Author: Ekmekjian Janet

Regnum, Russia –
Sept 1 2006

Grave of Apostle Matthew, possibly, found in Armenian monastery on
Issyk-Kul Lake

Kyrgyz archeologists are sure that they have found the grave of
Apostle Matthew in the Armenian monastery on the shore of Issyk-Kul
lake, says archeologist Vladimir Ploskikh.

He says that this summer his expedition carried out excavations on
the north-eastern shore of Issyk-Kul and found the Armenian
monastery, which, according to a map of XIV, is the place where
Apostle Matthew is buried.

The legend says that Apostle Matthew died on his way to Greece after
founding several Christian communities en route. The document kept in
Venice says that there is an Armenian monastery in the place called
`Issyk-Kul’ and it is there that Apostle Matthew is buried.

However, Ploskikh says that they need additional research to prove
this fact, reports the Kyrgyz service of Radio Liberty.

EVANS PRAISES U.S.-ARMENIAN TIES, ‘SHARED VALUES’
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Aug. 31, 2006

John Evans, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to Armenia, said on Thursday
that U.S.-Armenian relations have grown closer during his two-year
tenure in Yerevan and will develop further in the years to come. He
insisted that Armenia is slowly but steadily becoming a democratic
state that shares "fundamental values" with the United States.

Evans also would not be drawn on President George W. Bush’s
controversial decision earlier this year to replace him by another
career diplomat, which has been widely attributed to his public
description of the 1915-1918 mass killings of Armenians in Ottoman
Turkey as genocide.

"I do believe that Armenian-American relations are improving," he
told RFE/RL in an interview. "We are doing many more things together
these days. Particularly there has been a growth in our cooperation
in the defense and security area. There is more American investment
here every day, although it’s growing slowly."

"I think there is every reason to imagine that Armenian-American
relations will prosper in the future as I believe they have in the
last few years," he said.

The remarks echoed statements by other U.S. officials who have praised
the Armenian leadership for sending a small contingent of troops to
Iraq and stepping up cooperation with NATO. Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State Matthew Bryza said last March that Washington and Yerevan are
"working hard together to help Armenia to realize its desire to have
stronger relations with the Euro-Atlantic family"

"Armenia and the United States have some fundamental shared values
which help us to understand each other better," Evans said. "This
is one of the reasons I believe that Armenia’s future is with the
democratic countries of the world. I think Armenia has all the basic
preconditions to become a leading democracy in this part of the world."

The Armenian government’s democratic credentials, tainted by chronic
vote rigging, will again come under international scrutiny during
parliamentary elections that are due to take place early next year.

The authorities have pledged to do their best to ensure that the vote
is free and fair. However, a recent U.S.-funded opinion poll suggested
that seventy percent of Armenians do not trust these assurances and
anticipate a repeat of serious fraud reported during the previous
polls.

Evans noted that one of the key obstacles to the proper conduct of
Armenian elections is a "fear to step decisively in the direction of
trusting the voters to make the right choices about those who represent
them." "It’s a psychological barrier," he said in an apparent reference
to the country’s rulers. "But I think eventually this barrier will
be crossed … The time for massive falsification of voting results
has passed. We have seen what has happened in other countries where
people have played tricks with the election returns."

Evans went on to argue that Armenia, which will officially celebrate
the 15th anniversary of its independence on September 21, is still a
young state and needs more time to "mature" as a democracy. "There is
nothing which says that the road towards greater democracy is going to
be always straight, that there won’t be obstacles, that there won’t be
occasional steps back," he said. "But in the long run, that is where
Armenia should be headed, and I think that’s where Armenia is headed."

Local opposition leaders and some political analysts believe,
however, that Armenia’s existing flawed political system is becoming
increasingly entrenched and will be even more difficult to democratize
in the future. They point, among other things, to the authorities’
handling of last November’s constitutional referendum, the official
results of which claimed a record-high voter turnout despite eerily
empty polling stations across the country.

Speaking about serious challenges facing Armenia, Evans singled out
the need to ensure its long-term energy security. "I think that’s
very important for a country like Armenia that does not have its own
sources of energy in the form of hydrocarbons and whose nuclear plant
is aging and needs to be closed down in the next decade," he said.

The 58-year-old diplomat further praised the double-digit economic
growth reported by the Armenian government in recent years, but
cautioned that it "has not been even" and has mostly benefited
Yerevan. "Yerevan is booming," he said. "There are traffic jams,
the sound of construction never ceases. But if the entire country
is to develop in a healthy way, more attention needs to be given to
smaller cities and towns."

The U.S. administration moved to help to reduce that development
gap when it approved early this year $235.6 million in additional
economic assistance to Armenia under its Millennium Challenge Account
program. The bulk of the sum is to be spent on upgrading rural roads
and irrigation networks. U.S. and Armenian officials say rural poverty
in Armenia will decrease considerably as a result.

Evans is expected to leave Yerevan early next month, two years
after he handed his credentials to President Robert Kocharian. The
normal diplomatic term for U.S. ambassadors abroad is three years. In
announcing the envoy’s replacement in May, the White House gave no
reasons. Leaders of the influential Armenian community in the U.S.

are convinced that the move resulted from his public recognition of
the Armenian genocide.

"The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the 20th
century," Evans had declared during a February 2005 meeting
with Armenian-American activists in California, contradicting the
long-running policy of successive U.S. governments. They have avoided
using the word "genocide" with regard to the extermination of some
1.5 million Armenian subjects of the Ottoman Empire for fear of
antagonizing Turkey, a strategic NATO ally.

Evans did not explicitly deny that this was the reason for his sacking,
but refused to comment on the issue, saying that it is an internal
U.S. affair. "This is not a subject that I have ever discussed here
in Armenia," he said.

Asked whether he feels hard done by, he said: "No. I would say that
at this point it’s time for me to move on to other things, and I look
forward to doing that. I may write a book about some of these issues.

The future will tell."

Evans, who will retire from the U.S. diplomatic service after returning
to Washington, revealed that he has received a "nice note" from Bush
that thanked him for his work in Armenia. He also commended Bush’s
choice of the next U.S. envoy in Yerevan, Richard Hoagland, as a
"consummate professional."

Hoagland, currently the outgoing U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan,
has still not been confirmed by the U.S. Senate amid a continuing
Armenian-American outcry against Evans’s dismissal. About a dozen
pro-Armenian senators and some 60 members of the U.S. House of
Representatives have expressed serious concern at the controversial
recall, demanding explanations from the Bush administration and the
State Department.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, bowing to pressure from
Armenian-American lobbying groups, has postponed a confirmation vote
on Hoagland’s nomination until the end of next month. At least one of
its members, Republican Norm Coleman of Minnesota, has said he will
vote against the ambassador-designate, citing the latter’s refusal
to publicly term the Armenian massacres a genocide.

TALKS LAUNCHED FOR INTERNATIONAL EXPERT GROUP INVOLVEMENT IN INVESTIGATION OF FIRES
Source: À.Ismayilova

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Aug. 30, 2006

The OSCE Minsk Group has started talks to include an expert group in
its discussion process. This Group had been established to investigate
the fires on occupied grounds of Azerbaijan, said Andzhey Kaspsik,
Special Envoy to Acting Chairman of OSCE, Trend reports with reference
to ANS TV Channel. This matter depends on the parties positions
said Kaspsik.

Kaspsik said the talks are held with Azeri and Armenian Foreign
Ministers on this issue. Expert group should draw the action plan
including the fires reasons, damage from fires and fires prevention
in the future.

He added that although the expert group is only involved in discussions
and military issues at this stage, the situation will definitely
be solved.

–Boundary_(ID_CaQPJasieEFl9RjlyTx3UA)–

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SEEKS NO MEMBERSHIP IN POLITICAL PARTIES

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Aug. 30, 2006

YEREVAN, August 30. /ARKA – Novosti-Armenia/. Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan seeks no membership in political parties, presidential
spokesman Victor Soghomonyan said Wednesday at a press conference
in Yerevan.

In his words, the president has never wanted to join any party.

Soghomonyan also said he would remain non-partisan as well. He said
presidential staff will do the same.

"KILIKIA" SAILING SHIP GETS INTO A HURRICANE

ArmRadio.am
30.08.2006 14:42

On its way from Sochi to Poti "Kilikia" sailing vessel got into a
hurricane this night. The crew of "Kilikia" applied great efforts to
survive and to save the vessel.

Honorary captain of the ship Zori Balayan said in his talk with
"Armenpress" correspondent that two years ago "Kilikia" faced the
same trial in the same place and in the same period of time. Zori
Balayan expressed the hope that " Kilikia" will arrive at Poti harbor
September 3-4, and will reach Armenia on September 15.

Refugees At Jemaran School

Armenians and the Left
htm
Aug 24 2006

A Personal Essay by Armenian Volunteer at Refugee Center in Beirut

In mid July, the old Jemaran Armenian school complex in West Beirut
opened its doors to welcome over 90 families fleeing the fighting
in South Lebanon. The nearby Homenetmen Club was converted to a
medical clinic run by the Armenian Relief Society. Area activists took
turns helping the refugees cope with their new surroundings. Shaghig
Meguerditchian, an ARS activist and a high school French teacher by
profession, lives across the street from the Jemaran and volunteered
to help the refugees sheltered there on a regular basis. She sent us
this essay. It is entitled "Parev".

In a single day, a magic wand changed my neighborhood just as it
had four weeks before. I watched it from my balcony: There was no
one left in the school which only two days ago was packed with women
and children. More than 600 people had managed to lead a precarious
existence there, using foam mattresses as beds, cardboard boxes and
nylon bags as closets, and windowsills as clotheslines.

My "students" have gone back to their homes, or what remains of them.

They waved to me as they left, smiled and made promises. Mohammed,
Ali, Hussain, Hassan, Abbas, Khaled, Haoura, Zeinab, Zahra, Asra,
Amani, Betoul…I must admit that I miss them.

I enter the school through the large gate. To my right are two big
water barrels, and to my left, around a low table, are the directors
of this so-called "campground." A nod of the head and they say,
" Ejit al moualmeh ", or "the teacher is here." As I approach them,
the children run towards me from every which way to say "Parev, parev!"

(an Armenian greeting that I taught them).

– Have you brought us storybooks?

= Yes, four of them.

– Are we going to draw afterwards?

= Certainly!

– And then play?

= Well yes, of course!

We all settle in the courtyard, around a table and two benches. They
push each other, some sitting on the table and some on pieces of
cardboard, while others stay standing. It doesn’t matter though,
since we are far from the war and the rumblings of war planes – the
only planes we’ve heard for a month – which have turned our beautiful
blue sky into something deafening and suffocating instead.

Max Velthuijs’s strange bird captivates the children. They adore this
bird that flies out from the painting sold to a rich man by a poor
painter and searches for its rightful place in this vast world.

They want to touch the book and take turns telling the story
themselves, again and again!

= Why can’t the bird find his family?

– Because he’s imaginary.

= Why is he so sad in the forest?

– Because he wants to return home!

This says it all.

I ask them to draw an imaginary bird, strange and never before seen.

Little Mohammad shows me his drawing.

-Excellent! Now go, color it!

He comes back, and his strange bird is now full of color. At the
top of his drawing, he’s written in black: "Samidoun" ("We will stay
strong.") I tell him: -Your bird is very nice. I like it a lot…but
what does it have to do with what you have written here?

He looks at me, surprised, and walks away without saying a word. Had
he not understood? Yes, he had. He returns and hands me his paper,
from which he has erased the legend completely, so that you can’t see
a letter, not even the slightest hint of a letter! He had understood.

I had, too. The next day, when I ask them to draw using their own
imagination rather than an inspiration from a story, Lebanese and
Israeli flags appear on hilltops, as do fighters with machine guns
and a war plane dropping bombs, its tail proudly displaying the word
"Hezbollah." Apparently, I had lost: it’s impossible to forget a war
when you’re stuck right in the middle of it.

So, let’s play this game honestly.

Today it’s Tomie de Paola’s Giant of Barletta. Life goes on as normal
in the beautiful city of Barletta, until, one day, an enemy army
invades and destroys everything along its path. "Israel!" exclaim
the children. I wanted to stay tough. "Not necessarily. Nothing shows
that; not all enemies are called ‘Israel.’ If you were in Israel now,
Lebanon would be your enemy. Besides, look at the soldiers wearing
the Roman uniform." They look at me without really believing me. Just
then, a fight breaks out between Ali and Omar. "He pushed me!" "He
took my place!" I interfere: "So you are enemies now?" They both fall
silent. I had made my point. I continue and finish the story.

I reach into my bag and take out images I had printed from the
internet.

"Look! They are protesting for us in Boston, for peace in Lebanon,
look!" I show them young people waving Lebanese flags and holding
signs, and I explain the slogans. Here is a girl addressing the crowd.

Their little heads come closer.

– For us? An jadd ? ("Really?") = Who are these people?

-They are Lebanese, Americans, Armenians, Jews.

= What? Jews? That’s impossible, says Rayan.

– Why not?

= The Jews hate us. They are with Israel, affirms Rana.

An impatient voice interjects: – You don’t understand! If they are
protesting for peace in Lebanon, then they are with Lebanon! Khalas
! ("End of story!") Ibrahim’s flawless logic makes everyone
speechless. Thus, when reality refuses to move, one must play with
the words.

Now the courtyard is empty and quiet.

The children have returned to their homes. Will they grow up in
peace? They deserve it so much! As for me, I will surely never forget
them. I can still hear the joyful "parev" greeting me, and I still
smile at little Mohammed with his mischievous eyes who used to greet
me in his own special way: – Parev! Kilol khiar be elef ! ("One kilo
of cucumbers for a thousand Lebanese pounds!" Note: "parev" and "elef"
rhyme in Arabic.)

Shaghig Meguerditchian-Papazian Beirut, August 16, 2006 (Translated
from the original French by Alik and Nayiri)

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN MAY MEET IN SLOVENIA

ArmRadio.am
28.08.2006 14:36

Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Vardan Oskanian and
Elmar Mammadyarov are scheduled to meet in Slovenia today, ANS TV
Channel reports.

