The Daily Star, Lebanon
April 23 2004
Hogasapian requests change in date for Industry Day
Beirut MP Jean Hogasapian urged the Lebanese Industrialists’
Association to change the date of the Industry Day from April 24 to
another date as it coincides with the commemoration day of the
Armenian genocide.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
The South End, MI
April 24 2004
Overlooking the present
Ali Moossavi
Vibe Editor
I have absolutely no problem with Holocaust Remembrance Day. This
may come as a shock to those who confuse my anti-Zionist views for
anti-Semitism, but my hatred for an apartheid state’s settler
colonial policies does not equate to respect for racist mass murder.
Logic states that if I’m offended by one form of dehumanizing
violence, then others will offend me equally. And I’m a logical
person, or at least that’s what the voices in my head tell me.
What I do have a problem with is the use of one people’s horror to
justify another. The use of the Holocaust as a propaganda tool to
justify the conquest and ethnic cleansing of Palestine is not only
tired in its repetition or immoral as a phenomenon; it’s also an easy
target. There are other important topics to deal with, so I’ll leave
this one alone.
Another aspect of Holocaust Remembrance Day that does annoy me,
however, is the fact that only the Holocaust is noted. Some
commentators in the Israeli press have noted this and suggest that
steps should be made toward helping Armenians gain recognition for
their 1915 genocide that claimed 1.5 million people by the Ottoman
empire, now modern day Turkey.
While well intentioned, it completely misses the point. Despite
the necessity of studying and remembering past genocides, it doesn’t
do any good to sit back and self-righteously condemn other societies
for their sins while ignoring one’s own.
This seems to be the case with the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum. On their Web site, they have something called
“Genocide Watch,” which currently includes Chechnya and Sudan. This
may seem noble, and in fact it is, the problem with it is that the
United States has little or nothing to do with these atrocities,
either directly or indirectly.
Considering that the museum documents a 65-year-old genocide under
a country we were at war with, while pointing a human rights
microscope away from our allies and ourselves and onto others, smells
of moral dishonesty serving political interests. That’s not what
“never again” was supposed to mean.
It would be braver – and more pertinent – to extract the universal
lesson that the Holocaust teaches, which is that mass murder – in any
form and for any reason – is universal.
After all, unlike the Germans during World War II who for the most
part didn’t know what was going on in the east, mass murder has been
with American politics since this country’s founding and has been
well-documented. Yet, despite its relatively well-known existence,
Americans have sat idly by, with some celebrating it, while others
pretend to know nothing.
Take the genocide against Native Americans, for example. It is now
widely known that millions of indigenous people were killed over a
period of almost two centuries, either through conventional or
biological warfare (remember those smallpox-infected blankets?) for
the purpose of stealing their land.
It was an American Lebensraum, genocide and expansion, much like
Hitler’s conquest of Eastern Europe. Yet no museum exists to
commemorate it, or anything that happened since then, including
Vietnam.
No one ever thinks of the Vietnam War as mass murder. Yet that’s
exactly what it was. The United States and its South Vietnamese
allies killed at least two million Vietnamese during the war, which
lasted from 1965-1973, when the direct American role ended, followed
by the fall of Saigon in 1975. Many of those deaths resulted from the
enormous aerial bombardment, but a significant proportion also
occurred from rampaging American soldiers.
This isn’t to say that all American GIs were rampaging killing
machines. Many of them became outspoken critics of the war and their
efforts led to the Winter Soldier hearings in Detroit, where
testimonies regarding the many massacres that made up the war were
heard.
An elite Army unit called, “Tiger Force,” carried out one such
massacre, which lasted over a period of seven months in South
Vietnam’s Central Highlands, in 1967. Hundreds of villagers were
killed, by being blown up with grenades or shot execution style. Then
their bodies were mutilated by having their ears cut off to make
necklaces.
Worst of all, commanders knew that these things were going on, yet
did nothing. In fact, a four-year investigation by the Army, which
went all the way to the Pentagon and the White House, was kept secret
and no charges were filed when it was dropped in 1975. The only
reason anybody knows about this is because of an investigation
conducted by the Toledo Blade newspaper.
Incidentally, the Secretary of Defense in 1975 is also the Defense
Secretary now – Donald Rumsfeld. Mass murder of the kind that
occurred in 1967 is probably happening in Iraq now, and remembering
the Holocaust isn’t going to stop it unless immediate action is
taken.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Associated Press Worldstream
April 23, 2004 Friday 7:06 AM Eastern Time
Armenian spiritual leader urges international action to prevent
future genocide
by JOSEPH PANOSSIAN; Associated Press Writer
ANTELIAS, Lebanon
Commemorating the early 20th century death of hundreds of thousands
of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey, the spiritual leader of about 2
million survivors and their descendants on Friday urged international
action to prevent future genocide.
Aram I, head of the Armenian Orthodox Church in the diaspora, said
the world should impose economic sanctions, “and in extreme
situations, engage in humanitarian intervention” to stop mass
killings.
“These are the most efficient ways of preventing genocide,” he told a
two-day conference organized by his church.
Speaking at the opening session of the conference on Thursday, Aram I
also announced the establishment of an International Center for
Dialogue, Peace and Human Rights, to be based at his seat in the
northern Beirut suburb of Antelias.
The International Conference on Genocide, Impunity and Justice
brought together Lebanese Cabinet ministers, lawmakers, religious
leaders from other sects and foreign scholars and diplomats.
Speakers focused on the inadequacy of existing international criminal
laws in dealing with mass killings, which mostly go unpunished. The
speakers included U.N. human rights and world court officials, as
well as a presidential representative from Rwanda, where the world’s
latest genocide a decade ago killed nearly 800,000 people.
Armenians say they lost 1.5 million people in 1915-23 as Ottoman
Turkish authorities deported entire communities from various
provinces. Turkey says the number of deaths was fewer, and that they
resulted from civil unrest.
Starting Friday, Armenians around the globe mark the anniversary of
the start of the killings with marches, torch parades, sit-ins,
lectures and vigils.
But in Lebanon for the second consecutive year, such public
manifestations by the vibrant Armenian community of nearly 100,000
were canceled because of the conflict in Iraq and the Palestinian
territories. Only a candlelit vigil will be held Friday at the seat
of the Armenian Orthodox Catholicosate in Antelias.
Armenians have been trying for decades to gain recognition of the
mass killings in Turkey as the 20th century’s first genocide. Turkey
has repeatedly opposed the measure.
Canada on Wednesday became the 16th country to label the killings as
genocide when its parliament backed a resolution 153-68 condemning
the actions of the Ottoman Turkish forces as a “crime against
humanity.” Turkey protested the Canadian vote.
Switzerland, France, Argentina and Russia – as well as 11 U.S. state
governments – have also called the killings genocide, and Armenians
are lobbying for similar action from the U.S. government.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
US envoy tries to be impartial in assessment of situation in Armenia – paper
Haykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
23 Apr 04
Text of Hayk Gevorkyan report by Armenian newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak
on 23 April headlined “The ambassador tried to seem neutral”
US Ambassador to Armenia John Ordway held a regular news conference
yesterday. Naturally, its main theme was the domestic political
situation in Armenia after the 13 April events [opposition rally].
The keynote of the ambassador’s answers was that the events should
develop in a way that would rule out violence and ensure a
constructive dialogue between the authorities and the opposition.
“It is obvious that there are many different views regarding Armenia’s
future and those differences should be resolved only in a democratic
and civilized way, exclusively by means of political dialogue,” the
ambassador said.
However, his words concerning the dialogue were more directed to the
authorities: “It is very important that the authorities create a basis
for political discussions and the opposition takes part in these
discussions.” It was evident that it was a principled task for US
Ambassador to Armenia John Ordway not to make any statements
expressing a preference for either party. So, he noted several times
that actions of the authorities did not promote dialogue. The
ambassador asked a rhetorical question: is it realistic to wait for
the opposition to enter the dialogue when, for example, police starts
acting in front of their parties’ offices?
According to Ordway, it is no good if the parties think that they are
in a deadlock. He especially stressed that all the actions aimed at
coming out of the current situation should be decided “in Armenia and
by Armenians”.
He said that in the last 10 days he had had numerous meetings and
telephone talks with party leaders, including [Armenian President
Robert] Kocharyan. But he declined to specify the details of the
meeting with Kocharyan.
As for the recognition of the Armenian genocide by the USA, the
ambassador believes that the USA has not changed its position
regarding this issue. “But I am expecting that in two days we shall
have the US president’s statement dedicated to 24 April [marked in
Armenia as “genocide day”] and it will then be clear how he decides to
form our policy,” John Ordway said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
The Georgian Messenger
23 April 2004
Prepared by Anna Arzanova
Oil interests hang in the balance in Karabakh conflict
According to the newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta, the aggravation of
Armenian-Azeri conflict may interfere in the construction of the pipeline
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan. For the first time after ten years of peace, there has
been talk in Baku and in Yerevan about the possibility of the renewal of
military actions in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh con-flict.
Last week, the Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan stated that a war between
Armenia and Azerbaijan may start at any moment and specified that it can
take place given that Armenian authorities are loosing control over the
situation in the country, where the political crisis is aggravating.
The United States is concerned that armed forces may act independent of
politicians and provoke armed conflict themselves. The clearest sign of
Washington’s concern regarding the development of events in the zone of
Armenian-Azeri conflict is the appointment of Steven Mann as the American
co-chair of the Minsk Group of the OSCE.
This diplomat managed to solve the most important problem for the United
States to direct the transportation of energy resources from the Caspian Sea
region to the West, which is needed by Washingon. Steven Mann has close
relations not only with the leadership of one of the countries involved in
the conflict Azerbaijan, but also with Western oil companies, which have
interests in this region.
It is possible that Washington really intends to stimulate the process of
regulating the conflict. Though, probably, the task before Steven Mann is to
postpone armed conflict until 2005. By this time, the BTC pipeline will be
set in motion. After this, the insuring of the pipeline’s security will
become an international problem.
The West will at any price not allow the renewal of hostilities, though, as
the former co-chairman of the Minsk Group of OSCE of Russia Vladimer
Kazimirov said, the experience gained by Steven Mann at the position of
president’s special representative of the United States in Caspian region,
will not help him in this new field. “There are lots of ways to exert
pressure to avoid armed actions and the smell of oil is not necessary for
this,” states the expert.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
ArmeniaNow.com
23 April 2004
Isolated: A visit to a forgotten village
By Vahan Ishkhanyan ArmeniaNow reporter
When the snow melts, the village of Geghakar restores its connection with
the world.
Geghakar comes out when the snow goes away.
A nearly impassable road is the only link with the outside, and when nature
closes it, Geghakar about 75 miles northeast of Yerevan hibernates until
spring.
Until 1989, the village – formerly called Yenikend – was one of the richest
cattle breeding areas of the Gegharkunik region. It was an Azeri settlement
until then. But its population and its livestock industry and a lot of other
things changed when Azeris were no longer welcomed across the nearby border,
and vice versa.
Today Geghakar, like many villages around this part of Lake Sevan, is
populated by refugees from Azerbaijan.
Ruben Karapetyan is 25. In 1990, when he was 11, his family escaped from the
big-city (but dangerous for Armenians) life in Baku, and became villagers.
Other refugees came for Kirovabad, and the former Azeri village became home
to families like Ruben’s.
“It’s very strange how this village was put on a map,” Ruben says.
Ten years ago there was a telephone line connecting Geghakar. But residents
of the village remember that one day someone came to the village from
Vardenis and cut all telephone lines taking them away saying that nobody can
lay a complaint against him. Refugees, who had no support, couldn’t save
their telephone lines.
“Those days they lied to us,” says refugee from Kirovabad Roman Karapetyan.
“They said they would develop the village, install a gas line . . . And then
they put us into an Ikarus (model of bus) and brought us here.”
