CONSTRUCTION OF MARMARIK RESERVOIR TO BEGIN NEXT YEAR
YEREVAN, October 20 (Noyan Tapan). The project work of Marmarik
reservoir in Kotayk region (marz) will finish in 2005 February and the
construction will be carried out in 2005-2007. The Press Service of RA
State Committee of Water Economy informed Noyan Tapan that it’s
envisaged to build the reservoir with the funds economized as a result
of implementation of WB Stronghold Safety Program.
ARMENIAN DRIVERS ATTACKED AND BEATEN ON NORT OSSETIA-GEORGIA BORDER
A1+
20-10-2004
The authorities of Georgian town of Tskhinvali helped Armenian
citizens, who found themselves trapped on the North Ossetia-Georgia
border.
The thing is that a huge number of vehicles accumulated on the road,
as they were barred from crossing the border. The town residents give
Armenians shelter, Regnum news agency says.
The agency also reports a group of masked gunmen attacked drivers and
beat them. Khachatur, one of the drivers, say Georgian journalists
asked them to give an interview and say something against
Ossetians. The journalists promised that, in that case, Georgian
authorities would let them continue their way. The drivers rejected
the offer.
Yeshiva student apologizes to archbishop for spitting
By Amiram Barkat, Haaretz Correspondent
Haaretz
17/10/2004 23:34
A yeshiva student who spat at the Armenian archbishop in Israel and
at a 17th-century cross during last week’s procession marking the
Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem’s Old City has met with
heads of the Armenian community and apologized for his actions,
police said Sunday.
The student, Natan Zvi Rosenthal, explained that he was raised
to see Christianity as idol worship, which is forbidden by the
Torah. Rosenthal’s rabbis from the Har Hamor Yeshiva in Jerusalem –
who, along with his father, were present at the meeting – said they
regretted the incident, and that they educate their students to be
courteous to others. The rabbis said Rosenthal was the first of their
students to be involved in such an incident.
Har Hamor is considered an elite yeshiva, one highly esteemed among
the nationalist ultra-Orthodox population.
The Armenian archbishop, Nourhan Manougian, said he and his
coreligionists accept the apology and that their religion commands
them to forgive Rosenthal.
The police spokesman said the apology will not affect its decision
on whether Rosenthal should be indicted for spitting at the procession.
The meeting took place last Thursday at the police station in the Old
City, but police did not publicize it until Sunday, when the police
commander in charge of holy sites, Chief Superintendent Shlomo Ra’anan,
reported it to the Knesset Interior and Environment Committee.
The committee was holding an emergency meeting to discuss the
harassment of Christian clergymen in Jerusalem. which had been reported
in Haaretz.
Participants in the meeting, including Christian clergymen and
representatives from ministries and the Jerusalem Municipality,
confirmed that the problem was widespread and that incidents of
harassment were not generally reported to the police.
Ra’anan said police have received only three complaints in the last
few years on the issue, saying “no one expects us to have a police
officer protecting every priest.”
But the harassment continues: A few days ago, Stars of David were
spray-painted on the entrance to the Monastery of the Cross, not
far from the Knesset. The Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral,
located near the Jerusalem police headquarters in the Russian Compound,
has suffered similar vandalism.
In addition, officials at a church located near several yeshivas
complained that yeshiva students were watching them through binoculars
and making offensive gestures when they passed by. Churches located
near Jewish areas in Mount Zion, the Jewish Quarter of the Old City
and in Mea She’arim complained that neighbors had thrown garbage into
their yards.
Interior and Environment Committee chairman MK Yuri Stern (National
Union) said these incidents are unacceptable and stem from ignorance
and stupidity. Stern, who heads the Knesset lobby for advancement of
relations with Christian communities, said the content and the tone of
the way in which Christianity is mentioned in schools must be changed.
The committee decided to turn to Education Minister Limor Livnat to
establish a forum for Jewish and Christian clergymen, and called on
police to intensify their watch on Christian sites.
BSEC Parliamentary Assembly meets in Baku
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Oct 14 2004
The 24th two-day meeting of the Committee on Legal and Political
Issues of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation Organization (PABSEC) started in Baku on Wednesday.
Representatives from all BSEC member states, except Armenia and
Moldova, participated in the meeting focusing on issues of stability
and security in the region.
In his opening remarks, head of the Bulgarian delegation Borislav
Ralchev said that security is a priority issue in the Black Sea
region and that the ongoing conflicts in the region affect external
developments. Ralchev pointed out the need for assistance in fighting
organized terrorism and maintaining regional peace and stability.
The Milli Majlis (parliament) Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov focused on the
problems caused by the conflicts ongoing in regions. He underlined that
terrorism poses a threat to the world community in the globalization
period and that the territory of Upper Garabagh has turned into an
uncontrolled zone and center of separatism and terrorism as a result
of Armenia’s policy of invasion.
“Every state that supports terrorism directly or indirectly must be
held accountable,” Alasgarov added.*
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
October 13, 2004
____________________
FAR THANKS CONGRESSMAN FRANK PALLONE, JR. FOR SUPPORT OF ARMENIA
During an October 12, 2004 meeting with Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr.,
Democrat of New Jersey, in Long Branch, NJ, Garnik Nanagoulian, FAR
Executive Director, thanked the Congressman on behalf of the Board
of Directors for his continued support of Armenia in Congress and
briefed him on FAR’s active projects in Armenia and Karabagh.
Congressman Pallone and Mr. Nanagoulian discussed the current
humanitarian situation in Armenia. They agreed that although the
economy is improving, it has yet to create jobs, a critical means to
poverty reduction. They also noted that families living in poverty,
still a significant proportion of the people, will require assistance
until long-term tools take effect and improve their situation.
“FAR, as the preeminent Diasporan relief and development organization
operating in Armenia, will continue to address the needs of these
people,” said Mr. Nanagoulian, sharing his plans with Congressman
Pallone to expand FAR’s operations to reach out to more people in
need, as well as assist in creating jobs. He expressed the desire
to continue working with the U.S. government to help build a viable
free market economy in Armenia.
Mr. Nanagoulian briefed Congressman Pallone on the progress of
two humanitarian aid contracts awarded to FAR by the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID), a $15-million for Karabagh
and a $1.55 million for Armenia. These contracts reaffirm USAID’s
recognition and support of FAR’s ability to work effectively and
efficiently in executing a wide range of programs throughout Armenia,
including coordinating regional and national projects.
Congressman Pallone praised FAR on its achievements over the past
15 years and promised to continue working to secure more assistance
for Armenia. Congressman Pallone, who has traveled to the region
several times, is Co-Chairman of the Armenian Issues Caucus and has
worked to mobilize support, under the foreign aid legislation, for
humanitarian and development assistance for Armenia and Karabagh,
as well as bilateral and multilateral lending institutions assisting
economic development.
Mr. Nanagoulian invited Congressman Pallone to visit FAR’s projects
on his next visit to Armenia to witness FAR’s accomplishments thanks
to generous Diasporan donors and the U.S. government grants.
FAR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in New York,
with offices in Yerevan, Gyumri, and Stepanakert. For 15 years, FAR
has implemented various relief, development, social, educational,
and cultural projects valued at more than $250 million.
For more information or to send donations, contact the Fund for
Armenian Relief at 630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016; telephone
(212) 889-5150, fax (212) 889-4849; , [email protected].
— 10/13/04
E-mail photo available upon request.
CAPTION: On behalf of the FAR Board of Directors, Garnik A.
Nanagoulian, FAR Executive Director (right), thanked Congressman
Frank Pallone, Jr., Democrat of New Jersey (left), for his support of
Armenia. He also briefed the Congressman on FAR’s projects in Armenia
and Karabagh during the Long Branch, NJ meeting.
San Francisco Chronicle
KEVORKIAN, Sarah
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
KEVORKIAN, Sarah – February 19, 1922 – October 10, 2004 Sarah Kevorkian
entered peacefully into rest on October 10, 2004, in Walnut Creek,
CA, after a long illness. She was 82 years old. Born on February
19, 1922, in Chicago, IL, to Sarah and Baghdasar Kevorkian, she
attended Gregory Elementary and John Marshall High School. In 1944,
she moved with her family to Oakland, CA, where she lived for more
than 40 years. During that time, she worked at the Alameda County
Courthouse. In 1989, she moved to Rossmoor where she enjoyed many more
happy years. “Auntie Sarah” was charismatic, fun-loving, and adored by
her family – especially her many nieces and nephews. She enjoyed an
active life including the arts, travel, dancing, cooking, gardening,
and her church and Bible study. There was no physical difficulty that
kept her from enjoying life to its fullest, and in her later years she
participated in many social activities at Rossmoor. She was preceded
in death by her beloved sisters, Alice K. Malin and Rose Agajan. She
is survived by her devoted brother, Harry, and sister-in-law, Betty
Kevorkian, and their children and families: Christopher, Nancy, Kate
and Cal Kevorkian; Matthew, Susan, Ryan, Madeline and Kyle Kevorkian;
Kevin, Susie, Connor, Tess and Annie Kevorkian; and niece, Elizabeth
Kevorkian. She is also survived by her loving niece, Carol Rustigian
and husband, George, and their children and families: Beth (Rustigian),
Jim, Melanie and Michael Broussalian; Caroline (Rustigian) and Marc
Bruderer; and Paul Rustigian. She will be remembered for her vibrant
spirit by her niece, Sue Malin, and her devoted nephew, Scott Malin,
and his wife, Pam, and their children Robbie, Andrea and Jared. A
Visitation will be held Thursday, October 14, 2004, from 5 to 7 p.m. at
Oakmont Mortuary, 2099 Reliez Valley Road, Lafayette. Friends and
family are invited to a Funeral Service on Friday, October 15, 2004,
at 11 a.m. at St. Vartan Armenian Apostolic Church, 650 Spruce St,
Oakland. A Graveside Ceremony at Oakmont Memorial Park in Lafayette
will follow. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to
St. Vartan Armenian Apostolic Church, 650 Spruce St, Oakland, CA 94610;
Nor Cal Armenian Home and Social Service, 1818 Gilbreth Rd, Suite 132,
Burlingame, CA 94010; or Hospice and Palliative Care of Contra Costa,
2051 Harrison St, Concord, CA 94520. Please include the name of the
deceased in your correspondence. Oakmont Mortuary (925) 935-3311.
Days of Russia’s Armenians, World Armenian Congress begin
By Tigran Liloyan
ITAR-TASS News Agency
October 12, 2004 Tuesday 4:13 AM Eastern Time
YEREVAN, October 12 — Days of Russia’s Armenians and the World
Armenian Congress begin here on Tuesday to focus on issues of
assistance of Russia’s Armenians and diaspora to economic development
of their historical native land.
By tradition they will be held on the initiative and under the
leadership of president of these two authoritative organizations,
well-known Russian entrepreneur and public figure Ara Abramyan.
An international Armenian economic forum will be held in Yerevan
on Wednesday. Its participants will discuss possibilities of new
investments in the republic, launching of joint ventures here and
intensification of business activity.
Russian Minister of Transport Igor Levitin, who headed the
Intergovernmental Commission on Bilateral Economic Cooperation
recently, will address the forum.
As Ara Abramyan said, representatives of the two organizations will
go to Armenia’s regions to open computer centres for training children
and youth from low-income families, as well as disabled persons. They
will visit the villages of Fioletovo and Lermontovo where many Russians
are living to present medicines to local medical stations.
Prominent Moscow physicians will hold a reception of patients in
Yerevan’s leading medical centres and give free consultations.
FEATURE-Best-selling Turkish author too hot for some
By Selcuk Gokoluk
ANKARA, Oct 8 (Reuters) – His books have sold more copies than almost
any other author in Europe this year and are hotly debated by
housewives and intellectuals alike, but newspapers are reluctant to
publish his work.
Meet Ahmet Altan, whose latest collection of essays entitled “A Place
Inside Us” has proved an unlikely hit with Turkish readers, selling
nearly a million copies since May.
In a country where serious literature has traditionally been confined
to the elite, Altan’s book, priced at just $2, is on sale even in some
hairdressers’ salons and village grocery stores.
Muslim clerics have read out extracts from the book during Friday
prayers.
Only four other books have sold more than a million copies in Europe
in the past five years, Altan’s publisher says, and they include such
world-famous titles as J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.
“A Place Inside Us” is a lyrical meditation on human emotions such as
longing, loneliness and jealousy.
Altan’s six previous novels also focus on the complexity of human
feelings, often against the lavish historical backdrop of the Ottoman
Turkish Empire.
But Altan is as well-known in Turkey for his radical politics as for
his literary talent, and that is what has made him such a
controversial figure in this half-Western, half-Oriental country which
wants to join the European Union.
He sparked outrage in Turkey a few years ago with a newspaper column
where he invoked a fictional land called “Kurdey” — a pun on the
words “Turkey” and “Kurds” — where minority Turks suffer
discrimination from the majority Kurds.
In an ironic reversal of roles that poked criticism at official policy
in the mainly Kurdish southeast of the country, he described how
Kurdish troops suppress all emblems of Turkish cultural identity, burn
down Turkish peasants’ houses and battle Turkish rebel guerrillas.
“What would you do if you lived in such a country?” Altan asked his
readers.
MANY ENEMIES
That was too much for Turkey’s nationalist establishment to stomach. A
court, invoking the country’s tough security laws, handed down a
suspended jail sentence of one and a half years.
Since then, the former journalist has not been able to air his views
in the newspapers.
His harsh criticism of Turkish lawyers, journalists and historians
have compounded his unpopularity in some circles.
Altan has said Turkey is a country “founded on lies” because it is too
frightened to look honestly at its own past, for example its treatment
of ethnic minorities.
Speaking to Reuters at his home in Istanbul, Altan said: “They did
things better in Ottoman times. The culture was more tolerant, more
inclusive. We had an Armenian foreign minister, Jewish army officers
— quite unthinkable today.”
“Istanbul also had famous homosexuals accepted by society,” he
said. Modern Istanbul has a lively gay subculture but few Turkish
homosexuals in public life have come out of the closet.
Altan was scathing about literary critics he said refused to accept
that quality literature could be widely read.
“Popularity and quality are not mutually exclusive. Look at the great
novelists of the 19th century like (Honore de) Balzac and (Charles)
Dickens. Ordinary people snatched up their books,” said Altan, who
added his own favourite author was Leo Tolstoy.
“A good book does not respect social divisions. It is read by
everyone, from cleaning ladies to professors,” he said.
Some Turks believe Altan’s success shows the country is moving closer
to Europe culturally as well as politically.
Ahmet Sever, who heads a government campaign to promote Turkey’s image
in the EU, said the soaring sales of Altan’s books showed the country
could compete with the rest of Europe in the literary stakes.
“We talk of the official Copenhagen criteria for joining the EU,” he
said, referring to standards on human rights and political freedoms
Turkey must meet before starting entry talks.
“But there are also unofficial criteria such as the habit of reading
books which are an important indicator (of a country’s European
credentials),” he said.
10/07/04 21:06 ET
TURKEY BEGINS TALKS WITH EU
Europe Concerned in Keeping Turkey in its Orbit
Azg/am
7 Oct 04
On October 6 the European Commission, as it was expected, offered
starting EU accession talks with Turkey. 28 members of the commission
out of 30 voted for the beginning of the talks and only Fritz
Bolkestein, Holland, and Pascal Lamin, France, voted against. Ankara
is satisfied with the start of the talks in general but complains of
some points of the report and especially of the attached package of
regulations that is to be presented to the EU leaders.
Though the report points out that Turkey partly follows Copenhagen
political criteria, has reduced army’s role in the country, pays more
attention to the human rights, freedom of religion and the national
minorities, it still underscores the reforms are not practiced
properly.
The start of accession talks does not mean that Turkey is a EU member,
but Europe may stop the talks any time.
The Commission report includes the cases of the talks’ interruption:
“In case European Commission considers the process of reforms
endangered”. When the reform process can be â=80=98endangered’?
Gyunduz Aktan answers the question in October 7 issue of Radical. “In
case the role of the army is restored in the country, and Turkey takes
undesirable steps in foreign policy”, he writes. Aktan also points out
military actions against neighboring countries. “Armyâ=80=99s
restored” role means, allegedly, a military overthrow of the
government.
Ankara is displeased with the fact that the EU leaders have to decide
on the deadline of EU accession talks. Turkey is afraid that new
points may be included in the report.
The possibility of the “Recognition of the Republic of Cyprus”
suggested by Bolkestein and the “Armenian Genocide Recognition”
suggested by Lamin that were not included in the package attached to
the report, due to Gunter Verheugen’s (according to Turkish press),
Enlargement commissioner, efforts make Turkey worry. Meanwhile,
Patrick Devedjian, minister of industry of France, began talks with
members of the European Commission trying to convince them to include
the Turkey-Armenia border-gate opening as a precondition for
accession.
The suggestion EU states and government made Turkey by the report does
not oblige Turkey anything as the talks do not oblige Turkey’s
membership in the EU. Thus, it becomes clear that European
Commission’s purpose is to keep Turkey in the orbit of European
states, not making Turkey a EU member but keeping it beside.
By Hakob Chakrian
ACTIVE MEMBERS OF PPFSA ARE PREPARING TO ACTIONS OF PROTEST AGAINST
ARRIVAL OF ARMENIAN DEPUTIES TO BAKU
BAKU, OCTOBER 4. ARMINFO-TURAN. The Party Popular Front Single
Azerbaijan (PPFSA) of single Azerbaijan considers inadmissible arrival
of the Armenian deputies to Baku for participation in the seminar
Of the parliamentary assembly of PACE. Press-release of the PPFSA
reads that the active members of the organization are going to hold in
front of the building of the Milli Mejlis, Foreign Ministry and the
embassies of the countries-members of NATO in Baku. Relevant agreement
was sent to the Town hall.