Adventurous cooks will enjoy ‘Simply Armenian’
By SILAS SPAETH
For The Salinas Californian
“Simply Armenian: Naturally Healthy Ethnic Cooking Made Easy” (Mayreni
Publishing. $17.95) by Barbara Ghazarian.
* Local connection: Pacific Grove resident Barbara Ghazarian is
passionate about Armenian cuisine. In her cookbook, she shares “the
wisdom of generations of grandmothers” along with all the practical
information needed to produce some truly outstanding Armenian food. *
Content: The 150 recipes featured in the cookbook range from
appetizers, soups and salads to main courses and delicious desserts.
Get out your food processor and try one of the nine delicious spreads
listed in the opening pages of the book. Using ingredients such as
chickpeas, eggplant, walnuts, yogurt and kalamata olives, you can whip
up some muhammarah (spicy hot walnut spread) or a carrot-potato dip
with marinated artichoke hearts.
The extensive salad section offers recipes for bulgur salad with
chickpeas and greens, Armenian potato salad, a cucumber-tomato, feta
salad and beet and walnut salad.
Because lamb is a “preferred meat” in Middle Eastern cuisine, it will
come as no surprise to discover 18 ways to prepare the meat including
lamb stuffed grape leaves (sarma), eggplant and ground lamb, baked
stuffed meat pie (sini kufteh), and lamb with quince slices.
Those not counting calories will find instructions for making such
mouth watering sweets as almond cookies, apricot squares, paklava and
fresh candied-pumpkin slices dipped in chocolate.
If you have developed a taste for the quince, an exotic, yellowish
fruit primarily grown in the United States here in California, you’ll
be happy to discover recipes for quince preserves, coffee cake,
cookies and jelly.
* Author quote: “I have taken the intimidation factor out of Armenian
fare, but not the taste, smells and exotic look of the food. Nor have
I made it fancy. For centuries, Armenians have been eating like
sultans on what others considered scraps and pantry basics. Now you
can, too.”
* Audience: If you enjoy sampling ethnic cuisine and are a venturesome
cook, this is a cookbook you’ll want to own. If you prefer lamb to
beef, enjoy lots of vegetables (especially eggplant) and would rather
munch on stuffed grape leaves than a Ritz cracker with cream cheese
smeared on it, this is a book you want to seriously consider
purchasing. If green onion and pine nut pizza sounds odd yet
appetizing — you’ve come to the right cookbook!
SILAS SPAETH of Monterey writes about Central Coast Authors on an
occasional basis for the Arts & Books page of The
Californian. Comments for Spaeth may be sent to The Salinas
Californian, c/o Central Coast Authors, P.O. Box 81091, Salinas 93912;
or e-mailed to [email protected].
Originally published Saturday, September 25, 2004

Britain Proposes Debt Relief to Nations
By ED JOHNSON
.c The Associated Press
BRIGHTON, England (AP) – Britain will provide more debt relief for the
world’s poorest countries and challenge other rich countries to do the
same, Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government said Sunday.
Treasury chief Gordon Brown said many developing countries were
crippled by servicing their debt and could not invest in their
infrastructure.
“We will pay our share of the multilateral debt repayments of
reforming low-income countries,” Brown said in a statement, released
by the Department of International Development.
“We will make payments in their stead to the World Bank and African
Development Bank for the portion that relates to Britain’s share of
this debt. We do this alone today but I urge other countries to follow
so that over indebted countries are relieved of the burden of
servicing all unpayable multilateral debt.”
Brown was scheduled to reveal further details in a speech later Sunday
to a “Vote for Trade Justice” event at a church in Brighton, the
coastal town where the governing Labour Party is holding its annual
conference.
Britain holds about 10 percent of the total debt owed to the World
Bank and other development banks, or about 7 percent of all the debt
of the world’s poorest nations.
Britain’s Development Secretary Hilary Benn said poor countries needed
“significant additional resources” to “lift people out of poverty,
get children into primary schools and improve basic health.”
“Debt relief is an efficient way of transferring these resources to
countries that can use them most effectively,” he said in the
statement. “We call on other governments, especially our G-8
partners, to join us so that no country is held back by the burden of
unsustainable debt.”
To be eligible for the debt relief, countries must be able to show the
savings will be used to meet the goals of the 2000 Millennium
Summit. Those goals include halving the number of people living in
dire poverty from 2000 levels; ensuring that all children have an
elementary school education; ensuring that all families have clean
water; and halting the AIDS epidemic – all by 2015.
The list of countries will include those that have been through the
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative: Benin, Bolivia, Burkina
Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique,
Nicaragua, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, as well as a number of
other countries such as Vietnam and Armenia, where the World Bank has
assessed the countries are capable of absorbing direct budget support,
the statement said.
Britain also called for debt payments owed to the International
Monetary Fund to be funded through the more efficient use of IMF gold
reserves.
09/26/04 13:52 EDT

FOR FIRST TIME ARMENIA ISSUES BONDS WITH MATURITY OF 7 YEARS
YEREVAN, September 23 (Noyan Tapan). On September 23, Armenia for the
first time implemented successfully the distribution of government
bonds with maturity of 7 years. According to Arshaluys Margarian, Head
of the State Credit Management Department of the RA Ministry of
Finance and Economy, demand for these bonds exceeded almost 3 times
the volumes of the bonds issued, and the average yield made 9.2%,
which is lower than was expected by the government. Unlike bonds of
medium term maturity, which have been issued until now, these bonds do
not envisage partial payments before the deadline. On September 11
2004, new legal acts that regulate the government bonds market came
into force, according to which the RA Government, in addition to the
bonds of up to 5 years maturity that have been issued so far, will
also issue cupon bonds of 6-30 years maturity without partial
payments. Besides, short term maturity bonds, as well as medium term
maturity bonds with and without partial payments will continue to be
issued. The Department Head stated that it is planned to issue long
term bonds in November and December too. According to A. Margarian,
the issuing of long term bonds means the the RA Government step by
step consolidates its authority. THe new bonds will enable to lower
the domestic government debt and to extend its maturity term. As of
September 22, of the bonds worth 45.7 bln drams (about $89 mln) in
circulation, 13.0 bln or 29% are short term ones, and 32.7 bln or 71%
are of medium term maturity. As of September 22, the average term of
maturity of the domestic government debt made 556 days, and the
averaage yield – 9.9%. The RA government started issuing government
bonds in 1995 in order to finance the state budget deficit. Only short
term bonds (up to 1 year) were issued before 2000, after which cupon
bonds with partial payments and of medium term maturity (1-5 years)
have also been issued. The first medium term maturity bond was issued
on March 7 2000, it had a 15-month duration and 28% yield. A.
Margaraian expressed hope that other financial organiations will enter
the government bonds market in 3-4 years and the “monopoly”of the
banks will disappear. According to her, it will also be possible in 2
years to take steps in the direction of replacing the external
government debt with the domestic one.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RA DEFENCE MINISTRY AND UN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM DECLARE START OF MINE
CLEARING OF ARMENIA PROJECT
YEREVAN, September 25 (Noyan Tapan). On September 24, with the support
of the European Union the RA Defence Ministry and the UN Development
Program (UNDP) declared the start of the Mine Clearing of Armenia
Project. The RA Defence Minister Serge Sargsian and the permanent
coordinator of the UN in Armenia and permanent representative of the
UNDP Lis Grande took part in the official ceremony. According to the
specialists’ estimate, in Armenia there are 6,000-8,000 land-mines on
about 840 square km, mainly in border areas. The impact of this mining
is extremely serious: every year part of the civilian population,
including children, suffer from the mines, and the agricultural work
in many border villages is made impossible because of the mines.
According to Yerevan Office of the UNDP, the budget of this 3-year
project is more than 1.5 mln euros. One of the main purposes of the
project is strengthening the coordination and implementation
capacities of the mine clearing programs conducted by the government.
In addition, the republican study on the assessment of the impact of
the mines will be conducted and a new data base will be created. The
other components of the project are the mine clearing of Syunik marz,
the campaign to increase public awareness, a targeted help to the
victins and those injured by the mines, as well as the professional
training of the medical staff and mine clearing personnel. ” This
project is valuable from several aspects: thanks to the mine clearing
of arable lands it will enable to reduce poverty in a number of
regions of the country, it will strengthen the government’s capacities
in this sphere, and finally it will increase public awareness in the
settlements adjacent to the mined areas. It is also of importance to
the UNDP that the RA Defence Ministry directly allocated finance to
this project. In this way the RA Government shows its obvious
willingness to carry out humanitarian mine clearing,” Lis Grande
said. The Aemenian Humanitarian Centre on Mine Clearing, which will
officially represent Armenia in the process of the project
implementaation, was established in March 2002 with the support of the
US State Department and the US Defence Ministry. According to the
survey conducted among those suffered from mines in 2002, at present
343 poeople who have suffered from mines live in Armenia, and mine
explosions have been registered in all 11 marzes o Armenia. Due to the
security problems existing presently in Transcaucasia, Armenia has not
yet signed the 2 main international conventions on land mines.

The Daily Telegraph, UK
Sept 27 2004
Turkish parliament adopts new penal code to help EU entry talks
By Amberin Zaman in Istanbul
(Filed: 27/09/2004)
Turkey’s parliament last night bowed to European Union demands and
passed a liberalising penal code which should open the way to talks
with Ankara on EU membership.

MPs were recalled from their summer recess after the government of
Recep Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister, agreed to drop a plan to
criminalise adultery.
The decision ended a week of crisis with Brussels over Turkey’s
efforts to become the EU’s first predominantly Muslim member.
EU officials said the amended code would help Ankara secure a
positive review of its democratisation process in a crucial report by
the European Commission to be published on Oct 6. EU ministers will
make a final decision in December on holding membership talks. In a
televised address to the nation, Mr Erdogan expressed confidence that
“membership negotiations will start in December”.
The new penal code bars Muslim clerics from engaging in politics and
stiffens penalties for the perpetrators of so-called “honour
killings” of women deemed to have stained their families’ reputation.
Turkey’s increasingly influential women’s groups played a significant
role in pushing for the reforms.
“The change is revolutionary,” said Hulya Gulbahar, who campaigned
for a new law that criminalises the rape of spouses.
Another law scraps reduced sentences for rapists who marry their
victim, and for mothers who murder their babies born out of wedlock.
But EU officials have expressed alarm over a law that effectively
bans free debate of controversial issues such as the 1974 invasion of
Cyprus and the mass slaughter of Turkish Armenians by Ottoman forces
during the First World War.
The passage of the new code followed a week during which Turkey’s
membership application was damaged by Mr Erdogan’s stated desire to
outlaw adultery. EU leaders warned him against the proposal, saying
it suggested that he was seeking to lead Turkey towards Islamic rule.
Mr Erdogan then withdrew the proposal.
The European Right wing is opposed to the inclusion of Turkey. In
Austria, Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel backed the start of accession
talks but suggested that Turkey should be considered for “reduced
membership”.
With its wobbly economy, Turkey is not expected to join the EU for at
least 15 years.
But for many of its 70 million population, tired of decades of
corrupt and authoritarian rule, continued scrutiny by Europe is seen
to be as important to cementing democracy and secular rule as actual
EU membership would be.

RIA Novosti, Russia
Sept 26 2004
ARMENIAN PRESIDENT STOPS IN DUSHANBE ON HIS WAY TO CHINA
DUSHANBE, September 26 (RIA Novosti) – The Presidents of Tajikistan
and Armenia Emomali Rakhmonov and Robert Kocharyan discussed on
Sunday in Dushanbe the issues of bilateral cooperation, said the
press secretary of the Tajik president, Abdufattokh Sharipov.
Mr. Kocharyan made a short stop in the Tajik capital on his way to
China, where he is going on a state visit.
In Mr. Sharipov’s words, at the meeting Mr. Rakhmonov and Mr.
Kocharyan voiced the necessity to continue work over the improvement
of the contractual-legal base of bilateral relations in different
spheres (both countries along with Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and
Kyrgyzstan are members of the Organization of the Collective Security
Treaty. Armenia along with Ukraine and Moldova have the status of
observers under the Eurasian Economic Community, whose members are
Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan).
The Tajik president, in the words of the press secretary, noted the
necessity to accelerate work on the adoption of a regular package of
bilateral documents, which are now under consideration.
