Civil Georgia, Georgia
Jan 10 2005

South Caucasus Countries Discuss Regional Railway

Visiting Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin will discuss the
issue of restoring the Georgian-Russian railway link via Abkhazia
with the Georgian leadership.

Armenian and Azerbaijani governmental delegations are also expected
to join the talks in Tbilisi on January 10.

Last November, Russian Transport Minister, who visited Georgia and
Armenia, proposed that the countries of the South Caucasus set up a
joint Russian-Georgian-Armenian-Azerbaijani company which would
restore traffic on the Trans-Caucasus Railway, which ceased
functioning after conflicts in Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh in the
early 90s.

The railway, which stretched more than 2,300 kilometers during Soviet
times, connected Black Sea ports with central Russia, operated
passenger services and handled more than 15 million tons of transit
cargo per year, according to the Russian English-language daily The
Moscow Times.

`It is not a simple issue, I mean, we do not face only technical
problems related to restoration of the railway. It is a comprehensive
and difficult political issue,’ Lexo Alexishvili, the Georgian
Economy Minister, said.

For the past decade the Georgian government’s policy has always
linked the issue of restoring the railway via Abkhazia to the issue
of returning the internally displaced persons to the breakaway
region.

There are signs that the Georgian government is now ready to soften
its position, but the final shape of the Tbilisi’s policy towards the
issue has yet to manifest.

`If Georgian custom officers will be deployed at the Georgian-Russian
border [referring to the Abkhaz section of the border] then I see no
problem in restoring the railway connection,’ Kakha Bendukidze, the
State Minister for Economic Reform Issues, told reporters on January
9.

San Jose Mercury News , CA
Jan 10 2005

Iranian composer adds zest to performance

By Richard Scheinin

San Jose’s Jon Nakamatsu has a way of mixing the tried and true with
the truly unusual. For a couple years now, the pianist has performed
stirring and almost entirely forgotten music by Josef Wölfl, the
Austrian composer who was a friendly rival of Beethoven’s in their
day. Now Nakamatsu has found another worthy candidate for stardom:
Loris Tjeknavorian, the living, Iranian-born composer of Armenian
descent whose piano music is drenched with ethnic rhythms and
alluring melodies — and is pretty much never performed in this
country.

Saturday night at Le Petit Trianon in San Jose, Nakamatsu offered a
bracing recital — his first here in a year — in which wild card
Tjeknavorian sat comfortably amid the tried and true.

There was Chopin, whose 19th-century mazurkas and polonaises opened
the gates to Tjeknavorian-style ethnicity in modern music. There was
Liszt, who built on Chopin’s bejeweled harmonic world. And there was
Rachmaninoff, who flew off in all sorts of crazy new harmonic
directions. His “Variations on a Theme by Corelli,” the best part
of Nakamatsu’s program, runs a Spanish folk melody through 20
outrageous turnarounds.

The recital, part of the Steinway Society’s ongoing series, began
with yet another famous incorporator of folk music: Scarlatti. The
Italian loved Spanish song, rhythm and guitars, blending them into
his nearly 600 Baroque-period keyboard sonatas, many technically
bold. Nakamatsu chose four for the program, which repeated Sunday. He
performed them with an idiomatic clarity that captured the trilling
metallic brilliance of the harpsichord, Scarlatti’s instrument.

Next came the Rachmaninoff, which elaborates on the Corelli theme
known as “La Folia.” Rachmaninoff took this Baroque borrowing of a
Spanish folk melody and ran it through his visionary blender. And
Nakamatsu — voicing each chord just so, infusing the music with
crisp rhythms — stamped each variation with personality: marching or
galumphing, pouncing like a panther or lolling about like an
elephant. Poor “La Folia” seemed to have wandered into a strange
harmonic universe, pointing to jazz, Sondheim, even a Beatles ballad
or two.

Chopin followed: First, a liquid nocturne, then a steely scherzo with
daunting double-octave sequences and clashing rhythms.

After intermission, came Tjeknavorian. It turns out there’s a story
behind Nakamatsu’s interest in this music: His lifelong teacher,
Marina Derryberry, attended conservatory in Tehran with Tjeknavorian.
In 2001, Tjeknavorian conducted at the San Francisco Opera where, for
the first time in decades, he and Derryberry met. Nakamatsu attended
the reunion and soon came under the composer’s spell.

Saturday, he played five of seven dances from Tjeknavorian’s “Danses
Fantastiques,” all evoking, Nakamatsu said, a “sense of heritage —
the spirit of Armenian music.”

The first three dances were understated. There were swirling figures
over a virile, ostinato bass line. There was a haunting modal melody
set to chorded accompaniment. It sounded like a mother’s hummed song
to a child and had an unresolved ending; perhaps the child fell
asleep.

One dance kept three serpentine lines moving: the ostinato, the
melody, and a descending chromatic sequence. The music was at times
trance-like, then grew flashier, full of rippling pools of
ultra-Romantic melody, á la Liszt.

And it was with Liszt that Nakamatsu closed the program. Truth be
told, midway through the Mephisto Waltz No. 1, a brutally taxing
piece for any pianist, I began thinking that unceasing virtuosity
isn’t always exciting. I would have preferred to hear a couple more
dances by Tjeknavorian. Maybe next time.

Azeri daily critical of leader for taking holiday amid gas supply crisis

Azadliq, Baku
5 Jan 05

Excerpt from Orxan report by Azerbaijani newspaper Azadliq on 5
January headlined “Ilham Aliyev has run” and subheaded “The inept
successor escaped under the guise of vacation as soon as the gas
crisis started. Normal heads of states interrupt their holidays and
get back to work as soon as such a situation arises”

[Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev has taken a holiday. It may be
regarded unethical to comment on this – one may be told that any
citizen, including Aliyev, has a right to go on holiday. However,
serious social problems have emerged in Azerbaijan, of which Aliyev
regards himself as head.

[Passage omitted: Weather forecasters promise cold January]

Russia has suspended for an indefinite period the supply to Azerbaijan
of gas it buys from Turkmenistan. In 40 districts of Azerbaijan, that
is in the majority of its districts, the households have not been
receiving gas for days. Under the circumstances, the head of state
should have mobilized internal resources and taken necessary measures
to protect the population from the cold winter. Instead, the president
runs away, that is escapes. In the military slang, this is called
desertion. If the head of state is unable to resolve social problems,
then what will he do as commander-in-chief, should the military
conflict with Armenia resume? Undoubtedly, Aliyev cannot handle social
tension and in no way will be able to tackle military tension.

Forty districts of Azerbaijan receive no gas. This means that the
people are facing power shortages. The population has no choice but to
cut down trees. No one in their right mind would risk freezing his
children by vesting his hopes on such an inept leader as Aliyev, on a
leader who escapes when he is needed most.

After the supplies were halted, Aliyev should have engaged in talks
with Turkmenistan to restore the import of gas at any cost and to
ensure that people receive plenty of gas from domestic reserves by the
time the supplies are restored. Just like it was in Ukraine where,
despite a power vacuum, Kiev negotiated with Asgabat and managed to
restore the import of gas even at the cost of higher prices (1,000
cu.m. of Turkmen gas will cost 18 dollars more). Aliyev, however,
preferred to take a holiday as soon as the crisis started, although he
had vowed on the holy Koran that he would protect the rights and
freedoms of the citizens. The majority of the Azerbaijani citizens
have been deprived of their right to heating during the cold
winter. Instead of keeping his promise, Aliyev took a vacation.

A normal head of state would have interrupted his holiday and got back
to work as soon as such a situation arises. Instead, he convened a
session of the Security Council, talked about progress in the Nagornyy
Karabakh negotiations albeit nothing has been achieved there yet, and
went on holiday the next day. He could have at least gathered the
leaders of the energy sector and ordered them to tackle the
issue. Yet, he did not take a single step to resolve the gas crisis,
left Azerbaijan and now it is said in China.

Of all the state officials, only the head of a department in Azariqaz
[Azeri gas] has said that the restoration of gas supplies does not
depend on them, but on talks between Russia and
Turkmenistan. Naturally, a question arises – then why do we need the
Azerbaijani government if it is unable to do anything?

In fact, the energy sector mafia profits from the halting of gas
supplies. It is known that although using gas to generate electricity
is more economic, it leaves less space for fraud. On the contrary,
using fuel oil increases the fraud opportunities fivefold. Since the
import of gas was cut off, fuel oil is now being used to generate
power. Therefore, the energy bosses want this situation to
continue. In turn, Ilham Aliyev has gone abroad after leaving the gas
supply to the population at the mercy of the energy bosses. So, what
is that if not desertion?

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Lo que Mi Padre Armenio me Enseñó sobre el Islam

ony/Arm_Islam.pdf

Rev. Mark R. Rushdoony
Enero, 2002

Las personas que conocieron a mi padre, Rousas John Rushdoony, se
dieron cuenta que disfrutaba hablando sobre su herencia Armenia. A
menudo también relataba cómo sus padres apenas escaparon de la masacre
de los Armenios en el Imperio Otomano (Turquía) en 1915. En realidad,
él también era un sobreviviente de aquellas masacres. Aunque nació en
la Ciudad de Nueva York en Abril de 1916, estaba en el vientre de mi
abuela durante las masacres y su escape.

En 1915 mis abuelos vivían en Van, Turquía, que no estaba lejos de la
frontera Rusa. Esa proximidad, y la ayuda temporal de las tropas
zaristas Rusas, les dieron una oportunidad que la mayoría de los
Armenios no tuvieron para escapar. La alfombra que la abuela usó como
silla de montar improvisada es ahora un preciado tesoro familiar. Un
millón y medio de Armenios fueron muertos en ese primer genocidio del
siglo veinte. Papá creció alrededor de una comunidad de supervivientes
de aquel horror. Dijo que les recordaba, sorprendentemente, como un
pueblo feliz a quienes les gustaba cantar y reír. Así como su padre le
hablaba extensamente sobre la herencia y la experiencia Armenia, así
él a menudo le hablaba a nuestra familia del pasado. Era alguien que
no vivía en el pasado, pero sí buscaba entenderlo. Tampoco calificaba
a todos los Musulmanes como co-conspiradores en el asesinato de los
Armenios. Miraba el Islam como una fe falsa, una que le daba a sus
seguidores un sentido profano de propósito y de destino. Tengo, en su
biblioteca, algunos ensayos no publicados que escribió sobre Turquía y
el Islam. Más abajo se encuentran algunos de los puntos que
regularmente señaló, derivados de mis propios recuerdos y de porciones
de aquellos manuscritos.

Por Qué el Islam es Peligroso

El Islam es una religión peligrosa ante todo porque es falsa que aleja
a los hombres de Jesucristo como el Camino, la Verdad y la Vida. Les
señala a los hombres hacia un dios falso, Alá, y hacia una visión
falsa del propósito y la eternidad del hombre. Es una religión
peligrosa porque apela a la fuerza militar y al poder del estado. No
es el gran mal, sino una manifestación del mal de los hombres en su
rebelión contra Dios. Va a fracasar porque pelea en contra de la
realidad de la verdad de Dios. Como el mal del comunismo en el siglo
veinte, es una ideología que debemos entender y contrarrestar con el
evangelio de la gracia de Dios.

El Islam fue diseñado como una religión externa. Mahoma conocía las
palabras de San Pablo quien escribió, “Pues no es judío el que lo es
exteriormente, sino que es judío el que lo es en lo interior”
(Rom. 2:28-29). Mahoma refutó a Pablo con la proposición, “Es un
Musulmán aquel que lo es exteriormente.” Las únicas creencias
esenciales del Islam son que no hay dios sino Alá, y que Mahoma es su
profeta.

La palabra Islam es Arábica y quiere decir sumisión o subyugación.
Un Musulmán es uno que se
somete a la práctica Islámica. Ya que la sumisión es la meta, en
lugar del arrepentimiento y la fe,
desde el principio la coacción fue vista como un medio válido para
promover la religión Islámica.

El enfrentamiento bélico recorrió la Península Arábica, y el Islam fue
impuesto sobre los politeístas so pena de ejecución. Este patrón se
repitió a lo largo del Medio Oriente, en África y partes de Asia y
Europa. No es de sorprenderse que tal avance militarista haya hecho de
la esclavitud una parte importante de su cultura.

Este externalismo y su dependencia del avance militar hicieron que los
gobiernos Islámicos fuesen necesariamente estatistas. La espada en la
mano del estado hizo avanzar el Islam. La jihad como el avance del
Islam no era simplemente aceptable, sino que era y es considerada uno
de sus pilares. El Islam como camino de vida puede ser impulsado por
la sumisión o impuesto por la subyugación. El progreso del Islam se
mide no por la creencia sino por la conformidad exterior, que podía
ser impuesta de manera más eficiente por la conquista militar y la
legislación estatista.

La dominación del mundo, en lugar de la salvación del mundo, un
concepto Cristiano, ha sido la meta última.

Es fácil sobreponer una perspectiva Cristiana de la moralidad en otras
religiones, especialmente en una como el Islam que toma prestado tanto
de la Escritura. De este modo los Estadounidenses se desconciertan por
las ideas Islámicas de la moralidad y su práctica cultural. Nos
horrorizamos que los clérigos Islámicos puedan justificar
(terminología Cristiana una vez más) el asesinato terrorista. Como una
religión externa (en terminología Cristiana una religión de obras en
lugar de gracia), sin embargo, la moralidad del Islam es también
exteriorizada.

La moralidad es ambiental

y los hombres y las mujeres actúan como respuesta a estímulos
externos. De este modo, como esclavos de la pasión, los hombres pueden
culpar a las mujeres por su propia concupiscencia. Así, una mujer que
muestre alguna parte de su cuerpo es una tentadora o algo peor; los
mujeres son tenidas como responsables por la lujuria de los
hombres. Entonces se les atribuyen a las mujeres grandes poderes y se
usan medidas estrictas para controlarlas.

La Obstinación y el Islam

A los hombres Islámicos se les permite una mayor cantidad de libertad
sexual que a las mujeres.

El paraíso del Islam, de hecho, es un paraíso de éxtasis sexual.

El uso de la prostitución, harenes, y chicas esclavas para la
gratificación también es común. Por lo tanto, las mujeres depositan
sus esperanzas para la seguridad a largo plazo sobre sus hijos quienes
tienden a ser mimados y se les permite ser indulgentes en su propia
obstinación. Luego los chicos consentidos se vuelven hombres
arrogantes y testarudos.

La obstinación, como característica, ha contribuido mucho a la
conducta impredecible en los hombres Islámicos. Las historias del
genocidio Armenio están llenas de incidentes en donde los vecinos
Musulmanes serviciales y amistosos se volvieron predadores y rapaces
debido a que el impulso o la oportunidad del momento les
gobernaron. El pensamiento Islámico contribuye a tal tipo de traición
potencial porque, como Peter Hammond señala, divide al mundo en la
Casa del Islam y la Casa de la Guerra. El Islam está en paz con
aquellos que están en sumisión o subyugación a la ley Islámica; los
otros son considerados los enemigos del Islam y son considerados como
parte de la Casa de la Guerra (vea: “Desarraigando el Terrorismo”
).

La testarudez ha hecho de la traición una parte importante del mundo
Islámico. Esto sucede en el nivel personal, donde los hombres
poderosos pueden emprenderla a golpes con fuerza mortífera ante la
mera sospecha de traición o insulto. La auto-indulgencia resultó en la
libertina actividad sexual que una vez (antes que Occidente comenzara
su propia industria depravada) convirtió a Turquía en sinónimo de la
pornografía más vulgar. Se hizo notoria mientras influenciaba a
Drácula, o a Clad el Empalador (1431-1476) quien fue criado en la
Turquía Islámica e importó sus prácticas a Wallachia en su terror
tanto contra los Turcos como contra su propio pueblo. Tal traición se
ha visto repetidamente en la política del Medio Oriente en años
recientes. Como Hammond señala, “Desde 1948, las 21 naciones Árabes
han sufrido 30 guerras, 63 revoluciones exitosas, al menos 75
revoluciones fallidas, y 36 jefes de estado fueron asesinados. En el
mundo Árabe las revoluciones y los asesinatos han sido los medios más
frecuentes de expresión política y así lograr el poder” (ibid.). La
paz del Islam ha probado ser, en sí misma y a lo largo de los siglos,
una mentira. El Islam es una forma más peligrosa de despotismo que los
regímenes políticos del fascismo o el comunismo que gobernaron por el
poder político o militar mientras negaban la relevancia o la validez
de la religión. El Islamismo radical se parece más a los despotismos
del mundo antiguo donde se combinaban la religión y el estado de
manera que cualquier oposición era, al mismo tiempo, herejía y
traición, haciendo imposible de este modo la idea de una “oposición
leal.” El Islam hace que la autoridad del estado sea absoluta.

Nietzsche y el Islam

En esta atmósfera cultural de testarudez, esclavitud, moralidad
externa y crueldad entró Frederich Nietzsche. Nietzsche creía que lo
que venía del poder era bueno y lo que venía de la debilidad era
malo. El conocimiento, decía, debía usarse como un instrumento de
poder. Nietzsche, al romper con la ética Cristiana tan completamente,
fue un apologista de la mentalidad radical Islámica (y de la
mentalidad humanista anárquica). Fue muy influyente en Turquía. Así,
los Musulmanes Turcos podían matar a un millón y medio de Armenios,
eliminándolos virtualmente de sus tierras natales ancestrales, y luego
no solamente culpar a los Armenios por la matanza, sino intentar
cobrar como benefactores de todas sus pólizas de seguros, dado que los
beneficiarios nombrados estaban todos muertos. Tales crueldades
absurdas, como los actuales intentos de justificar la guerra y el
terror, son el resultado de pensar basándose en la obstinación, la
arrogancia y el desprecio por la moralidad Cristiana a favor de la paz
artificial del Islam, una subyugación a un despotismo religioso
externo y político. El poder, en tal razonamiento, determina la verdad
y lo que es bueno.

Desdichadamente, la política del poder respeta, como Nietzsche, al
poder en sí mismo. La compasión hacia las personas oprimidas o
amenazadas se basa en el interés propio y el balance de poder. Turquía
es un buen ejemplo de esto. Durante la Primera Guerra Mundial los
poderes Estadounidenses y Europeos generalmente se rehusaron a ayudar
a los Armenios. El Departamento de Estado de los EUA miraba las buenas
relaciones con Turquía como algo de primordial importancia. Una
Turquía débil hubiese sido una oportunidad para que otras naciones
tomaran el poder, más notablemente Rusia. Una vez más, en la Segunda
Guerra Mundial y en la Guerra Fría, Turquía fue protegida de su
vulnerabilidad por Occidente por su utilidad para nuestros
intereses. El equilibrio en la política del poder depende de las
alianzas y coaliciones. La necesidad de una alianza y sus consecuentes
concesiones llevaron a Yalta y a la entrega de Europa del Este a la
Unión Soviética. Tampoco debiésemos olvidar la destrucción de las
cruces de las capillas durante el conflicto del Golfo Pérsico para no
ofender a nuestros aliados Musulmanes. Ahora, en un intento por
construir alianzas George W. Bus habla del Islam como una gran
religión, evitando de ese modo la raíz del problema en esta guerra y
en el Medio Oriente.

Hay un problema que debemos enfrentar que brota del Islam mismo; no
está limitado solamente a sus adeptos radicales.

El Islam es una religión externa que enseña la paz ya sea en sumisión
o subyugación al despotismo religioso y político. Su “paz” se halla en
la dominación.

Este es un ejemplo del deseo

de los hombres caídos de ser como dioses, determinando el bien y el
mal. El Islam no es sino una forma organizada del hombre jugando a ser
dios. Con toda seguridad que fracasará, pero tal arrogancia no puede
sobrevivir por mucho tiempo al juicio. Pero el Islam ha dado pié a
siglos de opresión, esclavitud, muerte y violencia. Las masacres
Armenias de 1915-1924 no hicieron despertar a Occidente a esta
realidad; es cuestionable si los ataques del 11 de septiembre en los
EUA vayan tampoco a lograrlo.

La esperanza para todas las gentes, incluyendo a aquellas del Medio
Oriente, es el Dios de la Escritura y Su Cristo. En lugar de la
dominación por medios militares, el Cristianismo busca el dominio de
la justicia. El buscar la justicia de Dios requiere una humildad
paciente para enseñar la fe y el arrepentimiento. Viene por la fuerza
y el poder de la Palabra de Dios y de Su Espíritu, no por el poder de
la espada.

La cosmovisión del Islam es poderosa porque sus adeptos son dedicados
y leales. Sin embargo, el éxito del Islam proviene de su falsa
simplicidad, que hace que la actual creencia fácil del Cristianismo
Estadounidense parezca una teología profunda. No hay nada más
peligroso que hombres violentos y testarudos que piensan que están
llamados a alguna misión divina.

Aunque el Islam avance por el poderío militar y nosotros, a veces,
seamos llamados a responder como ministros de justicia, no debemos
buscar como destruir su poder con lo mejor de las armas, sino con el
evangelio. Como la caída inesperada de la Unión Soviética, el poder
del Islam un día se derrumbará. La gente Musulmana está en necesidad
de una alternativa que solamente el evangelio puede proveer. Debemos
oponernos a la falsa paz del Islam con la verdad del reino de Dios y
Su Cristo.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
01/05/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://

Due to the holidays, our next issue will be published on Tuesday, January 11.
Our staff wishes everyone a jolly Christmas and a new year abundant with
happiness and tranquility.

1) Armenian American Campaign Contributions Hit All-time High
2) ARS Campaigns for Tsunami Victims
3) Western Prelacy Steps up Fundraising Drive for Tsunami Victims
4) Glendale, Pasadena, and Montebello ARS Continue Circle of Giving
5) For a Life-Centered Spirituality: A dialogue with the youth
6) TABDC?

1) Armenian American Campaign Contributions Hit All-time High

–ANCA study reveals well over $5 million in donations to federal candidates
and committees during 2004 elections

WASHINGTON, DC–Armenian American campaign contributions hit a record high
this election cycle, with more than $3.9 million in documented donations
and an
estimated $5 million in total campaign contributions to federal level
candidates and committees, according to a study released today by the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).
“These findings confirm what we see across the country every day: the steady
growth of Armenian American involvement in the American political process–as
campaign contributors, policy advocates, party activists, and informed
voters,”
said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Even more than in years past,
the
depth and scope of Armenian American campaign contributions this election
cycle
reflect our community’s broad reach across the political spectrum.”
Among the findings in the ANCA study of higher-level (over $200) campaign
donations by Armenian Americans with common Armenian surnames:

Federal candidates/committees: $3,942,106 (4754 donations)
Republican candidates/committees: $1,506,706 (1548 donations)

George W. Bush: $347,105 (350)
Republican National Committee: $429,746 (209)
Nat’l Republican Congressional Committee: $139,699 (277)
Nat’l Republican Senatorial Committee: $23,740 (26)
Democratic candidates/committees: $1,396,833 (1585 donations)

John Kerry: $336,578 (395)
John Edwards: $55,350 (59)
Howard Dean: $31,495 (71)
Wesley Clark: $17,500 (22)
Dick Gephardt: $15,500 (18)
Democratic Nat’l Committee: $121,718 (84)
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: $61,402 (14)
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee: $40,857 (25)

Among the Members of Congress who received the highest levels of campaign
contributions from Armenian Americans were Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Rep.
Frank
Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), Senate Majority Whip Mitch
McConnell (R-KY), “Schiff Amendment” author Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and
Genocide Resolution lead sponsor Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA).

Terms of the ANCA study:

The ANCA examined public records of contributions by donors with common
Armenian surnames in Federal Election Commission filings for the first seven
quarterly reporting periods of the 2004 election cycle.
Left out of the study, for technical reasons, were two important categories:
1) Armenian American donors who do not have common Armenian last names and 2)
Armenian American donors whose contributions to a particular federal candidate
or committee did not aggregate to $200 during the 2004 election cycle. This
latter category covers a large number of smaller-dollar donors, including many
who contributed via the internet. While it is not possible to compile totals
for these two categories, they can safely be estimated, based on past Armenian
American giving patterns and overall US political campaign demographics, at
over two million dollars. Contributions to state and local candidates or
committees were not covered by this survey.

2) ARS Campaigns for Tsunami Victims

GLENDALE–In response to the devastating Tsunami in Southeast Asia, the
Armenian Relief Society of Western USA (ARS-WR) has called on its communities
to donate generously to a special ARS Tsunami Fund.
“How can we as Armenians not remember the generosity of the world community
when the entire world opened their hearts and gave tremendous support
following
the 1988 Spitak earthquake that took the lives of thousands?” asked Angela
Savoian, Chair, ARS-WR Regional Executive. “In turn, we must do our part in
helping the victims of this overwhelming disaster that has left millions in
parts of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Maldives in
such dire straits.”
The Boston-based ARS Central Executive has already made a contribution to the
American Red Cross and has appealed to its entities in 24 countries to
mobilize
their membership and communities to also provide assistance.
ARS-WR chair Angela Savoian launched the start of the fundraising campaign
for
the tsunami victims, at the ARS-WR regional membership Christmas party on
January 4; following her announcement, members, who had gathered from chapters
across the Southland from San Diego to the San Fernando Valley, observed a
moment of silence for the 160,000 victims of the tragedy.
During a day-long fundraising campaign on January 15, volunteers will be
stationed at ARS-WR headquarters, located at 517 W. Glenoaks, Glendale, CA
91202-2812, to accept monetary donations for the ARS Tsunami Fund; local
dignitaries and the press are invited to visit the center at 3:00 p.m.
Donations may also be mailed directly to the ARS-WR, to the above address. All
donations are tax-deductible.

3) Western Prelacy Steps up Fundraising Drive for Tsunami Victims

Faithful urged to give generously during upcoming holiday services

LA CRESCENTA–The Armenian Prelacy’s fundraising efforts for the victims
devastated by last week’s Tsunami in Southeast Asia will continue throughout
all Prelacy parish churches in the Western United States. Prelate Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian launched the fundraising drive last week with a special
prayer during services, and collection drive, both last Sunday and on
Christmas
Eve.
The drive at churches will continue during Christmas Day services on January
6, through Sunday, January 9.

4) Glendale, Pasadena, and Montebello ARS Continue Circle of Giving

GLENDALE–Armenian Relief Society (ARS) members say the ARS takes with one
hand, but gives out with both. The ARS of Western US accomplished that this
holiday season as it received and generously donated gifts to the needy, once
again, bringing joy to children during the Christmas season.

“The Social Services offices and our entire membership and staff work
so hard to benefit and serve our people locally and abroad,” said Angela
Savoian, Chair of the ARS Regional Executive Board. She added, “We are humbled
by the generosity of our donors who allow us to fulfill our
commitments.”

During the week of December 20,
the
ARS Social Services Center in Montebello handed out baskets to needy clients
from surrounding communities. Then, on January 4, the ARS Social Services
Center in Glendale gave gifts to needy children from surrounding cities of
Glendale, Burbank, and Pasadena. In a festive atmosphere at the ARS Glendale
headquarters, nearly a hundred children sang and recited poetry for Santa, as
he handed gifts to them one by
one.

Among the donators were Vahan and Anoush
Chamlian Armenian School in Glendale; HyeRiders, a motorcycle club; Alpha
Epsilon Omega, an Armenian fraternity; the Arcadia Police Department; and the
Armenian Social Work Caucus of Cal State Los Angeles School of Social Work.
The
Commerce Casino, a giving and regular donor to ARS projects, donated one
thousand dollars to provide Christmas gifts to the needy. The gifts also
included sweaters donated through the efforts of Congressman Adam Schiff’s
(D-CA 29th District) district office.

Cong.
Schiff arranged for the donation of sweaters from Pasadena resident Sam C. Y.
Ip, President and CEO of TOP-In Fashion, to the ARS and eight other non-profit
organizations. On December 14, ARS Regional Executive member and Pasadena
resident, Maral Nashalian-Arsenian met Cong. Schiff and his staff at the
warehouse, where the donated clothing was being distributed to the agencies.
Nashalian remarked, “We wholeheartedly thank Congressman Schiff for his
continued support and for facilitating the donation of the very much needed
630
sweaters for distribution to needy families here and
abroad.”

Pasadena was once again the place
to be
for a toy ride and coin drive for the ARS organized by the HyeRiders. The
donors were motorcycle riders, Armenian and non-Armenian, who came to the
Pasadena Armenian Center on December 18, with toys and donations in hand. ARS
Executive Accountant-Controller, Jassik Jarahian, provided support to AREV, a
young women’s group who organized the coin drive, while ARS Regional
Executives
were on hand to provide information about on-going ARS programs within the
Western Region and in
Armenia.

The Alpha Epsilon Omega, a fraternity
whose top priority is academic achievement, delivered gifts to the ARS
headquarters in Glendale during the last week of December for distribution
here
and
abroad.

The ARS helps the needy year round.
When
ARS members arrive in a remote village in Armenia or Artsakh bearing gifts, an
ordinary summer day turns into a holiday for the villagers, especially for the
children. The ARS Regional Executive expresses sincere gratitude to all who
have provided financial and moral support throughout the year for any one of
the ARS projects or funds. The circle of giving continues “from your heart, to
our heart, to the hearts of those we serve.”

5) For a Life-Centered Spirituality: A dialogue with the youth

We lived the last days of 2004 confronting an unprecedented disaster caused by
nature. This tragedy comes to add to the burden human beings and,
particularly,
youth are facing as a result of man-made tragedies, like wars, violence,
poverty, unemployment, and a sense of meaninglessness and uncertainty. These
are times when people question, pray, and yearn for spirituality.
Indeed, spirituality is a frequently and widely used word today, a word
employed in different contexts and with different connotations. In Christian
life, spirituality means being with God.
Being with God? Is this not the very meaning and purpose of Christian
life? Is
this not the way a Christian should live his or her life? God became man in
Jesus of Nazareth in order to be with us. The evangelist describes Jesus
Christ
as Emmanuel, which means God with us. In fact, in Christ, God became a man
with
us, like us, and for us in order to restore His fallen image in human beings.
Through the incarnation, by becoming man, God recovered the authentic humanity
in the human beings. In Christ, God became the true life of the world.
Christian spirituality invites us to acknowledge Christ in word and deed as
the
center of our life. Christian spirituality challenges us to follow Jesus
Christ
as the only way of our life.
Christian spirituality is life-centered. It is rooted in Christ. The
Christ-event is the recreation of life. Hence, whoever is in Christ, he or she
is endowed with a new quality of life, with the “abundant life,” the “eternal
life” (John 1: 16).
What are the significant features of a life-centered spirituality?
1. It values life as God’s gift. The existence of life on this planet is
not a
sheer accident. For centuries, the human mind has failed to understand the
origin of life. The Bible clearly affirms that God is the creator of life in
all its forms and expressions.
2. It perceives life as God centered. Being the gift of God, life must be
lived as a God-centered reality. A human-centered life is the rejection of
God;
and a life without God is a source of evil.
3. It considers the values and principles revealed through Christ as the
purpose of human life. The human being is called to live his life for the
promotion of love, justice, peace, unity, reconciliation, and other values of
the Kingdom of God.
4. It upholds life as a sacred reality. The sacredness of life pertains to
its
very nature since life comes from God and is owned by God. Therefore, any
attempt aimed at corrupting the sacredness of life and undermining its
integrity and dignity is a sin against God. As Christians, life-centered
spirituality must guide our life in a world full of life-destroying forces. In
this context I want to draw your attention to the following:
a) Globalization, in all its aspects, manifestations, and implications has
become integral to our daily life. Our individual and community life are
strongly impacted by the values and forces of globalization. This means
that we
must discern those values that enhance life, and challenge those forces of
globalization that destroy identity, morality, and community.
b) Violence, in different forms and ways, has become omnipresent in our
societies. It touches all aspects and areas of our life. Violence is the
negation of God’s gift of life. The Christian way is active nonviolence.
Life-centered spirituality rejects any way of life or form of action that
generates violence.
c) Pluralism has become an important feature of modern societies. People of
different religions, races, and cultures are living together. I consider this
living together both as a gift of God and a task. In this small globe we are
bound to live together, and therefore, must learn to respect our differences
and accept and trust each other. We must live as one community, preserving at
the same time our own religious, cultural, and human values and traditions.
Life-centered spirituality challenges the Christian to turn to God whoever,
whatever, or wherever he or she is. The world in which we live is full of life
destroying forces. Some of these forces are due to ecological disorder, and
others to moral and spiritual disorder, namely to human sin.
Millions of people lose their life each year because of AIDS pandemic;
millions of children die because of poverty; millions of people are killed
each
year due to natural disasters. We are all shocked watching on our TV screens
the horrible images of people, men and women, children and elderly, dying in
Africa because of genocide, AIDS and mal-nutrition; or in Sri Lanka, India,
Indonesia and Bangkok because of the Tsunami disaster.
The human beings, who are endowed by God’s gift of life, are destroying
everyday and everywhere, the life itself in its human and ecological
manifestations. Life, as a supreme gift of God, must be respected, preserved,
and enhanced. This is basic in our Christian faith.
It is my expectation that our youth will sustain and enrich their lives by
the
spirituality that is rooted in the Bible, and experienced and witnessed for
centuries by the church. The world of today offers many kinds of
“spiritualities” with attractive names. Our youth are called to neglect the
kind of false “spiritualities” that cause moral decay, endanger identity, and
destroy community. Our youth must reject the kinds of “spiritualities” that
abuse religious principles and promote violence and death.
The Armenian Church, with its rich spiritual heritage and moral teachings,
can
offer a life-centered spirituality to our youth as they prepare themselves to
become the future leaders of our church and people.
On the eve of the New Year and Christmas, I wanted to share these few
reflections with our youth. This is not a formal message but the beginning
of a
frank dialogue with our youth because it is of crucial importance for the
future of our church and nation. Therefore, I would like to continue this
dialogue by addressing, from time to time, issues, challenges and concerns
pertaining to the present day societies in general, and the Armenian Church
and
community, in particular.
Prayerfully,

Aram I
Catholicos of Cilicia

6) TABDC?

By Garen Yegparian

You’re wondering, “What’s tabdik?” Well, I refuse to get vulgar, but it would
have been appropriate, ’cause it’s an outfit that could be described as
TARC-lite.
The Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council’s says it was organized in
1997 and posts protocols signed by both parties. It has addresses/contact
information in the EU and the US, (recently incorporated as Turkish-Armenian
Business Council) in addition to Armenia and Turkey.
Reading the documents posted on their website, it becomes clear that those
involved are of the type who can’t see beyond their commercial noses.
Everything is about trade. They are our own microcosm of the pell-mell
globalizers wreaking havoc with people’s lives world-wide. The whole thing
reeks of the “world is our commercial toy” mentality emanating from DC. One of
their big concerns is opening the Armenia-Turkey border, one of those
seems-like-a-great-idea-until-you-think proposals. This would decimate what
little productive capacity Armenia has been able to develop under a flood of
inexpensive Turkish goods. But hey, it’s commerce, therefore it must be good!
They even claim to advocate passage of the Baku-Jeyhan pipeline through
Armenia.
TABDC’s activity report reads like a stereotypical money-grubbing,
to-hell-with-the-consequences merchant’s wet dream. So? Why is this such a big
deal? How this any different from our Armenian importers and grocers
supporting
the Turkish economy?
Cultural exchanges seem to dominate the visual portions of this outfit’s
website. Sure, you might think, if we appreciate one another on that level,
other aspects of Armeno-Turkish relations will be easier. Their photo gallery
posts shots, in the following order, of founders themselves, a Richard
Hagopian
and Lalezar concert (reported in Armenian papers at the time), the Ankara
String Quartet in Yerevan, the Komitas Quartet in Ankara, the Regional
Economic
Working Group, and TABDC-EU. Note this last one.
The Diaspora is also mentioned as a participant. But TABDC’s presence in the
EU and US under that guise is very telling. Couple that with the remark
“politics is stifling…possibilities.” Then add the fact of the website’s being
marked all over with “Copyright 2003.” Finally, the New Year’s congratulatory
e-mail sent to “TABDC Mail Group Members,” a list that somehow included the
Burbank ANC, is what triggered this article.
Why, after being in existence for six-seven years, does this website get
created? Why the e-mail? Why the sudden burst of activity? Could something be
going on? If I were a suspicious type, I might think it was because of
Turkey’s
activity on the European stage and the progress it’s making there. Clearly
they
want to subdue, subsume, any discussion of the Genocide. What better way than
to claim to promote trade and amity between two “historic enemies?” Show
pictures of a bunch of smiling Turks and Turmens (you know, those folk who
carry an “ian” on their surname but are frequently indistinguishable from the
highest functionaries of the Turkish government).
Still don’t buy it? TABDC supports “the efforts of TARC.” How about Edward
Boghosian’s presence on this website? This unsavory editor’s (The Armenian
Reporter) interview with Abdullah Gul (Turkey’s Foreign Minister) is one of
the
items listed in TABDC’s list of relevant news items. In that interview, he
describes how he got the interviewthrough the good offices of his “friend,” NY
dwelling Kaan Soyak, who, now hold your breath, is the Turkish half of the
TABDC’s founding duo. The other is one Arsen Ghazarian.
Intriguing? Suspicious? I think so. Let’s add this to the slime list of US
Department of State instigated outfits.

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri daily says UN biased in Armenian property rights reporting

Azadliq, Baku
08 Jan 05

An Azerbaijani independent daily has said that a report recently
produced by an UN body on the violation of property rights of
Armenians and other ethnic minorities in Azerbaijan is aimed at the
country’s oil income. Commenting on the ECOSOC report that Azerbaijan
should pay Armenians an indemnity, Azadliq said that the report was
“one-sided” as it said nothing about the property rights of
Azerbaijanis who had been forced to leave Armenia. The following is
the text of the information and resource centre on Azerbaijan’s oil
industry report by Azerbaijani newspaper Azadliq on 08 January
headlined “An indemnity for Armenians from the oil fund means?..”,
subheaded “The UN expert body refers to the lack of an independent
judicial system in Azerbaijan and the high level of corruption”;
subheadings have been inserted editorially:

Some time ago the UN released a report expressing its concern over
certain property in Azerbaijan claimed to belong to Armenians. It
would be naive to think that this was just talk since the report had
been drawn up by an influential enough organization. The report which
was released on behalf of the Committee on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) called
on the Azerbaijani authorities to respect the Armenian property
rights.

Azerbaijan asked to pay indemnity

The most dangerous point in the report for our country was a
recommendation that it pay indemnity to the Armenians who had left
Azerbaijan. The aforementioned committee expressed concern about the
illegal seizure of property which once belonged to the Armenians and
other ethnic minorities in Azerbaijan by refugees and displaced
persons. The document said the Azerbaijani authorities should pay
indemnity to the Armenians and other ethnic minorities whose
apartments had been illegally seized by the Azerbaijani refugees or
provide alternative accommodation for them. Undoubtedly, this document
should not be dismissed as unimportant and the wait-and-see position
of the Azerbaijani leadership might finally lead to a similar demand
to indemnify the Armenians. If Azerbaijan have not had any financial
sources, then perhaps there would have been no grounds for such a
concern. Those “who are taking care” of the Armenians have
opportunities to influence Azerbaijan to commit itself to paying
indemnity to the Armenians and fulfil it. We are talking about the
funds of the State Oil Fund of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOFAR), a
major portion of which is in foreign banks. Most probably, “the lovers
of Armenia” who succeeded in achieving the adoption of such a document
by the UN General Assembly had Azerbaijan’s oil income precisely in
mind. In all probability, the ECOSOC will already mention in its
future reports the SOFAR means as a source of indemnity if the
Azerbaijani authorities fail to undermine the Armenian effort in this
sphere. Because Azerbaijan has no other sources of paying for such
indemnities. A country as poor as Azerbaijan naturally cannot use its
state budget to pay indemnity. At the same time, neither the ECOSOC
nor the international financial institutions will agree with this. As
noted, Azerbaijan’s oil income has been targeted.

UN stance on property rights of Armenians “one-sided”

Another interesting point is that an influential UN expert body such
as ECOSOC has raised the issue in a rather one-sided manner. For
reasons unknown, the report expresses concern about the property of
the Armenians who left Azerbaijan, but not that of the Azerbaijanis
who left Armenia. Meanwhile, would not that be logical to address a
similar recommendation to the Armenian government in connection with
the Azerbaijani property. You may think that the preparation of such a
report was possible thanks to Armenia’s special efforts and therefore,
the rights of Azerbaijanis have not been taken into account. However,
interestingly enough the foreign media writes that the UN experts put
more effort into the drawing up and adoption of the report than
Armenia itself. This we can explain by two reasons: first, unlike
Armenia, Azerbaijan has financial sources – the oil fund – to pay
indemnity and second, the foreigners think that corruption in the
country will sooner or later swallow the oil funds and think it is
acceptable to use the funds more “effectively”, that is to pay
indemnity. The second aspect can be seen more clearly in the report.

Azerbaijan urged to create independent judicial system and step up
anticorruption fight

The ECOSOC document reads that Azerbaijan has no independent judicial
system and corruption is continuing to expand. The committee thinks
that an independent judicial system is necessary to protect the human
rights, including the economic, social and cultural rights. The ECOSOC
also called on the Azerbaijani authorities to take steps to ensure the
judicial system works independently. The ECOSOC which is concerned
about the level of corruption in Azerbaijan also calls on the
country’s leadership to step up its anti-corruption drive. Evidently,
the recommendation to pay Armenians an indemnity and the demand to
step up the fight against corruption are being voiced
simultaneously. This means that the aforementioned UN committee might
make some new indemnity demands if the Azerbaijani authorities fail to
ensure the independent work of the judicial system and start to fight
against corruption in earnest.

It seems that the Azerbaijani people are not seriously concerned about
the issue of indemnity. The fact that the country’s population do not
pin hopes on the oil income gives us grounds to think so. If it goes
this way, the number of those who strongly desire a piece of SOFAR’s
funds will increase. It is an old habit of ours to look for answers
after the incident.

Expert rules out “velvet revolution” in Azerbaijan

MPA news agency, Baku
10 Jan 05

BAKU

“Even if there is an increased level of political activity in
Azerbaijan in the run-up to the parliamentary elections, I do not
believe that these processes will take a revolutionary nature and lead
to a change of power,” the director of the Institute for Political
Innovations and Technologies, Mubariz Ahmadoglu, said, while
commenting on the possible “import” of the “velvet revolutions” into
Azerbaijan from Georgia and Ukraine.

All the post-Soviet countries have passed the period of velvet
revolutions in this or other way, he said. It occurred in Azerbaijan
on 15-16 October 2003 [post-election riots in Baku]. Only after that,
did a similar situation unfold in Georgia and Ukraine. The difference
is that the opposition in Azerbaijan proved to be weak and incapable
despite financial support from outside.

Taking into consideration the failure of the revolutionary idea in
Azerbaijan, the political analyst does not see any revolutionary
prospects for Azerbaijan, especially before the parliamentary
elections.

Touching upon the prospects, Ahmadoglu said that a “velvet” coup is
expected in Armenia soon, where the process of preparing and
structuring a revolutionary situation has started. Ex-President Levon
Ter-Petrosyan and the former foreign minister, now US citizen Raf
Ovanesyan, have set up a single bloc. Four leading parties of the
Justice bloc are also expected to join this bloc. Since Armenia is
considered to be a “mini-Russia” of the CIS, these principles may be
applied in Russia in the future if the velvet revolution is successful
in Yerevan. Russia is the ultimate goal of the velvet revolutions in
the post-Soviet area, which will then, under the US plan, move to the
Middle East, the expert said.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT FORMS INTER-DEPARTMENT TASK FORCE TO MAKE
PREPARATIONS CONSTRUCTION OF ARMEnIAN-IRANIAN WATEr POWER PLANT

YEREVAN, JANUARY 10. ARMINFO. The Armenian Government is forming an
interdepartment task force to coordinate the efforts to design and
construct jointly with Iran a water power plant on the
Armenian-Iranian section of River Arax.

The governmental press service reports that the Government gives high
importance to the project and approves of the results of the Armenian
and Iranian energy ministries’ joint work to draft it. The task force
is to quarterly report on its work.

The project is estimated at $140 mln to be provided by Iran while
Armenia is to repay in electricity supplies. The plant’s estimated
capacity is 140 MW with yield of 841 mln KW/h a year.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

10.0% GDP GROWTH REGISTERED IN ARMENIA IN JAN-NOV, 2004

YEREVAN, JANUARY 10. ARMINFO. 10.0% GDP growth in Armenia was
registered in Jan-Nov, 2004. ARMINFO was informed in the press service
of the National Statistical Service of Armenia, according to
preliminary data, in Nov as against Oct the economic drop made up
22.1%. By the end of Nov 2004 the GDP totaled 1,672.1 bln drams or
($3,1 bln).

In Jan-Nov of 2004 the GDP growth was accounted for by 16.2% increase
in the construction volumes ($426.5 mln or 229.3 bln drams), 16.0%
increase of the income of the population ($2.074 bln or 1,115.3 bln
drams), 14.3% growth of the volume of agricultural produce ($767.1 mln
or 412.5 bln drams), industrial produce – 1.4% ($881.4 mln or 473.9
bln drams), energy generation – by 9.1% ($5,371.0 mln kw/h), 4.5%
growth of foreign trade turnover ($1.3 bln or 1,001.5 bln drams),
retail trade turnover by 9.2% ($1.3 bln or 699.9 bln drams), cargo
traffic by 16.4% (1,796.8 mln tons/km) and average wages by 28.0% ($76
or 40,961 drams). The expenses of the population in Jan-Nov increased
by 15.5% totalling $2.083 bln or 1,120.2 bln drams.

According to the statistical service, in Nov as against Oct 2004 the
GDP fall made up 22.1%, which was accounted for by 41.5% reduction of
the gross agricultural produce and 11.8% reduction of the services
provided to the population. At the same time, in Nov 2004 as against
Oct the volume of foreign trade turnover increased by 6.3%, energy
generation – by 23.9%, industrial produce – by 1.1%, cargo turnover –
by 9.5%, construction – by 9.1%, incomes and expenses of the
population by 3.3% and 4.5% respectively, retail turnover – by 2.5%
and average monthly wages – by 0.5%.

In the structure of the foreign trade turnover the exports increased
by 3.2%, and in Nov as against Oct 2004 it decreased by 9.4%m
totalling $645.9 mln. The imports increased by 5.3% in Jan-Nov 2004
as against the same period of 2003, and in Nov as against Oct it
increased by 16.2%, totalling $1,219.3 mln. It should be noted in
Jan-Nov, 2004 the AMD/USD exchange rate was in average 537.74 drams
against one U.S. dollar, and in Nov – 502.71 dram against one USD.

AFSHAR SULEYMANI: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IRAN AND ARMENIA ARE NOT AIMED
AT DAMAGE TO AZERBAIJAN

YEREVAN, JANUARY 10. ARMINFO. The relations between Iran and Armenia
are existing, however, they are not directed to the detriment to
Azerbaijan, says Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran to Azerbaijan
Afshar Suleymani in the interview with Day.Az.

According to him, the level of present relations between Iran and
Armenia is often exaggerated. The ambassador noted that there is an
agreement between Iran and Armenia concerning laying of gas-pipeline,
which will last till 2007, and some changes could be taken place
during this time, particularly, the conflicts between Azerbaijan and
Armenia could be settled. At the same time, he emphasized that even in
the case of implementation of the gas-pipeline project, Iran will not
use this argument against Azerbaijan. “These relations would be in the
interests of Azerbaijan as Iran, having relations with Armenia, may
support the settlement of the conflict”, – said the ambassador. -R-