Anadolu Agency
June 26 2004

Turkish F.M.: Sides In Iraq Should Fulfill Their Responsibilities

ISTANBUL – Sides in Iraq should fulfill their responsibilities and
not make wrong estimations, Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime
Minister Abdullah Gul said on Saturday.

Speaking at a conference ”The New Atlantic Alliance At a New
Crossroads” jointly organized by Turkish Economic and Social Studies
Foundation (TESEV) and U.S. think-tank organization German Marshall
Fund, Gul said that he supported the idea of change in the Islam
world, but there were some conditions before that change.

Gul noted that those conditions could occur by establishing
partnership not intervention, and with the support of regional
countries not by imposition.

Turkey was not playing a role as a model, Gul stated.

Gul said that a democratic Iraq, the territorial integrity of which
was not deteriorated and the sources of which were used by its own
people and for the sake of its own people, would be the supported of
peace and welfare in its region.

Turkey would continue to extend every kind of support to people of
Iraq, which was undertaking a new era, Gul pointed out.

Gul said that success reached in Iraq’s transition period would be
for everybody’s benefit.

Turkish Foreign Minister Gul said that ongoing political conflicts in
Iraq and Palestine did not help regional social and economic reform
perspectives.

Those political problems would not be a reason to delay some urgent
responsibilities, Gul pointed out.

Gul said that countries should abide themselves by changing
conditions and fulfil some responsibilities due to new threats.

Security was face to face with some threats from terrorism to
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Gul stated.

Gul said that Turkey would play an important role in solution of
regional chronic problems thanks to its relations with two sides of
Atlantic.

Turkey’s geographical location and its historical and cultural
heritage offered good opportunities to Turkey to contribute to
regional security, cooperation, Gul stated and stressed that Turkey
did not miss those opportunities.

Gul said that Turkey’s attitude towards peaceful settlement of the
Cyprus issue bewildered many people.

The real target was to protect security and rights of Turkish
Cypriots, Gul stated.

Gul expressed Turkey’s expectation that the international community
to lift unjust and inhumane limitations on Turkish Cypriots.

Turkey’s importance would increase thanks to its European Union (EU)
membership process, Gul said.

Gul said that ”he was surer today than any time” that the EU would
start negotiations with Turkey.

Missions Turkey had undertaken in Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina and
Afghanistan had been appreciated, Gul stated.

Gul noted that Turkey continued its efforts aiming at solution of
Karabakh issue and restoration of stability in Georgia.

Any step that Armenia would take to end its occupation of Azerbaijani
lands would help final solution of Upper Karabakh dispute, Gul
pointed out.

Gul said that Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad al-Alawi demanded that NATO
train Iraqi security forces, and noted that this could be one of
NATO’s contributions to Iraq when replying to a question on possible
contributions of NATO to Iraq.

The Ledger, FL
June 26 2004

Winter Haven Boxer Will Compete in Athens for Haiti

By DURWARD BUCK
Ledger Correspondent

WINTER HAVEN
As though hit with a stiff punch to the jaw, Andre Berto was stunned.

The 20-year-old Winter Haven resident did not react immediately when
an arbitrator’s decision stripped him of the opportunity to compete
for a slot on the U.S. Olympic boxing team for this summer’s Games.

Right after the decision in Cleveland on Feb. 27, Berto flew to
Houston to spar with professional welterweight champion and friend
Winky Wright of St. Petersburg.

“When I got off the plane and saw all the boxers and all the people
there who are my friends, I just broke down,” said Berto, known to
friends as Mike but in boxing circles as Andre because that’s the way
his boxing entry forms were filled out.

“I cried my heart out,” he continued. “It was the most stressful week
of my life. After preparing for this for 10 years, they told me I
couldn’t fight in the trials. It was a double-elimination tournament,
so why didn’t they let me keep on fighting?”

The question need not be asked anymore.

Berto is going to be able to live out his Olympic dream after all. He
just won’t be doing it with the U.S. team.

Following his disqualification from the U.S. team, Berto’s camp
sought help from Haiti. Berto, who is a Polk Community College
student, is the son of Haitian immigrants, father Dieuseul and mother
Wilnise. His parents moved from Miami to Winter Haven when he was 10.

Because his parents were born in Haiti, Berto was granted dual
citizenship as an American and Haitian. He traveled to Tijuana,
Mexico, to fight in the 42-country Americas Olympic Qualifying
Tournament — this time as a member of Haiti’s team.

The 152-pound welterweight earned a spot in the Olympics by reaching
the tournament finals in early March.

In a twist, Vanes Martroysian, a 19-year-old standout from Armenia
who earned U.S. citizenship so he could box for the United States,
defeated Berto, 24-21, in the final of the Americas qualifier.

That matters little now.

Berto, who beat Martroysian in the second round of the U.S. team
trials in February before the result was erased, is scheduled to go
to Athens, Greece, in August as Haiti’s one-man boxing team.

Ranked No. 1 in the United States as an amateur welterweight, Berto
was a heavy favorite in the U.S. team trials. But his ranking didn’t
carry any weight with the referee, who disqualified him with 27
seconds left in his opening match against Juan McPherson of
Cleveland.

This set off a wild series of appeals, counter-appeals, two more
appeals and finally the binding decision by an arbitrator in Federal
Court — the one that led to Berto’s disqualification and the tearful
breakdown in Texas.

“It was 10 years of training and fighting down the drain,” Berto
said.

It was the most talked-about fight at the trials.

“We drew the toughest guy we could have in the first fight,” said
Tony Morgan, Berto’s trainer and coach at Winter Haven’s Police
Athletic League gym.

Morgan said the 5-foot-9 Berto won the first three rounds of the
four-round fight by a significant margin.

“McPherson’s corner knew his only chance was to take Mike out, and he
was standing when the bell rang for the fourth round,” Morgan said.
“He came charging across the ring, but Mike met him with a solid
right hand that really hurt him. McPherson clinched, but the ref
broke it up.

“Then with 30 to 40 seconds left, Berto caught him again with a hard
right to the head and McPherson clinched around Berto’s waist and
walked him clear across the ring, with Berto trying to shake him off.
Berto finally spun him off and McPherson fell on the ring — on his
butt — and lay motionless.

“The guy’s corner was yelling for him to stay down,” Morgan said.
“The ref called it a foul and disqualified Berto. He could have taken
away points, but he didn’t.”

After looking at a video of the fight, Morgan filed a protest and won
it. Berto fought again the next day, beating Martroysian in a
decision.

But McPherson’s representatives filed a counter-protest — a puzzling
decision because the mild concussion he sustained in the fight
prevented him from getting into the ring again for at least 30 days.
The issue was finally settled by the arbitrator.

However, the arbitrator couldn’t stop Berto from chasing his dream
when Haiti came to the rescue.

“It was like I had another breath, a new life,” said Berto, who will
be the first boxer from Polk County to compete in the Olympics. “I
think of it as such a blessing.”

The “blessing” has Berto refocused. The Olympics are fast approaching
and he is in training.

He wakes up each day at 7 a.m. and runs 2 miles at a brisk pace. He
eats breakfast, then works out with weights for two hours.

After a noon lunch, he begins again. He hits bags, does concentration
drills with big mitts, does movement and agility drills and then
spars. All in all, the training lasts five to six hours daily.

At the end of a day, he’ll watch either a movie or a boxing video
until 9 p.m. Then it’s bedtime.

The training intensifies in the final month before a fight. The
running will increase to three miles a day and six miles once a week.

He’ll continue to spar with Wright for as many as nine rounds.

The reward is worth the price, Berto says. And the pride is boiling
over with his parents, friends and, of course, the country he is
representing.

Haitian Olympic Committee President Gady Prophete was eager to have
Andre Berto represent his country.

“They are so happy,” said Dieuseul Berto, who has acted as an
interpreter for his son’s camp and Haitian organizers. “They have
never had a boxer like this before.”

Berto certainly has credentials. He is a United States Golden Glove
champion and was a semifinalist in the World Cup Boxing
Championships.

Despite their success as a duo, Morgan and Berto have a friendly
disagreement over just how much success they’ve had.

“His record book, with all his fights in it, was lost,” Morgan said.
“I’d say he has won around 100 fights and lost 10.”

Berto says with a smile: “I think it is more than that — maybe
120-10.”

Whatever the numbers are, one thing is for sure — Berto has come a
long way. He was a kid who was so aggressive at age 10 that his
family took him to a psychiatrist because he was getting into so much
trouble at school.

His fiery temper was channeled into sports, especially boxing.

As for his home life, the Berto family practices many of its Haitian
traditions.

“In my home we speak French, Creole and English,” Berto said. “In
high school I took Spanish,” he added, laughing.

He should probably consider brushing up on some Greek because that’s
where the next great moments of his life are likely to take place.

“I always have loved the Olympics, and I watched them when I was
younger and I dreamed of one day going,” Berto said. “But I never
really thought it was actually going to happen. It was just a dream.”

It’s not just a dream anymore.

Leading his new dream list: standing on the gold medal stand at the
birthplace of the Olympic Games.

Broadcaster Jennings, cellist Yo-Yo Ma honored at American University of
Beirut

.c The Associated Press

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) – ABC News anchor Peter Jennings and cellist
Yo-Yo Ma picked up honorary doctoral degrees Saturday at the American
University of Beirut and paid tribute to the school as a place to turn
for cultural understanding.

Jennings, anchor of ABC’s World News Tonight with Peter Jennings,
spent time as a newsman in Beirut in the late 1960s and early
1970s. He noted the United States has found it challenging to win the
hearts and mind of people in the region.

“I’ll go back to the United States and remind my colleagues that if
we want better understanding we can go back and spend just a little
time on this campus talking to all the people,” he said. The
university has been a meeting point of ideas and people from the
Middle East and West for more than a century.

Jennings, the Toronto-born son of a Canadian radio announcer, dropped
out of high school before launching his career in journalism. He
served as ABC News bureau chief in Beirut for seven years.

AUB President John Waterbury jokingly forgave Jennings for his limited
formal education. Receiving the Doctorate in Humane Letters, Jennings
opened the folder containing the document and quipped: “It’s true. I
have one.”

Receiving his Humane Letters doctorate, Ma spoke about how music
transcends borders. He picked up his cello and played a few minutes of
Bach that he offered “to the amazing history and accomplishments of
AUB.”

Also honored at the ceremony were Sir Michael Atiyah, a British
mathematician of Lebanese father and Scottish mother, and Vartan
Gregorian, an Iranian-born educator and philanthropist who moved to
Beirut at age 15 and studied at the Armenian College before studying
and later teaching at several U.S. universities.

AUB was founded in 1866 by Christian missionary Dr. Daniel Bliss as
the Syrian Protestant College and later became nonsectarian and
independent. The prestigious institution educated many Arab
politicians. It survived Lebanon’s 1975-90 civil war despite being
targeted by a car bomb and the assassination of its president.

sfg-sjs

06/26/04 09:35 EDT

Azerbaijan urges drive to resolve Karabakh dispute

ISTANBUL, June 26 (Reuters) – Azerbaijan called on the international
community to help resolve its chronic dispute with Armenia over
Nagorno-Karabakh on Saturday, arguing that the region was a potential
hotbed for drug-running and terror.

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev clashed at a conference in Istanbul with
an Armenian official who described the territory as an “established
entity” with governing institutions and a ceasefire that has held for
a decade since a six-year conflict.

“Nagorno-Karabakh is an entity which is not recognised by anyone in
the world,” the president responded to a comment from Armenian foreign
ministry official Garen Nazarian.

“It is an unrecognised, self-proclaimed, illegal so-called entity.
Azerbaijan will never agree with the loss of its territory, we will
get these territories back.”

Nagorno-Karabakh is a territory wholly inside Azerbaijan, populated by
Christian ethnic Armenians, which broke away from Baku’s rule as the
Soviet Union collapsed. The Azeris, their country controlling large
oil resources, want it back.

The Minsk Group of 11 countries, led by France, the United States and
Russia under the mandate of the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, has so far failed to settle the problem.

Aliyev said that “Armenian occupation” had left one million of
Azerbaijan’s population of eight million as either refugees or
internally displaced persons, and Nagorno-Karabakh had become one of
the southern Caucasus’s “uncontrolled lawless zones.”

“Nagorno-Karabakh poses a very serious threat for the region –there
is no international control, no international monitoring and no rule
of law,” he told the security conference which set the stage for a
NATO summit in the Turkish city next week.

“This is a very comfortable place for criminal elements. There
is…some very significant evidence of illegal drug trafficking in
Nagorno-Karabakh, of terrorism camps.”

Aliyev appealed for more active efforts to resolve the dispute from
the “broad international community,” including the European Union, the
Council of Europe and other international institutions.

Asked by Nazarian why he was not satisfied with the mediation efforts
of the Minsk Group, Aliyev replied: “Because there is no result.”

06/26/04 13:53 ET

MINISTER DENIES USA HOLDING “TERRORISTS” IN AZERI PRISONS

Trend news agency, Baku
25 Jun 04

Azerbaijani National Security Minister Namiq Abbasov has denied the
local media reports which quote the foreign mass media as saying that
the USA is holding some of the arrested international terrorists
outside Baku. According to Trend, Abbasov told journalists on 25 June
that this was not true.

(Passage omitted: reported details)

Abbasov also described as realistic the statements about the
possibility of exchanging an Armenian citizen recently detained near
the Azerbaijani border for Azerbaijanis held in Armenian captivity.
“We do not have Armenian hostages. But Armenia might give us hundreds
of hostages. This is realistic if they hand them over,” the minister
said.

Touching on the plight of Armenian fugitives Roman Teryan and Artur
Apresyan who are being held at the National Security Ministry’s remand
centre, he said: “The issue will be resolved soon.”

(Passage omitted: minor reported details)

*FRIDAY June 25, 2004*

* *
Raptors take Rafa at No. 8

Former Brigham Young center Rafael Araujo, right, was chosen by the
Toronto Raptors with the No. 8 pick in the NBA draft. (Danny Chan La
/The Salt Lake Tribune)

By Patrick Kinahan
The Salt Lake Tribune

Things turned out well the last time Rafael Araujo left his native
Brazil for another country.
Araujo will go foreign again, as the Toronto Raptors took the former
Brigham Young center with the No. 8 pick in Thursday’s NBA draft. The
6-foot-11, 292-pound Araujo, who has never been to Canada, will receive
a three-year contract worth a total of $6.7 million.
Sitting in the Green Room at Madison Square Garden, Araujo broke
into a wide grin after NBA commissioner David Stern announced Toronto’s
selection. He enjoyed congratulations from his wife, Cheyenne, and his
parents, Tadeu and Neuza, each visiting the United States for the first
time.
Since the college season ended, Araujo toured the country, staging
impressive workouts for 18 teams. His agent, Diron Ohanian, predicted
this week the Raptors could take him.
“That was as high as he could go,” Ohanian said from New York. “They
seem to really like him. They were on him for a while, but I really
didn’t know what to expect. They didn’t give us a great indication.”
Araujo indicated a desire to play for the Jazz, noting he felt
comfortable in Utah after his two years in Provo. Ohanian took it step
further, saying he wanted the Jazz to draft his client.
A salary increase of $2 million over three years, based on Araujo’s
draft slot, offset any disappointment. The Jazz wanted to draft Araujo,
but he was long gone before the team’s first pick at No. 14.
“It worked out great,” Ohanian said. “He would have loved to play
for Utah.
You can’t be disappointed to go that high at No. 8 when a team shows
that kind of respect.”
Indicative of his mid-lottery position, Araujo has a chance to play
immediately. Toronto’s primary big men last season were rookie Chris
Bosh, Donyell Marshall and Corie Blount, none of whom can match Araujo’s
size.
Bosh, who left Georgia Tech after his freshman season, averaged 11.5
points and 7.4 rebounds as the starting center. A former member of the
Jazz, the 6-9 Marshall became the starting power forward after being
traded by the Chicago Bulls.
Toronto officials said they expect Araujo to begin next season
playing 15 to 20 minutes a game.
Even a hint of an NBA career seemed far-fetched four years ago.
Araujo’s ascension into the world’s best basketball league culminated a
remarkable journey that began in Sao Paulo. The first stop was at remote
Arizona Western College, a two-year school far removed from any
basketball hotbed. The path included two years at BYU, where he helped
the Cougars land consecutive NCAA Tournament berths and graduated as the
Mountain West’s co-player of the year.
Noted for a strong work ethic, Araujo improved substantially at BYU.
He averaged 18.4 points and 10.1 rebounds last season and displayed a
degree of nastiness that impressed NBA scouts.
“It was a lot of hard work,” Araujo said. “It paid off.”
Araujo becomes the highest Cougar selected since the Philadelphia
76ers took Shawn Bradley at No. 2 in 1993. Bradley attended the draft in
New York and spoke to Araujo after Toronto picked him.
He is the sixth BYU player to be taken in the first round. Araujo,
who learned English after arriving in the United States, earned a
bachelor’s degree in recreation management in April.

* *

*© Copyright 2004, The Salt Lake Tribune. *
All material found on Utah Online is copyrighted The Salt Lake Tribune
and associated news services. No material may be reproduced or reused
without explicit permission from The Salt Lake Tribune.

PRESS RELEASE
Tufenkian Hospitality
21/1 Tumanian St.,

Yerevan Armenia 375001
Contact: Lilit Hakobyan
Tel: 374 1 520 911
Fax: 374 1 520 913
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

THE FIRST NATIONAL WINE FESTIVAL
Second Saturday of October (2004 10 09)
Vayots Dzor region, Areni Village,

Armenia

USDA and Tufenkian Hospitality are glad to announce the first national wine
festival in Armenia, with the aim to introduce an ancient Armenian tradition
of winemaking to the World.

More than just a showcase for great wine, the festival is a major event for
traditional food making and tasting, traditional crafts-making, and
folkloric performances.

The event program includes traditional dancing, singing, tight-rope
performances, a Marionette Theatre, food-making and tasting, wine-making and
tasting, traditional games, contests, art work, carpet weaving, and craft
items: their creation and presentation (materials used include stone, wood,
and local ceramics).

Villagers will sell home-made products, in their houses – yogurt (matsun)
and cream, honey, nuts and walnuts, vegetables, fruits, dried fruits, baked
goods, lavash, home-made jams and jellies, sweet sujukh, herbal teas
(including hip-rose & thyme), and all the other products that a typical
Armenian household usually prepares for its members.

Armenian companies will present such products as wine, cheese, dried fruits,
meat and fish products, and soft drinks.

Craftsmen will present their work, and visitors may try their hand at
replicating this art.

Armenian restaurants and cafes will organize an area for a one-day operation
of their businesses.

Children can draw in a nearby meadow.

At the Information Desk, visitors can learn about the history and historical
monuments of the region, including Gladzor Museum, the Selim Pass and
Caravanserai, and Noravanq Monastery. Find out more about the local climate,
the flora and fauna of the region, and the village itself. The Djermuk Spa
will also be present.

A qualified trilingual guide will take visitors to the local church for a
tour. This will be done according to a set schedule throughout the day.

For more information please contact us at 374 1 520 911, 105 ext., or e-mail
[email protected]

New York Times
June 26 2004

Dithering as Others Die
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

LONG THE SUDAN-CHAD BORDER – The ongoing genocide in Darfur is
finally, fortunately, making us uncomfortable. At this rate, with
only 250,000 more deaths it will achieve the gravitas of the Laci
Peterson case.

Hats off to Colin Powell and Kofi Annan, who are both traveling in
the next few days to Darfur. But the world has dithered for months
already. Unless those trips signal a new resolve, many of the Darfur
children I’ve been writing about over the last few months will have
survived the Janjaweed militia only to die now of hunger or diarrhea.

I’ve had e-mail from readers who are horrified by the slaughter, but
who also feel that Africa is always a mess and that there’s not much
we can do. So let me address the cynics.

Look, I’m sure it’s terrible in Darfur. But lots of places are
horrific, and we can’t help everyone. Why obsess about Sudan?

The U.N. describes Darfur as the No. 1 humanitarian crisis in the
world today. The U.S. Agency for International Development estimates
that at best 320,000 more people will still die of hunger and disease
this year – or significantly more if we continue to do nothing.

Moreover, apart from our obligation to act under the Genocide
Convention, acquiescence only encourages more genocide – hence the
question attributed to Hitler, “Who today remembers the Armenian
extermination?”

Haven’t we invaded enough Muslim countries?

The U.S. is not going to invade Sudan. That’s not a plausible option.

But we can pass a tough U.N. Security Council resolution authorizing
troops, as well as more support for African peacekeepers. If Germany,
France and Spain don’t want to send troops to Iraq, then let them
deploy in Darfur. And we must publicly condemn the genocide.

What good is a speech in the U.N.? Why would Sudan listen?

Governments tend to be embarrassed about exterminating minorities. In
Sudan, a bit of publicity about Darfur coupled with a written
statement from President Bush led Sudan to agree to a cease-fire in
April and to improve access for aid agencies. More publicity prompted
it to promise to disband the Janjaweed raiders.

Sudan lies and wriggles out of its promises, but its genocide is
still calibrated to the international reaction. Likewise, it is still
denying visas and blocking supplies for emergency relief, but
pressure has led it to improve access.

So, Mr. Bush, if a single written statement will do so much good, why
won’t you let the word “Darfur” pass your lips? Why the passivity in
the face of evil? You could save tens of thousands of lives by making
a forceful speech about Darfur. Conversely, your refusal to do so is
costing tens of thousands of lives.

If the Sudanese were notorious pirates of American videotapes, if
they were sheltering Mullah Omar, you’d be all over them. So why not
stand up just as forcefully to genocide?

Mr. Bush seems proud of his “moral clarity,” his willingness to
recognize evil and bluntly describe it as such. Well, Darfur reeks of
evil, and we are allowing it to continue.

What can ordinary Americans do?

Yell! Mr. Bush and John Kerry have been passive about Darfur because
voters are. If citizens contact the White House or their elected
representatives and demand action, our leaders will be happy to
follow.

Readers can also contribute to one of the many aid agencies saving
lives in Darfur. (I’ve listed some at
, Posting 489.)

Be realistic. We don’t have our national interest at stake in Darfur.

But we do. Sudan’s chaos is destabilizing surrounding countries,
especially Chad, which is an increasing source of oil for us.
Moreover, when states collapse into chaos, they become staging
grounds for terrorism and for diseases like ebola and polio (both
have broken out recently in Sudan).

In any case, America is a nation that has values as well as
interests. We betrayed those values when we ignored past genocides,
and we are betraying them again now.

In my last three columns, I wrote about Magboula Muhammad Khattar, a
24-year-old woman struggling to keep her children alive since her
parents and husband were killed by the Janjaweed. Each time I visited
the tree she lives under, she shared with me the only things she had
to offer: a smile and a bowl of brackish water.

Is a cold shoulder all we have to offer in return?

Burbank Leader , CA
LATimes.com
June 26 2004

Officials keep parade date
Burbank on Parade keeps date, but will consider move in 2010 and
2021 to avoid overlap with Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

By Jackson Bell, The Leader

BURBANK – Burbank on Parade will continue its tradition of running on
the fourth Saturday in April, but will reopen talks of rescheduling
the parade the next time it conflicts with Armenian Genocide
Remembrance Day on April 24.

Keeping the fourth Saturday in April is necessary because other
events and holidays – including Fire Service Day and National Police
Week, school band competitions and Easter weekend – make it difficult
to permanently switch the parade, event Chairwoman Joanne Miller said
Friday. But the parade will consider rescheduling in 2010 and 2021,
the next two years the occasions coincide.

The somber day of remembrance is a time when many of the city’s
estimated 10,000 Armenian-American residents spend the day at homes,
churches or rallies throughout the area, remembering victims who died
during the 1915 massacre, local Armenian leaders said. The parade
this year was on April 24 and drew criticism from the Armenian-
American community.

“My personal opinion is that this is the best decision because the
parade will go in a normal fashion without upsetting every other
community event or school event,” Miller said. “And at the same time,
it’s not offending the Armenian-American community by disregarding
their day of mourning.”

Miller met with about a dozen parade organizers, leaders of the
city’s Armenian-American community and city officials Thursday to
discuss the parade organizers’ decision.

Some Armenian-American leaders, however, felt the parade’s proximity
to April 24 still will exclude many in their community who are
usually active in various activities to commemorate the genocide.

“It’s very ironic that it is supposed to be an opportunity to bring
all Burbank together and the net result is to exclude some 10% of the
community,” said Garen Yegparian, chairman of community relations for
the Armenian National Committee’s Burbank chapter.

The controversy started in mid-February, when organizers failed to
consider the conflict when setting this year’s parade to run April
24.

The planning gaffe upset the Armenian-American community and prompted
Mayor Marsha Ramos to have a meeting April 1 to open dialogue between
the two sides.

Planning was too far along to change the date, because $25,000 was
already spent and the parade was already being publicized when the
error was discovered, officials said.

Ramos said Thursday’s meeting ended the three months of dialogue to
resolve the conflict.

“Both sides came to the terms they discussed very thoroughly,” she
said. “Because they were involved in the decision-making process,
there is a clear direction for the future.”

Glendale News Press, CA
LATimes.com
June 26 2004

FROM THE MARGINS
No, really — that is my real name, darnit!

by PATRICK AZADIAN

We all have our stereotypes of what certain names should mean, and
what kind of names people should possess. It is perhaps human nature
to try to conform everything to our set of understandings, otherwise
we may feel uncomfortable or even intimidated.

My first name often evokes the question, “Hey, how did you get an
Irish name?” This particular inquiry is understandable, considering
more Americans trace their roots to the “green isle” than any other
region of the world. My curt response is often, “Well, it is actually
a Latin name. And I mean ‘Latin’ as in ancient Latium in central
Italy and not Central America.”

My initial research on the name confirmed my suspicion that it was
derived from the Latin patricius, from patres, plural of pater.
Recently a dear friend sent me a cynical note on this issue:

“Your attitude stems from your name:

patrician puh-TRISH-un,

noun:

1. A member of one of the original citizen families of ancient Rome.

2. A person of high birth; a nobleman.”

What are good friends for, right?

I also come across another type of inquiry: “What is your real name?”
Depending on my mood, I have different answers for this line of
questioning. If I have gotten off on the right side of the bed that
specific morning, the response can be as simple as, “It is Patrick,
although I should really spell it without the ‘c.’ ” And if I am
pressed with a follow-up question such as, “No, really, what is it?”,
my response can be as rude as: “What would you like my name to be?
Mohammed, Habib, Ahmet?”

Overall, I don’t mind explaining, as long as the question comes from
people whose initial experience with the name is via the Irish route.
What I was not prepared for, however, was when my Jewish Moroccan
associate asked me the same question: “Patrick, what is your real
name?” By the way, her name is Valerie! I tried not to react by a
counter question such as: “How come you don’t have a Sephardic or a
Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) name? Something more Hebrew, such as Yaffa
(beautiful), Zahava (gold) or Chaviva (beloved).

So I asked her if she had some time to go over this very important
issue.

“Yes I do, I have all the time in the world. Tell me how you got your
name.”

“Okey-Dokey.”

I was determined to make sure the story was long enough so that the
question never came up again.

–

When my grandfather, Sahak, settled in Iran after fleeing the
deportations from western Armenia, he eventually found time to go to
the Iranian authorities and get himself a birth certificate. The
official at the desk asked him for his last name.

“Petrossian,” Sahak replied.

“Petrossian, aye? You immigrant Armenians have too many of these
names. Petrossian, Petrossian, Petrossian! Why don’t you change it to
something else?”

“Like what?”

“Well, since you’ve fled mass murder and you are free now, why don’t
you change your last name to ‘Azad-ian.’ ”

Incidentally, the word Azad means free in Persian (the spoken
language of Iran) and Armenian, as well as many of the region’s
Indo-European languages. What a coinkidink!

“Hmmm, ‘Azadian.’ Has a nice ring to it. ‘Sahak Azadian.’ I’ll take
it.”

Years later, Mr. Azadian had second thoughts about changing his
family name, and when his first grandson was born, he was determined
to reverse the grave error. Per ancient Armenian tradition of Sahak’s
birthplace, every couple of generations, the last name of the family
reverted back to the first name of the grandfather. Sahak figured, if
he named me Petros (or Bedros), in a couple of generations our family
last name would be back to the original Petrossian. What he was not
prepared for was my mom’s fierce opposition.

So my parents, after consulting the extended Armenian dictionary,
conspired against Sahak and named me Patrik. Pronounced with “P” as
in spoon, “a” as in talk, “t” as in stalk, “r” as in car, “i” as in
chic, and “k” as in kernel. My mom had her mind set on something
“princely.” The second choice was Asbed (also “prince” in Armenian).

–

“Valerie, are you awake?”

“Yes, Patrik. I am with you. You still haven’t told me why it’s an
Armenian name.”

“Well, initially I thought the name entered the Armenian language, as
Rome and Armenia had close relations in ancient times. But it seems,
it was the Byzantines who introduced the term into the Armenian
vocabulary. Byzantines bestowed Armenian rulers with the title
Patrik, the most famous of whom was Vard Patrik Mamikonian, Patriarch
of Armenia in the early sixth century. From then on, the term patrik
was interchangeable with “princely.” And although the noun is not
Armenian in the absolute sense, it has Armenian memory, as well as
history.”

“I see.”

So is Patrick an Irish name? I would say so. Is it an Armenian name?
Well, I would also say so, certainly more Armenian than Hovhannes
(John), Bartoughi- meos (Bartholomew), Boghos (Paul) or Yeghsapet
(Elizabeth). But somehow, I know Bartoughi- meos would not have
elicited as many questions about my name as Patrick.

– PATRICK AZADIAN lives and works in Glendale. He is an identity and
branding consultant for the retail industry. Reach him at
[email protected].

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress