Author: Tambiyan Samvel

Newton to drop out of ADL program

City cites genocide of the Armenians

By Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff | September 19, 2007

Mayor David B. Cohen of Newton said yesterday that the city would drop
out of the No Place for Hate program sponsored by the Anti-Defamation
League, drawing rebuke from two prominent Jewish groups.

In making the announcement, Cohen said he had fielded more than 100
phone calls and e-mails on both sides of the issue, but that
ultimately the decision was personal.

"I think this was really an issue of conscience," Cohen said in an
interview. "We certainly
hope the national ADL will do the right thing."

Newton has joined Watertown and Belmont in leaving the program, in
protest of the Anti-Defamation League’s ambiguous position on the
World War I-era killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Turks.

Last month, the ADL’s national director, Abraham Foxman, called the
killings "tantamount to genocide," but stopped short of endorsing a
congressional resolution acknowledging a genocide. Critics such as the
Newton Human Rights Commission said Foxman’s acknowledgment was too
hesitant and demanded that the national organization "fully and
unequivocally recognize[s] the Armenian genocide."

Armenian leaders nationally have asked communities to cease offering
the No Place for Hate program until the ADL explicitly acknowledges a
genocide.

But area Jewish leaders, including one who has been critical of the
national group’s position, said yesterday they were disappointed by
Cohen’s decision.

Last month, Foxman fired Andrew H. Tarsy, the ADL’s regional director
for New England, for breaking ranks with the national ADL and
condemning the Armenian killings. Tarsy was rehired when Foxman
revised his views.

Tarsy said yesterday he was disappointed with Cohen’s decision to drop
the program, saying the organization has worked closely with city
officials in Newton. The city has one of the state’s largest Jewish
populations.

"I had hoped the city of Newton would not rush to judgment on the
issue," Tarsy said. "The program is a very valuable resource for all
of the participating communities. We stand ready to work with all of
them."

Nancy Kaufman, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations
Council of Greater Boston, also condemned Cohen’s decision.

"I totally understand as an American Jew that nothing would be worse
than someone saying the Holocaust didn’t happen," Kaufman said. "But
to continue to focus on No Place for Hate, which is a very important
program, is not the right approach."

The ADL established the No Place of Hate program in 1999 as a vehicle
for local municipalities to take a public stand against bias. To earn
the designation, cities and towns had to show the ADL that they had
taken certain steps, including hosting at least three antibias events.
Communities then receive recertification, provided they hold at least
two more annual events. More than 50 communities in Massachusetts
still participate in the program.

The controversy erupted in August when officials in Watertown, which
has a sizeable Armenian-American community, voted to end their
affiliation with the program. Belmont followed suit.

After the Newton Human Rights Commission’s vote earlier this month,
Cohen, who is Jewish, said he expected to make a decision within days.
He issued his first statement on the matter yesterday.

"The recognition of the Armenian genocide is an important step along
the path of freedom and justice and crucial in combating other
genocides now and in the future," he said in a press release. Cohen
said he will ask the human rights panel to meet again in November,
after the national ADL meeting, to review its position.

Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee
of America, said he is not surprised by Cohen’s decision.

"This shows how opposition to the [congressional] legislation is just
crumbling," he said. "Turkey is trying to enforce US silence and even
complicity, and that effort is crumbling."

Jane Brown, a member of the Newton Human Rights Commission, applauded
Cohen’s decision. She said he told her of his decision Monday.

"He’s very much with us," she said. "He told me how proud he was of
the commission for our courageous stand."

(c) Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

Source: icles/2007/09/19/newton_to_drop_out_of_adl_program /

SERIOUS NEGOTIATION HELD DURING THE CO-CHAIRS’ VISIT TO THE REGION

armradio.am
19.09.2007 10:05

Serious negotiations were held during the current visit to the region,
which can serve as a basis for achieving progress in the settlement
process, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs declared in Baku yesterday.

The main efforts of the mediators are directed at eliminating the
discrepancies between the parties. French Co-Chair Bernard Fassier
expressed dissatisfaction with the coverage of the mediators’ activity
by some media. In particular, he accused the press of searching
for stir where it does not exist and called on journalists to check
the information before publicizing it. This was the case with the
coverage of Bernard Fassier’s opinion about the format of the talks
and participation of the Armenian community of Nagorno Karabakh in
the negotiations.

Yuri Merzlyakov added that currently the Co-Chairs are engaged in
"getting agreement on the basic principles." "The matter concerns the
text of the peaceful agreement. When the basic principles are agreed
upon, representatives of Armenian and Azeri communities will have to
take part in elaboration of the text of the peace treaty. The sooner
it becomes possible, the better," he noted. At the same time, Yuri
Merzluakov confessed that the process of agreeing upon the principles
is not simple. "There are several serious principles that still have
to be agreed upon," he said.

Matthew Bryza noted that the Presidents of the two countries should
make difficult decisions, and according to him, they can take these
decisions.

Bernard Fassier didn’t comment upon Ilham Aliyev’s statements on the
willingness to settle the Karabakh conflict in a military way and his
discontent with the Minsk Group’s work. "Today your President highly
assessed the Co-Chairs’ work and everybody is well aware of his words
about the necessity to settle the conflict in a peaceful way".

IN ORDER TO REACH A COMPROMISE WE MUST FIRST NEGOTIATE

KarabakhOpen
19-09-2007 10:11:25

The speaker of the Karabakh parliament Ashot Ghulyan said in an
interview with News Armenia the current stage of the talks is not
reassuring. "I think it is due to the inhibitions in Azerbaijan
regarding the legal grounds and the context of the settlement in
general. In particular, the principle of territorial integrity is said
to be primary. And though nothing new has added to the international
law over the past 10 to 15 years, life continues on the Earth, new
states emerge on the map. If the states are ready to be recognized,
there is no other obstacle.

It is so natural, and even no other arguments are needed. Logically,
it is very simple: two new states emerged in the territory of former
Soviet Azerbaijan – Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic – and the
settlement should take into consideration the reality. If Azerbaijan
dislikes the existence of NKR, it does not mean the topic is not for
discussion by the international community. We need space or rostrum
to discuss it," Ashot Ghulyan said.

"Nagorno-Karabakh knows what it wants. However, since everything is
correlated, the degree of compromise on behalf of Karabakh will depend
on the degree of concessions on behalf of Azerbaijan. However, we are
not going to discuss anything that is related to the security of the
people of Nagorno-Karabakh one way or another. In order to reach a
compromise we must first negotiate. The talks will show the expedience
of the actions of each of the sides regarding the key issues, namely
the problem of territories, refugees, etc. At any rate, people have
not thought out another way of solving conflicts than talks," said
the speaker of the Karabakh parliament.

"Azerbaijan assumed obligations on entry to international
organizations. One of them is peace settlement of existing problems.

If Azerbaijan can afford to disregard these obligations, it is
already the problem of the international community. I think in any
case Azerbaijan should think before making unjustified and thoughtless
moves. No politician who has good sense would assume responsibility
for the consequences of breaking the cease-fire, considering that
the international community will not endorse him. Life showed that
there is no military resolution of the conflict over Karabakh,
and I think the more Azerbaijan kindles the militaristic hysteria,
the more reason Karabakh and the other regional actors will have to
boost their military potential," Ashot Ghulyan said.

BAKU STRIVES TO ENLIST SUPPORT FROM UN MEMBER STATES REGARDING THE ISSUE OF "FROZEN CONFLICTS"

PanARMENIAN.Net
15.09.2007 GMT+04:00

GUAM Countries simply fuse conflicts with anti-Russian dispositions.

The UN is made up of 192 countries, 2/3 of which do not even
have any idea about the conflict existing between Azerbaijan and
Nagorno-Karabakh. Placing the issue of "frozen conflicts" on the
territory of the Member States of the "Organization for Democracy
and Economic Development; i.e. GUAM" on the agenda of 62nd General
Assembly of the UNO aims at nothing else but PR.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ It is called to convince particularly the population
of Azerbaijan that the country’s leaders put all the efforts for
the regulation of Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict to their favor. It was
not in vain that the Head of the Department of Foreign Relations of
Azeri President’s Executive Office Novruz Mamedov announced proudly;
"Discussion of the issue of "frozen conflicts" on GUAM territory
during the UN General Assembly speaks of the undeniable success in
Azerbaijan’s foreign policy."

By October 3, when the issue will be under discussion, the official
Baku will strive to enlist support from different States. For
instance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal Sahana Pradhan
announced that his country will support Azerbaijan throughout the
course of upcoming discussions of the issue of "frozen conflicts"
on the territory of GUAM Member Countries on the 62nd session of UN
General Assembly. Most likely in coming days the Faroe Islands, Bhutan
and some other states included in the Organization of the Islamic
Conference will join Nepal. Though it should be mentioned that among
Islamic Countries there are some which, if not say support Armenia,
at least co-operate with Russia, which is also against the above
mentioned discussions. Once again Azerbaijan will try to mislead the
World Community, this time together with Georgia and Moldova. GUAM
Countries simply fuse conflicts with anti-Russian dispositions.

It is clear that the Azeri Minister of Foreign Affairs will surely
mention the "20% of the Azeri territory occupied by the Armenian
Armed Forces and 1 million refugees"… Baku has no other argument,
and it will never have.

Meanwhile the RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanyan
thinks that the adoption of the Resolution on "frozen" conflicts in
post-Soviet areas will complicate the process of Nagorno-Karabakh
Conflict regulation. "I must say I have the impression that the
countries interested in the stabilization of the region of South
Caucasus and of the process of Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict regulation,
are negatively disposed towards the possible adoption of the Resolution
on "frozen" conflicts in post-Soviet areas," mentioned the RA Minister
of Foreign Affairs.

According to his words, GUAM Countries announce that the adoption
of issue of the "frozen" conflicts has the only aim of introducing
it to the UN Member States. "If these statements are true, what’s
the need of adopting any resolution, if just a discussion may be
organized? During the meeting with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
in New York I informed him about the complications the adoption of the
Resolution may lead to, introduced the Armenian viewpoint and what
measures the Armenian side may take if the Resolution is adopted,"
underlined Oskanyan.

The First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Yastrebchak of Transnistria
Vladimir Yastrebchak also expressed his worry regarding the mentioned
issue. "We understand that former metropolises try to impose
their point of view to the World Community regarding self-defined
States. Their aim is to take advantage of UN support up to the adoption
of the UN sanction and gain mandate to carry out military operations.

However, such arrangement of the issue, even if it is taken up to
the UN, is clear not to contribute to any fair regulation in our
countries. The will of the people of Transnistria, South Ossetia,
Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh mustn’t be left ignored; it may have
dangerous outcomes. Neither European Union, nor Russia or GUAM
Countries are interested in conflicts stepping into a "less frozen"
phase. We don’t believe that local wars and conflicts are of any
interest to the members of the World Community," said Yastrebchak.

OSCE MG SAYS UN FORMAT FOR KARABAKH PROBLEM RESOLUTION INADMISSIBLE

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.09.2007 19:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The OSCE assumed the task to assist in resolving
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict by a UN decision, OSCE Minsk Group
Russian Co-chair, Ambassador Yuri Merzlyakov told a news conference
in Yerevan today.

Transfer of the issue to another institution should proceed from a
mutual agreement of the sides and the OSCE MG, according to him.

"Any UN member state is entitled to introduce draft resolutions. The
General Assembly can pass them, but these will be non-binding
resolutions. Transfer of Karabakh problem to the UN is wrong from
legal, political and diplomatic standpoint," the Russian mediator
underscored.

He also advised to refrain from looking for divergences in the
Co-chairs’ statements and asking about the detail of the negotiation
process.

For his part, French Co-chair Bernard Fassier said the UN format is
inadmissible for the Karabakh conflict resolution

NKR PRESIDENT: TO BRING SETTLEMENT PROCESS TO LOGICAL COMPLETION KARABAGH MUST PARTICIPATE IN TALKS

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
2007-09-17 15:23:00

September 16 the OSCE Minsk group Co-Chairs visited
Nagorno-Karabagh. In the course of the visit they met with the
Nagorno-Karabagh Republic President Bako Sahakian.

Upon completion of the meeting Bernard Fassier, French Co-Chairs
of the Minsk group, told journalists that "one day we should see
the representatives of Nagorno-Karabagh at the negotiating table,
and the sooner it happens the better".

The diplomat stated Nagorno-Karabagh’s return to the bargaining table
did not depend on the mediators only.

Speaking of the meeting, the French mediator said the interlocutors
had discussed the current stage of the conflict settlement; however,
he did not go into details.

In his turn Matthew Bryza, American Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk
group, remarked, "change of the negotiations’ format should not be
considered at the moment, as new political seasons have started in
Armenia and Azerbaijan".

The Co-Chairs noted their talk with NKR new President Bako Sahakian
was profound, fruitful and constructive.

Yuri Merzlyakov, the Russian Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk group,
added the mediators should discuss and analyze the results of the
meeting held with NKR President.

NKR President Bako Sahakian told journalists Karabagh party reaffirmed
its adherence to the peaceful settlement of the conflict. Bako
Sahakian underscored the talks’ current format was inefficient. "We
are grateful to Armenia for its efforts, however, at the same time
we think Karabagh must necessarily participate in the talks to bring
the settlement process to logical completion", NKR President stated.

Bako Sahakian also noted according to Karabagh party, while visiting
the region, the OSCE Minsk group Co-Chairs should necessarily visit
Nagorno-Karabagh.

Interfax Russia, Russia
Sep 16 2007 2:38PM

Minsk Group hopes for Karabakh’s role in the talks

STEPANAKERT. Sept 16 (Interfax) – The co-chairmen of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Minsk Group for Nagorno
Karabakh settlement said on Sunday that broader contacts were needed
with the leaders of the breakway republic.

Representatives of Nagorno Karabakh must appear at the negotiating
table one day – the sooner the better, France’s Bernard Fassier, a
Minsk Group co-chairman, told reporters after talks with Nagorno
Karabakh’s new President Bako Saakian in Stepanakert on Sunday.

This format existed previously, but Karabakh’s return to the
negotiating table does not depend on the mediators alone, he said.

Co-chairman Mathew Bryza of the United States said changing the format
of the talks would be impossible to discuss now that new political
seasons were beginning in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Bryza said the discussion of the proposals, on the negotiating table
already, must be continued.

Russian co-chairman Yury Merzlyakov said his impression of the new
Karabakh president was good and that the mediators needed to discuss
and assess what the talks had addressed.

Saakian told the press that the current format of the talks was not
effective and that the mediators had been informed of that.

"We must thank Armenia for the efforts made, but think that if the
settlement is to be carried through to the end, Nagorno Karabakh must
necessarily participate in the talks," he said.

The co-chairmen are expected to return to Yerevan on Sunday. sd

KOCHARIAN TO VISIT TBILISI, DUSHANBE, BRUSSELS AND HELSINKI

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.09.2007 12:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ September 15, Armenian President Robert Kocharian
will depart for Georgia on a 1-day visit by invitation of Georgian
leader Mikhael Saakashvili, RA President’s Spokesman Victor Soghomonyan
told reporters in Yerevan.

"It will be a private visit but the Presidents will certainly discuss
the Armenian-Georgian relations, specifically the Javakhk problem,"
he said adding that the hearsay on abuilding prison in Javakhk is
groundless.

Victor Soghomonyan also briefed on the President’s schedule. "In
September-October President Kocharian will take part in the CIS summit
and CSTO meeting in Dushanbe. October 10-13 he will depart for Brussels
and then for Helsinki by invitation of the Finnish President," he said.

"The visit of the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Armenia
holds true. The organization of the visit is underway," he added.

ARMENIA DE FACTO RECOGNIZED KARABAKH INDEPENDENCE LONG AGO

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.09.2007 12:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia de facto recognized Karabakh independence
long ago, RA President’s Spokesman Victor Soghomonyan told a news
conference in Yerevan.

"Presence of Armenian President Robert Kocharian at the inauguration
of NKR newly elected President Bako Sahakian proves this fact. We
are confident that there is no alternative to Nagorno Karabakh’s
independence," he said.

As to the possibility of Armenia’s de jure recognition of NKR, Mr
Soghomonyan reminded that the leadership intends to attend to the
issue if the talks reach a deadlock.

He emphasized that the OSCE Minsk Group format is the best for the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. "Transfer of the process to
other international organizations would be incorrect. The coming
visit of the OSCE MG Co-chairs can draw positions closer," the RA
President’s Spokesman said.

LIKE ITS NEIGHBORS, GEORGIA IS GROWING ITS MILITARY, BUT FOR BETTER REASONS
By M. Alkhazashvili, translated by Diana Dundua

Messenger.ge, Georgia
Friday, September 14, 2007, #175 (1442)

The nations of the South Caucasus are rapidly increasing military
expenditures. Armenia and Azerbaijan are preparing for a tragically
likely second war, while Georgia is focused on NATO accession.

Georgia’s parliament is expected to soon approve an increase on the
legislative cap on troops under the Defense Ministry’s aegis. A fifth
brigade will be added to the current four, another 5 000 troops to
the country’s limit of 28 000.

While many nations in the US-led coalition in Iraq are pulling
out their troops, Georgia has raised its commitment. That earned
a nod from David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq. Georgian
media proudly touted his comments, slightly exaggerated, quoting the
general as praising Georgian soldiers as some of the most efficient
and effective on the ground.

Georgia, of course, gains from its Iraq commitment by showing itself as
a contributor to regional security, not just a potential beneficiary
of it. Georgian troops are also accumulating excellent experience;
their current mission is to plug the smuggling routes along the Wasit
province’s border with Iran, developing skills easily levied into
anti-smuggling operations in the South Caucasus.

But this costs. Georgia’s military budget has risen twice this year;
official defense spending now amounts to nearly a quarter of the
entire budget, and ten percent of GDP. The Defense Ministry’s budget
is now about GEL 1.3 billion, money mostly dedicated to getting the
country’s military up to NATO standards.

The rise is incredibly steep, but that’s in large part because defense
spending four years ago was negligible.

Some opposition politicians attack the defense expenditures
as outlandish in proportion to the country’s size and economy,
but Georgia’s neighbors are spending equally feverishly on their
militaries.

Azerbaijan, rolling in billions of dollars of oil revenue, raised
its military budget to USD 1 billion in 2007, almost four times the
amount three years earlier, according to the newspaper Rezonansi.

The Armenian Defense Ministry’s public numbers, meanwhile, put their
budget at USD 300 million, a 35 percent rise over 2006.

Azerbaijan boasts approximately 70 000 soldiers; Armenia has 50
000. Georgian analysts consider soldiers here to be better trained,
though Armenia and Azerbaijan currently have superior military
equipment.

While Armenian and Azerbaijani spending is propelling them down
a collision course, Georgia’s military focus is rightly aimed at
achieving the peace and security ensured by membership in the world’s
most powerful military alliance.

It’s understandable to wonder why Georgia must build another military
base, instead of dozens of schools and hospitals. Many Georgians are in
a state of need, but investing in NATO accession and its accompanying
stability is a necessary bow to the needs of the state.