Author: Emil Lazarian

Pressure group vows to bar Armenians from Azeri-hosted NATO conference

ANS TV, Baku
8 Jun 04

[Presenter] Armenian officers have voiced their intention of coming
to Baku. The Armenian Defence Ministry press secretary said that the
officers insist on coming to Baku for exercises to be held within
the framework of NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme. The Karabakh
Liberation Organization [KLO] advises the Armenians against this trip.

[Correspondent] Armenian officers declared their intention of coming
to Baku on 22 June. A planning conference for exercises within the
framework of NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme will be held
here on that day. The Armenian Defence Ministry press secretary,
Col Seyran Shakhsuvaryan, told Russia’s Regnum news agency that on 16
June, the Azerbaijani embassy in Georgia will issue relevant papers
to the Armenian officers for their trip to Baku. Let us recall that
the Armenian military was not permitted to attend conferences held
in Baku earlier.

Commenting on the Armenians’ attempts to come to Baku, the head of the
Foreign Ministry’s press service, Matin Mirza, said that the event
is being held within the framework of NATO’s Partnership for Peace
programme and that not only Armenians, but also representatives of all
the member states of the programme will take part in the conference.

In his opinion, the Armenians’ trip to Baku cannot be regarded as the
establishment of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He
said that there are positive aspects of the Armenians’ visit.

[Matin Mirza] I do not think that the Armenians’ involvement in
the Baku-based event can create any problem for Azerbaijan. On the
contrary, after arriving in Baku and participating in the conference
under the NATO programme, the Armenians will once again witness
dynamic economic and democratic reforms which have been carried
out in Azerbaijan. They will also see for themselves that not only
Azerbaijan, but also Armenia will be weakening until Armenia gives
up its aggressive policy regarding Azerbaijan.

[Correspondent] Mirza also said that by making a fuss on various web
sites, the Armenians want to tarnish Azerbaijan’s image. The Defence
Ministry press service said that the Armenians’ arrival in Baku is not
desirable and we have accurate information that they will not come,
end quote.

KLO chairman Akif Nagi believes that the country’s relevant agencies
should take a firm position on the issue. He said that the enemy
country, which won the first phase of the war, now wants to establish
cooperation with Azerbaijan, and international organizations are busy
rendering Armenia assistance in this sphere.

He does not share the optimism of Azerbaijani diplomats. As for
the statements that NATO will guarantee the Armenians’ security,
he described this as a wrong notion. We will prove that NATO cannot
guarantee the security of any Armenian on the territory of Azerbaijan,
end quote.

[Nagi] If the Armenian officers arrive in Azerbaijan despite our
protests, then keeping to its position, the KLO will make it impossible
for the Armenian officers to enter Baku. If we fail to do this and they
enter Baku via some secret routes, then using its internal reserves,
the KLO will make it impossible to begin the conference. The KLO will
use the most radical methods in this process. I would not like to
make these methods public. I mean that protest rallies will be the
mildest methods to be used. I think if the Armenian officers dare to
come to Baku, they will regret it.

[Correspondent] Nagi called on Azerbaijani officers not to take part
in any event attended by Armenian officers.

Mahir Mammadli and Seyraz Azadoglu, ANS.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Libération, France
9 juin 2004

Turquie : PS et UMP tournent casaque;
Européennes.

AUTEUR: AESCHIMANN Eric

Inquiets de leur score dimanche, les deux partis renient leur soutien
à son adhésion.

L’UMP a opéré une brutale volte-face sur une éventuelle adhésion par
peur d’une nouvelle poussée des listes eurosceptiques ; plus
subtilement mais avec autant d’arrière-pensées électorales, le PS a
décidé d’embrasser la cause arménienne à dix jours du scrutin. Pour
les deux grands partis français de gouvernement, la campagne des
élections européennes a été l’occasion de déchirantes révisions sur
la question turque. Une sorte de surenchère qui a même valu à Pierre
Moscovici, responsable du secrétariat international du PS et ardent
partisan de la Turquie, des coups de fil inquiets de responsables de
la gauche turque, sur le thème : “A quoi jouez-vous ?”

Revirement. L’impulsion de ce tournant dans l’histoire des relations
franco-turques a été donnée il y a deux mois par Alain Juppé en
personne. Lors d’une conférence de presse, le président de l’UMP a
reconnu qu’il avait changé d’avis et que désormais, sa réponse était
“non”. Hasard : quelques jours plus tôt, Philippe de Villiers, le
dirigeant du Mouvement pour la France (MPF), avait dévoilé l’axe de
sa campagne pour les européennes : la Turquie. A l’UMP, on comprend
vite que la thématique est susceptible de capter les franges
eurosceptiques de l’électorat UMP. En 1999, la liste conduite par le
duo eurosceptique Philippe de Villiers et Charles Pasqua n’était-elle
pas arrivée devant la liste RPR ? Avec son revirement sur la Turquie,
Juppé a voulu éteindre l’incendie aux premières flammes.

“Il s’agit d’une manoeuvre concertée, et au final Jacques Chirac
soutiendra la candidature turque”, assure Pierre Moscovici, ministre
délégué aux Affaires européennes pendant la cohabitation Jospin.
Peut-être. Sauf qu’en matière de manoeuvre le Parti socialiste n’est
pas en reste, puisque François Hollande, son premier secrétaire,
vient d’imposer un virage à 180° en érigeant la reconnaissance du
génocide arménien de 1915 comme “condition de l’ouverture des
négociations d’adhésion à l’Union européenne”. L’affaire est
suffisamment cruciale pour que les associations arméniennes se soient
battues en ce sens depuis des années.

Jusque-là, la position socialiste était à la fois d’appuyer la
candidature turque et de réclamer la reconnaissance du génocide, mais
sans aller jusqu’à en faire un préalable aux négociations. “Le
génocide est une affaire complexe et, si la responsabilité des Turcs
est évidente, en faire un préalable est une façon hypocrite de leur
fermer la porte au nez”, explique un expert socialiste. “La
reconnaissance doit être exigée pour l’adhésion elle-même, mais non
pour l’ouverture des négociations. Car ce sont les négociations qui
permettront l’évolution de la société turque ; alors, la
reconnaissance du génocide viendra naturellement”, estime pour sa
part Michel Rocard, tête de liste du PS dans le Sud-Est.

Affolement. Mais là aussi les calculettes ont fonctionné. Il y a un
an, le parti arménien Dachnaktsoutioun menace de présenter des listes
en Ile-de-France et dans le grand Sud-Est, où vit l’essentiel de la
communauté arménienne. Affolement des élus locaux PS. A la fin de
l’hiver, Hollande prend langue avec le parti arménien, qui, en
échange de la promesse d’une inflexion de la ligne du PS, renonce à
son projet. Placé en porte-à-faux, Pierre Moscovici tente désormais
de faire la synthèse : “La reconnaissance du génocide est une
condition politique. Nous restons favorables à l’adhésion.” Et de
réclamer que le Conseil européen de décembre 2004, qui décidera de
l’ouverture des négociations, demande à la Turquie d’assumer son
passé. Le distinguo est subtil. Trop ?

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Libération
8 juin 2004

La Turquie, chance de l’Europe;
Poser les prémices de l’adhésion de la Turquie dans l’Europe c’est
déjà penser un XXIe siècle pacifique et aider à la reconnaissance du
génocide arménien.

AUTEUR: KEHAYAN Jean; JEAN KEHAYAN, journaliste et écrivain

Si la Turquie refusait d’entamer son processus pour entrer dans
l’Union européenne, il serait indispensable que les nations
fondatrices de l’Europe déploient des trésors de diplomatie pour
convaincre Ankara d’effectuer cette démarche. Au moment où le débat
franco-français labellise le “Non à la Turquie dans l’Europe”, on est
frappé par l’absence de clairvoyance. Et, à la timide exception de
Jacques Chirac, aucun homme d’Etat ne prend de position courageuse,
estimant que ce serait suicidaire dans le climat d’hystérie
anti-islamique actuel de faire de la géopolitique intelligente. Il
suffit pourtant de regarder une carte pour se persuader que la
démocratisation de “l’homme malade de l’Europe” serait une chance
pour la stabilisation de cette région volcanique aux pays riverains
qui ne donnent aucun signe de mouvement.

Naturellement, le pari est d’envergure : dix années seront-elles
suffisantes pour que la Turquie montre ses capacités à vouloir une
adhésion sincère ? Ce n’est pas une mince affaire que d’imaginer son
conseil de sécurité militaire abandonner un pouvoir absolu en
laissant la société civile décider du destin politique du pays. Pas
une mince affaire non plus d’humaniser des prisons moyenâgeuses et, à
l’instar de la défunte Union soviétique, ne pas utiliser la
psychiatrie pour briser les esprits libres du pays. Les militaires
dans les casernes, cela doit signifier une garantie contre la
création de sanctuaires terroristes, le maintien de la laïcité
kémaliste et la garantie d’être à l’abri de tout coup d’état.

Mes amis turcs, kurdes et arméniens de l’intérieur ont la certitude
que seule la démocratisation à marche forcée peut pousser les
autorités à mettre à plat leur histoire sanglante du début du siècle
lorsque, dans une tradition qui remonte aux croisades, les infidèles
grecs et kurdes furent impitoyablement massacrés et chassés de leurs
lieux de vie ancestraux. Le paroxysme de cette politique barbare
étant le génocide des Arméniens d’Anatolie de plus en plus reconnu
par les nations raisonnables et de plus en plus nié par des autorités
qui croient suffisant d’occulter un problème pour le résoudre. Pire,
et pour ne citer qu’eux, les musées d’Erzeroum et de Van ont une
section sur le génocide, mais c’est celui des Turcs par les Arméniens
qui ont résisté !

Il faut relire les Quarante Jours du Mussa Dagh de Franz Werfel pour
se convaincre que la résistance face à la pulsion génocidaire des
militaires ottomans en déliquescence relevait de l’évidence. Dans le
processus de démocratisation, la révision de l’histoire du siècle
écoulé n’est évidemment pas négociable et fort heureusement il existe
en Turquie suffisamment d’intellectuels courageux capables de
remettre les livres d’histoire dans le bon sens. Le pari est de
taille, à la hauteur des enjeux et des avantages.

Pour en rester au problème arménien, il est évident que la petite
république du Caucase aurait tout à gagner, comme la Géorgie, à avoir
des frontières européennes. Elle pourrait ainsi sortir de son
enclavement étouffant et d’une tutelle russe qui n’est pas sans
arrière-pensée. Comme gage de bonne volonté et pour en finir avec la
crainte de restitution de terres, la Turquie pourrait rendre à
l’Arménie sa capitale historique d’Ani dont la restauration par la
communauté mondiale redonnerait tout son sens à une histoire vieille
d’une bonne quinzaine de siècles et enlèverait aux Arméniens
éparpillés sur la planète un ressentiment légitime. Un lieu où mille
églises se dressaient au Xe siècle, une nouvelle Jérusalem
pluriethnique, multiconfessionnelle et pluriculturelle. Elle pourrait
dans sa lancée trouver un statut inédit à la montagne de l’Ararat
pour qu’elle redevienne symbole de paix entre les deux pays. Une
restitution de terres sans guerre serait la première grande avancée
de l’Europe.

Concessions impossibles ? Mais que serait l’Europe si des hommes
d’Etat tels que de Gaulle et Adenauer n’avaient un beau jour décidé
d’en finir avec la “séculaire haine entre Allemands et Français” ? Si
Willy Brandt ne s’était pas agenouillé à Auschwitz, nous serions bien
loin de ce continent composé de vingt-cinq nations admises à la hâte
à la table du festin pacifique.

Nos politiques n’ont pas été très regardants sur les garanties
qu’offrait la Pologne dans cette lutte titanesque qu’est le combat
contre l’antisémitisme de ce pays désormais sans Juifs, un pays
ignorant des Lumières qui rêve de faire entrer la notion de
chrétienté dans la Constitution ! Ils ont aussi fermé les yeux sur le
racisme et la corruption endémique et déstabilisante des ex-pays du
bloc soviétique tombés de la façon la plus sauvage dans un
libéralisme qui laisse des couches entières de la population dans la
misère, qui bafoue les droits des Tsiganes et des minorités avec des
desseins et des méthodes proches d’un nouvel apartheid.

La démocratie gage de paix et de lutte contre les extrémismes. On a
vu et compris maintenant que la politique de la canonnière des
Américains en Irak conduisait à des impasses sans aucune solution
lisible dans le court terme. A l’inverse, on imagine aisément le
pouvoir de contagion d’une Turquie démocratique sur ses voisins
immédiats, comme la Syrie ou la Jordanie, régis par un parti unique
qui enlève tout espoir de progrès. N’oublions pas que le monde arabe
au faîte de la civilisation a commencé à décliner au XVIe siècle avec
la prise du pouvoir ottoman : il est temps de renverser cette
histoire. Car, à trop traîner pour amorcer les négociations d’entrée,
la Turquie pourrait être tentée de fédérer les ex-Républiques
soviétiques turcophones et imaginer un axe Ankara-Bakou-Téhéran
capable de bipolariser à nouveau notre monde. C’en serait alors
définitivement fini de voir reconnu le génocide et résolu le problème
du Haut-Karabagh, créé de toutes pièces par les diaboliques
cartographes de Staline.

Les hommes politiques français n’osent pas dire clairement que le mot
musulman est un repoussoir, alors que l’islam est la deuxième
religion dans notre propre pays. N’était une levée de boucliers, le
terme réducteur de chrétien aurait bien vu sa place dans la
Constitution européenne.

Un beau matin, fort d’une subtile révélation, M. Valéry Giscard
d’Estaing a cru trouver l’argument imparable de la géographie. D’un
côté on se fait les chantres d’une mondialisation qui abolit les
frontières, mais pour les seuls capitaux, et de l’autre on ressuscite
l’Asie mineure pour opposer une fin de non-recevoir

(1). Quelle insulte à tous les Arméniens éparpillés de par le monde
d’apprendre que leurs efforts à devenir Français, Européens,
Américains et autres en une seule génération étaient aussi évidents.
Personne n’aurait donc la hauteur de vue historique pour envisager
que la Turquie soit la chance d’une Europe vieillissante et fatiguée
sur le plan des idées et de la démographie.

Enfin, notre classe politique donneuse de leçons ne devrait pas
oublier qu’elle sera jugée pour s’être tue sinon rendue complice du
génocide rwandais ; qu’elle fait des courbettes devant Vladimir
Poutine, génocideur du peuple tchétchène qui n’a pas attendu le 11
septembre pour vouloir s’affranchir de la tutelle russe, tsariste et
communiste. Ces mêmes hommes qui déroulent le tapis rouge devant les
dirigeants chinois à la tête du plus grand Etat totalitaire de la
planète. Enfin, et puisque la religion semble être un atout maître,
comment ne pas reprocher à certains de nos leaders d’obéir à l’Opus
Dei dont la caractéristique n’est pas précisément de cultiver la
tolérance.

Certes, l’adhésion de la Turquie ne sera pas résolue en quelques
années mais en poser les prémices, c’est déjà penser un XXIe siècle
pacifique et donner des chances à l’Europe au Proche et Moyen-Orient.
C’est aussi sortir l’Arménie de l’impasse dans laquelle elle se
trouve, à condition qu’elle quitte son vieux costume soviétique,
qu’elle libère la presse et qu’elle entre dans le processus
démocratique ouvert par Lévon Ter Pétrossian, en se débarrassant de
ses mafias et de la mendicité auprès de la Banque mondiale. En somme,
il serait temps de rêver à une Europe de toutes les utopies et de
toutes les libertés. Le oui de l’Europe à la Turquie procède de cet
espoir.

(1) L’ancien président de la Convention européenne, lors de son
audition par la Commission des Affaires étrangères de l’Assemblée
nationale, le 27 novembre 2002, s’était déclaré contre l’adhésion de
la Turquie soulignant : “Il suffit d’ouvrir un dictionnaire pour
constater que l’Asie mineure, ce n’est pas l’Europe”.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Gil Spencer: At 51, it’s off to Armenia with Peace Corps

The Delaware County Times, PA
June 9 2004

You ask businessman John Tease what, at the age of 51, he’s thinking
— joining the Peace Corps and going to Armenia to live in a rural
village for two years — and he’ll throw it back at you as if it’s
the most natural thing in the world to do.

“You probably had the same thought in your mind 35 years ago,”
he’ll say.

And when you reply, “No, I didn’t,” he’ll smile acceptingly and try
to explain himself.

It turns out that, early on, Tease was your conventional American
high school kid.

He graduated from Penncrest High School in 1971. But he wanted to do
something a little different from his peers, who were mostly going
off to white-bread colleges.

“The thought of going to Penn State left me uninspired,” he explained.

So, even though he spoke barely a word of Spanish, he went to the
University of the Americas, south of Mexico City, where he majored
in anthropology and met his future wife.

She was from Denver. So, after spending four years in school, he
went back to Colorado with her. They got married and he went into
her family’s business.

Some 30 years and two daughters later, they got amicably divorced.

It was the divorce and a certain level of financial independence
that left Tease free enough to pursue the daydream he had back in
high school.

It was his Penncrest social studies teacher, Emerson Tjart, who got
him thinking about other cultures, other countries and the people who
live in them. Tjart had done his own hitch in the Peace Corps in the
mid-’60s, serving in Iran before the ayatollahs took over.

“Why Armenia?” I asked Tease.

“Actually, I was looking for an African assignment,” he said,
explaining he was almost set to go there when he was injured while
racing his quarter horse in Denver.

After he was cleared medically, he got a call from the Corps.

“They said Armenia,” and that was that.

So, he began to read up on it.

“It’s a tiny country, the oldest Christian nation in the world,” having
declared it the state religion in the 4th century. The literacy rate
is 99 percent, but under Soviet domination it was kept a relatively
poor nation, he said.

Now that the Soviet Union no longer exists, Armenians are trying to
make the painful transition to a market economy. The country is still
recovering from the 1988 earthquake that destroyed almost a quarter
of all the buildings in the north. Still, it’s a country rich in
culture with a strong intellectual tradition and a population with
a gift for commerce.

Tease will start out in a 90-day training program, learning the
language (East Armenian) and getting a feel for the do’s and don’ts
of the culture. Then, depending on the needs of the community, he’ll
be assigned.

Since his own experience is in business, he hopes he’ll be put to
work helping the locals improve their economy: from finding investment
sources to setting up computers systems to just teaching high school
students what’s really involved in a free-market system.

Tease comes by his adventuresome streak honestly.

His father, Sam, who still lives in Upper Providence with his bride
Gin, has traveled the world on his motorcycle. At 82, the retired
Marine is planning a jaunt up through New England later this summer.

As for John’s daughters, they’re no slouches, either. They’re Western
girls.

“They ride horses well and they shoot straight,” he says proudly.

His youngest, Allison, fought forest fires with the U.S. Forestry
Service right out of high school before going into nanotechnology,
while the older one, Meredith, is the chief operating officer of a
hedge fund.

High-spiritedness apparently runs in the family.

So his cars are sold, as is one of his horses. The other, his beloved
Sugar, has been put out to pasture.

He leaves this week. He can bring with him 100 pounds of personal
belongings, which will include a laptop, a short-wave radio and a
sleeping bag rated for sub-zero temperatures. The climate is a lot
like Denver’s: dry but with cold winters.

The pay?

“It’s enough to feed yourself” with a little left over for “some
level of entertainment.”

The housing? Adequate, safe and secure.

He’s been told that “a good sleeping bag, flexibility and a sense
of humor will enable one to survive.” He’s got the sleeping bag
for sure. He’ll find out how much of the other two he has after he
gets there.

“I only hope I can give back as much as I’m going to get out of this,”
he says. “I like to think I have much to offer, but it worries me.”

He doesn’t look worried. He looks happy.

“I’m so exited,” he says, sounding like a kid. “I’m ready for this.”

Gil Spencer’s column appears Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.

E-mail: [email protected].

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

June 9, 2004
___________________

RECORD NUMBERS OF YOUNG LEADERS HEAD TO TEXAS FOR BUSINESS, FELLOWSHIP,
AND WORSHIP

The young people of the St. Sarkis Church of Dallas, TX, chapter of the
Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA) played host to
hundreds of ACYOA members during the group’s energetic and successful
General Assembly and Sports Weekend.

The Assembly, from May 27 to 28, brought together 40 representatives
from 17 parishes. It was the first time the Dallas chapter hosted the
events.

“This was my first time attending the General Assembly, and it was very
encouraging and inspiring to discover that others share the same
dedication, hope and excitement about having a successful ACYOA, locally
and nationally,” said Melissa DerPilbosian, an ACYOA member from the
Holy Trinity Church of Cheltenham, PA

YOUNG STEWARDS

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese, told the
young faithful that it is never too early for them to step forward and
take roles of responsibility in the church community.

“Armenians, throughout our history, have beautifully exemplified the
Christian tradition of stewardship. All of our worthy achievements, our
long survival in the face of terrible obstacles, are in the deepest
sense a record of faithful stewardship, by the Armenian people to our
Almighty Lord and Master,” the Primate said. “Our parents and
grandparents did not take on all these challenges because they felt
there was something in it for themselves. Quite the reverse. They
worked and sacrificed and contributed because they regarded the church
itself, and service to God, as something greater than themselves: as a
duty they had inherited from prior generations; as a legacy they were
obliged to hand down to generations yet to come.”

“Now, all of this heritage has been placed in your hands,” he told the
young delegates. “You are the new stewards of the Armenian Church. It
is now your turn — your obligation — to be its care-takers, its
defenders, its creative builders.”

The Primate also read to the Assembly a message from His Holiness
Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; and led
the young delegates in a bible study dealing with the idea of
stewardship. The Primate then hosted the delegates for a luncheon,
during which he answered questions on a variety of issues.

The Assembly was a chance not only for the delegates to get business
done, but to get to know the Primate better and get to know each other
as well.

“It’s always a pleasure being with people my age who share the same
faith and values that I do,” said Dn. Armen Jesralyan, an ACYOA member
at the St. Leon Church of Fair Lawn, NJ. “I can’t express how much of
an influence this has on me.”

Also speaking during the assembly was Jason Demerjian, the Eastern
Diocese’s college ministry facilitator, who spoke on remaining a
faithful Armenian Christian. His ministry is the newest effort by the
Eastern Diocese to reach out to those who do not attend regular
services.

“It was a true blessing to witness the strong commitment and fresh ideas
demonstrated at the Assembly,” said Gregory Andonian, ACYOA
representative from the St. Gregory of Narek Church in Cleveland, OH.
“The Armenian Church and its people have a bright future.”

CHOOSING NEW LEADERS

The ACYOA delegates voted for three Central Council seats. Re-elected
for another two-year term were Maria Derderian of the St. Sahag and St.
Mesrob Church of Wynnewood, PA; and Rita Akaraz of the St. John Church
of Southfield, MI. Also elected was Karen Khatchadourian of the St.
Thomas Church of Tenafly, NJ.

“The ACYOA Central Council continues to be an integral part of the
Armenian Church. Their wisdom and passion has helped strengthen this
organization in the past few years,” said Steve Megrdichian, the youth
director from the Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Church of Providence, RI.
“Their mission has been to collectively put forth each of their talents
to promote the ACYOA and its programs.”

The new Central Council officers for the 2004-05 year are: Jennifer
Morris, chair; Dn. Diran Jebejian, vice chair; Rita Akaraz, treasurer;
Tammy Bagdigian, secretary; Maria Derderian, public relations;
Christopher Tashjian, chapter relations; and Karen Khatchadourian,
programming.

“This year’s Central Council is composed of strong leaders and
passionate servants of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” said Morris,
who begins her last year on the Central Council after 15 years of
involvement. “We will work together to continue strengthening the ACYOA
on the national level, while focusing on effective communication and
programming to help benefit young adults throughout the Eastern
Diocese.”

CELEBRATING THEIR FAITH

On Sunday, more than 75 of the young delegates joined the faithful
parishioners of St. Sarkis Church for a Divine Liturgy, celebrated by
Fr. Daniel Findikyan, dean of St. Nersess Seminary. Fr. Haigazoun
Najarian, pastor of the St. Sahag and St. Mesrob Church of Wynnewood,
PA, delivered the Armenian sermon and the English sermon was delivered
by Fr. Vazken Movsesian, from the Western Diocese.

After the liturgy, the Primate conducted a special Service of
Installation for the new ACYOA Central Council.

“We, and the faithful present here, ask for God’s blessings upon these
servants of the Church, that they may continue to serve God and the Holy
Mother Church of Armenia,” said Nancy Basmajian, executive secretary of
the ACYOA, as she presented the council to the Primate.

SPORTS AND GAMES

Following a weekend of business and church services, 350 young adults
from the Eastern Diocese took part in the Sports Weekend, which ran from
May 28 to 31, 2004. The Sports Weekend committee was chaired by Evelyn
Boyajian. More than 172 athletes from 12 parishes competed in events
ranging from chess and tavloo to track and basketball.

Along with sports events on Saturday, there were also a series of
workshops, covering topics such as: college life and the church; the
realities of sex, drugs, and violence; the state of marriage; a
discussion on the movie “The Passion of the Christ”; and presentations
on the Armenian General Benevolent Union and the Armenian Genocide
Museum and Memorial.

The young members of the Eastern Diocese were joined by the chair of the
Armenian Church Youth Organization (ACYO) of the Western Diocese, Hovig
Artinian, who was accompanied by about 50 ACYO-WD members. He told the
ACYOA delegates at the Assembly that he hoped a new era of open
communication could build joint ventures between the two organizations.

Several clergymen also spent the weekend with the ACYOA members,
including: Fr. Daniel Findikyan, dean of the St. Nersess Seminary; Fr.
Nersess Jebejian, pastor of the St. Hagop Church in St. Petersburg, FL;
Fr. Garabed Kochakian, pastor of the St. John Church of Southfield, MI;
and Fr. Haigazoun Najarian, pastor of the Sts. Sahag and Mesrob Church
of Wynnewood, PA.

* * *

Taking home first place honors during the ACYOA Sports Weekend were:
Men’s Basketball – St. Vartan Cathedral
Women’s Basketball – St. John Church, Detroit, MI
Volleyball – St. James Church, Watertown, MA
Soccer – Holy Ascension Church, Trumbull, CT
Tug-of-War – St. Sarkis Church, Dallas, TX
Bull Riding – Onnik Madanyan, St. Gregory the Illuminator Church,
Chicago, TX
Chess – David Avanesov, St. Gregory of Narek Church, Cleveland, OH
Tavloo – Ara Minassian, St. Sarkis Church, Dallas, TX
Ping-Pong – Fernando Maraslioglu, St. Sarkis Church, Dallas, TX
Track, Men’s 100 meters – Diran Belekian, California
Track, Women’s 100 meters – Kelly Karakashian, St. John Church, Detroit,
MI
Track, Men’s 200 meters – Diran Balekian, California
Track, Women’s 200 meters – Kelly Karakashian, St. John Church, Detroit,
MI
Track, Men’s 400 meters – Diran Balekian, California
Track, Men’s 800 meters – Charlie Stamboulian, St. John Church, Detroit,
MI
Track, Men’s 1,600 meters – Thomas Stamboulian, St. John Church,
Detroit, MI
Massis Award – St. Sarkis Church, Dallas, TX
Babayan Cup – St. James Church, Watertown, MA

— 6/9/04

E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable on the Eastern
Diocese’s website,

PHOTO CAPTION (1): Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese
of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), with the newly chosen ACYOA
Central Council at St. Sarkis Church of Dallas, TX, the host of the 2004
ACYOA General Assembly and Sports Weekend.

PHOTO CAPTION (2): The Primate discusses stewardship with the delegates
at the 2004 ACYOA General Assembly in Dallas, TX.

PHOTO CAPTION (3): A team takes part in the tug-of-war competition
during the ACYOA Sports Weekend in Dallas, TX.

PHOTO CAPTION (4): Basketball was one of the sports in the 2004 ACYOA
Sports Weekend, hosted by the St. Sarkis Church of Dallas, TX.

# # #

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT IN CONTROL AS OPPOSITION PROTESTS FIZZLE OUT
Emil Danielyan: 6/09/04

EurasiaNet Organization
June 9 2004

Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian appears to have warded off a
challenge to his authority, surviving a two-month opposition protest
campaign that aimed to force his resignation. Even though the protests
failed to attract large numbers of Armenians, some political analysts
in Yerevan say the opposition campaign inflicted considerable political
damage on Kocharian.

Since April, opposition leaders had promised “decisive action”
against Kocharian. At the most recent street protest June 4 in
central Yerevan, however, the opposition acknowledged that it lacked
sufficient backing to fulfill its aim, and abandoned plans to march on
Kocharian’s residence. “We believe that we are not yet ready to carry
out actions needed for achieving our final victory,” a leading member
of the opposition Justice bloc, Albert Bazeyan, told a thinning crowd.

The unrest stemmed from the February-March 2003 presidential election
in which Kocharian secured a second term amid allegations of vote
rigging. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. His
opponents still refuse to recognize the legitimacy of his reelection
and were unsuccessful in a 2003 attempt to have the voting results
invalidated. Kocharian critics later decided to embrace protest
tactics, striving to imitate the success of Georgian President
Mikheil Saakashvili, who came to power amid the “Rose Revolution”
in Tbilisi. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The opposition unveiled the protest strategy in early April. The
most critical moment occurred early on in the protest campaign, as
riot police, during the early hours of April 13, dispersed opposition
protesters as they marched towards Kocharian’s official residence in
Yerevan. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The leaders of Armenia’s two main opposition groups, the Justice
bloc and the National Unity Party (AMK), have since continued the
unsanctioned rallies in the city center. The protests have flagged
in recent weeks as many opposition supporters grew increasingly
frustrated over the lack of “decisive action.”

Bazeyan and other opposition leaders said they will continue to rally
supporters in the capital to keep up pressure on the authorities.
“There will be no stability in the country as long as Kocharian remains
in power because stability and Kocharian are incompatible things,”
the most radical of them, Aram Sarkisian, said.

But few observers believe that demonstrations attended by several
thousand people will pose a serious threat to the ruling regime.
Given the effective end of the protest campaign, political analysts
are examining the question of why the Armenian opposition failed
to mobilize what one of its leaders described as a “critical mass”
of demonstrators.

In the view of Aghasi Yenokian, director of the independent Armenian
Center for Political and International Studies, Justice and the
AMK never had a clear action plan. He said the opposition also lost
popular trust due to its inability to successfully press its appeal
over the presidential election tally. “The opposition has shown on
several occasions that it can let the people down at any moment,”
Yenokian said.

Still, some local political experts believe that the protests,
which provoked the worst-ever government crackdown on the Armenian
opposition, dealt a blow to Kocharian’s legitimacy at home and
abroad. That, they say, could open new cracks in the country’s shaky
governing coalition, rendering the medium- to long-term political
situation in the country unpredictable.

“Armenia is entering a period of political apathy where there is no
effective government and [no] effective opposition,” said a recent
commentary in the pro-opposition daily Haykakan Zhamanak.

Authorities have maintained throughout that the opposition protest
campaign was unconstitutional. On June 8, one of Kocharian’s top allies
declared victory in the political struggle. “The opposition has failed
to achieve its goals,” Prime Minister Andranik Markarian said.

Throughout the crisis, Kocharian stressed that Armenia’s strong
security apparatus ensured that a repetition of the “Georgian scenario”
would not occur in Yerevan. At the same time, Kocharian has sought
to placate building popular frustration.

Kocharian has long tried to cast himself as the custodian of a
fast-growing economy. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. The benefits of economic growth, though, are not evenly
distributed in Armenia, as many in the country continue to grapple
with poverty. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. In recent weeks, Kocharian has expressed renewed interest in
improving living conditions. His schedule in early June, for example,
was full of meetings, heavily publicized by state-controlled television
channels, with officials at all levels of government to examine issues
ranging from suspected corruption in high school graduation exams to
patchy supplies of drinking water.

In addition to the high-profile effort to address popular concerns,
authorities have cracked down on the opposition, arresting hundreds of
government critics. The crackdown continued even after strong criticism
voiced by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in late
April. Since then, a 24-year-old man has been sentenced to an 18-month
jail term for hurling a plastic bottle at a riot police officer during
the April 12-13 events. Four other opposition activists received up
to 15-month prison sentences stemming from their participation in
another protest.

Although Kocharian is the winner of the latest round, experts
believe the political bout will continue. Yenokian, for one, viewed
the deepening intra-governmental infighting as a source of political
turmoil down the road. “The processes should not be considered over,”
the analyst said. “They may well have a continuation.”

Editor’s Note: Emil Danielyan is a Yerevan-based journalist and
political analyst.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenia cannot rival Azerbaijan in economy – Azeri leader

MPA news agency
9 Jun 04

Baku, 9 June: “The world considers Armenia to be an aggressor. Having
such a title in the 21st century does not do anyone credit,”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said during his meeting on
8 June with refugees and displaced people in Mingacevir western
Azerbaijan. Armenia is unable to rival Azerbaijan in the economic or
other spheres, he said.

“The resolution of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict is possible only
within the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. If the
peace negotiations fail, Baku will resort to other means to liberate
its lands,” Aliyev said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN KURDS TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST TURKEY IF OCALAN TRIAL IS “UNFAIR”

Noyan Tapan news agency
9 Jun 04

Yerevan, 9 June: Hundreds of thousands of Kurds will organize mass
actions in various European countries, particularly in France, on 9
June to protect their leader Abdullah Ocalan (leader of the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party – PKK) , the head of the Caucasus representative
office of the Assembly of the People of Kurdistan (former KADEK –
the Congress for Freedom and Democracy in Kurdistan – successor to
the PKK), Geydar Ali, has told a news conference in Yerevan.

He said that in doing so, the Kurds hoped to draw the world community’s
attention to Ocalan’s trial to be held on that day in the European
Court on Human Rights and to achieve a fair verdict.

According to Geydar Ali, if the trial is unfair, the Kurdish-Turkish
clashes will continue, especially as the second congress of the
Assembly of the People of Kurdistan held in northern Iraq on 13-26
May made a decision to suspend the unilateral truce.

Geydar Ali said that the unilateral truce and peace policy declared
by the Kurdish people failed to persuade Turkey and involve this
country in talks: “Turkey does not understand the language of consent
and democracy, that is why the second congress decided to respond to
Turkish attacks with serious counter-attacks”.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

At Risk in Metsamor?: Living in the shadow of reactors

Armenianow.com
10 June 2004

Special from Caucasus Media Institute

Parallel to the construction of the nuclear power plant in the
1970-80s, the town of Metsamor was established some three to four
kilometers from the plant. People from almost all the regions of
Armenia fled to the town to settle down here. They built families,
had children and worked at the power plant.

Sanosyan Artavazd 90 years old (in center), resident of Metsamor..

But after the plant closed in 1989, the people of Metsamor lost their
jobs and didn’t start working again until late 1995, when construction
of the plant restarted.

Today only 20% of the population of Metsamor works at the plant. Many
people in the town are pleased that the plant that is their only hope
does function, while others are unhappy with that very fact.

“It poisons us. And if we get an instrument measuring the dose and
install somewhere in the town, we’ll see that we are living in poison,
but who cares, we have to,” says Rafik Mkhitaryan, a 70-year-old
resident of Metsamor.

“We, Armenians, to put it relatively, are among the smart nations of
the region,” says Artavazd Sanosyan, a man in his 90s, whose two sons,
a daughter and two grandchildren work at the power plant.

“If they tell me that the nuclear power plant is safe and secure,
I trust them,” he says. “If the plant shuts down, this town will
exist no more. This is the only working place that feeds us.”

Karapet Manukyan, 74, has been working at the plant for almost two
decades and has never felt any change in his health condition. Nor
has he ever had a medical examination to learn whether the work at
plant has affected his health.

“The plant functions fine, it is protected, and we haven’t felt that
it may damage our health,” says Manukyan.

Rafik Mkhitaryan has been working as a brigade leader of the group
digging pits for the two reactors of the plant since February 4, 1970.

Rafik Mkhitaryan 76 years old (third from the left). “When the plant
was ready for exploitation, the minister of electric networks of the
USSR, Grigoriants, said that the term is 28 years, and there ‘s no
right to exploit it even a day past the deadline,” says Mkhitaryan. He
assures that now the scientists check up the plant once a year and
extend the term by two-three years, which is not right.

“We are very much afraid but there are people that prolong the life of
the plant to amass wealth. The structure at present is decayed. They
are also afraid to go on building it but, nevertheless, they do for
filling their pockets. Though I am not smart enough for it but I find
that if the deadline has expired, then it’s necessary to stop it so
that our nation doesn’t get into big trouble,” he says.

The mother of two children, Gohar Bezprozvanikh also fears for herself
and her kids and does not think the plant is secure.

“Earthquakes take place and that is already dangerous. On the
other hand, we have no other source for work or energy, so it is as
impossible to close
it,” says Gohar.

Some in the town say the plant causes certain illness and birth
defects.

They suggest that, in exchange for the risk, residents of Metsamor
should get their power for free.

“This will compensate the risk of living here,” Mkhitaryan said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Libération
7 juin 2004

Exiger la mémoire du génocide arménien;
L’entrée éventuelle d’une Turquie négationniste en Europe inquiète
les 450 000 Français d’origine arménienne.

par Ara Toranian, président du Conseil de coordination des
organisations arméniennes de France (CCAF)

La perspective d’entrée de la Turquie dans l’Europe ne soulève pas que
des questions académiques sur l’histoire et la géographie de l’Ancien
Continent. Elle suscite également une forte inquiétude au sein d’une
partie de la population française qui a rarement voix au chapitre,
qu’on a du mal à entendre et qu’on évacue trop souvent des débats :
les 450 000 Français d’origine arménienne, enfants et petits-enfants
des rescapés du génocide de 1915.

Fantasmes que leurs craintes fondées sur de l’histoire ancienne
? On aimerait s’en convaincre. Hélas, la politique des gouvernements
turcs qui se sont succédé depuis cette extermination fait montre de
suffisamment de constance pour ne pas laisser place au doute. Qu’ils
soient de droite, de gauche, laïques ou islamistes, ces pouvoirs se
sont inscrits, avec un remarquable sens de la continuité, dans la
logique de ce crime. Depuis la fondation de la Turquie dite moderne en
1923, ces gouvernements n’ont eu de cesse de poursuivre par d’autres
moyens l’entreprise d’anéantissement engagée par les Jeunes Turcs
: négation organisée du fait historique, gommage systématique de
tout indice des massacres, de toute trace des Arméniens dans leurs
territoires ancestraux, destruction ou détournement – partout où cela
est possible – de leurs vestiges historiques, de leurs églises. Ils se
sont également évertués à imposer une loi du silence à l’intérieur du
pays et un chantage permanent à l’extérieur pour faire taire les Etats
qui, tels le Canada le 21 avril dernier, la Suisse le 16 décembre 2003
ou la France le 29 janvier 2001, ont pris la liberté de reconnaître
le génocide.

Cette complicité active des autorités turques “modernes” envers
l’extermination des Arméniens a atteint un nouveau pic. Il y a un an,
en effet, le ministère de l’Education nationale a envoyé à l’ensemble
des établissements secondaires du pays une circulaire leur enjoignant
d’organiser une dissertation sur le thème suivant : “Comment répondre
aux allégations de génocide arménien ?” Avec, à la clé, une récompense
pour la meilleure copie.

Face à un tel obscurantisme, un tel acharnement, comment les Français
d’origine arménienne pourraient-ils appréhender sereinement la venue
de cet Etat qui, du fait de sa démographie et des dispositions du
traité de Nice, est destiné à être le plus représenté au Parlement
européen ? Comment les enfants du génocide arménien pourraient-ils
accepter de se retrouver dans une Europe qui ferait la place belle
à une Turquie négationniste, complice de la solution finale ?

Certaines personnes déjà nous ont fait savoir que face à cette
éventualité, elles se préparaient à plier bagage. Et ce n’est
pas l’attitude des pouvoirs publics dans cette affaire qui les
tranquillisera. En témoigne la réponse de Jacques Chirac à une
question d’un journaliste de Radio J, lors de sa conférence de presse
du 29 avril dernier. A sa question portant sur la reconnaissance du
génocide des Arméniens par la Turquie comme préalable à son adhésion
dans l’Europe, le président de la République a répliqué sèchement :
“C’est une affaire bilatérale entre la Turquie et l’Arménie.” Des
propos qui ont semé le trouble, y compris à droite : “C’est comme si
on disait que les exterminations ne concernent que les communautés
qui en sont les victimes”, a rétorqué François Bayrou.

Les communautés arméniennes ont dû batailler pendant quatre-vingts ans
contre les menées négationnistes de la Turquie. Les reconnaissances
du génocide effectuées dernièrement par quelques Etats démocratiques
leur laissaient espérer en l’avènement d’une nouvelle ère. Se
sont-elles trompées ? Faces aux diverses menaces que laisserait
craindre l’adhésion d’un Etat turc qui n’aurait pas rompu avec la
logique criminelle de ses prédécesseurs, quelle sera l’attitude de la
France ? Assumera-t-elle la protection due à ses citoyens d’origine
arménienne ? Il n’y a qu’en exigeant de la Turquie qu’elle reconnaisse
officiellement le génocide des Arméniens que l’on pourra rassurer
nos concitoyens. Et aller de l’avant. On est encore loin du compte.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress