Author: Frangulian Shushan

NTV MSNBC, Turkey
Nov 19 2004

Turkey punishes Armenia: Kocaryan

The Armenia head of state Robert Kocaryan said that they have no pre
conditions for the normalisation of relations with Turkey.

November 19 – Armenia’s President Robert Kocaryan has claimed that
Turkey is keeping its border crossing point with Armenia shut in
order to punish his country.

Speaking in an interview with the German Die Welt newspaper
Kocaryan said that the border gate had been closed in 1993 by Ankara
as a gesture of support for Azerbaijan.
`Turkey keeps Armenia under siege and this can only be counted
as a punishment,’ he told the paper.
Currently, Armenia holds up to 20 percent of Azeri territory
as a result of a more than decade long conflict with the former post
Soviet republics.
Kocaryan went on to say that recognition of the alleged
Armenian genocide by Ankara was very important for Armenians and
would be a great step towards normalising relations but was not a pre
condition on its own.

ArmenPress
Nov. 5, 2004

US DISAPPROVES OF AZERBAIJAN’S MOTION

BAKU, NOVEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS: The US ambassador in Azerbaijan, Rino
Harnish, said his government disapproves Azerbaijan’s initiative to
include an item on the occupied Azerbaijan territories on the UN
General Assembly’s session. “The official Washington is against this
idea,” the ambassador was quoted as saying by ATV television.
He said the US sees a solution to the Karabagh conflict through
regular peaceful talks between the parties. The ambassador also said
the official Baku has to make a concrete decision concerning the
participation of Armenian parliament members in a NATO seminar in Baku,
adding that Azerbaijan’s failure to do so would mean its failure to
respect the principle of inclusiveness.

ArmenPress
Nov. 4, 2004

IMF TO RELEASE ANOTHER $13 MILLION TO ARMENIA

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS: The International Monetary Fund
(IMF) office in Yerevan said today the Fund’s Executive Board is going
to approve in early December the release of $13 million to Armenian
Central Bank as the last tranche of an $87 million credit, which is
part of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) Program.
The IMF Resident Representative James McHugh told a news conference
the money would arrive in Armenia in a couple of days after the
Executive Board approves the release. He said the money will be
directed to maintain the sufficient level of forex reserves.
McHugh said the Armenian government and the Fund are working now on
prospects for implementation of new joint projects, expressing also
hopes that the relevant talks will start in 2005 January or February.
He said it was so far difficult to define the direction of new
projects, but added that they would most likely apply to tax reforms
and administration improvement.

La Stampa, Italia
Ottobre 27, 2004

SEMINARISTA EBREO AVEVA SPUTATO CONTRO UN ARCIVESCOVO

Incontro a Gerusalemme tra un rabbino capo ed ecclesiastici cristiani
per “”porre fine all’intolleranza””

Storico incontro a Gerusalemme tra un rabbino capo israeliano e
alcuni ecclesiastici cristiani, nel tentativo di porre riparo a un
episodio di intolleranza religiosa accaduto due settimane fa vicino
alla Citta’ Vecchia.

Yona Metzger, attorniato da prelati con croci d’oro, vesti nere e
bastoni d’argento, ha denunciato ogni aggressione a fini religiosi
nel territorio israeliano. “”Come figli di Abramo, siamo fratelli””,
ha dichiarato Metzger, “”Denunciamo ogni azione tesa a svilire le
persone religiose””. L’incontro e’ stato deciso in seguito allo
spiacevole episodio del 10 ottobre a Gerusalemme, dove un seminarista
ebreo ha sputato contro un arcivescovo armeno che aveva al collo una
croce. Ne e’ nata una rissa, in cui il simbolo religioso e’ stato
gravemente danneggiato. Metzger ha promesso che chiedera’ ai rabbini
della Citta’ Vecchia di tenere sermoni sulla tolleranza.

The Messenger, Georgia
Nov. 4, 2004

Mirtskhulava case goes to court, then delayed
By Mary Makharashvili

Davit Mirtskhulava sits in the courtroom cell
as lawyer Eka Beselia argues in his defense
(Photo by Mary Makharashvili)

The case against former Chair of the Energy Regulatory Commission and
Minister of Fuel and Energy Davit Mirtskhulava was finally brought to
court on Wednesday, one of the government’s first court proceedings
against a former government official.

But only twenty minutes after the Mtatsminda-Krtsanisi regional court
began hearing the case the judge announced that he was postponing it
until November 10 as the prosecution did not have sufficient evidence
to present to the court and had asked for additional time.

