Armenian peacekeeping not to affect Baghdad’s position on Karabakh – envoy
Trend news agency
3 Jan 05
Baku, 3 January: Trend correspondent A. Raufoglu: “The participation
of Armenian peacekeepers will not affect official Baghdad’s position
on the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict,” the Iraqi ambassador to
Azerbaijan, Umar Ismai’l, told Trend news agency while commenting on
the Armenian parliament’s decision to send a military contingent to
Iraq.
“Many peacekeepers can come to our country, but this will not affect
our general policy,” the ambassador said.
To recap, the Armenian parliament recently adopted a decision to send
50 peacekeepers to Iraq. “This decision was adopted after military
operations and Armenia wishes to participate only in the current
process of restoring peace. There is a sura in the Koran saying that
‘those who declared jihad during the conquest of Mecca are above those
who took this step afterwards’. I do not believe that those who joined
the struggle for the salvation of Iraq and those who did so afterwards
will be perceived equally. In any case, those who arrived first are
more important for us,” the ambassador said.
The diplomat pointed out that Iraq has always supported Baku’s
position on the Nagornyy Karabakh settlement. Official Baghdad is in
favour of solving this issue only within the framework of Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity, the ambassador said.
“During the latest UN discussions, we voted for the draft resolution
prepared by the Azerbaijani side,” the ambassador recalled. “At the
same time, we also announced that the Armenian forces must pull out of
Karabakh and adjacent districts. This policy will be continued in the
future as well,” he said.
It must be remembered that there is still no Iraqi embassy in
Yerevan. “This is a very important aspect and Azerbaijan should take
it into consideration. Sincere tendencies and our friends’ interests
are an important factor in our foreign policy,” Umar Ismai’l said.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V. Rev. Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Television broadcast of Christmas Mass via satellite from Antelias – January
6th, 2005
Antelias, Lebanon – The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International
(LBCI) will broadcast via satellite the Christmas Mass presided over by His
Holiness Aram I, from St. Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias,
on.-
– Thursday 6 January 2005, beginning from 10:00 am (local time).
– United States of America Thursday 6 January 2005, beginning from 6:00 or
7:00 pm.
– Australia Thursday 6 January 2005, beginning from 9:00 pm.
– Europe Thursday 6 January 2005, beginning from 9:00 am (live broadcast).
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 4 2005
President Meets Security Council Members
Talks on settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno
Karabakh are going in the direction suitable for Baku, President
Ilham Aliyev said in a meeting with the Security Council members on
Monday.
Azerbaijan’s political, economic and social achievements and work to
be done in 2005 were among the issues discussed.
Aliyev spoke of the steps taken towards the socio-economic
development of regions. He also expressed his confidence that the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and other major economic projects will be
implemented successfully this year.

Sydney Morning Herald , Australia
Jan 4 2005
Rising son aims to go one better
By Sunanda Creagh

Like most athletes, David Sarkisian’s dream is to step up to the
Olympic podium and accept a gold medal. But the 18 year-old says he’d
hand it straight over to his coach – his Olympic weightlifter father,
Yurik Sarkisian.
“I want to achieve it for him, that’s my goal,” says David, one of
Australia’s medal hopefuls in the Australian Youth Olympics Festival,
starting in Sydney on January 19. “I want to have that medal so I can
present it to him.”
David admits that being coached by his father is hard – partying is
all but banned, training is twice a day without fail, and Sarkisian
senior doesn’t settle for second best. Coupled with his father’s
tough training ethic is the knowledge that David has big shoes to
fill.
Yurik Sarkisian’s formidable record includes a junior world champion
title at 18 and representing the USSR, Armenia and Australia at
championship levels. Now aged 44, he still competes, beating athletes
half his age to take three gold medals at the 2002 Commonwealth
Games. He has collected five gold medals at senior world
championships and silver at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
Advertisement
AdvertisementThe only thing missing from Yurik’s mantelpiece is
Olympic gold – something David never forgets.
“He didn’t get a gold medal in the Olympics and that’s because he
slacked off a little bit,” David says.
“My dad’s coach told me he had a lot of chances to get gold medals,
he should have had at least two Olympic gold,” says David. “That’s
why he is so strict on me, because he slacked off and he wants to me
to achieve what he didn’t achieve.”
It sounds like unreasonable pressure, but David says he loves the
sport as much as his father does. After moving to Australia from
Armenia at age seven, David was competing in weightlifting
championships three years later.
At the Commonwealth Youth Games last year, David snatched 117.5
kilograms and lifted 142.5kg in the clean-and-jerk, earning gold in
the men’s 69kg class. After recovering from a knee injury, David is
now eyeing gold at the Youth Olympics and, in a few years, Beijing.
Meanwhile, Yurik is in training for this year’s world championships
and nurses a dream to compete against his son in the same division at
the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
The Youth Olympics Festival runs from January 19 to 23 at Olympic
Park and in venues throughout Sydney. About 1400 athletes from more
than 20 countries will compete in 14 sports. Entry is free.

IT IS SUGGESTED THAT 1600TH ANNIVERSARY OF CREATION OF ARMENIAN
ALPHABET TO BE INCLUDED INTO JUBILEE ARRANGEMENTS OF UNESCO
YEREVAN, December 30 (Noyan Tapan). The program on jubilee
arrangements was discussed at the sitting of the Jubilee Commission on
the 1600th anniversary of the creation of the Armenian
alphabet. According to the RA government’s press service, the proposal
on the inclusion of the 1600th anniversary of the creation of the
Armenian alphabet into the list of the jubilee arrangements of UNESCO
was among over 20 arrangements. A great theatrical performance,
pilgrimages and excursions to Oshakan, to the Mausoleum of Arshakuni
kings, as well as to other sights will be organized in the jubilee
year. The international conference on Armenian Studies dedicated to
the creation of the Armenian alphabet, the scientific-creative
conference, the electronic conference entitled “Information
Technologies and Armenian Letters” will be held during the year. The
jubilee arrangements will complete with a solemn soiree at the
National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet after
Al. Spendiarian. The RA Prime Minister instructed to sum up the
results of the discussion till January 15, 2005 and submit the entire
variant of the program to the commission for approval during the next
sitting, taking into account all the proposals.

Greek shares reverse losses at midsession on selective blue chip buying
AFX Europe (Focus)
Jan 04, 2005

ATHENS (AFX) – Shares recovered from early losses to head higher
midsession on selective blue chip buying as energy monopoly PPC
outperformed, gaining nearly 3 pct, brokers said.
PPC rose 2.87 pct to 21.48 eur, playing catch up with recent gains in
blue chip peers.
The Athens bourse benchmark general edged up 0.18 pct to 2,829.73
points after testing earlier the 2,800 point resistance level.
Europeýs largest betting company OPAP was off 0.39 pct at 20.50
eur. Daily To Vima reported that the governmentn may proceed with a
share placement in OPAP within January cutting the stateýs current 51
pct stake in the company.
Blue chips were 0.11pct. firmer.
Emporiki Bank, 11 pct owned by Franceýs Credit Agricole, gained 0.85
pct to 23.78 eur. Yesterday, a senior Emporiki Bank source said that
the bank intends to sell its subsidiaries in Armenia and Georgia as
part of the groupýs restructuring process.
Brokers described the move as positive, saying that returns from both
markets for Emporiki were marginal.
Bellwether National Bank was unchanged at 24.96 eur.
Index heavyweight OTE Telecom, Greeceýs largest phone company, lost
2.20 pct at 13.34 eur. Subsidiary Cosmote eased 0.13 pct at 14.94 eur.
Small caps were down 0.04 pct and mid caps advanced 0.90 pct.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Turks.US
Jan 4 2005
Be ready for the Armenian tsunami

