Azeri foreign minister to meet Armenian counterpart in Prague on 30
August

Turan news agency
23 Aug 04

BAKU

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov today confirmed that
his meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan would take
place in Prague on 30 August.

[Passage omitted: Mammadyarov declined to speak about issues on
agenda]

The Communist Party will not allow anti-Russian sentiments to develop

Hayots Ashkharh, Yerevan
20 Aug 04

by Vahan Vardanyan

The Communist Party of Armenia [CPA] yesterday made a statement saying
that it intends to deal a final counterblow to any possible
anti-Russian sentiments. To find out the motives for such a
statement, the newspaper interviews the first secretary of the CPA
Central Committee, Ruben Tovmasyan.

[Hayots Ashkharh correspondent] Mr. Tovmasyan, how should one
understand such an unexpected statement by the CPA? What kind of
anti-Russian sentiments do you see as a subject of counteraction by
the party?

[Ruben Tovmasyan] Recently, various parties and politicians started
making statements concerning Armenian-Russian relations, calling them
exhausted. It means that the country’s foreign policy must be changed
towards the West and that only Western states, specifically the USA,
will help us build a prosperous country. Others point out the need for
Armenia’s integration into European structures and NATO.

However, the CPA is categorically against this position. We are sure
that only the deepening of relations with Russia can keep Armenia away
from disastrous developments in the future. The Communist Party of
Armenia believes that attempts to deepen anti-Russian sentiments will
affect only our country. Our relations with Russia over the last 300
years have stood a serious test and have done the Armenian people only
good.

[Correspondent] Who and which parties do you think support
anti-Russian sentiments?

[Tovmasyan] Unfortunately, their number has considerably increased of
late. Everyone who is allowed to speak on TV or in the press seems to
feel obliged to make anti-Russian statements, even saying that they
[the Russians] have prejudice against our people. Various parties, the
“remainder” of the [former ruling] Armenian Pan-National Movement,
initiators of various round table discussions and clubs have become
demonstrators of the “damage” caused by Armenian-Russian relations.

[Correspondent] Do you admit that such forces exist within the
Armenian opposition as well?

[Tovmasyan] Why not? But it is also unacceptable to us. A big question
mark is hanging over Russian-Armenian relations and the country’s
military orientation today, not over those who oppose the
authorities. Although the CPA is in radical opposition to the current
regime, it will not allow anti-Russian sentiments to develop,
irrespective of whether their initiators are in opposition or
government.

[Correspondent] However, the policy of the Armenian authorities is not
anti-Russian. In this context, your concern is exaggerated.

[Tovmasyan] No, it is not. As regards the authorities, I would mention
the circumstance that they do not make any radical statements and do
not declare pro-Russian orientation Armenia’s only and decisive
choice. There are some signs of it, but it does not mean that the
country’s orientation is pro-Russian, and it is mentioned in our
statement as well.

[Correspondent] Does the CPA still think that the only prospect is in
a union with Russia?

[Tovmasyan] Yes, we must ally ourselves with Russia on all
issues. Only this union will allow Armenia to solve its problems and
tasks.

[Correspondent] But which status should Armenia have in such a union?

[Tovmasyan] In my opinion, Armenia must maintain its statehood. But
we, the communists, consider it to be a key issue not to allow our
country to be sidelined from the developments in the former Soviet
Union. There is the Union of Russia and Belarus which is developing in
spite of minor obstacles. Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
are stressing more and more the idea of restoring the common economic
area. These are the signs of Russia’s serious influence. Armenia must
actively participate in these processes.

[Correspondent] There are many predictions that Western influence will
gradually prevail in our region. How can we ally ourselves only with
Russia if we have no common border?

[Tovmasyan] This does not mean that Armenia must follow the example of
Azerbaijan and Georgia which have really pro-Western orientation. Our
country’s role in Western programmes is too modest and nominal. The
CPA will never agree with this.

We must have a pro-Russian orientation, and maybe only this will
influence Georgia and Azerbaijan and make them change their
orientation, and it is not we who must follow them. The West will take
into account our opinion when it sees us in a union with Russia, not
when we accept all their demands.

Armenian opposition leader unhappy about foreign policy

Arminfo
21 Aug 04

YEREVAN

If Armenia does not integrate into global political processes by 2009,
then by 2010, it will turn into a territory populated only by people
speaking Armenian, the chairman of the new Liberal Progressive Party
(LPP), Ovanes Ovanesyan, said at the Azdak discussion club today.

He said that Armenia has lost flexibility in its foreign policy and as
a result, has become a marginal country isolated from all the regional
communication, economic and political processes.

As an example, Ovanesyan said that Armenia was sidelined from the
European Union’s TRACECA [Transportation Corridor
Europe-Caucasus-Asia] and INOGATE [Interstate Oil and Gas Transport to
Europe], as well as from the North-South railway corridor projects.

Ovanesyan believes that the construction of the Iran-Armenia gas
pipeline is also in question as constructing a gas pipeline, which
will be 77mm in diameter, will not do Armenia and Iran any good.

Ovanesyan said that Armenia’s one-sided pro-Russian orientation has
put Armenia in quite a sensitive position. “In the eyes of the
international community, Armenia has turned into Russia’s vassal,
which has made Europe, the USA and NATO turn away from Armenia,” he
said.

Russia highly values Armenia as all its other satellites have gone out
of hand. However, this did not stop Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov from stating that Moscow recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity and sees the settlement to the Karabakh conflict on the
basis of this principle. Ovanesyan thinks the fact that the Iranian
speaker, who represents another partner of Armenia, Iran, recently
issued a similar statement in Baku proves that Yerevan’s foreign
policy is destructive.

According to him, today the international community is forcing the
Armenian side to accept “the option for settling the Karabakh conflict
which is against its interests”.

Ovanesyan also spoke out against Armenia’s membership of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization since the country has no
common border with any of its members. “The Collective Security Treaty
Organization will not ensure Armenia’s security,” he noted, adding
that Armenia’s neighbours, Georgia and Azerbaijan, are doing their
best to join NATO, which can take place in 2007. In that case, Armenia
will find itself in total isolation, as if need be, the member
countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization will not be
able to render operational assistance to Armenia through its
neighbours which will already be NATO members.

RIA OREANDA, Russia
Economic News

Russian President Putin Looks Forward to More Active Trade and
Economic Ties with Armenia

Sochi. Late last week, President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Robert
Kocharian of Armenia discussed the two countries bilateral relations.

Vladimir Putin pins great hopes on more active trade and economic
relations in connection with the Russo-Armenian Intergovernmental
Commission, which is to begin work in the near future. Transport
Minister Igor Levitin will chair the Russian section of the
commission.

President Putin reminded that formerly Moscow and Yerevan managed to
resolve the problem of Armenias debts to Russia, when the Armenian
government allowed Russian investors to buy a number of Armenian
enterprises. In the case of double-purpose enterprises, the decision
is up to business people and in part to the government, Putin said.

Agency WPS
The Russian Oil and Gas Report (Russia)
August 23, 2004, Monday

ITERA QUITS THE CIS AND FOCUSES ON DEEP GAS PROCESSING

Over the first seven months of 2004, gas supplies of ITERA to the CIS
decreased by more than 80%. ITERA does not plan to restore the gas
export contracts. Instead, the company started searching for
financing for its new projects of deep hydrocarbon processing.

Between 2003 and 2004, Gazprom took from ITERA and regained the
markets of Ukraine, Moldova and Baltic republics. In 2003, Gazprom
started gas supplies to Armenia and in 2004 to Azerbaijan. In the
last six months, Gazprom actually ousted independent gas suppliers
from the market.

In 2004, ITERA reduces the gas sales target figure from 28.7 billion
cubic meters to 19.1 billion cubic meters. The PR service of ITERA
reports that there is no decrease of gas production. The company
sells all gas produced in Russia in the Sverdlovsk Region. Press
secretary of ITERA Yevgeny Ostapov comments, “Because the gas
supplies markets shrunk from 90 billion cubic meters in 1990 to 33
billion cubic meters in 2003 and would decrease further in 2004,
management of the company soberly estimates the situation and seeks
the ways for further development.” ITERA is going to focus on gas
processing and production of raw materials for mineral fertilizers
and chemical industry. The company is studying opportunities for gas
processing in the Krasnodar Territory and Astrakhan Region and is
negotiating on financing of new projects. ITERA also plans to build a
power station in Moldova. In late August, the Board of Directors of
ITERA will meet to approve the new corporate strategy.

Source: Kommersant, 21/08/04

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
August 23, 2004 Monday 7:34 AM Eastern Time

Defendant set free from custody in St Petersburg

By Yulia Andreyeva

ST. PETERSBURG

The Lenin Federal Court of St. Petersburg continued on Monday its
hearings of the criminal case against participants in the extremist
youth group “Schultz-88”, which the city prosecutors accuse of
inciting ethnic and racial hostilities, public calls for violent
changes to the constitutional system of the Russian Federation and
the involvement of minors in criminal activities.

According to the investigators, members of the extremist group
committed a number of extremist actions in the territory of the city
motivated by ethnic strife and hostility.

In the course of the hearings on Monday, the court set free from
custody one of the defendants – Alexei Vostroknutov, whose term in
custody had expired. Before handing down its sentence, the court has
to consider the conclusions made by the psychiatric experts about the
key defendant and extremist group leader Dmitry Bobrov and hear the
arguments of the prosecution and the defense.

As some of the defendants are under age, the hearings are being held
behind closed doors.

The criminal proceedings against the group were instituted after a
young Armenian citizen was attacked. The attack was at first regarded
as an act of hooliganism but the investigators later understood that
the assailants had been motivated by national intolerance.

According to the investigators’ version, the extremist group was
formed a few years ago and its composition changed fully on several
occasions. In the course of the investigation, videocassettes and
literature with nationalist content were seized from the defendants.

The court will continue the hearings in the case on October 14.

Africa News
August 23, 2004 Monday

Equatorial Guinea;
No Translator for 14 Suspected Mercenaries As Trial Opens

by UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

Fourteen foreigners went on trial in the tiny oil-rich state of
Equatorial Guinea on Monday, charged with plotting a mercenary
invasion to overthrow President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, a government
official in the capital Malabo said.

The eight South Africans and six Armenians were arrested in Malabo on
6 March. They were charged with conniving with 70 South African
mercenaries who were arrested 24 hours later in Zimbabwe as they were
allegedly on their way to Equatorial Guinea to mount an invasion.

An Amnesty International observer at the trial reported that all 14
were charged with conspiracy to overthrow Obiang, who has ruled the
former Spanish colony since he ousted his uncle, Macias Nguema, in a
coup 25 years ago.

In addition, Nick du Toit, a South African accused of leading the
advance group inside Equatorial Guinea, was accused of treason, the
observer said, according to Amnesty International spokesman George
Ngwa in London.

Ngwa noted that treason carried a mandatory death penalty in
Equatorial Guinea. However, President Obiang Nguema said in a radio
broadcast on Sunday that none of the accused would face execution.

Ngwa told IRIN that at Monday’s opening session of the trial, the
charges were read out to the accused in Spanish. There were no
translation facilities available and the accused were not invited to
plead. The proceedings were then suspended until later this week when
the prosecution was due to cross-examine the accused, he added.

The court was expected to provide translators at that stage, the
Amnesty spokesman said.

A senior official at the Ministry of Information in Malabo, contacted
by telephone from Libreville in neighbouring Gabon, told IRIN: “The
Interior Minister of Equatorial Guinea has said that the presumed
mercenaries were planning to kill the entire family of President
Teodoro Obiang Nguema.”

“The mercenaries on trial in Malabo are mainly accused of planning a
coup d’etat against the head of state and of the illegal possession
of arms and ammunition. They risk a prison term of five to 15 years
if convicted,” he added.

Ngwa said the Equatorial Guinean government had invited Amnesty to
send an observer to the trial, indicating at the time that it
expected the trial proceedings to take about two weeks.

One suspect dead

The authorities originally arrested 15 foreigners in connection with
the alleged mercenary invasion plot, but one of them, a German called
Gerhard Eugen Nershz, died a few days later.

The government said he died from an attack of cerebral malaria.
Amnesty International quoted eye witnesses who had seen the German’s
corpse as saying he was tortured to death.

Du Toit, the alleged leader of the mercenary group inside Equatorial
Guinea, is a former South African military officer who was once
closely connected to the now defunct South African security company
Executive Outcomes. The company supplied private guards to
multinational oil and mining companies and mercenary combatants to
several governments, including Angola and Sierra Leone.

The six Armenians on trial are the flight crew of an Antonov 12 cargo
plane belonging to the small company Tiga Air, which operated in
several countries in Central Africa.

The group of suspected mercenaries arrested in Zimbabwe was detained
after their Boeing 727 jet landed in Harare on the night of 7 March
to take on arms and ammunition purchased from the Zimbabwe state arms
factories.

The group, all of whom held South African passports, were led by
former British army officer Simon Mann, who co-founded Executive
Outcomes in South Africa in the late 1980s.

Executive Outcomes was officially dissolved at the end of 1998 after
South Africa passed a law banning mercenaries from operating from its
soil, but the company’s former staff have resurfaced in several other
private military companies such as Sandline and Northbridge Services.

All those arrested in Harare said they were on their way to protect a
mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Zimbabwean government, which has announced plans to try them
locally, has accused the group of preparing to invade Equatorial
Guinea to overthrow Obiang. The president of Equatorial Guinea said
in an interview with the magazine Jeune Afrique Intelligent earlier
this month that he would not seek their extradition.

The government of Equatorial Guinea, has accused Severo Moto, an
opposition leader who heads a government-in-exile based in Madrid, of
being behind the mercenary invasion plan.

It claims that the plot was financed by Greg Wales, a London-based
businessman with previous links to Executive Outcomes, and Elie
Khalil, an international oil dealer of Lebanese origin, who has close
links with Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo-Brazzaville and who has been
implicated in a bribes scandal involving the French oil company Elf.

Oil puts country on map

Equatorial Guinea consists of a square of jungle covered territory
wedged between Cameroon and Gabon on the African mainland, plus the
volcanic island of Bioko, 200 km to the northwest in the Gulf of
Guinea, where the capital Malabo is situated.

The country has been ruled by Obiang’s family since independence from
Spain in 1968, but until oil was discovered offshore in the early
1990s it was a largely forgotten backwater.

Now, however, Equatorial Guinea produces 350,000 barrels of oil per
day and is gearing up to become a major exporter of liquefied natural
gas. It is Africa’s third largest oil exporter after Nigeria and
Angola and is regarded as strategically important by the United
States, which has undertaken most of the investment in the local oil
industry.

Although the country now boasts one of the highest per capita incomes
in Africa as a result of its new-found oil wealth, very little of
this money has been spent on improving the living standards of its
people.

Despite a per capita income of more than US $6,000 per year, which
puts the country in the same league as Malaysia or the Czech Republic
, Equatorial Guinea ranks 109th out of 177 on the United Nations
Human Development Index, behind Algeria and Cape Verde, which have a
per capita income of less than $2,000.

Obiang’s government has been widely criticised by western governments
and human rights organisations for rampant corruption and human
rights abuse. Suspected government opponents are frequently arrested
and held without trial and there have been numerous allegations of
torture and extrajudicial killings.

Last month, the US Senate published an investigation into Riggs Bank,
a Washington-based bank into which most of Equatorial Guinea’s oil
revenues were paid until recently. This showed that at least $35
million were siphoned off by Obiang, his family and senior officials
of his regime. The president has denied any wrongdoing.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANSA Notiziario Generale in Italiano
August 23, 2004

PREMI: ANTONIA ARSLAN VINCE ‘CAMPIELLO SECONDO NOI 2004’ ;
CON ‘LA MASSERIA DELLE ALLODOLE’

TRENTO

(ANSA) – TRENTO, 23 AGO – Antonia Arslan con il libro ‘La
masseria delle allodole’ di Rizzoli ha vinto la nona edizione de
‘Il Campiello secondo noi’, una sorta di anticipazione del
prestigioso premio letterario Campiello che si e’ svolta presso
l’auditorium della Casa della gioventu’ di Predazzo.

La scrittrice padovana di origine armena ha completamente
sbaragliato gli avversari sfiorando il 50% dei consensi con 44
voti su 90 validi. Alle sue spalle la torinese Paola Mastrocola
che aveva gia’ vinto a Predazzo nel 2000 con ‘La gallina
volante’ e che questa volta si e’ aggiudicata la piazza d’onore
con il simpatico ‘Una barca nel bosco’ edito da Guanda che ha
ottenuto 18 voti.

A 16 voti e’ rimasto Carmine Abate lo scrittore di Scarfizzi
di origini arbereshe che vive da anni in Trentino e che e’ stato
molto apprezzato dal pubblico locale con i suoi precedenti
romanzi, ma che evidentemente non ha convinto del tutto con il
suo ultimo ‘La festa del ritorno’ di Mondadori.

Piu’ staccato a 8 voti Luigi Guarnieri con il suo
romanzo-saggio ‘La doppia vita di Vermeer’, sempre di Mondadori.
Ultimo posto per ‘La Pasqua rossa’ di Alberto Bevilacqua che ha
ottenuto solo 4 consensi.

Sono tre anni consecutivi che il nome del vincitore di
Predazzo coincide con quello del Campiello di Venezia. Nel 2001
Giuseppe Pontiggia, nel 2002 Franco Scaglia e lo scorso anno
Marco Santagata.

Lo spoglio delle schede e’ avvenuto ieri sera durante una
serata di gala improntata che ha visto anche la partecipazione
della scrittrice Maria Venturi in veste di madrina che ha
parlato anche del suo ultimo romanzo ‘Butta la luna’, edito da
Rizzoli. Una serata allietata dagli intermezzi musicali del trio
rumeno Taraf Dunarea e che ha visto la partecipazione di circa
250 ospiti.

Sono stati 92 (22 in piu’ rispetto allo scorso anno) i
lettori che, su proposta della biblioteca e della libreria
Discovery di Predazzo promotori dell’ iniziativa assieme al
Comune di Predazzo, si sono impegnati a leggere i 5 libri
finalisti del Campiello e a votare il preferito. Il 42% dei
lettori sono turisti. Prevalgono insegnanti, pensionati e
casalinghe. Le piu’ giovani sono 2 ragazze del posto di 17 anni.
La piu’ anziana una signora di 85 anni di Predazzo. 70 le donne
e solo 20 gli uomini.

Intensi i commenti dei giurati al libro vincitore, un
romanzo dolce e amaro nello stesso tempo, nato per testimoniare
la tragedia del popolo armeno tra il 1915 e il 1916. Ispirato ai
ricordi familiari dell’autrice e’ il racconto della tragedia di
un popolo ‘mite e fantasticante’, teso come un thriller ed
emozionante come una storia d’amore.

Ora la scrittrice Antonia Arslan sara’ invitata, dopo sabato
18 settembre quando a Venezia verra’ aggiudicato il Campiello
‘vero’, a presentare il proprio libro a Predazzo ed a ritirare
il premio che consiste in un decimo del Supercampiello.(ANSA).

California Courier Online, August 26, 2004

1 – Commentary
Germans Apologize for 100-Year-Old
Genocide? Is Turkey Next?

By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
**************************************************************************
2 – Modern Diagnostic Lab Would Boost
Capacity to Treat Animal Diseases
3 – APN Diocese Will
Honor US Veterans
At Nov. 12 Dinner
4 – Southfield’s AGBU Manoogian School
Opens Sept. 7 with New, Improved Look
5 – Film Foundation Plans Final
Project in Genocide Trilogy
6 – Dr. Mary Papazian Named Dean of
New Jersey’s Montclair University
7 – Armenian Genocide to be
Next Film by Mel Gibson?
************************************************************************
1 – Commentary
Germans Apologize for 100-Year-Old
Genocide? Is Turkey Next?

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

Ninety years after the Armenian Genocide, the Turkish government is still
trying to cover up the facts of this most heinous crime. But for how much
longer?
Last week, newspapers around the world, including the Financial Times and
the Boston Globe, reported the German government’s long overdue apology for
the genocide committed against the Hereros one hundred years ago!
Back in 1904, German colonial troops ruthlessly wiped out the majority of
the 80,000 Hereros then in existence in what is now Namibia. Successive
German governments during the past 100 years, just like their Turkish
counterparts for 90 years, had refused to apologize and pay compensation to
the survivors.
A few days ago, during a ceremony marking the centenary of the Genocide of
the Hereros, German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul said in
Namibia: “I am painfully aware of the atrocities committed…. We Germans
accept our historical and moral responsibility and the guilt incurred by
Germans at that time…. So in the words of the Lord’s Prayer that we share I
ask you to forgive us our trespasses.”
But the Hereros, just like the Armenians, want more than just a simple
acknowledgment and an apology. Kaiere Mbuende, a Herero, and a former
government official, was quoted by Reuters as saying: “How is Germany going
to own up to the apology? There has to be a form of redress, the injustice
has to be undone.”
Even though Germany is Namibia’s largest aid donor and has contributed $500
million since the country’s independence in 1990, Reuters reported that a
$4 billion lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the Hereros against Germany
in a U.S. District Court. The German government has argued that no
compensation can be paid in this case because international laws on the
protection of the civilian population did not exist in 1904. German
officials have been reluctant to issue a formal apology out of concern that
this may strengthen the demands for compensation.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry and Armenian organizations should pay close
attention to developments in this case, as it may serve as a legal
precedent for demanding compensation from Turkey for the mass murder of
Armenians as well as the confiscation of their lands and properties.
Armenians must contact the law firm that has filed the lawsuit on behalf of
the Hereros in order to learn the specifics of the legal arguments used in
that case. If adequate funds are raised to hire experts on international
law in order to pursue Armenian claims from Turkey, it is possible that by
the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, a Turkish Minister would
lay a wreath at the Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, apologize to the Armenian
nation, and start a dialogue on the compensation to be paid to the
survivors of the Genocide.
If the remnants of a small tribe in Africa, with no lobbyists in Washington
or other foreign capitals, and no organized communities in various
countries defending their cause, can take such a resolute stand on their
Genocide after 100 years, then surely Armenians with their international
presence, political connections and lobbying organizations can and should
do no less.

Jewish Journalist Chastises Israel and Turkey
The International Herald Tribune published on August 20 an opinion column
by prominent Jewish journalist, Jay Bushinsky, titled: “The Armenian
Genocide: Face History’s Heartbreaking Truth.”
He wrote: “The carnage perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks 89 years ago, in
which 1.5 million ethnic Armenians were killed or deported, was a tragic
prelude to the Nazi Holocaust.”
Bushinsky said: “Hitler’s determination to destroy European Jewry was
encouraged by the world’s lack of interest in the Armenian tragedy.” He
then mentioned Hitler’s well-known question: “Who, after all speaks today
of the annihilation of the Armenians?” Hitler’s statement is inscribed “on
one of the walls of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial in Washington, and rightly
so,” Bushinsky said.
The Jewish journalist stated that various “interest groups, including
Jewish ones, misguided or opportunistic,” lobbied against the passage of
the congressional resolution on the Armenian Genocide in order not to
offend Turkey. Bushinsky is indignant that when Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently accused the Jewish State of terrorism,
“neither Israel nor the overseas Jewish organizations dared remind Erdogan
that leaders of nations that had committed crimes against humanity had best
refrain from preaching to others.”
The Jewish writer expressed regret that Israel puts “contemporary
priorities ahead of moral obligations.” He recalled: “When a major
documentary about the Armenian Genocide was due to be screened [in Israel],
the foreign ministry intervened out of consideration for Turkish
sensibilities.” Bushinsky caustically pointed out: “It is hypocritical to
expect compassion and sympathy from the peoples of the world for the lives
lost in the Holocaust when ‘raison d’etat’ prevents Israel and most
Israelis from commiserating with the Armenians.”
Bushinsky concluded his powerful commentary with the following admonition:
“Historical truth must be faced regardless of how heartbreaking it may be.
It cannot be subordinated to the ebb and flow of modern international
relations. Anyone who visited the Armenians’ grim memorial to their
martyred brothers and sisters south of Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, in the
shadow of biblical Mount Ararat, cannot but grieve with them. Israelis,
Jews, Zionists and their supporters should comfort the Armenians in their
national sorrow and the Turks should accept the photographs, documents and
above all testimony, which commemorate the Armenian Genocide, instead of
insisting that it never happened.”
Jay Bushinsky should be commended for his humanity and honesty to the point
of daring to criticize his own homeland for the sake of truth and justice.
Both Israel and Turkey must realize that they will pay a heavy moral and
political price as long as they continue denying the Armenian Genocide.
Righteous individuals and organizations will hound the leaders of these
countries until they stop desecrating the memory of the 1.5 million
innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide.
To counter the Turkish e-mail campaign against Bushinsky’s column, please
send a letter to the International Herald Tribune ([email protected])
indicating your support for this thought-provoking commentary.
**************************************************************************
2 – Modern Diagnostic Lab Would Boost
Capacity to Treat Animal Diseases
By Andranik Mekailian
YEREVAN – In a project that stands to benefit agriculture in Armenia for
years to come, the Fresno, California-based Armenian Technology Group (ATG)
has initiated a program that could boost the economy and improve the
political atmosphere of the entire Caucasus. Working with the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID) and USDA, ATG has proposed the
introduction of a Veterinary laboratory that would test diseases that can
pass from animals to humans through the food chain.
After the break-up of the Soviet Union, the veterinary and laboratory
systems of Armenia collapsed, negatively affecting food safety and public
health in Armenia. According to Anoushavan Aghajanyan, head of the
Department of Veterinary Service of Armenia, this system has been rebuilt
from the ground floor. “We want to modernize our testing capabilities,”
Aghajanyan stated. “This could be possible with the establishment of the
Central Diagnostic Lab ATG is proposing.”
Currently, the government veterinary laboratory, located in the Erebuni
district of Yerevan, tests for certain bacterial diseases, including
salmonella. New emphasis has been placed on widening the testing to include
a larger range of diseases. “We don’t have the capabilities to test for mad
cow disease or bird flu,” Aghajanyan said. “With the close cooperation of
ATG, including the establishment of the Central Diagnostic Lab and setting
it up on government premises, our system can include the testing of these
and other diseases.”
The importance of the diagnostic lab was further emphasized during a visit
in the spring of 2004 by ATG vice-president and doctor of veterinary
medicine James Reynolds, who journeyed to the village of Aygoot with a
small group of ATG professionals to investigate the illnesses of cattle
that were becoming weak and even dying while giving birth.
Aygoot, formerly populated by Azeri Turks, is located north of Lake Sevan,
not far from the border with Azerbaijan. The village, now populated by
Armenians forcibly emigrated from the plains of Karabagh, has largely
depended on foreign assistance in establishing its agricultural economy. A
milk container, capable of storing large quantities of milk and insuring
the use of all milk produced in the village, was recently donated to the
farmers of Aygoot.
During the visit, discussions centered on the nutrition of the cattle feed
being used, and the use of Vitamin A shots to prevent disease and promote
the animals’ health. “It became apparent that the animals could be
receiving toxic amounts of Vitamin A,” Reynolds stated. “With CDL in place,
we could test the sick animals and clarify any doubts about use of the
vitamin and the issue of nutrition.”
At the Hrashk (Miracle) dairy on the outskirts of Yerevan, dairy manager
Vannik Soghomonyan stressed the need for the establishment of CDL in or
near Yerevan. “We produce milk and dairy products of the highest standard,”
Soghomonyan said. “We want to produce products which will be certified as
organic. The CDL can be the first step in this direction.”
The dairy employs two full-time veterinarians, who send an analysis to the
government laboratory if an animal becomes ill. “Currently, between six and
eight diseases are tested for at the laboratory,” Soghomonyan, also
president of the Dairy Farmers of Armenia, said. “The CDL would be more
advanced, meeting European standards and opening new markets for our
products.”
