Author: Chmshkian Vicken

BoxingTalk.com
Dec 1 2004

Undefeated cruiserweight contenders battle in Prague

Press release: Two undefeated European cruiserweight contenders clash
on Friday, Dec. 3, in Prague, Czech Republik. The top ranked Pavel
Melkomian, 17-0 (7), of the Universum boxing stable defends his WBA
international 190 lb. crown against hard punching home boy Lubos
Suda, 8-0 (7).

Confusingly Lubos Suda is holding the WBA international interim title
in the same weight class and defended it twice while in the same
period Melkomian defended his full title once as well. That’s why it
was about time that those two 190 lb Euro competitors met for this
European version of a unification championship.

`Pavel is in a very good constitution. He’s fresh and relaxed’, team
member and physio therapist Mathias Böhme said. `In contrast to
previous fights he’s not that strained. We played Billard yesterday
evening in Prague and Pavel was pretty well balanced.’

`We expect strong opposition from Suda’, coach Magomed Shaburow said.
`But Pavel is more variable. He can throw punches with both hands and
is the more mobile fighter. We’re confident that we return home with
a victory.’

The fight at the Kongress Hall of Hotel Hilton in Prague will be the
second defense of the WBA int. champion from Moscow. The Hamburg
based Armenian won the intercontinental title on April 26, 2003, with
a technical decision after round 5 in a brutal battle against
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk from Poland and defended it on May 18, 2004,
with an 8th round technical knockout against Gábor Halász from
Hungary.

24-year-old Pavel Melkomian is currently ranked WBC #5, WBA #11 and
WBO #10.

The official weigh-in for this event of OK-KO Promotion will be on
Thursday, Dec. 2, 16:00 at the Hilton.

Baltic News Service
December 1, 2004

LITHUANIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY EXPERTS GOING TO AZERBAIJAN

VILNIUS

A delegation of the Lithuanian Defense Ministry’s experts is going to
Azerbaijan next week to meet with officials of the Defense Ministry
and General Staff.

According to the press release, the Dec. 3-6 visit is scheduled to
address issues of bilateral cooperation, regional security in South
Caucasus, studies of Azerbaijani officers at the Lithuanian War
Academy and the Baltic Defense College in the Estonian city Tartu,
participation in international operations and the course of defense
reforms.

The visit is held as an additional measure in the framework of a
program to ensure support and security in countries of the South
Caucasus. According to the press release, the visit is expected to
assess Azerbaijan’s needs in the light of NATO integration and other
fields.

A bilateral cooperation plan for 2005 should also be signed during
the visit.

Earlier this fall, Defense Ministry experts attended
political-military consultations with Georgia, Armenia and Ukraine. A
decision was made to proceed with cooperation in the field of
military education, offer advice in NATO integration, invite them to
international war games Amber Hope 2005 and exchange visits of
experts.

The Lithuanian Defense Ministry decided to continue financing studies
of these countries’ officers at the War Academy in 2005, as well as
pay for Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian students at the Baltic
Defense College in Tartu. Lithuanian army experts agreed to hold
practical consultations at the Armenian peacekeeping battalion.

Sunday Times, Australia
Advertiser, Australia
Mercury, Australia
Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia
Dec 2 2004

On this day

02dec04

1920 – Armenia cedes territory to Turkey by Treaty of Alexandropol
while Communists seize power in Armenian capital Yerevan and proclaim
a Soviet republic.

1697 – The chancel in St Paul’s Cathedral, London, virtually
destroyed after the Civil War and repaired and redesigned by Sir
Christopher Wren, is formally opened for worship.
1790 – Austrian troops re-enter Brussels and suppress the revolution.

1804 – Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself emperor of France in Paris,
taking the crown from attending Pope Pius VII.
1805 – Napoleon wins a brilliant victory at the battle of Austerlitz
against Russia and Austria.
1814 – The Comte de Sade, known as the Marquis de Sade, dies; his
unnatural sexual practices and writings about them led to the term
sadism.
1815 – Britain and Rajah of Nepal sign a peace treaty.
1823 – Gold is discovered in the Fish River near Bathurst, NSW; US
President James Monroe declares the Monroe Doctrine, which opposes
European expansion.
1848 – Austria’s Emperor Ferdinand I abdicates in favour of Franz
Joseph I.
1851 – Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, president of France, suspends the
constitution during a coup. Street fighting breaks out in Paris.
1852 – Second French Empire is proclaimed with Louis-Napoleon
Bonaparte as Emperor Napoleon III.
1854 – Austria concludes alliance with Britain and France.
1856 – France and Spain reach agreement on their frontiers.
1859 – John Brown, American anti-slavery campaigner, is hanged after
an abortive raid on the federal arsenal in Virginia.
1901 – King Camp Gillette patents the first safety razor, which has a
double-edged disposable blade.
1920 – Armenia cedes territory to Turkey by Treaty of Alexandropol
while Communists seize power in Armenian capital Yerevan and proclaim
a Soviet republic.
1932 – Controversial “bodyline” cricket series begins in Sydney
between Australia and England.
1942 – Nuclear chain reaction is demonstrated for the first time by
scientists working on the Manhattan Project underneath the University
of Chicago’s football stadium.
1950 – United Nations agrees to hand over Eritrea to Ethiopia.
1954 – US Senator Joseph McCarthy is censured by the Senate for
browbeating Army personnel with his Communist witch-hunts.
1960 – Australian Government lifts embargo on export of iron ore to
Japan, leading to large expansion of the industry in Western
Australia; The Archbishop of Canterbury visits Pope John XXIII in the
first meeting of the heads of the two major religions.
1961 – Britain refuses Uganda’s request for independence; Cuban
leader Fidel Castro declares himself a Marxist-Leninist who will lead
Cuba to Communism.
1969 – The Boeing 747 jumbo jet makes its debut as 191 people, most
of them reporters and photographers, fly from Seattle to New York
City.
1971 – Britain terminates all treaties with crucial states in Gulf,
leading to formation of United Arab Emirates.
1972 – Gough Whitlam elected Prime Minister of Australia in first ALP
victory in 23 years.
1975 – Israeli jets carry out heavy raids against Palestinian targets
in southern and northern Lebanon, killing 91 people and wounding 150.
Residents of adjacent Lebanese villages in the south are among the
dead and injured.
1982 – In the first operation of its kind, doctors at the University
of Utah Medical Centre implant a permanent artificial heart. Barney
Clark, a retired dentist, lives 112 days with the device.
1986 – More than 16,000 Hindus go on a rampage in New Delhi to
protest at Sikh terrorist killings in Punjab state.
1988 – Arab diplomats introduce resolution in United Nations to move
General Assembly to Geneva so PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat can address
the world body.
1989 – Australian Labor Party under Wayne Goss gains power in
Queensland election after 32 years in opposition.
1990 – Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s center-right coalition easily wins
re-election in first all-German elections since 1932.
1991 – Kidnappers release American Joseph Cicippio, held hostage in
Beirut for more than five years.
1992 – The FMLN guerrillas in El Salvador begin destroying the
weapons they used in a 12-year civil war.
1993 – Drug lord Pablo Escobar, one of the world’s most wanted men,
is killed in a gunfight with security forces in Colombia, 16 months
after he escaped from prison.
1994 – Ferry carrying more than 600 people collides with a freighter
and sinks in Manila Bay, Philippines. Sixty bodies are recovered, 85
people are missing.
1995 – A Singapore court sentences former trader Nick Leeson to 6 1/2
years in prison in the crash of Britain’s oldest merchant bank.
1996 – A bomb explodes on a train bound for the troubled northern
Indian state of Jammu-Kashmir, killing at least 12 people and
injuring 39.
1997 – A Turkish court sentences 33 to death for a mob attack that
killed 37 intellectuals who had gathered in a hotel to discuss
promoting secularism.
1998 – NATO forces arrest General Radislav Krstic, the most senior
Bosnian Serb military figure yet to be seized for UN trial on
genocide and war crimes charges.
1999 – Investigators confirm that a young man who died during a gene
therapy experiment in September was killed by the treatment. Jesse
Gelsinger, 18, was believed to be the first person to die as a direct
result of gene therapy.
2000 – A German court rules that prostitution cannot be considered
illegal if it is done willingly without criminal ties; a Berlin
district had charged a cafe owner with fostering immorality by
renting seven rooms near her cafe to prostitutes who contacted
clients in the bar.
2001 – Enron Corp., the largest United States energy-trading company,
files for bankruptcy protection, dealing a blow to financial markets
worldwide. It is the largest bankruptcy in US history.
2002 – Rowan Williams, known for promoting women bishops and
defending gays, officially becomes Archbishop of Canterbury,
spiritual leader of the world’s 70 million Anglicans.
2003 – Top Israeli officials reject the “Geneva accord”, designed by
former Israeli and Palestinian leaders, saying it fails to advance
the overall peace process.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Nov 29 2004

