(Reprinted from “UCLA College Report” — a showcase of the people and
programs in the UCLA College of Letters and Science.)
Remembering the Voices
New social science approaches to studying ethnically-based oppression
and atrocities yield important insights about inhumanity and the
tenacity of the human spirit.
By Robin Heffler
UCLA drew worldwide attention this spring when the university
established the first endowed academic chair to focus on the World War
II internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans and their campaign to gain
redress. But the George and Sakaye Aratani Chair on the Japanese
American Internment, Redress and Community is only the latest example
of UCLA’s strength in scholarship that aims to shed new light on
ethnically-based human oppression and atrocities.
In the UCLA College, the work of UCLA scholars across a number of
disciplines in the social sciences spans the Armenian Genocide of
1915, the Holocaust of World War II, and examples of “ethnic
cleansing,” sexual crimes against women, forced segregation, and
coerced assimilation over the last several centuries.
Some of the College’s most prominent faculty members received
acclaim-not to mention furthered truth and justice-by taking fresh
approaches to research and presenting new insights into these horrific
chapters in modern history.
“These faculty are among many in the College whose work has led to a
better understanding of inhumanity-scholarship that helps to create an
appreciation of how to work toward a more humane and compassionate
world,” said Scott Waugh, dean of Social Sciences.
Richard Hovannisian: Speaking for Victims of the Armenian Genocide
Growing up in a small farming community in Central California during
the 1930s and ’40s, Richard G. Hovannisian, the Armenian Education
Foundation Professor of Modern Armenian History, didn’t feel much of a
connection to his Armenian heritage. But he did take notice of those
who had survived the 1915 genocide of 1.5-million fellow Armenians at
the hands of the Turks during World War I.
“Most survivors of the genocide didn’t speak about their past, but it
was always there,” said Hovannisian, who was an initiator of Armenian
studies at UCLA in the 1960s and is widely honored in the Armenian
community for his work. “At the same time, the Turkish government was
continuing to deny it, thus denying their suffering. As one in the
field of studying the oppressed, whose voices have not been heard, or
can’t be, and need others to speak for them, I feel obliged to do so.”
Hovannisian, an emeritus professor of history, began his research with
an oral history project that now consists of 800 interviews, mostly in
the Armenian language, that are being transcribed into English. By
comparing stories of people who came from different regions,
Hovannisian was able to confirm the genocide and see the coordinated
efforts of the perpetrators.
“The genocide was a double loss because it was not only the
extermination of people,” he said, “but loss of land where they had
lived for 3,000 years with the cultural institutions they had built.”
Hovannisian’s latest book, Looking Backward, Moving Forward:
Confronting the Armenian Genocide, makes the point that survivors are
“prevented from freely moving forward because they are forced to spend
so much energy on getting recognition for an event that others are
trying to deny or forget. To be remembered, the genocide has to be
made a part of universal history and collective human memory much like
the Holocaust has become.”
Saul Friedlander: The Holocaust-Setting the Record Straight
Saul Friedlander was seven years old when he fled from his native
Czechoslovakia to France with his Jewish parents after Hitler began
invading Europe. With the German occupation of France, his parents
placed him in a French Catholic monastery and tried to escape to
Switzerland, but they were shipped to the Auschwitz concentration camp
and never seen again.
In his 1979 memoir, Friedlander, a professor of history who now holds
the 1939 Club Chair in Holocaust Studies, recalled how at age 13 he
first understood his parents’ fate when a Jesuit priest told him about
what had been happening to the Jews of Europe, including those who
were gassed and cremated at Auschwitz.
“That changed my whole life, and in a way, my Jewish identity was
restored,” said Friedlander, who had embraced Catholicism and was
thinking of becoming a priest. It also began a nearly 40-year career
in Holocaust research out of a “desire to preserve and set the record
straight.”
Digging through German laws, police reports, films, and personal
recollections, Friedlander has documented one anti-Jewish Nazi measure
after another, beginning in 1933. Looking at why so many were silent
in the face of a “systematic policy of segregation and persecution,”
he concluded that Germany’s largely middle-class, educated population
saw the treatment of Jews as a “peripheral issue” during a time of
economic prosperity and growing international power.
Among Friedlander’s books is Nazi Germany and the Jews, Volume 1: The
Years of Persecution, 1933-1939. A winner of a MacArthur Foundation
Award in 1999, he is using the proceeds from the award to write The
Years of Extermination, 1939-1945.
Michael Mann: Inside the Minds of Genocide Victims and Perpetrators
Sociology Professor Michael Mann has recently completed two books, one
called Fascists, a study of six European countries that led to the
other, The Darkside of Democracy: Explaining Ethnic Cleansing. For the
second book, Mann pored over victim and eyewitness accounts as well as
the transcripts of trials in West Germany and tribunals on Yugoslavia
and Rwanda.
“In many of the most serious cases of ethnic cleansing, the victims
didn’t know how devastating it would be,” Mann said. “The resistance
was not as strong as you might expect because people couldn’t conceive
that other people would do this.”
At the same time, he became fascinated with how the perpetrators could
be capable of mass murder and even call it “moral.” In the case of the
1994 genocide of an estimated 800,000 Tutsis in Rwanda by Hutu
militia, he found many Hutus who described good relations with the
Tutsis before the mass killings.
“They attribute their actions to a war situation,” said Mann. “Even
the most atrocious cases claim self defense. Because humans can’t come
to terms with slaughtering in an unprovoked way, they tell themselves
a story that the other group is threatening them, even though it seems
implausible to us.”
More than any other work he has conducted as a researcher, Mann has
been most disturbed by this research.
“This has been reflecting on evil, not about primitive people, but
about people like you and me,” he said, “people who faced moral
choices and made the wrong ones for often mundane reasons, like
keeping a job or showing loyalty to comrades. It’s what philosopher
Hannah Arendt called the ‘banality of evil.'”
Kyeoung Park: Chronicling Sex Crimes Against Korean Women
War was also the backdrop for Anthropology Professor Kyeoung Park’s
research into the abduction of some 200,000 “comfort women” to serve
Japanese soldiers in occupied Asian and Pacific countries during the
1930s. Under the policy, teenage girls and women were taken to the
frontlines of battle, held as prisoners, and repeatedly raped.
Park became interested in the topic while studying Korean immigrant
communities in New York. She had encountered old women who told her
they were forced by their families during the war to marry Korean men
who were handicapped or much older because their parents didn’t want
them to become comfort women. Although Park’s mother had been born in
Korea toward the end of Japanese colonial rule and was not affected,
“I thought it was my responsibility to study this historical issue,”
she said.
Examining testimonies by former comfort women, she has reconstructed
the circumstances in which they were recruited, the brutality of their
everyday life, and how they tried to resist in various ways, including
running away and pretending they had venereal disease.
“They didn’t let themselves feel defeated, but rather took hope from
their daily survival and the idea that the Japanese might surrender
some day,” Park said.
The experience remains an unhealed wound for the Korean comfort women
and for their champions, like Park, who are involved in a redress
movement.
“If we don’t address this issue in a way that satisfies the women, we
are continuing to torture these women and their children who want
closure to this issue.”
William Worger: Black Oppression and Resistance in South Africa
Oppression of Blacks under European colonialism in nineteenth-century
southern Africa and under apartheid in the country of South Africa
during the twentieth century has been the subject of two major
research projects undertaken by History Professor William Worger.
“In the earlier period, I looked at the way Blacks struggled against
oppression in their daily lives, using tactics such as strikes, work
slow-downs, or escaping from jobs to which the white ruling class had
tied them through taxation and criminal laws,” he said. “In the
twentieth century, I looked at apartheid and how resistance to it made
the system unworkable.”
Worger has studied government documentation, which because of
government censorship became more difficult to access for the period
after apartheid was imposed. But by using both court and business
records, he was able to begin piecing together a picture that was
fleshed out by testimony given to the Truth and Reconciliation
Commission after the fall of apartheid in 1994. The commission
collected statements from 22,000 people who described such things as
being tear-gassed and tortured by the police for their resistance to
the segregationist system.
His interest in the subject sprang from his experiences growing up in
New Zealand during the 1960s.
“New Zealand is a rugby-mad country, and in the 1960s South Africa
said its all-white rugby teams would only play other all-white teams,”
Worger explained. “New Zealand insisted that its own
already-integrated teams be allowed to play. South Africa relented,
but the controversy ratcheted up when New Zealand said that it would
only play integrated teams from South Africa.”
Melissa Meyer: American Indians-Forced Assimilation and Survival
Being a child of the 1960s who critiqued American society explains
part of Associate Professor of History Melissa Meyer’s attraction to
the history of American Indians, including the very dark chapters they
have experienced at the hands of the American government. In addition,
Meyer’s ancestry is German, Scottish-Irish, and Eastern Cherokee.
In her first book, The White Earth Tragedy: Ethnicity and
Dispossession at a Minnesota Anishinaabe Reservations, 1889-1920,
Meyer focused on the U.S. government’s policy of forced
assimilation. Using census information, oral histories and traditions,
photos, and what she called “unusual but necessary” sorts of evidence,
Meyer documented the government’s efforts to change a people and their
culture.
“They were forced to wear certain clothes, go to boarding schools, and
were forbidden to speak their native language,” she said. “At home,
they were forced to take designated private plots of land on
reservations and the surplus was bought by outsiders. I had never
heard of the U.S. government being involved in anything so intrusive
and coercive as this.”
Like her colleagues who study other peoples who have experienced
brutal oppression and atrocities, Meyer is surprised at how American
Indians have managed to survive. “Both scholars and native people
recognize that we’re in the midst of a revival of American Indian
culture,” Meyer said. “We’re still recovering that story of survival.”
– UCLA College –

Azeri speaker, visiting Finnish foreign minister discuss bilateral relations
Turan news agency
4 Oct 04

BAKU
Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov received Finnish
Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja today.
During the meeting, the Azerbaijani speaker said Baku was interested
in developing relations with Finland and added that a group on
friendship with Finland was functioning within the Azerbaijani
parliament.
The Finnish foreign minister noted the importance of bilateral
relations and said that Finland, together with other European Union
countries, was interested in a negotiated settlement to the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

Two small explosions damage stores in Russian city
AP Worldstream
Oct 04, 2004

Two small explosions damaged stores overnight in the city of
Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains, regional police said Monday. No
one was injured.
The explosions went off about 30 minutes apart outside two Italian
clothes shops located about two kilometers (one mile) from each other,
said the press service of Yekaterinburg’s regional Interior Ministry.
Russia’s NTV television broadcast footage of broken glass and damaged
storefronts, and said the explosive devices contained about 200 grams
(seven ounces) of TNT.
The stores were both privately owned by different people in the city,
about 1,500 kilometers (935 miles) east of Moscow, Ekho Moskvy radio
said.
Regional police said the explosions appeared to be linked to a dispute
between rival criminal gangs made up of ethnic Russians and people
from the ex-Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Caucasus
mountains. But members of the Armenian Diaspora denied any involvement
and called the explosion an attempt to whip up interethnic tension.
Russian media said investigators were on the scene and that all
possible motives were being considered.
Criminal and commercial disputes in Russia have often led to bombings,
arson attacks and even killings.

Syrian official, others discuss Annan’s Lebanon report, Middle East issues
Source: Al-Jazeera TV, Doha
2 Oct 04

Walid al-Mu’allim Syrian deputy foreign minister and former ambassador
to Washington, has said that “the Syrian presence in Lebanon is an
issue that is to be decided by the Syrian and Lebanese governments.
They are the only sides that are aware of their own interests and that
can make decisions according to them.”
Walid al-Mu’allim; Rafiq Khuri, chief editor of Lebanese newspaper
Al-Anwar; and Joshua Muravchik, researcher at the American Enterprise
Institute; were guests of the “Open Dialogue” discussion programme
moderated by Ghassan Bi-Jiddu in Beirut and broadcast live by Qatari
Al-Jazeera satellite TV.
An audience composed of several unidentified individuals also
participate in the discussion later on in the programme. The
discussion revolves around the Annan report on Syria and Lebanon, the
assassination of a Hamas member in Damascus and the attempt on the
life of a former Lebanese minister.
Introducing the programme, Bin-Jiddu briefly explains the Syrian, US
and Lebanese stances and asks: “Why this tense atmosphere between
Damascus and Washington and has Lebanon once again become an arena for
settling regional and international scores, or is the attempted
assassination of the former Lebanese minister just a passing
incident?”
Bin-Jiddu then begins the discussion by asking Walid al-Mu’allim, the
Syrian deputy foreign minister, to comment on Kofi Annan’s report. The
Syrian official says:
“I must say that Mr Annan presented his report only yesterday. This
report is being studied by the Syrian leadership and the position on
it will be announced shortly. Annan’s report can be divided into three
parts: A historical part, in which Syria’s role in stopping the civil
war in Lebanon is made clear, another part speaks about the resolution
and the last part contains conclusions.
“With all due respect to Mr Annan, in his capacity as the UN
secretary-general, he is not expected to consider whether it is
possible to implement the resolution within 30 days. This is up to the
members of the UN Security Council to decide. He concentrated on
describing the facts.”
Bin-Jiddu tells Al-Mu’allim that he has heard that Damascus considers
this report to be fair and asks him if “this can be taken as official,
that Syria does not consider Annan’s report to be provocative, that it
was an escalation and was essentially negative towards Syria and
Lebanon.” Al-Mu’allim says: “It is not negative. I cannot describe it
as negative but I cannot say that it is accurate. It is not negative
because it describes developments and the developments between Syria
and Lebanon have been positive. As for accuracy, it is not perfectly
accurate.”
When asked by Bin-Jiddu to elaborate further, Al-Mu’allim says: “When
the secretary-general says that Syria and Lebanon did not abide by the
implementation of the resolution, it is a big indication that it [the
report] is inaccurate.”
Bin-Jiddu then asks Rafiq Khuri to comment. He says that the report
discusses points raised by Syria and Lebanon. He notes that Annan says
that Syria and Lebanon have not implemented the second phase of the
Syrian redeployment and other matters. He says that Annan discussed “a
point that Lebanon has always avoided; namely, the 1949 truce
agreement with Israel.” He says Lebanon now says it cannot dispatch
forces to the borders as required because the truce agreement
stipulates that Lebanon can only send 1,500 soldiers to the entire
southern region.
Bin-Jiddu then asks Joshua Muravchik to comment. Speaking in English
with simultaneous translation in Arabic, Muravchik says that Annan’s
report is “a positive step” towards implementing Resolution 1559. He
says that Syria is an occupying power in Lebanon and that Lebanon is
one of the last “few islands” that are still in the phase of
colonization and he points out that Syria has “annulled” Lebanon’s
independence and must withdraw all of its forces from Lebanon. He
dismisses comparing Syria’s “occupation” of Lebanon with the US
occupation of Iraq as irrelevant because the United States plans to
withdraw when a strong government takes over power in Iraq.
Turning back to Al-Mu’allim, Bin-Jiddu asks him why the United States
is putting pressure on Damascus. Al-Mu’allim says: “I must comment on
what Mr Muravchik said. It seems he needs to read carefully what has
been happening in Lebanon since 1975. He needs to read carefully the
description that the UN secretary-general presented in his report of
the history and development of the Lebanese civil war and the two
Israeli invasions of Lebanon in 1978 and in 1982. Mr Muravchik needs
to know that Syria is in Lebanon at the request of the legitimate
Lebanese authority. It is not an occupier. Indeed, Syria ended the
Lebanese civil war. It did not wreak destruction in Lebanon as we are
witnessing what is happening daily in Iraq. Syria is not an occupying
power and not a colonial power. Syria ended the Lebanese civil war and
took care of the unity of the Lebanese territory and people, and
established the best relations possible with sisterly Lebanon. He
should read history carefully.
“When he speaks of implementing Resolution 1559 in the name of
democracy, Mr Muravchik ignores 40 UN Security Council resolutions on
the Arab-Israeli struggle. Does Mr Muravchik have anything to say on
what we should do with the 40 resolutions that Israel has refused to
implement? Indeed, Israel challenged the international community and
the United Nations, including the United States, which voted for these
resolutions.”
Bin-Jiddu again asks Al-Mu’allim to explain why Washington is putting
pressure on Syria. Al-Mu’allim says: “First of all, based on the
studies that were presented to it from some institutions, such as the
Enterprise Institute, the United States does not want anything
specific from Syria but rather wants Syria to submit to its will. In
its policy, Syria applies its principles. It says yes or no only in
accordance with its political principles. Washington wants to
subjugate the region and bring it under its domination. Colonialism
has many forms. It has old forms and new forms. It aims at
domination. Syria has remained a difficult figure in this equation and
will continue to be so.
“Therefore we deal with the United States in the hope that the
Americans will understand that Syria is serious in its cooperation and
dialogue within the framework of its principles. One of the first
priorities of our policy is to find a fair and comprehensive solution
for the Arab-Israeli struggle, a solution that will implement the UN
resolutions, restore to the Palestinian people their rights and
establish for them their state with Jerusalem as its capital.”
Asked his opinion, Khuri says that the problem is political rather
than legal, adding that the United States approved Syria’s entry into
Lebanon in the 1970s and 1980s. He says after 9/11, the US strategy
was turned upside down, pointing out that the Israeli-Arab dispute is
no longer the main problem and has been replaced by the war on
terrorism. He gives a historical background and lists the events that
took place after 9/11. He says the United States no longer accepts
regional roles by states in the area and it has become a Middle East
power.
A member of the audience then gives his opinion, blaming Syria for the
many “ills” in Lebanon, the assassinations that took place, the
“suppression of freedoms.” He also says that the economic and security
reserves are deteriorating in Lebanon with the Syrian presence. He
says that Lebanon wants good relations with Syria but wants to be free
and independent. He says: “If it wants to defend Lebanon against
Israel, why does it not liberate the Golan Heights before thinking
about Lebanon?” Other members of the audience also speak, giving
divergent views on the issue.
Asked if the United States will confine its actions to the United
Nations or whether it will go further and use force against Syria,
Muravchik says he does not think that the United States will use force
against Syria and that “we have enough fighting in Iraq at present.”
He adds: “It is no secret that the post-war period in Iraq is much
more difficult than had been expected. We want peace established in
the country and we want an elected government.” He notes that the
United States wants to see Lebanon independent once again. He says he
agrees with Al-Mu’allim that Syria played a useful role in Lebanon at
the beginning but wonders why Syria is still there 30 years later. He
says Syria continues to allow terrorists to use its territory and “we
will continue our pressure on Syria to close all offices of
terrorists.” He says the United States calls for democracy all over
the region and wants to see in Syria reform, a free press and a more
representative government.
Asked whom he means by terrorists, Muravchik says there are
“Palestinian terrorist groups” in Syria and that Syria cooperates with
Iran and Hezbollah.
Asked to comment on Muravchik’s remarks, Al-Mu’allim says: “First of
all, the Israeli dimension in the current issue has always been there
even before the war against Iraq. Indeed, this is part of the war
against Iraq. Secondly, I would like to tell Joshua that those he
calls terrorists are not like that. We cooperate with the United
Nations and many countries, including the United States, to combat
international terrorism. As for the Palestinian and non-Palestinian
resistance, the UN Charter approves people’s right to resist foreign
occupation. The Palestinian offices in Damascus were voluntarily
closed. The leaders of these offices closed them voluntarily.
“Everybody knows that no operations have been launched from Syrian
territory. Moreover, what is going on today and what has been going
on for many years in Gaza and the Jabaliya refugee camp must draw Mr
Muravchik’s attention. He must realize that Israel, which he claims is
the only democracy in the region, is practising terrorism against
unarmed people under the gaze of the world and nobody is batting an
eye over this. When southern Lebanon was under Israeli occupation, I
did not read or hear from the institute that he represents any word in
defence of Lebanon’s legitimate right to liberate its territory. It
was the people of Lebanon who liberated the Lebanese territory and not
others from abroad.
“I agree with what Mr Khuri said that there have been many attempts
since 9/11 to change priorities. For instance, Israel wants to tell
the entire world that what is going on in Iraq is much more serious
than what is happening in the Palestinian territory and the
Arab-Israeli conflict because it wants to dissociate itself from the
requirements of peace and wants to have a free hand in killing and
destroying the Palestinian people. Moreover, we all are aware of the
mistakes that were presented as pretexts for the war against Iraq, why
the pretexts for the war were blown out of proportion and who was
behind this exaggeration. You might be surprised to know that Israel’s
UN representative was the only representative who praised UN
Resolution 1559. Why? Because he considered it a realization of
Israel’s strategic interests.
“They now want to transform the situation in Lebanon into an
international conflict, bringing back to memory what happened in the
region before, with the aim of putting pressure Lebanon and
Syria. Concerning its regional role, Syria does not seek this role but
the role itself is seeking it. Hundreds and even thousands of Iraqis
are seeking refuge in Syria, looking for safety. The Iraqi Christian
brothers are seeking refuge in Damascus; they are being treated with
respect and we care for them. This is Syria’s history. Syria welcomed
the Armenian refugees, the Sirkassian refugees. Syria has a regional
dimension. It does not seek this dimension but this dimension is
imposed on it. I do not believe that anyone who is 5,000 km from this
region can deny Syria this role.
“As for democracy in Syria, the reforms and the remarks by the expert
Mr Muravchik, we always look for democracy. But in order for me to
believe him, I would like him to tell me: What will he do with the 40
UN Security Council resolutions that Israel did not implement? These
resolutions called on Israel to withdraw from the occupied Arab
territories. I would like to remind him that the Golan is part of
these occupied Arab territories. Throughout the 10 years of the peace
process, we have played a political role but did not reach a
solution. I believe that if he looks at memorandums issued in the
United States and recently in Israel, he will understand that Israel
has always evaded the requirements of peace. If he has anything to say
about this, then I will be able to discuss with him the question of
democracy. However, the Syrians know their problems and their future
more than others do.”
Asked why all US policies are aimed at meeting Israeli’s interests,
incurring the anger of the Arab and Islamic worlds because of what
they see as “US bias in Israel’s favour,” Muravchik says that he does
not believe that the United States is committed to Israel’s interest
but rather to its existence. He says that many Arab officials had
declared that they wanted to destroy Israel. He says Israel is not
working to destroy any Arab state but the only existence that is in
danger is Israel’s. He says if there is peace between Israel and Syria
it would be a great step towards realizing peace in the region. He
also says that democracy will be of great benefit to Syria.
Rafiq Khuri says that Lebanon should be more flexible, but the weapons
in refugee camps in southern Lebanon are useless and harmful because
they will only create internal troubles in the south. He says that
Hezbollah will not be liquidated but will have a political and social
role in Lebanon. He says liquidating Hezbollah’s military role may not
be possible at present but this role will end when Israel changes its
policy.
Hamzah al-Bashtawi, a member of the audience and a Palestinian refugee
in Lebanon, then gives his views, explaining the “atrocities”
perpetrated against the Palestinian people and the Palestinians’
desire to return to their homeland and regain their rights. He says
that “Zionist terrorism is pursuing the Palestinians everywhere.”
Bin-Jiddu then asks Al-Mu’allim about the assassination of a Hamas
cadre in Damascus, saying that Israel has virtually admitted that it
carried out the assassination. He says that the Israeli newspapers
Ma’ariv and Ha’aretz said that “the operation is a message to Syria
that Syria is no longer immune to such attacks.” Al-Mu’allim says:
“Brother Ghassan, I respond to them by saying: Do not wager on
Damascus’s patience. Syria has acted patiently and responsibly but I
warn you not to wager on Damascus’s patience. The issue of security in
Syria is a red line and we will not allow anybody to tamper with the
security of Syrian citizens. That the Israelis should claim
responsibility for what happened makes it state terrorism. This is a
crime of state terrorism and Israel has claimed responsibility for it.
“Concerning what Mr Muravchik said, I have two points to make. He said
that the late President Hafiz al-Asad did not want an agreement with
Israel. I am surprised. He is a researcher in the Enterprise Institute
but he is not very careful about what he says. I do not have to tell
him who rejected peace. I tell him to read what Uri Sagi wrote in the
newspaper Yediot Aharonot two days ago. He should carefully read what
President Clinton said in his memoirs and he should even read what
Dennis Ross said. He must correct this information.
“Concerning Resolution 1559, I would like to say something about what
Syria and Lebanon have in common. After Lebanon’s long period of
suffering and after its civil war, more than 1.5 million tourists
visited Lebanon this year, thanks to the Lebanese national
accord. Tampering with the national peace of the Lebanese is also
forbidden. Concerning the resolution, we respect international
legitimacy resolutions but this respect does not mean that we should
promote mistakes. This resolution was adopted on an incorrect
basis. It contravened the seventh paragraph of Article 2 of the UN
Charter, which says that the United Nations must not interfere in the
internal affairs of states.
“Therefore, I say that there are two basic documents between Syria and
Lebanon. They are the Lebanese National Agreement signed in Al-Ta’if
and the Treaty of Coordination and Brotherhood that was ratified in
1991. I say that the Syrian presence in Lebanon is an issue that is to
be decided by the Syrian and Lebanese governments. They are the only
sides that are aware of their own interests and that can make
decisions according to them.”

Finnish foreign minister calls for closer ties with Azerbaijan
AP Worldstream
Oct 04, 2004

Finland’s foreign minister on Monday called for closer ties between
his country and Azerbaijan, saying bilateral trade could soon reach
US$50 million (Aâ=82¬40 million), news agencies reported.
Speaking after a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart and other
top officials, Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja said Finland was deeply
concerned about stability in the Caucasus region, which has been
plagued by instability since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war in the early 1990s that ended with
a cease-fire in 1994. No final settlement has been reached, however,
as the two countries remain at odds over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave,
which Armenian forces seized from Azerbaijan.
Tuomioja said annual trade between Finland and Azerbaijan is currently
about US$5 million (Aâ=82¬4 million). He said that figure could
increase tenfold in coming years, particularly in the communications
and information technology sectors.
“Before today, there has been no tangible advancement in trade
relations between our countries,” Tuomioja said in remarks broadcast
on local television.
Prime Minister Artus Rasi-zade said Finland’s best opportunity for
increased trade with Azerbaijan would come in the oil and gas sector,
Azerbaijani news agencies reported.
Located on the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, which produced half the
world’s oil in the early 1900s, controls some of the largest proven
reserves of oil andgas in the world.
On Tuesday, Tuomioja flies to Yerevan, the Armenian capital, for talks
with Armenian officials.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Top Official Suspected of Oil Links With Russia
2-3 October 04 issue of
Gazeta Wyborcza

The recent mysterious death of Marek Karp, the creator and head of the
Eastern Studies Centre (OSW), one of Europe’s best independent think
tanks on Russia, has shone a spotlight on an inconspicuous but
influential public servant, reports Gazeta Wyborcza. That man is
Robert Gmyrek, director of biofuels at PKN Orlen, the oil company, and
former deputy minister of farming. It was Gmyrek whom Karp had gone to
investigate in Russia before he was wounded in a freak car accident
near Poland’s border with Belarus and died a month later in
hospital. Several days before his accident, Karp visited, among other
things, the agency for internal security (ABW), and Zbigniew
Wassermann, deputy head of the parliamentary committee of inquiry into
PKN Orlen. Karp reportedly told the ABW he feared for his life, and
spoke of three OSW collaborators recently murdered in
Russia. Mr. Wassermann confirmed that Karp had claimed to have
important information about Gmyrek which he was to present to the
committee.