By Mehmet Ali Birand
I am writing this article for those who have no idea what we will
face during the year. It aims to prepare for the things to come.
A huge tsunami is approaching our shores.
I can almost hear it. The sky is getting darker and the water on the
shore is retreating.
The tsunami I am talking about comes as a result of the earthquake
among the Armenian Diaspora and will soon be upon us. If the
necessary precautions are not taken in a timely manner, we might face
a huge calamity. We might never recover.
The reason why this tsunami formed is that on April 24, 2005 is the
90th anniversary of the symbolic date of the Armenian genocide
allegations.
Armenians want to utilize this chance fully.
For years, due to Turkish indifference, they succeeded in making the
world accept the genocide allegations as a fact. No matter how much
we deny them, Armenian efforts have persuaded the international
public. If you go anywhere, especially in the western world, you will
see 90 percent of the people you talk to believe Armenians had been
the victims of genocide at the hands of Turks.
That is why Armenians do not want to waste this opportunity. They
want a final assault and finish the matter.
(HH) What is the `final assault?’
It is to get their genocide allegations accepted by a broader
community and persuade those countries, whose parliaments have yet to
ratify the claims.
They want to up the tempo on the eve of the centennial, which will
come at a time when Turkey will be approaching full European Union
membership, as part of their `Forcing Turkey to accept the genocide’
campaign.
I do not know how many officials know about this matter. What is
certain is that Turkey, through its indifference, will eventually
have to face the sad truth.
[HH] What is the nature of the tsunami?
The Armenian Diaspora is preparing a huge campaign for the 90th
anniversary of the 1915 incidents. There will be conferences,
meetings, colloquiums and many other activities planned for the
anniversary. Most importantly, they will concentrate on countries
whose parliaments have yet to officially accept that the genocide had
taken place and will be asked to ratify it on the 90th anniversary.
The ongoing battle in the U.S. Congress will be revived. They believe
if the Congress ratifies it, Turkey’s hands will be tied. The same
pressure will be applied to EU member countries and national
parliaments will be asked to demand from the EU Council to make
genocide recognition as a precondition.
They will also try to make the U.N. Security Council pass a similar
decision.
[HH] What can we do?
The only way we can save ourselves from being the victim of this
attack after years of ignoring the threat is for Turkey to reassess
its official policies and take the initiative.
Saying, `We never committed genocide’ is no longer enough. We will be
forced to pay the price of inactivity. We need to do something.
One is to call for the establishment of a U.N. Genocide Allegations
Investigation Commission just like YalÅm Eralp and others
suggest. Turkey is in the right. No one can talk of genocide.
However, it has failed miserably to put its view across. The only way
out is for the matter to be investigated by internationally
acknowledged academics and researchers. This is the only way to find
the truth.
If these studies are initiated, we will gain time. In addition, while
this process continues, Turkey can broaden its economic relations
with Armenia and open the border gate. Such initiatives, with the
international community, in mind, can be taken.
Our biggest mistake would be to do nothing and continue to talk to
ourselves.

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
Jan 4 2005
Robert Kocharyan: ‘Independence of Karabakh Can Not be the Matter of
Trade’

APA 04/01/2005 10:22
Robert Kocharyan – president of Armenia in his congratulation on New
Year addressed the nation touching the problem of Karabakh.
R.Kocharyan stating previous 2004 to be stable, lucky, peaceful for
the nation, he declared that some successes had been achieved within
the last year in external policy.
He especially stressed the joint of Armenia to `New Neighbors’
initiative of European Union. The president of Armenia addressing his
congratulations to Armenians living in the territories of Azerbaijan,
he also called the final of the construction of Karabakh part of the
North-South roadway by the financial support of Armenians gathered in
`Armenia’ All-Armenian Fund, an important factor: ‘This is the step
strengthening factual independence of Karabakh. This independence in
external policy can not be the matter of trade’.

New York Times
Jan 4 2005
After Food and Shelter, Help in Coping With Unbearable Loss
By BENEDICT CAREY
Providing psychological services for millions who have lost family
members, homes and communities in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and other
countries will become critical in the coming weeks, officials from
the World Health Organization, Unicef, and other relief agencies say.
The scope of the emotional fallout will be impossible to predict. The
first priority, the officials said, is to deliver food, shelter and
drinking water. But the United Nations has already set up a network
for counseling in Sri Lanka and, on Friday, sent mental health
workers to the Maldives.
Any natural disaster takes a steep emotional toll, the experts said,
but this one is distinguished by its sheer size and scale. Studies of
earthquakes, fires, hurricanes and other disasters that have
devastated communities find that a majority of survivors eventually
learn to live with awful memories and to work through their grief.
But a significant number suffer either chronic mental distress or a
more immediate emotional numbness that can isolate them from others.
“At this point we have to be very careful not to label as a mental
health problem this natural psychological response to being displaced
in a split second, to seeing that everything you had now no longer
exists,” said Dr. Rachel Yehuda, director of the traumatic stress
program at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Bronx Veterans
Affairs Hospital. Those who are deeply scarred emotionally will need
long-term care, she said, not a few hours or days of emergency care
by grief counselors or other mental health workers.
After suffering a violent injury, or witnessing a catastrophe, some 5
percent to 10 percent of people suffer from lingering nightmares,
moodiness, nervous exhaustion and other symptoms of post-traumatic
stress syndrome, researchers say. These symptoms are considered
worrisome if they become chronic; they can appear months or even
years after the crisis.
Yet the rates of severe traumatic reactions can be much higher among
people sitting directly in the impact zone of a seemingly apocalyptic
event. After a 1988 earthquake that leveled the Armenian town of
Spitak, killing half its schoolchildren, researchers from the
University of California, Los Angeles, found that more than half the
town’s children suffered from post-traumatic stress and depression.
The rate was less than half that in Gumri, some 30 miles away, and
was negligible in Yerevan, the capital, 50 miles away.
“It’s very clear, the more extreme the experience, the higher the
risk of severe psychological reactions,” said Dr. Alan Steinberg, one
of the study’s authors. “Those people who were on the beach in this
case, or close, are going to be at highest risk” of chronic emotional
distress.
Even in areas farther inland, psychiatrists say, the grieving among
people who have lost homes and family members may be complicated by
the trauma and violence. When the final memory of a lost loved one is
violent, or suffused with guilt or helpless rage, experts say, it
interferes with the natural ability to mourn loss, leaving people
numb, at risk for serious depression, and cut off from others around
them.
“If there’s a signature image of this catastrophe, it’s the loss of
children, the parents right there struggling for their own lives but
unable to protect or save their children,” said Dr. Robert Pynoos,
co-director of the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, and a
professor of psychiatry at the University of California’s
Neuropsychiatric Institute in Los Angeles.
The risk that this prolonged grief can cause depression is greater
still, experts say, when the death of a loved one is not confirmed,
or the body is swept into a mass grave without being identified – as
has occurred in some areas hit by the tsunami.
In such circumstances, when the normal cultural rituals surrounding
death are disrupted, wild rumors often circulate, experts say. In
1985, volcanic ash and rubble killed some 80 percent of the
inhabitants of the Armero, Colombia, sweeping away the bodies. For
months afterward, there were stories and “sightings” of some of the
dead wandering in far-off places. Only after the corpses were found
two years later and proper ceremonies were conducted, did the
survivors accept their loss, according to a World Health Organization
report.
In 2001, a fire in Lima, Peru, killed some 270 people, charring many
bodies beyond recognition and depriving families of identifiable
remains to bury and mourn. In the resulting confusion, rumors
circulated that relief workers were stealing cadavers for medical
experimentation, or selling harvested body parts, the W.H.O. report
said.
In the weeks and months to come, experts say, relief workers can help
dispel such rumors, as well as identify survivors who are at risk of
prolonged depression or traumatic stress. The health organization has
issued guidelines for relief workers on how to deal with traumatized
victims, and a group affiliated with the University of Oslo is
planning a program to provide information on counseling to teachers
and others in the areas hardest hit by the disaster.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Jan 4 2005
EU Summit of December 17: A Victory or A Defeat for Turkey?
View: Dr. Sedat Laciner
After the Brussels Summit on 17 December 17 2004, The Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan and his companions were welcomed as the `conquerors’.
The welcome which was started at the airport continued with a `feast’
in the Ankara Kýzýlay Square. Although the Prime Minister Erdogan
said `We are not spoiled and will never lose our self-control’, the
tv-radio news and newspaper headlines were full of `how we pull up
stakes with Europe and European leaders, ` and `how we oppressed the
Greeks and get what we want’. However, the obstinate opponents of
Europe claimed that in December 17 Turkey sacrificed Cyprus in return
of the accession date. According to these people Turkey has gained
nothing even before the summit. If such is the case which one is the
real fact? December 17 is the date of `Turkish Entrance into Europe’
or is the date of gaining nothing by adding more concessions’ to the
existing ones.
***
First of all, when we look at the remarks before the Summit we see
that Turkey went to the EU Summit with `four red lines’:
1. An exact date should be given for the negotiations and this date
should not be open-ended.
2. Before the start of the negotiations Turkey can not take any more
steps in Cyprus Issue.
3. The aim of the negotiations should be full membership. The
alternatives which will distort the full membership, such as,
`privileged partnership’ or `B Plan’ can never be accepted.
4. Permanent derogations (limitations) can never be accepted by
Turkey.
***
At the end of the Summit each of these lines were exceeded. If we
handle them one by one, the first months of 2005 do not come true,
instead the EU, with a French insistence, determined October 3, 2004
as the starting date.
In addition, the exact date of the end of negotiations has not been
defined, it has been especially stated that the negotiations will be
open-ended. In other words, the negotiations between Turkey and the
EU might be continued forevermore. For this reason, December 17 has
not given guarantee for Turkey’ full membership. Until now, Turkey
has been waiting for 41 years, and according to the draft Turkey can
wait 41 more years without any progress.
Secondly, Turkey was the one who promise not to take a step in Cyprus
before the negotiations. Turkey and the TRNC (Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus) have realized all of the EU and UN requirements and
have made all of the concessions, however, Turkey faced with new
concessions in the Summit, also added that before solving the
problem, EU have declared the membership of the Greek Cypriots as the
only representative of the island despite all of the concessions
Turkey has made. Besides, though there have not been a signed written
agreement, Turkey has pledged to take a step in Cyprus Issue before
the start of the negotiations. The South (Greek) Cyprus with the
other 9 newly joined member countries will be included into the scope
of the Ankara Agreement until the October 3. Namely, an indirect
recognition will eventuate. This step does not mean that Greek Cyprus
will be recognized as the only legitimate Cyprus State, but should be
noted as a concession for Turkey before the negotiations. In other
words, the second red line is also dispersed. Turkey, before the
starting of the negotiations, takes a step in Cyprus.
Thirdly, Turkey had declared that essentially the aim of the
negotiations should be full membership, and the privileged
partnership would not be accepted. Although the EU leaders tell that
their ultimate aim is the full membership, the expressions of `if
Turkey does not assume the obligations of membership it must be
ensured that it is fully anchored in the European structures’ in fact
means a `kind preparation’ for a `privileged partnership’. There is
no difference between the Summits indirect `membership formula’ and
the `privileged partnership’ proposal of the German Christian
Democrats and the French opposition to Turkey. `Privileged
partnership’ can be defined as the enlarged definition of the customs
unity. Briefly, this red line has not been accepted in the summit.
***
Another Turkish requirement was that the EU cannot bring any
permanent limitation (derogations) in funds, agricultural politics,
free movement, etc. According to the Turkish officials any permanent
derogation damage the spirit of the Union, and in this respect Turkey
was quite right. A full membership which could not offer free
movement right has no meaning for Turkey, because, thanks to the
Customs Union and a 41-years-old relation with the EU, Turkey has all
the `privileged relationships with the Union’. Unfortunately, when we
look at the Decision of the Summit, the EU brought just the opposite
of Turkey’s demands onto the table, and during the Summit very little
could be changed. In other words, Turkey again has gained almost
nothing on this issue. The concessions for Turkey do not allow a
normal membership.
Consequently, Turkey went to Brussels with four basic `sine qua non’
but nearly none of these were accepted and all of these red lines
were exceeded.
***
If all of the Turkish demands were refused, in this respect can we
call it as `a great victory’?
Tayyip Erdogan and his team can be considered as heroes?
Answer is `Yes’.
Turkey has gained a victory in December 17 and Erdogan and his team
are to be appreciated because of their success in Brussels. Although
it is early to `shoulder them’ or to `prepare feasts in the public
squares’ they are to be congratulated.
Above all these, the `red lines’ which were defined before December
17 were really realistic requirements and if this fact was not
noticed by Abdullah Gul, Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister in Ankara
but soon has realized in Brussels. December 17 summit barely showed
that European public’s 1000-year old prejudices have stayed
unchanged. Until now, Turkey has not been considered as a `serious
candidate’ by the member countries of the EU. They have never deemed
Turkey as a `real European’ and a `real candidate’. The public
opinion which is manipulated by religionist extreme Christians, anti
Turkish Greek, Greek Cypriot, Armenian and PKK lobbies has formed a
great obstacle for Turkey to overcome.
In conclusion, the EU leaders’ will to take Turkey as a member is not
enough. If there is not a strong and real intention behind the back
of the documents signed, then the agreements are not considered to be
worthy. In this condition, the concepts such as, Cyprus, permanent
derogations, full membership, etc. lose their meanings. If there is
will in them these `details’ would gain importance.
In the Brussels Summit Turkey has strengthened this mentioned
good-will and has developed envision that Turkey is a real candidate
for the EU. Before and during the Summit Turkish leaders proved that
Turks are `true Europeans’, however they confronted the old racist
and discriminative European habits. Turkey passed the test; the EU’s
test is still in process. Because of this reason Turkish Prime
Minister Erdogan and his team should be congratulated. They became
successful in keeping Turkey on the way of the EU membership.
It can be said that, like the December 17, there will be more summits
in near future. Turkey needs time to erase all of the prejudices and
this period of time is taken from the EU. Besides, the defenders of
Turkey in EU have become more powerful. One may ask that Turkey who
has not erased these prejudices for 41 years could have erase them
until October 3? However, an important point should be considered
that the EU and Turkey have never reached a kind of relationship in
which they can truly communicate with each other: As said before, EU
had not considered Turkey as a `real candidate’. On the other hand,
Turkey only communicated with the EU leaders and did not realized
importance of dealing with the European public opinion. Also the real
intentions of the decision former makers in Turkey are a debatable
issue. Whereas, after the September 11, Turkey and EU are open to
listen and understand each other.
December 17 is a great victory for Turkey because the main need of
Turkey is not EU but the EU process, and Turkey took what it really
wanted.
January 2005
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress