Author: Hovhannisian John

Azerbaijani, Armenian Foreign Ministers Meeting in Prague

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
June 21 2004

Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers are going to meet in
Prague, Czheck republic, on Monday to discuss ways of finding a
peaceful settlement to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Elmar Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan and Vardan Oskanian of Armenia are also
expected to discuss the recent breaches of the cease fire agreement
in the contact line between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.

Co-chairs of the Minsk group of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that has been mediating the peace
negotiations since 1992 are also to attend the meeting.

Oskanian said before the meeting that no new proposals from the Minsk
group are expected, ANS reported.

The chief diplomats of Azerbaijan and Armenia last met in Strasbourg
on May 12 and after the meeting Oskainian said no agreements were
reached between the two.

LITERATURE: NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS AT MANTUA FESTIVAL

ANSA English Media Service
June 21, 2004

ROME

(ANSA) – ROME, June 21 – One of the most eagerly expected
cultural events in Italy this summer is the festival of
literature Festivaletteratura held from September 8 to September
12 in Mantua, northern Italy, which will welcome over 180
writers, including three Nobel Prize winners, U.S. Toni Morrison
and South Africa’s John M. Coetzee for literature and U.S.
Joseph Stiglitz for economics.

The festival’s feature will again be the chance to bring
authors and readers closer to enjoy conversations no matter
whether the writers are Nobel Prize laureates or international
celebrities such as Ken Follett, Doris Lessing, Luis Sepulveda,
or renowned Italian authors such as Umberto Eco, Tullio De
Mauro, or Antonio Tabucchi.

The festival will preserve its proud general character and
will cater to the various tastes of the readers but will offer
more moments for reflection.

Festivaletteratura will present for discussion war beyond in
the present days with witnesses and analyses of theories through
the historical epochs. The need to remember will be a line
connecting books about the Shoah, the Hebrew word for the
Holocaust, the genocide against the Armenians to what has yet to
be said about the tragedy of Vajont where in October 1963 a
strong wave topped a dam and killed many people in the nearby
valley.

The theme of identity will include writers who tried to
incite the cultural conscience in their countries to react
against dictatorship and those whose works revive in a
conflicting way the relations between the colonising countries,
whose language they use, and their original culture.

Esoterics will trace the great mysticsists of the past, from
the Buddhist practice to popular Christian tradition.

The Festivaletteratura is also voluntary work, the organisers
said. The volunteers of the festival have invited the writers to
discuss literature and passion with musical intervals.

This year’s festival will also have a rich section dedicated
to children, with invasion of “adult” writers in children’s
territory.

The traditional meetings with authors this year include the
full reading of Teofilo Folengo’s poem Baldus. The poetry
section will see Iranian Abbas Kiarostami and Israel’s Meir
Wieseltier and Italians Maurizio Cucchi, Fabrizia Ramondino,
Giampiero Neri and Roberto Amato.

The Festivaletteratura will offer organise meetings with
young Italian and foreign authors, the music of Italian Paolo
Fresu and the Alborada quartet and an evening dedicated to
British writer Ian McEwan with performances of his short story
Conversation With A Cupboard Man and his novel The Child In Time
with Italian actor Eugenio Allegri. (ANSA/krc).

(CP)

This week’s Armenia v World match

The Guardian (London)
June 19, 2004

This week’s Armenia v World match in Moscow provided a rare chance
for Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand to compete head to head, though
the Armenian team, honouring the 75th anniversary of Tigran
Petrosian’s birth, was a strange mix. Kasparov has an Armenian
mother, Hungary’s Peter Leko has an Armenian wife and the Israeli
Boris Gelfand is an ex-pupil of Petrosian. Loek van Wely, the
lowest-rated GM on the World team, was on the end of a full-blooded
Kasparov attack. Yet the Dutch No1’s resilient defence would have
been rewarded if he had found 31 gxf6! when 32 Qxf6 Rxf6 33 Rxf6 Bxf3
34 Qg5+ draws by perpetual check. As played, Black resigned after 33
fxg6! because of Rxf6 34 g7 or 33 . . . fxg6 34 Rxg6+ Kf8 35 Qh8+
forcing mate. The World won 18.5-17.5. G Kasparov v L van Wely 1 Nf3
Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 Nc3 Nc6 4 d4 cxd4 5 Nxd4 e6 6 a3 Nxd4 7 Qxd4 b6 8 Qf4
Be7 9 e4 d6 10 Qg3 O-O 11 Bh6 Ne8 12 Bf4 Bb7 13 Rd1 Bh4 14 Qh3 Qf6 15
Be3 Bg5 16 Be2 Bxe3 17 Qxe3 Qe7 18 O-O Nf6 19 Rd2 Rfd8 20 Rfd1 Bc6 2

Bb7 26 Nb5 Qxc4 27 Nxd6 Qc7 28 Qxh4 Bc6 29 g4 Ba4 30 g5 Bxd1 31 gxf6
Rxd6? 32 Rg2 g6 33 fxg6! 1-0

M Adams v V Akopian

1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nd2 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nd7 5 Nf3 Ngf6 6 Nxf6+ Nxf6 7 c3 c5
8 Ne5 a6 9 Bg5 Be7 10 dxc5 Qxd1+ 11 Rxd1 Bxc5 12 Be2 h6 13 Bh4 g5 14
Bg3 Ne4 15 Bf3 Nxg3 16 hxg3 Ke7 17 Bxb7! Bxb7 18 Rd7+ Kf6 19 f4! gxf4
20 gxf4 Kf5 21 Rxf7+ Ke4 22 Rxb7 Rag8 23 Rc7 Be3 24 Rc4+ Kd5 25 Rh5!
1-0

No 2836

White, playing up the board, checkmates in two moves, against any
defence. This week’s diagram is the opening round of the annual
Winton Capital British Solving Championship, to find the UK’s best
solver.

To enter, simply post White’s first move to: Paul Valois, 14 Newton
Park Drive, Leeds LS7 4HH. You should include a cheque or postal
order for £3 payable to British Chess Problem Society, and mark your
entry “The Guardian”.

Entries, which are open to British residents only, must be postmarked
July 31 or earlier. After the closing date all entrants will receive
the answer to the starting problem, a free copy of The Problemist
magazine, and, if successful, a postal round of harder problems. The
best postal solvers qualify for a £1,000 prize fund final in early
2005.

Last year nearly 90% of Guardian readers who entered the first stage
got it right. But be warned. This year’s starter problem looks harder
than in recent years, and I needed several attempts before finding
the key move. So check carefully before posting your answer.

Winton Capital also sponsors the British team at the annual world
solving championship.

No 2835 : Black should play Kb8! The game ended Kc7? 2 a7 Kb7 3 Nd6+!
Resigns as a pawn queens.

PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
June 17, 2004

Contact at HFH Armenia: Contact at Heifer Armenia:
Zara Tonapetyan Anahit Ghazanchyan
Aygestan 8-th str, h 5, apt.9, Amiryan str. 22
Yerevan-070, Armenia Yerevan 375002, Armenia
Tel: (374 1) 556-114 Tel: (374 1) 53 30 78
e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected]

June 2, 2004 – Yerevan Armenia — Habitat for Humanity Armenia
beneficiaries will receive not only shelter, but animals, thanks to
a new partnership with Heifer Armenia.

On June 2, 2004 a partnership agreement was signed between Habitat
for Humanity Armenia and Heifer Armenia. Within the scope of the
collaboration, over the next five years, 100 Habitat for Humanity
Armenia families will receive an agricultural input and trainings
to support income generation and to enhance self-sustainability. In
the future, HFH Armenia hopes to see its rural partner families as
developed small-scale farm owners.

Under the agreement, each partner family will receive one heifer
and 10 laying crested hens and fodder for start up period, 50.000
Californian worms and barley and alfalfa seeds, as well as appropriate
trainings in agriculture and agribusiness. Then HFH rural family will
be obliged to pass on its animal’s offspring to another family from
the local community in a 3-year period. This aspect is in keeping
with the missions of Habitat for Humanity and Heifer International.

“This is the example when two charitable organizations with
complementary missions come together and create sustainable and
self-reliant communities” – says Ashot Yeghiazaryan, the Executive
Director for Habitat for Humanity Armenia.

Habitat for Humanity International and Heifer International are
considered to be sister organizations worldwide as both are struggling
against poverty, and providing needy families with the resources to
lead healthy and dignified lives. The motto of both organizations
could be summed up as, “helping people in need to help themselves”.

Heifer International helps resource-poor families become self-reliant
by providing them with food-and income-producing animals and
training. Since 1944, Heifer International has helped more than 4
million families in 116 countries.

