Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
Western Prelacy
6252 Honolulu Ave., Ste. # 100
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: 818-248-7737
Fax: 818-248-7745
E-Mail: [email protected]
COMMUNIQUE
THREE PRELATES OF NORTH AMERICAN PRELACIES MEET
On Wednesday and Thursday, June 23 and 24, the Western Prelacy
hosted a meeting of the three prelates of North America.
Participating in the meeting were His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan
Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy; His Eminence Archbishop Khajag
Hagopian, Prelate of Canada; and the Prelate of the host prelacy, His Eminence
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian.
The concept of the meeting of the three prelacies came from a
meeting with His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia,
members of the Central Executive Committee, the above mentioned three prelates, and
representatives of the Executive Councils of the three prelacies, at which
time the concerns and questions of the North American Prelacies were examined.
The meeting opened on Wednesday morning, 10:30 a.m. with a joint
prayer. The Prelates had on the agenda the field of work emanating from the
mission of the Armenian Apostolic Church, specifically taking into consideration
the American situation and the spiritual needs of the faithful. The scrutiny
was meant to create a harmonious coexistence between the three prelacies.
The agenda included the following questions and programs:
The task of Christian Education (Sunday School correlated
curriculum, planning of religious education in schools).
Preparation of deacons and acolytes.
Programs for Bible studies groups.
Organization of youth groups, and religious movements.
Plans for organization, re-vitalization and expansion of parish
activities.
Methods of improving the work of the clergy.
Programs for the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Cilician
Theological Seminary.
Canonical questions.
Improving communications and publications.
Ways to support Armenia, Artsakh, and Javakh.
Ecumenical relationships.
In order to pursue the above-mentioned points, programs and work directives
were prepared. The Prelates decided to keep in constant touch with each other
during the course of this program’s implementation in order to coordinate the
work of the three prelacies. It was also decided to organize similar meetings,
which include the executive councils, of the three prelacies in order to
further advance cooperation and coordination.
WESTERN PRELACY SECRETARIAT
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUSSIA: DUMA RATIFIES AGREEMENT ON CFE TREATY ADAPTATION
Interfax-AVN military news agency web site
25 Jun 04
MOSCOW
The State Duma voted 355-28 with two abstentions today to ratify the
agreement on the adaptation of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe
(CFE) Treaty, which was signed in Istanbul in November 1999.
An explanatory note to the document says the treaty must be ratified
by all 30 signatory countries to take effect. The Adapted CFE Treaty
will significantly reduce the conventional arsenals of Europe’s most
powerful nations, as well as the United States and Canada.
“The overall number of tanks to be reduced in NATO’s 19 nations will
total 4,800, armoured personnel carriers 4,000, and artillery pieces
4,000, which is equivalent to the arsenal of nearly one dozen
motorized divisions equipped under NATO standards,” the note
reads. The treaty’s enactment will not lead to any automatic cut in
Russia’s arsenal. Under CFE Treaty requirements, Russia will be
allowed to have 6,350 tanks, 11,280 armoured personnel carriers, 6,315
artillery pieces, 3,416 combat aircraft, and 885 helicopter gunships.
The adapted CFE Treaty will allow Russia to keep its weapons and
military hardware in Armenia and Ukraine. Bilateral agreements with
Georgia will enable Russia to keep its 153 tanks, 241 armoured
personnel carriers, and 140 artillery pieces in that country.

US envoy urges Azeris to ensure security at NATO conference
Ekspress, Baku
24 Jun 04
Washington hopes that Azerbaijan will draw a conclusion from the
incident at NATO’s Baku conference and take “serious steps” to ensure
the security of the Cooperative Best Effort-2004 exercises. “The
latest incident indicates that security should be heightened during
the NATO exercises,” the US ambassador to Azerbaijan, Reno Harnish,
told reporters yesterday.
The North Atlantic alliance is ready to provide official Baku with
“any support” in any issue, he thinks. “I believe that the NATO
secretary general’s office is ready to work jointly with the
Azerbaijani government to react appropriately to such cases,” Harnish
said.
The ambassador recalled that during his visit to Brussels last month,
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that Baku wanted to further
expand and strengthen its relations with NATO. “In turn, NATO
signalled its desire to be closely engaged in the Caucasus
region. This is a very sensitive aspect and such incidents should be
prevented,” the diplomat said.
[Passage omitted: The Turkish envoy described the incident as
undesirable; An Azerbaijani official condemned the incident]

*THURSDAY June 24, 2004*
* *
BYU star to wear Utah jersey?
BYU center Rafael Araujo hopes to extend his stay in Utah by being
drafted by the Jazz. (Rick Egan/Tribune file photo)
By Patrick Kinahan
The Salt Lake Tribune
A few days after touching down on U.S. soil for the first time,
Tadeu and Neuza Araujo flew from Los Angeles to New York.
If their son’s wishes come true, the Araujos’ whirlwind trip will
include Salt Lake City this week. Rafael Araujo would like to give his
parents a tour of Brigham Young’s campus, his home the last two years.
But sightseeing is not his primary motivation. Araujo wants to bring
his Brazilian family to Utah on Friday, the day the Jazz formally
introduce their NBA draft picks.
Araujo, BYU’s starting center the last two years, would love the
Jazz to draft him tonight. Even if it means sliding down a few spots, he
still prefers playing for Utah.
“That would be awesome,” Araujo said. “I played there for two years.
I love the community and the people.”
The only problem is, Araujo might not be available when the Jazz
draft at No. 14. They also have picks at 16 and 21.
The 14th pick is guaranteed a three-year contract at a total of
$4.47 million.
Since he began individual workouts for NBA teams, Araujo has seen
his stock soar. Projected as a late first-round pick in April, he could
be a lottery selection.
Diron Ohanian, Araujo’s agent, said most NBA teams have contacted
him in recent weeks. The pair has had to reject many requests for second
workouts.
Araujo has spent the last several weeks flying around the country to
meet with various NBA teams. Ohanian expects his client to be drafted
between Nos. 8 and 16.
“Once the workouts started, all the teams [drafting] 10 and under
started pounding on us to get him,” Ohanian said. “Of course, he didn’t
go to every city. It’s too much.”
Ohanian said he didn’t expect the Portland Trail Blazers to draft
Araujo with the 13th pick. Jazz owner Larry Miller said last week his
team would like to take Araujo with the 14th pick.
But they may have to swing a deal to move up to get him.
“There are teams definitely ahead of them that have expressed
interest,” Ohanian said.
Between 16 and 18 teams have contacted BYU coach Steve Cleveland to
get information on Araujo. Each time, he has given a glowing
recommendation, noting that his former player has the skills to
contribute next season.
Starting his college career at Arizona Western, Araujo was the
Mountain West Conference’s co-player of the year as a senior. He
averaged 18.4 points, shooting 57 percent from the field, and 10.1
rebounds a game.
“Everybody has seen such sustained improvement over the last two
years,” Cleveland said. “I’ve never been around a young man in 25 years
of coaching that had the work ethic that he has.”
At 6-foot-11, 292 pounds, he combines size and strength. Few other
big men can match Araujo’s skill level and potential.
“Everybody has been impressed,” Cleveland said.
Since transferring to BYU two years ago, Araujo has not seen his
parents. Tadeu and Neuza will accompany their son and his wife and baby
daughter to New York for the draft.
“It’s really exciting for them,” Araujo said. “They can’t wait.
They’re really happy for me. They’ve seen all the hard work I’ve done
throughout my life.”
Joining guard Travis Hansen, Araujo will become the second BYU
player drafted in two years. The Atlanta Hawks took Hansen in the second
round last June.
Shawn Bradley was the last Cougar to get picked in the first round.
Barely off an LDS Church mission, he went to the Philadelphia 76ers as
the No. 2 pick in 1993.
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* *
*© 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.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
June 24 2004
Speaker declines to put Garabagh on parliamentary agenda