“Tajikistan is ready to continue political dialogue at different
levels, encourage the ties of business, scientific, cultural circles,
contacts between citizens,” the press secretary quoted Mr. Rakhmonov
as saying.
Mr. Kocharyan in his turn said that after the visit of the Tajik
president to Yerevan, the first session of the intergovernmental
commission on economic cooperation and a business forum took place,
said Mr. Sharipov.
“This is a good tendency, which is to provide a result. As the sides
are getting ready, Tajikistan organizes a second session of the
commission so that it could start implementing mutually beneficial
specific projects,” said Mr. Rakhmonov.
After the meeting with Mr. Rakhmonov, Mr. Kocharyan flew to Beijing.

RIA Novosti, Russia
Sept 26 2004
MOSCOW OPENS STRING QUARTET CONTEST
MOSCOW, September 26 (RIA Novosti) – A 7th international string
quartet contest took start at the Moscow Conservatory today. To last
into September 30, Thursday, it bears the name of Dmitry
Shostakovich, one of the world’s foremost 20th century composers.
The contest has brought together fourteen quartets from Armenia,
Belgium, Finland, France, Italy and Kazakhstan. Performers from every
part of Russia represent the host country. These are student quartets
from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Novosibirsk and Petrozavodsk.
“The event is timed to the Dmitry Shostakovich birth centenary
galas,” Valentin Berlinsky, top-notch Russian performer and contest
jury president, said to a news conference last Thursday.
“The Moscow Conservatory has established its own award for this
particular contest,” added prominent violinist Vladimir Ivanov.
Conservatory orchestra department dean, he is on the jury. The best
quartet on which Moscow Conservatory students or alumni appear will
have its Smaller Hall for a concert-a generous award.
The winner quartet will also have a concert.
Renowned solo and quartet performers are on the jury-suffice it to
mention Marc Danel of Belgium, Italy’s Pavel Vernikov, Dominique de
Villancourt of France, and several Russians, among them Alexander
Galkovsky, Vladimir Ovcharek amd Vladimir Ivanov.
Grand Prix makes 720,000 rubles, roughly $24,000; the second prize
360,000 rubles, or $12,000; and third 280,000 rubles, $9,300.
Established seventeen years ago, the Shostakovich contest launched
many quartets into the global limelight. Of special brilliance among
them are Russia’s Eleonora, Dominant, Mozart and Romantic, The Lark
of the U.S., France’s Danael, the British Medea, and Italy’s Fone
Quartet.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
September 26, 2004 Sunday 11:10 AM Eastern Time
Armenian president comes to Beijing on five-day state visit
By Alexander Zyuzin
BEIJING
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan arrived in Beijing on Sunday on a
five-day state visit, Xinhua reports.
He will meet with Chinese Chairman Hu Jintao, State Council Premier
Wen Jiabao and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National
People’s Congress Wu Bangguo to discuss political, trade, economic
and cultural relations.
The negotiations will result in signing of a joint declaration and
several agreements to boost economic, technical and cultural
cooperation.
The Armenian delegation will visit Shanghai on September 29 to
familiarize themselves with Chinese reforms.

Sunday Mail
September 26, 2004, Sunday
ROSIE KANE: RATTER LUNACY;
REFUGEE FAMILY TREATED WORSE THAN A RODENT
by ROSIE KANE
TRUST me, it would take something really extraordinary to get me
cuddling a rat.
But the plight of an extraordinary asylum seeker Julia Gulshan
Babayeva and her two sons did just that.
She called me in desperation last week from a detention centre near
Gatwick airport after being picked up by immigration officers. The
terrified family were being threatened with deportation.
I first met Julia at a debate in the run up to the elections for the
Scottish Parliament.
She had fled Azerbaijan after her husband was killed for refusing to
shoot Armenians. Julia is Armenian.
She was devastated by her husband’s murder but continued working as a
psychology lecturer to support her family.
But during an interview on Azerbaijani radio, Julia criticised the
education system and was arrested.
She was subjected to brutality and fled to Britain with her children,
putting in a claim for asylum. She and her sons – Alex and Aziz –
were housed in Sighthill, Glasgow, two years ago.
She is loved and respected by locals for her work in the community.
I tried to comfort and reassure the family while they feared being
sent back to danger. Alex, 18, was also terrified for his beloved pet
rat, Maxi, which he had been forced to leave in Sighthill.
I get the heebie-jeebies where rodents are concerned but promised to
make sure poor Maxi was safe.
I called the SSPCA and revealed how the family pet was locked in and
starving.
They were amazing and quickly called back saying they had collected
Maxi and he was at Cardonald Cat and Dog Home.
I jumped in a taxi, sped to the home and asked to bring Maxi home.
Once convinced I was a suitable carer, I was introduced to my new
lodger.
My heart stopped, I had never wanted to be anywhere near a rat –
domestic or wild -and here I was collecting one to take home. Sharing
my fear and loathing of all rodents, my daughters Nicola and Susanne
immediately threatened to leave home.
But after a couple of hours we were all cooing around the cage. The
best bit was calling Julia and the boys to tell them their pet was
safe and well. They were delighted and described it as a shred of
hope.
Tragically, it seems Maxi had more rights than Julia and her boys.
When apprehended, the family were driven for eight hours without food
or drink.
They were distressed, terrified and unwell but not allowed to see a
doctor.
They were being held in a strange place with little or no rights and
plans were being made to ship them to danger. If I had done that to
my children, social workers would have been right to intervene – but
they are not given any powers to help Julia, despite the obvious
abuse.
The SSPCA were able to intervene to save little Maxi. He was checked
by a vet and liberated into caring hands.
The Scottish Parliament has no power to intervene when basic human
rights are being abused. Our politician’s palace can do nothing to
help Julia and her boys.
We have a skills and population shortage. I know from experience we
have a shortage of psychologists like Julia.
We have let Julia and her children down. We have failed in our duty
to respect and uphold basic human rights and have lost a highly
motivated, intelligent and valued family.
Julia’s lawyers are fighting her case. I only hope they succeed.
#For more info and updates see the Positive Action in Housing website
at
GRAPHIC: Rat’s my boy: Rosie cuddles Maxi, whose owners may be
deported to danger
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

University Wire
September 22, 2004 Wednesday
America should embrace, not erase, ethnic diversity
By Virginia Terzian, Daily Titan; SOURCE: California State U. –
Fullerton
FULLERTON, Calif.
Why is it that with so much effort over the years to be “politically
correct,” I still have to mark ‘other’ on any official document I
fill out?
Like many students not easily ethnically categorized, I found filling
out a scholarship application disconcerting.
As an Armenian-American, I have over 3,000 years of rich history, but
no category to call my own.
I’m not alone in my exile, with a large portion of the world’s
population in my cluster including Persians, Arabs, Russians,
Indians, Native Americans, Central Americans, Pacific Islanders,
biracial and, for that matter, anyone else in the world who doesn’t
fall under the big four: White, Hispanic, African or Asian.
I don’t understand why my ethnicity is of any importance in these
documents at all; does my being Armenian have any bearing on my
intelligence or on my monetary need for financial aid? Of course not.
So, why should it be a factor in determining if I deserve a
scholarship? If we live in a country that respects and wants
diversity, shouldn’t we embrace different backgrounds instead of
attempting to cluster people into large groups and excluding everyone
else?
It would seem the United States has forgotten what makes this a great
country: the idea of respect and equality for all people.
How can we be equal if people are forced to categorize themselves as
simply “others” and lose their ethnicities in the process?
By limiting the options people have in order to define their
background, all we do is perpetuate a cycle of ignorance.
If no one is aware of other ethnicities they are less likely to be
open to diversity.
Also, a large factor of discrimination present on any official
document is the fact that the word “white” seems to be an adequate
definition for anyone who is of European decent. Yet defining someone
as brown, black or yellow would be seen as an act of racism.
Somehow it is fine to categorize an entire region of the planet as
merely white and completely overlook any possibility that this could
offend them. By categorizing people based on the color of their skin
we are taking a huge step back in our history. By marking someone an
“other,” we strip that person of his or her history, heritage and
culture, which is as important today as ever.
We “others” aren’t going anywhere and our numbers are only growing,
so why not remove the labels and allow us all to be defined as what
we truly are: Students, working hard to make a better future for
tomorrow.