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03/17/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) EU-Armenia Parliamentary Commission Reaffirms Necessity of Nuclear Plant Closure 2) Regulation without Karabagh Impossible Says Ghukasian 3) Spain's New Prime Minister Thanks ARF Bureau 4) Oskanian to Meet with Guliyev in Prague 5) Soprano Arpine Pehlivanian Passes Away 6) Georgian President To Meet Rebel Region Leader 1) EU-Armenia Parliamentary Commission Reaffirms Necessity of Nuclear Plant Closure YEREVAN (Armenpress)--The 6th session of the European Union-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Commission held in Yerevan, March 15-16, discussed the shutting down of Armenia's nuclear power plant. The sides agreed that in its current state, the plant poses serious dangers. On the other hand, its closure would require that an reliable alternative energy source exist to guarantee engery security for Armenia. The commission reafirmmed that the nuclear power plant be shut down, but that an alternative reliable, secure energy source replace it. "There are many ways to do this, but the future will show which way is the most optimal for Armenia," stated commission chair Armen Rustamian. 2) Regulation without Karabagh Impossible Says Ghukasian YEREVAN (Armenpress)--Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR) President Arkady Ghukasian called on OSCE's visiting chairman-in-office, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy to create an opportunity for direct dialogue between MKR and Azerbaijan, stressing the necessity of MKR's involvement in the negotiating process and willingness to enter negotiations without preconditions. The meeting took place in Yerevan on Wednesday, where MKR Foreign Minister Ashot Ghulian and MKR permanent representative in Armenia Arman Melikian were also part of the discussion. Passy said that the quick and uniterrupted restoration of dialogue between the sides is crucial and that he will exert all efforts toward that goal. Ghukasian said that dicussions included not only the political process to a resolution, but also a potential legal one. "I am confident that a legal package would promote political regulation. I believe the OSCE acting chairman agreed, but it is clear the OSCE is complicated mechanism: all 55 member countries have the right to exercise a veto. . . In any case, we must work and we are ready to work and are confident that our position is very constructive." Asked by reporters about MKR's role in the regulation process, Ghukasian said Karabagh is a full-fledged participant in the conflict, as confirmed by the 1994 Budapest Summit. "The president of Azerbaijan also participated in Budapest sessions and agreed with this. This is no longer a topic for discussion. . . I assure that Mountainous Karabagh will be involved in the process of talks as a full-fledged participant," stressed Ghukasian "Without Karabagh, the issue will not be regulated." 3) Spain's New Prime Minister Thanks ARF Bureau YEREVAN (YERKIR)-- Spain's newly elected prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, in a letter thanked Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau representative Hrant Margarian, both for the party's condolences and congratulations, reported the ARF press service. In a March 12 letter, the ARF Bureau conveyed condolences and offered support after the Madrid bombings, and on March 15, congratulated Zapatero for his party's victory in the parliamentary election. Zapatero said that his wish is that his party's victory will serve to benefit the international community. "Now more than ever, we need to restore dialogue and multilateral cooperation in order to change cultural and economic inequality, which gave rise to terrorist attacks," Zapatero's letter concludes. Zapatero is the Secretary General of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party, which has established close ties with the ARF, since the latter became a member of the Socialist International recently. Zapatero, who became the youngest member of Spanish parliament in 1986, is considered moderate, adhering to a more social democratic ideology than socialist. His right-hand-man is the Galician member of parliament, Jose Blanco. 4) Oskanian to Meet with Guliyev in Prague YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian announced on Wednesday that he will meet with his Azeri counterpart later this month for talks, which should finally clarify whether Baku is ready to revive agreements on Karabagh reached three years ago. Oskanian said the meeting will take place in Prague on March 29 in the presence of the American, French, and Russian mediators leading the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He said he hopes Azeri Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev will officially state "from which point Azerbaijan is ready to continue negotiations." Guliyev said last month that Baku reserves the right to restart the peace process "from scratch," again denying any major understandings reached by the Armenian and Azeri presidents in Paris and the Florida island of Key West in 2001. The statement came after Azeri President Ilham Aliyev's remarked that he is not in a hurry to embrace a compromise deal because he believes the Armenians are more interested in a quick solution to the Karabagh dispute than his oil-rich nation. Oskanian again warned that Aliyev will have to negotiate only with the Karabagh Armenians if he finally decides to walk away from the agreements reached by his late father and predecessor Heydar and Armenia's president Robert Kocharian. The announcement of the Prague meeting came at a news conference that followed Oskanian's talks with the OSCE's visiting chairman-in-office, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy. Passy also met with Kocharian and Prime Minister Andranik Margarian as, well as the president of Mountainous Karabagh Republic Arkady Ghukasian. The Karabagh conflict was a major topic of the discussions during which the sides reportedly agreed that "there is no alternative but a peaceful settlement" Speaking in Baku on Tuesday, Passy said that the OSCE will continue the active mediation but added that the responsibility is on Armenia and Azerbaijan to end the dispute "with mutual compromises." "The OSCE is not capable of miracles and can't impose a ready solution," he said. "History teaches us that with conflicts time always works against us. The later a solution is found, the more painful it may be for the people of the region." 5) Soprano Arpine Pehlivanian Passes Away On March 16, Diasporan soprano Arpine Pehlivanian, passed away after struggling a long term illness. Her dedication to the world of music and her contribution to the preservation of Armenian musical heritage are part of the legacy she leaves behind. She performed in over 800 concerts in Europe, the United States, Canada, the Middle East, the former Soviet Union, and Africa. Her Carnegie Hall debut was in 1974. She has performed in most of the internationally known concert halls, including the Parisian Salle Pleyel, the Salle Gaveau and the Spendiarian Opera House in Yerevan, Armenia. Her recordings include The Artistry of Arpine Pehlivanian, (1982 Arzach Productions) Armenian Sacred Music, (1986 BLM Studios) Armenian Romance Songs, (1997 Hamazkayin) and Armenian Art Songs and Live Concert. The lyrico-coloratura soprano earned the highest honors in her field including advanced diplomas in voice and (Summa Cum Laude) from the Lebanese National Conservatory of Piano. She studied piano under the tutelage of Michel Cheskinoff, St. Petersburg, American composer Anis Fuleihan, and voice with Alvarez Boulos, London. Four years of additional study with La Scala soprano Antonia Perazzi prepared her for the Chigiana Academy in Siena, Italy, where she earned Diplomas di Merito in Opera Interpretation under Gino Bechi, Vocal Chamber music under Giorgio Favaretto and Opera Direction under Bruno Rigacci. The National Symphony of Lebanon appointed Pehlivanian official soloist, a position she held for 18 years along with academic duties at the Lebanese Conservatory of Music where she was both a Professor of Voice and Piano and the Director of Opera Interpretation Studies. During that period she was awarded the Cilician Great Cross with the rank of Knight, the Lebanese National Said-Akl Cultural Award, and the Syrian Educational Ministry's Gold Medal. Pehlivanian, who consistently championed professionalism and artistic interpretation in the rendition of the Armenian Art Song, was the first singer from the Diaspora to be invited to perform leading roles with the Spendiarov Opera House in Yerevan, receiving rave reviews. Called the Ambassadress of Armenian Song, she premiered the works of many Middle Eastern and Armenian composers including the American, British, and Middle Eastern premieres of Khatchaturian's Agh Tamar. As concert artist and teacher, she was awarded the Bronze Halo Award (1983) from the Southern California Motion Picture Council for her contribution to the arts, and the Music Teacher's Association of California Service Award (1987), for her contributions to the American Community. She was also a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. In 1999, the Armenian community in Los Angeles joined together to pay tribute to the Nightingale of the Armenian Diaspora for her forty years of service in both the artistic and the academic domains. At her Fortieth Jubilee the late Karekin I, Catholicos of all Armenians, bestowed on her the most coveted Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Medal of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, Armenia. Catholicos Aram I of the House of Cilicia honored the singer with the first ever Dame of Cilicia Medal, to be given to women of distinction. Funeral services will take place on Saturday, March 20, 10:30 am, at the Holy Cross Church of Montebello. 6) Georgian President To Meet Rebel Region Leader BATUMI (Reuters)--The leaders of Georgia and its rebellious Ajaria region agreed on Wednesday to meet to defuse a crisis, which has strained ties with Georgia's giant neighbor Russia. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who swept to power in a popular revolution last year, has been locked in conflict with the leader of autonomous Ajaria Aslan Abashidze, accusing him of hindering free parliamentary elections due in 11 days. Saakashvili and Abashidze are due to meet on Thursday in the regional capital Batumi, a Black Sea port near Turkey, the Ajarian leader told reporters, after seven hours of talks with Georgian parliamentary speaker Nino Burdzhanadze. Georgia's location on Russia's southern border and work on a key Western oil pipeline running through it has focused the attention of both Moscow and Washington on the country. Forces loyal to Abashidze prevented Saakashvili from entering Ajaria over the weekend. The president responded by slapping economic sanctions on the region, cutting rail and road access to Ajaria, closing its airspace, and blocking its port. For his meeting on Thursday, Saakashvili will cross the same road checkpoint where Abashidze's troops fired a warning shot at his convoy on Sunday, a presidential spokesman said. "I am a supporter of the idea that all issues should be solved not by using force but in a human fashion," Abashidze told reporters in Batumi, where soldiers and masked armed loyalists patrolled the streets and waterfront. BLOCKADE SOON OVER? "We have to do everything to make sure tomorrow's meeting is meaningful," said Burdzhanadze, a Saakashvili ally, adding that the blockade might "no longer be an issue" after the talks. The blockade has stopped oil shipments from a 200,000 barrel per day terminal at Batumi. Burdzhanadze previously played a key role in persuading pro-Russian Abashidze to allow presidential elections in Ajaria in January that resulted in a landslide victory for Saakashvili, a 36-year-old nationalist backed by the United States. Ex-Soviet Georgia has had uneasy relations with its old colonial master, Russia, for most of the 12 years since the Soviet Union collapsed--often arising from Georgian suspicions that Moscow was trying to profit from autonomous movements. In an unannounced exercise, a Russian military base near Batumi fired rounds of tank shells into the sea on Tuesday where the Georgian coastguard was patrolling. Russia has urged Saakashvili to find a peaceful way out of the current crisis. But its tacit sympathy for Ajaria became clear when Moscow's flamboyant mayor Yuri Luzhkov--a powerful politician at home--flew in on Tuesday to show solidarity with Abashidze, causing consternation among Georgian officials. Luzhkov, who has business interests in the construction industry, is a close associate of Abashidze and Moscow building firms have picked up many lucrative contracts in Ajaria. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov showed some unease over Luzhkov, dodging a direct question on his exact mission. He said Luzhkov was there in an "inter-regional" context, adding: "Given this, Luzhkov's efforts have the support of the Russian leadership." He said indications that Saakashvili would meet Luzhkov offered hope for a solution. The parliamentary elections on March 28 are a rerun of a poll last November when veteran leader Eduard Shevardnadze was still in power. That vote was widely seen as rigged. Allies of Saakashvili are expected to do well and to support his efforts to cut corruption, unite the divided Caucasus nation of around 4.5 million people, and press for Russia to withdraw from two military bases. Georgia has two openly separatist regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where Tbilisi no longer exerts any control. 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.

EU parliament presses Turkey on human rights
BRUSSELS, March 17 (Reuters) – Turkey must improve its record on human
rights and the rule of law before European Union member states start
talks with Ankara on adopting EU laws, the European Parliament said on
Wednesday.
Turkey has been trying to join the EU for decades, and has faced
consistent calls to remedy human rights abuses. The bloc is due to
decide by the end of this year whether to set a date when accession
negotiations may begin.
The entry of any new member state requires the approval of the
parliament, but the assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee made clear
Ankara had a long way to go — even though the Union is committed to
its eventual membership.
Deputies “criticised the continuing influence of the army in politics,
business, culture and education, continuing torture practices and
mistreatment, the intimidation and harassment of human rights
defenders, the discrimination of religious minorities and the fact
that trade union freedom is not fully secured,” they said in a
statement.
Deputies noted Turkey had made many important reforms since last year
to meet the membership criteria, and praised the government’s
political will to improve conditions, while saying reforms could only
be judged by how they were implemented.
Members of the parliament called on the EU’s executive Commission to
press Ankara on these issues.
“The Commission should, as part of the pre-accession strategy,
systematically address the shortcomings in the rule of law and the
democratic deficit,” the statement said.
The Foreign Affairs Committee insisted that settlement of the Cyprus
conflict was “an essential condition for progress” in Turkey’s
membership bid, and also urged Ankara to open its borders with
Armenia.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when troops from Turkey occupied
the north of the island in response to a coup in Nicosia engineered by
the junta then ruling Greece.
The United Nations is brokering reunification talks bringing together
Greece, Turkey, and Greek and Turkish Cypriots, to try to unite the
island before it joins the EU on May 1.
Turkey has no diplomatic relations with Armenia, independent since the
break up of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Armenians say 1.5 million people were killed in a 1915-1918 campaign
to expel them from eastern Turkey, calling it genocide, a charge
Turkey denies.
03/17/04 11:46 ET

FACTBOX-Factbox on Adzhara region
LONDON, Mar 17 (Reuters) – Georgia offered the rebel region of Adzhara
an olive branch of talks on Wednesday but kept up an economic
stranglehold on the territory.
Here are basic facts about the Adzhara region in Georgia:
Adzhara has a population of 400,000 and is located on the coastline of
the Black Sea in the southwest of Georgia.
The capital, Batumi, is a large oil refining centre which supplies
Georgia and neighbouring Armenia. After Georgian President Mikhail
Saakashvili was prevented from entering the region this weekend,
Georgian troops cut rail and road access, forcing the 200,000
barrel-per-day oil terminal to stop loading oil.
The region declares itself to be autonomous although it’s status has
not been resolved since Georgia declared independence in 1991 after
the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The president of Adzhara, Aslan Abashidze, is backed by Russia which
keeps a controversial Soviet-era military base outside Batumi, seen as
leverage against Georgia.
Adzhars are ethnic Georgians but unlike most Georgians, who are mostly
Christian, the Adzhars are Muslims after centuries of Turkish
occupation, which ended in the 19th century.
03/17/04 12:20 ET

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 17 2004
NEW FOREIGN MINISTER’S FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE
By Dmitry Kosyrev, RIA Novosti political analyst
After Sergei Lavrov was appointed foreign minister, Russian analysts
wrote there would be no major changes in Russia’s foreign policy,
while the work of Russia’s Security Council should be watched closely
because it is now headed by ex-foreign minister Igor Ivanov. This
forecast was proved perfectly correct during the first press
conference of Sergei Lavrov, who moved into his new office this week.
“I see no need to amend the strategic elements of the concept of
Russia’s foreign policy,” he said, recalling Vladimir Putin’s recent
statement: “We shall try to guarantee Russia’s national interests
without reverting to confrontation or aggression.”
Lavrov also said, “It is encouraging that Igor Ivanov has been
appointed Secretary of the Security Council, which is designed to
co-ordinate the work of all departments responsible for national
security.” The minister expressed the hope that the Security Council
will become more effective under Igor Ivanov.
Sergei Lavrov, who spent a lifetime in New York, is well versed in
international politics and the intricacies of Russia’s position on a
variety of issues. He clearly answered questions about Russia’s
relations with the EU and the USA, the Cyprus and Karabakh
settlements, the situation in Kosovo and Bosnia, co-operation with
Iran, etc.
The triumphant Moscow debut of Russia’s new foreign minister can be
attributed to Lavrov’s service at the UN, where he represented Russia
for ten years, from 1994 to 2004. However, some say he worked there
for 17 years, since in 1981-1988 he was first secretary, counsellor
and then senior counsellor in the Soviet Union’s permanent mission at
the UN. By studying “the world as it is” at the UN, he has a thorough
knowledge of virtually every international problem.
One consequence of this is the word “we,” which the minister
sometimes uses. When he says it, he usually means “we the
international community” or “we the UN Security Council.” Another and
far more serious result of that experience is Lavrov’s conceptual
view of modern developments. In his words, the new world system is
still under construction. The mechanisms that prevented many
conflicts in the past became ineffective after the end of the Cold
War, thereby giving rise to new crises to which the world is
straining to find a common answer. Taken together, this forces the
world community to search for new solutions in the dark and on the
move. The main thing is to do this collectively rather than
unilaterally.
