Author: Nadirian Emma

ARFD CONDEMNS STATEMENT BY PACE RAPPORTEUR ON KARABAKH

YEREVAN, JANUARY 28. ARMINFO. The Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Dashnaktsoutyun party considers inadmissible the statement by PACE
rapporteur on Karabakh David Atkinson that the principle of a nation’s
self-determination right is not applicable to the Karabakh people,
says ARFD member, parliamentary vice speaker Vahan Hovhannissyan.

Especially inadmissible is the statement that “if Azerbaijan agrees to
Karabakh’s independence PACE will not object.” This is in fact a call
on Azerbaijan to toughen its position in the Karabakh
issue. Hovhannissyan says that ARFD warned that Atkinson’s report
might be biased as he “reeks of oil” and that Armenia should do its
best to invalidate this report. “One should not underestimate the
factor of Azeri oil and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in the Karabakh
issue,” says Hovhannissyan noting that his statements do not refer to
the British government but its cdertain officials.

Commenting on the acknowledgement of Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity by some states Hovhanissyan says that this principle is more
clearly formulated than that of a nation’s self-determination and
that’s why the international community prefers the former to the
latter. That’s exactly why Armenia should not react to such statements
so acutely. “We should stay immune to such statements. Armenia too
recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity but without Karabakh who
has never been part of independent Azerbaijan,” says Hovhannissyan.

Washington Times
Jan 28 2005

Kurdistan and Iraq

By Nechirvan Barzani

With elections in Iraq only days away I believe it is important to
inform people outside our region how the citizens of Kurdistan in
Iraq see the future of their homeland. It is especially important to
do this now because of rumblings in some circles that we covet Kirkuk
for its oil wealth and that our true aim is complete independence.
However, let me state clearly, the leadership of Iraqi Kurdistan is
firmly committed to full participation in a free, federal,
pluralistic and democratic Iraq.

These are not just words. These principles were declared by the
Kurdistan National Assembly, which was formed in 1992 following free
and fair regional elections. Kurdistan did not choose to separate
from Iraq at that time. We have repeated these words with utmost
sincerity to our colleagues in the interim Iraqi government, to our
neighbors, to our close friends and allies of the multinational
coalition and to others. We are happy to be held to our declaration
because we expect to abide by it in a free, democratic and federal
Iraq.
Everyone naturally desires to live in an environment of freedom
and security where their families can grow and prosper. In saying
this I speak not only of the Kurdish people, but of all the people
who live in Kurdistan – Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, Christians,
Assyrians,Armenians,and Chaldeans, Shia, Sunni, Yezidis – all of whom
have lived in genuine peace and with warm respect for each other
since long before Iraq became an independent and sovereign country.
Kurds have learned much over the past 13 years, living and
working in our developing democracy while under the protection of
international security forces. We have learned to appreciate and
cherish our freedom and our autonomy. Our people have begun to enjoy
the progress of a secure environment and a growing economy.
During Saddam Hussein’s rule, more than 4,000 Kurdish villages
were totally destroyed. Chemical weapons were used against more than
200 communities spanning from our northwest border with Turkey to our
southeast border with Iran, and culminating in the infamous chemical
attack on the city of Halabja.
Living in freedom since 1991, we have reconstructed more than
3,000 destroyed communities and resettled over 50,000 displaced
families. We have constructed tens of thousands of homes, along with
roads and water systems. We have also built hundreds of schools and
health centers and added two new universities. And now, Sunday’s
election is an important step toward fully achieving our goals.
The oil in Kirkuk, an area that is historically and culturally an
integral part of Kurdistan, prompted the forcible displacement of
Kurds, Turkmen and others. Families who were forcibly displaced have
the undeniable right to return. Ironically, however, the families
that were forcibly removed because of the oil wealth are not being
supported due to fears about how oil proceeds might be allocated in
the future.
It is important to repeat two positions that have been clearly
stated by the leadership of Kurdistan in Iraq. First, those who were
displaced from Kirkuk have the right to return. All families who
settled in Kirkuk and do not occupy property forcibly taken from
others are encouraged to remain, regardless of their ethnic and
religious backgrounds. It is regrettable that what is clearly a
property issue is being promoted as a conflict between people based
on their ethnic heritage. Second, the oil of Kirkuk is a national
asset to be shared with the people of Kurdistan. We seek guarantees
that this wealth will be fairly shared for peaceful economic
development.
Also, our regional security contributes to Iraq’s national
security. We have developed capabilities since 1991 that have been
crucial in maintaining a relatively safe and stable security
environment in our region. Many of those who promote violence
elsewhere in Iraq are the same criminals who, in earlier times,
killed and maimed many of our citizens.
In developing our peshmerga military forces and civil security
services to protect our freedom and autonomy, not only have we been
able to secure our region but we have also been ready, willing and
able to fight alongside U.S. and other coalition forces in order to
extend freedom to our brothers and sisters throughout Iraq. We are
proud of our contribution and welcome the presence of friends and
forces that are helping to build a free and democratic Iraq.
The elections on Jan. 30 are the first in a series of long and
difficult steps scheduled to be completed by the end of this year to
reach a free, pluralistic, federal and democratic Iraq that we
wholeheartedly support. Through these elections we hope to preserve
and expand the gains we have sacrificed to achieve. Our long and
hard-fought struggle compels us to accept no less. Following these
elections, the citizens of our region will see their aspirations
embodied in the principles of the Transitional Administrative Law,
which we seek to be incorporated into a permanent constitution that
we will proudly be obliged to uphold and defend.
We thank the American people for their sacrifice on our behalf
and we thank President Bush for his steadfast leadership in support
of our freedom. We are proud to be your allies.

Nechirvan Barzani is prime minister of the Kurdish Regional
Government.

ARMENIAN AND FRENCH MPs PROTEST AGAINST INSINUATIONS OF THEIR TURKISH
COLLEAGUE

YEREVAN, JANUARY 27. ARMINFO. Head of the Armenian delegation to PACE,
Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Tigran Torosyan and a member
of the French delegation to PACE Fransua Roshlua have sent letters of
protest to CE Secretary General Terry Davis in connection with the
behavior of Presiding Chairman of the PACE Political Committee,
representative of the Turkish delegation Abdul Gyadir Atesh.

During PACE session dedicated to discussion of the draft resolution on
Nagorny Karabakh, the latter misled European MPs stating that a day
before the Political Committee had allegedly rejected the proposal of
the Armenian party on replacement of the formulation “separatist
forces” into “forces aspiring for indepedence.” In the meantime,
before the session, the Political Committee accepted the new
formulation proposed by the Armenian party by majority of votes.
Earlier, Torosyan in his interview to the Armenian Public Television
stated that it was insinuations of the Turkish MP who had misled PACE
deputies that the amendment was not included into the final version of
the resolution on Nagorny Karabakh.

Azad Hye Online, United Arab Emirates
Jan 25 2005

Armenia-UAE: Deputy Hakob Hakobian could face trial in UAE

AZAD-HYE (25 January 2005): Armenian Deputy Hakob Hakobian and his
son, who were detained by Dubai Police Directorate since 16th January
2005, were set free yesterday on the condition that they both should
surrender their passports and remain in the UAE until the completion
of the preliminary investigations, following charges of stealing two
pieces of expensive garments (worth 8 thousand dollars) from a known
boutique in “Wafi Mall” in Dubai. They were arrested in the hotel
where they were staying, only hours after their shopping excursion to
the said Mall. The Management of the Mall insists that they paid only
16 thousand dollars for a merchandize worth 24 thousand. It should be
mentioned that most products in the “Wafi Mall” are not equipped with
alarm tags, instead surveillance is carried out with fixing cameras.

A third individual called Hrand Davdian, who was arrested for the
same reasons and who was shopping with them, is still under the
Police custody. Up to this moment, the Egyptian lawyer who is
handling the case could not manage to ensure his release on bail. All
three are expecting the decision of the Public Prosecutor, who could
press charges against them based on the outcome of the preliminary
investigations. If the file goes to the Court, Deputy Hakobian, his
son and their friend may be obliged to follow the hearings for a
period of 3-5 months, at the end of which, if the incident of the
theft is confirmed, they could face imprisonment verdicts for 3-5
years. Since Deputy Hakobian was on personal visit to the UAE, he
does not enjoy any parliamentarian immunity and his trial will take
the normal course.

His wife, who was accompanying him in this shopping trip was allowed
to leave the UAE just one day after the episode. She returned back to
Yerevan and informed the Press that the whole story about here
husband is a misunderstanding and that Dubai Police actually were
looking for another Hakobian, who was enlisted on the list of the
wanted people by “Interpol”. She also mentioned that the confusion
about the credit card payment has occurred with their friend Hrand
Davdian and not her husband.

After his conditional release yesterday Deputy Hakobian assured by
telephone to “Aravot” daily in Yerevan that he is a victim of
misunderstanding and that he will explain everything to the public
once he is back to Armenia.

During the past few days his colleagues in the Parliament did not
comment on the news about his arrest. Some of them underlined the
fact that the available news are not from reliable sources. No
official statement came out from the President of the National
Assembly Arthur Baghdassarian. On the other side, the Spokesman of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hamlet Gasparyan assured that the
Ministry is in constant contact with the Ambassador of Armenia in Abu
Dhabi Arshak Poladian and Consul Nana Ghazarian. Both officials who
reside in Abu Dhabi have visited Deputy Hakobian at the Police
Headquarters on Thursday 20th January 2005 and inquired from the
Public Persecutor about the judicial procedures related to his case.
In a telephone conversation with “Azg” daily on 24th January 2005,
Ambassador Poladian referred that at last the misunderstanding about
Deputy Hakobyan being on the list of Interpol has been resolved but
the accusation for stealing are still standing and might lead to a
lengthy judicial process.

“Azg” comments on 25th January 2005: “Nevertheless, the details of
this incident, which have been circulated in the Press are causing
embarrassment to the Government. Despite that an individual should be
considered innocent until he/she is proved guilty, it is still
humiliating what occurred to Deputy Hakobian”.

Deputy Hakobian is a known businessman in Armenia and has started
some business activities in the UAE, which now could be jeopardized
by the outcome of his eventual trial. In Armenia he is mostly known
by his street-nickname “Choit”. He is born in 1963, member of the
National Assembly (Parliament), representing the city of Etchmiadzin
since 1999 (reelected 2003), member of the Committee on State and
Legal Affairs in the Parliament. During the last Presidential
elections of February 2003 he and his supporters were accused by
opposition leaders in creating artificial confusions in different
electoral districts of Echmiadzin and dropping mass ballot papers
into the voting boxes.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Jan 25 2005

U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE RICHARD ARMITAGE SENDS LETTER TO
AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV
[January 25, 2005, 13:52:47]

The United States Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has sent
a letter to the Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, whereby Mr.
Armitage notes ending of his activity in the Department of State,
expresses pleasure of cooperation with President Heydar Aliyev and
President Ilham Aliyev on the base of strategic partnership between
the United States and Azerbaijan, extends his gratitude to the Head
of the Azerbaijan State and emphasizes greater opportunities of this
partnership in the years coming. Realization of these opportunities
will be in the focus of the US Administration and in current year, he
underscores. `I know that my successors will provide for mutual
support in security issues of mutual interest for seeking new ways of
cooperation between our countries. We stand ready to render to You
technical assistance and support in preparation for the coming
parliamentary elections in autumn’.

Mr. Armitage, at the same time, expresses his confidence that he
would with great interest watch opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
MEP, strengthening of democracy, economic development and other
processes in the Country.

Expressing optimism for the negotiations carried out on settlement of
the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict, Richard Armitage
finalizes: `Azerbaijan has a special place in my heart. In the
questions of mutual interest, I was pleased of working with your
father and with You, and I was deeply impressed with Your adherence
to the future of Azerbaijan’.

PRESS RELEASE
Mashdots College
616 N. Glendale Avenue
Glendale, CA 91206
Contact: Dr. Garbis Der Yeghiayan
Tel. 818-548-9345
Fax: 818-548-9342
E-mail: [email protected]
web: http: //

SYMPOSIUM ON “CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS OF THE ARMENIAN AMERICAN
COMMUNITY”

Mashdots College’s Annual Symposium will take place on Saturday,
January 29, 2005, 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M., at the Glendale Central
Public Library Auditorium, 222 E. Harvard, Glendale, California.

The following ten prominent scholars and community leaders will
discuss the “Challenges and Prospects of the Armenian American
Community.” Prof. Richard Dekmejian – – Church Structure, Mr. Hagop
Hagopian – – Educational Structure, Prof. Garo Momdjian – – Political
Structure, Prof. Kevork Kherlopian, Cultural Structure, Prof. Osheen
Keshishian – – Mass Media and Literary Structure, Mrs. Nora
Chitilian-Kalashian – – Family Structure, Atty. Roupen Avsharian – –
Professional Structure, Mr. Mark Chenian – – Economic Structure, and
Mr. Ardashes Kassakhian – – Youth Structure. The concluding remarks
will be delivered by Mr. Harut Sassounian on “Assessing the Present to
Forge a Better Future.” Dr. Garbis Der Yeghiayan, President of the
College, will open the symposium.

Admission is free and community members are cordially invited to
attend and actively participate in the symposium proceedings. The
theme of the symposium is as interesting as it is crucial for the
future of the Armenian community in the United States. All the papers
presented at the symposium will be published in a book format.

For further information contact Mashdots College at 818-548-9345.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER LEAVES FOR NEW YORK TO ATTEND UN SPECIAL
SESSION DEVOTED TO 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF RELEASE OF HOSTAGES FROM
CONCENTRATION CAMPS

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24. ARMINFO. Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan has left for New York to participate in a special session of
the UN, today. The event is devoted to the 60th anniversary of release
of hostages from, concentration camps in the course of the World War
II.

Minister Oskanyan will also speak at the special session. Earlier, he
reported that the major topic of his speech would be prevention of
genocides through their recognition and condemnation. Foreign
Ministers of Germany, France, Argentina, Canada, Israel, Armenia and
Luxembourg will speak at the session. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
and Chairman of the 59th session of General Assembly Jean Ping will
open the session. The idea of the session was supported by 150 of 191
UN member-states. The initiators are Australia, Canada, Israel, New
Zealand, Russia, the USA and EU member-states.

Wednesday, talking to journalists, Kofi Annan told that the world
community must not allow repetition of the horrors at Nazis camps. The
estblishment of the UN was a direct result of the Holocaust, he said.

Executive for Human Rights in the Russia Federation Vladimir Lukin is
also expected to make a speech at the session. Photo-exhibitions
telling about the horrors suffered by the hostages of Osvencim and
Majdanek will be held at the foyer of UN headquarters.

“I BELIEVE THAT JUSTICE WILL WIN”

Azg/arm
21 Jan 05

About 250.000 Armenians living in Baku had to flee from the Azeri
capital as a result of the massacres in Baku. The Armenians that
greatly contributed to the construction of Baku were deprived of the
right to live there and were left homeless. 311.000 of 500.000
refugees from Azerbaijan still live in Armenia. Most of them live in
the hostels, very often in hardship. Dozens of people fled from Baku
live in the hostel of the second block of Nor Norq.

Yevgenia Tsaturovna, 84, fled from Baku with her daughter and two
grandchildren on January 18, 1990. Before that, she was hiding in her
flat,but her neighbors warned her about the intrusion of the
Azeris. “The Azeris were telling us to open the door, otherwise they
would break it. I couldn’t even take my clothes. They began beating
and pushing us and threw out into the street,” Yevgenia Tsaturovna
remembers. The family thrown into the cold of the wintry and cold
January street found shelter at the police department. Afterwards,
they left for Armenia. When Yevgenia Tsaturovna settled down in
Armenia her misfortunes didn’t stop. Her daughter died of cancer when
she was only 43. One of her grandchildren left for Russia.

At present, Mrs. Yevgenia receives pension amounting to 3900 AMD and
humanitarian aid from Paros benevolent organization. “They say they
are going to deprive me of the aid from Paros. I don’t know what I
will do then,” she says. The old woman is very ill, she can’t even
move. Lydia Amiriants, her neighbor, takes care of her. Lydia was also
born in Baku and became a refugee. “We left Baku in 1988. My brother
was a colonel and, seeing that the situation is becoming unbearable,
helped me and my son leave the capital of the Azeris. They even didn’t
sell bread to us, knowing that we are Armenians,” Lydia Amiriants
says, adding that even after such an attitude and the massacres in
Sumgait most of the people didn’t believe that the Azeris will
organize massacres in the capital, too. She said that already in 1988
the Azeris ruined her house. “Itook the photo of its ruins and
represented it to various instances. But they all just laughed at my
efforts,” she said, adding: “The justice hasn’t won its victory yet,
but I believe that otherwise, the life would lose its meaning.”

By Arevik Badalian

Armenian public body “outraged” by US official statement on Karabakh

Arminfo
18 Jan 05

YEREVAN

It stands to reason that the recent statement by US Assistant State
Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Elizabeth Jones, which
contained provocative assessments of the Karabakh problem, cannot but
cause outrage, said a statement of the Artsakh [Karabakh] Patriotic
Union public organization made public at today’s news conference by
its leader and member of the [Armenian] National Assembly, Gamlet
Arutyunyan.

One can see that by making this statement, Elizabeth Jones has decided
to bring to nought many years of efforts made by experienced
co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group from the USA, Russia and France,
which has more than once said that the Karabakh problem is unique and
different from any other conflict in the post-Soviet area, the
statement said. The authors of the statement stressed that it was
wrong to draw parallels between the Karabakh problem and other
conflicts in the post-Soviet area, let alone to say that separatist
regimes ruled there.

“Nagornyy Karabakh is an established state with the same level of
democratization as in other former Soviet countries,” the statement
said. The authors of the statement noted that Nagornyy Karabakh gained
its independence as a result of a liberation war against “colonisers”
just like the USA. Statements of this kind are provocative, the
statement said. The authors intend to turn to the US embassy in
Armenia to get explanations.

To recap, speaking about the forthcoming meeting between the
presidents of the USA and Russia, Elizabeth Jones said that [US
President] George Bush was concerned that Russia did not exert
appropriate pressure to resolve the Dniester, South Ossetia, Abkhaz
and Nagornyy Karabakh conflicts. She said, in particular: “It is in
Russia’s interests that Dniester, South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Nagornyy
Karabakh are stable and incorrupt and that the criminal separatist
regimes ruling there are brought down.”

Associated Press Worldstream
January 18, 2005 Tuesday 11:14 AM Eastern Time

Armenian contingent leaves for Iraq

by AVET DEMOURIAN; Associated Press Writer

YEREVAN, Armenia

A 49-man contingent of Armenian non-combat troops left Tuesday to
join the U.S.-led force in Iraq, after the former Soviet republic’s
parliament and Constitutional Court approved the mission following
heated debate.

The contingent – 10 bomb-disposal experts, 30 drivers, three medics
and three officers – was flying to Kuwait for two weeks of training
before entering Iraq, where the Armenians will serve under Polish
command in Karbala and Hillah, sough of Baghdad, the Defense Ministry
said. They left on a U.S. military C-130 Hercules aircraft.

“We cannot stand aside from regional process including international
efforts to establish peace and stability in Iraq,” Defense Minister
Serge Sarkisian said at a ceremony at the airport in the capital,
Yerevan. “We have chosen the humanitarian path of aid to the people
of Iraq – medical help, de-mining and transport services.”

He called the international presence in Iraq “one of the most
important components of the construction of world security and said
that “our desire for full-fledged integration in the international
community creates certain moral obligations.”

After more than seven hours of debate behind closed doors, parliament
voted 91-23 late last month to send the contingent, a move that was
backed by President Robert Kocharian but drew sharp criticism from
many Armenians, opposition groups, and even the 30,000-strong
Armenian community in Iraq, which fears being targeted for attacks.

The troops will join a multinational division that includes troops
from other former Soviet countries, including Armenia’s Caucasus
Mountain neighbors – Georgia and Armenia’s archrival Azerbaijan.