California Courier Online, June 29, 2006

1 – Commentary
State Dept. Should Pay a Price
For Dismissing Amb. Evans
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
2 – The Actors’ Gang Brings Director/
Actor Simon Abkarian to U.S.
3 – Ararat Nursing Facility Receives Honor
From State Department of Health Services
4 – Balakian Visits Athens and Thessaloniki for
Greek Edition of ‘The Burning Tigris’ Book’
5 – Doctors Visit Shepherds and
Families in Armenian Highlands
6 – Paris High Schools Distribute Armenian
Genocide Circular to 500,000 Students
7- Western Prelacy Allocates
Scholarships to Students
8 – Catholicos Karekin II’s Pontifical Visit
Sparks Protests by Turkish Nationalists
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1 – Commentary
State Dept. Should Pay a Price
For Dismissing Amb. Evans

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

For several months now, State Department officials have been hiding behind
such nonsensical statements as "ambassadors serve at the pleasure of the
president," when confronted with questions regarding the dismissal of John Evans, the
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia.
More than 60 members of the House and Senate have sent letters to Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice asking for an explanation for the dismissal of Amb.
Evans after acknowledging the Armenian Genocide during his visit to California
in February of 2005. Following protests from Turkish officials, the State
Dept. forced Amb. Evans to issue a retraction, not once, but twice. He alsolost
a "Constructive Dissent" Award that he was scheduled to receive from the
American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) for his candid remarks on the Armenian
Genocide. According to the Washington Post, the State Dept. contacted the AFSA
to rescind this distinguished award.
The State Dept. has not responded to any of the congressional inquiries nor
to the large number of e-mails sent by members of the Armenian American
community on this issue in the past 5 months. State Dept. officials can no longer
hide, as the Senate has a constitutional oversight responsibility on
ambassadorial appointments. This week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding
a confirmation hearing for Richard Hoagland, the Ambassador Designate to
Armenia (in replacement for Amb. Evans) on Wednesday, June 28, at 2:30 p.m.(East
Coast Time). The nomination hearing can be viewed live on the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee website:
Members of the Armenian American community should request that all 18 members
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee attend this important hearing.
Unless urged to do so, most committee members usually do not attend such hearings.
It would be particularly effective if voters could urgently contact the
Senators from their own state. Please call the Senate switchboard (202) 224-3121
and ask to be connected to the legislative aides of the following Senators and
send e-mails, urging the Senators to attend the June 28 hearing and ask Amb.
Hoagland what he knows about the dismissal of Amb. Evans and what instructions
he has been given about his use of the term Armenian Genocide after his
confirmation:
Richard Lugar (Chairman, R-Indiana): senator_lugar@lugar.senate.gov
Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska): senator_hagel@hagel.senate.gov
Lincoln Chafee (R-Rhode Island): senator_chafee@chafee.senate.gov
George Allen (R-Virginia): senator_allen@allen.senate.gov
Norm Coleman (R-Minnesota): senator_coleman@coleman.senate.gov
George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio): senator_voinovich@voinovich.senate.gov
Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee): senator_alexander@alexander.senate.gov
John E. Sununu (R-New Hampshire): senator_sununu@sununu.senate.gov
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska): senator_murkowski@murkowski.senate.gov
Mel Martinez (R-Florida): senator_martinez@martinez.senate.gov
Joseph R. Biden (Ranking Member, D-Delaware): senator_biden@biden.senate.gov
Paul S. Sarbanes (D-Maryland): senator_sarbanes@sarbanes.senate.gov
Christopher J. Dodd (D-Connecticut): senator_dodd@dodd.senate.gov
John F. Kerry (D-Massachusetts): senator_kerry@kerry.senate.gov
Russell D. Feingold (D-Wisconsin): senator_feingold@feingold.senate.gov
Barbara Boxer (D-California): senator_boxer@boxer.senate.gov
Bill Nelson (D-Florida): senator_nelson@nelson.senate.gov
Barack Obama (D-Illinois): senator-obama@obama.senate.gov
Given the evasiveness and unresponsiveness of State Dept. officials to the
letters and e-mails sent to them by members of congress as well as the public
at large, Senators have no choice but to demand that the State Dept. provide an
honest explanation regarding the dismissal of a distinguished career
diplomat, before they confirm his successor. If Amb. Evans’s career is indeed being
terminated for acknowledging the Armenian Genocide, State Dept. officials should
have the courage to face the U.S. Senate as well as the American public and
say so.
The Armenian American community should not allow such ill-advised action be
taken by cowardly officials who are hiding behind closed doors. Let them come
forward and subject themselves to the scrutiny of U.S. Senators and the
American public. If the State Department gets away with sweeping this sinister
decision under the rug, it would be encouraged to repeat it over and over again
with impunity.
Unless meaningful and honest explanations are provided, Senators should be
asked to place a temporary hold on the confirmation of Amb. Hoagland. It makes
no sense to replace an ambassador without being told the reason why.
Otherwise, a few months from now, the new ambassador could also get dismissed without
any public explanation.
Callous and arrogant State Dept. officials must be made to pay a price in
terms of public humiliation and delay in the confirmation of the new nominee, so
they would think twice before taking such capricious decisions in the future!
It is simply unacceptable that a group of individuals in the upper echelons
of the U.S. government act as accomplices to the denialist regime in Turkey!
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2 – The Actors’ Gang Brings Director/
Actor Simon Abkarian to U.S.
CULVER CITY, CA – The Actors’ Gang brings French director Simon Abkarian to
the U.S. for its final offering of the 2005-06 season, Love’s Labor’s Lost.
The seldom-produced romantic comedy by William Shakespeare opens for the press
on Saturday, July 22 and continues through September 16 at The Gang’s new home
in Culver City’s Ivy Substation. Low-priced previews begin July 8.
Ferdinand, King of Navarre, and three of his friends give up women and the
world to devote themselves to learning. But their foolish vows can’t bar Love –
from their gates or from their hearts. Will Love’s labors be lost or won?
"One of the many reasons I’m drawn to this play is because it talks about the
secret relationship between women and men, and because I’m 44 and that’s
still a question for me," laughs Abkarian. "Also, when you’re an actor andyou
play in Shakespeare, it’s like a dancer going back to the bar. There is no
escape."
"Simon’s insightful and provocative approach promises a thoughtful, amusing
and reconstructed look at one of Shakespeare’s most challenging comedies," says
Actors’ Gang co-founder and artistic director Tim Robbins. He and Abkarian
have remained friends since they first met at a workshop during the 1984
Olympic Arts Festival in Los Angeles.
In Paris, Abkarian was a member of Theatre du Soleil, a company that, under
the direction of the legendary Arianne Mnouchkine, is known for interspersing
modern theater techniques with masks, music, movement and classical and world
traditions such as Italian and French "commedia dell’arte," Indian "Kathakali,"
and Balinese "Topeng." Abkarian directed
three major productions for the company. He left Theatre du Soleil in 1993
to work with various companies in and outside of Paris, and finally createdhis
own, T.E.R.A., for which he most recently staged a critically-acclaimed
production of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus in Paris. He also continues to work
as an actor, both on stage (he is a recipient of the Moliere Award for Best
Actor for his work in Beast on the Moon, the haunting tale of two Armenianswho
flee the Turkish genocide of 1915); and in film, including villainous roles
in Cedric Klapisch’s Neither For Nor Against and the new James Bond remake,
Casino Royale, and the romantic lead in Sally Potter’s Yes, opposite Joan Allen.
Love’s Labor’s Lost runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays
at 2 pm, July 22 through Sept. 16. Fridays through Sundays, tickets are $25;
students and seniors pay only $20. Tickets to all Thursday evening
performances are Pay-What-You-Can. Preview performances take place on July13 at 8 pm;
July 14 at 8 pm; July 15 at 8 pm; and July 16 at 2 pm. Preview tickets are
$15.
The Actors’ Gang is located in the Ivy Substation at 9070 Venice Boulevard
(near the intersection of Culver and Venice Blvds.) in Culver City. Two hours
free parking is available throughout downtown Culver City.
For reservations and information, call The Actors’ Gang Box Office at
310-838-GANG (310.838.4264).
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3 – Ararat Nursing Facility Receives Honor
From State Department of Health Services
LOS ANGELES – The Mission Hills Ararat Nursing Facility again received a
"Zero Deficiencies" report from the California State Department of Health Services.
This is the third time in four years (2003, 2004 and 2006) that the Nursing
Facility at Mission Hills has received this award. There are approximately
1,500 similar facilities in California and less than one percent are awarded the
"Zero Deficiencies" classification each year.
While Ararat Home’s Eagle Rock Convalescent Hospital has not yet been
examined by the Department of Health Services in 2006, they received the "Zero
Deficiencies" status in 2003 and 2004.
John Yaldezian, Chairman of the Board, said, "We are honored to again receive
this prestigious designation. The Board of Trustees are most appreciative of
the staff at our facilities and to Mission Hills Nursing Facility
Administrator Walter Hekimian and Executive Director Margo Babikian, as well as Eagle
Rock’s Administrator Violette Alahaidoyan. These individuals and their staffs
continually strive to offer the best possible care to patients from the Armenian
community."
The Ararat Home and Nursing facility has been serving the Armenian community
in Southern California since 1949. It currently has four facilities, two in
Mission Hills, Eagle Rock and Montrose that can accommodate more than 400
residents and patients.
For additional information, contact Beatrice Malkhasian at: (818) 838-4860.
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4 – Balakian Visits Athens and Thessaloniki for
Greek Edition of ‘The Burning Tigris’ Book’
By Doris V. Cross
Peter Balakian recently returned from a week in Greece where he was invited
to speak about The Burning Tigris, published in Greek this spring by
Kastaniotis Editions. As a Michael Dukakis Fellow in Public Policy at Anatolia College
in Thessaloniki (May 12-15), he delivered a public lecture on May 15 that was
co-sponsored by the Thessaloniki Hamazkayin cultural organization and the
Anatolia College alumni association. The lecture commemorated the 120th anniversary
of the founding of Anatolia College in Marsovan, Ottoman Turkey. Earlier in
the day he also met with two classes to lead discussions on cultural identity
with more than 50 students and faculty.
Balakian’s Greek translator, the distinguished novelist Joanna Karatzferi,
was instrumental in arranging the tour as were Garabed, Anahid, and Diroui of
the Kalfayan family of Thessaloniki.
In his introduction to Balakian, College President Richard Jackson called him
the "most prominent American voice for historical justice for the Armenian
people." He also recalled Anatolia College’s close ties with the Armenians of
Sivas Province, who constituted the majority of Anatolia’s early student body.
Balakian, he noted, has written of the role played by missionary schools such
as Anatolia in bearing witness to the fate of the Armenians, and also quotes
George White, president of Anatolia in 1915, in his narrative. In Black Dogof
Fate, Jackson added, Balakian relates that it was a former student in another
missionary school-Balakian’s grandmother, who attended the missionary school in
Diyarbekir–who helped him discover his own voice as a writer.
In his opening remarks, Balakian said: "Your institution has had a remarkable
and profound history. As Anatolia College of Marsovan, it witnessed the
devastation of the Abdul Hamid massacres in 1894-96 and then again, in an even more
dramatic way, the deportation and massacres of your own Armenian students in
the Armenian Genocide of 1915."
"As if that weren’t enough, your college was also occupied by the Nazis
during WWII; for drama and trauma it’s hard to top this."
"Congruent with the history of the liquidation of the Christian minorities
from Turkey (the Greeks, Armenians, and Assyrians) during the genocide period,
Anatolia College also made the migration west, to freedom–to Greece–to this
great city-in 1923 to continue the project of higher education. It is hard to
think of another school that has borne witness to such history.
On May 17, Balakian spoke in downtown Athens to a capacity crowd at the Hall
of Speech and Drama. The program was sponsored by Kastaniotis Editions and the
Hamazkayin, and accompanied by a panel that included journalist Stavros
Theodorakis; journalist and translator of The Burning Tigris, Elias Maglinas;
actress Christina Alexanian, who read passages from the book; and Hamazkayin
director Stavros Abarian.
Balakian’s visit was covered by the major press in Athens and Thessaloniki.
He also did several major television interviews.
"I was delighted and surprised with the intensity of the coverage of my
visit," Balakian remarked. "The Greeks are as engaged in the Armenian past as any
country in the world." He also noted how deeply the genocide of the Pontic
Greeks at the hands of the Ottoman government in 1915-17 is now gripping the Greek
people.
"I was in Thessaloniki just as the new memorial there to the Pontic Greeks
was making headlines. When Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan visited the city in
May he made a diplomatic complaint about the monument to the Greek government.
It’s a sad and ongoing pattern with Turkey–the refusal to accept its own past."
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5 – Doctors Visit Shepherds and
Families in Armenian Highlands
Reuters, UK
For the first time, doctors visited shepherds and their families in the
pastures of Armenia’s northern Lori region thanks to World Vision Medical Outreach
Teams (MOT) project and local polyclinic doctors.
A fully equipped truck with a medical team – general doctor, laboratory
technician, gynecologist, and pediatrician – drove through almost impassable
mountain paths to provide important primary healthcare to the highland families.
‘During the summer months, people in the pastures are too far from villages
and health posts, so they can’t see doctors for months. Our goal is to take
doctors close to them,’ explains Marat Manoukian, Lori ADP Health Coordinator.
Animal breeding is the main source of income for many rural populations in
Lori. The shepherds take the cows or sheep to far-off mountains with rich
pastures and live with their families in small temporary dwellings usually made of
old wooden panels or rusted plates. Staying for far away from their native
villages, for four to five months, they suffer many hardships such as no access to
even the simplest health services.
"This is the only way for me to earn a living for my family nowadays: in
winters I have no work to do," confesses Mukuchyan Saro from Odzun village,a
specialist in the energy industry who has worked as a shepherd for the lastfour
years.
In summer, Saro stays in a pasture of Garakhach mountain with three other
shepherds, milking some 80 cows a day. This backbreaking work caused him severe
pain in his arms. After a medical examination, MOT doctors found certain
problems with his joints, prescribed medicines and referred him for future treatment
to the local polyclinic.
"I’m happy that my children will be examined by specialists: the conditions
here are far from being ideal for children, so I constantly worry about their
health," said a surprised Shushan Sargsyan, mother to 11-year-old Serine and
13-year-old Sargis. Serine helps her mother with cooking and washing dishes,
while her brother helps the men to tend the herd.
Seventy-five-year-old Mhoyan Syomka helps his younger counterparts look after
the herds. He is short of breath and speaks with
difficulty. Syomka says it’s the first time he has been examined by a
physician in his life: "If it were not World Vision, I would never see a doctor."
The doctors concluded that Syomka’s condition is quite serious and decided to
hospitalize him.
"Ultimately, World Vision’s assistance contributes to the expanded role of
local health care providers and strengthens the community-based health system,"
said Robert Dilbaryan, Head of Lori Health Department, commenting that the
regular monthly visits of MOTs serve as a basis for the Health Ministry to
develop new regulations, to ensure health services are made available to rural
population at least once a month.
World Vision’s MOT project funded by USAID started in Lori in July 2004. MOT
team regularly visits remote and needy communities, and provides free medical
services that include laboratory tests, ultrasound examinations and referrals
to district doctors.
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6 – Paris High Schools Distribute Armenian
Genocide Circular to 500,000 Students
PARIS – In May 2006, 500,000 high school students and 80,0000 teachers and
government officials of the French Ile-de-France region, which represents the
Paris metropolitan area, received an informative brochure about the Armenian
Genocide written by the Regional Council of Ile-de-France in cooperation with the
Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations in France (CCAF-Paris).
Emphasizing that the history of the Armenians is part of the history of France, the
four-page color document, entitled "Genocide of the Armenians," was writtenby
historians Philippe Videlier of CNRS in Lyon, Claude Mutafian, and Raymond
Kevorkian, the Director of AGBU’s Nubarian Library in Paris.
The brochure’s content was tailored to the region’s high school students and
included the crucial facts and lessons of the Armenian Genocide. Intended for
use as an educational tool, teachers have been using the materials during
classroom discussions on the topic. The document illustrates the context ofthe
Ottoman Empire at the time, the situation of the Armenian population on theeve
of the Genocide, the tragic decision to eradicate the Armenian population by
the Young Turk government, the creation of concentration camps, the role ofthe
Young Turk Central Committee, and the criminal Turkish trials that followed
(1919-1920). It also includes a brief history, complete with photos and maps,
of the forced Armenian exile, and presents an overview of the Armenian diaspora
and realities faced by Armenians in present day Turkey.
The Armenian Genocide brochure was a result of the vision of CCAF, that after
seeing that the Regional Council of Ile-de-France published several documents
pertaining to the Holocaust, contacted the region in 2004 and persuaded them
of the necessity to relate an important event that has impacted the lives of
all French Armenians.
Other French regions, including Provence-Côte d’Azur and Rhône-Alpes, are
considering distributing similar informational brochures to their students.
The Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations in France (CCAF) brings
together 23 French Armenian organizations, 17 of which are permanent members
(AAAS, ADL, AGBU, ANACRA, CBAF, CDCA, FRA, GIIA, JAF, MAFP, Nor Seround, SD
Hentchak, UCFAF, UMAF, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Armenian CatholicChurch,
and the Armenian Evangelical Church), to coordinate joint initiatives. In
addition the "Genocide of the Armenians" document, this year’s CCAF activities
also included the organization of April 24th commemorations, the mobilization
against Turkish denial efforts, the inauguration of Lyon’s Armenian Genocide
memorial, and the organization of demonstrations that supported the law that
would criminalize genocide denial.
The mission of AGBU’s Nubarian Library, based in Paris, is to preserve,
promote and highlight the Armenian heritage. Historians, researchers, musicians,
movie producers, and journalists consult the library’s rich archive-which
includes over 40,000 books, periodicals, photos, post cards, musical scores, and
maps-for projects ranging from academic studies to television documentaries. The
library also publishes books, as well as, the quarterly journal, "Revue
Arménienne des Question Contemporaines
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7 – Western Prelacy Allocates
Scholarships to Students
LOS ANGELES – Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, and the
Western Prelacy Executive Council announced that, as in previous years, theWestern
Prelacy allocated scholarships to students of Prelacy schools who met the
eligibility requirements.
There are several scholarship funds under the auspices of the Western
Prelacy, the annual interests of which are allotted to students of Prelacy schools
who meet the conditions.
The scholarships, amounts and recipient schools are: Angel Arpajian
Scholarship: $150 to a student from Rose & Alex Pilibos School; Robert Artounian
Scholarship: $400 to two students from R. & A. Pilibos School who excel in Armenian
and English; Alex and Maro. Iskenderian Scholarship: $400 to two needy
students from Pilibos School; Haroutioun & Araxie Keosseian Scholarship: $250 to a
student from Ferrahian School; Victoria Minassian Scholarship: $900 to three
students from Ferrahian School who excel in Armenian; Charles Keyian
Scholarship: $2,800 to the top four graduating students of Mesrobian Schooltowards
their college education.
Two allocations were made from a special scholarship fund; one in the amount
of $1,500 to a university student in Beirut, and the other in the sum of
$1,000 to a university student in Los Angeles.
Currently, candidates are being considered for the Garikian Scholarship,
which is specifically for college students.
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8 – Catholicos Karekin II’s Pontifical Visit
Sparks Protests by Turkish Nationalists
ISTANBUL – The Lraber newspaper, the official publication of the Armenian
Patriarchate of Turkey, noted last week that the arrival of Catholicos Karekin II
of Etchmiadzin for a pontifical visit to the country last week was marred by
a rowdy demonstration of about 50 Turkish nationalists at the Ataturk Airport.
Eggs were thrown at the motorcade of Patriarch Archbishop Mesrob Mutafian and
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. No one was reported injured.
The Catholicos was taken to the Patriarchate in Istanbul which, according to
the Lraber report, is guarded around the clock by Turkish security forces.
"We are worried and this refers not to the Catholicos but nationalism and
chauvinist moods," Archbishop Mesrop Mutafian said. The same day, Lraber reports,
the Patriarch of Constantinople addressed a written request to Istanbul
governor take strong security measures.
The Turkish Daily News reported that the ultranationalist head of the Turkish
Lawyers’ Union, Kemal Kerincsiz protested the visit of the Catholicos to the
closed Greek Orthodox Monastery in the Heybeliada Island near Istanbul. Police
prevented Kerincsiz from traveling to the seminary.
The Halki Seminary was closed in 1971 under a law requiring state supervision
of university-level religious education.
"Religious education being given by a seminary is against the Turkish
Republic’s Constitution and the principle of secularity," Kerincsiz said.
Turkey sees Patriarch Bartolomeos as the leader of the Greek Orthodox
community, although the world Orthodox community considers him to be their spiritual
leader.
Turkey’s position puts it at odds with the European Union, which it aspires
to join, and the United States, which consider the status of the patriarch as a
matter of religious freedom. In its regular progress report assessing
Turkey’s membership efforts, the EU Commission urged Turkey to improve religious
rights for non-Muslim communities and complained, among other things, that "public
use of the ecclesiastical title of ecumenical patriarch is still banned."
A U.S. State Department report on international religious freedom in 2005
highlighted concerns related to the status of the patriarch and reopening of the
Orthodox seminary.
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