Author: Ekmekjian Janet

ILHAM ALIYEV: AZERBAIJAN NO TO MAKE CONCESSIONS WITH RESPECT TO ITS TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 30 2006

The negotiation process for the Karabakh conflict settlement passes
now in a so-called Prague format which may enable its peaceful
resolution, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, said in an
interview to the some Mass Media, accredited in Russia, the "Trend"
Azeri Agency reports.

According to I. Aliyev, it is difficult to say in advance about
the future of the negotiation process as the negotiations have been
lasting for 10 years with no result. The reason for this, according
to Aliyev, is a ""non-constructive position of Armenia which violates
the international legal norms". "The position of Azerbaijan rests
upon the international norms and principles, recognized by the world
community. The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is not a subject
of negotiations. Armenia has to release the Azerbaijan’s territories
without delay and unconditionally which is prescribed by four
resolutions of the UN Security Council. This is the basic principle
Azerbaijan follows unconditionally, while the position of Armenia
is based upon its wishes, expectations and dreams. It thinks that
only a foreign support gives it a ground to think about separation
from the Azerbaijan’s structure and joining of Karabakh lands to
Armenia, which it occupied as a result of temporary advantage during
operations. This will not happen. Therefore, the Armenian authorities
have to understand that Azerbaijan will not make any concessions with
respect to its territorial integrity", I. Aliyev said.

According to him, Azerbaijan has already suggested all it may go to
make. There is a positive world practice with respect to autonomies.

Availability of the issue of national minorities does not mean
withdrawal from the structure of one state and creation of another
state. "It is difficult to say in advance what will happen in case
of futility of negotiations. At least, if this round of negotiations
ends without any results, Azerbaijan will revise its strategy and
tactics without fail", I. Aliyev said.

OSCE ATTACHES IMPORTANCE TO POSSIBILITY OF IMPLEMENTATION OF LONG-TERM OBSERVATION MISSION IN RA

Noyan Tapan
Oct 26 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The OSCE attaches great importance to
holding the 2007 and 2008 state elections corresponding to democratic
standards and to sending invitations for implementation of the
long-term observation mission. Francesco Bascone, the Ambassador
of Italy to the OSCE said about it at the October 25 meeting with
RA NA Speaker Tigran Torosian. At the meeting at which OSCE Yerevan
Office head, Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin and Ambassador of Italy to
Armenia Marco Clemente were present, it was spoken about discussions
of the Electoral Code and the coming state elections. As Noyan Tapan
was informed by the RA NA Public Relations Department, at Francesco
Bascone’s request, the NA Speaker presented in details the process of
discussions on the EC draft amendments and terms of adoption. It was
mentioned that it is envisaged to adopt the EC in December, during
the last four-day sittings of the autumn session. Touching upon the
issue of invitations addressed to international organizations for
implementation of the observation mission during the coming elections,
NA Speaker Tigran Torosian explained that it is possible to send
invitations only after appointing the elections day and assured that
Armenia is the first one interested in holding elections corresponding
to democratic standards and in participation of as many observers
in those elections as it is possible. OSCE Yerevan Office head,
Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin assured that in the opinion of the
Venice Commission and OSCE experts, there is no need of experts’
conclusion for the EC draft, and the draft may be adopted as soon
as it is ready. F.Bascone expressed satisfaction with the process of
the EC reforms and wished success in the process of holding elections.

YEREVAN QUESTIONS RUSSIAN VERDICT ON PLANE CRASH
By Karine Kalantarian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 25 2006

Armenia’s aviation authorities have expressed serious reservations
about Russian investigators’ preliminary conclusion that last May’s
crash of an Armenian airliner in southern Russia, which killed all
113 people aboard, was caused by pilot error.

Citing their findings , Russia’s Transport Minister Igor Levitin said
in July that the crew of the Armenian Airbus A-320 lost control of the
plane as they made a second attempt to land at the Black Sea city of
Sochi. This conclusion was endorsed by the Moscow-based Interstate
Aviation Committee (ICA) of the Commonwealth of Independent States
which also investigated the deadliest air disaster in Armenia’s
history.

The Armenian government’s Civil Aviation Department essentially
accepted this verdict at the time. At the same time, its director
Artyom Movsisian said that although the "human factor" apparently
played a role in the crash, Yerevan believes that there are still
some key unanswered questions about its causes.

It emerged on Wednesday that Movsisian’s department has presented the
ICA with a six-page document that questions some of the conclusions
drawn by the Russian investigators. In particular, the Armenian side
complained that the Russians failed to take note of Sochi airport’s
alleged failure to "detect dangerous weather conditions" that are
thought to have prevented the plane belonging to the national airline
Armavia from landing safely on first attempt.

Armavia’s owner Mikhail Baghdasarian insists that the A-320 would
have avoided the crash had it not received a last-minute order to
veer away from the airport’s runway and make a second approach.

Baghdasarov, who is a Russian citizen of Armenian descent, has rejected
the ICA verdict and demanded an "independent inquiry."

The Civil Aviation Department also took issue with the investigators’
implicit claims that Armavia had failed to properly train its pilots
and assess their professional level. It further urged them to drop
from their preliminary conclusions an assertion that moments before
the crash the A-320 crew found themselves in a "tense psycho-emotional
situation" due to unspecified "imperative demands to land at Sochi."

According to rumors cited by the Armenian press, those demands were
made by some wealthy and influential passengers of the doomed flight.

There have also been allegations that a gunfight may have broken out
between crime figures that were allegedly among the victims of the
crash. The Armenian government and Armavia have dismissed the claims.

Aviation Department spokeswoman Gayane Davtian could not say when the
ICA will release its final verdict or whether Yerevan will succeed
in influencing its content. "They may publish their final findings
at any moment," she told RFE/RL.

VICE-PRESIDENT OF OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY VISITS AZERBAIJAN TODAY

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 25 2006

Oleg Bilorus, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly vise-president and Ukraine
representative to the organization visits Azerbaijan today, Bahar
Muradova, the head of Azerbaijani delegation to OCSE PA told the APA.

She said that Bilorus plans to meet with Azerbaijani delegation member
and the parliament speaker Ogtay Asadov, National Academy of Science
president Mahmud Kerimov and Foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov. He
will also visit refugee settlements, sightseeing of Baku and one of
the oil mines.

Bahar Muradova also said that the sides will discuss the cooperation
of Azerbaijan and Ukraine within OSCE PA and GUAM.

"Oleg Bilorus’ position as OSCE Parliamentary Assembly official can
influence some problems. We want to win his support in the settlement
of Nagorno Garabagh conflict," she said.

NEW DETAILS OF CRASH OF ARMENIAN PLANE

Lragir.am, Armenia
Oct 25 2006

The news agency Regnum published an anonymous report on the crash
of the plane of Armavia Airlines on May 3 near Sochi. The anonymous
author, who introduced himself as the relative of one of the victims,
writes that a group of passengers flying in business class, i.e. they
were close to the cockpit, were leaving for Sochi for an "important
meeting". The group had already had several drinks. Learning that the
crew decided to return to Yerevan because of the bad weather, they got
one of the pilots out of the cockpit and taking him hostage, demanded
to land in Sochi. The author writes that the panic that occurred on
board resulted in uncoordinated actions of the crew and the dispatcher.

ARMENIA RANKS 101ST IN THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH LIST

Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 20 2006

According to the "Reporters without Borders" international
organization, this year Armenia ranks 101st in the freedom of
speech list. The document, issued today by the headquarters of the
organization in Paris, includes 168 states and covers the period from
September 2005 to September 2006.

The list is concluded by Turkmenistan, Eritrea and North Korea.

Finland, Ireland, Island and Netherlands share the first four places.

France, which is considered a country of free speech, digressed from
the 30h to the 35th position.

As compared to the previous year, Russia digressed from the 138th to
147th position.

Among other CIS countries Azerbaijan ranks 141st, Belarus – 151st,
Uzbekistan – 158th and Turkmenistan – 167th.

Armenian and Russian MFAs Hold Recurrent Consultations in Yerevan

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.10.2006 13:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ October 19 recurrent consultations between Armenian
and Russian MFAs were held in Yerevan, reports the Press Office of
the Armenian MFA.

Director of the Fourth Department of CIS of the Russian MFA Andrey
Kelin lead the Russian delegation.

During these matters of Year of Armenia in Russia, bilateral
cooperation in ensuring stability and security in South Caucasus
were discussed. The same day Kelin met with Armenian Deputy FM
Gegham Gharibjanyan. During the meeting matters of mutual interest
were discussed.

Michael Gulezian to play at Windsor Hall in Cumberland Nov. 3

Keyser Mineral Daily News Tribune, WV
Oct 21 2006

Published: Saturday, October 21, 2006 12:40 AM CDT

Michael Gulezian is one of the consummate guitarists of our times.
His first ever, live concert release, Concert at St. Olaf College,
displays Michael’s love of his craft, the intensity of a singular
artist dedicated to music, and the beauty and love of an
extraordinary musician.

Michael’s guitar work displays a blend of several musical influences.

The virtuosity, power, and haunting spirituality reflected in his
compositions reminds one of Leo Kotke and the late great Michael
Hedges.

In conversations with Michael, you can hear the absolute dedication
to his craft; the intensity of an extremely focused individual, and
the natural beauty and awe reflected in his music.

Michael identifies early influences as his Armenian parents;
Mississippi Delta blues artists such as John Hurt and Robert Johnson;
and current influences such as Keith Jarrett; John McLaughlin; and
Sun Ra.

His epiphanic moment was upon discovering the music of John Fahey,
who Michael identifies as the godfather of American solo acoustic
guitar.

Michael’s music reflects a blend of creative self-expression,
haunting melodic composition and identification with the natural and
spiritual world.

Each of Michael’s albums has increased the heights of contemporary
acoustic guitar. From Distant Memories and Dreams (1992) named Runner
up of the year (New Age) by CD Review Magazine; Dare of an Angel
reached new heights of acoustic fingerplay; a tribute to the late
Michael Hedges Language of the Flame (2003) reflects his
understanding and expression of the yearning of the human spirit.
Jazziz describes his music as " unbelievable…incredible".

Music Express calls Michael "…among the great acoustic guitar
innovators of the 20th century."

But Michael really doesn’t need to prove himself anymore to anyone.
What one can recommend is that you listen to his music… and be
transformed.

Michael Gulezian will be performing at Windsor Hall in downtown
Cumberland, Maryland on Friday, November 3rd. Showtime is 8pm; doors
open at 7pm.

Tickets are available at Kauffman Music, 39 Baltimore Street,
Cumberland or by calling (301) 724-6800 to reserve.

French Armenian genocide bill makes no sense-US
Fri 20 Oct 2006 14:45:50 BST

Reuters, UK
Oct 20 2006

BRUSSELS, Oct 20 (Reuters) – A French parliamentary bill that would
make it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered genocide at the
hands of Ottoman Turks in World War One makes no sense, a senior U.S.
official said on Friday.

Daniel Fried, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs,
said he backed French President Jacques Chirac’s opposition to the
bill, which has infuriated Turkey even though it may never become law.

"I certainly share the view that this legislation criminalising
discussion doesn’t seem to make any sense," Fried told a news briefing
in Brussels.

He said the United States and President George W. Bush had spoken out
repeatedly about the mass killings of Armenians during World War One
and did not want to minimise or deny them.

However, he added: "We as a government have never termed these events
genocide. We don’t use that word."

Fried said the United States would like to see Turks and Armenians
address the issue honestly and some Turks were already urging their
government to do so.

"It doesn’t strike me as clear that resolutions like this in the
French parliament are going to encourage this process."

Turkey denies claims that Armenians suffered genocide, arguing that
large numbers of both Christian Armenians and Muslim Turks died in
a partisan conflict that raged as the Ottoman Empire collapsed.

Given opposition from Chirac and the French Senate, the bill is
unlikely to become law but it has infuriated Turkey, where consumer
groups have called for a boycott of French-made goods.

France, which faces presidential elections next year, is home to
Europe’s largest Armenian diaspora.

ARMENIA HAS NEW VOICE IN DEARBORN
By David Crumm – Free Press Religion Writer

Detroit Free Press, MI
Oct 17 2006

U-M research center appoints scholar as director

Ara Sanjian, 38, of Dearborn speaks at the University of
Michigan-Dearborn last week. His doctorate is in Middle Eastern
history. "Armenia has centuries of experience to share with the world,"
he says. (KATHLEEN GALLIGAN/Detroit Free Press) An internationally
influential center for Armenian studies in Dearborn is changing
the guard this week and installing only the second director in the
center’s nearly two decades of scholarship.

This week, the Armenian Research Center’s founder, Dennis Papazian,
officially retires as he welcomes Ara Sanjian, an Armenian
historian from Lebanon, to run the facility at the University of
Michigan-Dearborn.

"It’s wonderful that we’re finally making this move in a formal way,"
Papazian, 74, said last week. "My wife and I moved to New Jersey
two years ago and I’ve been running the center since then by e-mail,
telephone and frequent visits. But now I’m formally leaving it to this
first-class scholar who we actually searched around the world to find."

Sanjian, 38, was born in the large Armenian community based in
Beirut. He studied in Lebanon and Armenia, then earned a doctorate in
Middle Eastern history from the University of London in England. He
moved to Dearborn from Beirut earlier this year. He is fluent in
English and also works professionally in Armenian, Arabic, Russian,
Turkish and French.

"In coming to the center, I do represent a kind of bridge in a number
of ways," Sanjian said last week. He is settling into Dearborn,
the heart of Michigan’s Arab-Muslim community, already familiar with
Middle Eastern issues from his many years in Lebanon. Plus, he has
dedicated his scholarly life to bringing cross-cultural lessons from
Armenian-Christian history to the larger world.

"Armenia has centuries of experience to share with the world," Sanjian
said. "Armenians have been around as an identity for more than 2,500
years, as a Christian nation for 1,700 years and as a written language
for 1,600 years."

However, the future of Armenia was in doubt for much of the 20th
Century from the Turkish government’s massacre of Armenians in the
early part of the century, through decades of domination by the
Soviet Union.

Papazian recalled, "When I founded the center for Armenian research
in the late 1970s, I really was helping with the worldwide effort
to preserve Armenian heritage and prepare for the day when Armenia
could reemerge onto the stage of world history.

"Since 1991, Armenia has been an independent state. Now, Armenia’s
economy is growing. We’ve just built a new American embassy in Armenia
and it’s become a very pleasant place for tourists."

Plus, Papazian said, Armenia will continue to play a small but crucial
role in global politics because "Armenia walks a tightrope between
the United States, Russia and Iran."

The country, which is about the size of Vermont, is on the eastern
border of Turkey and the northern border of Iran. To the north of
Armenia are Georgia and Russia.

"We estimate there are about 1 million Armenians now living in the
United States, most of them concentrated in California," Papazian
said. "No one has an exact count in the Detroit area, but we think
there are 30,000 Armenian Americans living there."

More than 60 students have enrolled in history courses taught by
Sanjian, including general Middle East history classes. But the center
reaches scholars far beyond campus.

At this point, Sanjian said, the center’s nearly 40,000 books, maps,
articles and artifacts related to Armenia are drawn upon by people
around the world.

Showing a visitor through the rows of steel bookshelves in the center’s
archive, Sanjian said, "People do come here regularly to do research
in person. But constantly, we’re also getting e-mail inquiries, too.

"So, Armenia and our center now are an important part of the virtual
world, too."

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