Although officials arrested Mirtskhulava in December 2003, prosecutors
said the final packet of evidence had not been prepared yet for the
court.

Despite poor health Davit Mirtskhulava attended the court proceedings
in the caged defendant’s booth. While walking into the court room he
showed a serious limp, thought to be a result of his ill health and a
heart attack earlier this year.

Although he did not have an opportunity to take questions from the
press, Mirtskhulava told a throng of reporters before the hearing
began: “I do not have a hope that any court in Georgia will decide this
case in my favor.”

“If the court is independent in Georgia I will be proven right, but if
not . . . ” he said from behind the cell block.

Before the hearing began Mirtskhulava’s lawyer Eka Beselia asked that
the court room be changed on the grounds that the one chosen was too
small with space for only 20 people. She said that as a result the
relatives of Mirtskhulava and other interested people could not attend
the hearing and were forced to wait in the corridor.

However, the judge said that there were not bigger rooms in the
building, and the hearing would have to be held in the room they were
in.

“The final accusations revealed by the investigation that the General
Prosecutor’s Office charges Mirtskhulava with, are as follows,” opened
Prosecutor Kakha Machavariani. “Abuse of power, and hiding secret
materials ”

“He is accused of abuse of power while Georgian Minister of Fuel and
Energy, which, as the Prosecutor’s Office states, seriously damaged the
country economically,” Eka Beselia explained to The Messenger.

In particular, the General Prosecutor’s Office named a contract agreed
with Armenergo during the period when Mirtskhulava was minister, which
the investigation claims is one-sided and artificially increased
Georgian Railway’s debt to Armenergo from USD 4 million to USD 6
million.

The investigation says that Mirtskhulava agreed to this in return for
certain benefits – namely, helping mediator company
Energomanqkorporatsia to embezzle 90 percent of the USD 6 million
transmitted from Georgian Railway. Georgia still had to pay the debt as
a result of the one-sided contract Mirtskhulava had signed.

“This agreement was signed by several people, but only Mirtskhulava is
accused,” Beselia complained. “The funny thing is that one of the
signatories of the same document is acknowledged as the victim of the
agreement and Mirtskhulava as guilty.”

Asked why the authority has not brought a case against the other people
who signed the agreement, Beselia said that the authority only wanted
Mirtskhulava to be imprisoned. She said that she will raise the issue
of the responsibility of the other signatories when the hearing
resumes.

Beselia said that Mirtskhulava’s defense has strong new arguments that
absolutely refute this accusation against Mirtskhulava.

As for the second charge against Mirtskhulava – that he took secret
materials relating to Georgia-Armenia criminal relationships from the
Energy Ministry and hid them in the office of the National Regulation
Commission – Beselia said that according to the law documents could
only be considered as hidden if Mirtskhulava had kept them at his
private home or some other place besides the state structures.

Beselia says that she will submit new evidence to the court that will
nullify all of these charges. “The accusations against Mirtskhulava are
both weak and groundless, but in spite of this we have amassed serious
evidence that we will present the court at the hearing. I hope that the
court procedures will not be false and unjust. The judge must manage to
remain free from pressure and to be impartial and objective,” said
Beselia.

The total sum that the Prosecutor’s Office requests Mirtskhulava pay is
over USD 2 million plus fines.

Mirtskhulava is the first high ranking official from the Shevardnadze
administration whose case has come to court, as most others who have
been charged by the General Prosecutor’s Office have preferred to pay
money for their freedom. Mirtskhulava, however, protests his innocence,
adding that he does not have enough money to buy his way out of jail.

“We want Mirtskhulava’s case to become the precedent of fighting
against untrue accusations and in this way proving the innocence of the
person. What the Prosecutor’s Office is doing is called official
racketeering,” said Beselia.

If the court finds Mirtskhulava guilty he faces twelve years
imprisonment, but as Beselia told The Messenger, they will not give up
and will fight to the end to prove the truth, even if the case goes up
to the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
11/02/2004
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1) Karabagh, Russia, Minsk Group Say UN Discussion of Conflict Bad Idea
2) South Caucasus Parliament Speakers Meeting in Paris
3) Burjanadze Holds Talks with Top Russians
4) Abkhazia Presidential Candidates in Moscow
5) Second Social Services Complex Opens in Armenia
6) Source Reveals Russian Minister Discussed Railway Link via Abkhazia
7) Turkish Conference on Minority Rights’ Ends in Chaos
8) New Community Center Opens in Gyumri

1) Karabagh, Russia, Minsk Group Say UN Discussion of Conflict Bad Idea

STEPANAKERT (Interfax/Itar-Tass)–The foreign ministries of both Mountainous
Karabagh Republic and Russia, as well as the OSCE Minsk Group (the group
spearheads the OSCE effort to find a political solution to this conflict), all
spoke out against including the Karabagh conflict on the UN General Assembly’s
agenda. The move, initiated by Azerbaijan, was backed by the UN General
Committee which voted to recommend the inclusion of the issue on the agenda of
the assembly’s ongoing session.
“The Azeri-initiated UN discussions on the territories controlled by
Mountainous Karabagh has yet again shown Azerbaijan’s disinclination to settle
the entire range of problems between Azerbaijan and Mountainous Karabagh,” MKR
Deputy Foreign Minister Masis Mailian told Interfax.
Azerbaijan alleges that the territory is used for drug manufacturing and
terrorist training.
“This step by Baku is purely propagandistic in its nature, which in no way
facilitates the creation of a favorable atmosphere–essential for reaching a
comprehensive solution to the Karabagh problem,” Mailian said.
Karabagh has repeatedly invited Azeri authorities to start implementing
confidence building measures between the conflicting parties so as to resume
full-scale negotiations, which are “the most efficient method for settling the
conflict,” Mailian said.
The Russian cochairman of the OSCE Minsk Yury Merzlyakov said the action
could
harm efforts to bring about a just and lasting settlement
Interviewed by Azerbaijan’s ATV television, Merzlyakov said the UN General
Assembly’s session is not the proper forum to discuss the matter.
Merzlyakov iterated the Minsk Group’s statement on the move, that says,
“Today, when we are all waiting for the sides to resume talks, there was no
necessity to raise the issue.”
In its statement released on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the
suggestion to debate a Karabagh settlement at the UN General Assembly,
parallel
with OSCE efforts, “can hardly have a beneficial effect on the negotiating
process.”
Russia, along with France and the US who represent the countries that make-up
OCSE Minsk Group, abstained from the UN vote.
“The group’s format permits it to deal with any problems related to the
conflict and to ensuring peace,” the statement continued.

2) South Caucasus Parliament Speakers Meeting in Paris

PARIS (Armenpress)–At the initiation of French Senate Chairman Christian
Poncelet, a meeting of Armenian, Azeri, and Georgian parliamentary leaders
will
take place in Paris on November 4. Armenian National Assembly chairman Arthur
Baghdasarian arrived in Paris on Monday for a four-day visit, while his
Georgian and Azeri counterparts, Nino Burjanadze and Murtuz Aleskerov, are
scheduled to arrive on November 3.
According to the Armenian embassy in France, the meeting’s agenda includes
talks on developing tourism and preservation of cultural heritage. No reports
were made about whether the Karabagh conflict will be discussed. The three
parliament speakers and Poncelet will also meet with UNESCO’s Director
General.

3) Burjanadze Holds Talks with Top Russians

MOSCOW (RBC/Civil Georgia)–The Chair of Georgian Parliament Nino Burjanadze,
held separate meetings in Moscow on Monday with Secretary of the Russian
Security Council Igor Ivanov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Along with the bilateral ties, resolution of the South Ossetian and Abkhazian
conflicts were discussed during talks between Burjanadze and Lavrov. In her
talks with Ivanov, Burjanadze expressed readiness to develop “constructive
dialogue” between the two countries, reported the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“There are particular agreements; however, the difficulties in our relations
still exist. I hope that further relations between our countries will proceed
normally,” Burjanadze told reporters, but stressed that double standards are
applied to Georgia, in pointing to Russia’s struggle with separatists in
Chechnya and its backing of Abkhaz and South Ossetian authorities.

4) Abkhazia Presidential Candidates in Moscow

MOSCOW (Itar-Tass)–Abkhazian presidential candidates Sergei Bagapsh and Raul
Khadzhimba are in Moscow, a source in the Moscow representative office of
Abkhazia told Itar-Tass on Tuesday. The source did not announce, however,
which
Russian leaders the two men are scheduled to meet.
Khadzhimba, who was contacted by phone, denied any comment, saying he was too
busy. The standoff between Khadzhimba and Bagapsh has sparked a political
crisis in the self-proclaimed republic.
The current situation erupted after the unresolved October 3 presidential
elections. The atmosphere was further clouded after the Supreme Court passed
down two conflicting decisions about the election results. The first validated
the Central Election Commission’s results, which named Bagapsh the winner,
while the second–released several hours later–invalidated the entire
election
and called for new elections.
A decree of incumbent President Vladislav Ardzinba followed, ordering new
elections on the grounds that the “Supreme Court of the Republic of Abkhazia
has not passed a decision at a time stipulated by the Constitution on
complaints addressed to it and on defense of constitutional rights of citizens
and prevention of threats to the constitutional order of Abkhazia.”
Bagapsh stated that he did not intend to obey Ardzinba’s order. “At present,
the sole legal document is the decision of the Supreme Court rendering the
elections in Abkhazia to be valid, and I have been elected president of the
republic,” he said in an interview with Itar-Tass.
Supporters of Khadzhimba blocked the entrance to Abkhazian parliament
building
on Monday, when he and Bagapsh arrived in Moscow. Khadzhimba’s chief
campaigner
Vasily Avidzba said the protesters prevented parliamentarians from entering
the
building because they “were going to pass a resolution on annulment of the
order of President Vladislav Ardzinba on the repeated elections of the head of
the republic and declare a vote of no-confidence in the president.”

5) Second Social Services Complex Opens in Armenia

YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–A new social service center opened in the Armenian city
of Masis on November 2, to launch an experimental USAID program.
The center, “One Stop Social Services,” will house several local NGOs
including, the Territorial Agency of Social Services, Territorial Center of
Employment, Territorial Office of State Fund of Social Insurance, and the
Commission of Medical-Social Expert Examination.
Each NGO will take advantage of a networked computer system that will allow
them to access larger databases. The technologically advanced system will
centralize information and eliminate the need for multiple document
submissions
by those applying for services.
Minister of Labor and Social Issues Aghvan Vardanian, announced that the
specific database technology is being studied by Romanian, Albanian, and
Georgian specialists, who are interested in introducing similar systems in
their respective countries.
At the opening of the center, US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans expressed
hope that the new center would help alleviate the social and economic problems
residents of Masis and its neighboring towns currently face.
The town of Masis is currently home to 4,000 needy families, 1,500
unemployed,
and 3,000 pensioners and disabled persons.
“One Stop Social Services” is the second center of its kind in the republic.
The first was established in the city of Vanadzor.

6) Source Reveals Russian Minister Discussed Railway Link via Abkhazia

(RIA Novosti)–An unnamed source in the Georgian President’s administration
said that Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin, who visited Tbilisi on
November 1, agreed with Georgian officials over setting up joint government
groups to work on “technical aspects” of restoring the railway link between
Russia and Armenia via Georgia, which lies through breakaway Abkhazia.
On September 10, the railway link between Moscow and the capital of Georgia’s
breakaway Abkhazia was re-opened, triggering protests from Tbilisi, which
insists that the process should be accompanied by the return of Georgia’s
internally displaced persons to Abkhazia.
Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania told reporters after his talks with
Levitin that the issue of railway connection was discussed during the meeting,
but added that “until the normalization of the situation in Abkhazia occurs,
talks over railway restoration make no sense.”
Georgian Economy Minister Kakha Bendukidze, however, downplayed Russia’s
unilateral decision to reopen its rail link with Abkhazia.
Minister Levitin said at a news briefing after his talks with Zhvania and
Bendukidze on November 1 that the Georgian officials showed an “understanding”
towards Russia’s decision to reopen its railway link with Abkhazia. He added
that reopening of the route “should not lead to a worsening of relations”
between the two countries.
Armenia also insists on the reopening of the railway link via Abkhazia, which
will enable it to restore its railway connection with Russia. President Robert
Kocharian pressed this issue during recent talks with the Georgian leadership
during his visit to Tbilisi in late October.
On March 7, 2003, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Georgia’s ex-President
Eduard Shevardnadze signed an agreement in Sochi that envisioned
“synchronization” of the two processes–the return of the internally displaced
persons to Abkhazia’s westernmost Gali region and the resumption of the
railway
connection. The two presidents also agreed to set up two separate bilateral
government commissions to work out these issues; however, the commissions
failed to complete the task.

7) Turkish Conference on Minority Rights’ Ends in Chaos

ANKARA (AFX.COM)A debate over a report criticizing breaches of minority rights
in aspiring European Union member Turkey collapsed when members of a
government-sponsored human rights group, which authored the document, clashed
in public.
The incident is the latest in a series of rows within the Human Rights
Advisory Boarda body attached to the office of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoganwhich highlighted widespread hostility in Turkey to advanced cultural
freedoms for the country’s Kurdish and non-Muslim communities.
Nationalist members of the board, which is comprised of government officials,
academics, and civic groups, sabotaged a news conference called to formally
release the report, which makes some controversial recommendations to the
government and excerpts of which were last week leaked to the media.
Shortly after the head of the board, Ibrahim Kaboglu, began speaking, a
nationalist unionist grabbed the papers from his hands and tore them to
pieces,
yelling: “This report is a fabrication and should be torn apart.”
Kaboglu was forced to leave the hall, stating: “We cannot even hold a news
conference. This is the state of freedom of thought in Turkey.”
The EU, which Turkey is seeking to join, has long pressed Ankara to grant
equal cultural freedoms to its sizable Kurdish minority as well as smaller,
non-Muslim communities such as Greeks, Armenians, and Jews.

8) New Community Center Opens in Gyumri

GYUMRI (Armenpress)–On November 2, a new three-building community center
complex opened in Gyumri, financed by the Norwegian Refugee Council.
Mission Armenia and Douleurs Sans Frontieres (DSF, Pain Without Borders) will
be providing social services to the local population which include refugees,
earthquake victims, and local residents. These services include various
facilities for youth and elderly persons, including a soup kitchen, a clinic
and trauma center, laundry services, library, conference room, counseling
services, as well as a Kindergarten for around 20 children.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a non-governmental, humanitarian
organization that has worked actively for more than 50 years to create a safer
and more dignified life for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs),
regardless of their race, religion, nationality, or political convictions. The
NRC’s mission is to work for the rights of refugees and IDPs, assisting with
food, shelter, and education, and offering counseling on repatriation.
In Armenia, NRC has invested more that $10 million in refugee-targeted
projects since 1995, including not only housing construction, but also
building
schools, and drinking and irrigation water pipelines. So far, NRC has provided
new homes for over 600 refugee families in Armenia.
Mission Armenia was registered in 1993, though its founding members started
their activities since 1988, assisting those who suffered from the devastating
earthquake.
The organization’s mission is to increase the quality of life for the
elderly,
refugees, and other vulnerable groups through its model of community-based
assistance.
Currently about 6,500 single older persons and 10,000 refugees residing at
250
temporary shelters benefit from Mission Armenia’s community-based
socio-healthcare and community development programs.
Douleurs Sans Frontieres has advanced the mission of helping those in pain
since 1995. Based in Europe, DSF is a non-governmental organization that has
brought educational and clinical pain treatment programs to developing
countries. Since November 2001, DSF has provided medico-psychological
assistance for mothers and children from Gyumri and some from Yerevan.

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RUSSIA GETS LOW GRADE FOR PRESS FREEDOM

MOSCOW, October 28 (RIA Novosti) – Russia ranks 140th for press freedom
in the year 2004, according to a new global index released by Reporters
Without Borders. The survey covers 167 countries worldwide.

The organization points out in a commentary that Russian media coverage
of the Beslan hostage-taking crisis earlier this year revealed the
Kremlin’s ongoing control of major television broadcasters in the
country. It also criticizes the Russian government for censoring the
coverage of developments in Chechnya and the recent murder of Paul
Khlebnikov, Moscow-based Editor-in-Chief of the Forbes magazine’s
Russian-language version.

Reporters Without Borders has upgraded Russia from its last year’s
148th position, notes the Novye Izvestia daily. It now ranks above the
former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan (142nd position) and Belarus
(144th). Latvia (10th position), Estonia (11th), and Lithuania
(16th) were found to be the best performers across the former Soviet
Union. Russia also ranks below Moldova (78th place), Armenia (83rd),
Georgia (94th), Tajikistan (95th), Kyrgyzstan (107th), Kazakhstan
(131st), and Azerbaijan (136th). It comes on the list immediately
after Ukraine (139th).

Officials at Russia’s Federal Media Agency told Novye Izvestia they
would not comment on Reporters Without Borders’ new press freedom
index. “We don’t regulate what media produce,” they said. “We aren’t
a censoring body. We’ve got no censorship at all, for that matter.”

Oleg Panfilov, Director of the Moscow-based Center for Journalism in
Extreme Situations, who contributed to last year’s survey, has told the
newspaper that he sees the conclusions of the compilers of the rating
as biased. He said he could not figure out what kind of methods they
employed. “Reporters [Without Borders] uses a mathematical approach
of some sort,” he pointed out in an Izvestiya interview. “In the newly
released survey, Nigeria comes 118th, this despite the situation with
press freedomthere being still worse than in Russia. And then, the
situation varies across the Russian provinces. Thus, for instance,
the Perm Region has no government-controlled newspapers at all. Whereas
in Kalmykia, the situation with press freedom is as bad as in [the
former Soviet republic of] Turkmenistan.”

The main assessment criteria for Reporters Without Borders’ press
freedom index include the level of censorship, the number of
journalists arrested and murdered, the government share in major
media organizations, and journalist activity’s regulatory foundation.

The Star Phoenix (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)
October 26, 2004 Tuesday
Final Edition

Genocide: A crime against humanity: Millions have died in unchecked
crimes around the world

by Michael Lawson, The Canadian Press

Several thousand people died on Sept. 11, 2001, in terrorist attacks on
the United States that instantly became global news. Shocking as it
was, that day of horror pales in comparison to what was then — and is
now — occurring, occasionally beyond the scope of the media’s eye.
It’s something that has come to be known as genocide.

Since the beginnings of recorded history, entire peoples have been
wiped into oblivion in a concerted effort at ethnic, religious or
political cleansing. Millions upon millions have perished in the 20th
century alone. Yet the international community has often been slow to
react — sometimes not reacting at all — and the atrocities persist.

Just as the Sept. 11 attacks gave rise to a new and now globally
recognized term — “9-11” — the word “genocide” is relatively is
relatively recent, formulated by a Polish expert in international law,
Raphael Lemkin, in 1944 during the Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi
Germany. Derived from Greek and Latin roots, the word means the
eradication of a race. The United Nations has since expanded the
definition to include the destruction of any national, ethnic, racial
or religious group.

The most extreme example in modern times, if only in terms of sheer
numbers, was the Holocaust, in which some six million Jews were gassed,
shot, worked to death as slave labourers or subjected to inhumane
surgical and other so-called medical experimentation, often fatal. Tens
of thousands of Roma — or Gypsies — as well as homosexuals and other
“undesirables” were similarly victimized.

Most recently and still ongoing is the carnage in Darfur, the
western-most region of the African country Sudan. An estimated one
million blacks have been uprooted from their land, whole masses raped
and massacred, their villages razed and their crops and livestock
plundered. As many as 200,000 have sought refuge in neighbouring Chad,
itself pressed for resources; many more Sudanese face death by
starvation or disease.

The Darfur crisis did not develop overnight. In a country impoverished
and drought-stricken, Arab herdsmen from the north moved into the
western region to reap what they could from the meagre natural
resources of Darfur — water and scrubby grasslands. In the face of
uprisings from the desperate locals, mounted Arab militias known as
Janjaweed moved in to conduct a campaign of slaughter and forced
relocation, the latter a virtual death sentence for many.

Humanitarian groups such as Medecins sans frontieres (Doctors Without
Borders), the United Nations children’s organization UNICEF and some
western governments have claimed that the Sudanese government in the
capital, Khartoum, supports the Janjaweed. The government denies the
charges. The Bush administration in Washington has, as of last month,
declared the Darfur situation a genocide.

Again in recent memory is the politically charged genocide in Rwanda,
also in Africa, in which opposing Hutu and minority Tutsi peoples
clashed at the cost of an estimated 500,000 lives, with many more
displaced. Most of those killed were Tutsis. The year was 1994; the
initial carnage occurred over mere months, and then continued. It
wasn’t until 1996 that a Canadian-led international force moved in to
try to stem the bloody unrest.

Just this past August, in a small-scale mirror image of the Rwandan
infamy, some 200 Tutsi men, women and children were shot or hacked to
death in a UN refugee camp in neighbouring Burundi. Hutu rebels
justified the action as a weeding-out of the opposing Burundi army and
Congolese militia.

The grim reality of genocide has been most apparent since the advent of
modern media technology, bringing the horrors of the Third World into
western homes nightly. World leaders tune in to the same thing. So why
does it continue?

Politics and semantics are two factors. When the United Nations was
formed with scores of countries in 1945 following the horrors of the
Second World War, the multinational grouping combined diverse mind-sets
in the quest for peace, security and international co-operation. The UN
did adopt a covenant on genocide, but the term itself became a focus of
debate. Should, for instance, the extermination of a political group be
counted as genocide? Some UN members argued against it.

Then there was the matter of sovereignty. One state’s right to govern
within its borders became — and remains — an issue. As recently as
this past August, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, on the question
of military intervention into the Darfur crisis, said: “This is not a
simple military solution. This is a matter for the Sudanese government
to handle.”

Political solutions take time, but time is a luxury the victims of mass
oppression can’t afford.

EXAMPLES OF GENOCIDE FROM THE LAST 100 YEARS

The stain on humanity that has come to be known as genocide has a long
history. Here are a few events from the last 100 years that have been
labelled genocides:

OTTOMAN EMPIRE (1915)

More than one million Christian Armenians were forced from their homes
into the Syrian desert by the Muslim government of the then-Ottoman
empire, along the way to face slaughter and starvation. Decades later,
Third Reich dictator Adolf Hitler is said to have been inspired by the
events. He was quoted as saying: “Who, after all, speaks today of the
annihilation of the Armenians?”

RUSSIAN REVOLUTION (1917-21)

Amid political upheaval that saw the fall of the czarist regime and the
rise of communism, organized mobs waged pogroms against Jewish
communities at the cost of more than 60,000 lives.

Stalinist Soviet Union (1931-33)

Under the banner of communism, landholdings and crops of prosperous
Ukrainian farmers were seized. Up to 10 million in Ukraine were driven
out to starve to death.

NAZI GERMANY (1939-45)

Hitler’s “Final Solution” in the quest for a pure Aryan nation
accounted for the deaths of some six million Jews and tens of thousands
of other “undesirables.” Many were gassed and then incinerated in death
camp furnaces.

CAMBODIA (1975-79)

The Khmer Rouge communist party was responsible for the deaths of more
than 1.5 million Cambodians through execution, slave labour and
starvation. The country recently agreed to a UN-supported plan to bring
surviving leaders to trial.

BOSNIA (1992-95)

The breakup of Yugoslavia, as individual republics — Croatia,
Slovenia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina — sought independence,
brought the wrath of the Serbian government, leading to widespread
exterminations. Some 18,000 victims have been discovered in mass
graves. Ex-Serb president Slobodan Milosevic is currently before an
international war-crimes tribunal on charges including genocide. Other
military aides have been indicted.

RWANDA (1994)

Some 500,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered by Hutu
extremists in political strife. More Tutsis were massacred this summer
in a UN refugee camp in neighbouring Burundi.

SUDAN (CURRENT)

An estimated 300,000 people will die by year’s end as residents of
western Darfur region are forced from their lands. Many have been
slaughtered; many more face starvation and disease. The Arab-led
central government has been blamed for supporting the genocide.

GRAPHIC: Colour Photo: Ben Curtis, Associated Press; Women sit on a
wadi (dry riverbed) at a makeshift camp for internally displaced people
in Sudan’s West Darfur province. The camp is home to thousands of
Sudanese who have fled their towns and villages due to fighting and
unrest.;
Colour Photo: Ben Curtis, Associated Press; A camp near Seleah village
in Sudan’s West Darfur province.;
Photo: Associated Press; (See hard copy for graphic/diagram).;
Graphic/Diagram: Associated Press; (See hard copy for graphic/diagram).

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:

October 25, 2004
___________________

IN MIDWEST, PRIMATE HIGHLIGHTS SUCCESSFUL MINISTRIES OF DIOCESE

By Jake Goshert

The programs and ministries provided by the Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America (Eastern) touch each Armenian differently.

For Mike Tootooian, a parishioner at the St. Gregory the Illuminator
Church of Chicago, IL, a Diocesan-sponsored pilgrimage in 2001 — “In
the Footsteps of St. Gregory the Illuminator” — brought on stronger
feelings for his heritage.

“That was an inspiring trip that got me back to my roots. I actually
now can see where my ancestors came from, where my grandparents were
born, the long road they traveled to get here to America,” said
Tootooian, a second-generation American. “It inspired me to become more
involved and know more about my past.”

With a deeper commitment to his culture, his faith, and his church,
Tootooian this year helped organize a reception at the Union League Club
in downtown Chicago on October 15, 2004, to kick-off the Archbishop’s
Annual Appeal 2004.

SHOWING SUCCESS

Though it is the main annual fund-raising effort of the Eastern Diocese,
the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal is about more than money. It’s primary
purpose is to expand the understanding of the role the Diocese has in
supporting the parishes and the Armenian-American community.

Through events, like the inaugural reception in Chicago, the Primate and
Diocesan leaders are meeting with faithful to speak about the successes
of the Diocese’s ministries and programs, and the efforts that
strengthen local parishes and individual families.