MPs suggested in a Milli Majlis (MM) session on Friday that the Upper
Garabagh conflict be discussed in the parliament.
Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov said there was no need to put the issue on
the parliament’s agenda considering the fact the conflict remains
unresolved. He said talks are currently underway on the issue on
different levels and pointed out the upcoming meetings of the two
countries’ foreign ministers and presidents.
Alasgarov further suggested waiting for feedback from western
countries and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. He voiced his
confidence that Azerbaijan will not accept any compromises and that
the country’s territorial integrity will be restored according to
international norms.

Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
June 24 2003
CONSULTATION AT NKR GOVERNMENT
On June 21 the prime minister of NKR Anoushavan Danielian held a
government consultation to consider the questions included in the
upcoming meeting of the government. The members of the government
recommended for the meeting about ten documents concerning the
establishment of the government agency `Administration of the NKR
Ministry of Development of Industrial Infrastructures and Building’,
confirmation of the regulations for the ministry and infrastructures,
government agencies, non-commercial organizations, coordination of
work of the agency. Making his observations on the discussion and
opinions about the mentioned questions, A. Danielian emphasized the
importance of structural reforms in the effective coordination of
controlling functions maintained by the legislation. He especially
mentioned the necessity of right choice of cadres, competent
specialists for responsible positions. The prime minister expressed
confidence that with the assistance of the NKR Council for Civil
Service will manage to make the right choice and complete the
personnel of the system with best cadres which is of essential
meaning. Touching upon the problems of privatization of the state
property A. Danielian once again stated the position of the
government that the state areas and property should be privatized
exclusively through tender and the auction of buildings must be open
and transparent to make the process available for everyone. These
should be put out for sales at market prices and not `distributed
free of charge’. During the consultation the NKR bill `On tourism and
tourism business’ was also touched upon. Drawing attention to the
importance of the bill, regulation of relationships and legal
organization concerning the sphere of tourism, A. Danielian said that
he expects serious progress from the steps undertaken and a serious
concept must be worked out for making tourism in Artsakh attractive
and prospective especially that there exist all the conditions for
its development. During the consultation the minister of agriculture
Benik Bakhshiyan presented information on the commencement and course
of harvest of arable crops. The members of government discussed a
number of other economic, social and organizational matters.Â
AA

Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
June 24, 2003
QUESTION REMAINS URGENT
Along with positive tendencies the transition to market economy
brought a number of problems. Some of them are especially urgent in
the sphere of health care connected with introduction of paid medical
service and low purchasing capacity of the population. And although
the government has undertaken the free of charge medical care of the
socially insecure and separate groups of patients the problem remains
urgent. The system of medical care is especially vulnerable in the
regions, especially in those areas which even temporarily appeared in
the hands of the enemy who destroyed and plundered the hospitals and
schools with special ardour. In 1992-1993 the regional hospital of
Martakert was ruined and plundered by the Azerbaijanis. In the
post-war period certain reconstruction works were carried out here on
both budget and humanitarian means. The department of maternity and
gynecology and policlinic, partly the surgical department were
reconstructed, and the local hospitals, which have been placed in
other buildings, minimum conditions have been provided, mainly for
maternity care and out-patient treatment. By the means of the
Stepanakert office of the Red Cross and the communities certain
reconstruction work was carried out in the maternity wards of the
region. Nevertheless, the situation is far from being satisfactory
especially in the villages where the maternity wards are placed in
houses, do not have necessary equipment. Recently at the meeting of
the regional council the director of the Martakert Medical Union
after Sergey Ohanian presented a report on the work done in 2003. The
NKR Minister of Health Zoya Lazarian was also present. The Medical
Union includes the regional hospital with surgical, therapeutic,
pediatric, maternity, infectious, policlinic departments, three local
(villages Haterk, Vank, Getavan) hospitals with 10 wards, two
out-patient treatment and 39 maternity wards, provides free medical
care and service within the framework of state medical programs, as
well as paid services. Free medical care is provided to invalids of
the 1st, 2nd and 3rd groups, veterans of the World War II and people
with an equal status, families of the servicemen who were killed or
died during the defence of NKR and military service, participants of
the disposal of the damage of Chernobil, life pensioners and sole
mothers, parents of the families having 4 and more children under 18.
In 2003 within the framework of the state medical care the regional
hospital provided care of 53 million 314 thousand drams instead of
the provided 52 million 211 thousand and received additional 53
patients. In 2003 for medical care and aid 79 946 patients against
the provided 69 855 visited the hospital of which 34 598 the
maternity wards, 6848 the local hospitals and 37 300 the regional
hospital. 1441 patients received in-patient treatment. It was
mentioned that the positive tendencies in the improvement of medical
care in 2003 are stable. The number of visits of patients grew, cases
of hospital death, as well as the rate of child death (under 12
months) and stillbirth dropped, the number of home calls and doctor
visits increased. Nevertheless, medical service in the region needs
serious improvements. Among these the director of the medical union
mentioned the problem of cadres: of the 17 doctors involved in the
union 12 work in the regional center. Compared to the volume of work,
the number of registered and potential patients this is a small
number. For example, in the therapeutic department of the regional
hospital 1 doctor works instead of 3. In the policlinic department
not all the surgeries have necessary specialists. The same is with
the pediatric and gynecology, and venereal and dermatological
departments. It was mentioned that all the three local hospitals have
ambulance cars. There is one doctor in Vank and in Getavan and 3
doctors in Haterk hospital. In 2003 the local hospitals together
received 17 117 patients, 124 births were registered. There were also
8 cases of delivery at home. Continuing on problems, S. Ohanian
mentioned the necessity of new equipment, repairs of the therapeutic,
infection and surgical departments, construction of new maternity
wards in all the village communities. It was mentioned that the
supply of medicine to villages is carried out on the means provided
by village municipalities which is trifling compared to the demand.
The gap is filled with the humanitarian aid provided by the
international organizations. The minister of health promised to study
the problems raised and start their settlement as soon as possible.
NIKOLAY BAGHDASSARIAN

Canadian Press
June 24 2004
Egoyan headed for mainstream
New star-filled film project stars Kevin Bacon, Colin Firth

TORONTO (CP) — Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth in an Atom Egoyan film?
Looks that way. The two international stars will be featured in
Somebody Loves You, described as a “sumptuously seductive film noir”
for which principal photography begins Aug. 30 in Toronto, Los
Angeles and London. Based on a novel by Rupert Holmes, Somebody Loves
You will be written and directed by Egoyan and produced by Robert
Lantos’s boutique company Serendipity Point Films.
“I love this project,” says Lantos. “Of all my collaborations with
Atom Egoyan, it is my favourite. It is in-your-face provocative and
at the same time delightfully intelligent.”
In what appears to be a departure from the Canadian filmmaker’s
art-house style, the Canada-U.K. co-production is a study of fame,
fortune and the mores of sexual convention.

After visit to refugees, doctors’ group asserts Sudan is practicing
genocide
Says world response needed now in Darfur
The Boston Globe
June 24, 2004

By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Correspondent
The violence in the Darfur region of Sudan includes systematic killings,
rape, pillaging, and destruction of villages that ”are clear indicators
of genocide,” according to a report issued yesterday by Physicians for
Human Rights.
A delegation from the Boston-based advocacy group visited the
neighboring country of Chad last month and interviewed non-Arab refugees
from the Darfur region, who gave firsthand accounts of being assaulted
and chased while their wells were poisoned, livestock stolen, and
villages burned by an Arab militia known as the Janjaweed, working with
the Sudanese government.
”What we determined, based on a number of testimonies, is that there
are clear indicators of genocide,” investigator John Heffernan said.
”The main point here is a consistent program of targeting non-Arabs.”
Under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide, which the United States has signed, any member country is
obligated to stop or prevent genocide if it is identified. The
international genocide convention, adopted in 1948, defines genocide as
actions intended to destroy a racial, national, religious, or ethnic group.
There is widespread agreement that the humanitarian crisis in Darfur
demands urgent action, but a coordinated international response is
coming too slowly for many critics. The physicians’ group said that by
presenting evidence of genocide, it hoped to instigate a more serious
international response.
”Those countries which have signed on to the genocide convention are
committed to prevent and punish those who are perpetrating it,”
Heffernan said.
Darfur has been the center of escalating violence as the Arab-dominated
central government has fought non-Arab rebel groups over the past 18
months. In April, a UN official called the conflict ”ethnic cleansing.”
The physicians’ group’s report noted that non-Arabs were consistently
attacked while neighboring Arab villages were spared. ”The Janjaweed
attacked us, and then the government helicopters attacked us. They want
to attack all the black people in Sudan, so that Sudan will be for the
Arabs only,” a refugee is quoted as saying.
Tens of thousands of people have died, and roughly 1 million people have
been displaced within Darfur. Most of these displaced people lack food,
clean water, and medical care and some are even living in ”prison
enclaves,” according to Heffernan. For the refugees in Chad, those
conditions will only worsen as the rainy season begins, making transport
of food or other humanitarian aid impossible, the report said.
The study outlines assault methods it said were intended to annihilate
the non-Arab group. They cite systematic attacks on villages, using
coordinated air and land forces.
The Arab militia worked with the Sudanese government’s troops to destroy
property and pursued fleeing villagers in order to kill, rape, or rob
them, the report charges.
The report called on the Sudanese government to halt the violence, and
on the international community to intervene.
A spokesman from the United Nations said yesterday that although the
secretary general is not prepared to call the atrocities ”genocide,”
the flagrant human rights violations occurring in Darfur are a major
concern to the UN.
”The idea is not to wait until it gets to that point,” said Jemera
Rome, a Sudan researcher at Human Rights Watch. ”The Security Council
does not need genocide in order to act.”
She said that the UN should invoke its Chapter VII authority of the UN
charter, which permits the Security Council to take all actions
necessary, including sending a military force, to ”maintain or restore
international peace and security.”
The US government has so far not taken a view on whether the violence
amounts to genocide. In a June 11 interview with The New York Times,
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said, ”I’m not prepared to say what
is the correct legal term for what’s happening. All I know is that there
are at least a million people who are desperately in need.”
/
Carolyn Johnson can be reached at [email protected]/

Azerbaijan still hopes for peaceful Karabakh settlement – president
Lider TV, Baku
25 Jun 04

[Presenter] Azerbaijan has not violated any country’s territorial
integrity, on the contrary, it is a victim of aggression. This is why,
we have the full right to liberate our occupied territories, the
commander-in-chief and President Ilham Aliyev said at the Heydar
Aliyev Higher Military School today.
[Ilham Aliyev] The Azerbaijani people will never tolerate this
occupation. We will never allow our land to remain under
occupation. Our cause is just. Azerbaijan has not occupied anyone
else’s land. It has not violated anyone else’s territorial
integrity. On the contrary, we are the victims of this occupation and
the Azerbaijani people have been suffering from it. Therefore,
international law is on our side. Of course, we should try [changing
tack] – the whole international community and all those who directly
deal with this issue should take international law into
account. Azerbaijan has the full right to liberate its
land. International legal norms have created such conditions for us.
We want to resolve this [conflict] peacefully. But you know that the
peace talks which have been going on for over 10 years have yielded no
results and there is no outcome.
The Azerbaijani people will never tolerate this situation. We demand
that this issue be resolved soon and in a fair way within the
framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. We still hope that we
will be able to resolve it peacefully. But at the same time, we should
be ready to take steps to liberate our land at any time.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress