“THE RECONSTRUCTION OF SHUSHI IS ONE OF THE CONDITIONS OF THE
SETTLEMENT OF THE ARTSAKH PROBLEM,” REPRESENTATIVES OF “SHUSHI” FUND
EMPHASIZE
YEREVAN, July 30 (Noyan Tapan). “The Artsakh problem will remain
unsettled if Shushi isn’t reconstructed,” Sevak Artsruni, Executive
Director of the “Shushi” Fund, Chairman of the “Yerkir” (“Country”)
Union, said during the July 29 press conference. Bakur Karapetian,
Co-Chairman of the Fund, stressed that if 5-6,000 refugees from
Stepanakert and Baku lived in Shushi in 1994, the population of the
town makes only 3 thousand people now. Greguar Galust, other
Co-Chairman of the Fund, a representative of the Armenian Catholic
Community of Lebanon, noticed that there is colossal difference
between Stepanakert and Shushi now. Sevak Artsruni noticed that the
purpose of the Fund is to reconstruct the town, and a special program
is being elaborated for it. According to the Executive Director of the
Fund, during his meeting with NKR President Arkady Ghoukassian the
latter reported that 100 mln dollars are necessary for the
reconstruction of Shushi. The budgets of Armenia and Karabakh can’t
allow such a sum. That’s why the Fund hopes for the Diaspora’s
support. After preparing the program on Shushi reconstruction, the
Fund will submit it to the Diaspora for the receiving of financial
support. Bakur Karapetian reported that last year 324 monuments were
registered in the territory of the town by the Fund established in
2001. Archeologists discovered 200 graves of the Bronze and the Middle
Ages in the territory of Shushi Plateau. According to Bakur
Karapetian, the researches showed that the history of Shushi goes back
to the 8th century B.C. The Fund registered, photographed and noted in
the maps above 500 monuments. The next stage includes the evaluation
of the state of monuments after which zonation will be carried out for
their preservation.

YOUTH DEPARTMENT OF CATHOLICOSATE OF GREAT CILICIAN HOUSE ORGANIZES
LECTURE DEDICATED TO STRUGGLE AGAINST DRUG ADDICTION
ANTELIAS, July 30 (Noyan Tapan). The Youth Department of the
Catholicosate of the Great Cilician House started the initiative
dedicated to struggle against drug addiction. The first arrangement
entitled “To Know and Prevent Drug Addiction” was recently held at the
“Hakob Ter-Melkonian” hall of Burge Hamud, it was sponsored by Bishop
Gegham Khacherian, Head of the Armenian Diocese of Lebanon, and was
presided over by Minister of Youth Affairs and Physical Training of
Lebanon Sepuh Hovnanian. Father Geghard Kyusbeghian, executive of the
Youth Department of the Catholicosate of the Great Cilician House,
stressed the importance of the increase of the self-consciousness of
the people to drug addiction and similar social acts. A documentary on
damages caused by drug addiction was shown after the speech of the
father. This film provides information about different types of drugs
and damages caused by them to the people’s organizm and their mental
world. The section of lectures followed the show of the
film. According to the press divan of the Catholicosate of the Great
Cilician House, the Youth Department of the Catholicosate will come up
again with new initiatives within the framework of struggle against
drug addiction in the near future.

armenianow.com
July 30, 2004
River Beds: Avan Dzoraget puts guests in the center of nature
By John Hughes
ArmeniaNow reporter
Five months before the latest Tufenkian Heritage Hotel was ready to
receive guests, its Yerevan office was already getting requests for
lodging.
“By February, we were getting emails and phone calls already making
reservations,” says Tufenkian public relations spokeswoman Lilit Hakobyan.
In fact, the Avan Dzoraget is not expected to officially open until
mid-October. Still, it has been receiving guests since the first of July –
visitors who indulge the finishing touches of construction for a chance to
overnight in unique lodging.
A river runs through it
Tucked snuggly into the side of a mountain in the picturesque region of
Lori, Avan Dzoraget enjoys the reputation of its sister Heritage Hotel in
Tsapatagh, on Lake Sevan.
But except for their shared consistency of quality, the hotels could hardly
be compared.
“If we have the spectacular view in Lake Sevan, here, we are in the gorge
and it is completely different,” Hakobyan says.
And completely complementary to Dzoraget’s mountainous environment.
Carefully chosen to blend with nature, Avan Dzoraget’s large-stone gray
façade could camouflage into its companion hillside, except for the
trademark Tufenkian clay-colored tile roof alerting passersby on the main
road to Tbilisi.
The hotel has 34 rooms (the same number as Marag Tsapatagh) and hugs a bend
in the Debed River on what used to be a football field. It is also in front
of residences that house former workers of a nearby hydroelectric plant.
Hakobyan said Tufenkian staff was initially concerned about blocking
villagers’ river view by putting up the hotel. But, prior to starting
construction two years ago, owner James Tufenkian held meetings with
villagers, who consented to the location – especially since it brings 55
jobs, only two of which went to employees from Yerevan.
“The location of the hotel fits our overall concept of being in places that
were historical crossroads,” Hakobyan says.
Just about 30 kilometers from the Georgia border, the company hopes to
attract Tbilisi-Yerevan travelers (and is even considering expanding the
restaurant’s all-Armenian menu to include some Georgian dishes). The capital
cities connection (with constant meetings between internationals in Tbilisi
and Yerevan) might also have been behind the thinking of including an
80-person conference hall as part of Avan Dzoraget.
Dzoraget is the third (there’s also Avan Villa in Yerevan) of a five-hotel,
$11 million project Tufenkian () launched three years ago. A
fourth hotel is planned for Areni and a fifth, also in Tsapatagh.
The hotel’s market strategy is to offer luxury accommodations in an
unexpected location. And, even though new and old guest houses are scattered
throughout Lori, the latest addition is an anomaly.
Rough nature and classy comfort
“At first, locals didn’t understand our concept,” Hakobyan says. “They didn’
t understand why the hotels were located so far (about three hours in the
case of Dzoraget) from Yerevan.
“But eventually they started taking visiting Diaspora there and then started
visiting, themselves.”
The result for the hotel project has been a 60 percent occupancy in the
first year of business for the facility in Tsapatagh “even in the winter”,
Hakobyan says.
When it officially opens in October, Dzoraget is expected to include a
swimming pool, sauna, basketball, football, tennis and a bar located in an
old bomb shelter. Already, though, its 70-seat restaurant has been
functioning since June. Hakobyan says distant plans call for a 150-seat
restaurant that will be located in a building separate from the hotel.
Consistent with the two other hotels, Dzoraget rooms feature distinct
furnishings designed by the owner, using natural materials found in Armenia.
Included are hand-made bed linens, and carpets produced by the Tufenkian rug
factory, its first Armenian enterprise.
Room rates (including VAT and breakfast) are from $58.80 to $142.80.

Woman, 27, is latest victim of attacks on Russian journalists
The Independent – United Kingdom;
Jul 31, 2004
Andrew Osborn in Moscow

NATALIA ROMANOVA, a well-respected financial journalist at the weekly
Russian business magazine Company, had just walked into the stairwell
of her apartment inn Moscow with her day’s shopping when an attacker
struck.
The man waiting for her said nothing, stole nothing and betrayed no
emotion. Instead, he silently administered a savage beating to the
27-year-old reporter, repeatedly punching her in the face and head. He
left her body crumpled on the floor, her face a bloodied mess. She is
still in hospital today.
Police have opened a criminal investigation into Wednesday’s attack,
made public yesterday, but Ms Romanova’s colleagues think they know
why she was beaten so viciously. Her attack, they suspect, is the
latest in a long line of assaults, some of which end in death, on
Russia’s beleaguered journalistic community.
Earlier this month, Paul Klebnikov, the American-born editor of the
Russian edition of Forbes magazine, was murdered and the corpse of an
Armenian journalist, Paul Peloyan, was found dumped on Moscow’s outer
ring road.
Sixteen journalists have lost their lives in dubious circumstances in
Russia since 2000. Police in St Petersburg are currently searching for
Maxim Maximov, an investigative reporter who has been missing for over
a month.
Ms Romanova’s boss and chief editor, Andrei Grigoriev, believes she
was targeted because she wrote something that offended someone in
Russia’s powerful and often shadowy business world.
“In almost every issue, we carry something about business conflicts,
about the struggle for some kind of new market, about a clash of
interests,” he said yesterday. “I’m fairly certain the attack was
linked to her work. It could be simple hooliganism but it seems
unlikely.”
Ms Romanova was holding a purse, keys and an expensive mobile phone
when she was attacked, but nothing was taken.
Mr Grigoriev says it is difficult to say which article might have
triggered the attack but notes that the magazine has covered the
recent banking crisis in Russia a lot and that the sector is “under
real strain”.
“Sometimes you can write something that looks innocent but which has
serious and decisive implications for somebody else. You just never
know.”
Although Mr Grigoriev says Russia’s journalists are not panicking yet,
he says the situation is worrying. “Journalists have been beaten and
killed before, in the 1990s, but it appears to be starting again.”

armenianow.com
July 30, 2004
Vacation Armenian Style: Up on ” Miracle Mountain”
By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow reporter
“From the top of Azhdahak the world has a completely different picture. It’s
there where you feel the kind of wind which evokes unusual feelings in your
soul and prepares you to fly with it. You look at it and imagine how the
volcano erupted. Only from that height one can notice the flawless work of
nature.”
Fifty-five year old Gegham Harutyunyan of the village of Geghard is not a
poet, but speaks poetically about his mountain home.
Gegham lives in a village in the highlands,1,900 meters above sea level. But
he is used to even higher territories since he is the man everyone comes to
if they want to go up to the mountains.
For Armenian vacationers Gegham is a guide to that “flawless work of nature”
. He knows the territory by heart. He says he spent his life wearing out
those mountains.
Small lakes add to the mountain’s magic
The road to Azhdahak, the highest peak of Geghama mountain range, goes right
through the village where Gegham lives. Before going up the next day, the
famous village guide draws the approximate route on a paper. On a table he
lays out a physical map of Armenia and explains in details the disposition
of the ranges. Then he calls the principal of the village school Vigen
Taroyan since only his “Vilis” car can make that road.
In order to go up to the mountains one has to wake up early in the morning
when village roosters start crowing between night and dawn. Gegham’s wife
gives home made cheese and lavash to eat on the way. Gegham doesn’t forget
to take several bottles of Armenian beer. He says all of it tastes
differently in the mountains.
The road up Geghama is difficult. Vigen always warns to hold on and sit
firmly. Passing the rocky roads the “Vilis” drives higher with difficulty.
In some places some place one has to walk.
“Last time I escorted like this a group from Moscow to Azhdahak. There were
about 10 people. They were riding bicycles. They also had a small map. They
got to Azhdahak, saw the Vanki Lake and from there they passed through
mountains to Martuni, then they were to go up the Selim mountain pass and
down to Yeghegnadzor. They were circling around Armenia,” tells Gegham.
In the mountains there’s a whole parade of wildflowers. Different kinds of
flowers grow at the bottom, but the higher you go the more they gradually
disappear. The foot of every mountain is covered with only one special kind
of flower which you won’t come across on another height. From higher above
fields of flowers are like multicolored blankets dressing the foothills.
Vigen’s brother, Vahagn Taroyan, who is a historian, says, “The higher you
are, the colder the air is and they cannot sustain that climate. No flowers
ever grow on slopes of Azhdahak.”
In the mountains one can also come across yaylavors (Yezidis, who take
cattle to the mountains and live there during the summer). Gegham says
pastures here provide wonderful conditions for cattle. Shepards’ dogs with
shortened ears run towards the car and keep on barking.
“Their ears are long and when covered their hearing becomes worse. They cut
them so that the dogs can hear better. Some say it is so they can avoid
being bitten by wild animals. They control the cattle so that especially at
night wolves don’t get them,” says Vahagnn.
Several months during the year Yezidis’ tents break the mountains’ solitude.
They go up to the mountains with their families and for a while they live
isolated from the world, but merged with the nature.
History rocks
Towards the West next to Azhdahak is the Paytasar ( Horseshoe Mountain),
which gets its name by its shape.
“There are two Paytasars, a big one and a small one. Water always collects
on the small one, they are volcanic cones, meaning small lakes on mountain
peaks,” explains Gegham.
At the bottom of Paytasar there’s the tent of a Yezidi sheikh. Here, they
know well the guide of Geghard. One of the Yezidi women treats the hikers
with newly made lavash, and even the bread has a different taste in the
mountains. The air is so cold that a person must constantly move to stay
warm.
At the bottom of Paytasar is found a pile of black stones, petroglyphs (rock
carvings).
“We call those ‘chngli stones’. These stones are covered with black color,
traces of volcanic lava, so if you scratch the stone you can see the basalt
underneath,” says Gegham.
He thinks petroglyphs are similar to observatories on which ancient people
depicted whatever they saw in the sky, constellations of Libra, the Great
Bear. Gegham says he has brought many people to show them the petroglyphs.
Years ago a professor from Warsaw University came here and Gegham took her
near Naltapa, which is farther and there are bigger “chnglis” there. Last
year he brought members of the Archeology Institute here.
The petroglyphs include hunting scenes, deer and sheep.
“Now there aren’t so many different animals in this area. Supposedly, once,
in these very areas in warm and damp conditions of the land there were
forests, rich with various animals. Otherwise, people wouldn’t simply come
here to make petroglyphs,” says Vahagn.
He also tells how last summer they brought here a tourist from Egypt to the
mountain site.
“Her name was Hurik, she was Egyptian Armenian, an archeologist. I don’t
even know where she found out about those petroglyphs. She came, took
pictures in one day and then went back,” says Vahagn.
Ahead is Azhdahak, surrounded with many mountains. Their peaks are embracing
the grey and white clouds. In some places one can notice large layers of
snow that rebel against the warm summer weather.
The old name of Azhdahak is Gzldagh. It is the third highest peak in Armenia
after Aragats and Kapuit Jugh (in Zangezur). The mountain is cone shaped and
is 3,598 meters high. On the north side of the peak starts the Gavaraget
river. The ascent towards Azhdahak is rather hard. It stars raining.
“We look at the neighboring mountains bottom-up, but from the top of
Azhdahak we look at them top-down. From that height one can see the small
natural lakes on mountain peaks. It’s an indescribable view,” Gegham says.
The weather is getting worse. The ascending has to stop for a while. Gegham
describes the lake on the top of Azhdahak.
“The mountain is an extinguished volcano. And the lake atop it covers 2
hectares and is rather deep. The ice on the western side melts very late,
meaning there’s ice almost throughout the year. It melts late July or early
August.”
He says that on the left to Azhdahak on the top of one of the mountains
there’s another natural lake which is called Kani Gyol and which melts more.
During Soviet years there was also a weather station there.
At the bottom of Azhdahak there are 10 dragon-stones. Dragon-stones are
pagan stones which for ancient Armenians symbolized the God of Water in the
shape of a fish. Vahagn says dragon-stones are evidence that in this area
there were old settlements where dragon-stones were carved.
“When they came from the Archeology Institute in autumn, they never managed
to figure out more clearly what century it belongs to,” adds Gegham.
Shepherds make temporary homes
Many years ago Gegham went there with architect Sahinyan who did the
reconstruction of Garni temple. The architect tells him that dragon-stones
are even older than Urartu kingdom and have a history of 4-5,000 years.
During Soviet years Gegham took one of those dragon-stones to his office and
put it in a pool. However, someone betrayed him.
“Some police came and took me. It’s an old story. Now, that very
dragon-stone is in the pool next to Aragast cafe,” he says.
An artificial reservoir built during Urartu kingdom (which reached back to
at least 9 th century BC) is also situated at the bottom of Azhdahak. After
adopting Christianity Geghard Monestary took the lake under its control that
is why until today it is called the Vank Lake.
“The waters of Vank Lake irrigating Garni fields reach ‘Tokhmakh Gyol’ (a
territory in Yerevan) and from there to Dalma Gardens. The Lake is filled
with water of the melted snow in the mountains,” says Gegham.
Next, trekkers can see Spitakasar (White Mountain) which is completely from
obsidian. Vahagn says they also often call that stone”Satan’s Nail”. A
little bit aside there’s the Karmir Sar (Red Mountain) which is 3,000 meters
high. On the top of Karmir Sar there’s also a wonderful lake. Gegham says he
went up there with his wife. They call it Red since it consists of volcanic
slag. On the other side of the mountains is the Gegharkunik region.
Seven springs start from this area. The biggest of them is called Shah
Bulakh, which in Armenian means Spring of Shah.
A little bit above from the western shore of the Vank Lake there are the
tombs of Assyrian kings, which are scientifically proved. According to
Gegham, in 1980s employees of the National Academy of Sciences came and did
serious studies.
“These are round stones, a little high. It’s several of them, not one. They
said these are Assyrian, since before Assyrians have been reigning in
Armenia for centuries,” he explains.
The road back to the village is easier. The “Vilis” descends easier. Gegham
stops it somewhere in the mountains and shows a place like a cave and says
that it’s a natural refrigerator.
“There’s no water, once there used to be a spring here, which dried out. Now
there’s simply a draft, which makes the air even colder.”
He places the beer bottles right there and only thirty minutes later it’s
ready for drinking.
It’s a pity the weather wasn’t good enough. The whole of Armenia is seen
from that height, Lake Sevan on one hand, Ararat valley and Yeghegnadzor on
the other. In a word, on the top of Azhdahak you interact with the real
miracle of life,” says Gegham.

Armenian court sentences Azeri spy ring – web site
Iravunk web site, Yerevan
30 Jul 04
Text of A. Minasyan report by Armenian newspaper Iravunk web site on
30 July headlined “What ‘Argo’, ‘Lilo’, ‘Tokio’ and ‘Dzhoni’ were
doing in Armenia”
On Monday, 19 July, the court of appeal of the Republic of Armenia
imposed a sentence on a group of individuals who were accused of
spying, leaving unchanged the decision of the first-instance courts of
the communities of Tsentr and Nor-Marash of the city of Yerevan. The
court hearings have been held at these courts since 2003. The
first-instance court, headed by chairwoman Gayane Karakhanyan, imposed
a sentence on the group of individuals who were involved in spying
against Armenia, according to which the head of the group, Nina
Shilina, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, member of the group
Edgar Filkov – to 13 years in prison, Ivetta Filkova and Aleksandr
Gasparyan – to 10 years, and Artur Oganesov – to one year and a half.
According to the bill of indictment, Nina Shilina, born in 1949 in the
village of Ola in Magadan Region of the Russian Federation, moved to
the town of Dzhermuk in the Republic of Armenia for permanent
residence on 12 May 1988. In February 1993, she was recruited by the
staffers of the Azerbaijani Interior Ministry department for the fight
against Armenian terrorism. After agreeing to cooperate with them, she
was instructed to carry out sabotage and intelligence activities in
Armenia.
In 1993, she was instructed by Alakbar Ismailov to carry out an act of
sabotage together with a person named Rafik, who spoke fluent
Armenian, in the Erebuni hotel in Yerevan. In May, she travelled from
Baku to Tbilisi and thence to Yerevan, carrying two factory-sealed
cans of the Turkish-made margarine Can. Each of the cans contained
the explosive substance TNT, 15 kg in total, 200- and 400-gram
explosive devices and other factory-made mechanisms which were
attached with wires to a vacuum cleaner that she also brought with
her. Explosive devices were also installed in two Slava
wrist-watches. On the same day, they arrived in the Erebuni hotel by a
Moskvich taxi, introduced themselves as an Armenian couple who had
come from the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation, and asked
for a room. They were given room 313 on the third floor.
Two days later, after Rafik, with Nina’s help, planted explosive
devices in a sofa and wound the watch, they secretly disappeared from
the hotel and went back to Baku. The explosion did not take place for
reasons beyond their control. After that, Nina was instructed to
gather information about the social, economic and political situation
in Armenia, for which reason she visited Armenia a few times before
Spring 1994, gathered the requested information and reported it to
Alakbar Ismailov.
In 1995, Ismailov recommended that Shilina should be recruited by the
staffers of the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry Intelligence
Department. She chose the nickname “Argo” and was instructed to gather
military and other information, including on the number of troops in
the army units stationed in the Republic of Armenia and Republic of
Nagornyy Karabakh, the number of officers in them and their technical
equipment. From 1995 to 1997, she would regularly visit Armenia,
gather military and other information and go back to Baku. Since 1997
she had been living in the town of Yekhegnadzor in the Republic of
Armenia, and reported different kinds of information till the day of
her arrest on 6 August 2002.
Incidentally, she also collected military information from Artur
Oganesov, who was also sentenced to imprisonment. He worked at the
operations department of the Staff of the Armenian Defence Ministry
with the rank of lieutenant-colonel in 2000-2001. Oganesov kept
records which included data on the organizational structure of the
army units stationed in the Republics of Armenia and Republic of
Nagornyy Karabakh, about codenames and actual names of the military
units, phone numbers. Shilina became close to Oganesov’s wife, managed
to gain for herself free access to their apartment, and reported
classified records to the Azeris. She was paid 150-300 US dollars for
each piece of information by the secret services.
The others sentenced – Ivetta Filkova, alias “Lilo”, Edgar Filkov,
alias “Dzhoni” and Aleksandr Gasparyan, alias “Tokio” – received
instructions from the Azerbaijani special services via Shilina.
[signed] A. Minasyan

Armenia: Political struggle ahead of parliamentary elections eyed
Iravunk web site, Yerevan
30 Jul 04
Text of Armen Arakelyan report by Armenian news agency Iravunk web
site on 30 July headlined “Summer sun with flavour of political
speculation”
The opposition has gone on holiday, with the possible exception of the
leader of the People’s Party of Armenia, Stepan Demirchyan, who is
visiting the USA and meeting with state officials and the Armenian
diaspora. President Robert Kocharyan has gone on a 10-day holiday as
well. Nonetheless, internal political processes do continue, albeit in
a hidden form.
Naturally, the summer holidays do not hinder the intrigues within the
pyramid of power at all. For example, according to some reports,
presidential adviser [on security issues] Garnik Isagulyan, together
with other influential officials, is waging an “office war” with the
top presidential aide [state legal adviser Artavazd Gevorkyan]. Rumour
has it that the president was displeased with his top aide when “good
people” told him about some personnel intrigues of A. Gevorkyan, of
which fact, naturally, the ” almighty” aide’s ill-wishers immediately
took advantage.
The policy of “dumping” compromising materials [Russian: sliv
kompromatov] is being implemented quite actively as well. Statesmen
use this technology to snitch on one another via the press, calling
one another the organizers of stock exchange manipulations which
resulted in dramatic fluctuations in the dollar exchange
rate. Allegations about the 27 October 1999 terrorist act have been
renewed again at the level of rumours and “dumping”, and someone
purposefully whispers into journalists’ ears [as published] piquant
details about the role of different quite influential and high-level
persons in that crime. However, no-one can guarantee the reliability
of these “details”, but who knowsý
Of course, the greatest number of rumours in Armenia are about
imminent personnel changes. There is talk that the president intends
to sack a number of unpopular ministers and thereby upset the
coalition balance. If this happens, instability in parliament will
become inevitable.
Incidentally, the discussion on the draft electoral code and rumours
about the possible dissolution of parliament were launched almost
simultaneously.In the Armenian political reality, the electoral law is
usually changed a few months before the elections, so that it meets
the requirements of different political or other groups. It follows,
therefore, that the urgent summer discussions about the electoral code
mean that the president intends to do something.
In particular, among the suggested changes is the mandatory
resignation of the executive branch before the candidates for the
parliamentary elections are nominated. This means that any minister
who runs in the elections will be deprived of his own administrative
resources and will be forced to rely solely on the administrative
resources of the president.
All in all, changes gather head during the summer holidays, and they
might change substantially the arrangement of political forces before
the autumn political battles.
[signed] Armen Arakelyan

Gulf News
July 30 2004
Lebanon: Mosaic of the region
Saad Al Ajmi

Special to Gulf News

Lebanon is the “melting pot” of regional politics. The recipe for the
politics of the region is either taken from Lebanon or is contributed
to by Lebanon. In Lebanon you find all regional political players
present: the Syrians, the Iranians, the Americans, the French, the
Palestinians, the Kurds, the Gulfies, and even the Israelis in some
form or another.
Lebanon is a beautifully bizarre mélange – Muslims, Christians, and
even Jews are present. The latter, though, are very few. Even the
various sects of the major religions are present – Sunni, Shiite and
Druze Muslims, and Catholic, Orthodox and the predominant Maronite
Christians. Numerous ethnic groups are present – Arabs, Kurds,
Iranians, and even Armenians. Burj Hammoud, a neighbourhood of Beirut
is dubbed “little Armenia”.
As for politics, it is more diverse than anything else, with active
groups of pan-Arabists, Communists, Baathists, and socialists. Within
the Shiite community, two are more dominant than others – the Amal
and the Hezbollah. Within the Christians, the Phalange Party is the
largest.
All political parties in Lebanon are said to have outside
connections. Thus Hezbollah is said to be financed by Iran, Amal is
supported by Syria and the Phalange have European and American
sympathy and so on. You go to the south of Beirut and banners of
“martyrs” of Hezbollah are everywhere.
