Author: Nalbandian Eduard

Pan Armenian News

INTERNATIONAL SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL HELD IN ARMENIA

14.09.2005 08:27

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ As PanARMENIAN.Net came to know from the U.S Embassy,
famous American actor and film director Arnold Shvetzov will take part in
the International Shakespeare Festival of mono performances «Armmono» held
in Yerevan for the third time. Representatives of Switzerland, Georgia,
Poland, Russia, Turkmenistan, UK and Armenia will take part in the festival.
Within the festival framework Arnold Shvetzov will represent a performance
titled «Clown for Fortinbras’s Retinue».

USA: Turkish premier, President Bush to discuss Kurdish rebels, terrorism

Hurriyet website, Istanbul
13 Sep 05

Ankara: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan prepares to hold critical
meetings in New York where he flew to attend a UN summit yesterday
evening. Erdogan will attend a dinner US President Bush will give
in honour of the leaders who will attend the UN summit. Erdogan
will remind Bush of the need to fulfil the promises made by the US
administration to remove the threat the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party]
presence in northern Iraq poses to Turkey during the reception and
the dinner to be held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

The prime minister will also ask Bush to support Turkey’s stance on
the Cyprus problem, which has become the most important instrument
for those who try to put pressure on Turkey on the eve of 3 October.
Erdogan is expected to inform Bush that the Cyprus issue has to be
solved by the UN rather than the EU and ask for his support to have
the UN Security Council debate the UN report on Cyprus.

REFORMS IN SCIENCE SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT WITH CAUTION
By Mher Ohanian

Yerkir/arm
September 09, 2005

Overcoming the extremely unfavorable situation in Armenia’s science
sector is something that could guarantee a competitive economy. Any
radical reforms in the sector that fail to take into account the
realities established during a long period would simply destroy the
scientific potential accumulated by generations of scientists.

Currently, there is a trend that the entire scientific system we have
inherited from the Soviet era does not correspond to national economy
interests and thus should be downsized.

There certainly is some truth in this but what matters more is that
the process should be carried out in open and transparent discussions
and the scientific community should be informed on the reforms being
implemented. Only then, situational solutions could be ruled out.

One of the key directions in the government’s science sector policy
is the optimization of how the allocated money is spent. Reforms in
the field of science require a “counting and registering” in that
area. Moreover, scientific products should also be ” counted and
registered.” In addition, an impartial test should be carried out to
find out their scientific “value.”

A chief issue in restructuring the science is the process of uniting
scientific substructures that had been operating separately.

In such a situation, the implementation of the principle of financing
the scientific themes is preferable at this period of time since
it allows — though temporarily — reproducing of the most vivid
scientific potential.

However, the implementation of the principle of financing scientific
themes has stirred the discontent of the science community because of
the arbitrary decisions taken in this sphere. The result is that many
institutes of the National Academy of Sciences face to be shut down.

AZERBAIJAN BLAMING AGAIN

A1+
| 14:40:04 | 12-09-2005 | Politics |

In the session of the UN Combat against drug trafficking sub-committee
which is taking place in September 12-18 in Baku, Azerbaijan is
going to raise the issue of drug trafficking “in the lands captured
by Armenia”.

Head of the State Committee for Combat Against Drug Trafficking,
deputy Prime Minister Ali Hasanov has announced that drug trafficking
puts the political, economic and social stability of the region at
hazard. According to Hasanov, the UN member countries must pay greater
attention to this problem.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT ELECTION WITHOUT “MONEY” ELEMENT

A1+
| 19:05:15 | 10-09-2005 | Politics |

A new line is being observed in the political field in Armenia. It
starts with the election to the local self-government, United Labor
Party chairman Gurgen Arsenyan considers. In his opinion, in the
process of formation of the city authorities the election to the
local self-government is a intermediate period.

Political forces could test their possibilities during the election
to the local self-government.

-How is the ULP going to test its possibilities?

-The formula is as follows: the election to the self-government are
important but not decisive. The ULP has worked out several electoral
scenarios. We are carrying out a serious experiment in the Arabkir
community using exclusively propaganda and organizational elements.

-Have you ever applied a “money” instrument in the course of election?

-Yes, we have. This elements justifies itself in Armenia, however we
would like to find out the “netto” of the propaganda element.

-Don’t you take into account the fact that other political forces may
prefer using other elements and you party will fall in unfavorable
conditions?

-We are a new political structure and we wish to clear up the real
picture of our two-year activities. We do not attach much attention to
the election to the local self-government. However the parliamentary
election is decisive for us.

-In you opinion, how important is election to the local self-government
for ordinary citizens?

-It can be very important for politically active citizens.

-Which are the slogans of the ULP?

-“Participation is the most important thing”, “the will of an
individual only”, “let’s build the future together”, and so on.

Interview taken by Victoria Abrahamyan

All eyes on Agassi in men’s semis

By SANDRA HARWITT
.c The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) – Although Roger Federer is the defending champion and
No. 1 seed, most eyes will be on Andre Agassi in the U.S. Open
semifinals.

Agassi, 35, is the senior citizen among Saturday’s four
semifinalists. He’s 13 years older than his opponent, fellow American
Robby Ginepri, and 11 years older than Federer and Lleyton Hewitt, who
will play each other in a repeat of last year’s final.

Only Ginepri is an unfamiliar face at this stage of the Open, with
Agassi winning the title here in 1994 and ’99, Hewitt winning in 2001,
and Federer taking last year’s trophy.

The seventh-seeded Agassi has won eight career Grand Slam titles, and
if he’s able to usher Ginepri aside as he’s done in their three
previous meetings, he will be playing in his 15th career Grand Slam
final.

That would make him the oldest Grand Slam finalist since 39-year-old
Ken Rosewall lost the 1974 U.S. Open to Jimmy Connors.

The appearance of Agassi in the semifinal is impressive considering
that a sciatic nerve injury in his back crippled him in the first
round of the French Open, and forced him to skip Wimbledon. He came
back in July, winning his 60th career title at his first summer stop
in Los Angeles.

“I always worry about health – is everything holding up?” Agassi
said Thursday, a day after his five-set quarterfinal win over James
Blake. “Mentally, it’s hard to get fatigued with the love I’ve been
shown here.

“I’ve gotten through two five-setters, and feel surprisingly good.
It’s a sprint now around the turn and down the homestretch. I’ll be in
position to give it a good run.”

Ginepri, 22, who spent a lot of physical and emotional energy in three
successive five-set matches to reach the semifinal, didn’t hesitate to
pay homage to Agassi ahead of their semifinal.

“He’s the king,” said Ginepri, who won his second career title at
Indianapolis in July. “He’s done so much for the game. He’s been
inspirational to so many people. I’ve loved watching him growing up
and play the game.

“Hopefully this won’t be his last run here, but I wouldn’t mind to be
the one to take him out from the Open.”

If the 46th-ranked Ginepri upsets Agassi, he will become the lowest
ranked U.S. Open finalist since rankings began in 1973.

Federer, who won his third consecutive Wimbledon title in July, has
beaten Hewitt in their last eight meetings dating back to a
fourth-round encounter at the 2004 Australian Open.

Federer knows that he continually frustrates the third-seeded Hewitt,
but suggested it would be inadvisable for the Australian to try to
change his style in hopes of beating him.

“He could, you know. But then again, he could even run into the knife
more brutally,” Federer said, laughing.

“I don’t think we can afford to change our games just because of a
particular opponent you play,” added Federer, who has won five of the
last nine Grand Slams. “He’s good enough with his base to beat me on
a day when I’m not on.

“Maybe now that he’s a married man and getting a baby, maybe that’s
going to help him to be a little bit more relaxed and maybe it’s not
everything just to beat me. He’s definitely put himself into positions
all the time. If he beats me, right away he’s in contention for No. 1
in the world or he can win a big tournament again.”

As feisty as Hewitt can be, he’s also realistic. He’s only won two of
the last 23 sets during his losing streak to Federer.

“He’s obviously the favorite,” Hewitt said. “It doesn’t get easier.
There’s no doubt I’ve got to go out there and execute what I want to
do and play extremely well to go with him. It’s a matter of hanging in
there with him and trying to put as much pressure as possible.

“There’s been no secret formula. No one’s been able to find the exact
formula to topple him just yet.”

09/09/05 19:19 EDT

RESOLUTION COMING NEARER

Azat Artsakh Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
09 Sept 05

At the meeting with NKR President Arkady Ghukassian the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office, the foreign minister of Slovenia Dimitrij Rupel
visiting Baku and Yerevan on September 5 and 6 said the resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict may be reached by the end of the
year. According to the president of NKR, during the meeting which
lasted longer than it had been scheduled, not all the questions were
discussed because they were very many. Dwelling on the details of the
meeting, President Ghukassian commended the work of the OSCE Minsk
Group and mentioned that two visits of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office
Dimitrij Rupel in a year show that the process will be accelerated.
However, it will not be over by the end of the year. The foreign
minister of Slovenia shared his opinion. According to him, the
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is probable this year despite
the parliamentary election in Azerbaijan in November, and the
referendum on the Constitution of Armenia, and it is obvious that the
elections are not a good motive, said Dimitrij Rupel. Nevertheless,
he said, the election will not affect the talks. The NKR president
also discussed the boldness of the Armenian party to make compromises,
which is not the case with Azerbaijan. Arkady Ghukassian mentioned
that the Armenian party is aware of the fact that during the talks one
does not get what they want. Of course, it is necessary to sacrifice
something to attain another thing. As to the president, he cannot see
that the Azerbaijanis are brave enough to accept compromise. According
to Arkady Ghukassian, he is interested in the results of the talks
rather than the talks itself. `We always take into account the problem
of security of Nagorno Karabakh, and any decision, any process is
first of all to be determined by the problems of security of Nagorno
Karabakh for us,’ said the president of NKR. As to the variants of
resolution, be it a package or a stage by stage resolution, according
to the president, they are not important. `We agree to the stage by
stage resolution if Azerbaijan agrees to settle first the issue of the
status of Artsakh and only then solve its own problems. This is
acceptable for us. ‘ Arkady Ghukassian was quite brief on the new
model of status which consists in partial independence of Karabakh:
`It is like being partly pregnant. I cannot imagine such a status.’
The NKR president said he drew the attention of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office to the fact that while the Armenian party views the
issue in the light of the peace process, the Azerbaijani party does
the opposite. Azerbaijan regularly considers the militaristic
resolution of the conflict and increasing the budget of the army.
Arkady Ghukassian explains Aliev’s statement by the fact that the
latter is trying to solve domestic problems but, on the other hand,
the president is anxious because by solving domestic problems Aliev
becomes the slave of his statements and thereby hinders the general
process. According to the NKR president, the resolution is also
delayed because Nagorno Karabakh does not take part in it. In his turn
the foreign minister of Armenia did not forget to mention that this
gap will be filled in very soon `when we arrive at a certain level in
discussing the details.’ In this case, according to him, it will be
necessary to restore the Minsk process, and the government of Nagorno
Karabakh will be automatically involved in the process. After the
meeting with the NKR president the foreign minister of Slovenia
Dimitrij Rupel met with the president of Armenia Robert Kocharian and
the prime minister of Armenia Anoushavan Danielian. President
Kocharian and D. Rupel discussed the talks for the resolution of the
conflict and its present stage. Here is one more interesting detail;
Dimitrij Rupel extended the message of Ilham Aliev to the president of
Armenia. Despite the curiosity of the journalists, the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office did not say anything about the content of the
message. He merely said that hopefully the meetings of the foreign
ministers of the two countries will go on.

CHRISTINE MNATSAKANIAN.
09-09-2005

BRITISH CHOREOGRAPHIC TROUPE TO PERFORM ON TOUR IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9. ARMINFO. A leading British choreographic troupe Akram Han will arrive in Armenia on tour.

As ARMINFO was informed in British Council, performances will take
place on Sept 13-14 at the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet. Akram
Han is a dancer and choreographer of Indian origin introducing
elements of Indian classic dance “kathak” to European dance.

THERE ARE NOT ONLY OPPOSITIONISTS AMONG MALICIOUS ABSENTEES FROM
PARLIAMENT

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9. ARMINFO. Although the small session of the
Armenian Parliament is focused on only one issue – about the absence
of 24 deputies from the opposition Justice bloc and the National Unity
party from more than half of the parliamentary votings absent from as
many votings were also a number of businessman deputies.

Gagik Tsarukyan was absent from 171 votings, Mkhitar Varagyan from
125, Tigran Arsakantsyan from 157 ones. But their absence is
considered to have valid reasons as some of them were on mission,
others have health certificates, some asked the speaker to consider
their absence well reasoned. Strangely enough some other businessman
deputies like Levon Sargsyan, Ruben Hayrapetyan and others who could
hardly be seen at any parliamentary session so far are not on the
absentee list.

Meanwhile Speaker Artur Bagdassaryan and his deputy Tigran Torossyan
were absent from 89 votings because of working missions.

ARMENIAN PREMIER MET THAI DEPUTY FM

A1+
| 17:43:41 | 08-09-2005 | Official |

Today Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan received Deputy FM
of the Thai Kingdom Virachai Virameteekul.

Welcoming the guest the premier pointed out to the high level of the
Armenian-Thai relations.

During the meeting the parties have agreed on cooperation in trade and
economy, science and technology, information and telecommunication,
medicine, education, agriculture, tourism and sport.

“I would like to specially note that a permanent expo of Thai goods
will open in Yerevan next year and a representation of the House of
Commerce and Industry of Armenia will open in Bangkok,” the Deputy FM
said. In his words, agricultural relations have especially developed
and there is an Armenian-Thai working group in the field. Its first
session has been held in Thailand this April, while the second sitting
is planned to be held in November.

LEARN ABOUT ARMENIAN FOLK MEDICINE

Belmont Citizen-Herald, MA
Sept 8 2005

Dr. Carolann Najarian will speak at the National Association for
Armenian Studies and Research Center in Belmont, on Thursday, Sept.

22 at 8 p.m., on “Healers, Holy Books, Mountains, and Gardens: Armenian
Folk Medical Beliefs and Practices.” The lecture will be co-sponsored
by NAASR and the Armenian International Women’s Association.

Every culture has a belief system regarding health care. Many of the
belief systems that affect the practice of health care in Armenia
today are also familiar to diaspora Armenians. Others may not be as
familiar as they come from the Soviet Armenian experience.

Armenian society today is undergoing tremendous upheaval and changes
that challenge long-held values. How are these changes affecting
health care and its practice? One of the answers is that people are
returning to traditional forms of health care as a way of coping with
uncertainty. Many of these practices are rooted in Armenian traditional
medicine – which is a product of Armenia’s history and location and
is supported by aspects of what we might call its “national character.”

Dr. Carolann Najarian, stepping out of her role as a medical doctor,
has sought to understand this phenomenon through the eyes of a medical
anthropologist. Medical anthropology is the study of health-care
beliefs and practices. She will present her findings and illustrate
them with the many stories she has heard – some of miraculous cures,
all of Armenians struggling to survive despite the uncertainty of
their lives today.

Najarian is the founder and president of the Armenian Health Alliance,
and her work in Armenia and Karabagh has brought her numerous honors. A
graduate of the Boston University School of Medicine, she has been a
practicing internist in the Cambridge-Watertown area and an instructor
in clinical medicine at Harvard Medical School. In 2004 she completed
a master’s degree in medical anthropology with a thesis on Armenian
folk medical practices.

Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR
bookstore will open at 7:30 p.m.

The NAASR Center and Headquarters is located opposite the First
Armenian Church and next to the Post Office. Ample parking is available
around the building and in adjacent areas. The lecture will begin
promptly at 8 p.m.

More information about the lecture is available by calling
617-489-1610, e-mailing [email protected], or writing to NAASR, 395 Concord
Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.