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03/03/2005
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1) Euro-Armenian Federation Applauds Courage of EU-Turkey Delegation Vice
President
2) Azeri FM and OSCE Representatives Meet, Await Oskanian Recovery
3) CIS Head in Armenia
4) Fierce Critic of Azeri Government Gunned Down, Opposition Rises to Occasion
5) Minaskanian to Perform at Benefit Concert at UCLA

1) Euro-Armenian Federation Applauds Courage of EU-Turkey delegation Vice
President

BRUSSELS–Recent statements by the vice president of the European Union-Turkey
Inter Parliamentary Delegation Jacques Toubon, provoked rage among Turkish
officials participating in the meeting, particularly Sukru Elekdag (CHP-
Kemalist Party) who served as the former ambassador to the United States, and
Oguz Demiralp, Turkey’s permanent representative to the European Union.
Toubon (PPE, France) raised the “unquestionable reality” of the Armenian
genocide during the 53rd meeting of the body, telling the Turkish delegates
that the recognition of the Armenian genocide constituted an “important
element
for Europe” and of its “common values.”
“We welcome the courage and the perseverance of Jacques Toubon who was not
influenced by the usual excessive and high bidding methods of the Turkish
deputies,” declared Hilda Tchoboian, president of the Euro-Armenian
Federation.
`As long as the Turkish State uses threatens Europe, and preaches fear to its
public, it proves that Turkey is not European,” Tchoboian.
Toubon also highlighted the numerous recognitions of the genocide by member
countries of the European Union, the most recent being by the Netherlands,
which took place on December 21, 2004, just after the European Summit in
Brussels.
He stressed that the European Parliament, since 1987, had on numerous
occasions, recognized the reality of the Genocide and, has since, continually
asked Turkey to do the same. He explained that “by refusing to ratify the
Treaty of Sevres of 1920, Turkey did not want to recognize this genocide,”
which could be explained in the political context of that time, but “90 years
later, Turkey must change,” and adopt European values, while recognizing this
historic reality.
The Turkish press, spearheaded by the Turkish Daily News, immediately
distorted Toubon’s remarks, alleging that he had asked Turkey to ratify the
Treaty of Sevres. This treaty, signed notably by the first Armenian Republic
and by the Ottoman Empire (as well as UK, France, Italy, Belgium, Poland,
Czechoslovakia, now members of EU) constituted the reparation for the
wrongs of
the genocide but was never ratified by Ankara, while the later Treaty of
Lausanne, eluded the question.

2) Azeri FM and OSCE Representatives Meet, Await Oskanian Recovery

PRAGUE (Combined Sources)–According to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met, in Prague, with the co-Chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group and the Head of the organization’s mission that
recently visited regions around Mountainous Karabagh Republic.
Although Mammadyarov and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian were scheduled to
meet in Prague on Wednesday, their talks were postponed by at least one week
because of Oskanian’s continuing illness. A Ministry spokesman revealed that
Oskanian is under medical care and the concrete date of the meeting depends on
the improvement of his health.

3) CIS Head in Armenia

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)–CIS Executive Committee chairman Vladimir
Rushailo,
met Armenian leaders on Thursday for talks on CIS reforms and measures to
increase the effectiveness of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Though economic cooperation is one of CIS’s priorities, Rushailo revealed
that
business resources are not fully utilized, and proposed the creation of
business centers throughout CIS countries. He commended Armenia for its
outstanding exposition at the All-Russia Exhibition Center, saying that it is
one of the best.
“Despite objective and subjective difficulties, cooperation between CIS
countries, primarily economic, humanitarian, and the joint fight against
crime,
as well as security, is developing effectively,” President Robert Kocharian
told Rushailo, but stressed the necessity to increase CIS activity.
The CIS head took time to place a wreath at the memorial to the victims of
the
Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey. “Each people has sacred places. This
Memorial is a sacred for the Armenian people and I think it my duty to
visit it
when I am in Yerevan,” Rushailo said during his fifth visit to the Memorial.

4) Fierce Critic of Azeri Government Gunned Down, Opposition Rises to Occasion

US urges Azerbaijan to do utmost in investigating murder to bring killers to
justice

BAKU (Reuters)–Azeri President Ilham Aliyev warned opponents on Thursday to
refrain from turning the funeral of a murdered journalist and fierce
government
critic into a public protest against his rule.
Elmar Huseinov, 38, was shot dead on Wednesday by gunmen on the stairway of
his apartment bloc. He was the editor-in-chief of Monitor magazine and a
staunch critic of the government.
Leaders of Azerbaijan’s fractured opposition vowed to turn Friday’s funeral
into a show of unity and public discontent with the government.
“We will organize the funeral in a way that will show the popular hatred of
the regime,” said Ali Kerimli, the head of the key National Front opposition
party. “The opposition will unite in removing this regime in a peaceful way.”
Aliyev, in televised comments after an emergency meeting of his Security
Council, said that Huseinov’s murder served the interests of those who want to
destabilize the country.
“The tragedy for [Huseinov’s] family can become an instrument in certain
hands,” he said. “This cannot be allowed.”
“We should not make a political campaign out of this crime. We will not allow
this,” Aliyev added. “All political forces should behave with patience and not
break the law and not use this killing to advance their own ambitions.”
Azerbaijan became the former Soviet Union’s first dynasty when Aliyev
succeeded his iron-fisted father in 2003 as leader of the mainly Muslim state
of 8 million people.
His election, criticized by observers as falling short of international
standards, was greeted with protests in the capital in which two people were
killed and scores injured.
More than 100 people were arrested. Most have since been released but several
opposition leaders were handed jail terms. The European Union said this month
there were “extensive, credible, allegations” of torture in the country’s
jails.
Huseinov’s magazine has been closed several times and fined for critical
articles about leading politicians and businessmen. The murdered journalist
had
spent six months in jail for his opposition activities.

NO REVOLUTION

In a clear reference to demands by opposition leaders and Huseinov’s family,
Aliyev said he was ready to let foreign experts join the investigation.
The US embassy in Baku urged the Azeri government to do everything possible to
investigate the murder.
“The US embassy urges the Azerbaijani government to do everything possible to
investigate Elmar Huseynov’s murder fully and to bring his killer or
killers to
justice,” the US embassy said in a faxed statement.
“Elmar Huseinov’s death is a great loss to the ongoing development of
democracy and press freedom in Azerbaijan,” an embassy statement said.
Azeri opposition plans reflected growing popular unrest in some ex-Soviet
states. There has been an upsurge in street protests even in Russia, most of
them over social reforms.
In just over a year, new governments have come to power in Georgia and
Ukraine
on the back of ‘people power’ revolutions.
That has triggered speculation that the position of other leaders in a region
stretching from the edge of the European Union to central Asia might be
shaky.
But Azeri officials say Aliyev’s popularity and the memory of the political
turmoil in Azerbaijan which almost turned into civil war in 1993 leave no
chance for a revolution.
“People will not be so naive as to entrust their fate to those would bring
them to the edge of the abyss once again,” presidential chief of staff Ramiz
Mehtiyev said last month.

5) Minaskanian to Perform at Benefit Concert at UCLA

LOS ANGELES–Raphael Minaskanian will perform a benefit piano recital
featuring
works by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, and Melik-Aslanian. The event, sponsored by
RAA/USA (Research on Armenian Architecture) in support of scholarships for
CASPS (The Committee for Armenian Students in Public Schools), will take place
at UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall, on Sunday, March 13 at 3 p.m.
Born in Tehran in a music loving family, Minaskanian began his musical
studies
at the age of six. He made his first stage appearance at the age of ten and
shortly after, performed Iran’s first televised classical piano recital.
Studying under the distinguished teacher and composer Emanuel Melik-Aslanian,
he honed his technical skills, making frequent stage and television
appearances. After graduation from high school, he came to the United States
with the goal of studying medicine, but it was Aube Tzerko, Professor of music
at UCLA who encouraged him to devote himself to music. Thereafter, he studied
with internationally known master teachers including Aube Tzerko in Los
Angeles, Karl Ulrich Schnabel in Italy, and Ilona Kabos in London and at the
Juilliard School of Music in New York.
Minaskanian’s London debut in the Purcell Room of Royal Festival Hall won him
the acclaim of critics including that of the famed Eric Warr, who described
the
performance as a “most promising debut,” and his artistic ability and
technique
as “mature” and filled with “excitement, brilliance, and unfailing clarity.”
Returning to Iran, Raphael was invited by the renowned Soviet Armenian
composer
and pianist Arno Babajanian, to share the stage with him, in a most memorable
musical event, for the very first public performance of his Rhapsody for Two
Pianos, in Tehran.
Over the past two decades, Raphael has continued to teach and perform, making
frequent solo, chamber, and orchestral appearances. On the occasion of Aram
Khachaturian’s 100th birthday festivities, he was a soloist in several events
with the Armenian String Virtuosi under the internationally recognized
conductor Loris Tjeknavorian. In addition to his busy stage and teaching
schedule, Raphael is involved with community work, and regularly shares his
art
to help raise funds for humanitarian and educational causes. He recently
honored the memory of his beloved teacher and mentor, Melik-Aslanian, with two
critically acclaimed solo recitals, benefiting geriatric research and special
pediatric care.
CASPS was created in the summer of 1994 by a group of concerned educators and
citizen leaders with the goal to lay the foundation of a grass roots
organization that would address the social and educational needs of immigrant
children in public schools. Their mandate was to find solutions by
collaborating with school districts and administrators and by directly working
with students and parents. Positive feedback from schools and families and the
growing demand for intervention by the community, provided the impetus for
expansion into case management services, academic counseling and group
therapy,
staff development workshops for teachers, and a special effective parenting
program available in Armenian, English, and Spanish. To date, CASPS has served
over 3000 children and parents in all ethnic groups.
Tickets ranging from $100, $40, $30, to $15 for students can be purchased at
the following:

Call UCLA at (310) 825-2101 or <;;

Ticketmaster (213)365-3500 or
<;;

Call CASPS at (818) 222-7170

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress