Author: Dabaghian Diana

Eurasia Insight Armenia Facing Instability Ahead – Report

Posted October 29, 2004 © Eurasianet

Armenia faces instability unless it takes quick steps to improve
relations with its neighbors, and fosters the rule-of-law at home,
according to a new study that examines the Caucasus nationâ~@~Ys
political and economic prospects. The report, prepared by
the International Crisis Group, urges Armenia to approach the
Nagorno-Karabakh peace process “realistically.” It adds that President
Robert Kocharianâ~@~Ys administration should “supplement economic
success with robust democratization.”

The report, titled Armenia: Internal Instability Ahead, says
the stalemated Karabakh peace process “looms over all aspects of
Armeniaâ~@~Ys political life and compounds its instability.” [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. A lasting Karabakh
settlement is needed to secure Armeniaâ~@~Ys long-term economic
security, the report maintains. Yet, Armenian leaders have little room
for diplomatic maneuver in their negotiations with their Azerbaijani
counterparts, it adds. Yerevan is under heavy popular pressure,
especially from the Armenian Diaspora, to make no concessions on
Karabakhâ~@~Ys independence from Baku. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].

“The [Karabakh] issue previously helped unify Armeniaâ~@~Ys political
elite, but ultimately, it may polarize popular opinion and society,”
the report says. While nearly all Armenians believe that the country
should defend Karabakhâ~@~Ys interests during peace negotiations, a
growing number in Yerevan seem to feel the territoryâ~@~Ys priorities
have already eclipsed Armeniaâ~@~Ys own needs, including regional
economic integration. The Karabakh issue, at the same time, has
become so politically sensitive that Armenian officials are afraid
of disturbing the status quo. The report cites a poll conducted in
August 2004, which shows that almost 50 percent of Armenians believe
war with Azerbaijan is the countryâ~@~Ys most serious threat in
the coming five years. “Today, the issue is perceived as dangerous,
if not suicidal for Armenian politicians,” the report said.

The Karabakh dilemma threatens to upend Armeniaâ~@~Ys economic
development, which is the key to long-term security. Over the past
decade, the country has experienced “substantial macroeconomic
growth,” with GDP now rising at a 10-percent annual rate, the report
says. Growth has been unevenly distributed, however, with per capita
income still standing at only $80 per month. The lack of a Karabakh
settlement may bring economic progress to a halt, the report stresses.
“The Southern Caucasus badly needs economic integration to sustain
its nascent growth,” the report states. “Yerevan is excluded from
participation in all major regional trade and East-West pipeline
projects, mostly as a consequence of the unresolved conflict.”

The report indicates that achieving a Karabakh breakthrough
will require a reevaluation of Yerevanâ~@~Ys current negotiating
stance. “Despite rhetoric, Armenians acknowledge they share many
experiences and interests with other Caucasian nations,” the report
says. “They know the future can improve only if old relations with
Azerbaijan â~@~S which means addressing the Nagorno-Karabakh issue
realistically â~@~S and Georgia are renewed,” the report says.

Complicating efforts to promote economic growth is the “frozen” state
of domestic politics, in which Kocharianâ~@~Ys opponents maintain a
boycott of parliament. [For additional information see the Eurasia
Insight archive]. The report characterizes Armenia as internally
unstable “because many basic safeguards of a participatory democracy
do not function. … Elections have been invariably rigged, causing
political unrest and violence.”

The presidential and parliamentary elections of 2003, widely condemned
for widespread irregularities, led to a sharp increase in domestic
political tension. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. Opposition leaders refused to recognize the voting results
and pursued a popular-protest strategy, leading to a confrontation
in April between pro-Kocharian police and opposition demonstrators
in Yerevan. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. Though the popular protests have abated, the political
atmosphere remains polarized.

The report places the main burden for fostering domestic tranquility
on the Kocharian administration. Incumbent authorityâ~@~Ys apparent
desire to monopolize political power is distracting from efforts
to improve living standards, it adds. “Corruption and violations
of democratic procedure have disillusioned a population, half
of which still lives below the poverty line,” the report says.
“Good governance is perhaps the most important element for fighting
poverty and achieving sustainable development.”