It is a far measure from life as it was known in Kirovabad or Baku.
Villagers mainly live by growing potatoes and wheat, a task made more
difficult because the village has no irrigation system. They say they cannot
work their croplands because they have no machinery. And even if there were
machinery, they couldn’t afford to buy fuel.
Thirteen families live in Geghakar, about 50 residents. Three times that
many are registered here. Two-thirds of the official population actually
live seven kilometers away in Lusakunk. They come to the village to graze
cattle and to vote. The head of the village also lives in Lusakunk, and
rarely visits his “constituency”. (In general, almost all refugee villages
in the region have heads who are non-refugees.)
The poorest villagers are refugees from Baku, Boris and Irina Kulikyan, who
have seven children.
“We had been living in the city for 35 years. What can we do now? This is
our reality. We have no place to go,” says Boris, who is seriously ill and
cannot do physical work anymore. Their eldest son, who is the main
breadwinner in their family, was called up for military service.
“In summer we can do something, but in winter it is very hard. We can hardly
sell 500-600 kilograms of potatoes and buy firewood. However, I cannot work
the land anymore. In addition, there was terrible heavy rain, which killed
all potatoes.” (In early March a storm and flood caused severe damage to the
region. Many roofs in Geghakar were damaged).
In general, Geghakar has rich resources including wide meadows, croplands
and a quarry. However, villagers insist they don’t make use of them as
quarries belong to a businessman from Vardenis, where only residents from
Vardenis work. And majority of croplands is granted on lease.
“All hayfields belong to head of the village. He thinks only about his
pocket,” says one of the villagers. (ArmeniaNow tried to reach the village
head, but he was not in Geghakar nor in his permanent residence in
Lusakunk.)
There is a medical station in the village, but it is always closed. A nurse
from Lusakunk visits every two months, according to villagers.
Emma Tsaturyan, 62, a refugee from Baku, is the villagers’ means of health
care. Emma gives injections, and, since 1992, has delivered 11 babies. She
is not paid. Neither by the government, nor by the villagers, from whom she
will not even allow a small gift.
“I used to work as a midwife in Baku,” Emma says. “When we were escaping
from Baku I couldn’t take my medical school diploma. Head of the village
didn’t allow me to become a nurse. He said I had no diploma (medical
association of the region appoints nurses, however, head of the village can
offer his candidature).”
There is only one car in the village but it is very old and hardly works.
When somebody is seriously sick, the car becomes an ambulance. But if the
road is closed by snow, or if there is no petrol, patients are taken by
horse. Roman remembers when his daughter was seriously ill he took her to
the city, carrying her along in a sled.
But when a villager is too sick to be moved, he is at the mercy of fate
because it is impossible to call an ambulance. One villager died this winter
as a result.
Geghakar has little to show as improvement since it became this involuntary
home. It has, however, built a school with money given by Diaspora. Twelve
students attend the eight-grade school. Those who wish to study beyond
eighth grade must go to Lusakunk. Few, however, are likely to do so, as it
would require walking 14 kilometers a day on a desolate road. Roman says his
daughter is an excellent pupil, however, after finishing eight years in
school she will not continue her study.
A month ago a bus to Vardenis began operating once every two weeks. However,
it is not clear how long that route will be in use.
At least there was a shop here those days (when the refugees first
settled),” Roman Karapetyan says. “But now even if you die nobody will know
about it. I have arms and legs. I can do everything. We are specialized in
different professions but we sit here and have nothing to do. We can hardly
keep a couple of sheep and cows to be able to exist. How could they bring
citizens to these mountains?
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Armenian opposition leader says ready for dialogue with president
Arminfo
21 Apr 04
YEREVAN
The leader of the National Unity Party and MP of the National
Assembly, Artashes Gegamyan, said today that he is ready for dialogue
with Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, but only in the presence of
Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II in the Holy See of Echmiadzin.
Speaking at a rally organized by the united opposition, he talked
about a meeting he had with Garegin II. The latter expressed his
concern about the domestic political situation and called for
dialogue. “I am ready for a dialogue with Kocharyan, but let him talk
in the presence of Garegin II about his orders to beat up his own
people and his other sins,” Gegamyan said.
Gegamyan said he was outraged by yesterday’s [20 April] speech of
Kocharyan. “How dare he to insult the great poetess Silva Kaputikyan
[for turning down the Order of Mesrop Mashtots awarded on her 80th
anniversary]. He said that we are fighting for
leadership. Intellectuals, like Silva Kaputikyan, are our leaders. Our
leaders are the people,” Gegamyan said.
[Passage omitted: Minor details]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Armenian GDP 7.5 per cent up in first quarter of 2004
Arminfo
21 Apr 04
YEREVAN
Armenia’s GDP grew by 7.5 per cent in January-March 2004 in comparison
with the same period of 2003 and totalled 223bn drams (about 400 US
dollars).
In the same period, the volume of industrial production in Armenia
increased by 2.8 per cent, agricultural production by 6.2 per cent and
retail turnover by 9.5 per cent.
The GDP deflator index totalled 109.9 per cent, and consumer prices
increased by 2.2 per cent in comparison with last December.
The population’s income grew by 21.2 per cent and spending by 19 per
cent, according to the National Statistics Service. At the end of
March, there were 118,000 officially registered unemployed in Armenia.
In this period, the volume of Armenia’s foreign trade turnover
totalled 433.11m dollars, of which imports amounted to 281.25m and
exports to 151.86m dollars.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
April 16 2004
IS THE PRIVATIZATION LAW EFFICIENT?
Member of parliament Edward Aghabekian set forth the legislative
undertaking to make amendments to the NKR law `On privatization of
state property’. According to E. Aghabekian, certain points of the law
contradict to the Civil Code. In particular the notions of state and
personal property in the law prevail over the community property,
whereas the equality of legal forms of ownership and immunity is
maintained in the Code. According to E. Aghabekian, the state body
(the government) should not occupy with the privatization of community
property because as legal entities the government and the
self-governing body of the community have equal rights. The
representative of the government Arnold Abrahamian mentioned that
there is no disagreement between the law and the civil code. First of
all, the property of the community is privatized by the authorized
body of the government by the consent of the community council only,
and the sum is transferred to the budget of the community. Besides,
according to Abrahamian, if the blocks of apartments are concerned,
the property should be privatized by the condominiums and not the
community. Third, according to A. Abrahamian, the law will be late as
about 420 units have already been privatized in Stepanakert and only
35 rented areas remain. Opposing to this statement, member of
parliament M. Danielian mentioned he cannot understand the intention
of the government to privatize all the units belonging to the
communities. Member of parliament Artur Mossiyan reminded that the
Audit Inspection Chamber revealed cases of privatization without the
consent of the community council. According to member of parliament
Kamo Barseghian, there were also cases when the joint-stock companies
were nationalized and then privatized. Summing up, the speaker of the
National Assembly Oleg Yessayan mentioned that the question raised is
conceptual, there is, in fact, legislative controversy and the state,
personal and community properties should be distinguished. The author
of the undertaking Edward Aghabekian mentioned in his concluding
speech that there is no need for the government to confirm the
decision of the community council because these are equal subjects.
Besides, if the personal and community property is registered and has
corresponding documents, the state property is not registered
anywhere. The bill, actually, contains the requirement that the
community should privatize the property of the community. According to
the government, the situation is exactly like this, the government
merely carries out technical work. The law was adopted at the first
reading. It is expected that before the second reading clear
mechanisms will have been worked out.
NAIRA HAYRUMIAN
The Globe and Mail, Canada
April 22 2004
Commons condemns Armenian genocide
Liberal MPs were free to support motion, although Ottawa fears
fallout from Turkey
By JEFF SALLOT AND CAMPBELL CLARK
OTTAWA — The Commons last night condemned the Ottoman Empire’s
brutal treatment of Armenians nine decades ago as an act of genocide,
a moral judgment that government officials fear will provoke painful
economic retaliation by modern-day Turkey.