The Heifer International program in Armenia started in November
1999 and since has assisted 840 families to build their own family
farms and 299 families have already benefited from passing on the
gifts practices. In Armenia Heifer has placed cows, goats, sheep,
beehives, rabbits, chickens, fish, turkeys, buffalos, bull calves,
Californian worms, potato seeds, alfalfa and wheat seeds. Since 1999,
Heifer Armenia has invested $903,192 into sustainable development in
Armenia and the South Caucasus as a whole.

Habitat for Humanity Armenia is an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity
International and supports community development in the Republic of
Armenia by assisting in the construction and renovation of simple,
decent and affordable homes. The purpose of the organization is to help
families in need improve their living conditions, to raise funds to
support the vital work, and to give hope to thousands of people across
the country. The organization was formed in March of 2000 and, to date,
has dedicated 82 homes and given shelter to more than 400 people.

Habitat for Humanity Armenia has found a way to solve the housing
problem in Armenia. Families, with two or three wage earners, pay
back a no-interest loan for a simple, decent, affordable, and healthy
home, and are still able to feed their families. Habitat for Humanity
Armenia is using a combination of two approaches to help Habitat
families solve their housing problems:

1) Completing half-built homes, which are numerous in Armenia. This
approach enables families to fulfill their dream of completing their
own home. Utilizing existing core structure reduces costs and prevents
the disruption of relocation.

2) Purchasing apartments to make use of Armenia’s existing
under-utilized housing stock. Purchased homes are resold at no-profit,
interest-free, to Habitat families who renovate their apartments and
help in the construction of other families’ homes.

For more information please email Zara Tonapetyan, Communication
Coordinator for Habitat for Humanity Armenia [email protected].
See for more information.

Founded in 1976, Habitat for Humanity International is a
non-denominational Christian, non-governmental, non-profit housing
organization that has helped more than 700,000 people of all races,
religions and backgrounds to have a simple, decent and affordable
place to live. Habitat for Humanity has built or renovated more
than 150,000 homes throughout the world, becoming a global leader
in addressing poverty housing. Habitat for Humanity is active in 92
countries worldwide, including 18 in Europe and Central Asia.

THE END

World Bank credits target Armenian health system and reservoirs    

Mediamax news agency
11 Jun 04

Yerevan, 11 June: The board of directors of the World Bank has approved
three credit programmes for Armenia totalling 3m dollars.

The deputy director of the World Bank’s Yerevan office with
responsibility for social issues, Susanna Ayrapetyan, said that 19m
dollars will be channelled to modernization of the health system,
Mediamax news agency reported. More than 5m dollars will be used to
improve management in the social security sphere.

The third credit programme, directed at improving the security of
Armenian reservoirs, will constitute 6.75m dollars. The programme
envisages repair and restoration work and also the introduction of
a security system.

The head of the external relations department of the World Bank’s
Yerevan office, Vigen Sarkisyan, said in Yerevan today that since 1993
the World Bank has implemented programmes totalling 820.8m dollars.

As We See It
By Prof. Osheen Keshishian

The Armenian Observer
2 June 2004

Recently I told a friend: “Did you know that the Armenian government
sold the AGBU-sponsored and donated cold storage facility for
$150,000?”

The answer was: “What else is new? Isn’t that routine?”

For some people the sale of the Gumri (Armenia) cold food storage
facility did not come as a surprise because for months rumors
were circulating in Armenia and the Diaspora about the transfer
of ownership. But the real surprise was the price tag: $150,000! A
storage facility which cost $5 million to build…

It’s not hard to figure out — the facility was sold for 3% of it’s
value… What a sham! And all this, as they say, in broad daylight. I
would have bid had I known it was on the auction block. Did anyone
else get a chance to bid?

The 10,000-ton cold storage facility was built by Intercool, a renowned
Danish company, for $5 million. The Armenian General Benevolent
Union (AGBU) raised the money and built the facility following the
devastating 1988 earthquake with the hope that food will be stored in
the summer so that during the harsh winter season in this northern
region of Armenia, people will have something to eat. What a great
idea it was and the community quickly raised the funds. Unfortunately,
the facility did not function for a while because of the energy crisis.

Hagop Avedikian, editor of the Yerevan-based Azg daily and Tatul
Hagopian, a writer, in a signed article revealed some interesting
details.

The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Garen Jeshmaridian (the last
name literally means “truth-teller”) in a letter to the writers states:
“I am informing you that Gumri’s cold storage facility was on the
list of the denationalization program of 1998-2000 but procedures were
not initiated. At the same time I am informing you that by decision
of the court, dated April 18, 2002, the cold storage facility has
been declared non-solvent and on March 12, 2003, the entire facility
was sold at auction to the Gechor company.”

Non-solvency in Armenia means the enterprise did not pay taxes. Since
it was a gift to the government of Armenia, and belonged to the
government, then who collects taxes and from whom? Or, who pays
taxes to whom? Probably, you collect taxes from… yourself? Does
this make sense?

Technically, the AGBU cannot make an issue out of this because
it was given as a gift and the receiver can do whatever he wants
with it. Right? But as I understand, and I may be slightly wrong,
if a facility is sold in Armenia by the government, the donor of the
facility should have first option to bid on the entity. Just like the
51% stockholder in an enterprise in Armenia is given the opportunity
to buy the rest of the stocks.

The law is there, and I am not sure if anyone has enforced it. On
the contrary, several Diasporan Armenians have lost their shirts
(maybe not their entire shirts, only their sleeves…)

This is a serious matter, and if it is not clarified, relations
could spiral downward and I think we should not be satisfied with
the worn-out statement that “Armenia is a new country. Give it a
chance.” No band-aid solutions, please.

There are laws enacted in Armenia. But, unfortunately, they are not
enforced. The government has only selectively enforced the laws,
presenting an opportunity to people to abuse their authority and
position, whether related to human rights or economic graft. US senior
State Department official, Ambassador Carlos Pascual only recently
said that the Armenian Government’s human rights record remains poor.

The AGBU was planning to invest money in Armenia in the near
future. The organization should think twice (or three times) before
taking new steps.

Anand to lead World team in Petrosyan match

New Kerala, India
June 9 2004

New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) :

India’s Viswanathan Anand, the World No. 2, will lead the Rest of
the World team in a match to mark the 75th birth anniversary of late
Armenian world chess champion Tigran Petrosian.

Petrosian, who was born in 1929, died in 1984.

The match, against an Armenian team, will be played in Moscow June
10-15.

The special event will be a six-player team tournament where each
player faces all the members of the opposing team.

Anand, who won the Chess Oscar for the third time in 2003, will lead
a team that is expected to include Michael Adams, Peter Svidler,
Loek Van Wely, Etienne Bacrot and Paco Vallejo.

Svidler, a Russian, is known to Indian chess fans as a great follower
of cricket and admires Sachin Tendulkar, whose name he uses to play
chess on the Internet.

Anand has in the past led the World team to an emphatic win over
Russia in Moscow.

The Armenian team includes World No. 1 Garry Kasparov. The other five
are either Armenian or have an Armenian connection.

The three Armenians are Vladimir Akopian, Smbat Lputian and Rafael
Vaganian.

Of the other three, Kasparov’s mother is Armenian. Hungarian Peter
Leko’s wife is Armenian, and her father’s name is Arshak Petrosian,
though no relation of Tigran. Israeli Boris Gelfand was the most famous
pupil of Tigran Petrosian and learnt the game from the master 1980-83.

Anand who has arrived in Moscow, said he was looking forward to
the match.

“It is a very interesting event. I enjoyed the match between Russia
and Rest of the World and I hope this will be a similar pleasant
experience.

“Playing in Moscow is always a treat. I remember playing in the
Kremlin in 2001 and the crowd started clapping when I played Qb3. To
be recognised in the Russian heartland for your chess is a matter of
pride,” Anand added.

Linguistic skills earning applause

STUDENTS HONORED BY SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR MASTERING TWO LANGUAGES

By Dana Hull

Mercury News
Posted on Wed, Jun. 02, 2004

Vietnamese is Donna Nguyen’s native, or “home,” language. The James
Lick High School senior also speaks English and Spanish, which she
began studying in the seventh grade.

Now her linguistic achievements will be recognized.

On Wednesday night, Donna and 16 other seniors from James Lick became
the first in the East Side Union High School District to receive
the district’s new bilingual certificate. The accolade officially
recognizes the students’ ability not only to speak but to read,
write, and understand English and a second — and sometimes a third
— language. The accomplishment will be noted on both high school
diplomas and transcripts.

“It’s cool to be able to speak three languages because English gets
boring sometimes,” said Donna, 17. “Spanish sounds so nice, and the
words are pronounced the way they look. But people are still like,
`Why is this Asian girl speaking Spanish?’ ”

The term “bilingual” is often used to describe immigrant students,
many of whom are Spanish speakers who have mastered English. But
district officials believe the term should apply to any student who
has mastered two languages. This year, 82 students in the district’s
five high schools qualified for the new certificate, and they speak
not just Spanish but Vietnamese, French and German.

“What the East Side is doing is very exciting,” said Maria Vargas,
the executive director of the California Association for Bilingual
Education.

“Bilingualism and bi-literacy are very marketable skills, and the
district is recognizing that and giving the students something that
they can take with them when they graduate.”

Though California’s 6 million students are among the most diverse in
the nation, only a few school districts in the state offer bilingual
certificates. Many districts are overwhelmed by the number of home
languages that are spoken, and the biggest challenge is deciding what
level of language proficiency should count as fluent.

The Glendale Unified School District, northwest of Los Angeles, is
believed to be the first district in the state to offer bilingual
certificates. On graduation day, students who can speak two languages
wear a silver medallion, while trilingual students wear gold.

“This year we had one student who qualified in Armenian, Russian and
German, as well as English,” said Cecelia Martin, who coordinates
the program for the district.

Students with Californians for Justice, a statewide organization of
young people, first proposed the bilingual certificate to East Side
Union High School District officials two years ago. A task force of
district officials, students and teachers then worked to hammer out
the criteria.

If a student’s native language is English, they have to pass an
Advanced Placement test in a second language, such as Spanish or
French, to get the certificate. If the student’s home language is
not English, they must pass the AP test in their home language as
well as pass the state’s standardized tests in English.

For languages with no AP course, such as Tagalog, the district is
creating alternative tests that include a reading exam, writing sample
and oral interview.

“It’s a great accomplishment to be proficient in two languages,”
said Bill Rice, an assistant principal at James Lick. “So many kids
are not proficient in one language.”

Maria Chavez, 18, speaks Spanish at home and spends every summer with
relatives in the Mexican state of Jalisco. But she learned English
at school in San Jose, and has regularly taken honors English courses.

“My dad has been pushing me hard to keep my Spanish and not lose
my Mexican roots,” said Chavez. “It’s a really wonderful thing to
know two languages, but it’s really hard work. I’m glad it’s being
noticed by the district.”

Armenian leader sets up council to fight corruption

Mediamax news agency
2 Jun 04

Yerevan, 2 June: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan issued a decree
today setting up a council to fight corruption, the presidential
press service told Mediamax news agency.

The Armenian prime minister has been appointed the chairman of the
council to fight corruption, the members of the council are – the
deputy speaker of the National Assembly, the head of the government
staff, the presidential aide on issues of combating corruption,
the justice minister, the prosecutor-general, the chairman of the
Central Bank, the chief of the presidential staff, the chief of the
commission for the protection of economic competition and the head
of the parliament’s Audit Chamber.

The decision to set up the council to fight corruption has been taken
to effectively implement the anti-corruption policy, the press service
of the Armenian president told Mediamax news agency today.

Please find attached the Armenian version of the press release.

PRESS RELEASE
Assembly of Armenians of Europe
Rue de Treves 10, 1050 Brussels
Tel: +32 2 647 08 01
Fax: +32 2 647 02 00

Young Armenians of Sweden visited Brussels
the capital of the European Union

Stockholm, 2/06/04 – On the initiative of the Union of Armenian
Associations in Sweden and the Assembly of Armenians of Europe a group
of 22 young people of the Swedish Armenian Community visited Brussels
on May 27-30, 2004. The purpose of this visit was to represent to
young Armenians Brussels, the capital of the European Union, the
European Institutions and their activities, as well as introduce them
to their rights and obligations as EU citizens.

The group visited the European Commission and the European Parliament
on May 27 and 28, where the competences of each European Institution,
the participation of members States in the activities of the European
Institutions, in particular the participation of Sweden, as well as
the role and participation of the EU population in the integration
process was emphasized. The young people had the opportunity to
discuss important issues, such as Turkey’s potential accession to EU,
Armenia’s possible accession to EU, the cooperation between members
States and currency differences, etc.

On May 29 the young people visited the park “Mini Europe”, where
each member State is represented with its most famous cultural and
historical monuments in a smaller scale.

On May 30 the group visited the Armenian Church of Brussels and the
monument dedicated to the memory of victims of the Armenian Genocide
of 1915.