The Moscow Times
Tuesday, July 20, 2004. Page 5.
Sukhoi, Sibir Ink $1Bln Jet Contract
By Lyuba Pronina
Staff Writer
Sukhoi Aviation has reached an agreement with No. 2 domestic carrier
Sibir for a $1 billion acquisition of 50 regional jets that Sukhoi
develops jointly with Boeing, the companies said in a joint statement
Monday.
“This is more than a memorandum of understanding,” Sukhoi deputy
general director Vadim Razumovsky said at the Farnborough
International Air Show that opened in England on Monday. “We will sit
down and in a short period of time outline the contract, its schedule
and financing,” he said, adding that he expects the deal to be firmed
up later this year.
Razumovsky said that Sibir has opted for the 95-seater version of
Sukhoi’s Russian Regional Jet family with the catalogue price of $26.2
million per jet. Delivery of the aircraft will start in 2007.
Sukhoi’s revenues were $1.5 billion last year, mainly from the export
of its fighter jets.
“[Agreement with Sibir] will allow us to fully launch the programs of
the new family of Russian regional aircraft in the near future,”
Sukhoi general director Mikhail Pogosyan said in the joint statement.
Sukhoi, which began the RRJ program in 2001, was waiting for a launch
order to get the program off the ground.
Flag carrier Aeroflot, which is soon due to announce a tender for 50
regional jets, in 2001 signed a memorandum of understanding for 30
RRJs that has not been formalized into a contract.
“I hope that Sukhoi’s promises about aircraft characteristics and
delivery schedules will be fulfilled, we needed regional aircraft
yesterday,” said Sergei Koltovich, head of fleet planning for
Aeroflot.
He said the listed price of $26 million is high and will make it
difficult for an airline to turn a profit, especially in Russia, with
low domestic yields.
Aeroflot is looking for jets at half that price.
Sibir spokesman Ilya Novokhatsky said that Sibir has yet to identify
the sources of financing, which will most likely come in the form of
loans.
Russia’s fastest-growing airline, Sibir has a fleet of 52 Tupolevs and
Ilyushins, which last month and this month have been supplemented by
two Airbus 310s formerly operated by Aeroflot.
In the past Sibir has been critical of the domestic aircraft industry
and its programs, including the RRJ, for the lack of immediate
availability and economic efficiency.
A source in the aviation industry said Monday that the agreement is a
trump card for Sibir, which is trying to get preferential treatment
from the administration in Novosibirsk, where the jet will be
produced, in the upcoming sale of the state’s 51 percent stake in
Novosibirsk’s airport, one of Sibir’s bases.
Sibir declined to comment on this.

Schweizerische Depeschenagentur AG (SDA)
Service de base francais
19 juillet 2004
Développement Erdogan à Paris pour promouvoir la candidature turque à
l’UE
Paris (ats/afp) Le premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a
entamé lundi une visite officielle en France. Il entend promouvoir
auprès des dirigeants français la candidature de son pays à l’Union
européenne, un sujet qui divise la classe politique de l’Hexagone.
M. Erdogan a été reçu par son homologue français Jean-Pierre Raffarin
pour un entretien au cours duquel la question de l’adhésion de la
Turquie à l’UE a été abordée.
“Dans ce domaine, nous souhaitons bien entendu que tout le soutien
que la France nous a apporté, et notamment par l’intermédiaire du
président (Jacques) Chirac, se poursuive à l’avenir”, a déclaré M.
Erdogan, lors d’un point de presse avec M. Raffarin à l’issue de
l’entretien.
Critères de Copenhague
“Sur les questions européennes, le premier ministre turc m’a présenté
tous les efforts de réformes engagés par son pays pour répondre aux
critères de Copenhague définis par l’Union européenne”, a indiqué M.
Raffarin.
M. Erdogan devait être reçu mardi par le président Chirac pour un
déjeuner de travail et il devait aussi s’entretenir avec les
dirigeants des principaux partis politiques français.
La Commission européenne doit remettre en octobre sa recommandation
sur l’ouverture de négociations d’adhésion avec la Turquie, que
décideront ou non les dirigeants européens en décembre. La Turquie a
obtenu le statut de candidat à l’UE en 1999.
Réformes démocratiques
“Nous étudierons avec la plus grande attention le rapport de la
Commission cet automne et souhaitons une prise de position du Conseil
en décembre sur cet important sujet”, a dit à ce propos le premier
ministre français.
Estimant avoir rempli les conditions politiques pour ouvrir ces
négociations, le gouvernement de M. Erdogan, qui dirige un parti issu
de la mouvance islamiste, a fait passer au parlement plusieurs
réformes démocratiques.
