Author: Tambiyan Samvel

Azeri ruling party official says pre-election situation “perfectly normal”

ANS TV, Baku
11 Aug 05

The pre-election situation in Azerbaijan is causing great concerns,
because despite the pressure exerted on the Azerbaijani authorities on
the part of the West and international organizations, neither the
composition of electoral commissions has been changed, nor conditions
have been established for public organizations to observe the
election, the co-founder of the Yeni Siyasat (New Policy) election
bloc, Eldar Namazov, has said.

Namazov was invited to the Azerbaijani commercial ANS TV’s “Point of
View” programme on 11 August together with the deputy executive
secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, Mubariz Qurbanli.

Namazov said the failure to meet these demands had undermined public
confidence in the fairness of this election. He said that since the
process of registration of candidates had already started, his bloc
had nominated about 90 people to stand in the election. However, the
fact that many citizens have not received their ID cards is creating
problems in the process of collection of signatures. According to the
official statistics, more than 1m voters have yet to receive their ID
cards, he said.

Another problem candidates have been facing is the requirement to
produce too many documents. Members of the bloc have had to produce 48
different documents, Namazov said. In addition to that, all candidates
nominated from one bloc have to have their documents confirmed by a
single stamp, which means that the candidates nominated in regions of
Azerbaijan have to come all the way to Baku or send their documents by
mail. The biggest problem, however, is the ever exacerbating tension
in society, Namazov noted.

Mubariz Qurbanli said that his opponent had painted a grim picture of
the situation. He described the pre-election situation as “perfectly
normal” and said it was totally under control. Qurbanli said
sufficient changes had been introduced to the electoral code on the
basis of recommendations from international organizations. He noted
that the current election law can provide for a completely free and
fair election.

With regard to the difficulties Namazov referred to with the issuing
of ID cards to the population, Qurbanli said the Yeni Siyasat election
bloc had not organized its work properly. He explained that candidates
nominated in rural parts of Azerbaijan do not have to come to Baku but
can work through their proxies.

Qurbanli dismissed claims that polarization in society was deepening,
adding that the majority of citizens were rallying behind the
incumbent authorities. He said the forces who are already aware of
their impending defeat in the election portray themselves as a
fully-fledged player on the political firmament.

The ruling party executive went on to say that it was normal for
different groups of people, not necessarily those involved in
politics, to be outraged by the fact that the member of a group
supported by People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party (Yeni Fikir youth
movement), Ruslan Basirli, accepted money from Armenian secret agents
in order to overthrow government in Azerbaijan. He added that even
though a recent protest action outside the party had not been
authorized, members of the party should have let the police disperse
the protesters. Instead, some of them had climbed to the roof of the
building to throw stones at the pickets.

Picking up the topic, Eldar Namazov said he had condemned Ruslan
Basirli’s action in the press. However, he said opposition parties in
Azerbaijan have been deprived of any funding opportunities. In
democratic countries, he said, parties are supported by certain
businessmen. The businessmen helping opposition parties in Azerbaijan
have repeatedly come under pressure which eventually forced them to
close their enterprises.

Namazov said that in Russia, for instance, the parties running for
parliament receive money from the state budget proportionately to the
number of votes cast for them in a previous election. There is no such
thing in Azerbaijan, he said.

PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia & New Zealand
10 Macquarie Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
AUSTRALIA
Contact: Laura Artinian
Tel: (02) 9419-8056
Fax: (02) 9904-8446
Email: [email protected]

6 August 2005

ARMENIAN-AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITY OUTRAGED AT FALSE REPORT

Sydney, Australia – The Armenian-Australian Community was outraged
this week demanding an apology and full retraction of a falsely
reported column headlined “Pope Shot by Armenian Gunman” posted in
The Canberra Times on 4 August 2005. The correspondent erroneously
reported the would-be assassin of His Holiness Pope John Paul II of
blessed memory, in May 1981, was of Armenian origin. Mehmet Ali Agca
was in fact a Turkish militant with absolutely no Armenian connection.

The outpouring of rage and resentment by the local and international
Armenian Community at such sloppy journalism is totally justifiable
particularly when The Canberra Times claims to be “Canberra’s primary
source of news, views and advertising information” and bears as its
motto ‘To serve the national city and through it the nation’.

Letters denouncing the Armenian link to the Turkish assassin,
the falsity of the report and the slur on the Armenian name were
affirmed to the Editor calling for an unequivocal apology. All
Armenian organisations and individuals are urged to make their own
protest against this profound mistruth, in a voice of unity that is
blasphemous for Armenians.

In his letter to The Canberra Times, Primate of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of Australia and New Zealand, His Eminence Archbishop
Aghan Baliozian wrote ~ “I trust this egregious and damaging error will
elicit an immediate and sincere apology to the Armenian-Australian
Community. In turn, as true followers of Christ’s teachings, and as
the example set by His Holiness in forgiving Agca for the error of
his ways, the Armenian-Australian Community will forgive The Canberra
Times for the gross error it has made.”

A response from The Canberra Times is pending.