The new minister mostly replied to questions in a calm and easy
manner. Take the answer to a question about the right to pursue and
eliminate terrorists beyond national territory. “This is not a
question to Russia,” said Lavrov. “We should better recall the
actions of Israel and what has been done to the Taliban, al-Qaeda and
the Iraqi regime.” The minister pointed out that there were many
difficulties today, but said this was not a reason to avoid facing
problems or giving answers to questions that affect Moscow’s
legitimate answers.
Sergei Lavrov is a globally respected diplomat, which his first
confident actions as the new foreign minister of Russia show
convincingly. He is perfectly suited to the image of new Russia, a
country that has emerged stronger from the crisis of the 1990s and
whose role on the world scene will continue to grow.

MGM rises on talk of dividend
By Holly Yeager in New York
Financial Times
Mar 17, 2004
Shares of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer were up sharply yesterday on word that
the Hollywood studio was considering a one-off dividend for
shareholders.
MGM officials would not discuss the timing or size of the
dividend. But people familiar with the situation said a distribution
of $6-$9 was under consideration, and a decision could come as early
as next month.
In a statement late Monday, Alex Yemenidjian, MGM chairman and chief
executive, said the studio is “committed to sharing the company’s
wealth with our shareholders”. He noted MGM’s recent tender offer and
a share buyback programme, and said the company is exploring other
alternatives, including the dividend.
The dividend distribution would bring $1bn-$1.5bn to financier Kirk
Kerkorian, who, with his Tracinda Corp investment firm, owns 74 per
cent of MGM’s shares.
MGM is prized for its film library, which includes classics such as
The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind. Mr Yemenidjian has in the
past indicated that he would like to see the company become part of a
larger group, either through a merger or acquisitions. Last year, the
company bid $11.5bn to buy the US entertainment assets of Vivendi
Universal but NBC television ultimately struck a deal to merge with
the Vivendi assets.
But some analysts reacted cautiously to the possibility of a
dividend. MGM has no debt and was expected to borrow the $1.4bn-$2.1bn
to pay the dividend, should it decide to make it.
Jessica Reif Cohen, a Merrill Lynch analyst, questioned the company’s
“strategic direction”, saying the borrowing would mark “a potential
re-leveraging of the business”.
“The dividend does little, if anything, to enhance MGM’s strategic
position and we question if this dividend implies a lack of investment
opportunities for MGM,” she wrote.
MGM shares were up 8.46 per cent at $17.57 in midday trading
yesterday.

Russian Itanium slayer samples first 130nm processor
By Tony Smith
Posted: 16/03/2004 at 10:41 GMT
Elbrus, the would-be Itanium slayer, has begun sampling its 64-bit
processor, the Russian company has announced.
Long-time Register readers will recall Elbrus’ claims made back in
February 1999 that it was hard at work on a “post-Risc” 64-bit CPU that
would run four to five times faster than Intel’s first-generation Itanium,
then known by its codename, ‘Merced’.
At the time, Elbrus was seeking $40m worth of funding to back the
development of the chip, dubbed the E2K. It was to be fabbed at 180nm and
clock at 1.2GHz. It was to offer both IA-32 and IA-64 compatibility.
By May of that year, the company had narrowed its goals to a 600MHz
processor fabbed using 350nm technology.
Little was heard of the company – whose founders long claimed to have
developed Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) computing before HP pursued
it, and to have figured out much of the stuff Transmeta put into its
Crusoe CPUs well ahead of the US company’s efforts – until May 2002 when
Boris Babayan, Elbrus’ co-founder and CTO, claimed it would have an E2K
prototype out by the end of the year.
Elbrus’ latest statement centres on a different chip, the MCST R-500,
which the company suggests is the first Russian-made 130nm microprocessor,
and who are we to argue? The R-500 is Sparc-compatible and is clocked at
450-500MHz. It consumes less than 1W of power, Elbrus said. It began
punching out samples in late February, and the company has already run
Solaris and Linux successfully on machines based on the processor.
Elbrus – now known as Elbrus MCST (Moscow Centre of Sparc Technologies) –
said it will ship its Elbrus 90 Micro system, which uses the R-500, during
the second half of the year.
What of E2K. According to the company’s web site, the spec. is back to
1.2GHz based on a 130nm process. It will apparently ship sometime this
year.

Kars Treaty on protecting Ajaria expired long ago – ambassador
Interfax News Agency
16.03.2004
Moscow. (Interfax, 15.03.2004) – Ajaria cannot count on protection from
Turkey under the Treaty of Kars, Georgian Ambassador to Russia
Konstantin Kemularia said at a Monday press conference at the Interfax
main office.
“It is senseless to make any comments on the treaty. Its validity
expired long ago. Things are completely different nowadays.
International relations are based on the realities of the 21st century.
Relations between Russia and Turkey, Georgia and Turkey, Georgia and
Russia have changed,” he said.
“Those who want to reanimate the past and pin hopes on problems in
international relations between our ancestors stand no chance,”
Kemularia said.
“Russia simply must protect Ajaria,” Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze told
Interfax earlier. “There is the Treaty of Kars, which stipulates that
Turkey will protect the Ajarian autonomous republic. There is also the
Moscow Treaty, which entails the same commitments. Russia must [protect
Ajaria] under those treaties,” Abashidze said.

Kevorkian suggests using death row inmates for medical research
/Wednesday, March 17, 2004/
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAPEER — Imprisoned assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian has asked
state legislators who advocate lifting Michigan’s 158-year ban on
capital punishment to permit the condemned to undergo medical
experimentation before death.
In a two-page “Open Letter to Michigan Legislators” written from his
prison cell, Kevorkian detailed his opposition to the death penalty, but
explained that the practice of lethal injection could provide scientific
benefits to researchers allowed to experiment with inmates immediately
before they die.
Kevorkian detailed a similar plan in a 1960 booklet he wrote, “Medical
Research and the Death Penalty.”
The 75-year-old retired pathologist is being held at the Thumb
Correctional Facility in Lapeer, while serving 10 to 25 years for
second-degree murder in the 1998 videotaped poisoning of Thomas Youk of
Oakland County’s Waterford Township. Youk had Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Kevorkian’s letter was faxed to state legislators this week, his lawyer,
Mayer Morganroth, told The Daily Oakland Press.
Oakland County Prosecutor David Gorcyca described Kevorkian’s proposal
as “ghoulish.”
“It’s mad, and it’s morbid,” Gorcyca said.
State Rep. Larry Julian, R-Lennon, who is sponsoring death penalty
legislation, said he did not expect Kevorkian’s suggestions to become a
part of any bill.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” Julian said. “I think people have the ability
now to donate their bodies to science. But that would be a slippery
slope for us.”
The state House was expected this week to take up the proposal to allow
capital punishment.

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PRESS RELEASE +++ PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: March 17, 2004
Contact: Ardashes Kassakhian 818.500.1918
EAST SAN FERNANDO VALLEY ANC URGES CONGRESSMAN HOWARD BERMAN TO CHALLENGE
GENOCIDE DENIERS IN CONGRESS
Van Nuys, CA– Members of the East San Fernando Valley Armenian
National Committee and the ANCA-Western Region met with United States
Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA) to discuss issues of concern to the
Armenian-American community and to urge the Congressman to challenge
Genocide deniers in Washington, D.C.
The meeting took place in Congressman Berman’s district office and
included the participation of East San Fernando Valley (ESFV) ANC
members Alice Chalian, Aram Kaloustian, Avo Ovayan and local ANC
chairman Garbis Hindoyan. ANCA-WR Chairman Raffi Hamparian, ANCA-WR
staff Ardashes Kassakhian and Kris Demirjian also participated in the
meeting.
`We were pleased to share with Congressman Berman the concerns of the
tens of thousands of Armenian-Americans who live in his Congressional
District,” commented ESFV-ANC Chair Garbis Hindoyan. `I am also
pleased that the Congressman understands that we are a major and
growing political presence in the San Fernando Valley,’ he added.
The ANC activists thanked Congressman Berman for his support of
Armenian issues. ANCA-WR Chairman Raffi Hamparian briefed Congressman
Berman on current legislation that would permanently normalize
U.S. trade relations with the Republic of Armenia and discussed the
importance of challenging Turkish denial of the Armenian Genocide.
During the meeting, Hamparian voiced the ANC’s concerns about the
influence and access that the Republic of Turkey has through hired
lobbyists in Washington, DC. The Congressman acknowledged this fact
and assured the ANCactivists that he would stand up to lobbyists who
denied the Armenian Genocide.
The Congressman accepted an invitation to visit the Ferrahian Holy
Martyrs Armenian School, which is located in the Congressman’s
District, for a breakfast with community leaders.
ESFV-ANC Chair Garbis Hindoyan presented Congressman Berman with a
copy of Peter Balakian’s best selling book `The Burning Tigris:
TheArmenian Genocide and America’s Response.’ The book chronicles the
greatest humanitarian aid effort by the United States, during which
millions of dollars were raised to help the victims of the Turkish
massacres of Christian Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.
In addition to receiving the book, Congressman Berman added his name
to the growing list of elected officials who are participating in the
ANCA Nationwide Genocide Prevention Postcard Campaign.
Congressman Berman represents California’s 28th Congressional
District, which spreads from the northern San Fernando Valley, where
it takes in the small city of San Fernando and includes the
communities of Pacoima, Arleta, Panorama City, Van Nuys, and North
Hollywood.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughoutthe United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.
Editor’s Note: Photo Available Upon Request
Photo Caption: (From Left to Right: Avo Ovayan, Kris Demirjian, Raffi
Hamparian, Garbis Hindoyan, Rep. Howard Berman, Aram Kaloustian, Alice
Chalian and Ardashes Kassakhian)

Tennis: Henman crushes Corretja while Hewitt tumbles out
The Independent – United Kingdom
Mar 16, 2004
Matthew Cronin in Indian Wells
TIM HENMAN looked full of confidence as he won his Pacific Life Open
third-round match with Alex Corretja 6-4, 6-4 here yesterday.
Corretja lost his serve in the second game, at the end of which his
trainer was called on to treat what looked like a graze on the
knee. The Spaniard played on, and broke back in the seventh game with
a backhand passing shot down the line. Henman, however, broke back in
the 10th game to claim the first set as Corretja was wayward with
three forehands.
At deuce in Corretja’s first service game in the second set, the
Spaniard struck a shot down the line which caught the highest part of
the net and carried over the baseline to put Henman 2-0 up. The
Briton’s hopes of another three-game lead evaporated as he sent an
overhead smash into the net to give his opponent an instant break
back. After another deuce game on the Corretja serve, the Spaniard won
out to level at 2-2.
The fifth game was nervy for Henman on his serve but it went in his
favour at deuce and he edged 3-2 ahead. The match went with serve to
5-4 and Henman closed out the second set.
The Australian two-time defending champion Lleyton Hewitt lost to Juan
Ignacio Chela, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 as the Argentinian put up a determined
performance to end Hewitt’s 13-match unbeaten run. “Even when I felt
like I had him on a stretch a couple of times, he came up with good
defensive shots,” Hewitt said. “I didn’t feel like I played too badly,
but I felt like he didn’t miss a lot of shots.”
Roger Federer, of Switzerland, made light work of Chile’s Fernando
Gonzalez in the third round, his 6-3, 6-2 victory taking 62
minutes. Federer, the top seed here, had breezed through the previous
round with a 6-1, 6-1 rout of Romania’s Andrei Pavel.
Also in the third round, Tommy Haas, of Germany, beat Spain’s Albert
Costa 7-6, 3-6, 6-3.
Andy Roddick beat his former doubles partner Jan-Michael Gambill 7-6,
6-2 late on Sunday to set up a meeting with the recent Australian Open
finalist Marat Safin, of Russia.
Roddick, who faced Gambill for the first time last week in Scottsdale,
hit 21 aces in the thin desert air and was never broken. The US Open
champion last met Safin in the Australian Open quarter-finals, where
the Russian won a titanic five-setter.
The fourth seed, Guillermo Coria, made a good first appearance on
American hard courts this season, beating the Armenian Sargis Sargsian
6-3, 6-4.
The seventh-seeded Carlos Moya, of Spain, hit a double-fault on match
point and fell to the Russian Irakli Labadze 2-6, 6-1, 6-3. The 11th
seed, Nicolas Massu, of Chile, retired with a sinus infection while
trailing 6-3, 1-0 to Spain’s Rafael Nadal.
l Greg Rusedski is expected to confirm today whether he intends to
pursue a compensation claim against the Association of Tennis
Professionals following his acquittal on doping charges last week. The
British No 2 and his legal team are believed to have examined the
possibility of pursuing a claim against the ATP.