DPRK Prime Minister congratulates Tigran Sargsyan
armradio.am
05.05.2008 13:35
The Prime Minister of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Kim
Jong-il congratulated RA PM Tigran Sargsyan on appointment. The
congratulatory message states, in part:
`I avail myself of the opportunity to express confidence that the
friendly relations between our countries will further expand and
develop and wish you success in your responsible activity.’
STA – Slovenska Tiskovna Agencija, Slovenia
May 5 2008
Rupel: Full-Fledged Membership Only Alternative for Turkey
Ankara, 5 May (STA) – Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel summed
up his talks in Ankara on Tuesday by saying that Slovenia thought
full-fledged EU membership was the only alternative for Turkey, while
it should obey the same rules as other candidate countries.
"The track Turkey is on leads to membership and Slovenia supports
that," Rupel said in a statement for STA following talks in Ankara,
expressing his opposition to what he labelled as "short-cuts".
Turkey’s talks with the EU and reforms required for EU membership
topped the agenda as Rupel held separate meetings with President
Abdullah Guel, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Speaker of
Turkish Parliament Toptan Koeksal.
Rupel was confident about the progress of reforms despite problems. He
said Erdogan briefed him on the items on the parliamentary agenda by
the summer, including changes to the controversial penal code article
301, which the EU has criticised for restricting the freedom of
speech.
Other important bills that Rupel says the Turkish parliament is
expected to pass as early as Friday are those dealing with employment
and commercial code.
The talks also touched on the legal action against the ruling Turkish
AKP party, which is accused of being unconstitutional. According to
Rupel, the Turkish officials were reserved in their comments, while
Erdogan, the party’s leader was critical of certain aspects of the
trial.
Turkey will open two new chapters in accession talks with the EU
before the end of Slovenia’s term as EU president. "There may be more,
but two are settled on," Rupel, the presiding EU foreign minister,
said.
Since launching the talks in 2005, Turkey has opened six out of the
customary 35 negotiating chapters, while negotiations on eight
chapters have been suspended since the end of 2006 because of Turkey’s
failure to open its ports to Cypriot ships.
Rupel said that senior Turkish officials today expressed their wish
for the EU to show more understanding for the Turkish-controlled part
of the divided island. Cyprus was expected to be in focus as Rupel
meets Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan over working dinner.
The Slovenian foreign minister also sought support for the Slovenian
project of the European-Mediterranean University and he said several
Turkish universities had expressed their interest.
Turkey meanwhile requested Slovenia’s support for a historical
commission in charge of examining the genocide which Turkey allegedly
committed against the Armenians at the end of World War I. "We will
provide this support," Rupel said.
Rupel also discussed with the Turkish officials bilateral relations,
which he said were very good. Business cooperation is on the increase,
while there is still room for growth, Rupel said.
He expressed wish for better transport links between the two countries
and presented the advantages of the Slovenian port of Koper for
Turkish companies. He also discussed investment possibilities and
options for visa facilitation.
The minister will continue his visit in Ankara on Tuesday by taking
part in an EU-Turkey ministerial on behalf of the EU together with
European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. Turkey will be
represented by Foreign Minister Abdulah Gul.
ARMENPRESS
GAGIK SAHAKIAN ELECTED MAYOR OF SPITAK
SPITAK, MAY 5, ARMENPRESS: According to preliminary
results, Gagik Sahakian from the governing Republican
Party, has been elected mayor of the town of Spitak in
May 4 mayoral polls.
He has received 2,154 votes of 8,254 eligible
voters. The Central Election Commission (CEC) in
Yerevan said the acting mayor Vanik Asatrian was
second with 1,657 votes, non-partisans Ashot Danielian
received 1,265 votes, Samvel Gabrielian -881 votes,
Mihran Sisakian -613 votes, Artyom Makarian from the
Prosperous Armenia received 1,440 votes. The voter
turnout was 70 percent.
ARMEN GEVORGIAN APPOINTED MEMBER OF CIS ECONOMIC COUNCIL
YEREVAN, MAY 6, NOYAN TAPAN. On May 6, RA President Serge Sargsian
signed a decree on relieving Manuk Topuzian of the duties of a member
of the CIS Economic Council.
Under the President’s another decree of the same day, RA Deputy Prime
Minister, Territorial Administration Minister Armen Gevorgian was
appointed a member of CIS Economic Council.
Armenian National Committee – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
May 5, 2008
Contact: Ani Garabedian
ANC-WR Holds Annual Federal Town Hall Meeting
Los Angeles, CA – Over fifty members of the Armenian American
Community gathered at the Universal Sheraton on Saturday, May 3, 2008
to take part in the Annual Federal Issues Town Hall Briefing organized
by the Armenian National Committee – Western Region (ANC-WR). The
informative session which focused on major Armenian issues pending in
the second session of the 110th Congress featured presentations by
ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian and prominent political expert Charles
Mahtesian.
"Today’s event was a unique opportunity and extremely informative and
important for all members of the Armenian American community," stated
ANC-WR Executive Director Antranig Kziran. "Both Mahtesian and
Hachikian provided insight into topics that are of interest to
Armenian Americans and serve as valuable information," he added.
Mahtesian is National Politics Editor for Politico and served as
editor for the National Journal’s Almanac of American Politics, which
is commonly referred to as "the bible of American politics." Mahtesian
provided the attendees with his insider analysis of the United States
Presidential elections, the upcoming Congressional elections and
related issues.
Hachikian discussed several topics including U.S Foreign Aid to
Armenia, the Congressional Armenian Genocide resolutions, the upcoming
hearings in the Senate regarding an Ambassador to Armenia, the current
situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and various other issues of concern to
the community.
The annual federal town halls are geared to inform the Armenian
American community about issues that pertain to the community at
large.
The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in
the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States
and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANC-WR advances
the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.
WONDER BOY: BORN 100 YEARS AGO, PULITZER WINNER WAS A POP-CULTURE ICON IN HIS HEYDAY.
By Donald Munro
RedOrbit, TX
May 4 2008
May 4–After his acclaimed first book of short stories was published
in 1934, William Saroyan sent a letter to Random House asking: "Do you
think it would help any if I was photographed swinging on a trapeze?"
Saroyan knew how fame worked. At the peak of his renown, from 1939
through the early years of World War II, he cozied up to America as a
celebrity who was equal parts literary giant and pop-culture icon. This
self-proclaimed "world’s best author," who came to prominence with
his short story "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze," was a
big deal in a way authors in our contemporary image-oriented society
— a culture tilted toward movies and television — can pretty much
only dream about.
Saroyan’s literary fame has not endured in the way his partisans
might have hoped. (He is admired but not widely taught, and most of
his titles are hard to find in chain bookstores, even in his hometown
of Fresno.) And his pop-culture fame, while perhaps more lasting than
the vapid notoriety bestowed by such gossip outlets as TMZ and People
magazine, lacked staying power.
Yet as The Bee marks the centennial of Saroyan’s birth by printing one
of his never-before-published novellas, "Follow," keep in mind just how
well-known this former unruly school kid was at his peak. His publisher
at the time, Bennett Cerf, dubbed him "the wonder boy from Fresno."
Even when he eloquently (and very publicly) showed disdain for
the trappings of fame — refusing to accept the Pulitzer Prize and
the $1,000 that went with it for his play "The Time of Your Life"
in 1940, for example — Saroyan gained more notoriety than if he’d
simply taken the money.
Saroyan liked to be recognized for his literary merits as the author of
such acclaimed works as "The Human Comedy" and "My Name Is Aram." But
he also realized, living at a time when the names of serious writers
floated in conversations alongside those of movie stars and socialites,
that people gravitated to the whole William Saroyan package. All of it
added up: the dark and exotic good looks, the fierce temperament, the
loud voice, the stormy marriages and divorces, the expensive tastes,
the precarious finances. And especially the muscular ego.
"Modesty," he wrote, "almost invariably accompanies mediocrity and
is usually an inside-out variety of immodesty."
When publishers wanted to tinker with his precious words, his first
inclination was to change publishers.
Saroyan wasn’t content just to have three plays open on Broadway in a
period of 13 months, as he did in 1939. He wanted to run the theater,
too. He named it after himself, naturally. New York’s Saroyan Theatre
might not have been the financial success that he’d hoped. But for a
time, he was known as the playwright who had wrested control from the
"money guys" and taken charge of his own destiny.
Saroyan’s desire for control extended to Hollywood, and there, perhaps,
he met his match. When he sold the script for "A Human Comedy"
to MGM for $60,000, he assumed he’d direct the movie as well. The
studio chief, Louis B. Mayer, who had an even greater reputation for
obstinance, didn’t agree.
Yet for all the ways that Saroyan burned bridges by alienating
publishers, theater investors and movie moguls, his celebrated cocky
attitude helped define an image that endeared him to the public.
A 1940 article in Life magazine — one of the great arbiters of popular
culture at the time — painted a glowing portrait of a headstrong,
confident writer taking Broadway by storm. The article repeated the
oft-told anecdote about publisher Bennett Cerf. In 1934, while a guest
at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel, Cerf was informed that "a young man
who says he is the world’s greatest author is in the lobby." Replied
Cerf: "Tell Mr. Saroyan to come right up."
At the peak of his success, with "My Name Is Aram" a best-selling
Book of the Month Club selection and "The Time of Your Life" running
successfully on Broadway, Saroyan moved into a suite in the prestigious
Hampshire House Hotel overlooking Central Park, and for a time, writes
Saroyan scholar Brian Darwent, lived "the life of a millionaire."
Yet for much of his life, he struggled with debt and a nasty gambling
habit — which only added to his larger-than-life personality.
Key to Saroyan’s image is his humble beginnings in Fresno. He was
the first son in his family of Armenian immigrants born on American
soil. A writer with an outsized personal voice, he produced many works
drawing on his own experiences growing up in the Armenian section
of Fresno. It is in these glimpses of his hometown — of the old
Armenian Presbyterian Church on Tulare Street, the Postal Telegraph
office on Fulton Street, the family house on Santa Clara Avenue —
that readers came to feel that they knew not only the characters in
his stories but Saroyan himself.
Nothing captures that autobiographical flavor better than Saroyan’s
Homer Macauley, the schoolboy hero of "The Human Comedy" who made $15
a week working 4 p.m.-midnight delivering telegrams. In "Follow," you
see a slightly surlier — and more ethnic — interpretation of this
archetypal character in Aram Diranian, the unfulfilled telegraph clerk.
Homer is youth itself, a ubiquitous folk character and something of a
priest flitting from one American town to the next, "a modern American
Mercury," writes Saroyan scholar Alfred Kazin, "riding his bike as
Mercury ran on the winds, with a blue cap for an astral helmet and
a telegraph blank waving the great tidings in his hand."
Yet this wind-riding boy grew up, slowed down, grew old.
Saroyan lived far beyond his relatively few years of intense favor in
the public spotlight. Critical tastes are hard to explain and even
harder to predict: Who can say why Saroyan doesn’t have the name
recognition today of, say, his contemporary John Steinbeck? There is
no arbitration board of literary reputation, no rules of fairness as
to why some authors go out of print and others have entire shelves
at Borders.
But Saroyan himself seemed to recognize the vagaries of fame.
The 1940 Life magazine article — which was not a cover story, showing
that even then there were limits on his celebrity — noted that since
becoming successful, Saroyan returned to Fresno on occasion.
There, the article went on to say, "he is amused by the fact that
the Armenian boys and girls he went to school with have no idea of
his fame. When they ask him what he’s doing there, Saroyan replies
that he is out of a job and ‘looking for work.’ "
What he did with words was work, of course, and he knew it. The most
glorious kind of work: one in which you leave a mark. Although the
headlines and the space on bookstore shelves might diminish, the
words will always remain.
NESTLE APOLOGISES TO AZERBAIJAN
Newsroom America
May 3 2008
New Zealand
Food giant Nestle faces a boycott in Azerbaijan after information about
countries around the world on a CD-ROM given away with a breakfast
cereal caused outrage there.
The CD-ROM said that Azerbaijan had started a war against neighbouring
Armenia and that the hotly disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh
belonged to Armenia.
The BBC reports that the Swiss-based multinational food company
has issued a formal apology to Azerbaijan, withdrawn the cereal and
promised to seize the offending CDs.
Conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the early 1990s over
Nagorno-Karabakh killed an estimated 30,000 people. Hundreds of
thousands of refugees were created on both sides.
And despite a peace deal in 1994, the situation remains tense and
volatile.
The Azeri government vowed to take action, and there has been
widespread talk of a public boycott, despite Nestle’s apology.
Panorama.am
15:53 02/05/2008
A. DJAVADYAN: `SERIOUS REFROMS IN INSURANCE ASPECT’
`The laws on conducting reforms in insurance field,
provided by the Central Bank are quite serious ones
and they are also being implemented,’ said Arthur
Djavadyan, the vice president of the CB, today in
`Finance, Loan and Audit’ EXPO 2008.
According to him CB has tried to carry out the reforms
in insurance field in Armenia which it has done in
banking system. `First we cleaned up the market from
the small pocket insurance companies. Prior to these
20 insurance companies were running business but
currently only 8 do,’ said Djavadyan.
As for the consumers’ rights protection, he answered
that they have sent a document to the NA and will
start discussions in this regard.
Source: Panorama.am
Federation of Armenian Organisations in The Netherlands (FAON)
24 April Committee for recognition and commemoration of the Armenian
genocide of 1915
Address: Weesperstraat 91
2574 VS The Hague, The Netherlands
Telephone: +31704490209
Email: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: M. Hakhverdian
PRESS RELEASE
Commemoration of Armenian Genocide on 24 April 2008 in The Netherlands
By Inge Drost
ASSEN – 24 April 2008 – Several hundred Armenians gathered together in the
city of Assen for the annual commemoration of the Armenian Genocide that
took place 93 years ago in the Ottoman Empire. The commemoration was
organised by the 24 April Committee of the Federation of the Armenian
Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON).
Prior to this commemoration, earlier this week a petition was submitted to
the Parliament by a FAON delegation. In addition to the petition, a copy of
recently published Dutch translation of the book `The First Holocaust’ by
British journalist and writer, the Middle East correspondent of The
Independent Robert Fisk was also handed over to the Parliamentary Commission
of European Affairs. This book is about the Armenian Genocide. The copy was
signed especially for this occasion by the author.
The commemoration began by a quiet march towards the Armenian Genocide
Memorial, where during a ceremony wreaths were laid at the Genocide monument
on behalf of, among others, the newly established Armenian Consulate in The
Hague, the FAON and the Gladzor Armenian Student Association.
During the Commemorative meeting in the auditorium, Nicolai Romashuk Jr.
played duduk music and Nicolai Romashuk Sr. recited a poem. Moreover,
`Twenty Voices’ from and `Holy Mountain’ by System Of A
Down were presented. Speeches were delivered by, among others, Mr. Arshak
Manoukian, the Armenian Consul in The Netherlands, Mr. Noubar Sipan,
chairman of the 24 April Committee of FAON, Mr. Dariush Madjlessi, an
Iranian human rights activist. Two other invited speakers, Ms. Esme Wiegman,
Member of Parliament and Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, had not been able to
attend the ceremony due to unforeseen circumstances. Their speeches were
instead read.
Mato Hakhverdian, chairman of the FAON, opened the commemorative meeting. He
cited the words of Robert Fisk, that the Armenian Genocide is `one of those
historical tragedies that by elapse of time gets more and more
significance’. This is mainly because the consequent generations of
Armenians have kept the memory of the victims alive. This is in spite of the
fact that Turkey has tried with huge financial and political means to erase
the reality from human memory, such as by changing the written language,
which makes the access to old literature difficult for the new generations
and by renaming the geographical places. He pointed out that this subject is
handled in a TV documentary `The land of our grandparents’, a road movie,
scheduled for broadcasting the same evening by Dutch National TV. It is our
duty to keep alive the memory of the Genocide and to hope for recognition
and reconciliation. It is our dream to see Armenia thus being prosperous and
living in peace and harmony. We believe that with our best efforts this
dream will be realised in the the future.
Consul Manoukian expressed his gratitude to the Netherlands for accepting
the Armenian refugees during the Armenian Genocide. He mentioned that the
Armenian Genocide was not only a criminal act against the Armenians, but
also a crime against humanity. Therefore other countries call continuously
upon Turkey to account for this act. He emphasised that Armenia is ready to
establish relations with Turkey without any precondition and to consider
together the black pages of the past. The aspiration of Armenia to reach
stability and to live in peace is only possible if the conflict about the
past has been solved.
The Chairman of the 24 April Committee Noubar Sipan concluded that the
events of 1915 cannot be erased from the collective memory, but still, after
93 years, it is forbidden in Turkey to read about these black pages of the
history. But there are also white spots, according to Sipan, namely the
courageous Turks and Kurds, who saved the lives of their Armenian friends
and neighbours endangering their own lives. They deserve also to be
remembered. He mentioned that the first commemoration took place in Istanbul
on 24 April 1919, the only case of public remembrance in Turkey. Later it
became a taboo, `the tears turned inwards.’ At present, with Article 301 in
force, the numerous persecutions on the basis of this article have led to
self-censure. We are still hoping that things will change, because a small
group in Turkey has chosen to look for truth. In this context, a group of
intellectuals will meet today in one the universities of Istanbul to discuss
`what happened on 24 April 1915.’ Sipan expects that thanks to such
initiatives, the truth will no longer remain hidden and he is thankful for
these courageous people.
In her message of solidarity, Ms. Esme Wiegman, who is the spokeswoman for
the Christian Union parliamentary faction in the European Affairs
Commission, had stated that even after 93 years, the Genocide is a real
topical issue: `It is something that is on the agenda every day, through
silence and denial. The death of Hrant Dink showed how could, speaking about
Genocide, could mercilessly be punished’. Ms. Wiegman, who had attended in
January this year the commemorative ceremony of the first anniversary of the
assassination of Hrant Dink in Assen, stated that it is good that today we
speak about the Armenian Genocide and we are commemorating it in loud voices
and that `we can remember it in a moment of silence, but that is another
silence than the silence of denial.’
A very strong expression of solidarity with the Armenian people came from
Mr. D. Madjlessi, an Iranian human rights activist, former chairman of the
Dutch-Iranian People’s Front (Jebhe-Mellie-Iran). He pleaded in his speech
that Turkey, just as Germany and South Africa have done in the past, `should
come clean with her sordid past’ and that without such admittance of guilt
Turkey cannot be a part of Europe. He considered the Armenian Genocide not
an issue of the Armenians only, but also of all Iranians and in fact of the
whole world. He considers that it is his duty to struggle side by side with
the Armenians against denial and declared in the clearest terms: `I, too, am
an Armenian’.
The example of admittance of guilt by Germany was also emphasised by Rabbi
A. Soetendorp. He referred to a reconciliation conference in Germany last
year, where he had appealed for appeasement between the Jews and Germans and
where a spontaneous response had come from thousands of young people from
the audience in the form of a peace song. `For the first time, I felt myself
at home in Germany, and I realised then the great significance of the
kneeling down of Willy Brandt before the monument of the Ghetto of Warsaw in
1970′. In this context, Rabbi Soetendorp expressed hope `that a process of
recognition would commence in Turkey as well’.
Ms. Inge Drost of 24 April Committee concluded the dignified commemoration
function with a summary. Persistence and duty to commemorate, but not
hatred, was present in the speeches, she mentioned. Although, all speakers
severely condemned the Genocide and its denial, their words were still
characterised by expressions of hope, reconciliation and solidarity among
people. First of all, it was emphasised that there had been courageous Turks
and Kurds who at the risk of endangering their own life had given shelter to
their Armenian neighbours and friends, just as mentioned also by Rabbi
Soetendorp that he had remained alive thanks to a brave German woman.
Secondly, there were warm words of solidarity between nations in general and
with the Armenian people in particular.
Finally it is to be mentioned that a TV coverage of the commemoration is
broadcasted by TV Drente that you can watch at the websites of tvDrenthe
( 484-98bd-7f9c0000bf01.aspx?NewsID=22
620) and You Tube (;fea ture=user).
NAGORNO-KARABAKH PRESIDENT SIGNED A NUMBER OF DECREES
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
April 30 2008
YEREVAN, 30.04.08. DE FACTO. According to a decree the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic President Bako Sahakian signed on April 29, the head of the
State Tax Service under the NKR government Artak Balayan was conferred
a degree of the first class State Counselor.
According to another decree signed by the NKR President, Henrich
Arustamian has been conferred honorific title of the NKR Merited
Master of Arts for mastership displayed in the sphere of art and
contribution to creative generation’s education, the Central Department
of Information under the NKR President reports.
On the same day the Nagorno-Karabakh President signed a decree,
according to which Alice Asriyan, Boris Babayan and Karine Majarian
were conferred the titles of honor of the NKR Merited Masters of Arts.