Borji’s One-Day Photo Exhibition to Open Today
Tehran Times
June 5 2004
Tehran Times Art Desk
TEHRAN (MNA) — A one-day photo exhibition by Iranian war
photojournalist, and documentary filmmaker Reza Borji is to open
today at Axkhaneh Shahr.
The photographer will also review his photos on display from 17:00
to 19:00 at the gallery.
He has taken many photos from the contemporary wars in Iraq, Bosnia,
Afghanistan, Karabakh, and Ghana. He also has a collection of many
outstanding photos from the Iraqi imposed war against Iran during
the years 1980-1988.
Akxkhaneh Shahr is located on Haft-e Tir, Bahar Shiraz Square.

M. Hollande exige la reconnaissance du génocide arménien
Le Monde, France
4 juin 2004
François Hollande, premier secrétaire du PS, et son homologue
arménien, Mourad Papazian, président de la Fra Dachnaktsoutioun,
ont signé, jeudi 3 avril, un texte commun appelant la Turquie à
reconnaître le génocide arménien. Les deux partis “réaffirment leur
profond attachement à une Europe démocratique et sociale, garante des
valeurs éthiques et morales dont les Etats membres se doivent d’être,
individuellement et collectivement, les dépositaires vigilants et
intransigeants”. “Dans cet esprit”, précise le texte, les PS français
et arméniens “considèrent que l’ouverture des négociations d’adhésion
avec la Turquie est soumise au respect des critères de Copenhague
et de la résolution du Parlement européen du 18 juin 1987.” Parmi
ces critères, figurent les droits de l’homme et des minorités. Or,
“même si des réformes ont été adoptées par Ankara, elles demeurent
largement insuffisantes”, assurent MM. Hollande et Papazian qui
formulent “l’exigence” de la reconnaissance du génocide arménien.

Krymbek Kusherbayev handed over credentials to Armenia President Robert Kocharyan
KAZINFORM
04.06 /04
Almaty. June 4. KAZINFORM. Krymbek Kusherbayev Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Russia, Finland and Armenia handed
over credentials to Armenia President Robert Kocharyan on June 2,
in Yerevan. After the ceremony, Krymbek Kusherbayev informed Robert
Kocharyan about the current development of social economic reforms
in Kazakhstan.
The Armenian President was interested in the industrial and innovation
development strategy of Kazakhstan till 2015. The prospective
June summits preparation and EuroAsEC were discussed during the
negotiations.

Bush’s Neo-Con Praetorian Guards
by Ahmed Amr
June 5, 2004
A few weeks ago, on April 14th, George Bush decided to void the
Palestinians’ right to return to their homeland. The President also
took the occasion to make illegal Jewish settlements a permanent
“fact on the ground.” In a single press conference with Ariel Sharon,
he managed to truncate the size of a Palestinian state and assault
the fundamental human rights of refugees around the world. One has to
assume that Bush has now assumed the right to decide which other group
of refugees can forget about ever returning to their native lands.
Before unilaterally making this radical departure from the policies
of every American administration since 1948, Bush dispatched Elliott
Abrams to negotiate terms with Sharon. Abrams, the radical Likudnik
activist of Iran/Contra fame, has a history of beating the drums of
the Netenyahu wing of the Likud party. His mission was to convince
Netenyahu to accept the terms of the “moderate” Sharon who had declared
his intention to withdraw from Gaza.
Abrams convinced Netenyahu to agree to stop lobbying against Sharon’s
plan, which was scheduled to come up for a vote in the Likud party. But
his agreement came with a stiff price. Netenyahu’s “generous offer” was
contingent on getting American assurances that the Palestinians right
of return would be voided and that the settlements would become legal.
Upon returning to America, Abrams held a meeting in the White House
with the leadership of the Christian Zionist movement, a key Bush
constituency. He wanted to reassure them that Gaza was not part of
biblical Israel and evacuating it would not stall the Second Coming of
Jesus or the prospects of a timely advent of the rapture and the end
of times. You have to marvel at the marketing skills of this Likudnik
fanatic who doesn’t even believe in the First Coming of the Messiah.
In any case, Abrams managed to convince Bush that he had cut a
great deal. All Bush needed to do was to stiff the Palestinian on
a few of their rights and shrink the boundaries of the Palestinian
Bantustan to accommodate Israeli expansionist fantasies. In return,
Netenyahu would not actively obstruct a critical vote in the Likud. The
president accepted Netenyahu’s “generous offer.” By the time Sharon
landed in Washington, Bush had prepared a letter officially committing
to Netenyahu’s terms. For the Palestinians, it was the Second Coming
of the Balfour Declaration.
Abrams didn’t go to Israel to negotiate American terms with Sharon. He
was there to settle an internal Likud party squabble. As a confirmed
member of the Netenyahu wing of the Likud, he wanted to draw a line
in the sand for the “moderate” Sharon. In effect, Bush had dispatched
one Likudnik fox to negotiate with another Likudnik fox on how best
to cook the chicken.
As promised, the reluctant Netenyahu did not publicly campaign against
Sharon’s plan. But he wasn’t about to endorse it either. When the
vote took place, the Likud faithful turned down the “compromise”. So,
the Israelis pocketed George’s concession of Palestinian rights and
Palestinian real estate and laughed all the way to the West Bank.
After the Likud turned down the idea to withdrawing from Gaza, the
Israelis came back and got a green light from the Bush administration
to batter the Palestinians. Sharon explained that he needed to
torment the refugees in Gaza to shore up his standing in the Likud
after failing to get approval for his plan. Bush understood. After
a few weeks of demolishing homes and killing dozens of Palestinians,
the people of Gaza staged acts of resistance that resulted in the
death of thirteen Israeli soldiers.
As usual, Sharon lost his temper and Bush agreed that Israel had
the right to defend its soldiers from the “terrorists” who had the
audacity to resist Sharon’s efforts to demonstrate his toughness in
front of the Netenyahu wing of the Likud. The president of the free
world had an AIPAC engagement coming up and that’s never a good time
to bring up the issue of Palestinian rights to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness. So once again, Bush expressed sympathy and gave
a green light to “Operation Rainbow.” The rape of Rafah was on.
In an effort to resolve a feud within the Likud, Elliott Abrams had
set in motion a major Israeli killing spree.
Abram’s Likudnik antics are typical of the standard operating procedure
in the Bush administration. In reviewing the resume of the folks
Bush appointed as architects a “Greater Middle East,” one runs into
a who’s who list of professional Jewish activists with a long record
of supporting the most extreme right wing factions in Israel.
Wolfowitz’s sister actually gave up on America and immigrated to
Israel. Like his sibling, he has spent his whole adult life working
on Likudnik agendas. Douglas Feith’s law partner in Israel represents
the right wing settler movement. Lewis Libby, the lawyer who convinced
Clinton to pardon the tax dodging Mark Rich, has well established
ties to Israeli intelligence. Richard Perle sits on the board of the
Jerusalem Post and works with Conrad Black, a media mogul and Zionist
propagandist. Along with Dick Cheney’s wife, all four are affiliated
with the neo-con movement that has its imprint all over Bush’s Middle
East policies.
Before joining the Bush administration, this neo-con cabal agitated
against the Oslo agreement and worked on Netenyahu’s election
campaign. Dick Cheney and his wife actually retained Bernard Lewis to
tutor our president of vice on the “Arab mind.” Lewis is a vicious
anti-Arab racist and a suspect pseudo-academic who was convicted in
a French court of denying the Armenian genocide.
One has to be extremely delusional to subscribe to the notion that
any of these characters are interested in the freedom of any pedigree
of Arabs, be they Iraqi or Palestinian. Quite the contrary. Their
real motives are to subjugate and humiliate Arabs into accepting
Sharon’s dictates.
It should come as no surprise that Douglas Feith was the Pentagon
official who signed off on torturing and sexually humiliating Iraqi
prisoners. Or that Feith and Libby are the main suspects in leaking
the identity of Valerie Plame, a CIA agent. Or that Wolfowitz
and Perle virtually created Chalabi’s Iraqi National Congress and
collaborated with the INC in fabricating false intelligence and
feeding it to neo-con media operatives like Judith Miller and Charles
Krauthammer. Or that Libby and Feith were the force behind setting
up the Office of Special Plans that sabotaged the CIA’s and DIA’s
intelligence gathering operations. Or that Feith was in charge of
the now discredited post invasion fantasies. Or that Paul Bremer,
the current emperor of Baghdad, is a self-declared neo-con and a
protégé of Henry Kissinger. Or that Michael Rubin, a neo-con zealot,
was given a major role in administering our Iraqi colony. After
his assignment in Baghdad, Rubin went right back to his desk at the
American Enterprise Institute.
These are the Bush advisers that prey on the mind of a president who
believes he is getting battle plans from God. They write his speeches
and condense the news that he can’t bother to read. Even Republican
Senators are alarmed at the virtual seclusion of this President
behind a wall of Praetorian guards recruited from the ranks of the
Israeli Lobby.
None of this is a secret. It is just one of those taboo subjects that
can get you libeled as an anti-Semite if you so much as hint at who
these people are or question their allegiance to a foreign state ruled
by a serial war criminal. But some prominent Americans have apparently
had enough of their shenanigans. Retired General Anthony Zinni and
Senator Hollings and others are finally taking them on. Zinni, in a
challenge to the complicit silence of many in Washington, recently
appeared on a 60 Minutes program and said, “I know what strategy they
promoted. And openly. And for a number of years. And what they have
convinced the president and the secretary to do. And I don’t believe
there is any serious political leader, military leader, diplomat in
Washington that doesn’t know where it came from.”
Zinni is not just any old retired General. During his military career,
this distinguished American officer served for four years as the
commander-in-chief of the United States Central Command, in charge
of American forces in the Middle East.
The Israeli Lobby has always had an extraordinary amount of influence
on American foreign policy. With Bush, they have hit the jackpot
because they find him so easy to manipulate, especially when they
make an appeal to his faith. He is at once the most peculiar and
the most transparent of Presidents. If he appears to be cruel, he
is just administering the wrath of God on planet earth. For him,
Palestinian and Iraqi sufferings are a necessary price to pay to bring
on Armageddon. He is not an opportunist preaching to the flock. He is
part of the Christian Zionist movement. The designated priests of this
Christian heresy are folks like Abrams who must get a huge kick out
of messing around with the collective emotions of these holy rollers.
We can only hope that a slumbering America will wake up to the real
and present danger of giving this very simple and very dangerous
President a mandate of a second term in office. If he gets four more
years, we might just find ourselves two years away from Armageddon.
Unfortunately for the Palestinians, John Kerry appears to be recruiting
his own brigade of neo-con Praetorian guards to administer Middle
East policy. Rafah was just one more sign that the Palestinians are
set to lose another American election.
Ahmed Amr is the Editor of NileMedia. He can be reached at:
[email protected].
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Ex-Armenian Foreign Minister Says His Country’s Being Russian Stronghold In Caucasus Is Key Problem
Baku Today 05/06/2004 13:59
A former chief Armenian diplomat said on Friday that Russiaâ^À^Ùs
retaining strong influence in Armenia is the main stumbling block
preventing the country from forging relationship with Turkey.
“The republic’s key problem is that Armenia is the Russian stronghold
in the region and Russian troops are guarding Armenia-Turkey borders,”
Yerevan’s A1 Plus television quoted Alexander Arzumanyan, ex-Armenian
foreign minister and a member of former Armenian-Turkish commission,
as saying.
