Author: Karagyozian Lena

Armenian president reassigns diplomatic mission responsibilities

A1+ web site
24 May 05

On 23 May, by a decree from President Robert Kocharyan, Armen
Bayburdyan has been dismissed from the post of Armenian ambassador to
Nepal combining offices in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

Armenian ambassador to India Ashot Kocharyan will assume
responsibility for the offices in these countries.

On the same day Robert Kocharyan signed another decree whereby
Armenian Ambassador to Italy Ruben Shugaryan will combine the
responsibilities of office in Spain and Portugal.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE AMONG HEADLINES OF NEW COMPUTER SPAMS

YEREVAN, MAY 23. ARINFO. Top Tech News reports Sophos company to have
detected new spams in the internet. The spams include headline
“Armenian Genocide Plagues Ankara 90 Years On,” among such as
“Dresden Bombing Is To Be Regretted Enormously,” “Dresden 1945” and
“Turkish Tabloid Enrages Germany with Nazi Comparisons” both in
English and German.

In the past several weeks, spam has developed a German accent and
computer experts said it once again drives home the need for computer
While extremely visible, the Sober worm is not as dangerous as it
could have been, said Tim Cranny, security architect for Senforce
Technologies. “Melissa and lovebug were also like this,” Cranny said.
“What makes these so visible is just how they spread themselves. This
was really a benign worm. It could’ve been a whole lot worse.” In
early May, the Sober-N worm was used to infect thousands of computers
by posing as a way to get tickets for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
The infected computers now are being exploited by the Sober-Q Trojan
virus to send out masses of spam. The Sober computer worm now
accounts for more than 5 percent of all e- mail traffic worldwide,
according to computer security company.

Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil, IA
May 19 2005

Area sponsor homes needed for students
PHIL ROONEY, Staff Writer

The Russians are coming!

Not only that, they’re bringing the Armenians with them, and the
Georgians, plus people from eight other countries that once were part
of the Soviet Union.

The Omaha-based Applied Information Management Institute recently
received a grant from the U.S. Department of State to take part in
FLEX, the Future Leader’s Exchange Program, an effort to help build
democratic institutions, civil society and market economy knowledge
in the Eurasian countries of the former Soviet Union.

The program, now in its 13th year, is funded by the State Department
and has been hailed as one of the most successful democracy-building
programs funded by the federal government. The students will be spread
across the United States this year, with groups clustered in various
communities, including 40 students within a 75-mile radius of the
Council Bluffs and Omaha metro area.

This is the first year FLEX has placed students here for a full school
year, said AIM’s Nadine Baker. Shorter programs have been offered in
the past.

The students come from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The program is open to families in rural and
urban areas, and 30 families still are needed, Baker said.

Families are asked to provide a bedroom, which can be shared with a
younger person in the home, three meals a day and transportation to
school, she said. Transportation can be as simple as providing access
to bus service.

The family receives $300 per month to help with the costs of hosting
the student, Baker said. The students have health insurance and
receive $150 per month.

The 1,200 students who were picked for the coming school year were
selected from nearly 50,000 students between 15 and 17 years of age
who applied for the program.

Most of the students have exceptional English skills, most speak
three languages, are above average academically and will still be
attending high school.

“We find that they’re more dedicated to school … if they haven’t
graduated,” Baker said.

The metro area was selected for a new “cluster concept” because of
a reputation as a welcoming and supportive community.

Baker said the program helps develop “good will” with the emerging
nations, and many former FLEX students have returned home to become
community leaders and have been a part of democratic changes, but
American students also benefit.

“It’s good for our students to understand people from different
countries,” Baker said.

The FLEX students also will be involved in enhancement programs modeled
after youth leadership programs offered through local chambers of
commerce and will have an introduction to the media and take part in
some service learning activities like working at soup kitchens.

Developing relations with the former Soviet satellites can mean good
business at home. Iowa reported a 79 percent growth in exports to the
Eurasian countries from 1999 to 2000, according to the U.S. Census
Bureau. The Nebraska Department of Economic Development reported
trade with Eurasian countries grew by more than 400 percent from 1999
to 2004.

Russian security service chief urges clear rules on NGOs in ex-Soviet republics

The Associated Press
05/20/05 17:14 EDT

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (AP) – The head of Russia’s security service called
Friday for clear rules non-governmental organizations’ activities in
former Soviet republics, days after he accused foreign intelligence
services of using NGOs to spy on Russia and foment political upheaval
in the region.

Federal Security Service chief Nikolai Patrushev told a meeting of
top security and intelligence officials from the Commonwealth of
Independent States – a loose grouping of 12 ex-Soviet republics –
that legislation in the CIS member-states “must not allow NGOs to do
whatever they want.”

Patrushev, whose agency is the main successor of the Soviet KGB,
said that NGOs are useful and should be supported but repeated his
allegation that some are used to gather “intelligence information.”
He said Russian intelligence agencies will continue to counter the
practice.

Last week, Patrushev said Russia had put a stop to espionage operations
he said were carried out through foreign organizations included the
U.S. Peace Corps, the British medical charity Merlin, the Saudi Red
Crescent and a Kuwaiti group.

He also reiterated claims by Russian officials who have accused the
United States and other Western nations of using government-funded
organizations to aid opposition forces that have brought down
governments in other CIS members states in the past two years.

On Friday, Patrushev presided over a meeting of a CIS group that brings
together the leaders of the security and intelligence services of
Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Moldova, Tajikistan and Ukraine. Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan have
observer status.

Officials from the group signed a protocol on the creation of
a unified database containing fingerprints of people accused of
terrorism. Patrushev called the initiative “a very important decision
in the fight against terrorism.”

National Post, Canada
May 16 2005

Montreal: Bloc attracts minority candidates
Normally Liberals

Philip Authier
CanWest News Service

MONTREAL – They have names like Apraham Niziblian, Maria Mourani and
Liza Gomez, and in the old days would be solid Liberals. This time,
however, they plan to throw their lot in with the Bloc Quebecois
and run for seats as separatist MPs should an election be called
this spring.

“Normally, you would be right,” Ms. Gomez said attending a Bloc youth
wing rally in Montreal yesterday. “But I am a Quebecer, just as I
am a Latin American woman. I came here when I was five. I learned to
speak English. I learned to speak French. I took some Quebec culture
and I have my own. So I am really a child of Bill 101 and am proud
to be here today.”

Ms. Gomez, 27, who plans to run for the Bloc nomination in the
Honore Mercier riding, will find herself up against Liberal MP Pablo
Rodriguez, who narrowly won the riding in the June, 2004, election.
Normally, that would be a hopeless cause for a Bloc candidate.

But pumped by recent polls and damning testimony for the Liberals
at the Gomery sponsorship inquiry, the Bloc has decided to break
one of the great stigmas of the sovereignist movement — that it
is essentially white and francophone — and plans to run a dozen
candidates from minority communities.

The Bloc holds 54 of the province’s 75 seats.

The great inspiration came in the last election when African-born
candidate Maka Kotto broke through in the St. Lambert riding, and
Taiwanese-Quebecoise Meili Faille won in Vaudreuil-Soulanges. The
Bloc has since been flooded with minority candidates, and is targeting
them at ridings where Liberal support is sagging.

The Bloc will run Ms. Mourani against Liberal MP Eleni Bakopanos in
the Ahuntsic riding, while Vivian Barbot will run against Foreign
Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew in Papineau.

Mr. Nizibilian, 31, who will seek the Bloc nomination in the Bourassa
riding so he can run against Liberal Denis Coderre, agreed the stars
are aligned for a Bloc win, but says the idea runs deeper than that.

“We didn’t wait for the Gomery commission to have an election,” said
Mr. Nizibilian, whose parents are Armenian. “We have been working
across Quebec for years to explain who we are. That is why you see here
today Haitian youth and Italian youth. The message is getting through.”

But for the Bloc, the symbolism is huge. BQ leader Gilles Duceppe
was on hand for yesterday’s rally. The theme was “Quebecois sans
exception,” (Quebecers without exception).

“We have a good idea of what a modern Quebec is all about, of what
the future is about,” Mr. Duceppe said taking the stage after the
show. “This Quebec is made up of men and women of all ages, of all
regions, all origins, all colours who have French as a common public
language and who have in common the desire to live together. That is
the Quebec of today. That is the Quebec we are building.”

ARMENIAN MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS SCALE THE LOFTIEST TOP IN EUROPE – ELBRUS

YEREVAN, MAY 19. ARMINFO. A group of Armenian climbers, who scaled
the loftiest top in Europe – Elbrus, have returned to Yerevan.

The UN Office in Armenia that contributed to the expedition informs
ARMINFO that participating in the expedition were some 600 climbers
from 15 countries of Europe, including CIS. They climbed Elbrus (5,621
m) to mark the 60th anniversary of Great Patriotic War Victory. The
expedition set a task to appeal from the top of Elbrus to the
humanity calling for combating terrorism. The Armenian mountaineers
Hayk Tonoyan, Tigran Nersisyants, Tigran Khachatryan (Armenia), and
Lev Sarkisov (George) and Artur Karapetyan (Russia) devoted their
climbing also to the 60th anniversary of Formation of the UN and
the year of Physical Culture and Sport announced by the UN. On May
5 climbers arrived in Elbrus region Kabardino Balkaria. On May 6 was
ceremonial start of the expedition. Intensive training was held from
May 6 to 9. The climbers managed to scale the highest Eastern top of
Elbrus (5 642 m) only on May 10 because of unfavorable weather. They
hoisted the flags of the UN and Armenia on the top and returned to
Yerevan on May 13.

NKR PRESIDENT EMPHASIZES NECESSITY IN KARABAKH PROBLEM SETTLEMENT BY EXCLUSIVELY PEACEFUL MEANS

STEPANAKERT, MAY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. Sabine Freizer, Head of the
Caucasian Project of the International Crisis Group (ICG, Brussels)
visited NKR for the purpose of receiving more detailed information
about NKR’s life, getting acquainted with the opinion of country’s
leadership and population about the current situation in the process
of conflict settlement with Azerbaijan and ways of problems solution.
On May 14, NKR President Arkadi Ghoukassian received her. Sabina
Freizer was accompanied by Levon Zurabian, organization’s analyst
on the Caucasus. Sabine Freizer expressed willingness to meet with
representatives of state structures, political parties and citizens.
According to her, a report will be prepared as a result of the visit.
The report will contain information about processes taking place
here and practical recommendations to international structures that
are engaged in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
Emphasizing the importance of the work done by the International
Crisis Group, Arkadi Ghoukassian expressed hope that the report will
make a positive contribution to creation of constructive atmosphere
around peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. According
to the General Information Department under NKR President, Arkadi
Ghoukassian acquainted the guests with the processes of democratization
in the republic, achievements in construction of a civil society,
reformation of economy, creation of conditions for NKR people’s
deserved life. Presenting official Stepanakert’s position concerning
principles of Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, Arkadi Ghoukassian
emphasized inadmissibility of resumption of military operations and
necessity to solve the problem exclusively by peaceful means, as well
as to form atmosphere of confidence between the sides. Besides, the
head of the state especially emphasized that achievement of a final
and mutually acceptable settlement will be possible only with NKR’s
participation in the negotiations process as an equal side.

Goleta Valley Voice, CA
May 14 2005

A war photographer’s South Coast interlude

By Margo Kline, Voice Managing Editor

Jonathan Alpeyrie is a serious young man who speaks in low, steady
tones as he describes his life, spent flying to the far-and most
troubled-corners of the Earth.
He has been a bird of passage since starting college at the
University of Chicago in 1998, spending summers chasing exotic
locales while working as a photojournalist. He landed on the South
Coast this spring.
Just back from a week’s trip to Armenia, Alpeyrie explained in an
interview Monday his decision to remain in this area for the summer.
It’s `because of someone I met here.’ She is Alissa Anderson, an
alumna of UCSB now working as an art dealer.
Alpeyrie acknowledged that a career in photojournalism might be
somewhat offbeat for someone who majored in medieval history in
college and swam competitively while earning his degree. What began
with a desire to see exotic places in his time off from classes
evolved into a career chasing photos in locations as diverse as the
former Soviet Union, Congo and the Ivory Coast in Africa, and Nepal,
where Maoist rebels are warring with the royal government. He also
finds time to go to the country of his birth, France.
His recent trip to Armenia provided material for a less
deadline-oriented project, Alpeyrie said. `I’ve been to ex-Yugoslavia
to interview veterans of Bosnia and Croatia who were in World War
II,’ he said. `I wanted people who had fought in foreign armies,
mostly mercenaries.’ The vets he interviewed and photographed, all
Slovenians and Croatians, fought for Nazi Germany `because they hated
Russia,’ he said. In researching the project, he found that,
suprisingly, Hitler’s Wermacht had about 900,000 Muslims, from what
is now Bosnia.
Alpeyrie, the son of a Spanish mother and a Russian father, spent his
first 14 years in Paris. Then he moved to New York with his father
and sister. `I guess I call Manhattan home,’ he said. His father and
sister still live there. His mother lives in Mexico, near Puerta
Vallarta.
He attended the Lycee Francaise in New York City, which he enjoyed
thoroughly, he said. `It was a lot of fun. I wasn’t very happy to go
to college.’ But the University of Chicago proved to be `a good kick
in the butt,’ he said.
He started working as a photojournalist for local papers. In 2001, he
took his first trip to Armenia. From there, he journeyed on to
Lebanon and Syria. `They have Armenian communities in Lebanon and
Syria, like they do now in Glendale,’ he said. `I like the Armenians.
They’re very nice.’
These days, Alpeyrie shoots news photos for Getty and Agence France
Presse. At the same time, he pursues larger projects like the
Wermacht veterans, with the aim of publishing books.
`Went I first went [to Armenia}, I had no idea what I would find,’ he
said. `There is a lot of heavy industry in Armenia. The factories
were built by the Russians, then the Armenians worked in them. Now,
they’re selling them for scrap.’
Traveling the world has led Alpeyrie to some sobering conclusions
about geopolitics. For instance, the Armenians are still mindful of
the mass killings of their countrymen in the early 20th century by
Turks. `Everybody [in Armenia] is very hard about this, most
passionate about it. They really dislike the Turks. The Turks want to
find an agreement about this that it wasn’t genocide. In the west, we
argue about what is genocide. I think it was genocide. They [Turks]
took whole families, put them in the desert…where they died.’
Consequently, he is not sympathetic about Turkey joining the European
Union. `Poland and France are pretty determined against Turkey in the
EU. The Turks want to join because of money, it’s not for
intellectual reasons. Is Turkey Europe? It’s not.’
His travels in Africa were also an awakening. He went to the Congo
but `I didn’t get involved with the rebels. I did a photo essay about
the Binza, kids accused of being witches. Their families kicked them
out, saying they’re the reason the families are poor.’
The ongoing war among the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda `is worse for the
kids.’ The warring factions `really mess each other up.’
Now, Alpeyrie is pausing for a few months to do freelance photography
in California, work on his book projects and enjoy spending time with
Alissa Anderson. Both his parents have met the young woman, he said,
and found her `impressive. They both like her.’
She will go to Manhattan in September to attend graduate school at
Christie’s, the art auctioneers. Alpeyrie will return to New York at
the same time, then leave for a month in Nepal.
In two previous visits to the Himalayan nation, he was in a group
that was ambushed. On one of those trips, he saw a government
helicopter strafe a village.
Alpeyrie said his routine in such combat situations is always the
same: `In the field, I stay with soldiers. They know you’re there
shooting [photos], that you’re there with them. That’s what I do
every time. I make friends with the lieutenants and captains, the
platoon leaders. They lead the men into battle.’
In the same quiet voice, he added, `I am not afraid.’

Courtesy photo

Caption: Jonathan Alpeyrie scans the terrain from a helicopter,
during one of his trips abroad as a photojournalist.

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SPORT DIGEST: WRESTLING, WEIGHTLIFTING ABROAD; CHESS, FOOTBALL AT HOME

By Suren Musayelyan
ArmeniaNow Reporter

FOOTBALL

FOUR OUT OF FOUR: Ashtarak’s Mika has won its fourth Independence Cup
in the last five years by beating Yerevan’s Kilikia, who appeared in
their first Cup final, on Monday.

Two second-half goals allowed Mika to lift the trophy for the fourth
time in as many played finals, matching the achievement of FC Ararat.

Thus, the Ashtarak club has secured a place in the UEFA Cup next
season.

(According to an FFA report)

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DAY 5:

Thursday, May 12

Pyunik v Shirak: 3-1

Kilikia v Banants: 0-1

Dynamo-Zenit v Lernayin Artsakh and Mika v Esteghlal-Kotayk will take
place on Friday night.

(Ararat are not playing in this round).

Pyunik continue to top the table with 13 points after five matches,
followed by Banats who have 12 points after four matches played.

CHESS

CHAMPION CROWNED: Armenia’s 2005 championships, in which 12
chess-players participated, ended this week, with grandmaster Ashot
Anastasyan winning the title. According to an A1 Plus report,
Anastasyan gathered 7.5 out of 11 possible points.

It is the 8th time that the experienced grandmaster wins Armenia’s
champion title and by the number of titles he yields only to Henrik
Gasparyan, who became the nation’s champion ten times.

The second place in the championships was clinched by Karen Asryan
(with 7 points) and third place was won by Gabriel Sargsyan (again
with 7 points).

Artur Chibukhchyan finished in the bottom place earning only 2.5
points in 11 games.

WRESTLING

FOUR MEDALS FROM JUNIOR WRESTLERS: In an international junior
Greco-Roman wrestling tournament that recently ended in Rostov-on-Don
(Russia) Armenian junior wrestlers won four medals.

Tigran Gevorgyan (46 kg) from Gyumri won the first place, and Norair
Khachatryan (56 kg), Hovhannes Varderesyan (58 kg) and Sargis Tonoyan
(64 kg) – all from Yerevan – earned bronze medals.

About 180 athletes from 11 countries participated in the
tournament. Armenia was represented by 13 wrestlers. (Source: A1 Plus)

WEIGHTLIFTING

Armenian junior weightlifters will leave for the South Korean city of
Busan on Saturday to participate in the world weightlifting
championships among juniors to be held there on May 16-24, Armenpress
reports.

The Armenian delegation is led by RA Weightlifting Federation
Secretary General Pashik Alaverdyan. The team’s head coach is Ashot
Mkhitaryan, coach is Artashes Nersisyan. There are four male
weightlifters and one female in the national team. They are: David
Muradyan (56 kg) from Ararat, Gevorg Kakoyan (62 kg) from Vedi, Tigran
Martirosyan (69 kg) from Gyumri and Armen Hakobyan (105 kg and more)
from Vanadzor. The only female weightlifter representing Armenia is
Hripsime Khurshudyan (69 kg) from Kasakh.

Paper says US envoy not to help Armenian opposition stage revolution

Hayots Ashkarh, Yerevan
12 May 05

Excerpt from unattributed report by Armenian newspaper Hayots Ashkarh
on 12 May headlined “Ambassador Evans’s mistake”

It is funny to see that the press of the Armenian Pan-National
Movement has recently started a jihad against US ambassador to Armenia
John Evans.

Remarkably, they do not mean the policy of the USA, but they
especially criticize the ambassador who has not lived up to the hopes
of the radical opposition. For this reason, they are trying to
convince the public that the Department of State does not have trust
in the ambassador: he is “pro-government”, he does not have contacts
with the opposition, has established dictatorship in the embassy and
so on.

Let us try to understand why they have kicked up all the fuss? What is
ambassador Evan’s business in general? Instead of preparing
revolutions he maintains equal relations with the authorities and the
opposition and does not interfere in the domestic affairs of the
country. But can such an ambassador exist? It does not matter that
Clause 41 of the Vienna Convention advises all diplomats “to respect
the laws of the country where they reside and not to interfere in its
domestic affairs”. It does not matter that relations between the USA
and Armenia are on a good level.

[Passage omitted: our opposition leaders have quickly changed their
strategy and started to be more pro-Western]

But does ambassador Evans not see their [opposition’s] love? Why does
he not help the guys to stage a revolution? Perhaps, he sees that our
opposition resembles a kaleidoscope that changes as you turn it
round. It was the picture of Russia recently, and now it is the USA,
and in a second it may show China, Iran or something else. But the
pieces of coloured glass, of which the pictures are made, remain the
same, and this is the tragedy.

In brief, John Evans did not turn the US embassy into a revolution
headquarters, he does not want to help our opposition and this is his
main mistake. Evans understands nothing in real liberty and democracy,
absolutely nothing.