Baku says NATO involvement in conflict settlement possible

Baku does not rule out NATO involvement in settlement of the Upper
Garabagh conflict process.
`NATO’s participation in the conflict resolution is possible and we
consider the use of the organization’s potential useful’, Deputy
Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said speaking on `Security in South
Caucasus’ at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Rose Roth seminar in
Baku on Friday.
Azimov did not rule out the alliance’s involvement in a peacekeeping
mission in the conflict zone after a truce between Azerbaijan and
Armenia is signed.
The Deputy Foreign Minister regarded as acceptable the peaceful
co-existence of the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Upper
Garabagh with guarantees for their security and supervision by the
international community at the first stage.
Azimov added that Azerbaijan still hopes for a peaceful conflict
settlement.*

Baku says NATO role in Karabakh possible

Interfax
Nov 26 2004

BAKU. Nov 26 (Interfax-Azerbaijan) – The Azerbaijani authorities said
that NATO may play a role in settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“NATO’s participation in resolving the conflict may become possible.
In our opinion, using this organization’s resources would be helpful,”
Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told a workshop
organized by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Baku on Friday.

Syrian Arab News Agency, Syria
Nov 25 2004

Mofti-Islamic Unity
Mofti of the Syrian city of Aleppo meets Clergy

Beirut, Nov. 2 5 (SANA)-

Mofti of the Syrian city of Aleppo , Sheikh Ahmad Hassoun has
expressed the Syrian Clergymen care for the unity among the Islamic
countries.

Following two meetings held yesterday in Beirut by the gathering of
the Moslem and Armenian Catholicos /Aram I/, scholars, Sheikh Hassoun
stressed the cohesion between Syria and Lebanon , calling the Arab
countries to unify ranks and become as one body.

He saw that the relation between Syria and Lebanon is a relation of
one destiny and joint history, stressing that relation between the
Syrian people and the Armenian people is historical and deeply
–rooted.

A.N.Idelbi

–Boundary_(ID_/B4wjiPBxLGVWeT2EWQjJQ)–

AzerTag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Nov 24 2004

PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV RECEIVED COMMANDER OF TURKEY’S
GENDARMERIE, ARMY GENERAL FEVZI TURKERI AND ACCOMPANYING DELEGATION
[November 24, 2004, 19:30:02]

On 24 November, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
received a delegation of Turkey led by Commander of the country’s
Gendarmerie Forces, Army General Fevzi Turkeri.

Warmly greeting the guest, the Head of State expressed satisfaction
with a number of important meetings General Fevzi Turkeri had held in
Azerbaijan, and stressed the significance of further strengthening
the cooperation between the Turkish Gendarmerie Forces and Internal
Troops of Azerbaijan.

Expressing the gratitude to the Turkish Gendarmerie Forces for the
assistance provided to the Republic, President Ilham Aliyev noted
that the relations between the “One nation, two states” as was said
by national leader Heydar Aliyev are rapidly developed in all spheres.

Recalling his official visit to Turkey, the Azerbajani leader said the
meetings and document signed during that had created very favorable
conditions for further development and deepening of the bilateral
relations.

According to the President, the recent joint business forum in
Baku became a one more evidence of the very good level of economic
cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey. The Head of State especially
touched on the development of the two countries’ military cooperation.

“Since Azerbaijan re-gained its state independence, we have always
felt Turkey’s support in this sphere. The assistance that friendly
and brotherly Turkey provides to raise the combat training standards
in the Azerbaijan Army is of paramount significance for us. This
cooperation continues to successfully develop today”, he said.

Mentioning the huge work done in the sphere of army building in
Azerbaijan,

President Ilham Aliyev noted the socio-political stability within the
country whose foundation was laid by national leader Heydar Aliyev,
is now getting even stronger. He expressed regret, at the same time,
that the long-running negotiations to settle the hardest problem of
Azerbaijan, the conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, have
not yet brought any results.

Reinforcing of the Azerbaijan Armed Forces serves insuring peace and
stability in the region and strengthening of our country’s position
on the way of urgent and peaceful resolution of this conflict, said
the President.

Noting that the Government is taking all necessary measures to
organize the army building process on a high level, the Head of State
expressed confidence that the visit by General Fevzi Turkeri would
make a considerable contribution to the military cooperation between
Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Commander of Turkey’s Gendarmerie, Army General Fevzi Turkeri thanked
the President for the meeting and kind words saying it was a great
honor for him to visit friendly and brotherly Azerbaijan.

He said the relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan have deep
historical roots, and they are being successfully developed on the
“one nation, two states” level.

The General noted that the cooperation between the armed forces of
Turkey and Azerbaijan are strengthened day by day, and that that
between the Turkey’s Gendarmerie and Azerbaijan Internal Forces is
no exception.

I witnessed the high level of preparedness of the Azerbaijan’s Internal
Troops, and I am proud of it, he said.

General Turkeri assured the Head of State that Turkey would continue
to provide assistance and support friendly and brotherly Azerbaijan.
He also expressed confidence that the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict
would be peacefully solved very soon.

General Fevzi Turkeri finnaly passed on the greetings from
Commander-in-Chief of the Turkish Armed Forces Helmi Ozkek to President
Ilham Aliyev.

The Azerbaijani President expressed his deep gratitude for the
greetings and asked the guest to convey his sincere greetings and best
wishes to Commander-in-Chief of the Turkish Armed Forces Helmi Ozkek.

Present at the meeting was Minister of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan
Ramil Usubov and Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan,
Commander of the Internal Troops, Major-General Zakir Hasanov.

Armenian head stresses regional cooperation in conflict settlement at Berlin forum

Arminfo
22 Nov 04

Yerevan, 22 November: One of the main obstacles hindering the Karabakh
settlement is lack of regional cooperation, Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan said at the Berlin Economic Forum on 19 November.

He said that Armenia believes the conflict can be settled through
regional cooperation but Azerbaijan refrains from possible cooperation
until the settlement of the conflict. Meanwhile, the Armenian president
considers that the main rule is to promise to do what is feasible
and to implement what was promised.

“In this way we are building our relations with all international
financial structures and international organizations,” he noted, adding
that the history of the EU once again demonstrated the advantages of
regional cooperation.

“This is not only a way to prosperity but also a tool for establishing
stability. Based on its experience, Europe should be more persistent
in the issue of conflict settlement in the South Caucasus by reviving
cooperation. We are sure that this is the most effective way to reach
peace,” the Armenian president stressed.

Japonica & Open Society Partner on Critical Thinking Initiative

PROVIDENCE, R.I. and YEREVAN, Republic of Armenia–(BUSINESS WIRE)—-

— Mission to strengthen democracy & free enterprise in emerging democracies
with world-class program —

The Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation – Armenia (“OSIAFA”) and
The Charles & Agnes Kazarian Eternal (“C.A.K.E.”) Foundation – an affiliate of
Japonica Intersectoral – announce an agreement to partner on a critical
thinking initiative to strengthen democracy and free enterprise in emerging
democracies with a world-class educational program. The project’s main goal is to
develop an academic course entitled “Critical Thinking, Research, and Writing
Skills” for introduction into Yerevan’s higher educational institutions.

The “C.A.K.E” Foundation created Japonica Intersectoral, a global
benchmarking and best-practice research firm in Yerevan, whose mission is to strengthen
democracy and free enterprise in developing countries through global
benchmarking and best practice research. Japonica Intersectoral is one of the
largest private-sector employers of professionals with graduate degrees in the
Caucasus and expects to have approximately 50 Research Associates in Yerevan over
the next three years.

S. Michael Levin, the “C.A.K.E.” Foundation’s Chief of Staff, commented,
“For Japonica Intersectoral, the development of world-class Critical Thinking,
Research, and Writing Skills within Yerevan’s higher educational institutions
is mission-critical.”

The project is complementary to Open Society’s regional initiative that is
being led by experts at the Central European University in Budapest. The
OSIAFA has supported a number of educational initiatives in Armenia including
teacher’s training in the RWTC (Reading Writing for Critical Thinking)
methodology. According to Larisa Minasyan, Executive Director of OSIAFA, “For the
success of numerous educational initiatives in higher education, the development
of students’ ability for critical analysis and writing is instrumental.”

The course will be developed by the Center for Educational Development and
Research, NGO working directly with both organizations. Potential pilot
universities include Yerevan State Institute of Economics, Yerevan State
Engineering University, Yerevan State University, American University of Armenia, and
Yerevan State Linguistic University after V. Brusov.

About OSIAFA

The Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation – Armenia, a private
operating and grant making foundation, aims to shape public policy to promote
democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform. OSI
was created in 1993 by investor and philanthropist George Soros to support his
foundations in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

About The “C.A.K.E” Foundation

The Charles & Agnes Kazarian Eternal (“C.A.K.E.”) Foundation is a
not-for-profit organization created in 1993 by Paul B. Kazarian, Founder and Managing
Director of Japonica Partners. The “C.A.K.E.” Foundation seeks to empower
Armenians living in both the Diaspora and Armenia through education, technology,
and healthcare. Its three primary initiatives are Japonica Intersectoral,
Shepherd Technologies, and Community Micro-Finance. The “C.A.K.E.” Foundation’s
initiatives are proactively managed and measured according to “New
Philanthropy Benchmarking: Wisdom for the Passionate.”

“C.A.K.E” Foundation S. Michael Levin, 401-861-6160

11/22/2004 16:24 ET

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
Nov 20 2004

Giving help, a box at a time

Clark Magnet High School students gather dozens of boxes of toys,
books, clothes and shoes to be shipped to Iraqi children.

By Darleene Barrientos, News-Press and Leader

LA CRESCENTA — Having had the luxury of playing with Barbie dolls as
a young girl, the image of Iraqi girls making do with rocks hit home
for Clark Magnet High School student Jenny Lee.

“That kind of got to me,” the 17-year-old student said of a video she
saw. “We have so much here. The least you could do is buy something
for just $1 or $2. Just donating will make us happy and make them
happy.”

So Jenny, a member of her school’s student government, set out to
help her school gather dozens of boxes of toys, school supplies,
shoes and clothes to donate to the women and children of Iraq. The
boxes were handed over to Passions & Dreams Funding, an organization
accepting donations that will be sorted out and shipped to Iraq.

Clark Magnet’s student government mobilized the effort in October,
placing a container in each fourth-period classroom where students
could deposit their donations. The school made a competition of the
effort, in which each classroom could garner points for every type of
donation. Books and coloring books were the most valuable at 200
points, and shoes were worth 150 points. Clothes and toys got each
class 100 points, while school supplies, like pencils and crayons,
were 10 points each.

The school’s goal was to hit about 400,000 points, but the students
exceeded 500,000. Mary Mardirosian’s classroom alone acquired more
than 100,000 points, the most out of the whole school. The classroom
with the most points won an award pointing that out and thanking the
students.

Several of Mardirosian’s students recently moved here from other
countries, so that might have fueled their motivation to donate,
Mardirosian said.

When talking about the effort, Mardirosian talked to her students
about the earthquakes in Armenia and Mexico.

“I said, ‘Now it’s your chance to give,’ ” she said. “It doesn’t
matter your opinion of the war — just help the Iraqi children.”

The cardboard boxes of donations overflowed with a plush, red Elmo, a
Scooby Doo doll, and a SpongeBob Squarepants doll, while sparkly
pencil sets and baby’s clothes protruded from other boxes. A box
filled with worn baseballs and softballs elicited wows from the
students, while plastic bouncing balls nearly popped out of several
other boxes.

“I’m blown away,” said Silva Mirzoian, the founder of Passions &
Dreams. “I’m overwhelmed with their generosity. I had no idea they
would gather so much.

The organization will take this shipment to a warehouse so workers
can sort through the goods and make sure they are appropriate to the
country’s customs. Mirzoian said she hoped the toys, clothes, shoes
and books would be in the hands of the Iraqi children by
mid-December. For more information about Passions & Dreams or to
donate, call (310) 273-1019 or go to their website at

–Boundary_(ID_BNt11hilcyoZFx2dnsthjg)–