Author: Tamamian Anna

Dutch authorities arrest alleged Kurdish rebels at training camp
by TOBY STERLING; Associated Press Writer

Associated Press Worldstream
November 12, 2004 Friday 3:06 PM Eastern Time

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Dutch authorities rounded up 38 suspected
members of a Kurdish rebel group in nationwide raids Friday, including
“trainees” allegedly being prepared at a rural campground for terrorist
attacks in Turkey, officials said Friday.

Authorities said the detainees are members of the former Kurdish
Workers’ Party, or PKK, which seeks to carve out an independent
Kurdish state in the mountains of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey.

The group, which recently renamed itself KONGRA-GEL, has been branded
a terrorist organization by the European Union.

“In the investigation it emerged that at the campground more than 20
people received training for armed fighting for the PKK in Turkey,
among other means by committing terrorist attacks,” a statement by
prosecutors said. “Trainees were taught special war tactics.”

There were also indications that “a number of the trainees were
destined for Armenia,” it said.

More than 200 police were involved in the second major operation
in the Netherlands in a week, after special forces used tear gas
Wednesday to end a standoff with alleged Islamic radicals in The
Hague. Prosecutors said the two operations were not related.

Prosecution spokesman Wim de Bruin said the suspected Kurdish rebels
had been under observation for several months and that “the course
was nearly finished.”

“We wanted to prevent the group from leaving the country and putting
to use the knowledge they had gained,” he said.

In Friday’s raid of the alleged paramilitary training camp in the
far south of the Netherlands, police seized night vision goggles,
packages of clothing intended to be sent abroad, instruction materials,
fake passports and identity cards. Twenty-nine suspects were arrested.

“Apparently there’s been a training center there for a long time,
and that’s why it was decided to step in,” Jan van Homelen, mayor of
the nearby town of Boxtel said on national television.

Nine others were arrested in separate raids in The Hague, Rotterdam,
Eindhoven, Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, and the town of Capelle aan
den Ijssel.

The rebels ended a five-year unilateral cease-fire in June and
have carried out a number of attacks recently, most in Turkey’s
predominantly Kurdish southeast.

The group has been on the EU’s list of terrorist organizations since
April, and Dutch prosecutors said those arrested Friday will likely
be charged as members.

Other detainees allegedly arranged money transfers, passports to PKK
members in Turkey and Armenia, and aided communication between rebel
fighters, prosecutors said.

The suspects, whose names were not released, were 33 men and five
women.

Van Homelen said the suspects did not appear to have used weapons or
explosives in their training, which he described as “more theoretical.”

Prosecutors said the suspects said they were Kurdish but they were
all considered Turkish nationals by the Dutch state.

No names were released.

On Monday, The Hague’s district court blocked the extradition of
alleged PKK leader Nuriye Kesbir to Turkey for her suspected role
in a series of bombings in the 1990s. The Justice Ministry said it
would appeal the decision.

US SHOULD URGE UN GA TO RETRACT DISCUSSION OF KARABAKH ISSUE,
CONGRESSIONAL ARMENIAN CAUCUS CONSIDERS

PanArmenian News
Nov 10 2004

WASHINGTON, 10.11.04. Congressional Armenian Caucus on Armenian
Issues Co-Chairs Joe Knollenberg and Frank Pallone, in a joint letter
to Secretary of State Colin Powell, said the United States should
renounce and secure the retraction of a UN General Assembly
resolution introduced last week by Baku, the Armenian Assembly of
America reported. Such move can only derail the peace process
spearheaded by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE) and the Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States,
France and Russia, the letter says. It also mentions that `US
interests in the Caucasus are best served by the continuation of
dialogue on the outstanding issues related to Nagorno Karabakh within
the OSCE framework, not by fragmentation of this orderly process.` To
note, the Armenian Assembly this week commended Congressional Caucus
on Armenian Issues for urging the Bush Administration to prevent
Azerbaijan from manipulating the Nagorno Karabakh peace process
though `disruptive` actions at the United Nations.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +3741. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +3741. .562543
Email: [email protected]:

PRESS RELEASE

29 October 2004

Foreign Minister Oskanian Attended BSEC 11th Ministerial In Tbilisi

On 29 October, Foreign Minister Oskanian participated in 11th Meeting of
Foreign Ministers of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) held in Tbilisi,
Georgia. The meeting discussed and adopted documents related to cooperation
between BSEC and other international structures, and to the organization’s
programme, financial and administrative matters.