Karp went to Russia, writes Wyborcza, to seek evidence for Gmyrek’s
ties to Russian oil companies and related transfers of cash. He
probably also wanted to ascertain whether Gmyrek had links to the
Russian special services. Karp met Gmyrek in 2000 during an official
Polish delegation to Georgia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan. He
later told friends how surprised he had been when Gmyrek, previously
invisible, suddenly became animated in Azerbaijan whenever the subject
of oil came up.
Gmyrek, writes Wyborcza, has good relations with the Russian
embassy. He is acquainted with Nikolai Zachmatov, the embassy’s grey
eminence and officially the Russian Federation’s trade representative
to Poland. Zachmatov, a frequent guest at the farming ministry’s
veterinary department, would always first visit Gmyrek’s room, do his
business, and come to Gmyrek again.
Gmyrek, a veterinary surgeon by profession, has no direct links to any
political party. He unsuccessfully ran for parliament from the Freedom
Union list in 1997, but he has never been a member. Still, in 1999,
under then farming minister Jacek Janiszewski, he was nominated the
deputy head of the veterinary services. A year later, under Artur
Balazs, he was promoted to deputy minister in charge of veterinary
affairs. He surprised everyone when, following the Democratic Left
Alliance’s (SLD) 2001 election victory, he was not, like most from the
former coalition, axed, but instead was nominated director for
biofuels at Poland’s largest company. Gmyrek served at various posts
at Orlen: director for biofuels, deputy director for development, or
supervisory board member of the company’s cardiologic foundation. As a
company employee says, he was also then chief executive Zbigniew
Wrobel’s close aide. Gmyrek and Wrobel could have met when the latter
served as chief of PepsiCo’s Eastern European operations.
Gmyrek is also in close relations with Artur Balazs, the long-time
chief of the Conservative Popular Party (SKL), a politician known for
his good contacts with everyone from the president, through the Civic
Platform (PO), to the Polish Peasant Party (PSL). Andrzej Smietanko
(PSL), former chief of tycoon Aleksander Gudzowaty’s biofuel holding,
who was tipped to get the Orlen biofuel job that Gmyrek got instead,
says that Balazs stood behind Gmyrek’s nomination to the farming
ministry as well as his appointment at Orlen. “The biofuels are a
major business, so it’s good to have control over everything, and make
sure that Orlen signs the supply deal with the right company,” says
Smietanko. The idea was to build a single large biofuel factory that
would process the whole material and virtually monopolise the
market. That concept, says Smietanko, was supported by Gmyrek and
Balazs, who wanted to make a deal with Zbigniew Komorowski, an
influential PSL politician and owner of a sprawling food and farming
empire. Komorowski already founded a company to produce the biofuel
component,reserved a site for a plant and now awaits Orlen’a decision
on signing with him a supply deal. At Orlen itself, virtually all of
Wrobel’s people are gone ? except Robert Gmyrek. mw
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Who is more legitimate?
Editorial
Yerkir/am
October 01, 2004
When speaking about legitimacy in Armenia people usually mean the
specifically legal aspect of the issue. Meanwhile, legitimacy is a
much broader concept which in addition to the legal aspect also has a
dimension of social perception.
For instance, the victory of this or that candidate or party in the
elections can be perfectly legal (no violations are observed during
the elections, there are no complaints, the elections are held
legally).
At the same time the society might not perceive that candidate or
party as legitimate because it does not see in him the necessary
qualities for political activities, ability to make reasonable
judgments and suggestions and does not perceive him as a person with
necessary merits to be involved in politics.
In this case we have illegitimacy in terms of social perception. Many
political forces and leaders become socially illegitimate irrespective
of their political and ideological orientation and positions.
In this respect it would be correct to address not only the issue of
legitimacy of the current authorities (which is a very popular issue
in ourcountry) but also the legitimacy of the opposition.
In other words, we should also think about whether or not the
opposition is legitimate in terms of the social perception of its
activities. Does it have the necessary abilities and potential to
address the problems the state andthe population are facing today?
Can it find reasonable and efficient solutions to those problems? We
believe there is no need to think about this for too long – the answer
is obvious. This is probably the reason why there were more people
standing on the stage than in the square during the opposition’s last
demonstration.
This is the result of the opposition losing its social legitimacy. It
is possible that some opposition leaders are trying to transfer their
political activities from the streets to the parliament, an attempt
that faces strong resistance on the part of those who are to blame for
the opposition’s loss of legitimacy.
All the political forces and leaders should think about legitimacy
from the perspective of social perception. Do they have this kind of
legitimacy? This is the question.
It will not be a great revelation to say that legitimacy in terms of
social perception is more important than merely legal legitimacy. This
explains the situation when we have a political elite as a political
category, but this elite has no legitimacy and will hardly ever gain
it.
The society does not perceive it as political elite, or better say it
does not want to accept the latter as elite since the society has a
different interpretation of the term `elite’. Thus, we should
clarifyone thing – is the opposition that insists on the illegitimacy
of the current political authorities more legitimate than the latter?

California Courier Online, October 7, 2004
1 – Commentary
Turkey Becoming More Repressive
On the Eve of EU Accession Report
By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
**************************************************************************
2 – FAPC Harvest Festival Celebrates
Blessings of San Joaquin Valley
3 – Armenian Youth Volunteers
Clean Little Armenia Streets
4 – 2004 ARPA Film Festival
Begins Screenings Oct. 5
5 – Atanian’s Art Works on Exhibit
Nov. 6-7 at St. Andrew Church
6 – St. James Ladies Are Cooking
For Annual Luncheon, Oct. 30
7 – Spending a Summer in
Armenia as a Nurse’s Aide
8 – USC’s Institute of Armenian Studies
Plans Inaugural Banquet for Feb. 6
************************************************************************
1 – Commentary
Turkey Becoming More Repressive
On the Eve of EU Accession Report
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
Several unexpected developments took place in rapid succession last week on
the eve of the European Commission’s critical report, due on October 6, on
whether Turkey is finally ready — after a long wait of 40 years — to
begin talks for admission into the European Union (EU).
Prime Minister Receb Tayyip Erdogan has made the start of EU accession
talks his number one priority. To accomplish this, he has left no stone
unturned. He has made countless lobbying trips to various European
capitals. He has enlisted the help of the United States to pressure the
European countries into making a favorable decision on Turkey. He has also
whipped his party’s parliamentary majority into action at breakneck speed
to pass a large number of laws to comply with EU requirements, even though
most of them have not been implemented.
Just when Erdogan seemed to have all his ducks in order, he surprised
everyone by proposing an unexpected addition to the Turkish penal code —
the criminalization of adultery. He was severely criticized for that even
by his most ardent European supporters. Making mattes worse, Erdogan then
decided to withdraw the whole penal code from the Turkish parliament’s
agenda. Shocked EU officials strongly denounced his actions warning him
that unless the parliament immediately approved the revamped penal code
without the offensive adultery clause, Turkey would have no chance of
getting a date for EU accession talks.
Erdogan angrily rejected EU’s criticism as “interference in Turkey’s
internal affairs.” He bragged: “We are Turks, and we will make our own
decisions. EU membership is not indispensable.” EU officials did not back
down. They told him that Turkey had to adapt to Europe, rather than the
other way around. Erdogan immediately flew to Brussels and agreed to have
the Turkish parliament hold an emergency session and approve the new penal
code without the adultery clause.
Even though Erdogan was harshly criticized both at home and abroad for his
brash behavior, some analysts believe that he made a very shrewd move. EU
officials were so pleased and relieved by his backing down on the adultery
clause, that they immediately declared that Turkey had met all the
requirements to have a date set for the start of EU talks. By relenting on
the one issue that he had adamantly sworn that he would not, Erdogan was
able to trick the EU officials by diverting their attention away from
Turkey’s many other deficiencies in the fulfillment of EU requirements.
The EU commissioners turned a blind eye to the anti-democratic articles
found in the new penal code. These repressive clauses severely restrict the
Turkish citizens’ freedom of speech. For example: It is a criminal offense,
punishable by a lengthy jail term, to praise a person who has committed a
crime; to incite hostility against a particular group of people; to make
propaganda for a criminal organization; to reveal confidential information
related to a judicial inquiry; to insult the president, the parliament, the
government, the courts, the military, the flag, the national anthem, etc.
The most shocking restriction, however, is included in article 306 of the
new penal code that prescribes a jail term of up to 10 years for anyone who
receives a benefit from a foreign source to carry out activities against
the national interest of Turkey. The Parliamentary Committee of Justice
that had drafted this clause said that it would be illegal, for example, to
call for the withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from Cyprus or to declare that
the Armenians were actually subjected to “genocide following World War I.”
This article reveals the extent of the Turkish government’s intransigence
on the subject of the Armenian Genocide. At this most critical juncture,
when the Turks are supposed to be on their best behavior on the eve of the
release of the EU report setting a date for accession talks, they brazenly
pass a law making it a crime to speak of the Armenian Genocide! As if this
new draconian law was not enough, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul announced
last week that his Ministry had set up a committee to promote the denial of
the Armenian Genocide and to counter the planned commemorative events on
the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
All those naïve European and Armenian officials, who mistakenly believe
that by joining the EU Turkey would be a more democratic state, and
therefore, more willing to recognize the Armenian Genocide, now have to
explain why Turkey is becoming less tolerant about freedom of speech and
more eager to jail anyone who dares to speak about the Armenian Genocide!
If Turkey is not willing to recognize the Armenian Genocide at a time when
it is trying to impress the Europeans with its “impeccably democratic
credentials,” what incentive would it have for doing so once it is already
a member of the EU? Furthermore, if Turkey did not become a democratic
state decades after joining the Council of Europe and a becoming signatory
to scores of international treaties and covenants, why would it be more
democratic after joining the EU?
The blame must be equally shared by EU officials who had an absolute fit
over the adultery issue, but did not say one word against the law that
muzzles people from speaking about genocide. Apparently, Europeans are much
more troubled by the limitations placed on sexual escapades than denying
mass murder! Furthermore, the Turkish leaders, who are fond of saying that
historians and not politicians should deal with the Armenian Genocide, have
now made it impossible for Turkish historians to objectively study this
issue for fear of being locked up!
The European countries should not allow Turkey to join Europe until it
fully complies with all the requirements of the Copenhagen criteria. This
is not an ethnic, religious or geographic issue. The European Community is
a community of values. Until and unless Turkish society upholds these
values, they have no place in Europe. The mere act of adopting European
laws does not make a country European. The government of Turkey must fully
implement every one of these laws.
Finally, imagine if Germany had refused to acknowledge the Jewish Holocaust
and had passed a law making it a crime to even talk about it, would it have
had a chance to become a member of the EU? Turkey should be held to no less
a standard.
When the Turkish public adopts European values, Turkey could then qualify
to join the community of European nations!
**************************************************************************
2 – FAPC Harvest Festival Celebrates
Blessings of San Joaquin Valley
FRESNO – The First Armenian Presbyterian Church of Fresno will host its
Third Annual Harvest Festival on October 31, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., in the
Church Fellowship Hall, 430 S. First Street, Fresno.
Admission is free and open to the public.
The Festival is designed for children ages Pre-School through the Sixth
Grade, their families, and for the young at heart. Activities will include
a gourmet hot dog dinner with accompaniments, bounce house, carnival games
with candy prices, nonstop popcorn machine, face painting, and contemporary
music. Children and adults are invited to wear friendly costumes and the
evening will include a Bible costume contest.
Chartered on July 25, 1897, FAPC is a member congregation of the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Armenian Evangelical Union of North
America, an ecclesiastical confederation of churches, missions, and
fellowships in the United States and Dominion of Canada.
Reverend Mgrdich Melkonian is the Senior Pastor of the Church and Annette
Smurr is the Harvest Festival Coordinator.
More details about the October 31 celebration are available by calling
(559) 437-8704 or the church offices, (559) 237-6638.
**************************************************************************
3 – Armenian Youth Volunteers
Clean Little Armenia Streets
LOS ANGELES – Hundreds of Armenian youth gathered in Little Armenia on
Sept. 25 providing their volunteer service to the AYF’s 2nd Annual Little
Armenia Cleanup. Volunteers from all over Southern California and even
Fresno helped remove thousands of pounds of trash from major streets in
Little Armenia.
Organized by the Armenian Youth Federation and cosponsored by Los Angeles
City Councilmember Eric Garcetti’s Office, the cleanup attracted volunteers
from the public at large and community organizations such as the AYF,
Homenetmen Los Angeles Chapter, and the ARF Badanegan Organization.
Before the clean up began, Rev. Fr. Vicken Vassilian, representing
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate of the Armenian Church, blessed
both the effort of the AYF and the volunteers’ willingness to serve the
community.
Councilmember Garcetti thanked the volunteers for their efforts and
welcomed the initiative of both the
volunteers and the AYF. Relaying the AYF Central Executive’s message,
Razmig Haroun encouraged the youth to display their ownership of Little
Armenia by increasing their involvement in the improvement of the
community.
“The AYF strives to serve the Armenian nation and Armenian people by every
possible means at its disposal,” said Shant Baboujian, Chairman of the AYF
Western Region. “The Little Armenia Cleanup is one of many such projects to
make this home away from home more reflective both of the Armenian people
and our homeland.”
In the coming weeks 24 “Welcome to Little Armenia” light-post banners will
be added to the existing 39 erected last year. With the depiction of the
Tri-color, Sardarabad Monument, and Mt. Ararat; banners have added a touch
of Armenia to the community.
Official sponsors of the Little Armenia Clean-Up were: Adin of California,
Asbarez Daily Armenian Newspaper, Arbat Grocery & Deli, Horizon Armenian
Television, Nor Hayastan Daily Newspaper, USA Armenian Life Magazine,
Closet World, Color Depot, Donoyan Insurance Agency, St. Vincent Jewelry
Center, Carpet Show, Aramco Imports, Jons Market, Eric Garcetti’s Office
and staff, and the A.R.F. Hollywood Karekin Njteh Gomideh.
To learn more about the AYF, log on to
**************************************************************************
4 – 2004 ARPA Film Festival
Begins Screenings Oct. 5
LOS ANGELES – The 2004 ARPA International Film Festival will be held
between Oct. 5-10 at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood.
This year’s festival theme is “Films Without Borders.”
The festival will feature over 60 films from 20 different countries,
including the United States, France, Italy, India, Iran, Germany, Croatia,
Mexico and Armenia.
Produced annually by the Arpa Foundation for Film, Music and Art (AFFMA)
the Film Festival is dedicated to cultivating cultural understanding and
global empathy, creating a dynamic forum for international cinema with a
special focus on the work of filmmakers who explore the issues of Diaspora,
exile and multi-culturalism. It also celebrates the ideals of independent
thought, artistic vision, cultural diversity and social understanding.
Founded in 1995, the non-profit AFFMA promotes the arts and enhances the
cultural environment of the community, especially providing support to
filmmakers exploring subjects of social and cultural importance.
For further information about AFFMA, visit
**************************************************************************
5 – Atanian’s Art Works on Exhibit
Nov. 6-7 at St. Andrew Church
CUPERTINO, CALIF. – The St. Andrew Armenian Church Cultural Committee is
sponsoring a solo art exhibition sale of the works by Armenian-American
artist from Los Angeles Vladimir Atanian, on Nov. 6-7 at the Church’s
Amerian Hall, in Cupertino.
The opening reception will be held Nov. 6 from 6 to 10 p.m. One work
Special Auction will take place at 9 p.m.
The exhibition will continue Nov. 7 from 12 non to 4 p.m.
Free admission. The church is located at 11370 S. Stelling Road, Cupertino.
For more information, call the Church office (408) 257-6743 or Viola
Uzunian-Choupak (408) 739-3888.
**************************************************************************
6 – St. James Ladies Are Cooking
For Annual Luncheon, Oct. 30
LOS ANGELES – The members of the St. James Ladies Society are canning,
cooking and collaborating on the variety of delicacies and gourmet items
that will be featured at their 37th Annual Luncheon and Country Store, Oct.
30, at the church’s Gogian Hall, 4950 W. Slauson Ave., Los Angeles.
The event opens with a champagne reception at 11 a.m. followed by the
luncheon at 12 noon.
Leann Stepanian, chair of the Ladies Society, said that the Country Store
and Annual Luncheon is always well attended. “We have been fortunate that
people look forward to purchasing our simit, choereg and apricot jam,
faithfully coming back year after year to support our efforts.
The Country Store is chaired by chefs Alice Gondjian and Arpi Barsam, the
Julia Childs of St. James Ladies Society. Guests have to come early to
purchase Gondjian’s choereg and Barsam’s simit.
Lucille Bogossian, chair of the Luncheon Committee, has selected a Western
Theme, and a menu that reflects western-style cooking, with an Armenian
touch.
The Raffle Committee, chaired by Madeline Taylorson (310) 337-1783; Stella
Marashlian (310) 473-5142; and Jeanette Rakoobian (310) 641-0162) promise a
selection of beautiful prizes, as well as a First Prize of $300. cash;
Second Prize. $200.; and Third Prize of $100. Tickets are six for $5 and
can be obtained by calling any of the three co-chairs.
Tickets are $25 and reservations can be made by calling Jean Barsam (310)
541-8406 or Alice Yacoubian (310) 546-3703.

**************************************************************************
7 – Experiences of a 16-year-old
Spending a Summer in
Armenia as a Nurse’s Aide
By Nathalie Astrid Kolandjian
As a 16-year-old Armenian-American from Houston, Texas, I embarked on a
unique adventure last summer. I volunteered to work at the Arabkir
Pedriatic Hospital in Yerevan.
I was afraid that I would be unable to communicate with anyone at the
hospital, since I spoke English and French, but no Armenian. My first day
at work was quite an experience. I was put in the hemodyalisis department.
Fortunately, two of the nurses, Amalya and Hasmig, spoke French. They
showed me around the patients’ rooms and introduced me to everyone.
Those on hemodialysis machines don’t have fully functioning kidneys. They
have to come to the hospital three times a week for four hours and have
their blood filtered by a machine. Since organ transplants are only legal
between family members, it is a rare occurrence. All the nurses become very
attached to their patients, because they see each other several times a
week. The atmosphere on the floor was surprisingly always happy. The
patients were surrounded by their families and almost everyone was cracking
jokes and making conversation.
As a nurse’s assistant, I learned to clean and set up the machines, take
the patients’ blood pressure, fill needles, and give small injections. I
stayed in the department for about three weeks, and in that time became
very close with everyone there.
>From the stories my father had told me about rushing in dialysis machines
for earthquake victims, I was hardly expecting such a hospital. From four
dialysis machines, and 5 doctors in 1988 the hospital now employs a medical
staff of 500, with four new Armenian doctors hired every year.
Out of three separate institutions (The Arabkir Pediatric hospital,
Republican Pediatric Hospital, and Centre of Uronephrology and Pediatric
Surgery), the “Arabkir” Joint Medical Centre and Institute of Child and
Adolescent Health was established.
The patients’ medical bills are covered either by state subsidies or by the
“Arabkir” United Children’s Charity Foundation. The hospital now
encompasses branches from pediatric intensive care to radiology and
neurology and serves as a national standard for renal and urological
disease diagnosis and treatment as well as for neo-natal and pediatric
surgery. The hospital, through Dr. Ara Babloyan’s leadership and his
dedicated staff, along with the assistance from donors overseas, has come a
long way.
Amalya told me that when she first started as a nurse eight years ago, she
had seven people die in one year in her department. Now, due to better
technology, and better techniques, there is not even one death per year.
The key to the hospital’s success was the dedication of the medical staff
and their cooperation with other countries. Much of the development of the
hospital would not have been possible without the help of several generous
people. Switzerland, Belgium, France and many other countries have set up
foundations and exchange programs with the hospital. Many of the people who
work there could easily have chosen a different line of work or simply
moved out of the country as many do to Russia and America. Instead, they
chose to stay and help their own people. Dr. Ara Babloyan especially, could
easily have chosen to move to another country, but he hasn’t. He hasn’t
because he loves Armenia. He is a perpetually optimistic man who sees the
bright future that Armenia has in store.
Although the hospital has come a long way, there is still a long way to go.
In the joining of the three separate institutions, the department of
pathology became independent before the Joint Centre was formed. They very
seriously need a pathology lab. There are many services that require a
pathology laboratory (surgery, ENT, Pulmonology, Gastroenterology,
Rheumatology, etc.). A new Pathology lab would also provide services for
other medical institutions such as St. Nerses G. Medical Centre. Also, the
newly established Epilepsy department needs a lot more funding if they are
to afford the latest drugs. Now they are using outdated Russian drugs.
Hopefully, with the same cooperation and dedication, this problem too will
be conquered. The huge growth of this hospital shows that what started out
as seemingly small connections, or attempts to help can blossom into
full-blown projects.
If you would like to help, contact Dr. Ara Babloyan at: [email protected]
or visit the Arabkir website at:
It is places like this hospital that illustrate what a bright future
Armenia has in store.