Arzumanyan said at a discussion dedicated to Armenian-Turkish borders
organized by Youth Conservative Party that the Collective Security
Treaty Armenia has joined is not in the country’s interests.
“I wonder why Armenia has joined Collective Security Treaty while not
a single of its four neighbors are the Treaty members.” Arzumanyan
said, according to A1 Plus.
The former diplomat maintained that Armenia should join such security
systems where Turkey, Iran, Georgia and Azerbaijan are also included.
He also blamed Armenia’s current authorities for making statements
approving the border-opening idea without any precondition but,
in fact, putting forward own demands.
“Closed border means blockade. It means a state of war with
the neighboring country,” Arzumanyan said, suggesting that the
Armenian-Turkish relationship can be improved only by the join efforts
of the two countries.
Turkey must recognize and condemn the purported fact of Armenian
Genocide and Armenia, for its part, should support Turkey in its
aspiration to join Europea n Union, Arzumanyan said.

Assadourian to advise PM on foreign policy
By Lynne Cohen
Jewish Tribune
May 20, 2004 – 29 Iyar, 5764
Leaders in the Jewish community reacted cautiously to the announcement
that Sarkis Assadourian is stepping aside after almost 11 years
representing the Liberals in the Ontario riding of Brampton Springdale,
in order to join the Prime Minister’s office as a special advisor
on foreign affairs. The Syrian-born, Armenian MP will be responsible
for Near Eastern and South Caucasus affairs.
“I am delighted to be able to turn to Sarkis Assadourian for expertise
when it comes to matters of trade and foreign relations with the Near
East,” said the Prime Minister in a statement immediately following
the appointment.
Assadourian’s appointment is in exchange for giving up his riding so
that Manitoba-born Ruby Dhalla, a Toronto chiropractor, can run for
the Liberals in his place. Assadourian has been a frequent critic of
Israel in recent years. In 2002 he attempted to introduce a Motion in
the House of Commons calling on fellow MPs to express their support
for what he called “our government’s position at the UN” on Israel. At
the time he was referring to UN Security Council Resolution 1402
which called for the immediate “withdrawal of Israeli troops from
Palestinian cities, including Ramallah.” This resolution was adopted
after a series of Palestinian suicide bombings prompted Israel to
deploy Israeli troops around Yasser Arafat’s headquarters in Ramallah.
A spokesman for Assadourian, Daniel Kennedy, said the countries
involved in Assadourian’s new portfolio are Eastern European as well
as Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. “He is not advising on the Middle
East,” said Kennedy.
“Just because the countries under Assadourian’s mandate do not include
those in the Middle East, it does not necessarily follow that his
appointment will have no wider impact,” said Amos Sochaczevski,
National Chair of B’nai Brith Canada’s Institute for International
Affairs. “What happens in the Middle East impacts many different
countries in many different regions, several of which are struggling
with the rising tide of Islamic extremism and terrorism in their
own territories.”
Assadourian hosted a reception recently to provide a representative of
the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem with a platform to explain why
his organization was suing the Israeli government over the construction
of its security fence.
“Our concerns are not limited to international issues,” said
Sochaczevski. “For instance, not only does Assadourian oppose the
construction of a Holocaust museum, he also opposes the construction
of any museum on intolerance that would place emphasis on the Holocaust
as a unique event in history.”
Instead, Assadourian has been promoting a private members bill that
would see the creation of an exhibit at the Museum of Civilization
located in Gatineau, across the river from Parliament Hill, that
would commemorate in a generic sense all “crimes against humanity
perpetrated during the 20th century.”
“My position has been from day one that we can’t have one museum for
every minority,” explained Assadourian at the time.
“A museum… is not a doughnut shop that you open on every street
corner. It has to be inclusive…”
Assadourian’s appointment comes at a time when Canadian Jews are
beginning to ask themselves where exactly the Government stands
on issues of concern to the Jewish community. The day before the
announcement, Canada supported a resolution at the United Nations
that for all intents and purposes denied Israel any a priori rights
in the disputed territories. This is a move that contradicts the
government’s own guidelines on Middle East policy, which emphasize the
importance of not pre-judging the outcome of final negotiations and
of reaching a negotiated agreement between the parties. Canada’s vote
also went against Resolution 242 which it has always endorsed. That
resolution recognizes that modifications to the so-called Green Line
are necessary.
“Our Government must make up its mind on the fundamental issue,”
added Sochaczevski… “Either Canada supports Israel as the only free
and democratic country in the region, or it doesn’t.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
June 4, 2004
___________________
COUNCIL MEMBERS WILL MEET WITH CATHOLICOS
Last year, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of
All Armenians, invited diocesan councils throughout the world to hold
meetings at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.
The Catholicos, during a visit to New York in the fall, personally
extended his invitation to the Diocesan Council of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern).
Responding to that invitation, the Council members decided to go to
Armenia at the end of October — at their own expense — to hold their
regular business meeting and have an audience with the Catholicos and
other church leaders.
“What we’re trying to do is really create a closer partnership between
the Diocese and the Mother See, between this council and the Vehapar,”
said Diocesan Council Chairman Haig Dadourian. “We felt the best way to
do that is through physical closeness, and sharing of each other’s goals
and concerns.”
Most of the council members have been to Armenia, but a couple have yet
to visit. Dadourian said another benefit of the meeting is for those
who will be seeing their homeland for the first time make the journey.
“Going to Armenia makes a very lasting impression,” Dadourian said. “I
don’t want to get so dramatic as to say you’re never the same; but it
does make a lasting, positive impression.”
Along with attending a couple of days worth of meetings at Etchmiadzin,
the council members will also tour Armenia, and visit sites run by the
Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) — the Diocesan-affiliated international
humanitarian aid organization. They will also tour some orphanages and
meet with children helped by the Children of Armenia Sponsorship Program
(CASP), run by the Diocesan Women’s Guild.
“It’s important that the leadership of the Armenian Church throughout
the Diaspora go and visit the Mother See, which has been the center of
our Christian faith for more than 1,700 years,” Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, said. “They should pray in
the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin, visit historic sites, and see
the development of the independent Republic of Armenia. It’s important
for every Armenian to go, especially those Armenians in leadership
roles.”
— 6/4/04
# # #
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Ageless: Pioneer of Armenian rock regroups (on cd) across continents
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow
04 June 2004
ArmeniaNow arts reporter In the early 1980s, when rock music was still
an evil in Armenia, a band formed to test the limits of “glasnost”
and “perestroika” and bring the previously-forbidden music to a ready
audience of rebellious youth.
The faces have changed, but not the music.
Four musicians formed Thessilck in 1983, and as the controls of
communism were lifted, the rock band became popular to a generation
welcoming the freedom to wear jeans and listen to western music.
Many rock bands followed, but Thessilck was among the first.
Khachik Melekyan, Artur Safaryan, Harutyun Stamboltsyan and Hovhannes
Shadanyan, rocked Armenia toward independence, before the dark days
of struggle forced them apart.
The band broke apart in 1989, a victim of necessity, as its members
went off in search of better living conditions.
And it broke up leaving behind only memories of live performances
for its fans.
Now, 15 years since they last performed together, the music of
Thessilck has returned on a 17-song compact disc put out by founder
Melekyan from a studio in Los Angeles.
“This cd seems to be an embodiment of the old days. We’ve been thinking
about creating it for a long time, but a small incident took place
last year which simply obliged us,” says, Melekyan, the founder and
artistic director of Thessilck.
Melekyan relayed the incident to ArmeniaNow during a visit last week,
telling about a phone call he got last year while on his first visit
back, since moving to California in 1991.
A stranger called Melekyan (while Melekyan was here to promote a
solo instrumental cd “Mysticity, The Influx”), saying that he was
a big fan of Thessilck, that he’d traveled to all their concerts,
and was disappointed that the band’s music was not on record.
“Isn’t there a single record? Can’t we even listen to your songs?”,
the fan asked.
A year later, the answer is “yes”.
“Great desire and modern equipment allowed us to overcome time and
space,” Melekyan says. “All of us, the four members of the band,
live in different cities but we created and recorded together.”
Of the four members of Thessilck, only Shadanyan still lives in
Yerevan. Safaryan is in Moscow; Stamboltsyan, in Florida.
The distance was bridged by Internet.
To create the new cd, Melekyan first recorded general instrumental
parts, emailed files to the other members who added their respective
parts, then Melekyan put it all together in Southern California.
“Thessilck is like our baby, we gave birth to it from our young dreams
and emotions,” says Melekyan. “Even though we live so far from each
other, we’re always united with the history and the past of Thessilck.”
When Melekyan returned to Armenia this time, he brought cds (on sale
throughout Yerevan and through and posters, announcing
to Armenia’s first rock generation now with children of their own,
that Thessilck is back – at least in recorded form.
“This is neither rabiz, nor folk, nor even techno or hip hop. This
is Armenian rock,” the musicians claim.
It is a music born of chance in a time of change.
None of the members of Thessilck are academically trained musicians.
“We learned to play music on a neighbor’s piano,” Melekyan says.
Melekyan..
Melekyan and Stamboltsyan met in the yard and accidentally found
out that they both play guitar and started rehearsing and writing
songs together.
“We found out that some guys from a neighboring yard had formed a
band and they perform, so we thought why don’t we have our band,
too?” says Melekyan.
Then in their early ’20s, members of Thessilck had difficulty finding
instruments, not to mention countless other obstacles.
But in 1986 Thessilck participated in the first rock festival in the
Soviet Union, in Rostov, where they won the first prize. Afterwards,
there were concerts, tours and fame.
Other Armenian rock bands of those years, such as Vostan Hayots,
Ardzagank, 36.6, were in serious competition.
“Others were envious when we were appearing with a new song, and we
were envious of the success of others, but all of that is left in
the past since if we were competitors with Yeghish Petrosyan from
Ardzagank, today we’re friends,” says Melekyan sincerely.
The songs of Thessilck are remembered and reborn in a new way performed
by young singers, just like the most famous song of Thessilck “Andzrev”
(Rain) is performed by Arsen Safaryan.
Old songs get new soul through videos as well. Based on Melekyan’s
instrumental work director Hrach Keshishyan and actress Nare Haykazyan
produced a video and another one is being prepared.
Melekyan says they have to keep the soul of Thessilck since together
with them their baby grows up and it can get lost in the maelstrom
of life.
“Even the word ‘Thessilck’ (it means ‘vision’) has become a cliché for
us and in our speech the word mirage substitutes amazing, beautiful
words,” Melekyan says. “We’re looking for our past in a mirage; we
re-find in ourselves those young ones with endless dreams and folly.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
06/04/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) OSCE Special Envoy Lenmarker Meets with Officials, Leaves for Karabagh 2) Yerevan Students Receive ARS Scholarships 3) May 28 Celebration in Fresno 4) A Joint ARF, Socialist Party of France statement 5) Hamidian Massacre Survivor Vartan Anooshian, Dies at 110 1) OSCE Special Envoy Lenmarker Meets with Officials, Leaves for Karabagh YEREVAN (Armenpress)--OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Chairman's special representative on the Mountainous Karabagh conflict Goran Lenmarker, on his second visit to Yerevan, met with government officials to discuss the current situation and explore ways of regulating the conflict. In meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Vartan Oskanian, Lenmarker was informed of the present dynamics of the settlement process. After exchanging their views on prospects of a resolution to the long-standing conflict, Lenmarker said he intends to pay a fact-finding visit to Karabagh to become familiarized with the situation first-hand and meet with the residents. He noted the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's capability, together with other European organizations, of building a favorable climate around the conflict's regulation. Oskanian in turn stressed the enlargement of European's organizations' involvement in the regional issues, with both sides reiterating OSCE's vital role in ensuring regional security and cooperation. Lenmarker also visited the Armenian Parliament to meet with Speaker Arthur Baghdasarian, and outline the role of parliaments in establishing peace and cooperation. During the meeting, Baghdasarian stressed the necessity to include Karabagh in the negotiation process, as well as discussed European integration of the entire region and the importance of establishing close ties between regional countries. Lenmarker also met with the head of Armenian delegation in the OSCE National Assembly Vice Speaker Vahan Hovhannisian. The deputy speaker stated that Armenia adheres to a peaceful regulation of the conflict, adding that Turkey's role in the conflict must be unbiased and objective, as objectivity is one of the requirements in joining the European family. Lenmarker said his mission is to provide support to the efforts of OSCE Minsk group directed towards the regulation of the conflict in Karabagh. He articulated that the South Caucasian countries must be also included in the "Wider Europe: New Neighborhood" program. After the meeting, Lenmarker and Hovhannisian left for Karabagh. 2) Yerevan Students Receive ARS Scholarships YEREVAN (Yerkir)--The Armenian Relief Society (ARS) awarded eighty students from various schools in Yerevan, $100 scholarships based on academic achievement and need. The awards ceremony took place on Friday at the Writers House, where National Assembly Vice Speaker Vahan Hovhannisian congratulated the students, as well as the philanthropic organization for its valuable undertakings in the country and throughout the world. ARS Central Executive member and National Assembly representative Alvart Petrossian noted the scholarship program strives to promote and strengthen a love toward education in Armenia's student circles. ARS United States Western Region chairwoman Nova Hindoyan was also on hand to congratulate the students. The region allocated $2000 to the scholarship program, enabling 20 additional students to benefit. 3) May 28 Celebration in Fresno Vartouhi Rose Megerdichian bequeaths $200,000 to Fresno ARF chapter FRESNO--Fresno's Armenian community gathered at the Asbarez Armenian Center on May 22 to celebrate the 86th anniversary of Armenia's first independence. Organized by the PR committee of Fresno's Soghomon Tehlirian ARF chapter, the event drew not only ARF members and members of affiliate organizations, but also a large number of supporters. ARF Central Committee Representative Hovig Saliba delivered the Keynote address. To highlight the day's celebrations, it was announced that approximately $200,000 from the late Vartouhi Rose Megerdichian will would be forwarded to the Fresno Soghomon Tehlirian ARF Chapter, and that the main hall of Asbarez Center would be named the Vartouhi Rose Megerdichian hall. Vartouhi Megerdichian was born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1921, and was the middle child of Michael and Nouritsa Akelian. Growing up in Lebanon, Vartouhi became interested in drama and joins the Hamazkayin Kaspar Ipegian Theatre group, in which she plays many a great roles. In 1960, Vartouhi marries American Armenian Megerdich Megerdichian, and relocates to Waukegan, Illinois, where she becomes a member of the Armenian Relief Society (ARS). The following year, the couple is blessed with daughter Julie Rose. Along with her family, Vartouhi moved to Fresno in 1964 and continues her work in the ARS, along with committed friends Sophia Hagopian, Marta Jamushian, and others. Last year, Vartouhi and her daughter Julie Rose died in a car accident. The news of their tragic death shook the entire Fresno Armenian community. The celebrations officially opened with a prayer offered by spiritual leader Vahan Gostanian, followed by a brief history of May 28, 1918 by Armenian school principal Rosine Bedrossian. Fresno ARF chapter representative Viken Yepremian, in presenting the message of the chapter, also conveyed that four youth had been inducted into the ARF ranks only hours before. In speaking about the fateful events of May 28, Keynote speaker Saliba said "The ARF's strength comes not only from our members, but also from those who stand by our side to uphold and protect the rights of the Armenian nation--whose life is filled to celebrate the victories of his nation, and address its concerns; these individuals are in effect Tashnagtsagans." Bedrossian conveyed Vartouhi Rose Megerdichian's biography, and invited Yepremian, who detailed the conditions of Vartouhi's will. Yepremian revealed that before her death, Vartouhi transferred the sum of $200,000 to her friend Adrine Postoian, asking that on her death, the sum be donated to the organization of her choice. Postoian decided to allocate the sum to the Fresno ARF Chapter. Taking the stage and holding back tears, Postoian recounts the life and achievements of the late Vartouhi Rose Megerdichian. Vartouhi's priorities in life, tells Postoian, were her family, Armenian education, and knowledge--as a knowledgeable mother, she guided her daughter Julie, an active Homenetmen member, as such. For more that 36 years, Vartouhi is a member of the Ladies Guild of Fresno's Holy Trinity Church--visiting the residents of the Armenian nursing home once a week with gifts--and traditional Armenian meals, and offering kind words for hours on end. Vartouhi carried a beautiful heart filled with the endearing qualities of a mother and a devout patriot. She gave selflessly to all. The Fresno Armenian community will forever remember them with feelings of obligation and love. 4) A Joint ARF, Socialist Party of France statement On the eve of the June 13, 2004 European Parliament elections, the executive body of the French Socialist Party, the Central Committee of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western Europe, and members of the Socialist International, reaffirm their deep connection with European democratic values and socialist character. During a June 3 meeting, ARF Bureau representative Hrant Margarian congratulated France's Socialist Party first secretary François Hollande for his party's firm stance on Turkey's entry into the European Union. A joint ARF, Socialist Party of France statement calling for Turkey's recognition of the Armenian Genocide was signed by ARF Western Europe Central Committee representative Mourad Papazian and Hollande at a joint press conference. 5) Hamidian Massacre Survivor Vartan Anooshian, Dies at 110 By Ara Anooshian Hairig, if you were nothing else but the wonderful father that you have been, you are worthy of the paeans I sing of you today. But you have been much more than that. We, your children, know your inspiring story and would like to share it with others, because we know that you are too modest and self-effacing to talk about yourself. So, with your permission, I shall tell a little of your story. I have learned much about your life, both from you and your older brother, Karnig, who lived with us for many years. We children called him "Aghbar" because that is what you called him. Aghbar was ten years your senior and became a grandfather figure for us. He was widely read, as you are. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of Armenian history, particularly the history of Haght, where both of you were born. Aghbar possessed a phenomenal memory and I consider him the finest oral historian I have known. I should note that some of the history of Haght I learned from you and Aghbar, I have been able to confirm by my later readings of HBF Lynch's "ArmeniaTravels and Studies" and Drtad Drtadian's "Haght Yev Haghetsinere." In telling my father's story, I must also talk about his birthplace, its history, his family, and the times and society into which he was born. As we know, these are the things that shape a person's life. By the Grace of God, on February 13, 2004, my father, Vartan Anooshian, observed his 110th birthday. It is also by the Grace of God that he did not perish before the age of two, for you see, my father is a survivor of the Hamidian Massacres of 1895. My father was born on February 13, 1894, in the village of Haght. Haght was part of the vilayet of Sebastia and about 25-30 miles east thereof. He is the youngest of the four children of Ghazar and Heghine Anooshian. Their other children were named Karnig, Kaloust and Kohar. I suspect that had he not been born in the month of February, the month of the Vartanantz, he, like his siblings, would have a name starting with the letter "K." Permit me to digress a moment and tell you something about Haght. Haght, by the way, means undefeated or victorious. History tells us that Haght and Sebastia regions were settled, under very strange circumstances, in the year 1021, by the Artzerouni King Senekerim whose kingdom had been in Vasburagan (Van). We are told that after more than twenty years of constant war against the Seljuk Turks, a war-weary King Senekerim sent his son, David, as his envoy, to the Byzantine Emperor Vasil II to negotiate an exchange of lands. By the terms of the agreement, King Senekerim ceded to Byzantine, his Vasburagan kingdom, consisting of some 7 fortresses, 400 villages and 8 towns, in exchange for lands approximately 400 miles to the west, namely, Haght and Sebastia; the exchange was completed by the resettlement by King Senekerim and his 14,000 subjects. It is thought that Senekerim felt that his kingdom would be protected from the Seljuks by the Byzantines. Shortly after the resettlement, King Senekerim built the renowned Sourp Hreshdagabed Vank in Haght. For 900 years, Sourp Hreshdagabed drew thousands of pilgrims from the Sebastia region on the Feast of Vartavar and the Feast of Sourp Hreshdagabed until the 1915 genocide, when it was totally destroyed by the Turks. The decision King Senekerim made in 1021 to cede his Vasburagan kingdom provoked harsh words and deeds almost 900 years later from, none other than, Khrimian Hairig. It appears that after King Senekerim died, his remains were returned to Vasburagan and interred in Varag Vank, in the vicinity of Van. Khrimian Hairig, who had become the Abbot of Varak Vank in the 1850s, ordered the removal of the royal canopy covering King Senekerim's tomb because he regarded him unworthy of recognition as royalty. Khrimian Hairig believed that Senekerim should have kept his kingdom and continued fighting the Seljuk Turks to the bitter end. Permit me to pick up the thread of my father's story. My father was about 1.5 years old when the Hamidian Massacres began in Haght in November, 1895. To escape the Turkish, Kurdish, and Circassian mobs incited by Sultan Hamid, the Haghtetsis began to flee to the surrounding mountains. My father's mother, Heghine, fearing that his crying might reveal the family's hiding place further up the mountainside, concealed my father in some undergrowth. The initial massacre and plunder lasted 3-4 days. It resumed again, more bloody than before, by strange coincidence, on November 5, 1895, the date of the Feast of Sourp Hreshdagabed lasting 2 more days. Finally, after the mob's bloodlust had been sated and it withdrew from Haght, the surviving villagers began their slow and fearful return to what remained of their homes. Miraculously, Heghine found the infant Vartan where she had concealed him. Amazingly, my father survived the 1895 massacres; it was regarded as an Act of Providence. At the beginning of 1900, the Tashnagtsoutiun was introduced into Haght and became the dominant partylargely because of Sepastatsi Mourad, the beloved fedayee freedom fighter. Mourad was from the neighboring village of Govdoun. Beginning in 1909, he became a regular visitor to Haght. Mourad preached the need for Haghtetsis to organize for their self-defense; he argued that the Young Turk Constitution of 1908, promising reforms for the Armenian people, was a sham and that the Young Turks could no more be trusted than the deposed Sultan Abdul Hamid. Mourad had a premonition that a terrible calamity was about to befall the Armenian people, one, far worse than the 1895 Massacres. As we now know, history proved him correct. My father has often spoken of Mourad's visits to Haght. He would fearlessly ride into the village, armed, astride Asdghig, his jet black stallion with the small white star-shaped spot in the center of its forehead. Remember, in those days, Armenians were forbidden to ride horses or own guns. In Mourad's case the Turkish authorities looked the other way, because they feared elimination by Turkish and Kurdish bandits that preyed on the peasants. He gladly obliged. My father's admiration for Mourad is unbounded. My father describes Mourad as being largely unschooled, but being extraordinary intelligent, intuitive and clairvoyant. He was also a brilliant orator, who spoke plainly so that all could understand his message. Mourad's constant message to the peasantry was simple, "First, the gun, second, the pen and third, the spade." He invariably would tell the Haghtetsis, "The Armenian people must have the means to defend themselves, so that this time they sell their lives dearly." I'm sure that you would not be surprised if I told you that we had a large framed photograph of Mourad, his wife and infant son, hanging in our living room. Two additional notes about Mourad may be of interest. Mourad dropped his own surname and adopted "Khrimian" because of his admiration for Khrimian Hairig. May family has another connection with Mourad; my maternal grandfather, Zagid, from Gavra, was a member of Mourad's fedayeen band. But, that is a story for another time. Once again, permit me to pick up thread of my father's story. After the 1895 massacres, the oppression and repression by the Turkish Government continued unabated. My father's parents, fearing for the lives of their sons, repeatedly advised their sons, "Leave this dog's country; there is no future for you here." Difficult, though it was, my father and his brothers, one by one, left Haght for America. It was especially painful for my Uncle Karnig, because he had to leave behind his wife and five children. The three brothers intended to come to America, earn money to send home, and, eventually, return to Haght when conditions there improved. So, in 1911, at the age of 17, my father came to America and joined his brothers in New York City. There, he found work and became a highly skilled silver platter and metal etcher. Alas, the 1915 Genocide ended all hope the brothers had of returning home to Haght: except for a few survivors, the Turks massacred their entire family. Tragically, my Uncle Karnig never learned the fate of his wife and five children; he died in 1958, never knowing if any of them had survived. In 1923, my father married my mother, Perouz who was from Gavra, a neighboring village. She had survived the Genocide of 1915 after suffering unspeakable horrors. Her's, too, is a story for another time. My parents had three children; I am the oldest, then, my sister, Alice or Azniv, and the youngest, Armen. Shortly after arriving in America, my father joined the ARF Armen Garo Gomideh. The Armen Garo Agoump was located on 3rd Avenue, between 26th and 27th Streets, in Manhattan, a few blocks from St. Illuminator's Cathedral. As a young boy, I sometimes accompanied my father to the Agoump. The Agoump housed a large library that was well frequented by the members. My father and Uncle Karnig also had a nice collection of Armenian books. I remember some of the titles: Raffi's "Khente," "Samuel," "Gaidzer," etc., as well as works by Shant, Zarian, Yessayan, Malkhas, among others. They subscribed to the Hairenik Daily and the Hairenik Monthly (Amsakir). They prized the Hairenik Monthly so highly that they had saved every issue and eventually had them hard-bound. My father was very active in a compatriotic organizations, namely, Haght Kiughi Verashinats Miutiun, Haght Kiughi Hairenagtsagan Miutiun, and the Mourad Fund. The Mourad Fund was organized by a number of admirers of Sepastatsi Mourad for the purpose of publishing his biography. After funds were raised, Michael Vartanian, the noted intellectual, writer, and editor of Hairenik Daily, was commissioned to write the biography. I recall that we had hundreds of copies of the book my father had volunteered to sell, stored in our apartment. The demand for the book proved to be greater than the supply, so much so, that he forgot to keep a copy for himself. Incidentally, I don't believe any money was made on the venture, but then again, it wasn't undertaken for that purpose. In most of the organizations to which my father belonged, he, invariably, was drafted to be Secretary. The other members would say that he had an "aghvor krich," meaning that he had legible handwriting. In the 1930s and 1940s, being the secretary of any organization was a burdensome undertaking. Obviously, no pay was given or expected to be received. My father would have to correspond, by mail, with members who lived all over the Eastern Seaboard, because most of them did not have a telephone. The only equipment my father had was a good fountain pen, a large bottle of ink and lots of patience. All correspondence was laboriously written by hand and repetitively recopied, over and over. Envelopes were then addressed by hand and postage stamps affixed. Of all the organizations he served, I know that he regards as most important, his service to the Aramian Varjaran as Trustee in the 1930s and 1940s. Aramian Varjaran classes were conducted in a single classroom in Public School 58, located at the corner of 176th Street and Washington Avenue, in the Bronx. We, students, attended classes there on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, between the hours of 3:30 PM, after American school dismissal. Although the School's operating expenses were $15 per month for classroom rent and $25 per month for the lone teacher's salary, money was a constant problem for the school. The tuition was 10 cents a week, but needy students did not pay even that. There never seemed to be enough money to pay the rent or the teacher on time. Remember, we were living in the midst of the Great Depression, when fathers, lucky enough to have work, were earning $10 to $12 per week. In those days, a loaf of bread sold for 5 cents and a quart of milk for 7 cents. The annual "hantes" sometimes produced a small surplus, but that was meager help. The chronic money shortage caused many in the community to question the viability of the Armenian School. The Varjaran's meetings were often held in our apartment and, as a young boy, I would overhear the heated discussions of the school trustees about the Varjaran's future. Some advocated closing the school, but my father would vehemently argue for continuing. Gradually, some of the trustees withdrew from active roles, suggesting that if my father wanted to continue the financial struggle, he could do so alone. I guess my father accepted the challenge and decided to find alternate sources of funds, whereupon, he compiled a list of Armenian businesses located in Manhattan, and on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons, after work, he made the rounds of these businesses, soliciting funds for Aramian Varjaran. He rarely received more than $1, and occasionally, he would receive 10 cents. Many a businessmen not only refused to make any contribution at all, but also called my father a beggar and gratuitously suggested that if parents wanted an Armenian education for their children, they should pay for it themselves and not trouble others to do so. I can recall the many nights when my father would come home from his fundraising attempts, hungry, cold and wet, clutching the few dollars that he had collected. No amount of pleading and scolding by my mother for him to quit, had any effect on him; he stubbornly and doggedly continued. His determination helped enable Aramian Varjaran to survive beyond the end of World War II; at that point, the demographics of the Armenian community in the Bronx changed and Aramian Varjaran, finally, closed. You might wonder what was accomplished by keeping Aramian Varjaran open. For one thing, the Varjaran was able to retain the services of its dedicated and learned teacher, Deegeen Armenouhi Dicranian Aharonian. Digeen Aharonian came from a noted family and was the sister of the talented Armen Dicranian, the composer of the opera, "Anoush", and many other compositions. Furthermore, she was the wife of the well-known Vartkes Aharonian, son of the legendary Avedis Aharonian, President of the first Armenian republic and writer extraordinaire. Baron Aharonian had been Prosecutor-General of the first Armenian Republic, editor of the Hairenik, and prolific contributor to many Armenian and Russian publications. They were a dynamic team. Digeen Aharonian taught all the grades with no assistance. She instructed us in all the subjects; in addition, she directed us in dramatic and musical productions. As we in the upper grade approached graduation, Digeen Aharonian decided that we needed additional instruction. Accordingly, she required that we attend all day Saturday classes at her Washington Heights apartment. I must confess that we were not exactly thrilled to have to spend our Saturdays in study. As it turned out, the Saturday sessions became memorable. We soon discovered that the Aharonian home was a way station for some of the most legendary figures in contemporary Armenian history. It was there that I met Simon Vratzian and General Dro; later, I met General Sebouh. These thrilling encounters have remained with me to this day. I believe that my father's efforts to preserve Aramian Varjaran played an important role in its survival, which in turn enabled many children to receive Armenian education. My father's name, Anooshian, aptly describes his personality. He has always been a sweet, kind and gentle man, who never raised his voice to us, never scolded or spanked us. He has set an example for us by the way he has lived his life. He has encouraged us to value education and to pursue life-long study. He admires people who are learned and who have dedicated themselves to Armenian causes. His highest praise for a person is, "An ousial e," or An nvirvadz e." Hairig, for all you have done and for all you have been for us, "Mer khorhin shnorhagaloutiunnere." All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

Village of Discontent : Residents of Dimitrov charge they are being mistreated
By Zhanna Alexanyan ArmeniaNow reporter
ArmeniaNow
04June2004
During Soviet times Ararat Region’s Dimitrov village was populated
mainly by Assyrians. There were also Armenians living in the village,
but just a few. After Armenia became independent or, as villagers say,
“in the years of perestroika”, many people left, mostly the Assyrians.
Today, there is either 1,550 villagers or 550, depending on who
you listen to. The higher number comes from village head Ludwig
Khlkhatyan, who cites the total registered residents. Villagers say
the true population is closer to the lower number, about 30 percent
of which are Assyrian, and others refugees from Azerbaijan.
It is a small settlement, but big enough for political problems: Some
in the village accuse Khlkhatyan of misappropriating humanitarian
aid and of maintaining his office through election fraud.
After crops and gardens were damaged last year, International Food
Organization allotted 2,100 kilograms of wheat seeds for families
who suffered loss.
Villagers claim they never got the wheat, and lay the blame on village
head Khlkhatyan. They filed a complaint with the Prosecutor General’s
Office, charging that Khlkhatyan sold wheat intended as aid, and gave
some to friends, rather than to families who needed it.
Further, they claim that Khlkhatyan faked the signatures of the
villagers for whom the wheat was intended.
Villagers say they are always late with getting information about aid –
flour, potatoes, etc. – that is sent to the village.
“Humanitarian aid, which the government gives, is stolen and after that
they are surprised when people fill streets protesting and organizing
demonstrations. We have a lot to protest about but we lack fact and
this is the fact,” says villager Feodor Badalyan, showing a document
he of what he claims are faked signatures.
“If they fake our signatures can you imagine what else they do? Grabbed
wheat is a fact. Law-enforcement bodies love facts. The crime has
been committed and let it be solved,” says Assyrian Ernest Yakubov.
“We had no idea the aid was sent to village and I bought 150 kg. of
wheat for 180 drams (about 33 cents per kilo),” says Assyrian Liova.
However, villagers are more concerned with the fact of faking
signatures than about mis-assigned seeds. They allege that the village
head cohorts with those above him to make profit off of charity.
“So this is how they live on villagers. If head of the village is
punished then crimes committed by people of higher ranks will be
revealed and that’s why they protect him,” concludes specialist of
Russian and Assyrian languages Taisia Muradova.
Taisia Arsentievna, 79, was born in Dimitrov. She was deputy principal
of the school and is an Honored Teacher.
“For many years head of the village has been stealing and people see
that. But who gets ‘ Paros’ aid? Poor people don’t get the aid. Those,
who have cars and cattle, get the aid,” the teacher says. “The father
of head of the village says residents of Dimitrov are sheep and his
son is shepherd and he will treat them the way he wants. How long
are we going to live like this and be subjected to mockery?”
For his part, Khlkhatyan is confident of his actions. And, since the
Regional Prosecutor’s Office threw out the villagers’ case on grounds
that there was “absence of crime in the act”, he does not deny that
signatures were faked.
The 39-year old village head says it is wrong to give the villagers
humanitarian aid.
“They teach people to become beggars,” Khlkhatyan says. “It doesn’t
matter among whom I distributed aid as people would have complained in
any case. If they complain why did they elected me for the third time?”
Villagers answer that they didn’t, in fact, elect Khlkhatyan, but that
his election was assured by outdated election rosters that inflate
the number of voters.
The election list, Badalyan says “contains the names of dead
people. Many people are registered in the village but haven’t been
living here for a long time.”
A winning village head candidate must get two thirds of the
votes. Badalyan says there is no way the actual number of villagers
can outvote the number that were fraudulently counted for Khlkhatyan.
Villagers, both Assyrians and Armenians, are displeased with
administration of the region, especially with Minister of the Regional
Administration Hovik Abrahamyan.
Villagers say all positions in the region are held by relatives of
the minister, including the position responsible for the water pipe
supply, and water is the most painful problem in the village. As a
result of the lack of water people cannot grow vegetables, which is
a more profitable business than wheat (which requires less water).
“Everything dries up and dies and only then we get water,” says
villager Nadia Alaverdova. “That’s why people leave. And if Assyrians
had water and grew vegetables would they leave? They work in Krasnodar
and Rostov but in that case they would have worked here.”