Pictures are indicative of your location in Lebanon. In Amal areas,
pictures of the founder of the Shiite movement, Mousa Al Sadr,
confront you. Al Sadr disappeared in Libya after a visit in 1978.
Pictures of the late Ayatollah Khomeini – leader of the Islamic
Revolution in Iran – and pictures of the current Iranian spiritual
leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenie and Iranian president Mohammad Khatami
are all over the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Pictures of late Syrian President Hafez Al Assad and his son, Bashar,
the current president, can be seen, but not as much as a few years
back. In the mountains of Lebanon, just a few minutes drive from the
capital, pictures of late Druze leader and founder of the Progressive
Socialist Party, Kamal Jumblatt compete with the ad banners of
concerts and festivals of the summer. Jumblatt was assassinated in
1977. No one says who assassinated him.
Israeli occupation
In East Beirut, the pictures of the Bashir Gemayel spring up with a
slogan: “Bashir lives in us”. Bashir was assassinated hours after he
was “chosen” president in September 1982, when the country was
occupied by Israel. The Israelis invaded Lebanon in June 1982. Ariel
Sharon was the Defence Minister who led the invasion, dubbed by the
Israelis as “Operation Peace for the Galilee”.
After three months of the siege of Beirut and constant bombardment,
then American president Ronald Reagan described it as a holocaust. In
a telephone conversation with then Israeli Prime Minister Menachem
Begin he pleaded for stopping the attack. Sharon succeeded in driving
the Palestine Liberation Organisation, PLO, out of Lebanon.
The massacres at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps were committed
just hours after the assassination of Bashir. Elie Hobeika, widely
thought to have been the leader of the Phalange who committed the
atrocity at Sabra and Shatila, was also assassinated two years ago in
Lebanon in a car bomb attack.
As in the case of Jumblatt, no one says who assassinated Bashir
before he was sworn in as president. Nor does anyone say who
assassinated Hobeika. Most recently, huge billboards featuring
pictures of the Saudi prince Al Waleed bin Talal have sprung up, with
inscriptions that read: “Lebanon awaits Al Waleed impatiently”.
A multi-billionaire, Al Waleed is the nephew of King Fahd bin
Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia and is said to be aiming at becoming
Lebanon’s next Prime Minister. His mother is Lebanese and he enjoys
dual citizenship.
Incidentally, the current Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafiq Hariri, is a
dual citizen of Saudi Arabia. It is no secret that for anyone to hold
an official post in Lebanon, however small, Syrian consent is
required.
Thousands of tourists pour into Lebanon each year from all over the
world. Last year’s count was half a million tourists from the Gulf
and thousands more from other parts of the world.
Many Arabs are returning to Lebanon, once known as “Switzerland of
the East” and so are many Lebanese, who live all over the world.
Arabs, who are carefully scrutinised in Western airports after 9/11,
find Lebanon a more hospitable respite.
Millions of Lebanese are thought to be living in Latin America alone.
The Lebanese exodus has also had many success stories. The Lebanese
are adaptable, easy-going and hardworking people. No Arab emigrants
have achieved as much success as they have. In the US, they have
become senators.
Twice presidential hopeful Ralph Nader, and a former American
vice-president are of Lebanese descent. Not only in politics, but
even in show business and fashion Lebanese emigrants have made great
strides: the singer Shakira, actress Salma Hayek and fashion tycoon
Eli Saab to name just a few.
Business oriented
The Lebanese have strong, business-oriented minds. In diamond trading
and industry in South Africa, Holland and Belgium, they are second
only to the Jews. Perhaps, sometimes the Jews are second to them.
Lebanon has everything a tourist seeks: mosques, churches, beaches,
discos, bars, a variety of food, and most importantly, beautiful
scenery and Mediterranean weather. Scars of the vicious and hapless
civil war that destroyed the country for 15 years from 1975-1990 are
still visible, though.
In Lebanon, one may be in Beirut where the weather is perfectly humid
and warm for the beach.
A few minutes drive up Mount Lebanon and one finds cool weather and
mountain air. One may even ski in any of the ski resorts in Faraya
and Sofer. All tourist services are presented with efficiency,
professionalism and a cordial attitude. Lebanon is truly a very
hospitable country.
If you want to see the riches of the Middle East, the diversity of
its cultures, the hospitality of its people, you must go to Lebanon.
Dr. Saad Al Ajmi is a former Minister of Information in Kuwait, an
academic and analyst. He can be contacted at [email protected]

armenianow.com
July 30, 2004
Vacation Armenian Style: Living the dacha life
By Julia Hakobyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
For more than 20 years summer holiday has meant a cottage in Karashamb for
the Stepanyan family of Yerevan.
The family stays in the village almost every weekend in summer, enjoying the
pure mountainous air and the coolness of a fruit garden, where the hammock,
swimming pool and a brazier for barbeque provide a break from the working
week.
Dachaland
“Most of all we enjoy the gardening,” says Areg Stepanyan, 35 “and relaxing
taking care of fruit trees and flowers.”
The story of the family dacha, (as Armenians call the summer cottages) goes
back to Soviet times, when in 1983 Areg’s father Vigen Stepanyan, got a plot
of land in the unsettled area of Karashamb, 35 kilometers north of Yerevan
in the Kotayk region. Stepanyan, an employee of the Yerevan Computer
Research and Development Institute was granted land for building summer
houses along with 500 other employees of their Institute. Despite the area
was bare and rocky the families decided to convert the desert into a cozy
spot of comfort.
Dachas are built in all regions of Armenia and many Armenians are fond of
spending weekends far from the noisy and dusty city during the hot summer
season. Some come for fresh air, others for weekend parties, and others,
like the Stepanyans, for gardening.
The seasonal homes are as diverse as the occupants and range from sparse,
modest hovels to luxurious Western-styled villas.
Dacha season starts with the first warmth of summer and concludes with the
return of school and the cool breaths of Autumn.
“It is hard to believe than some 20 years ago nothing looked like it does
here today,” Areg says. “And it’s hard to believe that we made the stones
bloom.”
Areg was 14 when he saw the area of future summer residences. “It was a huge
trench surrounded by mountains, where there was no water, no soil, and even
the weeds hardly made a way to grow.”
Too much harvest for one family
It took the Stepanyans and other families some 10 years to build houses and
lay out gardens.
Today the area where the academicians breathed life into desert is
captivating and every weekend from the two-storied wide-roofed houses buried
in verdures are heard the joyful voices of people inspired by their
mini-holidays.
“Some people come to dacha only for barbeque, but not us,” Areg says. “We
love gardening and come here for gardening. My late father put so much
effort in each tree that gardening is now rather a family tradition.”
In summer season Areg, his family, his sister’s family and their mother come
to the dacha each weekend, and each week they leave it with buckets full of
cherries, apricots, peach, currants, and other fruits.
“We can buy it all from the market, but it is so much pleasure eating fruits
from your own tree,” says Areg’s mother Sonya.
The Stepanyans say that a harvest from a garden of 500 sq. m. is too much
for both families even after they make jams for winter and they gladly give
the fruits to their neighbors and friends.
We often invite our friends to spend a night or two in the dacha. When our
guests learn that we have a big garden and apart from having fun have to
take care of it many say ‘Oh, no, do we have to work too? We don’t like
gardening.’ But once they enter a garden they start to work,” says Sonya.
“Some see the dry trees and want to water them; others see branches cracking
with fruit. They confess that gardening is really a relaxing procedure and
it makes people feel very close to nature.”
From: Baghdasarian

RIA Novosti, Russia
July 30 2004
ARMENIA SEEKING EU MEMBERSHIP
YEREVAN, July 30 (RIA Novosti) – Membership in the European Union is
a strategic goal of Armenia’s foreign policy, Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan said in an interview for the French magazine Politique
Internationale.
In Mr. Oskanyan’s opinion, all countries of the South Caucasus are
seeking to integrate into the European Union. “We really want to
become part of the union to live side-by side with the other
twenty-five EU member states, keeping in mind that we still have a
long way to go,” he pointed out.
To the Armenians, integration into the EU is of particular
importance, as they see it as a return to the ancestral civilization
from where their nation emerged, Mr. Oskanyan said.
Speaking of the prospect of Turkey’s accession, the Armenian Foreign
Minister said it was a universally recognized fact that that country
could not join the European Union right away as it falls short of the
EU standards. It will take the Turks ten to fifteen years to effect
reforms that will enable them to meet admission requirements.