Events in Armenia may take a violent turn unless Kocharian takes
quick steps to redress his opponentsâ~@~Y grievances. “The number
of persons ready to act outside the law to advance political aims is
likely to grow if the government continues to repress peaceful protests
violently and to rig elections â~@~S especially should a charismatic
[opposition] leader appear on the scene.”

–Boundary_(ID_Y4bS6aPzTW+ax/ahQ30lag)–

FUTURE OF ARMENIA’S PAST

“Discovery” Program Supports Archeology in Armenia

Azg/am
29 Oct 04

“It’s high time to pay attention to and support the Armenian
Archeology,” Lory Khachaturian writes in Armenian Mirror
Spectator”. But preservation of archeological values demands serious
material and intellectual efforts.

For decades the Armenian archeologists have been hardly studying
the archeological values belonging to various periods and being
confident that the items found through excavations will enrich our
knowledge about the historical, political, economic and public life
of our country, opening new prospects for enlarging the geography
of excavations.

“Discovery” project that is an independent, non-profit organization
is aimed to contribute to the acknowledgement of Armenia’s cultural
heritage, supporting the organization and implementation of excavation
works.

The newly established organization has attracted the attention of both
Armenian and foreign scientists. They have unfolded active initiatives
to achieve the aims of the organization. Theses aims are as follows:

1. To support financially and by other means the archeological and
historical studies.

2. To deepen the relations and cooperation between the Armenian and
foreign scientists.

3. To help students study the contemporary methods and theories of
archeology at US universities.

4. To get financial sources for making excavation and preserving the
valuable monuments.

5. To enlarge the society’s awareness of the sphere.

The program will also pay attention to editing archeological
materials. Till now the results of the excavations were highlighted
only in Armenian and Russian. This factor makes these studies available
for the speakers of these two languages only, while they are important
contribution to the worldâ~@~Ys civilization. Thus, the publication
of these materials in English and in other foreign languages should
not be postponed.

To get more information about the project visit web
site.

By Hakob Tsulikian

–Boundary_(ID_LSnHpYZ13Pf0PsXee6NaBg)–

Los Angeles Daily News
25 Oct. 2004

Scholarships awarded in memory of slain sheriff’s deputy

Kuredjian inspiration for students in law enforcement

By Susan Abram, Staff Writer

GLENDALE — Five students received scholarships Sunday in memory of
slain sheriff’s Deputy Hogop “Jake” Kuredjian, whose name will live on
as more Armenian youth pursue careers in law enforcement.
Sheriff Lee Baca, Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams and several others
also were honored by the Armenian National Peace Officers Association
during the group’s first-ever scholarship ceremony.

The association formed last year with the intention of encouraging more
Armenian youths to consider careers in law enforcement.

Kuredjian “lived a life of pride, a life of wisdom,” Baca said. “His
name will always be at the forefront of what it is to be
Armenian-American.”

Some of the money used for the scholarships was raised by 14-year-old
Austin Losorelli, a Stevenson Ranch resident who collected donations in
memory of Kuredjian. Losorelli set up a table and a sign at the corner
of Stevenson Ranch Parkway a day after Kuredjian was killed in 2001.

“My dad is an LAPD officer. I just felt bad for (Kuredjian’s) family,”
Losorelli said.

With help from his brother Ian, he raised $8,000, and the association
also honored him on Sunday with a plaque presented by Kuredjian’s
brother, Garo, who told the boy, “This is long overdue.”

The slain deputy, a 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles Country
Sheriff’s Department, was helping serve a search warrant Aug. 31, 2001,
in Stevenson Ranch when a man opened fire from an upstairs window,
hitting the deputy once in the head.

Last month, the deputy’s memory was honored with a dedication ceremony
at a new park, named Jake Kuredjian Park, next to Pico Canyon
Elementary School in Santa Clarita.

Steve Shenian, a California Highway Patrol officer and the co-founder
of the Armenian National Peace Officers Association, said the group has
about 90 members in seven states.

The association’s goal is to encourage young Armenian-Americans to
consider law enforcement as a professional career. Glendale’s Armenian
community, the largest outside of Armenia, has been slowly embracing
the profession, officials said, but more work needs to be done.

“We need to get in and break barriers,” Shenian said. “We need to go
into local schools and visit groups. When the children see an Armenian
officer in uniform, it’s powerful.”

The Glendale Police Department has tried with limited success to
attract more Armenian youths to its ranks.

“Law enforcement is extremely important to the Armenian community,”
said Glendale Mayor Bob Yousefian. “I’m not one to say our community
doesn’t have issues. We need help to deal with these issues.”

Seventeen Glendale Police Department officers are Armenian-American —
only two more than there were in 1995.

“A lot of Armenians think law enforcement is not an honorable career,
because from where they came from, law enforcement had a bad image, and
they are afraid,” said 20-year-old Diana Arzrounian, a California State
University, Northridge, student and winner of one of the Kuredjian
scholarships. “We need more programs, such as this one, to talk about
… what law enforcement really is. It’s not just about arresting
people.”

Ross Simonian, Sabina Simonian, Sara Vardapetyan, and Mourad Kabanjian
also received $500 each in memorial scholarships.

RosBusinessConsulting Database
October 21, 2004 Thursday 4:14 am, EST

GDP growth in Armenia announced

The Armenian GDP grew 10.2 percent in January to September 2004.
According to preliminary data of the Armenian National Statistics
Service, the GDP advanced 36.1 percent in September primarily thanks
to the agricultural and construction sectors of the economy. As of
the end of September 2004, the country’s GDP amounted to $2.278bn.

The volume of industrial production reached $620m in January to
September 2004, having advanced 1.6 percent in comparison to the
corresponding period in 2003. Electrical energy production gained 9.7
percent in the reported period.

Time Out
October 20, 2004

Film: London Film Festival Listings – Saturday 23;

[parts omitted]

4.00 A Common Thread (Ilionore OWE1 Faucher, 2004, Fr) Lola Naymark,
Ariane Ascaride, Marie Filix. 88 mins. Subtitles.

A slowly captivating drama which brings together elements of the new
minimalist,rural and feminist schools in its portrait of a pregnant
young country girl fromthe Alps-Maritime. Faucher builds her film
around the freckled, pre-Raphaelite-haired Lola Naymark who responds
with an engaging, if modernistically withholding performance. ‘Thank
God, for Embroidery’, she writesto her friend: this is her lifeline
which leads her to work for suicidal Armenian Madam Melikian
(Ascaride), with whom she begins to bond (in a way impossible with
her own mother) and reconsider the fate of her unborn child. Faucher
is keen to show the effects on lives of beauty expressed in
colour-filtered landscape compositions or tracks over an intricate
sequined shawl as she is the determinations of environment and body
politics. Despite some mis-timed editing, a sympathetic and pleasing
debut. (WH) 4.00 Chisholm ’72 Unbought and NFT2 Unbossed See Fri 22
above 4.15 Warsaw NFT3 See Fri 22 above 4.15 Woman Is the Future of
Man ICA1 See Fri 22 above 6.00 Garden State (Zach Braff, 2003, OWE2
US) Zach Braff, Natalie Portman, Ian Holm.

Azeri paper urges authorities to respond to British MP’s Karabakh visit

Yeni Musavat, Baku
20 Oct 04

Text of Qasqay report by Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni Musavat on 20
October headlined “English finger”

The love of the deputy speaker of the British House of Lords, Baroness
Caroline Cox, for Armenia is not new to anyone. When Baroness Caroline
Cox feels bored in Blighty, she heads for Stepanakert to admire the
fog-shrouded mountains of Susa Shusha . And it never occurred to the
Azerbaijani authorities over so many years to pull the plug on such
visits or say to the British authorities “Hands off Karabakh!”. It is
clear why they can’t prevent the visits – because Cox goes to Karabakh
via Armenia. But if the Azerbaijani authorities cannot throw a woman
out of Karabakh, let alone the Armenians, what is there left to talk
about?

The Aliyevs’ family of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev business
relations with the English are known. It is no secret that BP, which
serves the interests of this country, has staked on Ilham Aliyev. But
if they are friends, they should be able to listen to each other. The
authorities, for instance, carefully observe their commitments to BP.

However, in addition to the fact that Cox is strengthening relations
with the Karabakh separatists, the number of people who have jumped on
her bandwagon is also rising. According to reports, this time Cox was
accompanied by four other members of parliament on her trip to
Karabakh.

Last week the Azerbaijani foreign minister said a list of foreign
companies working in Karabakh was being compiled. To be more exact,
this transpired after his “sweet accent” was translated in our Azeri
reference to the fact that he does not speak good Azeri . Of course,
it is understandable that these companies are too big, that they are
hiding in the Karabakh mountains and that there is no way the
authorities can cope with them. But how about saying a few words to a
group of pro-Armenian Britons at the British embassy in Baku? They the
Azerbaijani authorities almost deported the Norwegian ambassador from
the country after he refused to remain tight-lipped about the October
post-election violence last year. Or is it too difficult a task for
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, who is fluent in English, to send
a note to the embassy?

Let’s wait and see what Mammadyarov says. Of course, if we understand
what he says.

The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario)
October 19, 2004 Tuesday Final Edition

The state is a powerful killing machine

by RICHARD HAALBOOM

To start off the 21st century, 9/11 of 2001 has become the most
notorious calendar date in the Western world. For most of the
remainder of this century, 9/11 will continue to stand out as a day
of horror, a day of attack by an enemy that is and was only hazily
identifiable.

How do you hit back at a perceived enemy which has no state borders
and supposedly operates elusively out of caves in the hills of a
mountain range separating Afghanistan and Pakistan.

One method is to personalize this hazy enemy. You order your troops
to get this guy, this Osama bin Laden, dead or alive. As commander in
chief, you command your military forces to blow up every mole hole in
“them there hills,” regardless of the collateral damage the killing
of innocent civilians.

When you can’t catch this Osama bin Laden, you start a second front,
a “war of liberation” against a people and a country ruled by a
brutal dictator which has no known connections with this al-Qaida
terrorist outfit. And what do you get? So far, a country in turmoil;
more than 1,100 dead American soldiers and more than 10,000 dead
Iraqi men, women and children. And how many more casualties — the
wounded, the missing and the kidnapped — have been tallied?

Recently, via our media we were again confronted with another callous
act of evil, the capture and deaths of schoolchildren in a place near
Chechnya — a part of the globe most of us cannot even locate on the
map, somewhere in or next to southern Russia.

The horror of such random killings is so effective upon the governors
of our “peaceable kingdoms” because the psychological need and
factual necessity to eradicate the wrongdoers is impossible. When one
random murderer is killed, another one pops up. Murder by terrorists
is nothing new. Brutal terrorist acts have occurred during nearly
every year of every decade over the past 100 years or more. Recall
the Irish Republican Army, the Red Brigades, the Baader-Meinhof Gang
in Germany, the assassins of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, the
blowing up of passenger airplanes, the terrorists supported by Libya,
and so on, sickeningly so.

But in sheer total numbers of killings there is no institution more
brutal and more bloodthirsty than the modern nation state. And the
more power that governments of nation states arrogate to themselves,
the more violence is inflicted upon its citizens.

Professor emeritus Rudolf J. Rummel of Hawaii has made a lifetime
study of mass murder by authoritarian government thugs. He wrote a
number of books, two of which stand out, namely Death By Government
and Statistics Of Democide. His numerous charts and calculations of
killings, slaughter, rapes, massacres, mass starvation of peoples
numbs the mind. His statistics cover up to the year 1987. His current
website address is

The following paragraph extracted out of Death By Government catches
the horror of all the killing of civilians during the first 88 years
of the last century when “almost 170 million men, women, and children
have been shot, beaten, tortured, knifed, burned, starved, frozen,
crushed, or worked to death; buried alive, drowned, hung, bombed, or
killed in any other of the myriad ways governments have inflicted
death on unarmed, helpless citizens and foreigners . . . It is as
though our species has been devastated by a modern Black Plague. And
indeed it has, but a plague of Power, not germs.”

The 170 million civilian deaths does not include soldiers who died on
the battlefield. He figures that the battle deaths during all wars of
the 20th century add up to only (only ?) 38.5 million troops, equal
to about 25 per cent of the civilians murdered during the same time
period.

He computes the killings of the 15 most murderous nation states,
outside of war dead, and comes up with about 151 million innocent
citizens of these countries wiped off the map by their top guns. The
most absolute powers — former Communist Russia; Communist China,
China under Chiang Kai-shek, Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge, Vietnam,
Yugoslavia and former Nazi Germany — together account for about 128
million civilians murdered.

The real killers, however, are the brutal autocratic rulers who
controlled those security states, those countries; the autocratic
mass murderers who ruled absolutely and who killed absolutely — no
questions asked.

Stalin leads the list. He and his henchmen were responsible for the
murder of more than 42 million persons from 1929 to 1953.

Mao Tse-Tung of Communist China comes along in second place. He
killed about 38 million of his own people between 1923 and 1976.

Then there is Adolf Hitler, who from 1933 to 1945 was responsible for
exterminating 21 million humans.

And the list continues on: Chiang Kai-shek, more than 10 million
dead; Lenin, more than four million; Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge of
Cambodia, nearly 2.5 million out of a population of approximately
seven million. And during and after the First World War, the Turks
tried to kill every Armenian they could get their hands on. And the
murder statistics continue on ad infinitum.

The recent random killings by elusive killers, the terrorists, are
indescribably horrible, but, comparatively, their numbers of innocent
victims slaughtered do not even come into the gunsights of the
government authorized killers who murdered millions upon millions of
their own citizens.

The more power governments have, the more government violence is
perpetrated upon a country’s own citizens. The more freedom a
country’s people have, the more government violence upon its own
citizenry is kept in check. As Prof. Rummel states again and again:
“Power kills and absolute power kills absolutely.”

Richard Haalboom is a Kitchener lawyer.

Agence France Presse
17 octobre 2004 dimanche 7:56 AM GMT

Génocides: paroles de victimes pour ouvrir une série de
manifestations (PRESENTATION)

Par Frédéric HAPPE

LYON 17 oct 2004

Un forum “pour la justice et la prévention des génocides” se tiendra
le 23 octobre à Villeurbanne, avec en point d’orgue les témoignages
de dix groupes victimes de génocides ou de crimes contre l’Humanité,
marquant le début d’un cycle de manifestations d’un an sur ce thème.

Le collectif d’associations Reconnaissance, qui milite pour la
mémoire et la prévention des génocides et des crimes contre
l’Humanité, a invité des Aborigènes, des Africains, des Amérindiens,
des Arméniens, des Cambodgiens, des Juifs, des Rwandais, des
Tibétains, des Tziganes et des Ukrainiens à venir non seulement
témoigner de ce qu’eux, ou leurs ancêtres, ont vécu, mais aussi à
faire le point sur leurs revendications ou leurs attentes.

Ce premier rendez-vous, d’une série de manifestations qui se
dérouleront jusqu’à octobre 2005, permet une “contextualisation” du
problème, a expliqué Jules Mardirossian, président du Centre
d’études, de documentation et d’informations arméniennes (CEDIA).

Il est important “que les scientifiques puissent écouter les victimes
pour une fois dans un cadre qu’ils ne gèrent pas eux-mêmes”, a-t-il
ajouté.

Les témoignages viendront de personnes qui “sont séparées de leur
peuple d’origine”, soit dans l’espace, soit dans le temps, puisque
l’esclavage ou la famine de 1933 en Ukraine, par exemple, seront
abordés, a souligné Ganda Camara, président-membre fondateur de la
Rencontre africaine pour la défense des droits de l’Homme (RADDHO).

Le discours sur les génocides et les crimes contre l’Humanité “ne
peut pas être laissé aux seuls spécialistes. La douleur, l’oppression
et l’injustice peuvent être décrites par les victimes”, a-t-il
poursuivi.

Evidemment, ce forum sera loin de couvrir tous les génocides, et M.
Mardirossian a reconnu que le choix avait été “en partie subjectif”.

“Avec la Tchétchénie, le Cachemire, le Sri Lanka, les Kurdes, nous
avons listé plus de 20 autres peuples victimes, mais nous ne pouvons
pas tous les couvrir, étant donné qu’ils sont plus ou moins reconnus,
et que sur certains on manque encore de recul”, a-t-il plaidé.

Au cours de l’année à venir, Reconnaissance organisera aussi une
semaine cinématographique avec débats entre le 29 novembre et le 4
décembre, puis, en partenariat avec la région Rhône-Alpes, un semaine
de formation d’une quarantaine de professeurs d’histoire qui
débouchera sur des projets pédagogiques dans 15 collèges et lycées de
la région, au cours du premier semestre 2005.

Enfin, un colloque international sur le thème “Mémoires partagées,
démarche préventive et dynamique de paix” se tiendra en octobre 2005,
pour clore ce cycle.

Un comité de suivi sera ensuite chargé de surveiller le cheminement
des propositions auprès des grandes organisations internationales et
la situation sur le terrain.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI
Oct 17 2004

RACINE HERITAGE MUSEUM: 701 Main St. Armenian-American Afternoon from
2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 17 to showcase its latest exhibit, “State Street:
Racine’s Gateway Community – The Armenian Story.” The exhibit
features themes of Armenians coming to the U.S. and settling in
Racine, their occupations, businesses, homes, community, religious
life and cultural activities. The day will feature two videos, “State
Street: The Hub of Early Armenian Settlers in Racine, Wisconsin,”
and a compilation of films showing parties at John’s Shis Kebob and
Grill on State St. Also on hand will be Peter and Katrina Wardrip, U.S.
Peace Corps volunteers in Armenia, who will display paintings, Armenian
music and snacks, and alphabet activities for all ages. Call 636-3926.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Oct 15 2004

VARDAN OSKANYAN DISTORTS NAGORNY KARABAKH – RELATED FACTS
[October 14, 2004, 20:23:54]

Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan
released a statement on October 14 to comment on the interview
concerning Nagorno-Karabakh settlement given by Armenian Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan in his usual manner to the county’s Public
Television.

The statement in particular says it was the Armenian Minister’s one
more attempt to mystify the Key West talks by citing to a certain
” the only way” allegedly agreed by both sides, and implying that
Karabakh will not be a part of Azerbaijan.

“The Azerbaijani side stated more than once, and today we once again
suggest Mt. Oskayan to find better application of his persistence and
stop playing Key West games; we hereby reaffirm that no agreements
were reached on the issues discussed in Key West, the statement says.

It is Armenia that demonstrates its “unique abilities” to violate
scot-free the agreements reached, the statement says, recalling the
dismissal of former Armenian President Ter-Petrosyan who had then
accepted the OSCE Co-chairs’ plan of step-by-step settlement of
the conflict, which implied in the first stage a withdrawal of the
Armenian armed forces form the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
“The Azerbaijani side also remember other phase of the peace process
when President Kocharyan okayed in principle the transfer of a part
of Armenia’s territory to Azerbaijan that resulted in fusillade in
the Armenian parliament,” the statement says.

It also stresses that the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot a
subject of compromise, it is an integral part of the Azerbaijan
Republic, and that compromises are possible only in relation to the
status of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan does not put forward any innovations; there is a rich
and useful European experience of self-government. A different
approach provokes dangerous tendencies, and the multinational South
Caucasus region is not the only one that can face their unpredictable
consequences, the statement concludes.