Advanced testing would also make it possible to expand Armenia’s
agricultural economy, as in the case of the Agro Holding company, located
in the earthquake zone near Spitak. There, in an Italian-built complex on
hills overlooking Spitak, pig farmers are waiting for the establishment of
the CDL before enlarging their operations, noting that government
laboratories lack the capacity to test on such a large scale.
While in Yerevan, Dr. Reynolds met with USDA and USAID officials,
discussing the need for the CDL and the positive benefits its
implementation would have for Armenia and the entire region. Meeting with
Trevor Gudie of the US Embassy. Reynolds pointed out that the CDL would
bring veterinary diagnostics to Western standards “We must work with the
purpose of finding and preventing diseases that affect society,”
During his trip to Armenia, Reynolds visited several USDA projects where
different methods of grazing are being studied. The projects stress the
grazing of cattle and other animals instead of the Soviet method of keeping
animals indoors most of the year. “The CDL has to be coordinated with the
livestock system,” Reynolds said. “That is where ATG has a distinct
advantage, due to their extensive work in livestock and agriculture in
Armenia.”
ATG’s experience in animal breeding has also impressed Armenian agriculture
minister Davit Lokian, who has asked USAID to facilitate the establishment
of the CDL, under the stewardship of ATG.
As the concept of the Central Diagnostic Lab becomes reality, the positive
affects will go far beyond disease control. Since the CDL tests so widely,
including both animal tissue and milk, diseases will be found in their
earliest stages, resulting in increased production of milk and other
agricultural products.
As the ATG-sponsored milk containers (cooling containers) are put in place
in rural villages, the role of the CDL will be even more important, as it
will test for bacterial diseases such as salmonella and brucella. The CDL
testing capabilities are so advanced that when testing animal tissue for
salmonella, the lab can find out when the animal contracted the disease,
before or after it became sick.
With the establishment of the lab, other livestock will be protected, even
animals crossing borders, a situation in which diseases such as
tuberculosis and anthrax can be passed from one country to another. As the
presence of these diseases diminish, markets will open up, increasing trade
and promoting good will in the Caucasus. With the proper certification of
Armenia’s agricultural products, Armenia will proudly take its place in
international markets, increasing income for Armenian merchants and the
farmers of Armenia.
**************************************************************************
3 – APN Diocese Will
Honor US Veterans
At Nov. 12 Dinner
BURBANK, CA – The Armenian Professionals Network of the Western Diocese of
the Armenian Church has announced plans for a dinner event on Nov. 12,
paying tribute to the dedication and patriotism of Armenian American men
and women who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States.
The community is Invited to attend the dinner at 7:30 p.m. in the
Kalaydjian Hall of the Western Diocesan Complex, 3325 North Glenoaks Blvd.,
Burbank, Calif.
For reservations, contact Arture Zabounian at 818-974-9454
**************************************************************************
4 – Southfield’s AGBU Manoogian School
Opens Sept. 7 with New, Improved Look
SOUTHFIELD, MI – The AGBU Alex & Marie Manoogian School will open its doors
on Sept. 7 with a new and improved look. The school has experienced major
changes over the summer. “We were dreaming about it so long, we knew
exactly what we wanted,” said Dr. Nadya Sarafian, Alex & Marie Manoogian
School principal.
During a recent tour of the school, Sarafian beamed when talking about the
improvements, changes, and additions the school undertook, all in
preparation for the 2004-2005 school year.
Sarafian was proud of everything, from the new tile floor in the restrooms
and the new Pre-Kindergarten facilities, right down to the fact there were
only minor changes from the pre-construction vision of the “new” Manoogian.
The new facility will have its familiarities, but will also be full of new
sights including a state-of-the-art media center that will allow students
easy access to both print and electronic sources of information, a new
building façade will be in place with new landscaping, as well as
structural improvements to the school’s main entrance.
There is an updated drop-off/pick-up area that will facilitate improved
traffic flow in the school’s parking lot.
The school’s courtyard on the west side of the building has been reshaped
and enclosed, complete with new playground structures and cushioned
flooring for the younger students.
Another important change for the new school year is a further separation of
Manoogian’s high school students from the areas intended for the school’s
lower grades. This division is expected to promote a greater sense of
community among the older students.
**************************************************************************
5- Film Foundation Plans Final
Project in Genocide Trilogy
THOUSAND OAKS – “Caravans Along the Euphrates: Anatomy of the Secret
Genocide” is expected to be the “crown jewel” of the Armenian Film
Foundation’s “The Witnesses” trilogy project. It will be the culmination of
a massive contribution on the 25th anniversary of the Foundation.
Lead creative production staff met with award-winning Director/Producer Dr.
J. Michael Hagopian in Thousand Oaks this week to critique the
film-in-process. Those present included Co-producer Glenn Farr, an
Oscar-winning master feature film editor and director; and Carla
Garapedian, narrator and co-writer of the first two “Witnesses” films, who
is a former BBC anchor about to enter into production of her own film later
this fall. Associate Producer and Assistant Editor Barbara Gilmore, whose
experience includes working as project director and associate producer on
five Armenian Genocide documentaries, also was on hand.
Hagopian, who holds a doctorate degree from Harvard University in
international relations, places great value on the feedback of his
talented, knowledgeable staff members who have dedicated years to helping
preserve Armenian heritage and promote its causes. Several other screenings
will be held to solicit input from scholars, survivors and people from
other walks of life before the final production phase.
Incorporated will be a penetrating storyline of survivor accounts selected
from a collection of over 400 interviews. The interviews were
professionally photographed by Hagopian over a span of 40 years in Europe,
Australia, Asia and North America.
Himself a survivor, Dr. Hagopian has devoted much of his life to
documenting the legacy of other survivors and those whose lives were
brutally extinguished.
His works have to date amassed over 160 prestigious film awards and prizes
from around the world.
The Armenian Film Foundation now endeavors to raise funds in the Armenian
community to help finance the remaining work on Caravans Along the
Euphrates: Anatomy of the Secret Genocide. Completion of the film is
targeted for 2005, the 90th commemorative year of the Genocide. Support for
the first two films of the project, totaling $800,000, was garnered
primarily from the California State Legislature, as well as from
foundations and some individual sources through the efforts of ardent
supporter and Executive Producer Walter Karabian, Esq. Those who make
generous donations to help finance this project will receive recognition in
the credits at the end of the Caravans Along the Euphrates film.
For further information on this and other Armenian Film Foundation films
and projects, visit the website at , or call
their office at 805-495-0717.
**************************************************************************
6 – Dr. Mary Papazian Named Dean of
New Jersey’s Montclair University
MONTCLAIR, N. J. – Dr. Mary A. Papazian of Michigan has been named Dean of
the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Montclair State
University, announced Dr. Richard A. Lynde, Provost and Vice President for
Academic Affairs at MSU. Papazian has been serving as Associate Dean of
the College of Arts and Sciences at Oakland University in Michigan, where
she has been employed since 1988.
She began at MSU Aug. 16.
Papazian has been Associate Dean of Oakland University’s largest academic
unit since 1999. Offering more than two-thirds of all courses at the
university, the College is home to 240 full-time and 200-part time faculty
members and has a yearly operating budget of $25 million. During her
tenure, Papazian developed and gained approval for academic programs
ranging from the Ph.D. in biological communication to an M.A. in liberal
studies and bachelor degree programs in studio art and women’s studies. She
served as the university’s coordinator for the annual Meeting of the Minds
undergraduate research conference; as ombudsman for faculty and students;
and as Executive Director of the Department of Music, Theatre and Dance,
where she developed an assessment of the current state of performing arts
at Oakland and a plan for its future. She taught English literature
starting in 1988, was named associate professor in 1994, and full professor
in 2003.
“We are delighted that such a talented and visionary administrator, teacher
and scholar has joined the leadership team at Montclair State,” Lynde said.
“Mary’s guidance and vision at the largest of MSU’s Colleges and Schools
will prove invaluable as we continue our efforts to elevate the
University’s academic and programmatic offerings to the very highest
level.”
Papazian was also chair of the Phyllis Law Googasian Award Committee at
Oakland University; and chair of the College of Arts and Science’s
Committee on Appointment and Promotion. In addition, she participated in
ongoing fund-raising activities; chaired the Teaching Excellence Award
Committee; and was a member of the University Senate, Honor’s College
Council and the executive committee of the university’s affiliate of the
American Council of Education Network for Women Leaders.
Papazian earned her B.A. in English literature in 1981; her M.A. in 1983
and her Ph.D. in 1988, all from UCLA. She will be moving east with her
husband, Professor Dennis R. Papazian, a long-time scholar at the
University of Michigan, Dearborn with expertise in the history of the
former Soviet Union and its successor states (particularly Armenia), and
her two daughters, Ani (10) and Marie (five).
**************************************************************************
7 – Armenian Genocide to be
Next Film by Mel Gibson?
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – Conservative author Bruce Walker, writing in the
Ohio-based American Daily last week, revealed that one of the proposed
topics for a future Mel Gibson film includes “Armenia, The First Holocaust.
“The forgotten holocaust,” as Walker calls it, was “The un-holocaust. While
the world watched – even worse, after the Himmler, the Heydrich, the Hitler
of Turkey had lost the war – at least one million Armenians were
exterminated for their Christian faith and their misfortune of being a
nation conquered by the Moslem Turks.
“This was the laboratory for what was later used in the Gulag by the
Soviets, then used in eastern Poland by the Soviets, then used against Jews
by the Nazis. Moreover, this was a war on Christianity itself. Churches,
priests, crosses all were the first objects of Turkish atrocities. Nothing
ever happened after this holocaust. No Nuremberg Trials. No `Schindler’s
List.’ No `Diary of Anne Frank.’
“There cannot be too many descriptions of the very genuine moral and
physical horror of the Holocaust, but each dead soul murdered in the
Killing Fields or the barren fields of the Ukraine or in cattle cars
leaving Poland and crammed with Polish families deserve equal memory to
mankind and to God.
“Why not start with the first holocaust? Why not begin with that calculated
sadism which was the First Holocaust, the extermination in the Twentieth
Century of millions of Christians – primarily Armenians, but also Greeks
and others – while the world watched, then forgot, then pretended never
happened? That, Mr. Gibson, would be my next film, if I were you.”
********************************************************
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No serious violations in Karabakh local polls – TV

Artsakh State TV, Stepanakert
23 Aug 04

[Presenter] The Karabakh Central Electoral Commission held a meeting
today to discuss preliminary results of the second round of local
government elections.

[Correspondent over video of meeting] The head of the Central
Electoral Commission, Sergey Davidyan, started the meeting by thanking
all the people who had contributed to holding successful elections. He
especially mentioned TV that had been present at every polling
station.

The turnout of voters this time was higher. In the capital Stepanakert
[Xankandi], out of 33,597 registered voters, 17,039 participated in
the elections, i.e. more than 50 per cent. According to preliminary
calculations, candidate for the office of mayor Eduard Agabekyan
received 9,427 votes, which is 53.3 per cent of the total number of
votes, and Pavel Nadzharyan polled 6,619 votes, which is 38.8 per
cent.

Those present at the meeting confirmed that the elections were open
and transparent, adding that at some polling stations there had been
problems with voters’ lists. Some people could not find their names on
the voters’ lists. There was one case when someone attempted to drop
two ballot papers into the box. There were no serious
violations. Preliminary results in other regions will be announced in
our next bulletins.