Nathalie Astrid Kolandjian is a 16 yr. old Senior at St. Johns High Schoo
in Houston, TX.
**************************************************************************
8 – USC’s Institute of Armenian Studies
Plans Inaugural Banquet for Feb. 6
LOS ANGELES — Preparations are underway for the Inaugural Banquet of USC’s
Institute of Armenian Studies to be held on February 6, 2005 at Town and
Gown on the USC Campus.
The Steering Committee, led by Charles Ghailian, and the Banquet Committee
chaired by Savey Tufenkian, are hard at work planning for this grand
occasion that would involve the Armenian community, USC Alumni, supporters
and students.
In preparation for this festive event, committee members will be soliciting
gifts and donations toward an endowment in perpetuity, which would support
the Institute’s multifaceted activities for the present and future
generations.
Additional details about the February 6 Banquet will be made public in the
coming weeks. Banquet Committee members are: Elizabeth Agbabian, Sylva
Bezdikian, R. Hrair Dekmejian, Charles Ghailian, Hermine Janoyan, Mary
Kassabian, Shant Minas, Nora Sahagian, Harut Sassounian, Angele Sinanian
and Savey Tufenkian.
**************************************************************************
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New Europe supports Turkey’s EU bid with greater expansion in mind
Agence France Presse
October 4, 2004 Monday
BY: Jean-Luc Testault
PRAGUE
The European Union’s newest members are giving their backing to
Turkey’s EU bid as a way of achieving their aim of a greatly enlarged
Europe that would include the Balkans, Ukraine and Belarus, and even
Georgia.
Most leaders in the new EU member countries consider it reasonable to
give Turkey what they themselves obtained, especially since the Muslim
country has been a candidate since 1987, well before the fall of
communism in eastern Europe.
“The current Turkish government has achieved much in reforming the
country and it would be fair that these efforts are recognised with
the opening of EU membership talks,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister
Antanas Valionis told AFP.
Even the government of Cyprus is not deeply hostile to Turkey’s
admission, despite the presence of 35,000 Turkish soldiers in the
north of the island, which has been divided for 30 years.
The Greek Cypriot side, which joined the EU on May 1, hopes to benefit
from Turkey’s bid to bring about reunification of the island.
In former communist Europe too, support for Turkey’s entry is seen as
a way of paving the way for the admission of Ukraine.
“The debate on Turkey’s European integration is a good opportunity
also to discuss Ukraine’s accession,” said Maciej Grabowski, spokesman
for the liberal PO, the main opposition party in Poland.
“Some European countries oppose the accession of Turkey, Ukraine’s
accession also has its opponents and it would be good to engage in a
debate on this theme,” he added.
“If you look at a map, you can see that Belarus and Ukraine make up
part of Europe and I don’t see why we would refuse others that what we
were generously given,” said Estonian Foreign Minister Kriistina
Ojuland.
Polish leaders avoid talking openly of bringing Belarus into the EU
because of the current dictatorial regime of Alexander Lukashenko. But
in several months ago former Czech president Vaclav Havel called on
the EU to offer a perspective to democrats in Belarus.
“I think that the future of Belarus is solidly bound to that of
Europe, the door has to stay open,” he wrote in a newspaper column.
A tireless advocate of Ukraine, Polish President Aleksander
Kwasniewski dreams openly of a Europe which also encompasses Moldova
and the Caucasus.
These ambitions however will meet strong opposition within the
European Union, already digesting its historic enlargement to 25
members.
The current commission planned fixing the borders after the eventual
integration of Turkey and the Balkans.
And if in the new EU countries the Turkish question is not generating
huge debate at the moment, voices are beginning to be heard.
“The situation (of Turkey) is not comparable with that of the new
members since they are, without discussion, European countries with
standard democratic systems,” said Pavol Hrusovsky, the Christian
Democrat president of the Slovak Parliament.
In the Czech Republic one of the most pro-European personalities is
campaigning against Turkey’s admission.
“The EU will have borders with Syria, Iraq, Iran, Armenia and Georgia,
these are infinitely explosive regions,” Josef Zieleniec, European
member of parliament and former foreign minister said last week in his
article “The cradle of a new threatening crisis”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Dubai hosts 9th annual GSM in Middle East, Gulf and North Africa conference

Al-Bawaba
October 4, 2004 Monday
By Mena Report Reporters
The ninth annual GSM in the Middle East, Gulf and North Africa
conference and exhibition is due to take place 5-6 October 2004, at
the JW Marriott Hotel, Dubai, UAE.
Held under the patronage of the Minister of Communications for the
United Arab Emirates, GSM in the Middle East, Gulf and North Africa is
the established annual meeting place for the GSM community in the
region. This year the event will incorporate the North Africa region,
an initiative backed by a marketing campaign to Algeria, Chad, Egypt,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia.
Organized by IBC Global Conferences, the event will showcase the
latest in GSM technology, solutions and services. It will provide a
platform for the region’s mobile industry to learn from key industry
speakers on the critical business, strategy and technical issues
facing the region as well as providing market case studies of the
leading services, applications and products.
“GSM in the Middle East, Gulf and North Africa conference and
exhibition is a unique event, focused purely on the GSM market,
technology and services,” said Fiona Loud, marketing manager, IBC
Global Conferences. “The event aims to provide a platform where GSM
operators, network vendors and software developers can meet and
exchange experiences in order to better serve the customer in the
region and enrich the lifestyle of the people,” she added.
“Mobile subscribers in the Middle East and North Africa grew to 38.8
million at the end of 2003, an increase of 40.1% on 2002. This figure
is forecast to rise to 51.9 million by the end of 2004, fuelled in
particular by rapid subscriber growth in the North African markets of
Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria,” said John Everington, Senior Analyst at
EMC World Cellular Database, a company internationally reputed as the
best source for operational data and analysis on the mobile industry.
Opportunities for 3G in the region, regulation and liberalisation
developments, customer retention and acquisition strategies, effective
pricing strategies in a competitive market, billing for increased
revenue and customer relationship management (CRM), together with
developing GPRS for the corporate market, will be among the conference
topics.
Endorsed by the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation – Etisalat and
sponsored by the world’s leading GSM technology providers, including
Huawei Technologies, Ericsson, Siemens mobile, Convergys, LogicaCMG,
Metrica, Gemplus, Giesecke & Devrient and Atos Origin, the GSM in the
Middle East, Gulf and North Africa exhibition will demonstrate the
latest in GSM technology, services and solutions.
According to EMC World Cellular Database analysts, the Middle East is
one of the few regions in the world where the mobile
telecommunications industry is still expanding and experiencing strong
growth.
IBC’s GSM in the Middle East and Gulf 2003 set an attendance record
last October in Dubai with an increase of 43% on the previous year,
reflecting the new developments and challenges facing the GSM
community in this region. The audience of over 500 included over 160
mobile operators and delegates from more than 31 countries including
UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Jordan, Libya,
Oman, Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, Algeria, Tunisia, Palestine, Armenia, UK,
France, Belgium, Sweden and Germany. (menareport.com)