Author: Badalian Vardan

Investment Opportunities in Armenia & Georgia

BISNIS Trades & Tenders
7/09/04 – 8/03/04

BISNIS Trades & Tenders program designed to help U.S. companies secure
export transactions and take advantage of tender opportunities in the
region. Trades & Tenders summary reports are distributed via
email. To search previously distributed Trades & Tenders leads online,
visit

This issue of BISNIS Trades & Tenders includes opportunities in:

– Computer Hardware and Peripherals
– Construction and Construction Services
– Consumer Goods

** Companies replying to these leads should consider using the BISNIS
FinanceLink program, which distributes information about planned
transactions seeking financing to organizations open to financing
business activities in the region. Please see:
**

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COMPUTER HARDWARE AND PERIPHERALS LEADS

IDA credit to Armenia Government for the Center for Education Projects
– Tender for Supply of Computer Equipment for School Learning Centers

For more information on the Computer Hardware and Peripherals Sector
in the NIS, please contact Chris Christov at BISNIS at
[email protected]

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CONSTRUCTION AND CONSTRUCTION SERVICES LEADS

IOM and Georgian Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation – Tender for
IDP Shelter Rehabilitation Project in Georgia

For more information on the Construction and Construction Services
Sector in the NIS, please contact Irina Mitchell at BISNIS at
[email protected]

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CONSUMER GOODS LEADS

D&G Holding – Household & gift accessories, Tbilisi 0171 Georgia

For more information on the Consumer Goods Sector in the NIS, please
contact Desi Jordanoff at BISNIS at [email protected]

**Note**

These opportunities are provided solely as an informational service
and do not represent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of
Commerce. Verification of these leads is the responsibility of the
reader.

This report is provided courtesy of the Business Information Service
for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS). BISNIS is the
U.S. Government’s primary resource center for U.S. companies exploring
business opportunities in Russia and other Newly Independent States of
the former Soviet Union.

BISNIS website:

Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
Aug 3 2004

KARABAKH ARMENIAN ARMY TO HOLD ANNUAL MANEUVERS

STEPANAKERT, 03.08.04. Nagorno-Karabakh’s armed forces will start on
Tuesday annual exercises which the leadership of the
Armenian-populated disputed region says are aimed at testing and
improving their strength.

In a statement on Monday, the Defense Ministry of the unrecognized
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic said the ten-day war games will take place
to `ascertain the combat readiness of the Defense Army when it is
brought to a state of highest alert.’ They are also meant to improve
`the process of troops’ inter-operability during defensive and
counter-offensive operations,’ the statement said.

The Karabakh military also said that the exercises are part of its
regular training plan for this year, implying that they are not
related to the recent series of Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks or
clashes along the border with Armenia and Azerbaijan. Officials in
Stepanakert told RFE/RL separately that they will be attended by army
reservists and involve the use of live ammunition by light and heavy
weapons.

Although the precise venue of the drills was not specified, they are
likely to take place near the main Armenian-Azerbaijani line of
contact east of Karabakh. The decade-long regime of ceasefire has
largely held there, but sporadic skirmishes continue to claim lives
on both sides of the frontline.

By Emil Danielyan

CENTER AFTER SAKHAROV JOINED COLLECTION OF SIGNATURED FOR PROTECTION
OF YEREVAN GREEN ZONES

YEREVAN, August 2 (Noyan Tapan). The Armenian Center of Human Rights
Protection after Andrey Sakharov also joined the collection of
signatures organized for protection of the green zones of Yerevan by
the Armenian Ecological Benevolent Foundation. According to the
Center, “besides the RA government, the current and former Mayors, the
Head Architect, who are responsible for the formed situation, all the
Yerevan population should be responsible, as they let apology for
rulers cripple our city owing to their silence and indifference.” The
Center of Human Rights Protection thinks that “all the guilty persons
should be called to account for the formed situation.”

Associated Press Worldstream
August 2, 2004 Monday 7:34 AM Eastern Time

Armenia expected to name ex-Marseille coach to head national team

YEREVAN, Armenia

Armenia is likely to name former Marseille coach Bernard Casoni to
head its national soccer team, a spokesman for the national soccer
federation said Monday.

Casoni “in all likelihood” will be appointed at the federation’s next
meeting, said spokesman Araik Manukian. However, he said the
federation also could consider other candidates, whom he did not
identify.

National team coach Mihai Stoichita resigned in late June, less than
two months before World Cup qualifying begins. Armenia plays its
first qualifier on Aug. 18, against Macedonia.

Guardian/Observer, UK
Aug 1 2004

Iraq violence as puritans ban alcohol

Radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his army of devotees blamed
for campaign of intimidation

Rory McCarthy in Baghdad

First came the warning: a sheet of paper stuck to the door of Na’aman
Khalil’s shop ordering him to close his off-licence. ‘You are
corrupting the people of the Earth and you should stop,’ said the
message, signed by a group calling itself the Monotheistic Movement
of Jihad.
Five days later, a parcel of explosives detonated just outside the
building, smashing the windows and gutting the shop. Four other
alcohol stores along the same street in Baghdad’s largely Christian
al-Ghadir district were bombed that same night.

No one was injured, but the message was clear. After the bombings and
a spate of other attacks across Baghdad, most of the city’s alcohol
shops closed.

‘They have achieved their aim. Whatever they wanted, they have got
it,’ said Khalil, 24, who says the bombing cost him seven million
dinars (around £2,600) in destroyed stock. ‘If I open the shop again
I don’t know what action they would take. Probably they would kill
me.’

There have been no arrests, but police and many Iraqis blame the
attacks and explosions on supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr, a radical
Shia cleric. A few days before the warning letter arrived, several of
al-Sadr’s followers met around 30 Shia tribal leaders in the al-Hekma
mosque in Sadr City, the slum area in eastern Baghdad which forms the
cleric’s powerbase.

They produced an edict, obtained by The Observer, in which they
listed nine crimes punishable by death. These included theft,
kidnapping, robbery, spying ‘for the Wahabis, al-Qaeda and
Saddamists’, trafficking in women, and selling alcohol, pornographic
CDs and drugs.

The edict, it states, was drawn up because of the ‘critical and
sorrowful situation and lack of security and to serve the common
good’. Most of the tribal leaders who signed were from Amara, Kut and
Nasiriyah, towns in southern Iraq where a Shia uprising in April was
strongest.

‘After the end of the dispute between our army and the Americans, our
army is working on stability and controlling the looters and other
violent groups,’ said Sheikh Raed al-Kadhimi, one of al-Sadr’s aides
in Baghdad. He boasted of a number of checkpoints and patrols in Sadr
City, and said one had captured several hundred tonnes of stolen
sugar, which he said were returned to the government.

The movement, made up largely of young, unemployed urban men, has
easily moved into the power vacuum left by the absence of properly
trained and equipped Iraqi police and security forces.

‘Neither the government nor the police are controlling the
situation,’ said al-Kadhimi. ‘The al-Sadr tide is the only active
tide in the country.’ He denied that his men took part in the attacks
on alcohol shops: ‘We have never taken such action. All this has been
done by fanatical individuals.’

Much of the movement’s strength is in its organisation. The group has
its own religious police, the al-Amur bil Ma’arouf, or Promotion of
Virtue. They have divided Baghdad into three areas: east, west and
the central Kadhimiya area, home to the biggest Shia shrine in the
city. Each area has its own unit. In Kadhimiya it numbers around 40;
in the eastern sector, around Sadr City, it is at least 100 according
to Sayed Adnan al-Safi, an al-Sadr official and editor of one of the
movement’s newspapers. He said the groups are unarmed and co-operate
on patrols with the regular police, although the Interior Ministry
has denied any involvement.

‘In Kadhimiya we have minimised and controlled places where alcohol
is sold. We have controlled the sale of immoral CDs and we have
stopped fraud,’ said al-Safi. ‘People have begun to understand and
are co-operating with us to control the general violence. We are not
issuing any punishments ourselves, otherwise we would be considered a
state within a state. We pass cases on to the police for punishment.’

There is little doubt that the movement is about more than
controlling crime. In the past week al-Sadr’s followers have
proselytised among Iraq’s minority faiths. A group of them delivered
a video of speeches by al-Sadr to the Armenian Orthodox church in
Baghdad. A priest, who asked not to be named, said the speeches
criticised the Christian faith. ‘We have been living in Iraq for 100
years and have never had a problem between Muslim and Christian,’ he
said. ‘These people are explaining the Koran in the wrong way. Islam
is a religion of peace and humanity.’

Until now al-Sadr has boycotted the political process in Iraq,
reviling the government as ‘illegitimate’. But according to
al-Kadhimi, the movement could develop a political dimension if its
leader ordered one. ‘From the beginning we have been asking for fair
and honest elections,’ he said. ‘We will have to see what happens [at
general elections] in January.’

MUSEUM OF HISTORY OF ARMENIA TO EXHIBIT ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS

YEREVAN, JULY 27. ARMINFO. An exhibition of archaeological finds of
the last decade will be held in the State Museum of Armenian History
in the next few days, says the director of the Archaeology and
Ethnography Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia
Aram Kalantaryan.

The exhibition will present materials dating back from the paleolite,
early Iron Age, Urartu, Ahemenid Persia ancient Armenia. Kalantaryan
says that there is much to be shown. Found Agarak, Aragatsotn region,
in the last years was a unique columbary – the grave of a Urartu
prince (preliminarily VIII BC) which was unfortunately robbed in the
following centuries. Also exposed will be fossilized traces of animals
and plants living in the area 100,000-1 mln years ago as well as
obsidian arms of ancient hunters.

$400-500M DOLLARS INVESTED IN ARMENIA EACH YEAR

TSAGHKADZOR, July 27, (Noyan Tapan). Several international companies
have placed bids for the Copper-molibdenum enterprise of Zangezour
that is to be privatized this year Tigran Davtian, Deputy Minister of
Trade and Economic Development of Armenia stated at the “Regional
Bridge 2004” international business conference. He noted that the
package of the shares of the enterprise are estimated about $130m and
the investment package – about $0.5bln. According to T. Davtian,
approximately 2,500 companies work in Armenia through foreign capital.

Each year foreign investments in Armenia make $200-250m. Domestic
investments are about of the same amount. The attractiveness of the
country for foreigners is due stable economic growth and liberal
economic policy conducted by the govermnent. The foreign debt of
Armenia reaches over $1b or about 38% of the GDP which is an afordable
level for countries with developing economy. T. Davtian indicated that
the budget deficit of Armenia formed about 2% of the annual GDP during
the last years. And now it was possible to provide even state budget
proficit based on internal funds only.

CENN — July 27, 2004 Daily Digest
Table of Contents:
1. BP awards contracts for environmental investment Program along the BTC
pipeline route
2. BTC Construction Suspended
3. BP’s pipeline to nowhere: Georgia halts oil giant’s £2.4bn project
4. Who Conserves The World’s Forests?
5. International Resource Award for Sustainable Watershed Management

1. BP awards contracts for environmental investment Program along
the BTC pipeline route

Press Release

BP as operator of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil export pipeline and
South Caucasus (SCP) gas projects is pleased to announce that in June 2004
it has awarded contract to NACRES – Noach’s Arch Center for Recovery of
Endangered Species NGO, to implement the “Ecosystem and Species Conservation
in Georgia: Brown Bear Project”. This is the second contract award in the
framework of the Environmental investment Program (EIP) for the BTC and SCP
projects.

the principal objective of the Environmental investment Program (EIP) is
delivery of actions that are of ebnefit in the promotion and conservation of
biodiversity. The USD 3 mln EIP is divided into number of themes, which were
identified through the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment studies
and trough the process of consultations with the national and international
stakeholders. Themes include: Rare species conservation management;
Sustainable forestry; Capacity building for NGOs, Environmental Education,
etc.

A request for proposals for the rare species conservation management was
publicly issued in late September 2003. Proposals were ought specially for
the Caucasian Black Grouse and Brown Bear conservation management. However
proposals related to other rare species were also considered, if associated
with pipeline. The contract for the Caucasian Black Grouse research,
monitoring and conservation management project was awarded to the Georgian
Center for the Conservation of Wildlife NGO in January 2004.

Through a review process, the Ecosystems and Species Conservation in
Georgia: Brown Bear project was now selected for funding under the above
theme. The grant award for the project is USD 250, 000.

Project activities include estimation of the Brown Bear population
parameters within the Trialeti range, appraisal of current levels of
threats, description of the underlying reasons for loss of bear habitat,
development of a Bear Conservation Action Plan for the Trialeti range,
establishment of basis for community involvement in conservation activities.

The project will be implemented by NACRES Noach’s Arch Center for Recovery
of Endangered Species, an NGO founded in 1989 to research and safeguard
biodiversity, especially endanger species, in Georgia and South Caucasus and
to promote public awareness in the field of environmental protection.

Project activities stared in June 2004 and will finish in May 2006.

We believe that the Environmental Investment Program gives BP and the
selected NGOs a unique opportunity to make a positive difference to the
preservation of Georgia’s wildlife.

For the more information please contact:
Communication Department, BP Georgia
Tel: (995 32) 59 34 00
Fax: (995 32) 59 34 80

2. BTC Construction Suspended

Source: The Georgian Messenger, July 26, 2004

Minister of Environmental Protection and Nature Resources Tamar Lebanidze
decreed that construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyahn oil pipeline be
suspended for two weeks on July 20, 2004.

The suspension affected a 17-km section of construction through the Borjomi
gorge. The reason of suspension is permission and terms issued by the
Ministry of Environmental Protection on November 30, 2004.

The ministry argues that the ninth item of the agreement, which dealt with
safety measures, was not fulfilled.

The economic and political significance of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline is high and the temporary time out does not appear to threaten its
completion. The issue is that one section of the pipeline, which passes
through the Borjomi gorge, recently caused a large scandal as many people
express concern that the pipeline will cross a canyon where there is a
unique mineral spring.

In an interview with the newspaper 24-Hours, minister Lebanidze agreed with
the opinion that the pipeline route has been chosen in an incorrect manner.
“If now the issue of choosing the route was on the agenda, we would by all
means choose a different route,” she said.

At that time there were two alternatives: either the pipeline should have
crossed Karakai route or Akhalkalaki route. investors were categorically
against Akhalkalaki route, because of the neighboring Russian military base
and instability in the region.

As for Karakai route, investors thought that it was too expensive. Instead
planners turned to the Borjomi gorge and Shevardnadze’s government agreed on
it provided there would be security guarantees.

The Borjomi gorge is characterized by very rugged terrain and requires
special environmental protection in order to minimize risks, like that from
landslides. Mtavari Gazeti quoted Tamar Lebanidze as saying that BP agreed
to fulfill these conditions in 2002.

But in Lebanidze’s opinion, Shevardnadze’s government should actually have
made every effort for changing the direction of the route in the past.

According to Georgia’s representative on the intergovernmental commission
for Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project implementation, Giorgi Vashakmadze, it will
be impossible to resume pipeline construction as long as all the conditions
are not met.

Lebanidze told Rezonansi that BP obeyed the requirements of the ministry and
it will resume construction in two weeks. Meanwhile, officials say two weeks
is plenty of time to find a solution and that this will not delay the
pipeline’s progress.

3. BP’s pipeline to nowhere: Georgia halts oil giant’s £2.4bn
project

Source: The Observer, July 25, 2004

The government of the former Soviet republic of Georgia has ordered BP to
halt work on a section of a controversial £2.4 billion Caspian oil pipeline
project. The environment minister, Tamar Lebanidze, said the company failed
to provide contractually required environmental information.

Lebanidze said BP should not have started laying the 42 inch-wide pipe until
her government was convinced that BP had in place the best technology to
ensure it could withstand both landslides and terrorist attacks.

BP was on site for just one week in Borjormi before being told to stop.
Borjormi is considered an area of outstanding natural beauty with a mineral
water spring that provides a 10th of Georgia’s exports.

The minister added that she would have rejected the scheme agreed by former
president Edward Shevardnadze, who was forced out of office last November.
Lebanidze fears oil leaks could devastate the region.

At 1,087 miles, the Caspian export pipeline will be the world’s longest,
taking Azerbaijani and Kazakhstani oil through Georgia to Turkey. It is
backed by US President George W Bush, who is keen to reduce US reliance on
Middle Eastern and Russian oil.

James Leaton of the World Wildlife Fund said: ‘BP considers itself above the
law on this project and has no respect for the environment.’

The news will take the gloss off BP second-quarter results, out this week.
Net profits could beat last quarter’s record £2.64 billion.

4. WHO CONSERVES THE WORLD’S FORESTS?

Source: IUCN, July 26, 2004

Indigenous peoples and other communities who live in and around the world’s
tropical forests often are as effective as their national governments at
conserving forests, and are outspending foreign donors by as much as two to
one, according to a new study by Forest Trends, an IUCN member organization
based in Washington, D.C. The announcement comes as delegates from 59
nations gather in Geneva to debate the renewal of the International Tropical
Timber Agreement. Speaking at a press briefing last Thursday, Stewart
Maginnis, Head of the IUCN Forest Conservation Programme, commented: “These
often very poor communities are making the same levels of investment, at a
minimum, perhaps a lot more, in conserving these areas, as developing
country governments.” Some 240 million indigenous and local community
peoples own and manage about one fifth of the world’s tropical forests, and
invest US$ 1.2 billion to 2.6 billion a year in forest management and
conservation, according to the study.

5. International Resource Award for Sustainable Watershed
Management

As one of the world’s leading reinsurers, Swiss Re has committed itself to
supporting the planning, evaluation and implementation of water-related
projects with the aim of promoting awareness and encouraging the efficient
use of this precious resource. To support and encourage water-related
initiatives, in April 2002 Swiss Re launched the ReSource Award for
Sustainable Watershed Management. On 5 April 2004, Peter Forstmoser,
Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Member of the Executive Board Walter
Anderau presented the 2003 award and launched the 2004 award at Swiss Re’s
Centre for Global Dialogue in R?schlikon. The award is worth USD 100,000 in
total and is granted to one or several projects selected by an international
jury. It is conferred annually.

What is the idea behind the award?

Access to water supply and sanitation is a fundamental human need. Human
beings and nature need it for their very survival. But water is a threatened
resource. The increasing pollution of the world’s water reserves, the
growing frequency of water shortages, the exploding world population and
resulting demand for water – not to mention risks arising from climate
change (eg changing water cycles) – are presenting a major threat to the
natural environment, human health, food production and the economy in
general.

The word “source” denotes origin and purity; it projects dynamism and even
mystical power. All water stems from a source: this is where rivers and
streams begin their life before embarking on the most diverse of journeys.
As the Chinese saying goes: “All water has a source and every tree a root.”

Strong leadership and community involvement are essential in preserving and
nurturing our water (re)sources. But there are a number of obstacles to be
overcome before a project of this kind can get off the ground. Swiss Re
established the International ReSource Award for Sustainable Watershed
Management in an attempt to actively support the planning, evaluation and
implementation of water-related projects with the aim of promoting awareness
and encouraging the efficient use of this precious resource. Swiss Re is
convinced that this commitment will attract further funds dedicated to
preserving water supplies.

For the more detailed information please visit:

CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)

Tel: ++995 32 92 39 46
Fax: ++995 32 92 39 47
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:

California Courier Online, July 29, 2004

1 – Commentary
Speaker Hastert Misleads Twice,
Opposing Armenian Genocide Bills

By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
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2 – Evereg-Fenesse Educational Society
Celebrates 125th Anniversary on Labor Day
3 – St. James Church Honors
Pastor For Elevation
4 – AYF Plans Annual
‘Little Armenia’
Clean-Up, Sept. 25
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1 – Commentary

Speaker Hastert Misleads Twice,
Opposing Armenian Genocide Bills

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

Four years ago, when Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert
(Republican-Illinois) needed the votes of Armenian-Americans in a tight
congressional race in Glendale, California, to secure the Republican
majority in the House of Representatives and his own position as Speaker,
he promised to bring the then pending Armenian Genocide Resolution – which
had been languishing in the House for two years – to a floor vote before
the November 2000 elections.
However, a couple of weeks before the elections and just minutes before the
resolution was scheduled for a vote by the full House, Speaker Hastert, at
the request of Pres. Clinton, reneged on his promise and pulled the
Resolution from the floor, blocking its assured passage.
Hastert then shamelessly made a second deceptive promise. “The U.S. House
of Representatives will undoubtedly return to consideration of this
important issue,” he said. In 2003, after the House Judiciary Committee
adopted a Resolution on the U.N. Genocide Convention that included a
passing reference to the Armenian Genocide, Hastert blocked its
consideration by the full House.
To make matters worse, two weeks ago when the House adopted an amendment
proposed by Cong. Adam Schiff (Democrat-Calif.) to the foreign aid bill,
prohibiting the Turkish government from using U.S. foreign assistance to
lobby Congress against legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide,
Hastert revealed his most antagonistic position yet on the congressional
recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
In a joint statement with Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Republican-Texas) and
Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Republican-Missouri), Speaker Hastert attacked not
only the Schiff amendment, but also, even more surprisingly, the U.N.
Genocide Convention Resolution (H.Res. 193) that mentions the Armenian
Genocide. Here is the full text of the statement issued by the House
Republican leadership:
“We are strongly opposed to the Schiff Amendment to the Foreign Operations
Appropriations bill, and we will insist that conferees drop that provision
in conference. We have contacted the Bush Administration, and they have
indicated their strong opposition to the amendment. We have also conveyed
our opposition to Chairman Kolbe and he has assured us that he will insist
on it being dropped in the conference committee.
“Turkey has been a reliable ally of the United States for decades, and the
deep foundation upon which our mutual economic and security relationship
rests should not be disrupted by this amendment.
“On its face, the amendment is meaningless. Current U.S. law already
prohibits foreign governments from using American foreign aid to lobby. But
we understand the political motivation behind the amendment, and for that
reason, we will insist that it be dropped.
“Our relationship with Turkey is too important to us to allow it to be in
any way damaged by a poorly crafted and ultimately meaningless amendment.
“Furthermore, we have no intention of scheduling H.Res. 193, as reported
out of the Judiciary Committee in April, during the remainder of this
Congress.”
In addition to the House Republican leadership, the Bush Administration
also opposed the Schiff amendment, even though Pres. Bush, as a candidate,
had promised to support the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Richard
Boucher, the Spokesman for the State Dept., issued the following statement:
“The Administration strongly opposes this amendment which seeks to restrict
U.S. assistance to Turkey.
“It should not become law. The amendment is detrimental to the cause we all
seek: reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia in pursuit of regional
peace and economic cooperation. Turkey and Armenia have been pursuing these
goals through direct meetings.
“Turkey, our key NATO ally, and Armenia, our close friend, are partners in
the Global War on Terror and in advancing democracy, prosperity and
stability in the Caucasus. Our goal is to bolster cooperation between these
two countries rather than to separate them.
“We welcome the statement by House Speaker Hastert, Majority Leader DeLay
and Majority Whip Blunt citing their strong opposition to this amendment
and their commitment to insisting that the amendment be dropped in
conference. We welcome the Leadership’s recognition of the important
relationship with our reliable ally and friend Turkey and of the need for
continued close economic and security relations between our countries.”
In the next three months, as Armenian-Americans prepare to cast their votes
in the congressional and presidential elections, they should reward all
those who supported the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and punish
those who opposed it. This is not a partisan issue. The Schiff amendment
would have not passed without the support of many Democrats as well as
Republicans in the House.
In this particular episode, the good guys who backed this measure were:
* Cong. Adam Schiff (Dem.-CA) made extraordinary efforts to secure the
passage of his amendment that for the fourth time, and not the first (as
some members of the media have mistakenly reported), puts the U.S. House of
Representatives on record in recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The
other three times were in 1975, 1984, and 1996.
* Cong. Frank Pallone, Jr. (Dem.-N.J.) strongly supported Schiff’s efforts
with remarks on the House floor and subsequently sent a strongly worded
letter to Speaker Hastert blasting him for blocking both the Schiff
Amendment and the Genocide Resolution (twice).
* Cong. Joseph Crowley (Dem.-NY) delivered very strong remarks on the House
floor in support of the Schiff amendment.
* Cong. George Radanovich (Rep.-CA) joined Congressmen Schiff and Pallone
in co-signing a letter urging other House members to sign a “Dear
Colleague” letter to Speaker Hastert.
Here is the list of the bad guys who opposed the Schiff amendment:
* Speaker Hastert (Rep.-Ill.), a repeat offender.
* House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Rep.-Tex.).
* House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Rep.-Missouri).
* Cong. Jim Kolbe (Rep.-Arizona), the Chairman of Foreign Operations
Appropriations Subcommittee, issued a statement opposing the Schiff
amendment after its passage, when the Republican leadership put the heat on
him for not blocking it on the floor. He said: “As the chair of the pending
conference committee on the Foreign Operations bill, I will insist this
meaningless language be removed in conference.”
* The Bush Administration for opposing both the Schiff Amendment and the
Genocide Resolution.
I urge everyone to send a WebFax via to Speaker Hastert,
Majority Leader DeLay and Majority Whip Blunt expressing your
disappointment at their opposition to the Schiff amendment. I would also
urge all Armenian-American organizations to sign a joint letter being
currently circulated to Speaker Hastert asking him to reconsider his
opposition to the Schiff amendment and the Genocide Resolution.

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2 – Evereg-Fenesse Educational Society
Celebrates 125th Anniversary on Labor Day
By Mireille Kalfayan

PASADENA, Calif. – The Evereg-Fenesse Mesrobian-Roupinian Educational
Society is celebrating its 125th Anniversary, on September 3, 4, and 5,
2004 (Labor Day weekend), during its 17th Triennial International
Convention at the Sheraton Universal Hotel.
One would wonder why young, modern, educated Diaspora-born Armenians would
dedicate themselves to propagate this “old country” organization, and
maintain its ancestral traditions with the same awe and affiliation as
their immigrant parents and grandparents?
Is it in respect or nostalgia of our childhood memories at hyrenagitz
(compatriotic) picnics and dances, or of our parents’ and grandparents’
dedication to safeguard old traditions and history, or simply fascination
of the mystery of its long abiding spirit in our veins?
For a daughter of Everegtsi mother and Fenessetsi father, asked to write
about the history and growth of this organization, unfolding the mystery
revealed a culture deep in tradition and its relentless urge for education.
Starting from its geography, its history and legends, to its inception in
the diaspora, Evereg-Fenesse presents the magical mystery of faith and
survival of all Armenians. Here is Our Story.

Geography & History
Evereg is located south of Ceasaria, separated by Erjias Lehr (Arkeos as
the Greeks called it), the highest mountain of the region, covered always
with snow. It is believed that Noah’s Ark had first hit this mountain and
the Nahabed having said, “Arachinnen eh ahs,” his words had been converted
into “Erjias.” Before the Turkish expansion, in the years around 1285,
Evereg had been inhabited by Greeks who had built towers on the mountain
and waterways down to the towns. It was conquered by Turkish generals Dev
Ali, Kheder Elias, and Sheikh Ali, and all its Greek inhabitants massacred.
Dev Ali’s followers settled on the mountain, taking over the towers and its
waters, calling the town Develi.
When war was over, skilled workers were needed for rebuilding. Armenians,
being known for their skills, came and settled there, but half an hour
south of Develi, in the valley where the Greeks had built a church and a
waterway running down to it from the mountain. The church had been
destroyed, but the water was available. The Turks settled on the south of
that waterway. The Armenians settled on the northside, expanding later
over its hills to the other side. Armenian immigrants coming from different
regions were identified by their names; for example, those from Persia were
called Barsamenk, from Tehran, Tarkhanenk, from Tomarza, Domartsook…. These
Armenians co-existed peacefully with the Turks, free to practice their
religion, and living on gardening and commerce.
Two hundred years later, Armenian immigrants from Konya came to settle
above the hills where the Turks’ homes ended, calling it Fenesse. So the
two towns of Evereg and Fenesse, although near each other (about a
10-minute walk) were separated by Turks. Both Evereg and Fenesse prided on
highly skilled craftsmen:
ironsmith, cobbler, carpenter, hairdresser, tailor, weaver, etc. Each had
its own “shooga” with many shops and stores. Each had its own church, both
named St. Toros, with their adjacent schools Evereg-Mesrobian School, and
Fenesse-Roupinian School.

Origins of the Organization
The Evereg Fenesse Farmers Union was first formed in 1861 in Istanbul to
help compatriots in their region. Founded and chaired by Garabed Panossian
and Kevork Kelejian (a “gesaratsi”), it gathered 300 members of cobblers,
painters, “chalmale, shalvarle,” poor people who had come to seek work in
Istanbul. The union
Rented two restaurants and opened one tobacco store, collecting donations –
“passing a hat at the restaurant.” Six months later, it had raised 28,000
ghroosh, for the villages of Evereg and Fenesse. This union dissolved
later.
During 1870’s, when a general movement among the Armenians in Istanbul
aimed at elevating the standards of education in Armenian schools
throughout Turkey, the Everegtsis and Fenessetsis separately raised funds
and sent qualified teachers to their homeland. Thus in 1878, were founded
the Evereg-Mesrobian and Fenesse-Roupinian Educational societies, named
after the schools in these two villages.
With many Everegtsis and Fenessetsis escaping the growing strife in Turkey
and moving to America, Evereg-Mesrobian was founded again in New York on
October 1, 1906, extending chapters later to other states. Many of those
chapters later dissolved except for Detroit which kept sending help to its
school in Turkey till 1914. The society then sent money to its chapter in
Beirut to distribute to needy emigrant families. It also provided tuition
support to elementary school students of Everegtsi or Fenessetsi descent
who attended the AGBU Armenian school in Detroit and to colleges in
Michigan. “When we came to America in 1928 with my husband, there were two
societies, Evereg and Fenesse, but we attended each other’s activities,”
explained 92-year-old Mrs. Nercessian, wife of Nercess Nercessian, a long
time secretary of the society.
When all Armenians from New York and Michigan went to California, they
started working together and suggested joining the societies. One reason,
Mrs. Nercessian explained, was that as most Everegtsi and Fenessetsi
families had intermarried, the funds received from each society by their
members were being duplicated. Considering this and the fact that these two
communities had lived side by side and shared the joys and sorrows of life
together as one community, the need of a merger was felt more and more
strongly. Therefore, on April 17, 1955, authorized representatives of the
Mesrobian and Roupinian Associations met
in New York and signed an Agreement of Unification, drawing a constitution
and by-laws, which was ratified at a joint convention held on September 1,
1956.
The joint Evereg-Fenesse Mesrobian-Roupinian Educational Society still
stands to this day in many chapters in Detroit, New York, Los Angeles, and
Beirut, continuing to raise funds and supporting Armenian education and the
traditions of the culture.
For Information about the Convention, call Margaret Mgrublian at (626)
798-4480, E-mail: [email protected], or Houry Kurkciyan at (818)
346-0893, E-mail: [email protected]
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3 – St. James Church Honors
Pastor For Elevation
LOS ANGELES – The St. James Armenian Church recently held a banquet
congratulating the Rev. Fr. Arshag Khatchadourian on his elevation to Arch
Priest. Over 300 hundred quests were in attendance. Archbishop Hovnan
Derderian, Primate, Armenian Church of North America, celebrated the Divine
Liturgy and honored Fr. Arshag with an encyclical issued by Catholicos
Karekin II.
On this occasion, Archbishop Derderian honored the members of the St. James
Parish Council, the Ladies Society, the Memorial Fund and the Chairmen of
all auxiliary bodies for their dedication to St. James.
Archbishop Derderian also presented Mary Najarian with an Encyclical
Blessing from Catholicos Karekin II for her medical and humanitarian
efforts both here and in Armenia.
In his congratulatory remarks, Archbishop Derderian stated that Fr. Arshag
is the embodiment of the Christian faith, love and hope; commending him for
his continued support and dedication to the church; and that the presence
of the faithful certainly testifies to the outpouring love of his people.

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4 – AYF Plans Annual
‘Little Armenia’
Clean-Up, Sept. 25
LOS ANGELES – The planning and organizing of the Second Annual Little
Armenia Clean Up has begun, the Armenian Youth Federation announced last
week. The Clean Up is scheduled for Sept. 25. The Clean Up is scheduled for
Sept. 25, starting at 8:30 a.m.
The clean up, cosponsored by Council Member Eric Garcetti’s Office, will
follow an opening ceremony, including remarks by Garcetti. Volunteers for
the clean up will work to remove litter and unwanted weeds from the streets
and sidewalks.
The clean up, a project of the AYF Little Armenia Beautification Program,
will include the renewal of the “Welcome to Little Armenia” banners placed
on various major intersections of Little Armenia.
“It is an honor to the Armenian American community to have an area of the
Los Angeles named after our homeland,” said Vicken Sosikian, Chairman of
the AYF Western Region. “Since October of 2000, we have enjoyed this honor,
and feel that we not only need to give back to Little Armenia and its
residents, but also to the city of Los Angeles.”
The AYF counts on the support of the Armenian community to make this
community outreach event a success. Those who are interested in
volunteering for the clean up or contributing to the effort in anyway
should email the AYF at [email protected].
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authorship.

Le Figaro, France
24 juillet 2004

EUROPE
La marche turque

SYLVIE PIERRE-BROSSOLETTE

C’est une histoire étrange : une majorité de Français sont hostiles à
l’entrée de la Turquie dans l’Union européenne, les partis de la
majorité ont pris officiellement position contre, l’UMP a même fait
du rejet de l’adhésion turque un thème de campagne lors des élections
européennes de juin et… Jacques Chirac accueille à bras ouverts le
Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Lors de sa visite à
Paris, il lui a renouvelé son soutien à l’intégration future de la
Turquie. Malgré toutes les réticences, les jeux semblent donc faits.
Le 5 octobre, la Commission de Bruxelles remettra son rapport sur la
candidature de la Turquie. Remplira-t-elle les fameux «critères de
Copenhague» qui autoriseraient l’ouverture rapide de négociations ?
On sait déjà que l’exécutif européen va répondre oui. Il restera aux
chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement à acter l’affaire lors du Conseil
européen du 17 dé-cembre. Il faudra alors un vote à l’unanimité, mais
seule l’Autriche continue de manifester son hostilité à la
perspective d’une adhésion turque. Le suspense semble bien mince :
dans cinq ans, dans dix ans, Ankara sera probablement membre à part
entière de l’Union. Cette perspective fche beaucoup de monde en
France. Pas seulement la droite qui sur ce point, à l’UMP comme à
l’UDF, ne cache pas son clair désaccord avec le chef de l’Etat. A
gauche aussi : car si le PS prône un «oui, si» – dont un des «si», la
reconnaissance ou non du génocide arménien, pose un gros obstacle sur
la route de l’intégration de la Turquie -, certains leaders
socialistes disent, en privé, leur opposition nette au projet. Au
premier rang, Laurent Fabius, qui redoute le poids démographique de
la Turquie (71,3 millions d’habitants) au sein de l’Union («En
introduisant le premier pays par son nombre, on rend encore plus
difficile l’organisation de coopérations renforcées») et rejette
l’idée d’une «frontière commune» de l’Europe avec l’Irak. C’est dans
ce contexte que va se dérouler la bataille du référendum sur les
institutions européennes, annoncé par Jacques Chirac pour l’automne
2005. Les discussions avec la Turquie seront alors sans doute bien
engagées. Comment réagiront les électeurs français mis devant le fait
accompli ? Plus que jamais la question : «Quelle Europe voulez-vous
?», aura un sens.