PRYAKHIN: ARMENIA HAS OPPORTUNITY OF DEMOCRATIC REFORMS WITHOUT VIOLENCE

PanArmenian News Network
Aug 6 2005

06.08.2005 03:14

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The OSCE hopes for the efforts of Armenian
authorities on constitutional reforms to succeed and Armenian
people to say “yes” to constitutional changes in the course of
the referendum scheduled in autumn. “OSCE hails the fact that the
Armenia party has accepted most of expert proposals of the Venice
commission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human
Rights (ODIHR/OSCE),” – stated chief of the OSCE Office in Yerevan,
Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin. “This does not mean we are satisfied
with all changes. Not all proposals were taken into account,” the
diplomat noted, meaning specifically proposal over more transparent
and democratic activities of media regulating bodies. Today the
republic president appoints members of those structures. As of the
participation or non-participation of the opposition in the debate
over the constitutional changes, V. Pryakhin stated, “Opposition is
disconnected in Armenia. On the one hand Justice Bloc notes it would
be nice to take part in the debate over the constitutional reforms,
on the other hand Republic Party making part of the Bloc is against
it.” In Pryakhin’s words, the passing of constitutional reforms
will mean that Armenia “has registered progress in democracy.” “If
the opposition urges its supporters to vote against or boycott
the referendum, the changes will not be passed and we will have
the Constitution of 1995, which does not reflect the needs of
the society today. Thus, I call all parties to sensibly evaluate
the situation,” he noted. As of the opportunity of revolution and
change of authorities in Armenia, Mr. Pryakhin stated he is for
“evolutionary development” and is “against violence.” In his words,
revolution “provides for violence.” V. Pryakhin said he was sure that
today Armenia has opportunities of democratic reforms without violence.
“Most Armenians are not sure that the forces that will take power can
improve the situation,” V. Pryakhin noted. He added, “Thus, in Armenia
there is no revolution situation in the classical sense of the word,”
reported RFE/RL.

Turkish Press
Aug 5 2005

Press Review

TURKIYE

GUL: “WE’RE WORKING TO REVEAL THE REALITY ABOUT THE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE”

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday that the government was
working to reveal the reality about the so-called Armenian genocide.
Replying to an official question of a deputy, Gul said that a number
of documents reflecting the truth about the issue had been prepared
and sent to scholars, libraries, parliaments and journalists abroad.
/Turkiye/

BUILDING KARS-AKHALKALAKI RAILWAY TO BE DISCUSSED IN TURKEY

PanArmenian News Network
Aug 1 2005

01.08.2005 07:46

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ministers of Transport of Turkey, Azerbaijan and
Georgia will soon meet in Istanbul to discuss project of building
Kars (Turkey)-Akhalkalaki (Georgia)-Tbilisi-Baku railway. It should
be reminded that earlier Co-Chairs of the US Congressional Caucus on
Armenian Issues Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and George
Radanovich (R-CA) submitted a bill to the House of Representatives
banning the US assistance to the Kars-Akhalkalaki project avoiding the
already existing branch line of Kars-Gyumri (Armenia)- Akhalkalaki. In
Knollenberg’s words, “depriving Armenia of economic and commercial
rights will harm US long-term regional interests.” It should be noted
that Kars-Akhalkalaki new railway length will make 98km, 68 of which
pass through the territory of Turkey and 30 – through Georgia. Some
$500 million will be necessary to implement the project. The railway
is planned to be put into operation in the end of 2008. It should also
be noted that a Declaration on the creation of international transport
rail corridor Kars-Tbilisi-Baku was signed by Presidents of Azerbaijan,
Georgia and Turkey in Baku May 25. The Kars-Akhalkalaki railway will
be built within the framework of the Declaration. Armenian authorities
are also discontent with the building of the railway. Specifically,
in Transport Minister A. Manukyan’s words, the railway is unfavorable
both to Armenia and the region. Besides, in his words, Armenia will be
isolated and the project, as different from the Kars-Gyumri road, is
not approved by TRACECA. Manukyan also noted that the next day after
the blockade of the Armenian-Turkish border is lifted the Armenian
party will be able to receive load via Kars-Gyumri line: “the Armenian
part of the railway and the border terminal are in a perfect technical
condition.” “We are also ready to provide beneficial transit tariffs
to the Turkish party,” Manukyan noted, reported IA Regnum.

Boston Globe, MA
July 26 2005

Greenway guidance
July 26, 2005

MANY MAPS of the Rose Kennedy Greenway contain no mention of Parcel
13. Planners expected the small plot between Faneuil Market and
Christopher Columbus Park to be included with the large Parcel 12,
now tentatively designated as the site for a Boston History Museum.
But no. With little fanfare, the Legislature directed that Parcel 13
be the site of a memorial to Armenian heritage and the Armenian
genocide.

Three choice Greenway parcels extending north from South Station have
been designated for development by the Massachusetts Horticultural
Society, but the Turnpike Authority has threatened to seek other
uses. The authority is also watching the YMCA, which is facing
increased costs for its proposed building near the North End.

The new Intercontinental Hotel near Russia Wharf is now designed with
a double-car-width valet parking pullout, so pedestrians would have
to swerve away from the street and under the hotel canopy in order to
proceed on the sidewalk bordering the Greenway. The city of Boston’s
Public Improvement Committee gave the OK for this design.

Two points about these issues: (1) All are important to the future of
the Greenway, and (2) None is the responsibility of the Rose Kennedy
Greenway Conservancy.

Chaired by Peter Meade, the Conservancy is making considerable
progress in pulling together design and programming ideas and in
raising private funds. It is the best hope to become the long-awaited
client — the true manager of the Greenway. But it does not now have
the mandate or the tools to do the job.

Situating an Armenian memorial in Boston is a fine idea, and the
design work now underway may be excellent, but it is ridiculous for
the Legislature to be picking off street corners within a massive
project and mandating what will go where with no reference to 15
years of planning.

The Legislature, the MBTA, the city, the Turnpike Authority, and
other parties can all contribute to a good result, but only if they
are brought together by some entity that has the clout to coordinate
them effectively. This applies also to fundraising, where there is
now too much competition.

Until now, the Turnpike Authority has made most of the decisions
related to the Greenway. It has hired top designers and guided a
process that may yet produce a result close to the project’s
extraordinary potential. But the Turnpike Authority is a road agency.
It should cede more authority to the Conservancy, which is positioned
to rally the public and private support needed.

California Courier Online, July 28, 2005

1 – Commentary
Switzerland Detains Turkish Politician
For Denying the Armenian Genocide
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The Califorrnia Courier

2 – Mesrobian School Will Mark
40th Anniversary with Banquet
3- DVD Review: ‘Road to Redemption,
Memories of the 1915 Armenian Genocide’
4 – Cyprus Greeks Threaten
To Retaliate Against Baku
5 – AGBU Orange County Co-Sponsor
First Pan-Armenian Festival in OC
6 – Armenian Couple Gives CSUN Record $7.3 Million Donation
7 – Winner Announced for the 2005 William
Saroyan International Prize for Writing
8 – Glendale Adventist
Medical Center Hosts
‘Blessing of Grapes’
*************************************************************************
1 – Commentary
Switzerland Detains Turkish Politician
For Denying the Armenian Genocide

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

In recent years, tensions have been steadily mounting between Switzerland
and Turkey following the adoption of resolutions recognizing the Armenian
Genocide by various Swiss cities, cantons (states) and the Federal
Parliament. Visits by government ministers and parliamentary groups have
been postponed or cancelled and economic/political relations have been
adversely affected.
A new dispute between the two countries flared up this past weekend when a
large number of Turks from several European countries and Turkey arrived in
Switzerland to celebrate the 82nd anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne
which marked the foundation of the Turkish Republic and reversed the ceding
of lands to various nationalities, including the Armenians, as mandated
three years earlier by the Treaty of Sevres.
Among the dignitaries expected to travel to Switzerland on this occasion
were Rauf Denktash, Former President of Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus,
Dr. Yusuf Halacoglu, Chairman of the Turkish History Foundation, Dogu
Perincek, Chairman of the Workers’ Party in Turkey, and several other
well-known revisionists of the Armenian Genocide, including Gunduz Aktan,
former member of the infamous Turkish Armenian Reconciliation Commission,
Dr. Hikmet Ozdemir, Head of the Armenian Studies Department of the Turkish
History Foundation, and Sukru Elekdag, former Turkish Ambassador to the
United States.
At the last minute, Dr. Halacoglu had second thoughts and decided not to
travel to Switzerland. He told the Turkish media that he was concerned
about “possible provocations” against him, as he had been summoned by a
Swiss Court for having questioned the veracity of the Armenian Genocide in
remarks made on May 4, 2004, in Winterthur, in violation of Swiss law which
prohibits the denial, belittling or justifying of genocide. It is not known
if Aktan, Elekdag and Ozdemir ended up going to Switzerland. They may have
also changed their travel plans to avoid similar legal action against them.
Dogu Perincek did go, however, only to get himself in legal trouble with
the Swiss authorities. He had already made denialist statements on the
Armenian Genocide during a previous visit to Lausanne and Bern on May 7,
2005. The Swiss-Armenia Association alerted the Swiss authorities on July
15, 2005 that he and other Turkish denialists were about to enter the
country with the intent of breaking Swiss laws once again.
Last Saturday, after Perincek told reporters in Winterthur that “the
Armenian Genocide is an international lie,” he was detained and questioned
for several hours by the public prosecutor. Winterthur police spokesman
Werner Benz was quoted as saying that Perincek was interrogated for denying
the Armenian Genocide. A criminal probe was launched against him as he is
suspected of violating Swiss anti-racism laws. During his questioning, he
was accompanied by two Turkish lawyers and diplomats representing the
Turkish Embassy in Bern.
Following his conditional release, Perincek bragged about his confrontation
with the Swiss prosecutor. He boldly repeated the same lies about the
Armenian Genocide the next day in Lausanne, even though he was warned by
the Winterthur public prosecutor not to make similar denialist statements
in future public appearances in Switzerland. Following his remarks, the
public prosecutor in Lausanne requested that Perincek appear in front of
him to be interrogated at a later date.
While Perincek was gloating over the fact that he had defended the honor of
Turkey in Switzerland, little did he realize that he was inadvertently
helping publicize the Armenian Genocide. Thanks to Perincek’s misguided
efforts, newspapers, wire services and TV stations around the world printed
and aired hundreds of news items in dozens of languages. No amount of money
spent by Armenians could have bought this kind of international publicity
for the Armenian Genocide.
To make matters worse for the Turks, the Foreign Minister of Turkey,
Abdullah Gul, issued a statement condemning the Swiss authorities for
detaining Perincek. He thereby helped generate even more publicity for the
Armenian Genocide in the international media. As the official of an
autocratic state, Gul put himself in the ridiculous position of lecturing
the Swiss authorities on “respecting the principle of freedom.” He
threatened that Turkey would take necessary steps in light of further
assessments of the situation. “We became involved the minute we heard that
Perincek had been taken to the prosecutor’s office for questioning. Our
Consul in Zurich, Mehmet Emre, has been with Perincek every step along the
way. Our Ambassador in Bern, Alev Kilic, has been keeping me up to date on
all of the developments. And I have been keeping the Prime Minister up to
date through the night. It is simply not possible for us to accept this
being done to a Turkish leader of a political party,” Gul said.
After such around the clock monitoring of the situation, Armenians would
hope that Gul would carry out his threats and take retaliatory steps
against Switzerland, thereby further antagonizing the Swiss against Turkey.
The additional political fireworks would result in even more media coverage
of the Armenian Genocide.
While pretending to defend the principles of freedom and coming to the
rescue of a fellow Turk, Gul may not have paid sufficient attention to the
fact that he was actually supporting one of most dubious characters in
Turkish politics. A Turkish journalist, who was in Lausanne covering the
event, was quoted by the Swiss “24 Heures” as saying that he deplored the
“extremist” speeches delivered on that day. He said that Dogu Perincek had
very few followers in Turkey. The Swiss paper also reported that even some
Turks were keeping their distance from the events in Lausanne.
Who actually is Dogu Perincek? He is the Chairman of a minor leftist party.
The State Department reported that he “served 11 months in prison on a
sentence for illegal possession of classified state documents, assisting a
terrorist organization, and possession of unlicensed firearms.” He was
subsequently “acquitted on charges of assisting the PKK and possessing
secret state documents.”
According to Mehmet Ali Birand, a prominent Turkish journalist, Perincek’s
party received less 1% of the votes in the last elections. Furthermore,
Birand states that Perincek has written in his book on Kemalism that there
were “fascistic practices during the Ataturk era.” Perincek has referred to
the Turkish Armed Forces “as a fascistic army,” according to Birand. Does
Gul share Perincek’s views on Ataturk’s fascistic rule and the fascistic
army? Birand writes that “in many of his speeches Perincek likened
Ataturk…to Milosevic and Saddam.”
Furthermore, Birand states that Perincek called Rauf Denktash, the former
President of Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus, “a British collaborator.”
Perincek now hails Denktash as a national hero and ccompanied him “to
celebrate the Turkish victory at Lausanne.” According to the Kurdistan
Observer, before becoming a Kemalist, Perincek was a Maoist.
It is simply amazing that the likes of Perincek and Gul dare to open their
mouths and give a country like Switzerland lessons in democracy and freedom
of speech. Nevertheless, the more they talk, the more they disgrace
themselves and the more they provide free publicity for the Armenian Cause.
**************************************************************************
2 – Mesrobian School Will Mark
40th Anniversary with Banquet
PICO RIVERA – Mesrobian Armenian School will reach a milestone when the
2005-2006 academic year begins in September. The school will celebrate its
40th anniversary at a Gala Banquet on Friday, October 21, 2005, at Holy
Cross Cathedral’s Bagramian Hall.
The 40th Anniversary Committee is diligently working and planning all the
details in order to ensure a memorable and successful event. Committee
members include Principal Hilda Saliba, teachers, parents, alumni, and
representatives from all the organizations and school-affiliated
committees.
Mesrobian School has been a source of pride and joy for the community
during the last 40 years. Its graduates have received the highest academic
preparation, along with an excellent education in Armenian language and
history. Mesrobian students have been accepted to and graduated from some
of the best universities throughout the country. A testament to Mesrobian’s
success is that the alumni have not only enrolled their children at
Mesrobian School, but have returned to work as teachers and coaches.
“This will be an excellent opportunity for the community to rally around
Mesrobian School’s achievements and to ensure continued progress for its
student body,” stated Finance Committee Chair Sarkis Nourian.
Mesrobian School is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools
and Colleges (WASC).
In addition to the Oct. 21 Banquet, the Committee is also putting together
a special raffle with a 1st Prize of $5,000 cash. Raffle tickets, printed
in a limited number, are priced at $100 each.
For more information, contact the school office at 323-723-3181 or call
Lydia Minasian at 323-726-7181, or Goharik Gabriel at 323-440-7297.
*****************************************************************
3 – DVD Review: ‘Road to Redemption,
Memories of the 1915 Armenian Genocide’
By Jason Sohigian
WATERTOWN, MA–The DVD film, “Road to Redemption, Memories of the 1915
Armenian Genocide,” is unusual in that it is a high-quality video of an
Armenian Genocide commemoration.
Such commemorations are usually attended by concerned Armenians and then
relegated to memory, but the Genocide Archive Project has ensured that the
historically rich multi-media program organized by a joint committee from
the Greater Boston community to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the
Genocide will have a much wider impact.
The event, held at Boston University on April 21, 2005, and final DVD were
carefully orchestrated for an audience with the goal of creating a
broadcast-quality DVD on the Armenian Genocide that can be used as an
educational tool at any time of the year.
Another unusual aspect of the DVD is that it is not centered on any one
individual, such as an academic, making it modular enough to have specific
sections for use in educational settings. Each section is valuable on its
own, but the entire DVD should be viewed to achieve the overall affect.
One of the most ground-breaking sections is an original 13-minute
documentary that is probably the first time-line based film of the
political and social events leading to the Armenian Genocide and its
aftermath, including a clear case for German complicity.
The DVD combines the documentary, brief opening remarks by Boston
University President Aram Chobanian, and three recently recorded eyewitness
survivor videos, interspersed with four Armenians ranging in age from young
teenagers to adults each describing their family’s story of survival during
and after the horrors of the Armenian Genocide.
The survivors featured in the DVD are Armine Dedekian of Bandirma, Peter
Bilezikian of Marash, and John Kasparian of Van. Most of the accounts are
being told publicly for the first time.
As the audience reached an emotional low after these chilling personal
accounts, an upbeat section begins with Armenians from around the world
proclaiming “I am an Armenian” from their respective country. The DVD ends
with scenes from today’s Armenia beginning at the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian
Genocide Monument, ending with a candle light march all to the music of
“Sardarabad.”
Quotations from Samantha Power’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “A Problem
from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide” and New York Times columnist
Nicholas Kristof provided contemporary transitions between sections.
The executive producer of the event and DVD, David Davidian of the Genocide
Archive Project, said that the biggest challenge in creating this event was
preparing the documentary and survivor testimonies in time for the Boston
University program. Davidian revealed that even though he was working with
an experienced team of video experts and Genocide researchers, the original
documentary was completed only hours before the event began.
One of the biggest challenges in trying to illustrate the connections
between Armenians from all over the Diaspora who were dispersed to many
countries around the world as a result of the Genocide, was collecting the
brief “I am an Armenian from…” clips used near the end of the program.
“Leading up to April when everyone was planning their own commemorations of
the 90th anniversary, it was tough to get these nameless clips,” stated
Davidian. “In some places where there is a poor Internet connection, for
example, some of the clips were even taken with video cell phones since
they wanted so much to be a part of this ground-breaking program!”
This unique DVD is a must have in one’s collection. Individual DVDs can be
ordered for $19.99 plus shipping and handling via the Web site
For bulk orders, contact the Genocide Archive
Project at [email protected].
**************************************************************
4 – Cyprus Greeks Threaten
To Retaliate Against Baku
YEREVAN – The Greek community of Cyprus threatened to retaliate against
Azerbaijan for its plans to forge “tight relations” with the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus last week. A private Azeri airline, Imair
announced earlier that it would begin regular flights to Turkish-occupied
northern Cyprus, becoming the first non-Turkish carrier to fly directly to
the internationally isolated enclave.
In retaliation, the government of Cyprus said it would establish direct
flight between Nicosia and the capital of Nagorno-Karabagh, Stepanakert,
Mehmed Ali Talaat, the president of the unrecognized Northern Cyprus has
told the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, that the threat would not succeed.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said Azerbaijan’s rapprochement with
Northern Cyprus would help offset the international isolation of the
Turkish Cyprus statelet.
On the eve of his recent trip to Russia, Erdogan said that the latest steps
of Baku represent Azerbaijan’s factual recognition of the Turkish Republic
of Northern Cyprus.
Last month Azerbaijan became the second state, after Turkey, to recognize
the Turkish Cypriot passport.
**************************************************************************
5 – AGBU Orange County Co-Sponsors
First Pan-Armenian Festival in OC
NEW YORK – In early June, the AGBU Chapter, AGBU Saturday School and AGBU
Young Professionals Group of Orange County joined a number of other
Armenian organizations to host the first local pan-Armenian festival in
Laguna Hills, Calif. This was the first time Armenian organizations in
Orange County, Calif., came together to collaborate on such an extensive
joint event. The festival, aimed at raising awareness about the Armenian
culture, attracted more than 3,000 Armenians and non-Armenians to the
Laguna Hills Community Center, raising $5000 for orphanages in Armenia.
The two-day festival included a vibrant entertainment program with music,
dance, children’s activities and a Saturday ribbon cutting ceremony with
local political representatives. The Festival also received congratulatory
messages from dignitaries, including Senator Poochigian, former California
Governor Deukmejian, Congressman Christopher Cox, and a visit from Orange
County Sheriff Michael Corona. Many expressed hope that the festival would
evolve into an annual event.
ABGU Orange County is dedicated to preserving and promoting the Armenian
identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian
programs. For more information on AGBU Orange County, email
[email protected].
***************************************************************************
6 – Armenian Couple Gives CSUN Record $7.3 Million Donation
NORTHRIDGE, Calif., – A former San Fernando High School art teacher who
graduated from Cal State Northridge and her husband have donated their
entire $7.3 million estate as a bequest to the university for expanding
student scholarships, marking the largest cash and alumni gift in the
university’s history.
The endowment created by longtime San Fernando Valley residents Mary and
Jack Bayramian?who passed away in November 2002 and January 2005,
respectively?will fund two major new university scholarship programs,
including a $2.3 million portion to launch student scholarships for the
future Valley Performing Arts Center project on the campus.
“This remarkable gift from Mary and Jack Bayramian will empower the
university to support outstanding students,” said Cal State Northridge
President Jolene Koester. “The Bayramians, who were devoted to each other
during more than 60 years of marriage, now have extended that caring to
improve the lives of hundreds of our students.”
To honor the gift, the California State University Board of Trustees,
meeting July 20 in Long Beach, approved renaming the university’s Student
Services Building as Bayramian Hall. President Koester called the
dedication a fitting tribute, because the building houses the university’s
scholarship, financial aid and other student support services offices.
“Because Aunt Mary graduated from Cal State Northridge, she had a great
feeling for the university,” said Don Barsumian, Mary Bayramian’s nephew,
who is the couple’s trustee. “I think she had a real love for young people
and for education. Mary believed in education and she wanted to help. This
was her way of helping,” Barsumian said.
Mary and Jack Bayramian each had Armenian parents from Aintab, Turkey, who
came to the United States to escape persecution. The two lived near each
other as teenagers and graduated together from Hamilton High School in West
Los Angeles in 1939, marrying in 1942. After Navy service during World War
II, Jack had a 20-year career as a Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Co.
technician.
After the war, the couple first lived in Reseda and later bought a
Northridge house several blocks west of today’s university campus. A
homemaker who returned to college in her late 30s, Mary Bayramian attended
from 1960 to 1963, earning a bachelor’s degree in art and a teaching
credential from San Fernando Valley State College, which later became Cal
State Northridge.
After graduating, Mary Bayramian went on to teach art at nearby San
Fernando High School, where she was affectionately known as “Mrs. B,” until
the couple retired in 1971. At age 50, they moved to Laguna Beach in Orange
County and lived there another 30 years, investing, improving and managing
real estate, and settling in an ocean-front home.
The Bayramians led an extraordinarily active life. Mary was an active cook
and author of published cookbooks, designed and created her own jewelry,
painted and played golf well into her 70s. Barsumian described Jack as the
unofficial greeter of Laguna Beach and a “firecracker” who in his younger
years was an avid handyman skilled in electrical, carpentry and concrete
work.
The couple’s $7.3 million endowment will create the Bayramian Family
Scholarship Fund at Cal State Northridge and support two major new
programs. The earnings from $5 million of the endowment will fund the newly
named Mary and Jack Bayramian Presidential Scholars and related
scholarships within the university’s premier Northridge Scholars Program.
The Bayramian Presidential Scholar awards, the most prestigious granted by
the university, will ultimately go each year to two dozen or more
high-achieving upper-division students through a competitive process.
Recipients will partner with faculty members on scholarly projects. The
scholarships include a $5,000 award, bookstore discount, priority
registration and other perks.
Earnings from the other $2.3 million will fund Mary Bayramian Arts Scholars
and become the largest gift yet toward Imagine the Arts, the fundraising
campaign for the 1,600-seat Valley Performing Arts Center planned for the
campus. These scholarships will support upper division and graduate
students involved in the project through their courses, internships or
related activities.
“Mary Bayramian was an art student at Cal State Northridge, an arts teacher
at San Fernando High School, and an artist herself,” said Judy C. Knudson,
CSUN’s vice president for university advancement. “She was deeply engaged
in the arts, and especially in opening the world of art to others, a goal
that will be advanced by the Performing Arts Center project.”
CSUN earlier this month launched the campaign for private funds to match
the state dollars that will build/operate the Valley Performing Arts
Center, due to open within the next five years. Planned as a signature
facility, the center will be the largest venue of its kind in the San
Fernando Valley and open the region to high-caliber performances not
currently able to perform there.
The university learned only recently that the couple had given CSUN’s
largest-ever cash gift after the husband’s passing in January 2005. The
university’s prior largest cash gift came from The Eisner Foundation in
2002 when Disney CEO Michael D. Eisner and his wife Jane gave $7 million to
create a new teacher-training program at the campus.
Lili Vidal, the associate director of CSUN’s Financial Aid and Scholarship
Department, said the Bayramians’ gift will provide a major boost to the
university’s scholarship programs, which last year aided about 1,600 CSUN
students based on their talent and achievements. “To have this gift is
really fabulous for our students,” Vidal said. “We will help many students
with it.”
**************************************************************************
7 – Winner Announced for the 2005 William
Saroyan International Prize for Writing
PALO ALTO, Calif. – Stanford University Libraries, in partnership with the
William Saroyan Foundation, announced the winners of the second biennial
William Saroyan International Prize for Writing July 19, during a ceremony
on the Stanford University campus.
Established to encourage new and emerging writers, the Saroyan Writing
Prize is awarded for newly published works in two categories; fiction
(including novels, short stories or dramas ) and non-fiction (including
works of biography, history or the environment).
Entries were limited to books published in English and available for
purchase by the general public.
The 2005 Saroyan Writing Prize received 125 qualified entrants. One winner
in each category was awarded the $12,500 prize, narrowed down from four
fiction finalists and three non-fiction finalists. Winners were named The
Laments by George Hagen (Fiction category); and The King of California by
Mark Arax and Rick Wartzman in the non-fiction category.
“As custodians of the Saroyan Archive, we consider the Saroyan Writing
Prize to be an important and integral activity to fulfilling that role,”
said Michael A. Keller, Stanford University Librarian. “As a research
library, we go well beyond merely accumulating, preserving and providing
access to archival collections. We are also called to promote the scholarly
and intellectual resources that present themselves in those collections.
The Saroyan Writing Prizes in Fiction and Verity are powerful and
meaningful ways promote the creative output of emerging authors whose drive
to express themselves through writing is
every bit as intense as William Saroyan’s.”
“It was Saroyan’s desire to establish a writing prize to encourage and
perpetuate the art he so loved,” said Robert Setrakian, Chairman of the
William Saroyan Foundation. The Foundation was officially founded by the
author in 1966.
Since then, distinguished professors, business executives and high-ranking
government officials have accepted appointments to the Foundation’s Board
of Trustees. Commencing in 1990, the Trustees set a goal of bringing
together into one single archive his entire literary estate. A decision was
finally made by the Trustees to offer Stanford University the assembled
Saroyan Literary Collection with provisions that would safeguard one of the
rare treasure-troves in American literature in perpetuity, carrying on
the legacy of Fresno, California’s own Native Son, William Saroyan.
For more information visit or

**************************************************************************
8 – Glendale Adventist
Medical Center Hosts
‘Blessing of Grapes’
GLENDALE – The Glendale Adventist Medical Center will host its seventh
annual community ceremony “Blessing of the Grapes” on Aug. 10 at 9:45 a.m.,
in the hospital Chapel, 1509 Wilson Terrace, Glendale.
Rev. Vazken Atmajian, Pastor of St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church will
perform the ceremony, an Armenian harvest-time tradition that dates back
1,700 years.
The ceremony is designed to give the first yield of the vineyards as gifts
to the Church as a way to ask for God’s blessings.
All patients in the hospital will receive a cup of grapes on their dinner
trays and a card quoting a passage from the Bible.

**************************************************************************

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Content-typ e: message/rfc822

From: “Katia M. Peltekian” <[email protected]>
Subject: Cairo: Radio wars
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-transfer-encoding: 8BIT

Cairo Magazine, Egypt
July 22 2005

Radio wars

Private stations are reaping the profits of liberalization and
state-run stations are scrambling
By Summer Said

Since their launch in July 2003, Egypt’s first two private radio
stations have stormed the airwaves, challenging the decades long
state monopoly on radio and bringing a new sound and style to ears
across town. Record companies as well as listeners are taking notice.

Asking taxi drivers around Cairo, it is rare to find one who dosn’t
know the names of the stations’ on air personalities. The two new
stations, Negoum (100.6 FM) and Nile FM (104.2 FM), are nailing down
new audiences as they poach long-time listeners away from state-owned
radio and attract new listeners with expansive playlists of Arab
hits.

They are forcing state-owned radio stations to re-evaluate their
methods driving up the radio advertising market and angering record
companies who complain of declining sales.

Hatem Mounir, station director at Negoum, claims his station has
revived the Egyptian and Arab music market by increasing artists’
exposure.

`If you look deeply into what we are doing you will find that we are
making singers very popular so people know more about them,’ said
Mounir. `So instead of spending thousands of pounds on the making of
a video clip to make the singer popular, the producer just gives us
the CD and we air it for free.’

Record companies don’t see it that way and have even threatened to
ban Negoum and Nile FM from playing their company’s artists. Negoum
has secured rights to air 90 percent of all Arabic music production,
which has resulted in declining sales as listeners tune into the
radio instead of buying CDs.

Mohsen Gaber, head of a local record label under the umbrella of the
Saudi-owned Rotana Record company, said that his sales have declined
by at least 30 percent since the launch of the private stations.

`It is true that the stations make your artists more popular but
people no longer need to go and buy the album as they can just turn
on the radio,’ Gaber said.

Advertisers are feeling the heat as well. The quick success of Nile
FM and Negoum has pushed up demand for radio advertising, which has
had the expected impact on prices.

According to a report released by the Arab Advisors Group’s Media
Strategic Research Service, Egypt’s radio ad revenues have
skyrocketed since the launch of the two private stations. As of
April, subscribers in Egypt had the highest average peak rate for FM
radio advertising rates in the Arab world.

Vodafone and MobiNil were quick to buy large advertising slots on
Negoum and Nile FM. Major advertisers like Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Raya
are competing for peak time slots when millions are listening.

The private stations success has caught the Egyptian Radio and
Television Union (ERTU) by surprise. The ERTU oversees advertising
for state television and radio. With the luxury of relying on
generous support from the Ministry of Finance, ERTU bookkeeping has
lapsed.

The same month that the private stations went public, ERTU, became
financially independent from the ministry for the first time. To
cover their debt and balance their books, they immediately moved to
double advertisement rates. With no comparable improvement in
service, the price increase shocked advertisers.

`An advertiser now pays around LE600 per 30-second spot on one of the
state-owned radio stations, the same ad he used to get for LE300,’
said an official at Radio ONE advertising agency in Cairo. `He can
get a more fresh sounding ad on Negoum or Nile FM for the same price
and have thousands of people attracted to his product.’

According to Radio ONE, all the recent market research shows that at
least 70 percent of Egyptians listen to Negoum and Nile FM. Demand
for radio advertising has in fact increased in the last couple of
years – despite the fact that prices were raised by 10 percent last
year.

The Ministry of Information, still influenced by an old guard long
opposed to the liberalization of Egypt’s airwaves, was not keen to
grant the two stations a license. Negotiations with the government
took three years, according to Rania Helal, marketing boss at Nile
Radio Production, the company that owns Nile FM and Negoum.

`The government always saw that radio is a very sensitive medium that
can be used against them, but at the end they trusted us,’ she said.

And indeed, the quick success of Nile FM and Negoum has forced a sea
change in attitudes at state-owned radio stations, now keenly aware
of the challenge they face in retaining – and winning back – market
share. Radio Cairo’s Aghani (Songs) station has cut down the chatter
and raised the tempo with more up-to-date hits, in an effort to match
the faster-paced private stations.

Radio Cairo’s European Local Service, which transmits a selection of
English, French, German, Italian, Armenian and Greek music on 95.4
FM, has totally revamped 90 percent of their radio shows.

Still, some state radio officials maintain – dubiously – that the new
private radio stations present no threat to their audiences.

`The two new stations are in Arabic and English only and offer music
shows and light talk show programs,’ said Basma Habib, head of Radio
Cairo’s European Local Service. `We, on the other hand, transmit in
six different languages and have all kind of shows that are widely
respected by people here.’

Williams heavier than ever for win-or-bust with Skelton

The Guardian – United Kingdom; Jul 16, 2005

Danny Williams resurrected a faltering career and became a nationally
recognised face when he defeated Mike Tyson only a year ago with a
performance that, at the time, shocked the world, writes John Rawling

However, the Brixton heavyweight, who scaled a career-heaviest 20st
3lb, says he will quit if he fails to defeat Matt Skelton, 18st 2lb,
tonight in a British and Commonwealth heavyweight title fight.

Williams, 32, cashed in on his fame with a world title shot against
the World Boxing Council champion Vitali Klitschko in December but was
given a savage beating by the Ukrainian and was stopped in the eighth.

“There would be nowhere for me to go if I cannot beat Skelton,” says
Williams. “I feel very sharp and powerful, and I’m in just as good
shape as I was for Tyson and Klitschko. I’ve been told he’s going
to come and attack, so it will be a serious fight. He knows he can’t
outbox me, and I intend to stay in front of him and make it a war.”

Skelton, who admits to being 38, was a late starter after a career
as a kick-boxer in Japan. He has stopped 15 of his 16 opponents and
outpointed the other, although he recognises that Williams is the
most accomplished boxer he has faced. “I know what I have to do.
People say I am a messy fighter and that I don’t have a good style,
but I don’t care.”

The bookmaker Stan James makes Skelton the 6-4 on favourite, though
Williams has more class. The odds reflect a suspicion that the
Klitschko defeat may have been damaging psychologically. At his best
Williams would prevail but Skelton, whose camp claimed that Williams
had weights under his shorts at the weigh-in, might be the hungrier
and may win on points.

Howard Eastman defends the European middleweight title against the
undefeated Armenian Arthur Abraham in Nuremberg this evening in his
first contest since losing on points five months ago against the
world middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins.

Abraham, 25, is undefeated, with a reputation as a big puncher, but
the Hopkins reverse was only Eastman’s second in 42 contests and as
he has operated at a very much higher level he should be able to box
his way to a wide points victory.

Hopkins defends his title, for the 21st time, against the undefeated
Jermain Taylor in Las Vegas. Taylor is a heavy puncher but Hopkins,
40, may still have the craft for a points win that would set up a
finale with Roy Jones Jr, the last man to beat him – in 1993.

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 14 2005

RA GOVERNMENT APPROVES THE ORDER OF CHANGING INSTITUTES BY STUDENTS

YEREVAN, July 14. /ARKA/. RA Government approved the order of
changing institutes by students. According to RA Government’s Press
Service, the decision stipulated that the approved order concerns
state universities and accredited non-state universities,
irrespective of their structural status (University, affiliate,
education complex), method of teaching (internal, extra-mural
courses), education programs (baccalaureate, professionally qualified
specialist, magistracy) and specialties. A.H.-0-