bush administration to celebrate the rise
of democracy in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan.

Second, although U.S. democracy assistance has played a role in these
events, the numbers do not show that it was a decisive role. Over the
last few years, the U.S. government has provided about as much
assistance to Armenia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, which continue to
be ruled by authoritarian leaders, as do Georgia and Kyrgyzstan.

Moreover, to triumphantly declare credit for the rise of democracy is
not only premature but also counterproductive. Russia’s President
Vladimir Putin and his colleagues in the neighboring countries have
nervously reacted to the toppling of their erstwhile counterparts.

Blaming Western involvement for bringing political instability to the
region, they have begun to crack down on Western-sponsored
organizations. By exaggerating its role in the political transitions,
the U.S. administration does a disservice to the reformers in the
region.

In short, depending on many factors, of which U.S. democracy
assistance is just one, the recent wave of political transitions
might reach other countries, opening doors for the possible
establishment of new democratic regimes (though not a guaranteed
outcome). In order to facilitate this process, the U.S. government is
well-advised to understate its role in the region.

Christoph H. Stefes is an assistant professor for Comparative
European and Post-Soviet Studies at the Political Science Department
of the University of Colorado at Denver.

Los Angeles Daily News, CA
April 15 2005

City will pay $250,000 to move society

By Alex Dobuzinskis, Staff Writer

GLENDALE — The city redevelopment agency has set aside $250,000 to
help the Armenian Society of Los Angeles pay for temporary space
while the organization relocates.
The group’s temporary headquarters will be a 6,300-square-foot office
at 320 W. Wilson Ave.

In 2003, the redevelopment agency approved a $5 million agreement
with the Armenian Society, exchanging a city-owned property at 117 S.
Louise St. for the ASLA’s 11,000-square-foot space at 221 S. Brand
Blvd., which is part of the Americana at Brand project. The agency
also agreed to help the ASLA with relocation costs.

“When we purchased that property, part of the all-inclusive deal was
we were going to provide them with a (temporary) location for 20
months, so that’s what we’re trying to do,” said City Councilman Bob
Yousefian.

The City Council, acting as the redevelopment agency, voted
unanimously Tuesday to approve the relocation expenditures.

Vrej Agajanian, chairman of the ASLA’s board of trustees, said the
organization hopes to start construction on its permanent site soon.

“My understanding is it will take a maximum of six months. I hope it
will stay that way because otherwise it’s too long,” Agajanian said.

Armenian Society officials hope to be able to move out of the
temporary location in less than 20 months — or soon after — so the
organization does not lose money paying rent.

The 49-year-old, volunteer-run organization has 600 active members.
In addition to running a Saturday school, it has an 80-member choir,
helps orphans in Armenia and does volunteer work in the community.

The organization has started submitting designs for its new location.
It could be 12 to 18 months before construction starts, officials
said.

“Apparently their design needs a lot of work. And so when they get
their design to a point that is passable, they need to bring it
forward so we can start moving this project forward,” Yousefian said.
“Their organization needs to get moving on this.”

The $250,000 approved this week includes $189,000 to set up the ASLA
at its new location for 20 months, several thousand dollars in
contingency costs, and the cost of letting the ASLA’s Saturday school
be held at the old Edison School site on Pacific Avenue.

The city is working to find a more permanent location for the school.

Officials said the city remains on track to stay within its $62.5
million budget for acquiring the 15.5 acres of the Americana at Brand
site.

The ASLA, which is expected to move within a month, is one of four
tenants remaining on the property; the other three have new locations
to move into. There were originally 38 tenants.

“We worked with each of the tenants to find a comparable location to
move to,” said Emil Gatevosian, a senior project manager, adding that
95 percent of the site’s former tenants have stayed in Glendale.

The ASLA was the only community organization that had to move, and
officials said it needed more help than commercial tenants.

“It’s atypical, in a sense,” said Alex Hamilton, a senior project
manager. “It’s not a standard retail-type business.”

Watertown TAB & Press, MA
April 15 2005

Lawmakers to remember Armenian Genocide
Friday, April 15, 2005

State Rep. Rachel Kaprielian, D-Watertown, Rep. Peter Koutoujian,
D-Waltham, and Sen. Steven Tolman, D-Boston, along with the State
House Commemoration Planning Committee, will host the 90th
Anniversary Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide on Friday, April
22. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. in the Chamber of the House of
Representatives at the Massachusetts State House and will be followed
by an informal reception in the Great Hall.

This year’s event marks the 20th year of commemoration of the
Armenian Genocide by the Massachusetts Legislature. George Keverian,
former Speaker of the House, first initiated the remembrance
ceremony, and will be honored at this year’s event for his service
and respect of the state’s Armenian community. As the son of Genocide
survivors, Keverian created a considerable legacy of honoring and
celebrating the Armenian heritage, which continues to grow with each
year of the anniversary commemoration.

Watertown TAB & Press, MA
April 15 2005

Armenian Genocide commemoration events
Friday, April 15, 2005

The Greater Boston Committee for the Commemoration of the Armenian
Genocide, an umbrella organization of all area churches and major
civic groups, announces the following community-wide commemoration
events for the 90th anniversary of the Genocide. All events are free
and open to the public, unless otherwise noted. For more information,
and periodic updates, log on to

“Victims of 1915 and We Today”- Sunday, April 17, 10 a.m., at
Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church, 200 Lexington St., Belmont. A
memorial service and evocation.

“Remembrance and Commemoration through Armenian Culture and
Music”- Sunday, April 17, 5 p.m., at St. James Armenian Apostolic
Church, 465 Mount Auburn St., Watertown. Featuring Sayat Nova Dance
Company and Zulal Armenian Folk Trio.

“The Road to Redemption: Memories of the 1915 Armenian
Genocide”- Thursday, April 21, 7:30 p.m., at Boston University’s
Morse Auditorium, 602 Commonwealth Ave., Boston. Presented by the
Greater Boston Committee for the Commemoration of the Armenian
Genocide.

Massachusetts State House Commemoration – Friday, April 22, 11
a.m., in the Chamber of the House of Representatives, followed by an
informal reception in the Great Hall. George Keverian, former Speaker
of the House, will be honored for his service and respect of the
state’s Armenian community.

Ecumenical Service and Memorial Service – Saturday, April 23,
6:45 p.m., at Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, 145 Brattle
St., Cambridge. A service for 250 Armenian intellectuals who perished
on April 24, 1915. Presented by the Honorable Clergy of Boston
Armenian Churches.

Requiem and Memorial Concert for the 90th Anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide – Saturday, April 23, 7:30 p.m., at Holy Trinity
Armenian Apostolic Church. Presented by Erevan Choral Society, under
the direction of the Very Rev. Oshagan Minassian.

Rally to Commemorate the Armenian Genocide in New York –
Sunday, April 24. Busses depart from St. James and St. Stephens
Armenian Churches in Watertown to Times Square, for those wishing to
take part in the rally to commemorate the Genocide and denounce the
denial of the Turkish government. For more information, log on to

The Films of J. Michael Hagopian – Friday, April 29 and May 6,
various times, at Kendall Square Cinema, 1 Kendall Square, Cambridge.
Screenings of “Germany and the Secret Genocide” and “Voices from the
Lake.” Presented by the Greater Boston Committee for the
Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, with cooperation of Kendall
Square Cinema.