PRESS RELEASE
Office of Sarkis Assadourian M.P.
120 Confederation
House of Commons, Ottawa, Canada
Contact: Daniel Kennedy
Tel: 613 995 4843
Motion 380 First debated in the House of Commons Febuary 25, 2004
calling on the House of Commons to recognize the Armenian Genocide is
sceduled for debate in the House of Commons Tuesday April 20 with a
possible vote on April 21.
POLICE DISPERSE OPPOSITION RALLY
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS: Armenian police used water cannons
and stun grenades to disperse an opposition rally in Yerevan, that was
demanding the resignation of president Robert Kocharian. A special
operation for driving the protesters from the Marshal Baghramian
Avenue, where the presidential palace and the parliament building are
situated, was started today morning at 02.00, local time.
The police told Armenpress that the decision to start the operation
was made after the unsanctioned rally, organized by the Ardarutyun
(Justice ) alliance and the National Unity on April 12, moved from
Theater Square in downtown Yerevan to Baghramian Avenue, developing
into an uncontrolled gathering that was accompanied by provocative
calls and offensive language together with announcements for a violent
overthrow of the current authorities.
The police said the gathering disrupted the traffic and normal work
of several government agencies and foreign diplomatic missions and
public order, as the demonstrators were singing and dancing,
shattering peace and quiet of residents in nearby houses.
The police said that despite numerous warnings that their actions
were illegal and in violation of laws, and that they would be
retaliated appropriately if continued, the demonstrators took no
notice, throwing in response fire-bombs, bottles and stones.
The police said the demonstrators’ actions were getting more and
more aggressive, threatening both police officers and ordinary
citizens, as a result they had to apply physical force and other
measures, stipulated by the Law on Police, to stave off further
offenses of the law and neutralize the danger to people’s life and
health. The police said demonstrators were armed with batons, metal
rods and knives.
The clash between police officers and demonstrators left several
officers and demonstrators injured, some were taken to hospitals. The
police said some of opposition activists and leaders were detained,
including a parliament member Shavarsh Kocharian, who, they said, was
armed with a gun. Some of other opposition leaders took to flight. The
police said they are now tying to track them down and arrest. The
police said they have notified the chief prosecutor about their
actions. They also said that the situation is now under the full
control of the authorities.
SECRETARY OF SECURITY COUNCIL OF ARMENIA TO TAKE PART IN OCST FORUM IN ST.
PETERSBURG
YEREVAN, APRIL 12. ARMINFO. Armenian delegation, headed by the
Secretary of the Security Council attached to the president of
Armenia, Defence Minister Serge Sargsian, will take part in the
regular sitting of the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils
of the member countries of the Organization of the Collective Security
Treaty (OCST), which will be held in St. Petersburg on April 16-17.
Press Secretary of defence minister of Armenia Seyran Shahsouvarian
told ARMINFO, during the sitting the participants will discuss issues
of strengthening the security in the territory of the countries of
OCST, elaboration of mechanisms of joint struggle against terrorism
and illegal circulation of drugs, as well as issues concerning
formation of the legal field necessary for preparation of military
personnel of members countries of OCST.
PRESS RELEASE
UCLA AEF Chair in Armenian History
Contact: Prof. Richard Hovannisian
Tel: 310-825-3375
Email: [email protected]
ARMENIAN COMMUNITES OF IRAN TO BE FEATURED IN NEXT UCLA CONFERENCE, MAY 14-16.
UCLAThe fourteenth in the UCLA International Conference series on Historic
Armenian Cities and Provinces will feature the colorful history and
culture of the
Armenian communities of Iran from ancient to modern times. The conference,
to be held in Glendale and on the UCLA campus from Friday evening to
Sunday afternoon, May 14-16, will bring together scholars from Armenia,
Cyprus, Germany, Great Britain, Iran, Italy, and various parts of the
United States. The opening session in Armenian will be held on Friday
evening, May 14, from 7:30 to 9:30, in the Glendale Presbyterian Church at
the corner of Louise and Harvard Streets in Glendale and will include
illustrated lectures by Onnik Hairapetian (Glendale and Mashdots
Colleges), Gohar Avagian (National Historical Archives, Armenia), Armen
Hakhnazarian (Germany and Armenia),
The Saturday sessions on May 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. will be held
on the UCLA campus, in Court of Sciences 50 (Young Hall), and will be
conducted in English. The presentations will focus on the political,
cultural and literary, economic, and social history of the Armenians of
Iran or Persia. Speakers include Richard Hovannisian (UCLA), A.Elizabeth
Redgate (Newcastle, England), Peter Cowe (UCLA), Hovann Simonian (USC),
Thomas Sinclair (University of Cyprus), Gabriella Uluhogian (Bologna
University, Italy), Vazken Ghougassian (Eastern Prelacy, New York), Rubina
Peroomian (UCLA), Houri Berberian (California State University, Long
Beach), RoseMary Cohen (Los Angeles), Gayane Hagopian (UCLA), Anahid
Keshishian (UCLA), Bert Vaux (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee).
The Sunday afternoon sessions on May 16 from 1:30 to 5:30 will be in
Armenian and in English with presentations by Armen Ter Stepanyan
(Matenadaran, Armenia), Armen Hakhnazarian (Germany and Armenia), Artsvi
Bskhchinyan (Armenia), Samvel Stepanian (Glendale), Aida Avanessian
(Tehran, Iran), Claudia Der-Mardirosian (UCLA), and Anny Bakalian (New
York University). As in all previous conferences, a photographic exhibit
will be mounted by Richard and Anne Elizabeth Elbrecht of Davis, California.
The conference is organized by Professor Richard G. Hovannisian, Holder of
the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History at
UCLA, and is co-sponsored by the Armenian Society (Iranahay Miutiun) of
Los Angeles and the UCLA International Institute, G.E. von Grunebaum
Center for Near Eastern Studies, and the Center for European and Russian
Studies.
All proceedings are open to the public at no charge. Parking on the UCLA
campus is in Parking Structure 2, entrance from Hilgard Avenue at
Westholme. The conference program may be viewed at
and Professor Hovannisian may be contacted by e-mail at
<mailto:[email protected]>[email protected].
International bodies appeal to Armenian leader over attack on rights activist
Arminfo
8 Apr 04
YEREVAN
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) and the
Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) urges the Armenian president and
the prosecutor-general to ensure a prompt, thorough and transparent
investigation into the brutal physical attack on Chairman of the
Armenian Helsinki Association Mikael Daniyelyan, and to bring the
perpetrators to justice, said a letter addressed to Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan and Prosecutor-General Agvan Ovsepyan.
As Arminfo news agency has learned from the Armenian Helsinki
Association, the message noted that the attackers might be connected
with state structures. It is important that the investigation into
the case is carried out by the prosecutor-general who is in a
privileged position to conduct all the necessary questioning of
representatives of power structures, the letter said. “We are calling
on you to ensure that the principles of the UN Declaration on Human
Rights Defenders are observed in Armenia and that proper measures are
taken to prevent further attacks on human rights defenders,” the
letter noted.
The heads of the IHF and NHC noted that there had not been conducted a
thorough forensic medical examination. This kind of examination should
have been conducted as soon as possible. Initially, doctors diagnosed
a brain concussion, but later they changed their diagnosis to “high
blood pressure”. If the investigation does not result in bringing
criminal charges against those responsible for this crime, then the
European community will be informed that the attacks on the dissident
were left unpunished. The authors of the letter addressed to the
Armenian president and the prosecutor-general recalled other cases of
violence against journalists Mark Grigoryan and Mger
Galeschyan. Investigations into these incidents have been suspended.
“We hope that such cases will not be repeated, as it happened with the
attack on Mikael Daniyelyan,” the letter noted.
Armenian president’s spokesman condemns attacks on journalists
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
6 Apr 04
The spokesman for the Armenian president, Ashot Kocharyan, has
condemned violence against journalist at the rally which took place on
Mashtots Avenue yesterday [opposition rally in central Yerevan on 5
April].
Ashot Kocharyan condemned any violence and disorder, particularly
directed against journalists and representatives of the media.
Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
April 6 2004
MEETING WITH US EMBASSY OFFICIALS AT SPAA
[April 06, 2004, 18:39:15]
The meeting with chief of department of the U.S. embassy to
Azerbaijan Mrs. Caryn McClelland has been held at the State Public
Administration Academy / SPAA / under the President of Azerbaijan.
Addressing the meeting dealing with U.S-Azerbaijan relations, Rector
of the academy, honored worker of science, Prof. Seyfaddin Gandilov
told of the work done towards development of ties between the two
countries. At the same time, he updated the audience on the efforts
to apply the international experience in public administration.
Mrs. Caryn McClelland has highly rated Heydar Aliyev’s political
course now continued by President Ilham Aliyev in relation to
settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to her, as a member of the OSCE Minsk Group USA will
further support the peaceful resolution of the conflict.
Finally, the guest responded to questions from the participants.
ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 27, 2004 Saturday
US diplomat says Caucasus may be America’s good partner
By Viktor Shulman, Sevindj Abdullayeva
BAKU
Countries of the Caucasus may become good partners of the U.S. once
they eliminate the conflicts smoldering in this region, Richard
Armitage, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, said here Saturday when
meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
He stressed the Americans’ support to a peaceful solution of the
Karabakh conflict.
Armitage thanked the Azerbaijani government for supporting the U.S.
war on international terrorism and for the courage that Azerbaijani
peacekeepers were displaying in Afghanistan and Iraq.
President Aliyev pointed out the high level of Azerbaijan’s
cooperation with the U.S., saying a number of large-scale energy
projects, like the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline would have been
unfeasible without U.S. assistance.
He also underlined the high level of military cooperation and said it
would continue developing.
As he mentioned the problems of regional security, Aliyev said the
Azerbaijanis hoped that the Minsk group of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe, of which the U.S. is a
co-founder, would play a good role in the solution of the Karabakh
conflict between the Azerbaijanis and ethnic Armenians that has been
dragging on since 1988.
CIS security chief due in Kyrgyzstan around 29 March
Kyrgyz Radio first programme, Bishkek
27 Mar 04
Secretary-General of the CSTO Collective Security Treaty Organization;
members are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and
Russia Nikolay Bordyuzha will come to Bishkek on a working visit early
next week.
He is expected to meet Kyrgyzstan President Askar Akayev, Kyrgyz
Security Council Secretary Misir Ashirkulov, and the heads of the
Interior Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, the Defence Ministry and the
Drugs Control Agency as part of the visit.
Preparations for the forthcoming session of the CSTO and the
coordination of efforts aimed at ensuring stability and security in
the CSTO area will be discussed at the meetings.
Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
March 25 2004
THE LANGUAGE OF LEARNING
>From ‘silent’ to savvy
Immigrant students must absorb a lot of new language quickly in order
to beat the graduation clock.
By Gary Moskowitz, News-Press
GLENDALE – After living most of her life in Iran, Larisa Malek
Aghakhan moved to Glendale about six months ago with exceptional
language skills in Armenian and Persian but little knowledge of
English.
With just six months to prepare, the Hoover High School sophomore
recently took the California High School Exit Exam, because by state
law, she had to. She doesn’t know how she did.
Although the California Department of Education recently agreed to
postpone the exam as a graduation requirement for high school
students, the test will be reinstated as a graduation requirement
beginning with the Class of 2006 – Larisa’s graduation year.
“The test is scary,” said Larisa, 16. “I know I need it to graduate,
so I’m hoping next year I can pass it, because I don’t think I had
enough time this year. I’ve learned many words and have a vocabulary
now. I know if I keep trying, I will make the test. I know it’s good
for my future, because I want to go to college.”
INSIDE THE CLASS
Throughout the year, the school district admits students like Larisa,
who, for various reasons, have moved to the country in the middle of
a school year.
The district by law must provide each of those students with a fair
shot at a high school diploma. The district’s Intercultural Education
Department operates the district’s English Language Development
program, which helps students like Larisa become proficient in
English.
Larisa spends about two hours a day in her English Language
Development class at Hoover High School, during which she and other
English-language learners speak, write, read, draw, watch television
shows and films, and even sing songs to improve their English skills.
Larisa takes notes in her daily journal while watching movies like
“Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz,” describing what she sees
and what people are saying.
She often exchanges notes with hand-drawn pictures about prepositions
like “inside,” “around” and “near” with classmate Juan Herrera, who
moved to Glendale six months ago from Mexico.
Although Juan is much more comfortable speaking in Spanish, he can
have lengthy conversations with Larisa about topics discussed in
class, like American currency, freedom of religion and what the
lyrics of songs like “God Bless America” mean.
Juan’s English Language Development journal has fictional written
passages based on pictures he has cut out of magazines. His teacher,
Cynthia Oei, reviews all journal entries.
“I feel good because I’ve learned so much in so little time,” said
Juan, 17. “My first week, I understood nothing, but a month later I
started to understand more words. I’ll have to take finals soon, and
I think I will make the [final exam].”
‘WHEN I SEE THEM, I SEE ME’
Oei’s favorite part of teaching English-language learners is finding
common things that a group of students from different countries can
share a laugh over.
Oei, whose grandfather was Chinese, was raised in a household where
Dutch was the primary language. She teaches English-language
learners, ninth-grade English and creative writing at Hoover.
Colleagues often ask Oei if she misses teaching more “intellectual”
classes like Advanced Placement courses, but her response is always a
resounding no.
“ELD is my favorite thing to do,” Oei said. “To me, it’s exciting and
really fulfilling to help people who have left everything they know
behind. They’ve lost physical things like pets and their favorite
objects they couldn’t fit in a suitcase. We give them a new home and
begin to create a situation where they belong.
“I spoke Dutch before I spoke English. When I see them, I see me,
over and over again. I was born in the States, but spoke Dutch at
home and spoke English with friends, and my clothes were not like
other kids’. Our school is bigger than some of the villages these
kids came from,” Oei said.
The long-term effects of removing an English learner from the
English-language learner program is difficult to assess early on, but
research shows that removing students can be detrimental to their
long-term learning, said Mary Mason, principal at Keppel Elementary
School. Mason is a former ELD teacher.
“Some of what happens by pulling them out [of ELD] doesn’t play out
for several years,” Mason said. “You’d have to track them and see
three years down the road how they are doing. But what we know from
research is that it takes [English learners] five to seven years to
catch up to their peers. The regular curriculum doesn’t stop for
them, and grade-level standards don’t change. The kids have to
accelerate as fast as possible to catch up. That’s why we have the
ELD program, to try to give them access to the core curriculum.”
Jennifer Romeo teaches kindergarten classes at Columbus Elementary
School, where 68% of the students are English-language learners. Many
of Romeo’s students come to her with little or no English skills.
“Many of them go through a silent stage at first,” Romeo said. “We
know they are taking it all in, but they don’t say much. Luckily, we
have educational assistants who help translate, and the students’
peers help out a lot. They are like little sponges, and it’s amazing
what they pick up.
“Our major goal is to provide them with their first learning
experience and make it fun, and to let them know school is a fun
place to come. I definitely believe in that. Start them off on a
positive note. The most challenging part is that we have kids of
multiple levels of learning in every class. Everyone is not on the
same level,” Romeo said.
PARENT EDUCATION IS CRUCIAL
Columbus Principal Kelly King said the greatest gift immigrant
parents can give their child is a solid foundation in their primary
language. The second best thing they can do is get involved and stay
involved.
“With 68% of our kids in ELD, I would be happier if all of those
parents actually knew what ELD means,” King said. “We have very few
who take the next step by getting involved.
“It’s hard, because many parents are not familiar with the school
system. We have parents come in and say, ‘My son is in ELD and I want
him out.’ But that is an educational opportunity for us, really, to
explain everything to them so they can make an educated decision.
“There is a fear that the ELD kid is missing out on something
instructionally, but actually, it’s the opposite. We have an
obligation to help them meet state standards, so it wouldn’t do us
any good as a school not to do everything we can to meet that goal,”
King said.
Daily High School Principal Gail Rosental and her staff started a
two-week orientation program for incoming students and parents in
2000, because they had noticed that students and their parents – many
of them not fluent English speakers – did not how the school or the
district operated.
The orientation process begins with a three-hour student and parent
meeting that explains how students earn class credit; the school’s
tardiness, dress code and discipline policies; and how parents can be
involved and contact the school.
During the remaining time, students come to campus for four hours a
day to discuss goal-setting, anger management, reading and writing
assessments, how to assess their learning styles and learn their
teacher’s teaching styles, career assessments and alcohol awareness,
Rosental said. All of the information is translated into Armenian,
Korean, Spanish and other requested languages.
Rosental said the orientation program has yielded “amazing” results.
“We noticed that when kids came here, they didn’t feel connected, and
parents didn’t know how we operated, what they could expect from us
and what we expected from them,” Rosental said. “We have found that
parents are more than willing to come and really eager to support
their kids, if we just reach out to them.
“Many come to us with a preconceived notion that Daily is a dangerous
place, so what we want to communicate is that we know what we’re
doing, we are safe and we are happy to be here every day. If they
trust us and believe in what we’re telling them, they are going to
come out successful,” Rosental said.