Acting Armenian MFA Press Secretary Vladimir Karapetyan sais,
however that no agreement has been reached on the meeting between
Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Vardan Oskanian and
Elmar Mammadyarov.

Speaking about the possibility of the meeting in Slovenia, Vladimir
Karapetyan noted that the Foreign Ministry possesses no such
information. However, he did not rule out the opportunity of the
Foreign Ministers meeting.

August 27-28 Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan is participating
in the "Caspian Prospects 2008" conference in Slovenia. The conference
welcomes also heads of states, Foreign Ministers, EU and NATO Special
Representatives to the South Caucasus, representatives of international
organizations and political scientists.

TURKS LEAN TOWARD SENDING TROOPS FOR UNIFIL
Compiled by Daily Star staff

Daily Star – Lebanon
Aug. 28, 2006

Cabinet has approved move in principle, will ask parliament to ratify

The Turkish government agreed in principle on Monday to contribute
troops to an expanded United Nations Interim Force in South Lebanon
(UNIFIL). "The issue of the UN peacekeeping force was discussed and
it was decided in principle that we participate in the mission,"
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

NATO member Turkey has good ties with both Israel and the Arab
states. The United States, Israel and Lebanon have all urged Ankara
to take part in the peacekeeping force. The Turkish government will
ask Parliament to reconvene this week or next to approve the troop
deployment, but no details of its size were revealed Monday.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is keen to boost
Turkey’s role in the Middle East but has been concerned about the
UN force’s rules of engagement. Some AKP lawmakers are worried that
Turkish troops may be asked to help disarm Hizbullah and could get
dragged into the conflict with Israel.

However, the Tashnak Party, which represents many members of the
Armenian community in Lebanon, reiterated its opposition to Turkish
participation.

During a visit to the Cypriot and French embassies in Beirut, a
delegation from the party said the Armenians in Lebanon "rejected
the presence of the Turkish Army in Lebanon." It also submitted
documentation of the military and strategic alliance between Turkey
and Israel.

Also Monday, the Italian Cabinet approved the deployment of 2,500
troops to join the expanded UNIFIL. It also approved a $38 million
aid package for Lebanon.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has asked Italy to command the Lebanon
force as of February 2007, when France’s term is set to expire.

Italian General Fabrizio Castagnetti will head the mission’s new
strategic command center from the peacekeeping department at UN
headquarters in New York.

The Italian decision also authorized a $240 million budget for 2006
operations.

"In the coming hours we will initiate the complex logistics for
the deployment of the Italian forces," Foreign Minister Massimo
D’Alema said.

The Italian Defense Ministry had said earlier in the day that a naval
task force was already being assembled to transport some 1,000 troops
to Lebanon, including marines and engineering corps specialists.

The task force, led by the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi, is
scheduled to set sail Tuesday and reach the Lebanese coast on Friday.

Spain is also preparing to send troops to Lebanon. Spanish Defense
Minister Jose Antonio Alonso will go before Parliament next week
to explain his government’s possible contribution to the emerging
international peacekeeping force in Lebanon, the ministry said Monday.

Alonso will make his case on September 7, but it is not yet known if
there will be a vote the same day, the ministry said.

The Socialist government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero
is reportedly considering sending up to 1,000 troops to the new force
being created to monitor a buffer zone in South Lebanon after 34 days
of war. – With agencies

Lab tests confirm no foot-and-mouth in Armenian district

Regnum, Moscow
25 Aug 06

25 August: The symptoms of the foot-and-mouth disease were found
in 10-15 cows in the pasture Artikskiye Dachi in Armenia’s Shirak
District on 22 August. At about 2330 [1830 gmt] on the same day, it
became known that the veterinary of the town of Artik confirmed this
information. The sick cattle were isolated and measures to prevent
the spread of the disease were taken.

However, Regnum learnt from the press service of the Rescue Service
under the Armenian Ministry of Territorial Administration that the
next day, 23 August, a report was received which said that according
to the results of laboratory tests, the disease discovered in the
cows in the Artikskiye Dachi had been diagnosed as stomatitis, which
is not infectious.

"KAJATUN" NEWSPAPER RE-PUBLISHED IN AKHALKALAK

AKHALKALAK, AUGUST 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The "Kajatun"
newspaper started to be re-published in Akhalkalak from August,
2006. The periodical was published in 2002-2004 once a month. According
to the "A-Info" agency, the last, 21st edition of the newspaper was in
December, 2004. "Kajatun" will be published with weekly periodicity
starting from the 22nd issue. The newspaper, the editor-in-chief of
which is Hamlet Anatolian, has journalists in Akhalkalak, Akhaltskha
and Ninotsminda.