“It’s natural for people to be more attached to their own local church
as opposed to the bigger organization, because people have more
day-to-day contact with their own local church than with the Diocese,”
Tootooian said. “But it’s important to support both. You need the
umbrella organization. The Diocese has to make it clear just what they
can offer and what they can do to help you: to show they can offer
things that the local parishes can’t individually.”

Some of the successful Diocesan efforts funded through the Archbishop’s
Annual Appeal include:

* Spiritual growth among Armenians of all age-groups, exemplified by the
record number of seminarians studying at St. Nersess Seminary;

* An ever-growing college ministry program, which has reached out to
students from schools in New England, New York, and the Midwest, and is
reaching even further through it’s newly launched website,
;

* The growth of the Diocesan website, which is a tool used by Armenians
around the world to educate their children — and themselves — in the
faith and heritage of the Armenian Church;

* A focused effort to provide support and ideas to local parish leaders,
to help each parish become a vibrant anchor for the local Armenian
community;

* Providing expanded, multi-media resources specifically tailored for
local Armenian School and Sunday School teachers, to provide them with
better tools to teach our children.

“The Diocese is doing a lot to connect each and every Armenian family to
their faith and heritage,” said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of
the Eastern Diocese. “Together our dedicated Diocese and active local
parishes are building a bright future for our beloved church. We want
everyone to know that our Diocese’s ministries and programs are here to
meet the challenges of today, and to provide the foundation for our
community’s tomorrow.”

YOU CAN HELP

The continued growth of the Armenian Church in America can only be
assured with the support of every Armenian family. From attending
services weekly, to serving as stewards and leaders of their parishes,
to supporting the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, every Armenian has a role
to play.

Donations to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal support the Diocese’s
efforts to provide parishes with tools and resources. While some people
are able to make large donations, most of the support for the
Archbishop’s Annual Appeal comes from everyday people giving what they
can to support things such as youth ministry programs, outreach to new
immigrant communities, and Christian and Armenian-language educational
programs for both children and adults.

“The Diocese does so much to keep the flames of our faith burning, from
helping educate our youngsters to providing leadership training to our
parishes,” said Oscar Tatosian, a member of the Diocesan Council and one
of the organizers of the Chicago reception. “It’s important that
everyone support these efforts to whatever level they can, by giving to
the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal.”

In the next few weeks, members of the Armenian-American community will
be receiving letters from the Primate highlighting the success of the
Diocese’s ministries and programs, and asking them to support the
Archbishop’s Annual Appeal 2004.

Receptions like the one in Chicago have also been set for Boston on
December 1, the New York City region on December 2, and New Jersey on
December 10. Receptions are in the planning stages for Detroit,
Philadelphia, and Florida.

For more information or to contribute today, contact the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern) by e-mailing
[email protected]; calling (212) 686-0710; or writing 630 Second
Ave., New York, NY, 10016.

Learn more about the Diocesan ministries and the Archbishop’s Annual
Appeal 2004 by going online to the Diocese’s website,

–10/25/04

E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News
and Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,

PHOTO CAPTION (1): Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern
Diocese, with Diocesan Council member Oscar Tatosian and Fr. Aren
Jebejian, pastor of the St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of Chicago,
IL, during a reception in Chicago inaugurating the Archbishop’s Annual
Appeal 2004.

PHOTO CAPTION (2): The Primate gathers on Friday, October 15, 2004,
with leaders from the Chicago-area parishes at the Union League Club in
downtown Chicago to launch the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal 2004.

# # #

British MP says Karabakh visit was “solely fact-finding”

Space TV, Baku
25 Oct 04

The recognition of [the republic of] Nagornyy Karabakh was not
discussed during a visit to Karabakh by a British parliamentary
delegation because the British government’s position on this issue
remains unchanged, said Gordon Marsden, leader of a delegation of
the British interparliamentary cooperation group, speaking about the
outcome of his visit to Xankandi [Stepanakert].

Mr Marsden said he regretted Azerbaijan’s negative reaction to the
delegation’s visit to Nagornyy Karabakh. He said that the British
government and the British embassy in Baku had put it clearly that this
was solely a fact-finding visit. If Azerbaijanis wanted to voice their
position, we would have been happy to listen to them, end of quote.

As for the fact that they went to Karabakh via Armenia, the British
MP said that Azerbaijan was allegedly unable to organize visits to
Nagornyy Karabakh via its territory.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reports that British MPs have never
appealed to Azerbaijan for assistance to visit Nagornyy Karabakh and
this is what caused Baku’s discontent.