In a statement delivered at the Ministerial, Minister Oskanian particularly
stressed: ” Not much more than a decade ago the Black Sea divided the
countries, that today make up BSEC. But thousands of years before that the
Black Sea actually linked the two ends of the known world. From the
Mediterranean Sea to the Caspian Sea this was all one basin. Here, too, the
proximity of Europe is an example and a lesson. The countries of Europe have
built bridges among themselves and with those of us who surround them. It
remains for the countries of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation to build
bridges amongst ourselves. For all of us, a common sea and functioning
bridges are essential for two-way traffic to flow from our past to our
future”. He further noted: “This now mature organization, BSEC, was set up
in a way, almost to prove, that countries with different and sometimes even
conflicting histories, different religions, different languages, different
political and social systems can indeed, in this new age, cohabit, coexist,
cooperate and prosper”.

During two days preceding the Ministerial, Armenian delegation participated
in BSEC Meeting of Senior Officials that prepared a package of documents for
the Ministerial.

At BSEC 11th Ministerial, Greece took over the next 6 months’ chairmanship
from Georgia.

In the framework of the Ministerial, Minister Oskanian had a meeting with
Georgia’s Salome Zourabishvili. During the meeting, the parties explored
general issues related to agreements on cooperation between Foreign
Ministries of the two countries discussed during the recent visit of Armenia
‘s President. The Foreign Ministers also explored coordination of steps
taken by Armenia and Georgia under EU’s New Neighborhood Programme. The
parties also discussed regional issues and exchanged views on reciprocal
efforts towards ensuring stable functioning of communication routes between
the two countries.

ZORYAN INSTITUTE OF CANADA, INC.
255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310
Toronto, ON, Canada M3B 3H9
Tel: 416-250-9807 Fax: 416-512-1736 E-mail: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: George Shirinian

DATE: October 28, 2004
Tel: 416-250-9807

Babayan Foundation Support for Zoryan Institute Surpasses $40,000

Toronto, Canada – For the fifth year in a row, the Levon Perouz
Babayan Foundation continues to make a significant contribution in
support of the Zoryan Institute. Over the course of the five years,
the Babayan Foundation has provided over $40,000 to assist Zoryan in
fulfilling its mission, with an emphasis on its innovative Genocide
and Human Rights University Program.

Mr. Haig Selian, the President of the Babayan Foundation, said,
“The Zoryan Institute goes beyond meeting our basic criteria of
being a non-political Armenian cultural and educational organization
in Ontario. The fundamental nature of their work, dealing with our
modern history, especially the Genocide, its impact on our identity,
and our experience in the Diaspora, are all conducted at the highest
academic level. We see that they engage world renowned scholars,
specialized in their respective fields, to conduct their University
Program. We are very happy to see a program such as this bring a
unique perspective to the teaching of modern Armenian history to
senior and talented students from around the world. This is what
propels our board to support to continue its mission. In short,
there is not another organization like it.”

The Levon Perouz Babayan Foundation was established in Toronto by
Mrs. Perouz Babayan, in 1971. The Foundation’s mission is to provide
financial support to Armenian religious, language, cultural and
charitable organizations within the Province of Ontario.

Levon Babayan was born in Bursa, Turkey and arrived in Canada in the
mid-1890s. He established himself in the rug business in Toronto and
married Perouz Benlian, who came to Canada from England. She was born
in Kayseri, Turkey. The business was very successful and the Babayan
name was held in great esteem in Canadian high society, which was
remarkable at a time when immigrants were not readily embraced by
the establishment.

The Babayans could be described as the patriarch and matriarch of the
early Armenian community in Toronto. They were always helpful towards
those less fortunate than themselves by providing employment in their
business. When the Genocide took place, they were instrumental in
arranging the passage and admission into Canada of some 120 Armenian
orphans, the Georgetown Boys, who were so named after the location
of the orphanage in Ontario. Mr. Babayan kept close touch with the
orphans and visited their foster homes periodically, to make sure
that the youngsters were well cared for. Mrs. Babayan was active in
organizing, with the help of the Canadian Red Cross, fund raising
in the streets of downtown Toronto to aid Armenian refugees in the
various camps in Egypt, Greece, and other countries in the Middle East.

The Babayans prospered over the years and when Mrs. Babayan passed
on in 1975, she bequeathed substantial assets to the Foundation. The
Foundation is administered by a Board of Trustees: Haig Selian,
Ani Eudemishlian, Gregory Kasparian, Mgrditch Meras, and Ara Selyan.

The Foundation began supporting Zoryan with general operating funds
in 2000. However, in 2002, an additional sum was added specifically
for the Genocide and Human Rights University Program, totaling to
date $42,000.

Gregory Kasparian, Trustee, whose father was also associated with the
Georgetown Boys, explained the motivation of the Trustees to begin
their support of Zoryan. “We were regularly witnessing cases of denial
of the Armenian Genocide and saw the need for an organization that
could inform the public about what happened during the Genocide and
why it happened. We saw in Zoryan an organization that is dedicated,
scholarly, well researched, dispassionate, and sound, which gave it
the expertise and credibility to confront denial.”

Mr. Barry Papazian, Legal Advisor to the Zoryan Institute, expressed
his deep gratitude to the Trustees of the Babayan Foundation. “Apart
from the financial boost, it gives tremendous encouragement and
motivation to the directors, scholars, volunteers, and staff at Zoryan
when a venerable organization like the Babayan Foundation provides
such staunch support.”

The Zoryan Institute is the first diasporan center devoted to the
research and documentation of contemporary issues related to the
history, politics, society, and culture of Armenia, the Diaspora and
the Armenian Genocide, with offices in Cambridge, MA and Toronto,
Canada.

PRIME MINISTER SAYS SOME DOUBTS STILL REMAIN

ArmenPress
27 Oct 2004

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS: Armenian prime minister Andranik
Margarian said today fighting against terrorism is “the sacred duty”
of all governments, adding also that Armenia has voiced its readiness
to join international efforts. Speaking to reporters after visiting
Yerablour cemetery in a Yerevan outskirts, where some of eight top
government officials, shot down by terrorists in 1999 October 27
parliament shooting rest, the prime minister said the 1999 attack
threw Armenia back for several years.

Speaking also about the five-year-old attack the prime minister said
its perpetrators were arrested and sentenced, but added that there
remain still some doubts about whether they were the sole masterminds
of the attack. He said many people still believe there were other
people, or third forces, either in Armenia or outside it, who might
have been involved in the plot. The prime minister went on saying
that the trial gave answers to some of the questions only.

Foreign minister Vartan Oskanian who also was at the cemetery said
Armenia should reinforce its borders to prevent the country from
becoming a transit route for terrorists.

TRIAL OF ARMENIAN PILOTS IN EQUATORIAL GUINEA TO RESUME NOVEMBER 16

ArmenPress
26 Oct 2004

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, ARMENPRESS: The trial of a group of alleged
mercenaries, that includes also six Armenian pilots, who are charged
with trying to overthrow the president of Equatorial Guinea, will
resume on November 16. A spokesman for Armenian foreign affairs
ministry, Hamlet Gasparian, told Armenpress that the trial was set
to resume late in October, but was again postponed due to technical
reasons. He said a former Armenian ambassador to Egypt Sergey
Manaserian and another government official are in Malabo now, the
capital of Equatorial Guinea, seeking a meeting with Armenian pilots
and the officials of the country.

Armenian pilots denied their involvement in the alleged plot.

No Armenian electricity for Tbilisi

The Messenger, Georgia
25 Oct. 2004

Telasi cannot start importing power from Armenia due to technical
problems on the Armenian transmission power line, Prime News reports.
Tbilisi distributor Telasi reports that the company is ready to
start power import from Armenia in order to curtail a power deficit
in the capital.

According to the company, 100-megawatts of power will be imported from
Armenia and it will entirely fulfill the capital’s requirements. The
power limitations started from October 9.

PRESS RELEASE
Media Contact: Jenna Fogle
Clifford Public Relations
323.966.4600 x104
[email protected]

MARO GORKY EXHIBItION TO PREMIERE IN lOS ANGELES
Renowned Painter to Make U.S. Solo Show Debut

Los Angeles, CA (October 2004) S.B. Fine Art is proud to welcome painter
Maro Gorky, daughter of famed abstract-expressionist founder Arshile
Gorky, to Los Angeles to celebrate her first U.S. solo show. This
exhibition of works, mostly vibrant landscapes dating from the late
1990s to the present, will be on display on December 2nd and 3rd, 2004.
Curated by Silva Bezdikian, S.B. Fine Art founder and owner, the show
will include 31 pieces of Maros works and will be available to the
public. The Gorky exhibition, like others that Ms. Bezdikian has
hosted, promises to be an inspiring cultural affair, drawing an eclectic
crowd of collectors, academics, art-world cognoscenti and bon vivants.

“Maro’s landscapes are a genuine synthesis of art and nature, says
Bezdikian. Their simplicity and purity penetrates deeply into the
viewers senses as they travel subconsciously through the art historical
pathway.

A Life of Art

Gorky was born in New York in 1943, and her artistic inspiration dates
from a very early age. She was profoundly influenced by her father, and
by the works of early Renaissance masters Mantegna and Uccello, as well
as 20th-Century icons Picasso, Mir and Klee. After her fathers tragic
suicide in 1948, when Gorky was just five years old, her mother moved
the family to Europe. Gorkys education was undertaken in France, Spain,
Italy and England, culminating with the study of art ! at the
prestigious Slade School of Fine Art at the University College London,
where she graduated with a B.A. in Fine Art in 1965.

Gorky married sculptor and writer Matthew Spender, son of famed English
poet Sir Stephen Spender, in 1967, and soon moved to San Sano, Italy, an
idyllic hillside town near Sienna. Their villa, whose vistas have
inspired much of Gorkys work, was captured beautifully in Bernardo
Bertoluccis 1996 film Stealing Beauty. The creati! ve couple, whose
impressive pedigree proves to be an art form of its own, still reside
there today.

Gorkys style, although somewhat inspired by Cubist space, particularly
in her use of multiple optical perspectives and flat surfaces, remains
perfectly simple. It has been said that she sees the world as she
paints it. The non-essential isnt purposely eliminated from Gorkys
work; it just isnt there.

The upcoming exhibition offers a representative display of her vibrant,
organic landscape works, such as Spring Olive, Winter Light, August
Beach, Brave New World: Summer, and Brave New World: Spring. The
event is free and open to the public.

About S.B. Fine Art

Previous S.B. Fine Art shows have included painters Jean Jansem and John
Altoon. Coming exhibitions will showcase photographer Aris IIiopulos,
as well as sculptors Julie Speidel and Matthew Spender. Bezdikian
serves as a consultant to private clients in a broad range of art
collecting activities, providing access to both information and art. In
addition, she promotes major exhibitions for leading international
artists.

# # #

For more information about S.B. Fine Art and the Maro Gorky show,
including images, or Albert Boimes and Matthew Spenders complete essays
on Maro Gorky, please contact

Jenna Fogle at 323.966.4600 x104 or [email protected]

UPI LatAm
October 14, 2004 Thursday 10:30 AM EST

Israel: Graves problemas de tolerancia entre cristianos y judíos

JERUSALEN, Israel, Octubre 14

Los cristianos en Jerusalén dicen estar molestos por el trato que
reciben por parte de los judíos ultra ortodoxos, informó hoy el
Telegraph.

Uno de los últimos incidentes ocurrió en la Ciudad Vieja de
Jerusalén, cuando un estudiante de religión escupió un crucifijo de
un obispo armenio en las cercanías del Sepulcro Sagrado, el sitio
donde ocurrió la crucifixión de Jesús.

El Obispo Nourhan Manougian, golpeó al estudiante motivo por el cual
se armó una reyerta que terminó con el medallón del siglo XVII roto.
El estudiante fue enjuiciado por este hecho.

En una entrevista a un diario israelí, Manougian exigió que los
líderes israelíes tomaran cartas en el asunto con respecto a la ola
de abusos que según lo señalado por el prelado ha ido en constante
aumento.

“Cuando ocurre algún ataque a un judío en cualquier parte del mundo,
el gobierno israelí se enfurece, por lo tanto, si ocurren ataques a
nuestra religión deberían tomar medidas más drásticas”, enfatizó el
obispo.

Además, agregó que “la policía no toma en cuenta las humillaciones
que sufrimos a diario”.

Daniel Rossing, ex consejero del ministerio de Asuntos Religiosos de
Israel y director del Centro de Diálogo Judío-Cristiano, confirmó que
se había reportado un aumento en el número de estos incidentes en la
Ciudad Antigua.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Center for National and International Studies
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 375033, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 1) 52.87.80 or 27.48.18
Fax: (+374 – 1) 52.48.46
E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website:

October 14, 2004

Accounting for the Decade: ACNIS Releases Its New Yearbook

Yerevan — Today the Armenian Center for National and International
Studies (ACNIS) publicly presented its annual almanac, entitled
“Accounting for the Decade,” which was published on the occasion of
its tenth-anniversary celebration held last week. The event brought
together the yearbook’s participating authors, editorial staff,
publisher, and media representatives for the expression of mutual
gratitude and the sharing of views and perspectives.

Held in the official reception hall of ACNIS headquarters, the program
was opened by founder Raffi K. Hovannisian. “This unique public
accounting is a compilation of multi-disciplinary expert thought which
embraces the Center’s past track record, its agenda for the future,
analytical contributions on the current challenges of foreign and
domestic policy as well as the strategic directions of regional
security, and applied research and public opinion on political,
economic, educational, environmental, and cultural priorities,”
he said.

Hovannisian also extended his deep appreciation to the editorial
staff and contributors for their diligent work, and paid tribute
to Vrej Markosian, director of the Tigran Mets Publishing House,
for his generous, timely, and high-caliber publication of the book.

Hrachuhi Palanduzian, editor-in-chief of the new release, presented
in a nutshell the short but fruitful history of the book’s creation
and thanked her colleagues for their cooperation and professional
analysis. “Now that the book has been published I would like to
record that it was difficult but pleasant work, since we shared the
joy of communication with both our former and current associates as
a reflection of the Center’s productive activity over the past ten
years,” she noted.

Apart from addressing issues of vital national and international
importance, the main characteristic of the yearbook is the variety
of themes and genres. “An Initiative Still Underway,” “A Glance at
Ourselves and the World,” “A Phase Left Incomplete,” “Said Yesterday,
Heard Today,” “The People’s Voice,” and other chapters speak for
themselves and outline the framework of the 750-page oeuvre. The book
opens with a documentary essay, “In Pursuit of Nation-Building and a
New Political Culture,” the provisions of which are crystallized in
an ensuing interview with Raffi Hovannisian.

Among the hundreds congratulating ACNIS on its first decade of public
service, several are included in the yearbook: His Holiness Karekin II,
Catholicos of All Armenians; Prime Minister Andranik Margarian; Chief
Justice Gagik Haroutiunian of the Constitutional Court; Academicians
Fadey Sargsian, Grigor Gurzadian, and Rafael Ghazarian; world-renowned
philanthropist and long-time ACNIS supporter Kirk Kerkorian; Carnegie
Corporation president Vartan Gregorian; the Ambassadors of the
United States, Italy, Greece, and Iran; and scores of other prominent
diplomats, scientists, intellectuals, artists, and public figures.

Nearly half of the yearbook’s pages are devoted to policy-oriented
articles, in three languages, by General Arkadiy Ter-Tadevosian,
analysts Richard Giragosian, Davit Petrosian, Emma Begijanian, Aram
Haroutiunian, Alvard Barkhudarian, Sergey Shakariants, Stepan Safarian,
and Hovsep Khurshudian, philosopher Manuk Haroutiunian, economist Vrej
Jijiyan, legal specialists Hrair Tovmasian and Marat Atovmian, diplomat
Ashot Alexanian, young scholars Haik Demoyan and Suren Baghdasarian,
and natural emergencies expert Stepan Badalian. The book concludes with
a bilingual presentation of ACNIS’s public opinion surveys conducted
this year, and a list of the Center’s strategic partners from 1994
to 2004.

ACNIS director of administration Karapet Kalenchian summed up
the meeting in saluting the editorial staff composed of Hrachuhi
Palanduzian, editor Gevorg Lalayan, graphic designer Gor Grigorian,
Noune Aidinian, Lilit Alexanian, and Karine Bayakhchiants. All public
participants and invited guests then were offered complimentary copies
of “Accounting for the Decade” together with a glass of Armenian
sparkling wine.

Founded in 1994 by Armenia’s first Minister of Foreign Affairs Raffi K.
Hovannisian and supported by a global network of contributors, ACNIS
serves as a link between innovative scholarship and the public policy
challenges facing Armenia and the Armenian people in the post-Soviet
world. It also aspires to be a catalyst for creative, strategic
thinking and a wider understanding of the new global environment. In
2004, the Center focuses primarily on public outreach, civic education,
and applied research on critical domestic and foreign policy issues
for the state and the nation.

For further information on the Center and its publications, call (3741)
52-87-80 or 27-48-18; fax (3741) 52-48-46; e-mail [email protected] or
[email protected]; or visit