Author: Jabejian Elizabeth

MILLI MAJLIS BLAMED UNITED STATES FOR DUPLICITY

Azerbaijan Business Center
June 19 2009

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Today Milli Majlis (Parliament of Azerbaijan)
offered to apply to the U.S. Congress because of its intentions to
render financial assistance to unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh.

Chairman of the Popular Front Oppositional Party Gudret Hasanguliyev
said the U.S. Congress should be told to stop running such a
double-dealing policy.

"It seems impossible that on one hand, U.S. are talking about
recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and the necessity
to settle Karabakh problem within territorial integrity, and, on
the other hand, are rendering assistance to a separative junta under
various pretexts. Why then do not they render the same assistance to
the South Ossetia, Abkhazia or Transnistria?," Hasanguliyev questioned.

He also noted that everyone knows there is an Armenian lobby in the
United States, but America, as a state, should follow the declared
principles.

"This country should respect itself, so we need to apply to the
U.S. Congress," Deputy noted.

Lately Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) informed that
the U.S. Congress House of Representatives Subcommittee on Foreign
Affairs decided to keep financial aid amounting $48 million to be
rendered to Armenia and $10 million to Nagorno-Karabakh in the draft
budget for 2010 fiscal year.

Moreover, it was kept the parity of military assistance designed for
Armenia and Azerbaijan – the countries each will be given $3 million.

Thus, according to ANCA, Barack Obama’s proposal on reducing the size
of economic assistance to Armenia by 38% and amending the military
aid parity in favor of Azerbaijan were not accepted.

Sarafian battled his way to NCAA meet

Atlanticville.gmnews.com
06-18-2009

BY TIM MORRIS, Staff Writer

Adam Sarafian has learned that success isn’t measured by how high you
vault or titles you’ve won. It’s how you handle adversity.

No one seemed to have a brighter future in front of them entering
college than the former Ocean Township High School great.

The Spartan enjoyed the finest polevaulting season in state history his
senior year. He elevated the state record to the still standing 17-4 ½
and won the Triple Crown in the spring, the Penn Relays, Golden West and
National Outdoor championships. He was the top-ranked pole-vaulter in
the country.

The future seemed to hold so much promise for him as he headed to the
University of Georgia in Athens.

Sarafian’s collegiate goals were to raise his personal best up to 18-4,
which just happens to be the qualifying standard for the U.S. Olympic
Trials and win an NCAA title.

Sarafian’s collegiate career, which started at the University of
Georgia, took a side trip to Arkansas State and concluded back at
Georgia, ended last week (June 10) at the NCAA Championships in
Fayetteville, Ark. and it concluded without an NCAA title and with a pb
of 17-6 ½. But, before you judge his college career a disappointment (he
was All-American in 2006), walk a mile in his shoes.

Considering all obstacles he had to overcome (a rash of debilitating
injuries) and the limitations it put on him, Sarafian’s career was far
from disappointing. In fact, it was inspirational, a tribute to making
the best out of a bad situation and never throwing in the towel. He
learned more about life than he did vaulting in Athens.

"I just learned that no matter how I do, be happy with what I did under
the circumstances," said Sarafian, who graduated from Georgia last month
with a degree in geology.

Those circumstances were a rash of injuries that tested his resolve.
But, no matter how many times he was knocked down, he kept getting back
up. When others would have had enough, he carried on.

"It made me feel good that I didn’t stop," said Sarafian. "It was
character building."

Just being in Fayetteville was a triumph in itself for Sarafian. Back in
March, everything was going well for the former Spartan. Then, in
practice, his pole snapped and it resulted in a broken right hand, the
one he uses to push off on the pole as it is planted.

The broken hand didn’t keep him from competing and he would take sixth
place at the Southeast Conference Championships back in April.

When he was competing at the NCAA East Region, Sarafian still had pain
in that right hand, but, that, was only part of his problem. He had
developed pain in his right foot as well. A pain, it turns out, that
signaled a stress fracture.

This didn’t stop him from competing either. To compensate for the
injury, Sarafian limited his run up to 80 feet (everyone else was doing
at least 120).

"I go as fast as I can on the runway," Sarafian explained.

Under those circumstances, the NCAA’s were a long shot at best when he
competed in the NCAA East Regional on May 30 in Greensboro, N.C.
Sarafian did more than just compete. He managed to do 16-11 ¾, which was
good enough for fourth place and a surprise ticket to the NCAA.

"I didn’t know I made it," he said. "After I missed my last jump at
17-2, I thought it was the last jump of my college career and I was
pretty upset.

"I was astonished I got fourth place," he added. "I said to myself "it’s
a good thing you didn’t give up."

He had new life and was off, fittingly, for the University of Arkansas
for his final college meet. And, fittingly, Sarafian would clear a
season’s best 17-2 ¾ in the qualifying round. It appeared to be good
enough to get him to the finals (he was even told he has qualified) as
he finished in a four-way tie for 15th place. Eighteen vaulters cleared
17-2 ¾ and in order to narrow the field down for the finals, Sarafian
and the three others vaulters, who cleared that height on their final
attempts were eliminated (the other 14 had cleared 17-2 ¾ on either
their first or second attempts).

As hard as it was for Sarafian not to get to the final, he learned that
victory isn’t always finishing in the medals. It’s what you did with the
cards you were dealt and judging the results with the hand he was dealt
(broken foot), Sarafian would say he is happy that he set a new broken
foot personal best.

Some of the adversity that Sarafian faced had nothing to do with
vaulting. He decided to transfer to Arkansas State after his sophomore
year because he didn’t think things were working out in Athens.

"I was a little unhappy (at Georgia)," he said. "I learned the grass
isn’t greener on the other side.

"I went back where I had everything," he added.

Georgia took Sarafian back. But, soon, the injury bug would begin to
strike. In the summer of 2007, it was discovered that he had fractured
discs in his lower back. He was in back brace for four months and
physical therapy followed. The 2008 season was one of rebuilding,
Sarafian was ready for a big senior year (he won the Kentucky
Invitational at the start of the indoor season) and then came March and
the broken hand.

Along with injuries and broken bones, Sarafian also had to deal with
having four different vaulting coaches in his career. Luckily, just in
time, he found a coach that is seemingly perfect for him in Petros
Kyprianou.

"I like him a lot," said Sarafian. "A coach is someone you hang out with
three or four hours a day. He’s someone you need to talk to."

Sarafian and Kyprianou have clicked as a team and it’s the big reason
that he made it to the NCAA’s and why he has not said goodbye to pole
vaulting.

After spending the summer doing geology work in Alaska and healing his
foot, Sarafian will return to Georgia for postgraduate work in the fall
where he will continue to be coached by Kyprianou. The goal is to get to
the European circuit next summer with the long-term goal the 2012
Olympic Trials.

What Sarafian is looking forward to the most though, is the opportunity
to set a ‘healthy personal best.’ He deserves that at the very least.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pole-vaulter Adam Sarafian, who overcame a series of
debilitating injuries to continue competing, recently wrapped up his
collegiate career.

/0618/sports/030.html

OSCE MEDIA FREEDOM REPRESENTATIVE URGES TURKEY TO STOP PROSECUTION OF A JOURNALIST FOR HIS INVESTIGATIVE BOOK ON THE MURDER OF FELLOW JOURNALIST HRANT DINK

ArmInfo
2009-06-18 18:41:00

ArmInfo. Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of
the Media, asked Turkish authorities today to drop charges against
journalist Nedim Sener for his investigative book on the murder of
fellow journalist Hrant Dink, and called for urgent reform of laws that
restrict freedom of expression, the OSCE ress-service reports. "Sener
is prosecuted in defiance of freedoms that both OSCE commitments and
Council of Europe standards grant to critical publications," wrote
Haraszti in a letter to Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. "What he did
was critically assess the events leading up to Hrant Dink’s murder,
and the deficiencies afterwards in the handling of the case and in
the prosecution of the perpetrators."

"Justice must not be degraded into an act of revenge by the criticized
authorities," said Haraszti.

Sener, a journalist for newspaper Milliyet, faces up to 28 years
of imprisonment for writing a book, entitled The Dink Murder and
Intelligence Lies. The book alleges that security forces failed to
stop the murder of the well-known Turkish-Armenian writer in 2007,
and cites alleged incidents of negligence by gendarmerie, police and
national intelligence officers working on the case.

Hrant Dink had publicly discussed the killing of Armenians in 1915
in terms that went against the official Turkish interpretations of
history. For this, he was convicted in 2005 based on Article 301 of
the Criminal Code, "denigrating Turkishness’, and murdered in January
2007 by radical activists. The trial of the persons accused in his
murder still continues.

AMBASSADOR OF GERMANY ANDREA JOANA-MARIA WIKTORIN COMPLETES HER DIPLOMATIC MISSION IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
June 17, 2009

YEREVAN, JUNE 17, NOYAN TAPAN. On June 16, RA Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian receiving Ambassador of Germany Andrea Joana-Maria Wiktorin
completing her diplomatic mission in Armenia thanked the Ambassador
for her activity aimed at promotion of development of Armenian-German
friendly relations during her mission and wished her success in her
further activity.

Speaking about bilateral relations with Germany, E. Nalbandian attached
importance to further deepening and strengthening of cooperation
with Germany in various spheres. He emphasized that Germany is one
of the biggest investors in Armenia, and Armenia highly assesses
the technical and financial programs aimed at Armenia’s development
implemented by the German government.

166 ECONOMIC OFFENCES RECORDED IN ARMENIA IN JAN-APR 2009

ARKA
June 16, 2009

YEREVAN, June 16. /ARKA/. Armenian Police Department has recorded
166 economic offences over the period between January and April 2009.

This number is 35% greater than that of the same period of the
previous year.

According to the statistical report, 33 cases of forging and
trafficking banknotes and securities have been recorded over the
mentioned period – 28.3% lower rate than at the same period a year
earlier.

The report says the remaining 133 were other economic offenses –
72.7% year-on-year growth.

BELARUS AND UZBEKISTAN DO NOT SIGN AGREEMENT ON CREATING A JOINT RAPID-REACTION FORCE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
15.06.2009 10:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Belarus and Uzbekistan have not signed the
agreement on creating a joint rapid-reaction force of Collective
Security Treaty. Only five out of seven CSTO member states approved
the document at the Moscow summit: Russia, Armenia, Kyrgyz Republic,
Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

Belarusian delegation has pulled out of Sunday’s summit in protest
against trade restrictions, in a so called "Milky war", and Uzbekistan
expressed some concerns related to formation of military CSTO forces.

The Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a note handed to the CSTO’s
secretariat that the country’s non-participation "means the lack of
approval from the Republic of Belarus of decisions being considered" at
the summit, along with the foreign and defense ministers’ meetings, and
"consequently a lack of consensus for the taking of these decisions."

Earlier, Russia banned imports of over 1,000 types of milk
products from Belarus, a major item of its budget revenues, saying
producers in the ex-Soviet republic had failed to comply with new
Russian standards. Official Minsk blames Russia in undermining its
economic security, and qualifies Russian’s actions as direct economic
discrimination. Belarus leadership immediately links their country’s
economic security with CSTO’s collective security.

The CSTO rotating presidency, which was expected to be assumed by
Belarus, has been passed over to Russia for the time being. It was
projected earlier, that Armenia would pass presidency to Belarus,
Lenta.ru reports.

The Russian president said that Minsk could join the CSTO summit’s
decisions later, adding that such a move would be welcomed.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
June 14 2009

The plot casting a shadow over BaÅ?buÄ?’s speech

By MEHMET YILMAZ — The Taraf newspaper on Friday ran a headline that
many saw as extremely horrifying. The news story connected with the
headline disclosed an action plan drafted by the Operations Department
of the General Staff that aims to plan conspiracies against the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Fethullah Gülen
with a view to portraying them as potentially criminal in the eyes of
the general public.

The plan, prepared by the Col. Dursun �içek, talks about
a number of black propaganda moves such as mobilizing agents inside
the AK Party, defending the military officers who are defendants at
the Ergenekon trial, preparing news stories about Greece and Armenia
that will create reactions among the people and that will help to
expand the voter base of the nationalist parties, and discrediting
popular TV serials such as `Kurtlar Vadisi,’ `Kollama’ and `Tek
Türkiye.’

The plan, which was prepared in April, was seized during a police
search at the office of Serdar Ã-ztürk, who was the lawyer
of retired Col. Levent GöktaÅ?, currently under arrest in
connection with the Ergenekon investigation. (Ã-ztürk, too,
was arrested several days ago.) The plan heavily uses the concepts of
"friendly" and "enemy" during the implementation of the activities
envisaged thereunder.

The most heinous part of the plan consists of developing certain
conspiracy plots in order to charge innocent people with false
crimes. The following horrifying excerpts are from this brazen plan:

– In the propaganda to be spread, it will be frequently noted that we
are not against religion.

– Actions will be planned without creating the impression that they
are changing the agenda of the Ergenekon trial and the pro-religion
media will not be allowed to concentrate on this.

– We will create the impression that the supporters of Fethullah
Gülen are going too far and are directly attacking the Turkish
Armed Forces (TSK), and we will conduct activities that will make sure
that even conservative citizens will say: "This is too much. We are
all Muslims, but these supporters of Fethullah Gülen are making
provocations in order to attack the TSK."

– Reactionary military officers and noncommissioned officers who are
in the category of unfavorable/suspicious will be reported to be
involved in reactionaryism propaganda, and then news stories will
suggest that these people behave immorally.

– As part of the operations against the reactionary TSK members,
intimidating propaganda will be conducted against those unidentified
reactionary TSK members in order to force them to make errors or
collapse on their own.

– During the raids against the addresses of Gülen’s followers
to be conducted under the military penal code, weapons, ammunition,
plans and other materials will be arranged to be seized so that the
Fethullah Gülen group is described as an armed terrorist
organization or Pro-Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FTÃ-) and the
investigations concerning it will be conducted under military
jurisdiction.

It is really saddening to see that an institution whose primary duty
is to ensure the security of Turkey and the Turkish people completely
ignores the law and thinks about how to manufacture crimes against
innocent people and attempts to implement a plan to this end.

It is grievous… This is because the plot in question manufactures
crimes in order to portray innocent people as guilty in the eyes of
the general public and before the law.

The plot in question intends to make people culpable for military
crimes in order to mobilize the military judiciary.

It aims to employ the military judiciary in order to deprive people of
their right to a defense.

Then?

Then, everything will be easier.

The media organizations will step in to launch a smear campaign
against the Fethullah Gülen group in order to defame them in
the eyes of the general public and convict them in the military
courts.

How?

Through plots to present them as members of a terrorist organization.

Why should an organization seek to undertake such an action plan?

In 2000, then-State Security Court (DGM) prosecutor Nuh Mete
Yüksel launched a case against Fethullah Gülen
Hocaefendi on charges of establishing an illegal organization. At the
end of the eight-year case, he was acquitted. Upon objections, the
General Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Appeals upheld the
acquittal.

Thus, it turned out that all the crimes attributed to Gülen
were just libel ?????.

Why do they need to resort to conspiracies in order to overturn an
acquittal decision given by civilian courts after a litigation process
of eight years?

Does this mean that the military courts are fairer? Is it because they
do not want to take the crimes they will manufacture to the civilian
courts?

Who can attempt to place weapons and ammunition in the houses of
innocent students to find them later just to accuse them of being
members of a fabricated terrorist organization? Can we consider these
people patriotic in their efforts to defame those innocent students?

I hope the General Staff will do whatever is required about this plot,
which has created great suspicions about the TSK.

Otherwise, they will be deprived of legitimacy in the eyes of the
general public for their efforts to defend some retired or active
military officers who had been involved in some illegal activities by
resorting to the principle of presumption of innocence against the
evidence obtained by prosecutors, the arsenals uncovered and the
charges made under the Ergenekon investigation.

Similarly, their complaints that there is a systematic opposition that
aims to weaken the TSK will never be heard.

The speeches given by Chief of General Staff Gen. Ä°lker
BaÅ?buÄ? on April 14 at the War Academies Command and on
April 29 at the General Staff headquarters and which were described as
highly intellectual must have been considerably overshadowed by this
plan.

I hope he will soon announce that those who prepared this plan will
never achieve their goals and that he will rebuke those who consider
the majority of the nation and the government as the "enemy."

Until then, his statement that no one who undertakes activities
against the existing democratic regime will be allowed to stay within
the TSK will not be convincing.

14 June 2009, Sunday
MEHMET YILMAZ Ä°STANBUL

WBZ TV (CBS)
June 13 2009

Judge In Mass. Rejects Armenian Genocide Lawsuit

BOSTON (AP)
A federal judge has rejected a lawsuit that challenges state
Department of Education curriculum guidelines which characterize the
mass slaying of Armenians during World War I as genocide.

Some say the killings of Armenians by the Turks in 1915 wasn’t
genocide, but was driven by other factors, such as war.

In his ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Mark Wolf said the court had
no role in the contentious debate. He said state and local boards must
make most decisions on what is taught.

Attorney Arnold Rosenfeld, who represents the Armenian Assembly of
America, said the ruling reaffirmed the teaching of the Armenian
genocide.

But lawyer Harvey Silverglate, who filed the suit, said the curriculum
was developed — without opposing viewpoints — because of political
pressure, not educational merit.

ARMENIAN BANKS HAVE DRAM LIQUIDITY PROBLEMS

ARKA
June 11, 2009

YEREVAN, June 11. /ARKA/. Armenian banks have problems with dram
liquidity, said RA Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan.

According to him, the Armenian banking sector is showing most sound
liquidity now – US $700-800mln are on accounts at commercial banks.

However, the Premier said, with high liquidity requirements ensured,
borrowers do not show demand for USA credits. "They all want AMD
credits, while banks are reluctant to issue AMD credits," Premier
Sargsyan said at his meeting with Armenian businessmen in Moscow.

In this context he pointed out that the real economic sector is
encountering the crisis-caused difficulties, which means a high rise
in risks over the last 18 months.

"This means that commercial banks are assessing the risks and are
behaving logically by raising interest rates. On the other hand,
to survive the crisis, the real; sector needs cheap long money,
but commercial banks are not ready for this behavior," he said.

The Armenian Premier said that surviving the crisis requires the
interference of the Government, which is supposed to assume the risks.

"We have to think of instruments that would facilitate the flow of
funds to the real economic sector," he said.

Among the instruments Premier Sargsyan included government guaranteed
loans to the real sector, the Government’s share in enterprises’
capital, promo tion of construction and credit guarantees to the
developers meeting certain standards set by the Government.

HAYASTAN ALL-ARMENIAN FUND TO ESTABLISH REGIONAL CARDIOLOGY CENTER IN SYUNIK

20 09/06/11 | 11:33

Society

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has begun construction of a cardiology
center in Armenia’s Syunik Region. The facility, to be built in Akner,
a community adjoining the City of Goris, will be affiliated with
Yerevan’s Center of Cardiology. The new hospital will be the only
one of its kind serving southern Armenia and Artsakh.

The project, with an initial cost estimate of approximately
U.S. $820,000, is financed by the fund’s French affiliate;
the French-Armenian Doctors’ Association (Association de Sante
Franco-Armenienne), based in Marseille; and the department of
Bouches-du-Rhône, a major administrative area in the south of
France. A considerable portion of the amount was bequeathed to the
fund by French-Armenian benefactor Krikor Shahinian.

"This trilateral collaboration, forged in Bouches-du-Rhône, one of
France’s largest departments, is further proof of the great trust
enjoyed by the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund in the French-Armenian
community as well as with French regional authorities," said Bedros
Terzian, chair of the fund’s French affiliate.

The construction of the two-story cardiology center started in May
and currently its foundations are being laid.

When completed, the hospital will have a main ward with 16 beds and
a polyclinic capable of accommodating 20 ambulatory patients per
day. In addition, the grounds surrounding the future hospital will
undergo extensive landscaping, including the planting of trees.

According to Spartak Minasyan, mayor of Akner, the establishment
of the cardiology center will lead to the creation of ancillary
businesses and jobs in the area, fostering economic development in
neighboring communities.

"The availability of a full-fledged cardiology center in Syunik means
that patients in the region as well as Artsakh will have access to
high-quality healthcare locally and will no longer need to travel to
Yerevan to receive treatment," said Ara Vardanyan, executive director
of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund.

Hayastan All Armenian Fund