Author: Dabaghian Diana

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
April 4 2009

`Armenian Genocide’ should be analyzed by historians: EU High
Representative for CFSP
04.04.09 15:10

The "Armenian Genocide" should be analyzed by historians and the issue
should not be put on the table every day, EU High Representative for
the CFSP Javier Solana said in an interview with Turkish Zaman
newspaper.

"History is history and should be analyzed by historians. The
relations between Turkey and Armenia should be reviewed and resumed,"
he said, hailing Turkish President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Yerevan
last September.

Solana sees this visit as the first step to restore relations between
the two countries and believes that it will not be difficult to make
the second step. However, Solana did not specify whether the step will
be aimed at opening borders between Armenia and Turkey.

YEREVAN IN SEARCH OF MORE FOREIGN LOANS

7_4/2/2009_1
Thursday April 2, 2009

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Armenia is seeking additional loans from foreign
donors and lending institutions to cushion the growing effects of
the global economic crisis on its economy, Labor and Social Affairs
Minister Arsen Hambardzumian said on Thursday.

Hambardzumian said the Armenian government is currently negotiating
with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Manila-based
Asian Development Bank and other potential lenders for that purpose.

"We have already gone through a certain negotiating process," he
told RFE/RL. "There is a readiness, there are programs that have
been tentatively approved. But there are some issues that require
further discussion."

The World Bank and the IMF pledged earlier this year to allocate
a total of over $1 billion in anti-crisis loans to Armenia in the
coming years. Some of these loans worth roughly $320 million have
already been disbursed. The Armenian government is also expected to
receive a $500 million "stabilization credit" from Russia by June.

Hambardzumian did not specify the amount of extra funds sought by
Yerevan and how it plans to spend them. He said only that the money
is meant to ease "social tension" in the country.

The Armenian economy contracted in the first quarter of this year
for the first time since the early 1990s, resulting in a sizable drop
in the government’s tax revenues. Citing the revenue shortfall, the
government decided last week to delay 14 percent of its expenditures
envisaged by the 2009 state budget until the fourth quarter.

Vartan Bostanjian, deputy chairman of the Armenian parliament’s
economic committee, admitted that the move is a prelude to a downward
revision of the budgetary targets. "In reality this is nothing but
a cut in expenditures which is called a sequestration," he said.

MINISTER OF STATE AT THE FEDERAL FOREIGN OFFICE: "NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT SHOULD BE SOLVED PEACEFULLY BASING ON THE INTERNATIONAL LEGAL NORMS"

APA
April 1 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Viktoria Dementieva – APA. "Germany hopes that the negotiations
on the settlement of Nagorno Kar6abakh conflict will produce positive
results soon," Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office Gernot
Erler said in Azerbaijan, APA reports. He said there are three elements
for the solution to the conflict.

"Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents should continue political
dialogue, Turkey’s Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform
initiative and European Union’s "Eastern Partnership" Program should
be supported. I think these three elements play very important role
in the stability and development in the region. The conflict can
only be solved peacefully. Azerbaijan and Germany are unanimous
that Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be solved peacefully basing
on the international legal norms. The dialogue continues, it is very
important to find a compromise," he said.

ARMENIAN FOORBALL TEAM READY TO MEET ESTONIANS

Panorama.am
12:10 01/04/2009

The Armenian National Football Team arrived in Tallinn on 31 March, the
press service of the Armenian Football Federation reports. Yesterday
the team had its first training in Tallinn and all the eighteen
footballers were present at the training. The staff is ready to
meet the electoral match with the Estonian team for the World Cup
Championship in 2010.

Attention: Estonia-Armenia football match will take place in Tallinn
today at 20:00.

68% OF ENFRANCHISED CITIZENS OF YEREVAN GOING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ELECTIONS
Lena Badeyan

"Radiolur"
01.04.2009 14:35

68% of the electorate in Yerevan are informed about the elections of
May 31 and are preparing to vote; this is the data the President of
the Sociological Association Gevorg Petrosyan presented at a press
conference today. He said this would be a high turnout. "Such level of
participation is usually registered during presidential elections, the
turnout at local elections is lower, as a rule," Gevorg Poghosyan said.

Although no surveys have been conducted on the chances of the political
forces running for the Yerevan City Council, Gevorg Poghosyan considers
that there are two forces that could get 40%, thus ensuring the
majority in the City Council. According to the sociologist, these
forces are the Republican Party of Armenia and the Armenian National
Congress. Having studied the disposition of the public preceding the
elections, the sociologist arrived at the conclusion that everything
should be done to avoid not only politicizing, but also criminalizing
the forthcoming elections.

PACE PANEL DEFERS DECISION ON ARMENIA
By Karine Kalantarian

report/en/2009/03/53EF3F49-76DB-4CD7-A396-651ABEC2 6998.ASP
Tuesday 31, March 2009

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–A key panel of the Council of Europe Parliamentary
Assembly (PACE) reportedly deferred making further recommendations
regarding the Armenian authorities’ treatment of the opposition after
a meeting held in Valencia, Spain late on Monday.

The Monitoring Committee discussed, among other issues, the
authorities’ compliance with the most recent PACE resolution on
Armenia. The resolution, adopted in late January, deplored the
continuing imprisonment of dozens of Armenian opposition members and
supporters arrested following the February 2008 presidential election.

But the Strasbourg-based assembly backed down on its threats to suspend
the voting rights of its Armenian members, citing Yerevan’s pledge
to amend Criminal Code articles used against the most prominent of
the arrested oppositionists.

According to David Harutiunian, head of the Armenian delegation at
the PACE who attended the Valencia meeting, the Monitoring Committee
welcomed the relevant amendments passed by the Armenian parliament on
March 18. "They at the same time stressed the importance of enforcing
the law," he told RFE/RL from the Spanish city.

Harutiunian said that enforcement will be "at the center of the
Monitoring Committee’s attention" in the weeks leading up to the PACE’s
next session due in late April. "I think the enforcement of the law
should happen before the April session and depending on the results
of the enforcement, the Monitoring Committee will again address the
issue," he said.

The PACE resolution said that the Criminal Code amendments should
result in the release of many detained oppositionists. Armenian
officials have been far more vague on this score, however.

IS EUROPE BEING COURTEOUS?

A1+
08:27 pm | March 31, 2009

Politics

The members of the Monitoring Committee are not dumb. I know because
I have worked with them for five years. I know their European ethics
and that their appraisal is simply a formality. They know very well
what is going on in Armenia," said today leader of the Armenian
Liberal Party, former head of the Armenian delegation to the PACE
Hovhannes Hovhannisyan.

According to Head of the RA Delegation to the PACE David Harutyunyan,
the Monitoring Committee praised the legislative reforms undertaken
in Armenia and attached importance to the process of law enforcement.

Hovhannes Hovhannisyan had this to say to that:

"Even the Russians are starting to realize that things can’t go
on like this for a long time. These authorities have neither the
political resources to keep power nor the political will to start a
dialogue with the opposition."

According to him, the May 31 elections are a great chance and not
using that taking advantage of the elections as a chance for the
government-opposition dialogue "would mean that the people don’t feel
a sense of responsibility towards the state and the nation."

Talking about the current economic crisis, Hovhannisyan remarked
that the authorities want to put the burden of that strong word on
their shoulders.

"All countries are trying to dissolve the economic and recession
pressures, change the vector. These authorities are trying to take
it on themselves. This is absurd and it is the mentality of a coward."

Hovhannisyan considered Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s nomination as a rather
grave political step on the part of the First President and the
Armenian National Congress.

"This goes to show Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s attitude towards society. He
is also ready to take the path that leads to restoration of
constitutional order," said member of the Armenian National Congress,
leader of the Armenian Liberal Party Hovhannes Hovhannisyan.

JAVAKHK ARMENIANS MEET WITH US EMBASSY OFFICIALS

A-Info Press
Monday March 30, 2009

AKHLKALAK (A-Info)–Officials from the US Embassy in Georgia,
who were visiting the region Thursday met with the director of the
A-Info News Agency Artak Gabrielyan who briefed the delegation on
issues concerning the Armenian community of Samtskh-Javakhketi and
discussed the community’s expectations from the Georgian authorities.

The delegation consisted of deputy advisor for the US Embassy
Kent Langdon, political desk staffers Joy Davis-Kischener and Mago
Chokoberidze and Daniel Renna, a political staffer at the US Embassy
in Armenia.

During the visit, the US delegation met with Akhalkalak regional
council members and discussed issues of concern to the region, as
well as issues related to Javakhk Armenians.

At a separate meeting with Gabrielyan and board members from the
Political Development Center, an NGO operating in Javakh, the two
sides further discussed issues of concern to the Armenian community
in Samtskhe-Javakhk and Kvemo-Kartili regions, where Armenians are
a predominant majority.

After making a brief presentation about the activities of A-Info,
Gabrielyan told the US delegation about the disparities in the public
education system in Javakhk as well as the numerous calls for fair
representation within local and regional governmental bodies.

Gabrielyan outlined that the community has appealed to the
federal authorities to declare Armenian an official language in
the region and as such further the educational opportunities of the
population. Gabrielyan also discussed the continuous appeals by the
community to create an Armenian-Georgian state university in the area.

Also discussed were the federal authorities’ refusal to clearly define
the role of the regional and local governments and the inclusion of
Armenian representatives in those bodies.

Gabrielyan expressed concern about a Georgian government plan to
resettle Meskheti Turks in the Samtskhe-Javakhk territory.

Anahit Jamgochyan, the Director of the Political Development Center,
told the US delegation that in an area where 97 percent of the
population in Armenian, a significant portion of issues such as
administration and judicial cases can be better resolved if Armenian
were recognized as an official language in the region.

GERMANY HAILS STEPS FOR ARMENIAN-TURKISH RECONCILIATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.03.2009 13:49 GMT+04:00

Germany hails the steps taken for normalization of the Armenian-Turkish
relations, German senior official said.

"I will be glad if Armenian-Turkish talks result in opening of the
common border. Security and stability in the Caucasus is a priority
for the European Union," Gernot Erler, Minister of State at the German
Federal Foreign Office, said during a joint news conference with RA
Ambassador to Germany Karine Ghazinyan.

He also said that publics both in Armenia and Azerbaijan should be
prepared for compromise.

For her part, Ambassador Ghazinyan agreed that normalization of
relations between neighbor states can be achieved through dialogue.

CENTRAL HOSTS DISCUSSION ON GENOCIDE
By Rob Siebert

TheDoings-ClarendonHills.com
http://www.p ioneerlocal.com/clarendonhills/news/1496118,ch-gen ocide-032609-s1.article
March 26 3009
Illinois

Six individuals gathered in the Hinsdale Central High School auditorium
March 19 to discuss something they all had in common.

Either their ancestors, or they themselves had witnessed genocide
and seen massive amounts of bloodshed.

Sponsored by the school’s social studies department, Central’s
"2009 Genocide Forum" brought together five men and one woman who
witnessed the horrific violence or aftermath surrounding genocides
in Cambodia, Armenia, World War II, Rwanda and Darfur to discuss the
tragedies. There was also someone who spoke about the slaughter of
Indians in America.

"You are the future," Holocaust survivor and Chicago resident Magda
Brown said. "You are the ones who will carry on, and you will have
to know that these tragedies cannot be repeated."

Michael Tuslime, a Fulbright scholar from Rwanda who is pursuing his
master’s degree at Northern Illinois University, was not in his home
country during the massive killing that took place in 1994. He did
however, return in 1995, and witnessed the aftermath first hand.

"I think the most horrible thing was just to see the bodies float
down on the rivers," Tuslime said.

John Low, executive director of the Mitchell Museum of the American
Indian in Evanston, and a Potawatomi Indian, said that for the last
500 years the American Indian experience has mostly been about survival
in strategic accommodations.

But in spite of their obvious role in the widespread elimination
of countless Indians over the past few centuries, Low said it may
be difficult for Americans to see the truth amongst the bloodshed,
be it that of Indians or other races.

"Americans don’t want to think about themselves or their ancestors
partaking in genocide," Low said.

However, Low emphasized that for America, hope lies within the
spreading of truth and knowledge about the tragedies that befell
his ancestors.

"I don’t believe there can be any healing without information,"
Low said.

In terms of America’s role in stopping genocides in other countries,
Greg Bedian, a member of the Armenian National Committee and co-founder
of the Genocide Education Network of Illinois, said that one of the
keys to stopping a massive genocide is to see where one is brewing
early, and then to act quickly. He cited that the Rwandan genocide
took place in only 100 days.

"This has to be done prior to the catastrophe starting, not after
it’s already begun," Bedian said.

However, the panel said the true power may not lie with government,
but with individuals. "Don’t be silent," Brown said. "Because that’s
what happened in Europe. People were silent."

Tuslime said that many survivors of the Rwandan genocide would not
have lived through the horror they faced if they had not been given
food or water by strangers who were simply of good conscience.

"We all want to leave things for the government and U.N. forces,"
Tuslime said. "But I think as individuals we can make a difference."