ROBERT KOCHARIAN TO DEPART FOR FRANCE APRIL 4

01.04.2005 07:58

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian will pay a
formal visit to France April 4-6, RA President’s press service
reported.

OSCE chairman Rupel to conclude Caucasus tour in Azerbaijan

STA news agency, Ljubljana
1 Apr 05

BAKU

Slovene Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairman Dimitrij Rupel is paying a
visit Saturday [2 April] to Azerbaijan, the last stop on his Caucasus
tour, during which he has also visited Kyrgyzstan.

Rupel is scheduled to meet in Baku President Ilham Aliyev, Prime
Minister Artur Rasizade, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and
representatives of the opposition and NGOs.

The issue expected to top the talks’ agenda will be the simmering
conflict in Nagorno Karabakh, the ethnic Armenian enclave in
Azerbaijan, which also dominated Rupel’s talks with Armenian officials
in Yerevan. [Passage omitted – background]

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
2005-04-02 10:48:27

Turkey’s Search for a Balance Between EU and US Turns into a Pincer

Erhan Basyurt

EU-US Balance Turns into a Pincer
By Erhan Basyurt

Turkey’s search for a balance in international relations between the
European Union (EU) and the US, is gradually turning into a pincer. Ankara
had relied mostly on the EU at the start of membership negotiations,
particularly to ensure a balance as a result of the pressures that emerged
from the Israeli-US line, and also in order to breathe freely, but a series
of incidents this time put Turkey under a two-sided pressure.

Firstly, the EU gave Turkey a date but gave it no hope on December 17. A
door was opened to full membership negotiations, however, whether or not
this would result in full membership was not guaranteed. On the contrary,
France decided to hold a referendum, with Turkey, undoubtedly, as the main
target. That is to say, even if Turkey completes negotiations and the
Council of Europe approves its membership, for this to go into effect, it
will require approval from the anti-Turkey French people.

Secondly, several EU countries that were against the US at the beginning of
the Iraq war, raised the “white flag” with the re-election of US President
George W. Bush. The EU showed that it is not an alternative power to the US.
The US-EU balance is not suitable for setting the balance between great
powers, like the rivalry between Great Britain and Germany before World War
I and the US and the Soviet Union after World War II.

Hence, against the US, Turkey has never pursued a policy that centers around
its national interests, relying on EU protection. On the contrary, Turkey’s
“excessive desire” for EU membership is perceived by Brussels as an
opportunity “to obtain concessions on the Cyprus issue.”

The EU, which admitted Greek Cyprus, that carried out massacres in Cyprus,
as a full member, now aims at ridding itself of the mistake it made, by also
pushing Turkey to endorse this mistake. The Greek Cypriots, who caused the
division of the island, are at the same time, the side which said “no” to
the United Nations (UN) peace initiative, however, the EU continues to
reward the Greek Cypriots and punish the Turkish Cypriots, who are being
unjustly treated. The embargo imposed on the Turkish side persists. Turkey
is forced to buy duty-free Greek Cypriot goods. Signing a supplementary
protocol, that will mean a de facto recognition of the Greek Cypriot side,
is being demanded as a precondition.

The US approach to Turkey also has not been different since the Iraq war
process. The US does not even deem it necessary to utter a word with regards
to the effects of the developments on Turkey’s interests. Open your southern
border, don’t intervene in Northern Iraq, support our policies on Syria and
Iran, approve broader US access to the Incirlik Air Base!

Because the US knows the “government with no political power,” is Turkey’s
soft belly, it exerts pressure on the government. With a manipulated media
campaign, it pushes the government into the corner. It also forces Turkey to
toe the US line through anti-Americanism allegations. It is even trying to
use passage of the so-called Armenian “genocide” resolution in Congress as a
“bluff.”

The US is trying to pressure over Turkey the March 1 deployment motion,
however, Turkey compensated for the first decision by approving a second
motion that envisaged sending troops to Iraq. If the US had not become a
“slave” to the Kurds and Turkish troops had been alllowed to operate in
Iraq, current problems, such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Kerkuk
(Kirkuk), the Turkmen and the Kurds, to a great extent, would not have been
experienced. If there are no Turkish troops in Iraq today, it is not
Ankara’s fault but that of the US.

However, recent pressures by Washington, appear aimed at making Turkey take
a step back on the Incirlik issue. As a matter of fact, the neo-Cons, who
hold influential positions in the Bush administration, had foreseen the
overthrow of Saddam, expansion of the Incirlik base, and if possible,
recommendation of another base in Anatolia, in a report entitled, “Project
for the New American Century,” they prepared before the occupation of Iraq.
The Incirlik demand is part of a project that was planned a long time ago.

Just as the EU is seeking concessions on the Cyprus issue, the US is also
seeking concessions on issues such as the Incirlik base and the likes. It is
not possible for Turkey to break out of these two pincers with a balanced
policy among the powers, if it does not make concessions. Turkey should
revise its foreign policy preferences and re-shape them in line with the
present circumstances. Because a balanced policy develops imbalance.

Source: Zaman, 01 April 2005

2005-04-02 10:48:27

Nashua Telegraph, NH

High court to hear church sale case

By ALBERT McKEON, Telegraph Staff
[email protected]

Published: Saturday, Apr. 2, 2005

Preservationists and former parishioners of St. Francis Xavier Church in
Nashua have taken one last stand against the building’s sale.

Opponents of the transaction between the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Manchester and a proxy for the Armenian Orthodox Church have appealed to the
state Supreme Court. Judges at the superior and probate court levels have
rejected the dissenters’ arguments.

Meanwhile, Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate
of Jerusalem, has approved a Nashua-area developer’s purchase of the church
and his stated intent to use the building for an Armenian Orthodox parish.

Developer Vatche Manoukian received Manoogian’s blessing, attorney Gerald
Prunier said. Manoukian has a $1 million purchase-and-sale agreement with
the Manchester diocese and intends to donate the St. Francis Xavier property
to his faith, according to Prunier, who represents Manoukian.

But the transaction is on hold. Dissenters who first fought the diocese over
St. Francis Xavier’s closing in 2003 and then over the proposed sale are
taking one last legal action.

`They’re unanimous; they don’t want to give up,’ attorney Randall Wilbert
said of his group of clients. The group consists mostly of former
parishioners of the French Hill neighborhood parish, and a few who admire
the building’s architectural value.

`The struggle ahead is difficult,’ Wilbert said. `It’s certainly the last
hurrah. They can accept that, but they want to try everything.’

Wilbert filed the appeal two weeks ago. He has asked the state’s high court
to interpret a statutory trust that governs stewardship of the church.

The trust stipulates that Bishop John McCormack, leader of the Manchester
diocese, must act in the interest of former parishioners and forward the
proceeds from a sale to their new parish. When St. Francis Xavier closed, it
technically merged with St. Louis de Gonzague Church, and many parishioners
moved there.

In dismissing the plaintiff’s suit, a Hillsborough County Superior Court
judge said he could not speculate whether McCormack would use the proceeds
for any other purpose, and said the diocese is, to date, following the
conditions of the trust.

Albert McKeon can be reached at 594-5832 or [email protected].

ABC News

Gravely Ill Pope Losing Consciousness

By VICTOR L. SIMPSON Associated Press Writer

The Associated Press

VATICAN CITY Apr 2, 2005 – Pope John Paul II showed the first signs of
losing consciousness at dawn on Saturday, the Vatican said, as priests
around the world prepared the Roman Catholic faithful for his passing.

But John Paul, 84, was not in a coma and opened his eyes when spoken to,
papal spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.

The pope’s health began deteriorating Thursday after he suffered a urinary
tract infection. In its latest statement the Vatican, which earlier
described his heart and kidneys as failing, said his condition was unchanged
and “very grave.”

Navarro-Valls said the pope was still speaking late Friday but did not take
part when Mass was celebrated in his presence Saturday morning.

“Since dawn this morning there have been first signs that consciousness is
being affected,” he said.

“Sometimes it seems as if he were resting with his eyes closed, but when you
speak to him, he opens his eyes,” Navarro-Valls said.

He said aides had told the pope that thousands of young people were in St.
Peter’s Square on Friday evening. Navarro-Valls said the pope appeared to be
referring to them when he seemed to say: “‘I have looked for you. Now you
have come to me. And I thank you.'”

Vatican cardinal Achille Silvestrini visited John Paul Saturday morning,
accompanied by another cardinal, Jean-Louis Tauran.

“I found him relaxed, placid, serene. He was in his bed. He was breathing
without labor. He looked like he lost weight,” Silvestrini said.

He said the when he and Tauran came into the room, the pope seemed to
recognize them.

“The pope showed with a vibration of his face that he understood, indicating
with a movement of his eyes. He showed he was reacting,” he added.

For a second day, the Vatican announced a series of papal appointments
including a Spanish bishop, an official of the Armenian Catholic Church and
ambassadors to El Salvador and Panama.

One of the pope’s closest aides, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was quoted
Saturday as saying that when he saw the pontiff on Friday morning, John Paul
was “aware that he is passing to the Lord.”

FORMATION OF CHAMBER OF LAWYERS OF ARMENIA MAY TAKE SEVERAL WEEKS

YEREVAN, APRIL 1. ARMINFO. The formation of the Chamber of Lawyers of
Armenia may be delayed for several weeks, says Levon Bagdassaryan
Armenian lawyer supporting the recently elected president of the
chamber Yenok Azaryan.

He says that the election and the post-election disputes have shown
that it is early yet to from such a body in Armenia. Meanwhile the law
on advocacy says that new chamber should be formed within two months
after president election.

To remind, Yenok Azaryan was elected chamber president by 181 votes
with his opponent Ruben Saakyan polling 174 votes. Later Saakyan
disputed the results of the voting claiming numerous violations and
saying that voting were 15 people having no such right. The case is
being considered by the Center – Nork Marash court. Bagdassaryan says
that if the voting results are invalidated “first there will be no
chamber of lawyers and second we will fail to meet the law requirement
for 2 month deadline for new chamber formation.” Bagdassaryan says
that he has no intention to file a counter-appeal against Saakyan.

To remind, the law on advocacy took force Feb 1 20

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CAR CRASHES INTO GAS MAIN PIPE IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, APRIL 1. ARMINFO. A car with state number-plate 45LL584
crashed into a gas main pipe in the yard of a house in the town of
Gyumri, Armenia, yesterday approximately at 13:00. No casualties were
recorded. The car and part of the house’s roof burnt. The fire was
liquidated in an hour. The Governmental Emergency Situations
Department of Armenia informs ARMINFO.

Besides, last night, a car accident took place. As a result,
Lt.Colonel of Police G.Hakobyan died. At 02:37 local time, a BMW
crashed into a road-post in Admiral Isakov avenue.

Los Angeles Daily News, CA

Article Published: Saturday, April 02, 2005 – 12:00:00 AM PST

Deaths of Armenians remembered

By Alex Dobuzinskis, Staff Writer

Knar Kitabjian never met her grandfather, but the story of how he survived a
death march through Turkey as a child during World War I has stayed with
her.
Today, to honor him, the 23-year-old Armenian-American will begin a march of
her own: a 215-mile hike from Fresno to Sacramento designed to raise
awareness about what has been known as the Armenian genocide.

“I just feel like out of respect for what he went through, it’s the least I
can do,” the Arleta woman said of her grandfather, Parsegh Kitabjian. “It’s
my duty to participate in an event like this.”

Kitabjian and 15 others will be making the 19-day march, organized by the
Armenian Genocide 90th Anniversary Commemoration Committee of California.
Nearly 30 other hikers are expected to join for parts of the journey.

Most of the walkers are young – many of them high school or college students
willing to spend nights in churches and community centers and walk as much
as 15 miles a day, rain or shine.

The march is scheduled to end April 21 in Sacramento, where the hikers and
supporters will rally at the Capitol to thank the Legislature for its
passage of a bill recognizing the genocide.

The rally comes a few days before April 24, generally the day when Armenians
mark the deaths of 1.5 million people from 1915 to 1921 in the Ottoman
Empire.

Tuluy Tanc, minister counselor for Turkey in Washington, D.C., said his
government has met with Armenians about the deaths but do not consider it a
genocide.

“The Ottoman Empire in 1915 in this war situation, under war conditions,
tried to relocate a part of the Armenian population … in the part that was
being invaded by Russia to a safer part of the empire,” he said.
“Tragically, lots of Armenians lost their lives.

“But this was not a genocide. It was part of a war.”

Many of the Armenian-American youths participating in the hike have
participated in similar marches and protested in front of the Turkish
consulate over the issue.

Martin Melkonian, 18, says his grandfather was an infant during the forced
exodus, and much of his family was killed before he knew them. Melkonian, a
Glendale resident, said tears came to his grandfather’s eyes when he found
out Melkonian would be participating in the 215-mile hike.

“He gets sad that he grew up without a family, with no mother. His feeling
towards it is basically, in his own words, how can a government be so
cold-hearted that after all we’ve been through, after all the pictures that
we have, and they still deny that they have done it,” Melkonian said.

For today’s hike, Melkonian and others have been preparing with training
walks, and organizers have recommended a high-carb, high-protein diet that
includes spaghetti and peanut butter sandwiches. Today’s marchers also will
be accompanied by a recreational vehicle in which they can take showers.

“I’ve been a long-distance runner, so I’m ready for this,” said Narbeh
Aboolian, 17, a student at Herbert Hoover High School in Glendale, who will
join three relatives on the march.

Kitabjian said she also has been preparing for the march, but still will be
challenged because she will carry a video camera to shoot a documentary.

“We live in California, we’re always in our car, so it’s going to be a
change. But I think I’m going to be able to handle it,” Kitabjian said.

For several of the hikers, this month’s march highlights not only efforts to
get official recognition of an Armenian genocide by Turkey but broader
issues about mass killings around the globe.

“We haven’t done enough in order to stop all these atrocities from
happening,” said Nora Ounjian, 23, a student at California State University,
Northridge, who will hike for seven days. “Because obviously Sudan is
happening now.”

Alex Dobuzinskis, (818) 546-3304 [email protected]

Civil Georgia, Georgia
Saakashvili, Kocharyan Discuss Strategic Cooperation

/ Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2005-04-02 13:14:18

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and his Armenian counterpart Robert
Kocharyan discussed the issues of strategic cooperation and regional
security in a mountain resort of Gudauri in Georgia on April 1, the Georgian
President’s press office reported on April 2.

`We do not need any ceremonies and political limitations with our neighbors
… We can always visit each other without prior preparations and hold
talks,’ Mikheil Saakashvili said on April 1, adding the two Presidents
planned to hold an informal meeting long ago.

Worcester Telegram, MA
Saturday, April 2, 2005

Religion digest

Lunch at Armenian Church of Martyrs

WORCESTER – The Armenian Congregational Church of the Martyrs, 22 Ormond
St., will hold its monthly public luncheon from noon to 2 p.m. April 7 at
the church. The menu will feature Lu-leh kebab. The donation is $3.