Despite government warnings that more than $1-billion in potential
contracts for Canadian companies is at stake, 78 backbench Liberal
MPs broke ranks with the cabinet to approve a motion that says the
House “acknowledges the Armenian genocide of 1915 and condemns this
act as a crime against humanity.”
The non-binding motion, approved on a free vote 153-68, was a setback
for Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham and a high-powered business
lobby. Conservative ranks were also split on the issue, but the Bloc
Québécois and the New Democrats voted for the motion.
The Turkish government strongly objects to any suggestion that its
imperial ancestors committed genocide during the First World War.
Turkey cancelled multimillion-dollar defence contracts with France
when the National Assembly adopted a similar Armenian genocide
resolution in 2001.
In the hours before last night’s vote, the Canadian Chamber of
Commerce vigorously lobbied MPs to consider the possibility that
Bombardier Aerospace and SNC Lavalin could lose out to European
competitors for megaprojects such as the extension of the Ankara
subway system.
Mr. Graham made the same point during a charged Liberal caucus
meeting yesterday morning. Trade officials estimate the subway
contract alone could be worth about $1-billion.
“It’s huge,” said Bob Keyes, the Chamber’s vice-president for
international affairs.
Lavalin is in the running to become the prime contractor on the
subway extension. Bombardier, which produced the rail cars for the
original subway, is believed to have the advantage in the bidding for
the contracts for new subway rolling stock.
Several Canadian mining companies are eyeing projects in Turkey.
“These sorts of contracts do not come along every day,” Mr. Keyes
said.
Timing is crucial, he said, noting that Turkish authorities are
expected to decide who gets the subway work within the next 12
months.
In a letter to the MPs of all parties, the Chamber said that if the
House adopted the motion, “there will be an immediate negative
economic impact on Canadian firms and their ability to do business in
Turkey.”
Despite the dire warning of the business lobby, Prime Minister Paul
Martin allowed a free vote on the motion in line with a promise to
the Liberal caucus to allow greater autonomy for backbenchers on
issues that are not questions of confidence in the government.
Filmmaker Atom Egoyan, one of Canada’s best-known Armenians, made the
film Ararat about the genocide. Yesterday he expressed his pleasure
with the House decision.
“What is amazing today is that it’s law and it’s something we can
tell to the generations that are to come,” he told the CBC.
Bloc MP Madeleine Dalphond-Guiral introduced the motion. Ontario
Liberal MP Sarkis Assadourian, who is of Armenian heritage, seconded
it.
“Armenians have been waiting for this justice to take place for 89
years,” Mr. Assadourian said. “If you don’t address the issues of the
past, then you’re condemned to repeat them. If the Armenian genocide
was condemned in 1915, I’m confident the Holocaust would not have
taken place.”
Armenian groups around the world have been pushing for recognition of
the 1915 events as an act of genocide.The Liberals have tried to
finesse the issue on other occasions when it has been brought before
Parliament.
In 1999, the Chrétien Liberal government said it viewed the 1915
events as a “calamity” that afflicted the Armenians, and “this
tragedy was committed with the intent to destroy a national group in
which hundreds of thousands of Armenians were subjected to atrocities
which included massive deportations and massacres.”
But then prime minister Jean Chrétien and his ministers did not use
the word genocide, the one word that most upsets the Turkish
government.
Mr. Graham urged caucus members yesterday to avoid inflaming Turkish
passions, but he seemed prepared for the passage of the motion.
Several hours before the vote, the Foreign Minister told reporters
that he hoped the Turkish government would view the motion as an
expression of the free will of individual members and not an official
condemnation by the Canadian government. “Individual Parliamentarians
are free to express their will.”
When asked directly whether the Armenians were the victims of
genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, Mr. Graham said, “it is
best to allow historians to deal with these issues.”
Mr. Graham suggested the motion could create tension within the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization at a time when Canada is trying to work
with Turkey and other allies to provide security in war-ravaged
Afghanistan.
“We want our Turkish friends and our Armenian friends to put these
issues in the past,” Mr. Graham added.