BBC News
Last Updated: Thursday, 12 August, 2004, 09:49 GMT 10:49 UK

Madrid victims granted residency

The bombs were placed on commuter trains from the Madrid suburbs
The Spanish government has given residence permits to nearly 700 immigrants
who were either victims or related to victims of the Madrid bombs.

The explosions on four Madrid commuter trains on 11 March left 191 dead and
hundreds more injured.

Police said more than 2,000 other immigrants in Spain had made residence
applications, on grounds that they had been directly affected by the
attacks.

The government decided to grant permits to victims as an act of solidarity.

Following the attacks, Spanish MPs agreed that the attacks “resulted in a
huge human catastrophe, without consideration for nationality or origin”.

They agreed these were exceptional circumstances and that granting residency
to immigrants involved would help the victims and “ease their settlement” in
Spain.

Of the 673 residence permits granted to date, 355 were obtained by victims
and 318 by their relatives. Hundreds of other applications are still being
considered.

A large number of Latin Americans were among the victims of the bombings,
but people of many other nationalities were also involved.

Official figures show permits were granted to 264 Romanians, 179
Ecuadorians, 70 Colombians, 28 Moroccans, 19 Bolivians, 15 Argentinians, 19
Bulgarians, eight Cubans, six Brazilians, five Paraguayans, 13 Peruvians, 12
Poles, 18 Ukrainians and three Venezuelans, two from Cape Verde, two
Moldavians, two Chileans, one Congolese, one American, one Honduran, one
Armenian, one Nigerian, one Dominican, one Senegalese and one Malian.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

Eastern Prelacy: CROSSROADS August 12, 2004

PAN-DIASPORA CONFERENCE CONCLUDES
The international conference on Armenian education came to a successful
conclusion. The conference took place in Bikfaya, Lebanon, the site of the
Cilician See’s Theological Seminary. The theme of the conference was
Armenian Education in the Diaspora.

In his opening address His Holiness Aram I identified the concerns and
challenges facing the Armenian Christian educational context of pluralistic
societies. He addressed a number of critical issues, and then posed two
questions: What does it mean to be an Armenian Christian? How should we
form the Armenian Christian for tomorrow? His Holiness underscored the
crucial importance of re-evaluating and renewing our educational
methodologies, strategies and programs by making them more relevant. His
Holiness proposed that Armenia and the Diaspora together engage in a process
of developing a Pan-Armenian educational policy with particular emphasis on
the worldwide Armenian Diaspora.

The agenda of the conference included the following topics: The actual state
of education in different continents where Armenian communities live; the
implications of globalization to education; the role of the church in
Armenian Christian formation; the family as an important educational
instrument; the impact of pluralistic societies on Armenian Education; the
use and misuse of technology in education; the role of the textbooks and the
extra curricula activities; human resources; formation and training; the
contribution of Saturday schools, Sunday schools and children’s camps to
education; the importance of new community schools for the Armenian
communities established in the West.

In his closing remarks His Holiness identified three words which should
occupy a central place in our educational work: relevance, coherence and
integrity. He said, We are living in different contexts. We must, therefore,
develop different educational procedures and strategies. We are citizens of
different countries, yet we are Armenians and part of the globalized world.
We have our own convictions, values and norms, but we are living in a new
environment. Hence, it is vitally important that we develop the educational
policy that provides integrity, relevance and coherence to our educational
work, at the same time preserving our Armenian Christian identity. This is a
great challenge before us and we must take it seriously and responsibly.

ARARAT PARADISE IN THE CATSKILL MOUNTAINS
As reported last week, Archbishop Oshagan, V. Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Tanielian,
and Archdeacon Shant Kazanjian went upstate last Saturday to Mountaindale,
NY, in the Catskill Mountains, where 23 years ago a group of Armenians
purchased a property with 24 rustic homes, and named it Ararat Paradise.
Through the years the families have formed into a tight unit and each summer
they spend their summers, or part thereof, enjoying the cool, clean mountain
environment.

On Saturday, Archbishop Oshagan, Hayr Anoushavan, and Dn. Shant, spent an
enjoyable day with the group. They conducted the traditional Andastan
service and the Blessing of the Grapes. The day-long activities included
lots of good food, speeches and singing with Hayr Anoushavan acting as the
Master of Ceremonies.

Archbishop Oshagan noted how pleasant it was to spend the day in Ararat
Paradise, in its peaceful surroundings. He recalled how 23 years ago when
the group of Armenians purchased this property, he and Archbishop Mesrob
Ashjian, of blessed memory, had gone there to bless the land.

PILLARS OF THE PRELACY
Last year the Prelacy inaugurated an annual giving program called Pillars of
the Prelacy. The modest start of the program was very promising and this
year the effort will go beyond the New York metropolitan area with three
regional receptions already in the works: St. Stephens Church, Watertown,
Massachusetts, will host a reception on September 10; Sts. Vartanantz Church
in Providence, Rhode Island, will host a reception on October 10 and St.
Sarkis Church, Dearborn, Michigan will host a reception on October 11.

The goal of the pillars program is to raise funds annually to sustain and
expand the services and programs the Prelacy provides.

DATEV INSTITUTE: A SCHOOL FOR ARMENIAN CHRISTIAN FORMATION
The St. Gregory of Datev Institute which has been taking place every summer
for the past eighteen years is one of our community’s most successful
youth-based programs.

Worship framed the communal life of the 76 students from 13 parishes who
attended the 18th annual Institute at St. Mary of Providence Center in
Elverson, Pennsylvania, sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education
Council (AREC) under the directorship of the Vicar General, Very Rev. Fr.
Anoushavan Tanielian.

To read about the Datev Institute and view a photo gallery of more than 50
photographs click here.

ONE-DAY SEMINAR ON CRITICAL ISSUES OF LIFE & FAITH
St. Sarkis Armenian Church, Dearborn, Michigan, is sponsoring a one-day
seminar on Critical Issues of Life & Faith: An Armenian Orthodox
Perspective, on Saturday, September 18, 2004, at the Church, 19300 Ford
Road, Dearborn, Michigan. The main speaker will be Dr. Vigen Guroian,
Professor of Theology and Ethics at Loyola College, Baltimore, Maryland. The
program will include the lecture, small group discussions, followed by group
reports and discussions. Topics to be discussed include Marriage,
Reproductive Technologies, Abortion, Suicide, Cremation.

The day-long seminar will end with an organ/piano concert featuring Marianna
Abrahamyan at 7:00 p.m. For further information contact the church office,
313-336-6200.

ASSUMPTION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD;
THE BLESSING OF THE GRAPES
This Sunday, August 15, is the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God
(Verapokhoum). Although in modern Armenian Verapokhoum means change again,
in Classical Armenian it means transport up. For fifteen years after the
Crucifixion Mary remained in Jerusalem under the watchful eyes of the
apostles, especially John to whom she had been entrusted. When she died all
of the apostles were present at her burial, except Bartholomew. When he
returned to Jerusalem he went to her grave to pay his respects. The apostles
gathered in the cemetery, but when the gravestone was lifted, they were
surprised to find that her body was not there, instead there was an
exceeding sweet fragrance. It was believed that Mary was physically taken
into heaven. Based on this the church fathers established the Feast of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Blessing of the Grapes, although not connected with the Assumption, is
generally commemorated on the same day. First the special hymn of the day is
sung, then passages from the Gospel are read, after which the prayer
pertaining to the blessing of grapes, which was composed by Catholicos
Nerses is read. In this prayer it is mentioned that on the third day of
Creation, God created the fruit-yielding trees and vegetation on earth. The
prayer seeks the blessing of God to be bestowed on those who give the first
yield of their vineyards as gifts to the church, and asks the Lord to
protect the crops and gardens from harm. After the prayers, the grapes are
blessed and distributed to the congregation.

The chapel in Bikfaya, Lebanon, site of the summer residence of the
Catholicate, and also site of the Seminary, is named St. Astvadzadzin. We
recall attending the weekend commemoration of the Assumption and the
Blessing of Grapes there some years ago and still vividly remember the
beautiful services in the mountain hills and the hundreds of pilgrims who
came even in the midst of the Lebanese Civil War.

Wisdom has built her spacious house with seven pillars. She has prepared a
great banquet. Proverbs 9:L1-2

Visit our website at

Interfax
Aug 12 2004

Mining industry output down 4.7% in Armenia in H1

Yerevan. (Interfax) – Armenian mining enterprises produced product
worth 62.14 billion dram ($120 million) in the first half of 2004,
4.7% less year-on-year, the country’s Trade and Economic Development
Ministry told Interfax.

This drop was attributable to the aluminum foil plant Armenal, a
major sector producer, being idle since the start of the year.

Mining enterprises sold 60.586 billion dram worth of product in the
reporting period, 62% more year-on-year and reflecting high world
metal prices. Armenian product exports increased 50.7% to 47.455
billion dram. The sector employs 7,737 workers.

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
Aug 12 2004

Languages added to abuse hotline

Armenian callers looking for help for domestic violence will be
routed to Glendale YWCA.

By Darleene Barrientos, News-Press

GLENDALE – An abused woman seeking help shouldn’t be required to
speak English to get it.

That’s the conclusion officials with the Los Angeles County District
Attorney’s office came to when they decided to add Armenian, Tagalog,
Japanese, Thai and Khmer to the options of languages spoken on the
county’s Domestic Violence Hotline.

Since the county has always offered English, Spanish and Korean,
along with Mandarin, Cantonese and Vietnamese, the Glendale YWCA was
tapped to offer telephone operators who can speak Armenian to victims
of domestic violence.

“This area is just diversifying more and more,” said Carol Baker,
director of crime prevention and youth services for the district
attorney. “We have lots of new communities, lots of different
cultures. They’re large enough so they can be very insular, but
domestic violence cuts across all cultures. Language shouldn’t be a
barrier.”

Women looking for help can call (800) 978-3600 and ask for an
Armenian speaker, who will listen to the caller and refer her to the
nearest shelter or service center. The Center for the Pacific Asian
Family will field calls for Asian languages, including Tagalog or
Korean.

Spanish, Armenian, Korean and Tagalog are the four languages besides
English most spoken in Glendale homes, according to the Glendale
Unified School District.

About 35% to 40% of Glendale’s population is of Armenian descent and
the city is believed to have the largest population of Armenians
outside of the home country. But Armenian families are scattered
throughout Los Angeles County, in areas like Hollywood, Pasadena,
North Hollywood, Van Nuys and Montebello, YWCA case manager Tamara
Tombakian said.

Many Armenian women looking for help are surprised to hear someone
speaking their own language, Tombakian said.

“They don’t realize there is organizations of people who will
actually help them,” she said.

But being able to understand and be understood is so important to
someone who is being abused.

“Something as delicate as this – family issues, cultural beliefs – I
think if we miss a lot of that emotion, if we miss a lot of the
experience that person has gone through, you don’t get the exact
emotion,” Tombakian said.

“It also inhibits the caller. If they’re trying to speak a language
that’s not their primary language, they’re trying to think about how
to say what they’ve gone through instead of trying to get support.”

Messenger.com.ge, Georgia
Aug 12 2004

Frequent flier pilots Georgia’s diplomacy

Nine months have passed since the Rose Revolution and its
leader-turn-president has conducted twenty-one visits abroad both on
the state level and unofficial level. Averaging over two visits a
month, President Mikheil Saakashvili has redefined Georgia’s foreign
policy as proactive, engaging and ambitious.

A geographical survey of his visits shows the variety of interests of
the Georgian leader in his strive to establish economic progress and
achieve territorial security of the country.

The opposition prefers to criticize his frequent travels and suggests
that he should stop traveling abroad and instead concentrate on
Georgia’s internal affairs of the country. However, in the case of
Georgia it is often difficult to distinguish between the country’s
foreign and internal affairs as they are very closely linked with
each other.

The first country visited by Saakashvili after the Rose Revolution
was Ukraine in December 2003. At the time the Georgian leader met
with Ukrainian opposition leaders who were planing to perform a
Ukrainian version of Rose Revolution against President Leonid Kuchma.
This meeting created a noticeably cold climate between official
Tbilisi and Kiev.

However, later the strategic interests of the two countries prevailed
over personal sympathies/antipathies. In April 2004 while on an
official visit to Kiev, President Saakashvili repeatedly confirmed
the strategic-partner relationship between Georgia and Ukraine and
outlined the prospects of strengthening those relations.

In January 2004, during his visits to Switzerland, France and
Germany, newly elected President Saakashvili firmly asserted
Georgia’s intention to integrate into European structures thus
underscoring Georgia’s strategic path for the future.

In April-May 2004 President Saakashvili visited Poland and Rumania.
The attitude of the Georgian government is that deepening
relationships with these countries and sharing their experience for
integration into the European commonwealth and NATO would very much
assist Georgia in doing the same.

Saakashvili twice visited Moscow, in February and recently in June.
Immediately after the Rose Revolution, the Georgia administration
tired to establish a completely different relationship with Russia.
It suggested forgetting past misunderstandings and starting a new
phase of relations from a blank slate.

However, in doing so Georgia is combating the legacy of its past
questionable policies and Russia’s deeply entrenched imperialists who
became only further secured in Russia’s Parliamentary elections this
year. While the war of words has ricocheted back and forth between
parliamentarians, ministries and officials, it is notable that
President Saakashvili has never uttered a single word of criticism
against President Vladimir Putin. Correspondingly, Putin has ever
criticized Saakashvili.

This coming fall Putin is expected to visit Tbilisi. It is envisaged
that a new framework agreement between the two countries should be
signed. There is significant hope in Tbilisi that this tete-a-tete
meeting will let the two leaders to overcome the antagonism shared by
their underlings and Georgian-Russian relations will be clarified and
developed in a better direction.

President Saakashvili has also visited countries of the Mid East –
Turkey, Iran and Israel. With Turkey, Georgia maintains one of its
closest partner relationships. The president of Georgia has invited
Turkish businessmen to participate in the privatization process now
underway in Georgia. Wednesday’s visit of Prime Minster Erdogan
accompanied by 115 businessmen is a clear evidence of the deepening
neighbor relationships.

Strengthening of relationships with Iran is also planned. With Israel
Georgia’s relationship is more unique and Saakashvili tried to
interest Israeli citizens who had left Georgia many years in reviving
their ties with their former homeland by accepting dual citizenship.
Reviving lost ties was also a theme of President Saakashvili in other
countries though the potential for Israeli-Georgian relationships
appear the greatest.

During Saakashvili’s visit to Azerbaijan and Armenia he encouraged
the neighbors to establish a common Caucasus market and suggested
Georgia could play a role of locomotive in integrating the region
into Europe. However, in this particular case the Kharabakh conflict
creates serious problems for Azerbaijan and Armenia to cooperate.

It was very important for Georgia to participate in the NATO Istanbul
Summit this June. There he once and forever attached the Georgia’s
development to western interests. It was also very significant that
the summit participants urged Russia once again to fulfill its
commitment and withdraw military bases from Georgia.

Saakashvili visited the United States twice, and his most recent
visit was very timely as it coincided with the deterioration of
relations with Russia and controversy over the BTC pipeline in the
Borjomi Gorge.

Judging by Saakashvili’s relentless personality, it is safe to assume
that his intense travels will continue. Compared to former President
Shevardnadze’s foreign policy of balancing interests, Saakashvili has
chosen a very goal oriented and clear-cut strategy of pointing
Georgia’s orientation towards the west and defining the country’s
interests before others do that for him.

Sun Herald, MS
Aug 12 2004

Cher returns to Biloxi

THE SUN HERALD

Cher, reigning queen of aged glitterati, returns to the Coliseum this
week for an encore performance.

The celebrated singer/personality, who vowed her last show was really
her last, said in a press release that, due to consumer demand, she
would play several venues “one last time.”

A veteran singer and actress, Cher’s stature continued to rise over
the years, eventually reaching icon status.

If her show last fall at the Coliseum is any indication, Saturday’s
concert will feature a multi-media experience reaching back to the
early days, including film and television clips, still photos, and
basically encompass all things Cher.

In case you’re interested, here are a few random facts about the
erstwhile performer, courtesy of the Internet Movie Database:

Cher was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 30.

She was offered the part of Thelma in the 1991 film, “Thelma &
Louise.”

Cher’s father was Armenian, and her mother part Cherokee.

She legally changed her name from Cherilyn Sarkisian LaPierre Bono
Allman to Cher.

Beat out Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” for best selling single
of 1998 with “Believe.”

If you go
What: Cher.
When: 8 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Coliseum.
Cost: $33.25, $73.25 and $93, plus Ticketmaster and facility fees.
Details: 594-3700.

UEFA.com
Aug 12 2004

Tried and tested suits Casoni

Bernard Casoni has opted for experience for his first match in charge
of Armenia – a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier away to F.Y.R. Macedonia
next Wednesday.

Old favourites
The French coach, who was handed the reins only last week, has had
little time to acquaint himself with his squad and has therefore
named a 22-man party comprised of players used by his predecessor,
Mihai Stoichita.

Voskanyan injury
Casoni’s options have been hampered by injuries to several leading
players, including defensive midfield player Artur Voskanyan, who is
recovering from ankle surgery, while first-choice goalkeeper Roman
Berezovski is included despite lacking match fitness.

Tough task
Armenia have been drawn in qualifying Group 1 with the Czech
Republic, Netherlands, Romania, Finland and Andorra as well as F.Y.R.
Macedonia.

Armenia squad
Berezovski, Hambartsumyan, Hovsepyan, Dokhoyan, Vardanyan,
Kirakosyan, Tadevosyan, Nazaryan, Arakelyan, Sargsyan, Khachatryan, A
Petrosyan, Melikyan, Lazarian, Aleksanyan, Artavazd Karamyan,
Grigoryan, Hakobyan, Arman Karamyan, Movsisyan, Pachajyan, G
Petrosyan.

Ha’aretz, Israel
Aug 12 2004

Anti-Jewish feeling

The Lebanese Republic, to use the official name, is one of the few
countries in the world conceived partly as a political experiment: in
this case, to create a haven for religious and ethnic minorities in
its region. But while the main Lebanese Christian and Muslim blocs
are gingerly having a second go at coexistence, some of the smaller
of the 18 recognized groups are still being squeezed out. Armenians,
for example, and above all Lebanon’s Jews.

Of the 20,000 Jews who called Lebanon home for much of the 20th
century, only 73 remain today. Like other Lebanese, many Jews left to
escape the war, and later the ailing economy. Today, the ongoing
money troubles and rise of anti-Jewish feeling in the region keep the
emigres abroad and have driven the tiny community underground.

The many foreign names – Sephardic and Ashkenazi – on the coffins in
Beirut’s old Jewish graveyard bespeak the attraction Lebanon once
held for Jews persecuted elsewhere, notably in Nazi-controlled
Europe. After Israel’s creation in 1948, Jews from the surrounding
Arab countries poured into Lebanon, which became a relatively safe
alternative to either staying at home or immigrating to Israel. By
the mid-20th century they had congregated in the quarter of Wadi Abu
Jamil, in central Beirut, mixing amicably with Kurds, Shi’a and
Palestinians who arrived later. Even through the 1967 Six-Day War and
Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, the Jews insisted – as they do to
this day – they were Lebanese first and Jewish second. Like many
Jewish communities around the world, they specialized in trade, and
the few who remain in Lebanon have generally managed to keep their
businesses and commercial links intact. Some occasionally travel
abroad to visit family in France, Brazil and the United States.

Today Wadi Abu Jamil is mostly a vast expanse of gravel and empty
lots. It served as no-man’s land during the war, and the government
has since pulled down the ruins. The synagogue’s walls still stand,
but the floor is littered with debris and a jungle of plants grows up
through it. The roof lacks most of its tiles – ironically, an Israeli
gunboat blew them off in 1982, trying to hit PLO fighters holed up
nearby.

The Jews’ social and religious life has withered to nothing. Living
chiefly in East Beirut (and some of the wealthier ones on the
overlooking heights), they are just far enough from each other that
gathering for prayer is inconvenient. Anyway the nearest rabbi is in
Damascus. While he sends monthly shipments of kosher meat and bread,
he seldom actually comes to Lebanon. But the Jews still maintain
their community council, elected leaders who have guided them since
the old days, and who oversee the distribution of a monthly pension
to the community’s poor.

Many say it’s just as well to keep a low profile, with Hezbollah at
large and growing ever more influential. Its declared anti-Israeli
policy is as strident as ever, its loyal voters and seats in
parliament more numerous, and its militia autonomous enough to
recently bar the Lebanese minister of tourism from entering a
Hezbollah-held castle.

Jews worry that too many of their countrymen confuse Israel with
Judaism. It’s impossible to know if the Jews are really in any
physical danger but, warranted or not, they have withdrawn from
Lebanese society. In recent municipal elections, only one Jew turned
out to vote, and then only in conditions of partial secrecy.

They remember the rash of kidnappings in 1985, in which a group
linked to Hezbollah spirited away 11 leading members of the community
despite the Jews’ neutrality in the civil war. So far, only four
bodies have been recovered. More recently, they watched uneasily as
Hezbollah’s television station, Al-Manar, broadcast the
Syrian-produced series “Al-Shatat,” (“The Diaspora”), a recounting of
Jewish history from 1812 to 1948 in which sinister radical Zionists
plot to bake matzo with the blood of Christian children. Everyone
from newspaper pundits to the French Broadcasting Authority to the
American Embassy in Lebanon voiced their disgust. Meanwhile, Lebanese
publishers have issued new editions of “Mein Kampf” and “The
Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” both widely recognized as
anti-Jewish propaganda.

Few Lebanese are truly anti-Semitic, but most distrust Israel.
Officially everyone is expected to hate it, all contact with the
“Zionist entity” is strictly forbidden and the phone lines to Israel
are blocked (e-mail, of course, is happily unstoppable). Lebanese
resent Israel’s occupation of south Lebanon till 2000, and some
support the Palestinians. In the streets around the American
University of Beirut, in Hamra district, posters of the late Hamas
leader Ahmed Yassin appeared everywhere following his March 22
assassination. A month later he was papered over with the snarling
face of his successor, the hapless Abdel Aziz Rantisi. Every time the
Israel Defense Forces blows up a terror chief there is a jump in
poster sales in the Hamra shops.

Nonetheless, it’s easy for the casual visitor to assume all is well
in Lebanon. Broadly speaking, it is. After 15 years during which the
Lebanese’s world turned upside down, daily life is more or less back
to normal. Five people died in Hay al-Soulom; surely a dreadful loss,
but in Lebanon’s case also a vast improvement on the preceding
decades. The sun shines all day, the fireworks joyfully explode all
night, and the guests at the summer’s many weddings and suchlike are
increasingly of mixed religion.

But in a sense Lebanon’s war isn’t over. The guns have stopped, but
the country still hasn’t fully regained the freedoms, prosperity and
truly open society it enjoyed before 1975. From time to time some
sordid headline reminds us of this.

“We are a nation of schizophrenics,” one friend, a recent university
graduate, told me. “We have fun and enjoy life, but inside we know
this country’s in trouble.”

My friend was lamenting, but I think the Lebanese’s ability to
unabashedly revel in their country while acknowledging its problems
is a sign of strength. They are nothing if not resilient and, in
their boundless capacity for both business and pleasure, as
irrepressible as cats. My friend is a fairly typical young Lebanese,
at once distressed by his country’s hardships and convinced of its
deep worth. Often it is young people who call most loudly for the
political independence and economic reform Lebanon so badly needs for
“the good life” to become great again. There is a pervading sense
among Lebanese that Lebanon is being cheated of a prouder destiny;
that, like the endangered cedar adorning its flag, it is in peril and
yet mystically everlasting.

The Daily Star, Lebanon
Aug 12 2004

Lebanese students travel to Spain to raise awareness of Armenian
genocide
Youths gathered at annual festival use venue for open discussion

While agreement is not always achieved, openness and mutual respect
abound

By David Munir Nabti
Special to The Daily Star
Friday, August 13, 2004

BARCELONA, Spain: Close to 10,000 young people have gathered in
Barcelona for the 3rd World Youth Festival, holding intense
discussions on complex and controversial global events, interspersed
with friendly encounters, social gatherings and music and dancing
from around the world.

However, despite feelings of solidarity and cooperation that are
clearly evident among most of the young people participating in this
event, conflict and controversy is unavoidable at an event of this
size, populated with active, engaged and energetic young people from
all corners of the globe.

Taline Ladayan, a sociology student at Universite St. Esprit Kaslik
in Lebanon, is one of several Lebanese attending the Festival. Back
in Beirut, when she’s not engrossed in her studies, she works with
other Lebanese of Armenian descent to draw attention to the treatment
of Armenians in the early part of the 20th century, in the waning
years of the Ottoman Empire.

“We are trying to let the world know about the Armenian genocide,”
Ladayan explained. “We want Turkey to recognize the atrocities,
because that is a step closer to peace, to a peaceful world, and
making sure something like that doesn’t ever happen again.”

Ladayan came to Barcelona to help spread that message to young people
from other parts of the world, to try to build awareness and
understanding for a largely unknown situation, and to “help build a
world with more peace and justice.” Different perspectives and
challenging opinions, however, are a prevalent aspect of this
gathering.

Several Turkish youth took issue with some of the materials and
information that Ladayan and her group were distributing.

Esra and Sebnem, both 21 and studying at the Middle East Technical
University in Ankara, Turkey, were open to discussion and wanted to
explain their views, but did not want to give their last names.

Esra explained that she and her friend “are not nationalists and we
know that many bad things happened under the Ottomans, but we are
against the references to Turkey, the word genocide and the numbers
they are giving are really exaggerated,” referring to the statistic
of 1.5 million Armenians killed under Ottoman rule during World War I
in an effort to ethnically cleanse Armenians from the Ottoman empire.

Even more frustrating for Esra and Sebnem is the feeling that, as
Turkish people are trying to improve their country, the issue of the
treatment of Armenians in the past constantly hinders their movement.

“We do not deny our heritage, but whenever Turkey becomes more
qualified in the eyes of the global community,” Sebnem said,
“Armenians say that Turkish history is very bad. Turkey is then
denied any sort of advancement. These actions support the backward
attitudes in Turkey.”

Esra added that “in the process of joining the European Union many
things are changing, but many people cannot see that. Turkey has a
lot of problems, we do not deny this. We are not in the Middle East
and we are not in Europe. We are something different.

“Armenian people always say we are doing bad things, and we do not
have a strong lobby, we do not explain ourselves well,” she said.

Ladayan appreciated the frustration that Esra and Sebnem were
voicing, and again offered a suggestion as to how to resolve the
conflict.

“The long-standing conflict between Turkey and Armenians should end,”
Ladayan said. “Turkey should recognize and pay for the suffering they
caused, and then we can move on.”

After a heated discussion, Ladayan agreed to change her materials
referring to Turkey, and instead have them refer to the Ottoman
empire. Beyond that, however, they mostly agreed to disagree. The
encounter was positive, though.

Ladayan said she spoke with another Turkish participant earlier in
the day, and after their heated conversation, “We were nice to each
other. We were friends. We even shook hands at the end.”

Hovig Kouyoumdjian, another Lebanese student attending the Festival
and working with Ladayan, said these encounters are important, even
if most disagreements are not resolved on the spot. “I see in this
event the leaders of the future,” Kouyoumdjian said.

“Reconciliation starts in places like this. It is in the hearts and
minds of people.”

RIA Novosti, Russia
Aug 12 2004

KYRGYZSTAN MAY BECOME RUSSIA’S MAIN MILITARY-POLITICAL BASIS IN
CENTRAL ASIA

BISHKEK, August 12 (RIA Novosti) – Kyrgyzstan may become “the main
military-political basis for Russia in Central Asia,” declared Kyrgyz
foreign minister Askar Aitmatov.

He spoke on Thursday at the Russian aviation base in the Kyrgyz town
of Kant where he arrived to congratulate the Russian soldiers and
officers on their professional holiday – the Air Force Day.

The minister pointed to the importance of the Russian aviation base
in Kant and reported that the Kyrgyz foreign ministry had extended
its patronage to it.

According to Mr. Aitmatov, the opening of the aviation base in Kant
in October 2003 shows the allied nature of relations between
Kyrgyzstan and Russia and the striving of the two countries to make
the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) “the foundation
for ensuring security in Central Asia.”

(The CSTO includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia
and Tajikistan).

“The opening of the aviation base shows that we want to pool our
efforts in combating the common threats within the CSTO framework,”
the minister said.

He also stressed that the Rubezh-2004 exercises of the Collective
Rapid Deployment Force held on the territory of Kyrgyzstan in early
August demonstrated the resoluteness of the CSTO members to react to
any terrorists’ and extremists’ threats, and also showed up the
possibility of delivering pre-emptive blows.

There are about 15 military and military-transport planes and about
700 servicemen at the Russian aviation base in Kant.

The U.S. military base is located 30 km from Kant, in Manas. It
appeared in 2002 within the framework of the U.S.-led anti-terrorist
campaign in Afghanistan. At present approximately 25 planes and 2,000
U.S. servicemen are permanently deployed in Manas.