“Alo” instead of “easy”

A1plus

| 17:23:14 | 01-07-2005 | Social |

`ALO’ INSTEAD OF `EASY’

Today if someone calls you asking his own telephone number do not be
surprised.

`Viva Cell’, a.k.a. `K Telecom’ has started the sale of its `Alo’ cards in
different parts of the city. Buying the card the subscribers do not know
their telephone number and they can find it out only phoning someone.

In the central office of the company in Argishti 4/1 there was a crowd of
people buying cards. According to the workers, in the morning there were
still more people.

We met Laura Avetisyan from Yerevan buying the card and then trying to call
someone. At that moment the Armentel connection was very bad and the
subscribers were out of the coverage. According to her, she has been waiting
for the possibility to buy an Easy card for two years.

By the way, from now on there are new problems fro the RA citizens. The
costs of cell phones have risen abruptly in the market. If previously a used
phone could be brought for even $20, now they cost 2-3 times more.

The abyss of JITEM making history bleed (1)

The abyss of JITEM making history bleed (1) – RESEARCH

Kurdish Info, Germany
June 30 2005

HABER MERKEZI (DIHA) – Turkey waiting on the door of the European
Union, which emphasizes justice, freedom and fraternity, for 46 years
has been witnessed to be convicted on ECHR. While the missing people
have always been told about, not doing anything to the people who
lost them caused a deep wound in society.

Although these incidents and responsible of them, like Turkish
Gendarmerie Intelligence Service (JITEM), are mentioned in The
Parliament’s Susurluk Report, not to deal with near history made
non-governmental organizations to organize demonstrations. We start
research series which undertake the determining of unknown graves
of offender unknown victims by the means of JITEM sketches and which
explores their missing processes. You will find sketches, witnesses,
grief of families, striking photos and documents and drams of orphan
children in this series.

Many countries took different steps to clean the bloody pages of
major military operations and suppression actions in international and
civil wars. We are in a period in which Germany apologizes for Jewish
Holocaust, USA apologizes for Vietnam and recently Germany reveals its
shame for their share in Armenian matter. While Serbia ex-president
Slobodan Miloseviç is tried in the Tribunal of The Hague because of
Srebrenica massacre, while General Agusto Pinochet of Chile is kept
under surveillance, Croatia is stipulated to give General Ante Gotovina
to UN Court of War Crimes as a war criminal to be a member of EU.

Saddam Huseyin, responsible of Hallabja and Enfal massacres in Iraq,
is sentenced in whole world’s eye and tried nowadays.

Turkey Reality and Agreement Commission and a comprehensive research
is offered, as in South Africa which had problems such as excluding
black people from social life, economy and politics, torture, offender
unknown murders and missing, to decipher dirty panorama in Turkey
which has been talked in international arena with bloody coup d’etat
of March 12th and September 12th and the clashes longing many years.

While the “dirty war” which is composed of offender unknown murders,
mass graves, tortures, isolation in prisons and which was formerly
supported by GLADIO style local elements in Latin America, Africa
and southwest Asia became a book by Reality and Agreement Commission
Vice President Alex Boraine, we revealed that how the bloody wheels
of a certain period turned with the formations like JITEM.

We will present offender unknown murders in a geography, which is
far away of EU’s democracy norms and mentioned with discreditable
practices such as torture, offender unknown murders, burning down
villages, forcing people to eat feces, as a serial.

When the curtain is lifted!

We will proclaim the families’ cries to enlighten that dark period
which started to enlighten with the publishing of JITEM assassin
Abdulkadir Aygan’s, who showed the JITEM pay roll, confessions in
Ulkede Ozgur Gundem Newspaper with efforts of Halime Akyol and Ugur
Balik and with Ugur balik and Timýr Sahan’s book which consists of
these confessions. The discover of the remains of Murat Aslan, who was
murdered by JITEM, 11 years later drew a great attention and increase
the efforts to find out the other dreadful crimes. Slogans of “damned
kontraguerilla” and “Contraguerilla will have to give explanation”
were shouted on the streets.

Death sketches of JITEM

We reached the missing people, who have not had grave stone until
now, after long researches. They were amongst thousand of missing
people. The victims were not ordinary randomly chosen people. Some
actions of people becoming gangs in the practices against Kurd
organizations, which have no place in together lives on the same land,
desired peace, friendship and fraternity feelings and even in the
law of war, are described here.

With the indifferent practices of 1990s, the people were wanted to
be suppressed with fear, attacks, grave houses and death. Although it
was talked that these elements were JITEM and HIZBULLAH and although
the parliament prepared a report on Susurluk no one was trying to
enlighten the darkness.

Assassins and methods

“The State’s Permanent Executioner Tells” series, which was an
important journalism, had a great role in lifting the curtain and
JITEM’s organization scheme, personnels, supporters and list of
“victims” were revealed. Cem Ersever, General V.K., Yeþil code named
Mahmut Yýldýrým, Abdulkadir Aygan, Abdulhakim Guven, Fethi Çetin,
Abdulkerim Kýrca, Yüksel U., Abdulkadir U., Kema Emluk, Nuri A., Cini
Acet and Muhsin Gul were practicing JITEM’s methods such as choking,
executing by shooting and burning.

Who is next?

You were not able to reach a friend whom you drank a cup of tea
together, talked on the phone the day. You would not forget that face
and that voice again. Each day was starting with “Who is next?”

question. The process which became more severe with the murder People’s
Labor Party (HEP) Diyarbakýr Office chairman Vedat Aydýn turned into
the story of thousands of offender unknown and “end unknown” people.

Violence Lists

JITEM assassins were interrogating the people in “cross regions”
and killing many people as Harbi Arman, Fethi Yýldýrým, Hakký Kaya,
Ýdris Yýldýrým, Necati Aydýn and Ýzzettin Acet. The funerals of the
victims were thrown to lakes, roadsides, fuel tanks and fields in
sacks or buried at most 1 meter deep. People were taken from Silopi and
thrown to Lake Hazar in Elazýð just as people thrown to sea in Chile,
taken from Diyarbakýr and executed by shooting in Silopi, taken from
Cizre and burned in Siverek, taken from Muþ and executed in Diyarbakýr
and taken from DGM buildings and buried in death fields. The funerals
were found by hunters, villagers and shepherds and buried in homeless’
graveyard. Saturday mothers, people who want a graveyard to cry on
want justice to stop their pain and not to experience the same things
again: Realities to be researched and the Justice to be done

Answers to questions

Families of lost people say: “We want to find at least their remains.

We make a call to our people, non-govermental organizations, political
party representatives, and intellectuals…Unless they are found we
experience the incident like it just happened yesterday” and want
their voices to be heard.

And they ask:

“Why were they chosen as victims by death machines? Why were they
grasped and killed? Who killed them? Which crime they committed? What
were the life ideals of the murderers? How they impressed people? How
were the incidents covered? What did their relatives tell about them?

What did their parents experience? What do the relatives of people,
whose funerals were found and whose funerals were not found, want?

Traces from Mersin to Þýrnak

We know that we cannot write down their cries. We saw them strolling
rom door to door to search for their relatives. No one has knocked
these families’ doors for years. No one listened their problems and
told their demands. We were the first knocking on their doors. We
had to go to Mersin, Adana, Diyarbakýr, Þanlýurfa, Þýrnak and Muþ to
reach these families, who had to migrate to other cities. We faced
a cruel reality in those houses. We reached families with the help
of many people. We found them through old addresses. We sometimes
could not even have found a phone number. We looked for them in every
single street. We listened to their sorrows. We have visited several
families in several city in last two months. The common point of these
families was sorrow and tears and the common points of missing people
were their destinies. We saw that their pain will not decrease. They
seemed that they have just lost them. They are still afraid. Therefore
some of them did not tell their and some of them did not tell their
children’s names. They had a fear of “The other child has gone and
what if happens something to my other children”.

Some of them tried to forget all the details about heir children.

They were not remembering details when they were telling. They just
say “Everybody loved them”.

All of them were modest, tolerant, helpful and loved people according
to their families and friends.

Albums

Families gave children the names of their “offender unknown” fathers.

The families gave their children “Jiyan” (life) name and raised
children with three names such Vedat Necati Jiyan.

They were all remembering the last day best. Some of families kept
the photograph albums of their children. Some of them gave the last
photograph to us. Computers of victims are in their original places
of 11 years ago with the hope of maybe someday he comes back…Some
of the mothers were bedridden. We met children who saw their fathers
when they were being kidnapped. We learned that the witnesses still
do not know after 11 years who the victim or killer was. Some of them
were identified with the ring on the fingers. This is a never ending
story in which children look for their fathers and fathers look for
their children. All the families ask the same, short question: “Why?”

;file=article&sid=2832

–Boundary_(ID_RDcA+ephhfr0RjDWyOqpcw)–

http://www.kurdishinfo.com/modules.php?name=News&amp

Speaker of Armenian Parliament,Canadian Amb. discuss prospects of de

SPEAKER OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT, CANADIAN AMBASSADOR DISCUSS PROSPECTS
OF DEVELOPING BILATERAL RELATIONS

ARKA News Agency
June 29 2005

YEREVAN, June 29. /ARKA/. Speaker of the Armenian Parliament
Artur Baghdasaryan and Canadian Ambassador to Armenia Christopher
Westdal discussed prospects of developing bilateral interstate and
Interparliamentary relations. During the meeting, Speaker Baghdasaryan
informed the Canadian side of the constitutional and legislative
reforms in Armenia, as well as of democratization.In his turn,
Ambassador Westdal pointed out the Armenian Parliament’s important
role in the ongoing processes and stated political achievements and
economic growth open up new prospects for Armenia’s development. He
also stressed his country’s willingness to contribute to Armenia’s
economic development as well as to Armenian-Canadian scientific,
educational and cultural cooperation.

During the meeting the Canadian Ambassador re-affirmed the invitation
to pay an official visit to Canada extended to Speaker Artur
Baghdasaryan. P.T. -0–

TBILISI: Kars, Akhalkalaki open trade links

Kars, Akhalkalaki open trade links

The Messenger, Georgia
June 28 2005

Two of the poorest regions in Georgia and Turkey hope to create jobs
and stimulate economic growth through cooperation By Burcu Gültekin
and Mikael Hertoft*

Turkish and Georgian businessmen and political figures are considering
ways to improve economic relations in the border regions of the
two countries.

With this in mind, businessmen met in early June in Kars to collaborate
on opening the border between Karzakhi and Cildir/Aktas in an effort to
increase the importance of two remote regions in Georgia and Turkey –
Akhalkalaki and Kars.

The issue has been on the agenda of the Turkish and Georgian
governments for several years, and was addressed at the last
Turkish-Georgian Joint Economic Commission.

During the two-day visit a delegation from Samtskhe-Javakheti met
with Mayor of Kars Naif Alibeyoglu, President of the Kars Chamber of
Commerce and Industry Ali Guvensoy and private Turkish businessmen.

The issues of attracting new sources of income, increasing the
amount of workplaces based on cross-border trade, joint investment
and marketing projects, and development of regional tourism were
discussed at the meetings.

It is hoped that through this cross-border cooperation, economic
growth will be stimulated in both regions.

While Kars has suffered in recent years owing to the loss of its
status as a border town after direct land communications between
Turkey and Armenia were severed in 1993, Akhalkalaki today suffers
from its remoteness and very poor infrastructure, and is one of the
poorest regions in Georgia.

The opening of the Karzakhi-Cildir/Aktas border crossing will
place Akhalkalaki at one-hour distance from Kars and should lead to
increased cross-border trade, although for this to happen the road
between Akhalkalaki and the Georgian border town of Karzakhi must
first be rehabilitated.

Local actors on both sides of the border are placing great hope in the
Millennium Challenge Georgia project to renovate the road connection
between the Turkish border and Tbilisi via Akhalkalaki.

Samtskhe-Javakheti region and Eastern Anatolia can be as integrated
as Adjara and the Turkish Black Sea region, they believe, adding that
the Karzakhi border crossing will, as Sarpi did, open a transit trade
route to Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The members of the Samtskhe-Javakheti delegation and their Turkish
counterparts expressed strong support for the Georgian and Turkish
governments in their efforts to open the border post and improve
infrastructure.

The businessmen and political representatives from Kars and
Samtskhe-Javakheti agreed to meet again in Akhalkalaki in the nearest
future to discuss further cooperation.

* Dr. Burcu Gültekin is Europe Coordinator for the Turkish-Armenian
Business Development Council (TABDC); Mikael Hertoft is Program
Manager in Javakheti for the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)

–Boundary_(ID_iik7/KEFajj9NX3Lwddx5g)–

Premier – Executive director of government

A1plus

| 14:43:16 | 25-06-2005 | Politics |

PREMIER- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT

According to the coalition’s draft adopted within the process of
constitutional reform the Prime Minister is rather helpless and can be
defined as the executive director of the government. The coalition’s draft
constitutional amendments has nothing in common with the semi-presidential
government system, this project is typical for the president one. `The most
important question is whether the parliament is empowered to form the
government or not? Besides, whether the President has the right to dismiss
the Prime Minister without the consent of the parliament? If these two
components are absent, the draft proves to be not appropriate to the
semi-presidential government system’, Justice faction secretary Victor
Dallakyan stated.

According to the logic of the semi-presidential government system the
parliament should be entitled to form the government. The opposition has
made the following proposal: once the opposition proposes a nominee for the
post of the Prime Minister, if the parliament does not approve it, the
initiative passes to the National Assembly. However, the coalition’s draft
calls for the following principle: the President has the right to propose
the Prime Minister twice, if the parliament does not ratify it, the
President dissolves the parliament.

`If the President proposes a nominee twice and every time the candidature is
rejected the President dissolves the parliament he uses all the instruments
at hand to form the government, which will be useful for him’, Victor
Dallakyan says. In his opinion, the items, according to which the President
appoints this or that parliament member by the presentation of the Prime
Minister are symbolic, since the President himself appoints or dismissed the
Prime Minister, thus the latter is only a mechanism in the President’s
hands. Consequently, according to the coalition’s draft the government and
the Prime Minister is subordinate to the one, who appoints them, that is to
the President. To note, the semi-presidential system supposes that the
President cannot dismiss the Prime Minister, who enjoys the support of the
parliamentary majority.

For Ramkavar Azatakan extra-parliamentary party there is no particular
difference who appoints the Premier, responsibility is the most important
factor. Party leader Harutyun Harutyunyan noted, `Is we follow the principle
of power division, it is even natural if the President appoint the Prime
Minister. Thus he undertakes the responsibility for the activities of the
government.’

Diana Markosyan

Azeri, Armenian Presidents to Meet Late in August

Caucaz.com, Georgia
June 23 2005

Azeri, Armenian Presidents to Meet Late in August

Baku, June 22 – The next meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian
presidents will be held in Kazan, Russia late in August, according to
news reports.

Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told a news conference on Monday
that Azerbaijan has proposed that the two countries’ foreign
ministers meet at least twice before the presidents’ meeting.

`In general, the Azerbaijani side wants the negotiating process to be
stepped up,’ he said.

Azimov added that it is time to continue the negotiations on the
level of experts.

ANKARA: Turk Speaker Writes to German Counterpart Slams Resolution

Turkish Speaker writes to German counterpart slamming Armenian resolution

Anatolia news agency
22 Jun 05

Ankara, 22 June: Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc sent today a
letter to German Parliament Speaker Wolfgang Thierse to denounce the
adoption (on 16 June) of a resolution by the German parliament to
commemorate the so-called Armenian genocide.

“We feel deep sorrow over the German parliament’s decision which we
believe to have been taken for small political interests and we regard
the decision as an irresponsible initiative,” wrote Arinc in his
letter.

Arinc stressed that this one-sided decision adopted by the parliament
of a “friendly and ally” country also deeply hurt three million
Turkish citizens living in Germany who regarded Germany as their
second homeland.

Arinc underlined the fact that there were many historical mistakes in
the decision which accused Turkish nation of committing a grave crime,
adding that “we are very sorry as the parliament of a country like
Germany which has a well-established state tradition, adopted such a
decision which is full of mistakes and distorted information”.

“In the resolution it was said that Turks don’t face their
history. Turkey is always ready to face its history and there is no
shameful page in our history,” Arinc wrote in his letter.

Referring to the call of the Turkish government and opposition party
for formation of a joint committee – composed of Armenian and Turkish
historians – to investigate the 1915 incidents by studying all
archives – in Turkey, Armenia and third countries – Arinc said that
Premier Erdogan conveyed this proposal to Armenian President Kocharian
by a letter dated 10 April 2005.

Arinc stressed that the recommendation of the German parliament to
include the so-called genocide in textbooks of German schools would
cause prejudice against Turkish people in the minds of German youth.

Arinc also denounced the demand of the German parliament which asked
the German government to help in urging Turks to apologize from
Armenians. “It is impossible to explain such a demand of a parliament
or government by taking into consideration the norms and principles of
international relations. I wonder how the German people and parliament
would react if the Turkish government adopted a decision urging the
German government to do something regarding a third state,” Arinc
asked.

“The German parliament has not referred to the views and documents of
the Turkish side in its decision… [ellipses as received] It is
impossible to qualify the deportation of Armenians who uprose against
the Ottoman State during the First World War as genocide, under the
1948 UN Genocide Convention,” Arinc said.

“Parliaments don’t have the right to judge historical events, as such
decisions don’t have any binding effect in respect of international
human rights… [ellipses as received] No international organization
including the UN had accepted a decision accepting the so-called
Armenian genocide to date,” he said.

Arinc concluded his letter saying that the Turkish parliament
condemned the decision of the German parliament.

Y-Connect: Armenian Youth Connecting with Armenian Youth

PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia & New Zealand
10 Macquarie Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
AUSTRALIA
Contact: Laura Artinian
Tel: (02) 9419-8056
Fax: (02) 9904-8446
Email: [email protected]

22 June 2005

Y-CONNECT: ARMENIAN YOUTH CONNECTING WITH ARMENIAN YOUTH

Sydney, Australia – Sunday, 19 June 2005 heralded a new era of excitement at
the Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy Resurrection in Sydney with the start
of the first Y-Connect session, a new youth fellowship program targeted at
high-school aged students.

The purpose of Y-Connect is to provide an opportunity for Armenian youth to
hear God’s message and learn about His principles for living in an
environment that is familiar to them (and their parents) and where there is
opportunity for them to build social networks and connect with the Armenian
Church.

Led by a team of enthusiastic, young and dynamic ACYA leaders the sessions
are designed to incorporate fun social activities and games with a daily
message that is manifest in the teachings of the Holy Bible and in
accordance with the doctrine of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

At its introductory session last Sunday evening, more than 50 smiling faces
made there way into the Church Hall in anticipation of what lay ahead. By
the end of the session, the 50 smiling faces were even more gleeful, each
eagerly awaiting a copy of the Y-Connect program for the next session date.
As one of the young participants said “This is a great way to make new
friends, the activities were cool and I even enjoyed learning about the
Bible. It rocked!”

Y-Connect will be held each Sunday fortnight from 6.00 to 8.00 p.m. At the
forthcoming session on Sunday, 3 July 2005, His Eminence Archbishop Aghan
Baliozian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia and
New Zealand will meet with students, bring his blessing to the program and
present the day’s scripture message.

BAKU: Azerbaijan, Bahrain agree to sign memo on coop boost

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
June 21 2005

AZERBAIJAN, BAHRAIN AGREED TO SIGN MEMO ON COOPERATION BOOST
[June 21, 2005, 13:03:59]

Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Elman Arasli
has held on June 20 a meetings with the Bahrain’s parliament speaker
Khalifa Al Dahrani, other governments officials and representatives
of business and financial circles of this country.

During the meetings the both sides have focused on the developing of
bilateral relationship and have agreed to sign Memorandum on the
enhancing of mutual cooperation between two countries. There were
discussed also issues on the political consultations, cooperation
within international organizations, organizing of the mutual Days of
culture and participation of Azerbaijani artists in the organizing in
Bahrain festivals.

Ambassador Arasli was interviewed by the local and foreign
journalists on the results of his visit, socio-political life in our
country and the causes and consequences of Armenia-Azerbaijan,
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

ASA Artists’ Ball: post event PR

Armenian Students’ Association
333 Atlantic Avenue
Warwick, RI 02888
(401) 461-6114
[email protected]
Contact: New York ASA: [email protected]

For Immediate Release!
June 16, 2005

The New York Armenian Students’ Association is proud to announce the
outstanding success of this year’s 56th Annual Artists’ Ball on May 21.
Once again, it was held at the Puck Building in New York City’s Soho
district. With over 650 attendees and several paintings sold, the New
York ASA raised thousands of dollars to support the organization’s
Scholarship Fund, which grants financial aid to college students of
Armenian descent in the United States.

New York ASA members and patrons were treated to the works of
an unusually talented and prolific pool of 32 artists from all
over the world. The artists were as follows: Nishan Akgulian,
Steve Altan, Eduard Arakelyan, Lisa Archigian, Ani Babikyan, Arne
Balassanian, Stephanie Basralian, Taleen Batalian, Shant Beudjekian,
Matt Bogosian, Elizabeth Derderian, Arthur Erberber, Linda Ganjian,
Michael Gaspar, Ashot Grigoryan, Eric Hairabedian, Mariam Hakobyan,
Sargis Hambardzumian, Aram Kailian, Roudolf Kharatian, Bedros
Magardichian, Arshak Martirosyan, Vahagn Marukyants, Kevork Mourad,
Arpie Gennetian Najarian, Cate Norian, Manuel Ortchanian, Irina
Patkanian, Alan Semerdjian, Ara Tanajian, Haikouhi Tataryan and Armen
Yepoyan. While the spacious Puck gallery buzzed with art enthusiasts,
the Grand Ballroom and bar quickly crowded to the sounds of Varoujan
Vartanian and Mark Gavoor.
Many even lingered long after the band had left and the dance floor
dispersed.

The Artists’ Ball has consistently been the blockbuster event
of season for the tri-state area Armenian community for over 50
years. The first ball took place on May 22, 1948 at the Roosevelt
Hotel’s Grand Ballroom. With only one exception, the Artists’ Ball
has been the annual affair where Armenian art commingling with a
dazzling social occasion is the area’s most anticipated and most
memorable event year after year. Throughout the years, the Artists’
Ball has always been volunteer-driven with preparations beginning as
early as one year in advance. The artworks are handled with special
care by dedicated volunteers that display them on the day of the event
and then devote their time until the wee hours of the night when all
must be dismantled at the close of the Ball.

The New York ASA looks forward to seeing all of its patrons at the
event next year, when the 57th Annual Artists’ Ball takes shape on
Saturday, May 20, 2006.

The New York ASA is a member branch of the Armenian Students’
Association of America, which is the oldest Armenian charitable
organization established in the United States. Founded in 1910,
the purposes of the ASA are educational and charitable; in that it
encourages educational pursuits by Armenians in America and seeks
to raise intellectual stands, provide financial assistance in the
form of scholarships to deserving Armenian college students. The
ASA also honors Armenian-American professionals with awards at their
annual convention, and in doing so appeals to people of all ages with
lectures, cultural events and social activities. For more information,
please go online at

www.asainc.org.