La question de l’entrée dans l’UE de la Turquie, pays musulman mais
laïque de plus de 70 millions d’habitants, divise profondément les
opinions européennes et les partis politiques français.
“Irréversible”
Le président Chirac juge “irréversible” la marche d’Ankara vers l’UE.
Il estime que “la Turquie a une vocation européenne, historique, très
ancienne”, même si son parti, l’Union pour la majorité présidentielle
(UMP), s’est prononcé contre une adhésion.
A la différence des partis de droite, le Parti socialiste, premier
parti d’opposition en France, est favorable au principe de l’entrée
de la Turquie dans l’UE. Mais il conditionne l’ouverture de
négociations d’adhésion à la reconnaissance par ce pays du génocide
arménien de 1915, sous l’empire ottoman.
La communauté arménienne de France, avec 450 000 personnes, est la
plus importante d’Europe occidentale. Elle a obtenu en 2001 la
reconnaissance par le parlement français du génocide arménien, un
terme rejeté catégoriquement par Ankara.
Economie aussi au menu
Lors de sa visite, M. Erdogan doit également évoquer les relations
économiques entre les deux pays. La compagnie Turkish Airlines se
prépare à acheter près de 50 avions de ligne, notamment moyen et long
courrier, pour renouveler sa flotte. Le consortium aéronautique
européen Airbus et l’américain Boeing sont en lice.

La Nouvelle République du Centre Ouest
20 juillet 2004
Ankara veut convaincre Paris
La Turquie, pays musulman de près de 70 millions d’habitants,
doit-elle entrer dans l’Union européenne ? Face à une classe
politique française divisée, le Premier ministre, Recep Tayyip
Erdogan plaide, depuis hier, son dossier à Paris.
Une copieuse délégation turque est arrivée, hier, à Paris, pour
promouvoir sa candidature à l’Union européenne. A sa tête, le Premier
ministre, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, un islamiste récemment converti.
Alors que Berlin, Londres et Madrid sont plutôt favorables, Paris
reste un obstacle sur la route d’Ankara à Bruxelles, en raison de la
division de la classe politique sur le sujet.
On se souvient que l’UMP, début avril, avait pris une position très
ferme contre cette entrée. Au lendemain des résultats catastrophiques
des régionales, Alain Juppé avait alors cherché à enlever aux
souverainistes et à l’UDF un thème qui, croyait-on, serait majeur.
Quitte à se mettre en porte-à-faux avec le président de la
République, qui, lui, a toujours estimé que ce pays musulman avait
vocation à rejoindre l’Ancien Continent. Cette opposition sur la
politique étrangère, entre un Président et le principal parti qui le
soutient, n’a pas d’antécédent sous la Ve République !
Finalement, la Turquie n’est apparue dans aucun pays d’Europe comme
un enjeu lors des dernières européennes. La gauche n’a pas eu envie
de se focaliser sur un thème qui la divisait. Tout en accusant la
droite d’agiter un épouvantail, elle a semblé embarrassée. Oui, mais
pas tout de suite, car les conditions ne sont pas réunies : tel était
le sentiment du PS, rappelé par François Hollande.
« Avec l’entrée de la Turquie, l’Europe sera hétérogène et
s’affaiblira », avait affirmé François Bayrou au nom de l’Europe
chrétienne et fédérale. Le président du MPF, Philippe de Villiers,
avait sorti, au nom de l’identité de la France, un slogan « Non à la
Turquie » qu’il voulait faire breveter pour en garder l’exclusivité
sur ses affiches. Le Pen était opposé par le seul fait que 70
millions de musulmans auraient, d’un coup, accès à l’Europe.
Quant aux Verts, ils avaient été, de loin, les plus favorables. «
L’Europe, avait dit Gérard Onesta, vice-président du Parlement
européen, n’est pas un club chrétien. Elle compte d’ailleurs déjà
quinze millions de musulmans en son sein. En acceptant la Turquie, on
lui évite de sombrer dans le fondamentalisme, et on jette un pont. En
la rejetant, on revient à la politique stupide du bloc contre bloc. »
Une position réaffirmée hier par Daniel Cohn-Bendit, qui voit là une
occasion de tendre la main à un pays musulman, tout en l’obligeant à
devenir réellement démocratique.
La question turque reviendra sur le tapis d’ici quelques mois,
puisque la Commission européenne va remettre, en octobre, une
recommandation pour dire si le processus d’adhésion mérite d’être
engagé, et c’est le Conseil européen qui en décidera le 10 décembre.
Qu’on le veuille ou non, la candidature turque a été considérée comme
recevable au sommet d’Helsinki de 1999, alors qu’elle bénéficie,
depuis 1963, du statut de membre associé. Son adhésion à l’Otan ne
date pas d’hier : 1952.
Si l’on s’en tient à l’histoire, la Turquie s’est trouvée mêlée à la
nôtre. Le sultan a participé régulièrement aux renversements de
stratégies et aux partages du monde. François Ier n’a-t-il pas essayé
de s’allier avec le Soliman Ier le Magnifique pour contrarier
l’influence de Charles Quint ?
« On pourrait presque dire que l’Europe est enfant de la Turquie »,
remarque Denis Badré, dans son livre L’Attente d’Europe. « Saint Paul
nous a familiarisés avec Tarse, saint Nicolas était évêque de Myra,
en Lycie, et Thalès résidait à Milet. Nos enfants les croient
français, tant ils se sont approprié leur image. Nicée est connu
comme un concile que nous revendiquons comme nôtre. Grce à Homère,
la guerre de Troie fait partie de notre patrimoine culturel européen.
»
Pays musulman, la Turquie est devenue un État laïc quand Mustapha
Kemal a proclamé la République, le 29 octobre 1923. Il a alors aboli
le sultanat, mis fin à l’islam comme religion d’État et introduit
l’alphabet latin à la place des caractères arabes. Les femmes turques
ont eu le droit de vote en 1934, avant les Françaises !
La reconnaissance du génocidearménienen question
Pendant des dizaines d’années, la Turquie a servi de sentinelle de
l’Ouest face à l’empire soviétique. Elle a verrouillé la mer Noire.
Les États-Unis y ont installé des bases aériennes. La géographie
l’incline plutôt vers l’Asie, puisqu’elle n’a que 5 % de son
territoire en Europe. Mais c’est sur cette partie que s’est
développée Byzance, devenue, sous le nom de Constantinople, une
métropole européenne. Sainte-Sophie a été la plus grande église de la
chrétienté. Une tradition fait mourir la Vierge Marie à Éphèse.
Seulement, la Turquie soulève quelques difficultés. Forte aujourd’hui
de 70 millions d’habitants, elle pourrait en compter 85 millions en
2025, ce qui la ferait dépasser l’Allemagne. Si elle dispose d’un
système parlementaire multipartite, sa vie politique n’est pas encore
stabilisée.
En 1997, elle a eu un gouvernement islamiste qui a été démissionné
sous la pression de l’armée, considérée ici comme la gardienne d’une
laïcité qu’Atatürk lui a confiée. La répression contre les
nationalistes kurdes n’est pas encore éteinte. Et, surtout, il y a la
question de la non-reconnaissance du génocide arménien. Deux tiers de
ce peuple de l’Empire ottoman, en 1915 et 1916, ont subi un
anéantissement planifié.
« La Turquie s’en tient à un négationisme d’État », souligne
l’historien Yves Ternon, qui demande aux États de l’Union européenne
de se souvenir de cette exigence éthique. Si les Français ne sont que
39 % à être favorables à l’entrée de la Turquie dans l’Europe, ils
passeraient à 45 % s’il y avait reconnaissance de ce génocide.
Un jour viendra, peut-être, où la Turquie saura ne pas nier son passé
pour devenir un État musulman modéré, respectueux des libertés et des
droits humains. Elle répondrait alors à tous les critères et
deviendrait ce fameux pont avec l’Asie.
GRAPHIQUE: Image: Byzance, sous le nom de Constantinople, devait
devenir une métropole européenne.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

La Nouvelle République du Centre Ouest
20 juillet 2004
Beaucoup de réformes restent à entreprendre
La Turquie, a estimé récemment un rapport du Parlement européen, a
fait beaucoup de progrès pour remplir les critères dits de
Copenhague, sur l’adhésion à l’Union européenne, mais beaucoup de
réformes sont encore à entreprendre pour arriver à un État de droit.
Les eurodéputés critiquent l’influence exagérée de l’armée dans la
vie quotidienne, le recours à la torture et aux mauvais traitements
par les policiers, la violence exercée sur les femmes, les
intimidations envers les défenseurs des droits de l’homme, les
discriminations à l’égard des autorités religieuses, le manque de
liberté syndicale, les discriminations contre les Kurdes, la
persécution des partis politiques comme HADEP et DEHAP.
La Turquie vient de montrer sa bonne volonté sur deux points. Le
Parlement européen s’était insurgé de la peine de quinze ans de
prison infligés à Leyla Zana, inculpée le 6 novembre 1992 pour s’être
exprimée en langue kurde lors de l’inauguration de l’Assemblée
nationale turque. Sous la pression, celle-ci vient d’être remise en
liberté, en compagnie de trois autres députés. La Cour de sécurité de
l’État a, par ailleurs, été abolie.
En outre, la Turquie avait été priée d’autoriser d’autres langues que
le turc dans l’enseignement et les médias, et en particulier le
kurde. Elle vient d’obtempérer. La télévision d’État TRT vient de
briser un tabou en lançant la diffusion de deux émissions en
kurmandji et zaza, deux dialectes kurdes. C’est un début. La
réouverture du séminaire orthodoxe chrétien Halki, fermé depuis 1972,
est aussi un signe de bonne volonté.
Le Parlement réclame également l’abandon du système prévoyant des
peines réduites pour « les crimes d’honneur », commis pour des
raisons liées à une coutume ou une tradition, soulignant que ceux-ci
devraient être considérés comme des meurtres au premier degré. Les
élus européens protestent contre l’utilisation de l’histoire comme
moyen d’inculquer à la jeunesse des sentiments de haine raciale.
S’agissant de la question arménienne, le Parlement européen n’insiste
pas trop, « compte tenu des sensibilités turques », mais lance un
avertissement à la suite d’une approche très partiale du problème
présenté dans les écoles. « Pourquoi, dit la résolution, la Turquie
gaspillerait-elle le soutien dont elle dispose actuellement au sein
de l’Union ? »
Il reste deux mois à ses dirigeants pour tenir les promesses de « la
mise aux normes ».
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

La Nouvelle République du Centre Ouest
20 juillet 2004
Folklore arménien, demain
Le festival d’été continue son tour du monde des folklores avec la
représentation de l’ensemble « Bert » d’Arménie, demain à 21 h,
devant l’hôtel de ville. En cas d’intempérie, la représentation aura
lieu à la salle de spectacle.

L’Humanité
20 juillet 2004
La tête des Turcs à Paris;
diplomatie
par Damien Roustel
Le premier ministre Erdogan effectue une visite de trois jours en
France pour plaider la candidature européenne de son pays.
À six mois d’un sommet européen crucial pour la Turquie, le premier
ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan effectue depuis hier une visite de
trois jours en France pour plaider la candidature de son pays. Lors
du sommet d’Helsinki en 1999, les dirigeants de l’Union européenne
avaient accordé à la Turquie le statut de pays candidat. La
Commission européenne de Bruxelles doit remettre, avant la fin de son
mandat le 31 octobre, un rapport d’évaluation du respect par la
Turquie des critères de Copenhague (droits de l’homme, démocratie,
économie…). C’est sur la base de ce document que les 25 pays de
l’Union décideront en décembre d’accorder ou de refuser une date pour
l’ouverture des négociations d’adhésion. « Il s’agira un rapport très
précis et équitable, selon mes informations. La Turquie sera jugée
selon ses mérites. Mais il est trop tôt de préjuger de ce qu’il y
aura dans le rapport », a expliqué Durao Barroso, le nouveau
président de la Commission. Le Portugais s’est déclaré «
personnellement favorable à l’adhésion de la Turquie à condition
qu’elle respecte tous les critères démocratiques ».
Sous l’impulsion du gouvernement islamiste d’Erdogan, la Turquie a
fait passer au Parlement plusieurs
réformes démocratiques concernant notamment la peine de mort et la
minorité kurde. Mais il reste encore beaucoup à faire. Selon
l’association turque des droits de l’homme IHD, si les cas de torture
et d’arrestations arbitraires ont diminué en Turquie au cours du
premier semestre 2004, ils restent encore importants. Au cours des
six premiers mois de 2004, 692 cas de torture ont été signalés,
contre 972 pour la même période en 2003, tandis que les arrestations
arbitraires sont passées de 5 353 à 3 688, a rapporté Husnu Ondul, le
président de l’IHD. « Pour la prévention de la torture, les
changements législatifs ne sont pas suffisants », selon lui.
Le nombre de morts au combat augmente. La semaine dernière, cinq
rebelles kurdes et deux militaires turcs ont été tués lors de deux
affrontements distincts dans l’est de la Turquie, selon des sources
officielles et l’agence Anatolie. Les affrontements, qui avaient
pratiquement cessé depuis la déclaration en 1999 d’un cessez-le-feu
unilatéral par le PKK, ont repris ces dernières semaines avec
l’annonce, le 1er juin, de la fin de la trêve.
La rébellion du PKK et sa répression par les forces de sécurité
turques ont fait près de 37 000 morts entre 1984 et 1999. La Cour
européenne des droits de l’homme de Strasbourg vient de condamner
coup sur coup la Turquie pour violation de la liberté d’expression de
trois hommes politiques jugés coupables d’incitation à la haine dans
un texte critiquant la situation des Kurdes ; pour ne pas avoir
enquêté efficacement sur la disparition d’un Kurde et pour avoir
interdit la publication d’un livre critiquant sa politique au
Kurdistan.
La possible intégration européenne de la Turquie, un pays musulman de
près de 70 millions d’habitants, divise la classe politique
française. Si Jacques Chirac a estimé « irréversible » la marche
d’Ankara vers l’UE, son fidèle lieutenant Alain Juppé a jugé que
l’entrée de la Turquie signifierait « à terme la fin de l’Europe ». À
la différence des partis de droite, le Parti socialiste est favorable
au principe de l’entrée de la Turquie dans l’UE à condition que
celle-ci reconnaisse le génocide arménien de 1915, pendant l’empire
ottoman. Ce génocide a été reconnu par le Parlement français en 2001.
Au cours de sa visite, le premier ministre turc aura l’occasion
d’avancer des arguments sonnants et trébuchants. La Turquie va mettre
en jeu un contrat commercial de 1,6 milliard d’euros. La compagnie
nationale aérienne Turkish Airlines souhaite acquérir une
cinquantaine d’avions de ligne (moyen et long courrier) pour
renouveler sa flotte. Le consortium aéronautique européen Airbus et
l’américain Boeing sont en concurrence. La Turquie espère secrètement
qu’un tel marché pourra lever les dernières réticences françaises sur
la candidature européenne de leur pays.
Damien Roustel
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Tourism chief considering in-state jobs strategy
Overseas workers nab much of the summer employment
By SCOTT WILLIAMS
[email protected]
Posted: July 17, 2004
Wisconsin’s top tourism official is considering stepped-up efforts to
promote summer job opportunities in the tourism industry as many
attractions recruit workers from overseas despite unemployment here.
Tourism Secretary Jim Holperin said he has no indication that theme
parks and other popular destinations are intentionally passing over
Wisconsin workers. But he said the state lacks a comprehensive
strategy for matching Wisconsin’s jobless to tourism jobs, which often
go to workers from Poland, Finland or other foreign countries.
A state job center in Wisconsin Dells, for example, has stopped
sending representatives to job fairs in Milwaukee, relying instead on
the Internet to reach job seekers in the state’s largest metropolitan
area.
“There might be a programmatic gap,” Holperin said, meaning not
everyone who needs a job is being reached by existing programs.
Destinations in the Dells, Door County and other popular tourist spots
began wide-scale recruiting of foreign workers, typically college
students, when low unemployment in the late 1990s created a labor
shortage. Although the economy has since gone flat and Wisconsin
joblessness is up, many attractions continue hiring from out of the
country for their summer seasonal help, citing other forces in the
marketplace.
Some say residents who live in Milwaukee and those who live in other
areas of high unemployment cannot be coaxed into relocating for the
summer, and that young people in Wisconsin generally must return to
school before the tourist season ends.
At Landmark Resort in Door County, Personnel Director Joanne Stanzel
has hired several college-aged students from Armenia and Romania,
primarily for housekeeping jobs.
Stanzel said some Wisconsin residents seem uninterested in the
drudgery of scrubbing bathrooms and arranging bedsheets.
“Even in desperate times they don’t want to do housekeeping,” she
said.
“It’s sad to say.”
One housekeeper, Lilit Vasilyan of Romania, said she worked as a
waitress in her home country but wanted to visit the United States
this summer to improve her English.
Vasilyan, 20, said she is enjoying her job at Landmark and is most
impressed by Door County’s natural scenery.
“I imagined how it would be,” she said. “It’s beautiful.”
Dells uses foreign labor In the tourism mecca of Wisconsin Dells, just
about every tourist-related business seems to employ at least one
foreign employee, said Tom Diehl, president of Tommy Bartlett Inc.
Bartlett hired about 70 young people from Finland this summer to work
on the company’s famous water shows and other attractions.
With so many businesses experiencing peak demand during the summer
months, Diehl said, nobody in or around the Dells should complain
about not being able to find work.
“Anybody who says they can’t find a job here isn’t looking very hard,”
he said.
The state job center manager at the Wisconsin Dells said the summer
tourist season in the Dells creates as many as 8,500 jobs.
Many destinations have built relationships with international exchange
organizations or other groups that can arrange for large numbers of
young people to clear immigration channels and come to the U.S. to
work.
Tim Gantz, president of Noah’s Ark Family Park in the Dells, said he
has hired 140 students this summer from Hungary, Poland, Finland and
elsewhere to fill a variety of jobs in his water theme park. That
number actually is down from 200 not long ago, Gantz said, because the
rise in unemployment has made hiring locally easier. Park employment
is about 550 during the summer.
“We have a lot of people who want to work for us. We can probably pick
the cream of the crop,” Gantz said. “I can’t say we turn any American
away – you know, good ones.”
Lifeguards from afar Noah’s Ark lifeguard Tito Suero of the Dominican
Republic is spending his third summer in the Dells, earning about
$1,000 a month compared with the $50 a month he would earn doing
similar work in his homeland.
“I feel pretty lucky,” the 23-year-old medical student said.
Like other tourist destinations, Noah’s Ark says it pays international
employees the same salaries as American workers. Many businesses, such
as Noah’s Ark, also have built dormitories to provide housing for
seasonal employees.
The practice of recruiting from overseas has drawn criticism from
organized labor and elsewhere.
In the late ’90s, unemployment in Wisconsin was below 3%, and
employers in tourism and other industries complained about being
unable to find enough workers. Today, unemployment is 5%, which means
about 150,000 people are out of work, according to federal
figures. Some 70,000 more Wisconsin residents are out of work than
there were five years ago.
Enough in-state recruiting? Jim Cavanaugh, president of the
Madison-based South Central Federation of Labor, questioned whether
the tourism industry has recruited heavily enough for Wisconsin
workers, including adults.
Plenty of laid-off factory workers and other adults would gladly
accept a tourist job for the summer just to get a regular paycheck,
Cavanaugh said.
“They would be as interested in those jobs as (in) any other jobs,” he
said.
Tourist destinations say they recruit heavily from high schools and
colleges throughout Wisconsin, as well as participate in job fairs and
take other steps to find local seasonal workers.
Holperin, the state tourism chief, said the idea of launching an
intensified effort to promote those job openings statewide is still
just a concept in early stages of discussion.
Uncertain on the extent to which foreign employees are filling the
industry’s needs, Holperin said he only knows there have been no
recent complaints about worker shortages. He suspects that businesses
fearful of a tight labor market returning are hesitant to cut off
sources of international manpower.
“They are going to keep those connections,” he said. “They are
reluctant to give those up.”
To check job listings or other resources of the state Department of
Workforce Development, go to

Providence Journal , RI
July 18 2004
Best and brightest

Success knows no boundaries for Ani Kazarian

By JOHN GILLOOLY
Journal Sports Writer

She heard it time and time again early in her high school career.
If you want to be a high school sports star . . . if you want to be
an All-Stater . . . if you want sports to help write your ticket to
college, you have to specialize, people told Ani Kazarian.
They told her the days of the three-sport superstar were a thing of
the past. They said today’s high school stars pick one sport.
But for Kazarian, sports, like the rest of life, offered too many
exciting opportunities to limit herself at a young age.
So Kazarian, whose great-grandparents immigrated to America to escape
the Armenian genocide, defied the odds and became the all-American
girl.
She not only became a three-sport star at Lincoln School, she became a
three-sport All-Stater. She earned Providence Journal first-team
All-State honors in field hockey, ice hockey and lacrosse each of the
past two school years, making her one of the few high school athletes
in Rhode Island history to earn All-State selection in three
nonrelated sports in both their junior and senior years.
She also became an academic all-star. They don’t rank students
academically at Lincoln School, but if they did, Kazarian would have
been near the top of this year’s graduation class. In four years, she
compiled a 3.5 grade-point average in an program loaded with honors
and advanced-placement courses.
Her achievements stretch beyond the classroom, the ice rink, and the
field hockey and lacrosse fields. For the past three summers, she has
traveled to Armenia to serve as a research fellow in a program that
provides financial and social support services to women and the
disabled. Her work earned her selection as a speaker at the United
Nations on the subject of using micro-finance to empower women and
people with disabilities in Armenia and other developing countries.
The combination of academic excellence, athletic achievement and
social involvement has earned Kazarian selection as the 2004
Providence Journal Honor Roll Girl.
Kazarian, a Providence resident and the daughter of Harriet and Paul
Kazarian, becomes the first Lincoln School student to be named Honor
Roll Girl in the 28-year history of the award, which symbolizes the
top female student-athlete in this year’s Rhode Island high school
graduating class.
She went to youth sports camps when she was growing up, and heard all
the discussions about specializing in one sport. But she was having
too much fun playing everything to restrict her activities.
“I always liked all three sports, so I never wanted to choose just
one and focus on it,” said Kazarian. “I had different teammates for
each sport so I had all different groups of teammates and I liked
playing with all three of them.”
It didn’t take her long to earn her first statewide high school
athletic honors: second-team All-State in both field hockey and
lacrosse in her sophomore year.
The following fall, she began her two-year run as a three-sport,
first-team All-Stater with her selection to the top All-State field
hockey team.
In the winter of 2002-03, she was named to The Journal’s first girls
All-State ice hockey team. She was one of the stars of the Rhode
Island Interscholastic League’s inaugural girls hockey league that
winter. She scored 31 points in eight regular-season games, the
second highest total in the league.
In spring 2003, she earned first-team All-State lacrosse honors after
her 29 goals and 7 assists led Lincoln School to its first
Southeastern New England conference championship in 13 years.
The three first-team All-State selections marked the first time a
Lincoln School student had earned first-team All-State honors in each
of the three high school sports seasons.
She didn’t allow her junior year accomplishments to let complacency
slip into her psyche. She came back this year and posted even more
impressive statistics en route to three more All-State selections.
She was the Interscholastic League’s second-leading scorer during the
field hockey season with 16 goals and 11 assists, and was the
league’s regular-season scoring champion in ice hockey with 19 goals
and 10 assists in 12 league games.
She became the first Lincoln School athlete in eight years to earn 12
varsity letters in three sports during her high school career.
“Ani’s accomplishments in athletics are not just solely a result of
her natural talent, but also a demonstration of the desire,
dedication and commitment that she brings to athletics, academics and
community service,” said Ronnie McFarland, the Lincoln School
athletic director and the Lynxes’ lacrosse coach.
The captain of all three teams this year, Kazarian has used her
sports experiences to expand her understanding of life off the field.
“Everybody tells you playing sports teaches you real life lessons,
and it really does,” said Kazarian. “Sports has taught me to be a
team player, but also to be a leader. In order to be a good leader,
you need to be a team player at the same time.”
It’s a philosophy she’s already putting in action helping people in
Armenia.
“I feel what makes our project unique is that we put the social
sector into the business section,” she said. “We look at how
micro-finance organizations can work with social services
organizations to help the disabled and disadvantaged.
“I like helping people. I like it a lot,” said Kazarian. “In field
hockey, it’s great when you score and there’s all the energy. But
when you get off the field you have to put that in perspective.
That’s why I like to do the work in Armenia. It helps me actually put
my life in perspective and see what I can do in the world to make a
difference for someone else.”
She finally will start specializing in field hockey when she becomes
a Brown University student in the fall, but her long-term goals are
still open for exploration. She is considering a dual major in
political science and economics.

Cyprus Mail, Cyprus
July 18 2004
Third man held over woman’s murder
By Stefanos Evripidou
A 33-year-old Armenian man was remanded in custody for eight days
yesterday in connection with the murder of Lyudmila Zipir, 34, from
Ukraine, who was found dead in her apartment in Limassol last Sunday.
He is the third man to be arrested in connection with the case. The
33-year-old was arrested on Friday night after police had searched
his house for evidence. Various items have been sent for forensic
testing. According to reports, police found his fingerprints at the
scene of the crime. The same reports say he used to live in the same
block as Zipir and was on friendly relations with the other two
suspects. He has denied any involvement in the murder.
Zipir was found by police last Sunday after her employer had called
concerned at her failure to turn up for work. She had lived in Cyprus
for three years and worked in a bar in Limassol. Pathologist Panicos
Stavrianos said the girl’s bruised naked body was found on her bed in
a pool of blood.
Police first arrested two men who lived next door to Zipir the day
after the body was found. Armen Grigorian, 25 from Armenia, and
Dionysis Tokalides, 26 from Georgia, were remanded in court for eight
days on Monday.
Zipir’s employer told police the victim had repeatedly complained
that the two men used to harass her with sexual innuendoes. He had
even visited the men on several occasions to ask them to leave her
alone.
When police arrested the two suspects, they appeared to have
scratches on their bodies as well as streaks of blood. Blood was also
found in the apartment building.
Police noticed there had been no forced entry into the apartment via
the front door, but that the balcony door connecting the victim’s
apartment with that of the suspects was closed but not locked.
The two suspects deny any involvement in the murder, but cannot give
a clear story or confirm where they were at the time of the murder.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Chicago Tribune , IL
July 18 2004
Ties between Turkey, Israel grow strained
Middle Eastern allies disagree over Israel’s handling of
Palestinians, reports of training Kurdish commandos
By Catherine Collins
Special to the Tribune
Published July 18, 2004
ISTANBUL — When Israel’s deputy prime minister arrived in Turkey
last week on a fence-mending mission, he found that Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was away on vacation.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Erdogan’s holiday had been planned
long before the visit. Yet it came at a time when relations between
the two allies have frayed over Israel’s actions against Palestinians
and published reports alleging that Israeli military officers are
training Kurdish commandos who want to establish an independent
nation.
As the only secular democracies in the Middle East, Turkey and Israel
have forged a friendship of mutual need and support. Both define
themselves as more Western–culturally, politically and
economically–than Middle Eastern.
Turkey was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel in
1948, and ties between the two countries have blossomed in recent
years.
But in recent weeks Erdogan has been sharply critical of Israel’s
tactics against the Palestinians. He condemned the Sharon
government’s policies as “inhumane” and accused Israel of
“state-sponsored terrorism.”
In a recent briefing to members of his ruling Justice and Development
Party, Erdogan said: “We have no problem with the Israeli people, but
unfortunately, what the Israeli government has been doing is leading
to an increase in anti-Semitism in the world.”
Turkey’s foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, echoed Erdogan’s sentiments
last week as he warned that Israel’s actions could damage relations.
Turkish and Israeli diplomats are quick to say that ties between the
two countries remain strong. But Erdogan’s tough talk has raised
concerns.
“This is not the way that friendly nations speak to each other,” said
Barry Jacobs, director of strategic studies at the American Jewish
Committee in Washington, during a recent trip to Turkey. “But as
Archie Bunker said, `stifle.’ This relationship is too important to
allow it to be held hostage to momentary anger.”
The visiting Israeli official, Ehud Olmert, shrugged off Erdogan’s
absence and statements.
“We cannot assess policy by just one statement,” Olmert said during
an interview on CNN-Turk television when asked about Erdogan’s
comments.
Turkey and Israel have maintained strong, if not cordial, relations
for decades. Whether Erdogan’s criticism signals a substantive change
in the relationship is a matter of debate.
Turkish government officials and the public are increasingly
alienated by what they see as Israel’s severe steps against Muslims
in the West Bank and Gaza. At the same time, Turkey is trying to
rekindle relations with its Arab neighbors and improve ties with the
European Union, which is also critical of Israel’s government.
`The right context’
Turkish officials, meanwhile, have tried to avoid going too far in
angering Israel and its main ally, the United States. A spokesman for
the Foreign Ministry said the relationship with Israel has not
changed and remains important.
“The remarks by both our prime minister and foreign minister should
be put into the right context,” the spokesman said.
“They spoke out during developments in Palestinian and Israeli
relations that resulted in condemnations from many countries, even
the United Nations. Turkish reaction should be seen as part of a
general reaction, no more than that,” he said.
Ties between the nations include Turkey’s spending $3 billion on
Israeli military hardware since 1996. They conduct regular joint
military exercises, and Turkey allows Israeli fighter pilots to train
in its airspace.
Most of their bilateral trade is in the private sector and reached a
record $1.25 billion last year. Trade is expected to increase again
this year to $1.5 billion. And Turkey is considered the favorite
destination for Israeli tourists.
In exchange for the economic and military ties, Turkey has
supplemented its notoriously weak lobbying effort in the U.S. by
relying on the influential Jewish lobby.
Most prominently, Jewish-American groups have helped Turkey battle
against efforts by Armenian-Americans to declare the deaths of
hundreds of thousands of Turkish Armenians in the early 20th Century
a genocide.
Analysts and diplomats say it is unclear how to interpret Erdogan’s
criticism of Israel.
Alon Liel, a former director general of the Israeli Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and author of a book about the Turkish prime
minister, said he believes that Erdogan’s comments were not a
political ploy but an instinctive reaction to events, beginning with
Israel’s assassination of Sheik Ahmed Yassin, a Hamas spiritual
leader, in March.
“Erdogan saw Sheik Ahmed Yassin as a religious and political leader,”
Liel said in a phone interview from Tel Aviv. “And he was disturbed
by the fact that the assassination occurred as Yassin left the
mosque. And that Yassin was in a wheelchair. It was an instinctive
reaction, not something that he planned to please the Arab world.”
Playing to EU
Liel and others also see Erdogan playing to the European Union, which
is expected to decide in December whether to give Turkey a date to
start negotiations that could lead to its eventual membership.
“If there is anyone Erdogan wants to please, it’s the EU countries,”
Liel said. “I see this as an attempt to say to them, `Look we care
about human rights issues too.'”
Others think Erdogan’s comments could strike a sympathetic chord with
Arab nations, which have not considered the country “Muslim enough”
since it became a secular democracy in 1923.
But analysts cautioned that Turkey would run risks if it moves too
far from its U.S.-Israel alliance.
“While Erdogan and his party may think that the EU and the Middle
East might prefer such a Turkey, if the U.S.-Israel side does not
stand behind Turkey, then it will have no chance in the EU,” said
Zeyno Baran, director of international security and energy programs
at the Nixon Center in Washington.
Turkey’s concerns about Israel’s actions increased earlier this month
after The New Yorker magazine reported that Israeli military officers
were training large numbers of Kurdish commandos just across Turkey’s
southern border in northern Iraq.
Ankara is worried about the possibility of a renewed Kurdish
insurgency on its southern flank and the report raised alarms.
Turkish intelligence officials said they have detected a small number
of Israelis conducting training exercises in the region, but a senior
Israeli diplomat in the country denied that the Israeli military was
involved in northern Iraq.
“It is against common wisdom that Israel would conduct such
activities against the interests of a friendly state like Turkey,”
said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “If we had
any intention, the Turks would be the first to know and the first
with whom we would coordinate.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress