Author: Topchian Jane

ARKA News Agency
July 29 2004

Goods turnover between Armenia and Ukraine in five months of 2004
grew twice and amounted to $31.1 million

Nagorno Karabakh has stable trend toward decrease of crime level

Armenian society is deprived of strictly formed value reference
points

RA Ministry of Defense denies the statement by AR Ministry of Defense

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GOODS TURNOVER BETWEEN ARMENIA AND UKRAINE IN FIVE MONTHS OF 2004
GREW TWICE AND AMOUNTED TO $31.1 MILLION

YEREVAN, July 29. /ARKA/. Goods turnover between Armenia and Ukraine
in five months of 2004 grew twice and amounted to $31.1 million,
Ukrainian Embassy to Armenia told ARKA. Export of Ukranian goods
increased twice and amounted to $26.8 million. Export of Armenian
goods grew 1.7 times and made $3.3 million.
Foreign trade operations of Ukraine were conducted with partners from
184 countries. L.D. –0 –

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NAGORNO KARABAKH HAS STABLE TREND TOWARD DECREASE OF CRIME LEVEL

STEPANAKERT, July 29. /ARKA/. Nagorno Karabakh has stable trend
toward decrease of crime level, it was stated during the sitting of
NKR Police in result of operative work of the department in first
half of 2004.
It was noted during the sitting that 281 crimes were registered in
report period, which is 16% less that in the same period of 2003.
In the whole according to NKR Police, operative situation in the
republic remains stable and controllable. L.D. –0 –

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

ARMENIAN SOCIETY IS DEPRIVED OF STRICTLY FORMED VALUE REFERENCE
POINTS

YEREVAN, July 29. /ARKA/. According to 88% of the Armenian experts,
the Armenian society hasn’t strictly formed value reference points,
as it was stated by Stephan Safaryan, the expert from the Armenian
Center for Strategic and National Research (ACSNR), the results of
`Value and Ideological Guiding Lines. Imperatives and Alternatives’
expert survey conducted by ACSNR on July 12-27 testify to it.
According to Safaryan, 50% of the respondents think that the system
of values in the Armenian life was formed during the period of
independence, 20% – during the Soviet period. At the same time, as
Safaryan stated, 84% of the respondents are against the existing
system of values in Armenia. He added that 48% of Armenian experts
think that reference points of the Armenian society must be defined
by liberal democracy, and according to 36% of the respondents, social
democracy and national ideology must be such kind of reference
points. At the same time 92% of the respondents think that the values
in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Laws of
the country are not deep-rooted or ingrained at all. Besides,
according to Safaryan, 54% of the respondents considered the
authorities’ conduct to be the reason of this, and 20% – the
unsatisfactory level of political consciousness among the society.
Safaryan also said that 36% of Armenian experts think that the
influence of external factors on the formation of the system of
values in the country to be big and 66%- considerable. 50 experts
took part in the survey. 82% of the respondents were holders of
master’s degree, 14% – candidates of science, 4% – bachelors. A.A.-0-

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RA MINISTRY OF DEFENSE DENIES THE STATEMENT BY AR MINISTRY OF DEFENSE

YEREVAN, July 29. /ARKA/. RA Ministry of Defense (MD) denied the
information about the breach of ceasefire regime on the border of
Armenia and Azerbaijan late in the evening on July 27. According to
RA MD Press Service Department, there is no such information about
the breach of ceasefire regime.
Azerbaijani MD Press Service made a statement on July 28, according
to which the Armenian side twice opened fire on the positions of the
Azerbaijani army: `on July 27 beginning from 11:30 p.m. for about
half an hour Armenian subdivisions began firing of the Azerbaijani
army’s positions located near Alibeili village of Tovus region. The
fire was opened from submachine guns and machine-guns from Berd
region of Armenia. The same day from 11:55 p.m. for 15 minutes
Armenian subdivisions began firing of the Azerbaijani army’s
positions from Berkaber village of Berd region of Armenia’, according
to the statement. A.H.–0–

The Daily Star, Lebanon
July 29 2004

Magazine for Christian Arabs fills market niche
Al-Maghtas neither denominational nor theological, focuses on
socioeconomic issues

By Daoud Kuttab
Special to The Daily Star

AMMAN: For the first time in decades Christian Arabs in Jordan and
Palestine have their own magazine. With two issues under its belt –
the second came out last week – Al-Maghtas (The Baptismal) seems to
be filling a gap in the market.

The 40-page glossy color magazine, in Arabic, is produced in Amman
and features interviews, articles, and in the first edition even some
controversy.

One article about emigration by Reverend John Noor, the secretary of
the bishops of Jordan, says there are between 10-15 million Christian
Arabs living in the Middle East. Most of the region’s Christian Arabs
live in Egypt (7-12 million) and Sudan, 600,000 live in Iraq, 165,000
in Jordan, 900,000 in Syria, 1.3 million in Lebanon, 50,000 in
Palestine and 130,000 in Israel. Noor estimates that 4 million more
live in the diaspora.

Unlike the majority of internationally available Christian magazines,
Al-Maghtas is neither denominational nor theological. It deals with
socio-economic conditions focusing on Christian Arabs on both banks
of the Jordan. The new magazine will work on strengthening the desire
of the Christian Arab community to stay in their homeland and be a
bridge within the community and to the outside world.

Christian Arabs refuse to be called a minority, they consider
themselves part of the Arab world and partners with their Muslim
brethren in all the troubles that face the region today.

The first edition’s editorial sets out the magazine’s goals and
vision: “We are proud of both our Arab nationality and our Christian
belief … We plan to honor those in our community who deserve such
praise so that we can provide our younger generation with role
models.”

Philip Madanat, the magazine’s editor, says the strength of
Al-Maghtas is in its exclusivity for the Christian community and its
avoidance of theology.

“We are extra careful to include individuals from all Christian
denominations in our society and made a decision not to allow any
discussion of Christian beliefs and theology so as not to cause anger
to the followers of any denomination,” he says.

Among the feature stories in the magazine is an interview with
leading Jordanian businessman and philanthropist, Elia Nuqol, CEO of
the Fine tissue company. Widad Kawar, the internationally known
collector of Palestinian and Jordanian dresses and folklore, is
profiled in another piece.

An investigation into the internal struggles between three Christian
churches over the right to the keys to the Nativity Church in
Bethelem has raised the most questions amongst the Christian
community. The story which presents all points of view deals with a
situation which began during the Israeli siege of the church in April
2002 when one of the priests needed to take out an injured
Palestinian. While the three churches – Orthodox, Armenian and Latin
– are said to have copies of the key, it is understood that ownership
of the key (for symbolic reasons) goes to the Orthodox. According to
the story, the Latin priest who didn’t have access to the key
belonging to his denomination borrowed the key from another priest.
Fearing that this would have long-term consequences, the Greek
Orthodox church quickly changed the lock. leaving the keys of the
other two churches useless, and creating a major incident in which
the mayor of Bethlehem Hanna Naser and even Palestinian Authority
Chairman Yasser Arafat, were brought in to settle the dispute.

Christian Arabs, while small in numbers, feature prominently in Arab
politics, art and culture. From Gibran Khalil Gibran to modern-day
artists and politicians, the history of Arabs is full of Christians
who have left their mark in history and culture.

Latin priest Hanna Kildani writes of modern day Christian Arabs in
Palestine and Jordan in an interesting and detailed book which is
reviewed in the latest edition of Al-Maghtas. For the most part,
Christian Arabs have downplayed their Christianity as a way of
becoming accepted and featuring highly in the predominantly Muslim
culture of the region.

Countering this view, Al-Maghtas runs a review of another book issued
by the Royal Jordanian Center for religious studies that includes an
alphabetical glossary of the names of prominent Christian Arabs in
the various Islamic historical periods.

On the lighter side, the magazine, which hopes to be a source of
information and entertainment for the community, prints photographs
of Christian Arabs in Jordan and Palestine at various social events.

The recently excavated site of Al-Maghtas, from which the magazine
takes its name, on the eastern bank of the Jordan River, is featured
in various stories and photos. The back page of the magazine includes
a large picture of Jordan’s King Abdullah and the Pope during the
Pontiff’s recent visit to the baptismal site on the bank of the
Jordan River.

In its second edition, Al-Maghtas reflects a more courageous approach
in dealing with some traditional taboos in Christianity. In its
editorial, the magazine calls on religious leaders to do away with
the baptismal pools and instead to use the Jordan River’s baptismal
location. In another article the issue of Christian education in
schools is dealt with extensively with a call for a serious effort to
follow through with the efforts to get this issue implemented. A long
interview with Greek Orthodox Palestinian priest Atallah Hanna covers
three pages and includes a criticism of the Church hierarchy’s
controversial sales and rentals of properties and lands to Israelis
in Palestine and Israel.

Jordanian government spokeswoman Asma Khader is given the cover story
with a long interview that talks about her birth in the Palestinian
village of Zababdeh and follows her legal and human rights career
with her special work in defending Jordanian and Arab women. Two
pages are dedicated to excerpts from an award winning book by former
Jordanian Health Minister Ashraf Kurdi which deals with Christian
Arab doctors before the advent of Islam.

Madanat says Al-Maghtas still faces some legal obstacles with the
Jordanian government’s Department of Publications refusing to either
issue or reject the request for a license. Jordanian law stipulates
that if the government doesn’t respond in 30 days to a request for a
license then the request is considered de facto approved. The absence
of a de jur license has hampered distribution and advertising
efforts.

The initial response of Jordanian and Palestinian Christians to the
new magazine has been positive. Many have expressed that the magazine
has given them a sense of identity and resolved the issue of who they
are and the fact that they can be both proud Arab nationals without
compromising their own Christian faith.

PanArmenian News
July 28 2004

GEORGIA CONSIDERS TWO VARIANTS OF WITH IRANIAN GAS SUPPLY: VIA
ARMENIA OR VIA AZERBAIJAN

THIRD ARMENIAN RUNAWAY TO BAKU SUFFERS FROM MENTAL DISORDER

FIRST ARMENIAN SITE DEDICATED TO STRUGGLE AGAINST SMOKING APPEARED IN
INTERNET

SEVERAL HUNDREDS ARMENIAN REFUGEES FROM AZERBAIJAN TO BE MOVED FROM
ONE OF MOSCOW HOSTELS

ARMENIAN SERVICEMEN PARTICIPATING NATO EXERCISE IN LITHUANIA

ELMAR MAMEDYAROV: ISSUE OF US MILITARY AID TO ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
PURELY POLITICAL

ARMENIAN CENTER TO BE BUILT IN GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA

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GEORGIA CONSIDERS TWO VARIANTS OF WITH IRANIAN GAS SUPPLY: VIA
ARMENIA OR VIA AZERBAIJAN

28.07.2004 18:39

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ At present two variants of supplying Georgia with
Iranian gas are being considered: via Armenia or via Azerbaijan, as
reported by Iran.ru, an official of Georgian Energy Ministry stated.
According to the source, for the delivery through Azerbaijan $2
million should be spent on the repair of the already existing gas
pipeline. Meanwhile, transit of gas through the Iran-Armenia pipeline
will be cheaper. In the words of the Georgian official, to all
appearances, the delivery of the Iranian gas will start at the
beginning of 2005. At the same time he noted that the delivery is
supposed for emergency cases only, that is in case Russia suspends or
reduces gas supply.

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

THIRD ARMENIAN RUNAWAY TO BAKU SUFFERS FROM MENTAL DISORDER

28.07.2004 18:07

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ispir Ghazarian, the Armenian, who arrived in Baku
and yielded himself to the Azeri authorities, suffers from mental
disorder, Regnum IA reports according to reliable sources in Yerevan.
After serving his sentence in 1968 and 1975, he had persecution
mania. He wrote letters to Bush, Pope, Margaret Tatcher and
Gorbachev. 65-year-old Ghazarian many times underwent treatment in
Armenian mental hospitals. In 1994 he arrived to Baku via Tbilisi
wishing to move to the US. According to the source, during the
examination the members of the International Red Cross stated him as
mentally ill and brought him to Sadakhlo, to the Georgian-Armenian
border for his future transportation to Armenia. To note, Ghazarian
is the third to have tried to move to third countries through
Azerbaijan. Roman Terzian and Arthur Apresian, who are kept in a cell
of the Azeri ministry of national security at present, arrived in
Baku in April.

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

FIRST ARMENIAN SITE DEDICATED TO STRUGGLE AGAINST SMOKING APPEARED IN
INTERNET

28.07.2004 14:21

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On Internet users can
view the first Armenian site dedicated to struggle against smoking.
Created by the efforts of the International Center of Human
Development the site maintains information on the problem of smoking
in Armenia, statistics and researches as well as recommendations to
those, who decided to give up smoking.

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

SEVERAL HUNDREDS ARMENIAN REFUGEES FROM AZERBAIJAN TO BE MOVED FROM
ONE OF MOSCOW HOSTELS

28.07.2004 14:01

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Several hundreds of Armenian refugees from
Azerbaijan can be evicted from a Moscow hostel in Molodtsov Street.
By Mayor Luzhkov’s decree those residing there since 1989 should
abandon the building till August 1. As reported by Russia TV channel,
the local authorities are going to pull down the old constructions.
Announcements telling that supply of water and electricity will be
stopped since August 1 have been already stuck on the walls.
Meanwhile, uncivil measures are being applied against the residents
of the hostel. Witnesses tell that representatives of the local
authorities entered the rooms, broke and thew into the street the
utensils. According to the source, though being Russian citizens,
many of the Armenian refugees have never validated their documents.

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

ARMENIAN SERVICEMEN PARTICIPATING NATO EXERCISE IN LITHUANIA

28.07.2004 13:59

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Rescuer/Merduer 2004 international military-civic
exercise organized within the frames of Patrnership for Peace NATO
program is being conducted in Lithuania at present. 320 servicemen
from 12 countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, US,
Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia, Estonia, Romania and Poland are
taking part in it. As reported by RIA Novosti, the exercise
participantns have been training to eliminate various crisis
situations being imitated at the gound of Kayryay (near the town of
Klaipeda) since July 26. An imitated terrorst act will be the final
part of the maneuvers planned for July 30. The idea is that a
passenger train will crash into a car loaded with poisonous chemical
agents.

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

ELMAR MAMEDYAROV: ISSUE OF US MILITARY AID TO ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
PURELY POLITICAL

28.07.2004 13:57

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The issue of rendering the US military aid to
Armenia and Azerbaijan if purely political, Azeri Foreign Minister
Elmar Mamedyarov told Zerkalo Baku newspaper. To remind, despite the
US Administration called for $8 million to Azerbaijan and $2 million
to Armenia, the US House of Representatives voted for parity in the
assistance amounting in $5 million to each country. In Mamedyarov’s
words, taking into account that Azerbaijan being US coalition partner
sends its troops to Iraq while Armenia does nothing, equalization
means a political evaluation of the issue only. Azerbaijani FM noted
that in the course of the meetings with the US political leadership
during his recent visit to Washington he expressed his
dissatisfaction in this view. During the discussions we stated that
the White House should insist on restoring the primary proportions of
the aid, he said.

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

ARMENIAN CENTER TO BE BUILT IN GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA

28.07.2004 18:49

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Center will be built in Glendale,
California, where over 100 000 Armenians live. As reported by Araj
newspaper published in Paris, a number of youth, sports and public
organizations are to function there. Over $300 000 was collected for
the construction, at that $250 000 of the total sum was donated by
Doctor Albert Karamanukian.

ARTIFICIAL RISE OF DRAM EXCHANGE RATE IS HARDLY POSSIBLE: CB CHAIRMAN

YEREVAN, July 27, (Noyan Tapan). The drastic increase of the exchange
rate of the Armenian dram against the foreign currencies (includung
U.S. dollar) is conditioned by objective reasons, particularly the
augmantation of private transfers, Tigran Sargsian, Chairman of the
Central Bank of Armenia stated at the “Regional Bridge 2004”
international business-meeting held on July 24. He noted that during
this year the volume of private transfers has increased greatly
compared with the previous year – by 43%. Cash worth about $100m
enters Armenia through tourists and private transfers from abroad each
year. According to T. Sargsian, buying and selling deals worth $35-60m
are carried out in the Armenian market weekly. At least $5m needs to
be injected to affect artificially the exchange rate in such a market,
which is a great risk and that’s why “No reasonable peson would do
it”. T. Sargsian believes that the short-time appreciation of the dram
could not have an impact on the prices of goods. The changes of the
exchange rates affect the prices during a long period and the price
chnges is connected with the average exchange rate of the
year. Armenia has conducted a policy of floating exchange rate,
i.e. the state does not interfere the currency rates. Growth of prices
is paid most attention to. It made up 4.5% during the 6 months of the
current yearwith the target set at 3% growth for the year. According
to the CB Chairman, interference of the state aimed at stabilizing the
exchange rate will lead to the increase of quantity of the Armenian
dram that will stimulate infliation. The liquidity of the dram has
gone up and the domains if its use have increased recently. That’s why
the CB declined the interest rate of re-financing to 5%, the lowest
level existed so far.

PanArmenian News
July 26 2004

SKINHEADS, WHO KILLED AN ARMENIAN, STOOD TRIAL IN MOSCOW

SITTING OF ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN COMMISSION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION HELD
IN TBILISI

SECOND PAN-ARMENIAN YOUTH FORUM HELD IN TSAGHKADZOR

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT WENT ON 10-DAY LEAVE

KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT MEETS US NATIONAL INTERESTS, AMERICAN
MEDIATOR STATED

REPRESENTATION OF YEREVAN BRANDY FACTORY OPENED IN UKRAINE

METROPOLITAN OPERA SOLOIST GAVE CHARITY CONCERT IN NAGORNO KARABAKH

AMERICAN ARMENIANS ENDORSE KERRY FOR PRESIDENT

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SKINHEADS, WHO KILLED AN ARMENIAN, STOOD TRIAL IN MOSCOW

26.07.2004 17:56

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Moscow Municipal Court sentenced 5 young men,
who brutally killed an Armenian in one of the local suburban trains,
to 9-14 years of imprisonment. As reported by Moskovskiy Komsomolets
Russian newspaper, a band of young men aged 17-22 ranked themselves
as members of neo-Nazi organization of skinheads and had the aim “to
clear” the local electric trains of Caucasians. On December 12, 2003,
on entering Petushki-Mocsow suburban train, the murderers saw a man
with “Caucasian appearance” and knocking him off his feet trampled on
him. The maimed man died after suffering in the aid station for 2
hours. At those days a 35-year-old Azeri was killed in the same way.

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

SITTING OF ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN COMMISSION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION HELD
IN TBILISI

26.07.2004 17:03

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The sitting of the Armenian-Georgian Commission for
Economic Cooperation opened in Tbilisi on June 26. Georgian Prime
Minister Zurab Zhvania and Armenian Premier Andranik Margarian, who
is on formal visit in Tbilisi at present, delivered their speeches at
the opening ceremony, RIA Novosti reports. As A. Margarian told
journalists, the issue of the opening of the railway communication
via the Abkhazian sector of the Transcaucasian railway is to be
discussed at the sitting. In his turn Zurab Zhvania noted that the
opening of this communication is connected with return of Georgian
refugees in the Galski region of Abkhazia. The Prime Ministers
visited the Pantheon of the Armenian culture workers in Tbilisi.
Today Andranik Margarian is expected to meet with Georgian President
Mikhail Saakashvili.

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

SECOND PAN-ARMENIAN YOUTH FORUM HELD IN TSAGHKADZOR

26.07.2004 14:09

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Second Pan-Armenian Youth Forum with the
participation of over 100 boys and girls from 17 countries opened in
the Armenian town of Tsaghkadzor on July 24. Armenian President
Robert Kocharian sent a greeting message to the forum participants.
When addressing the opening ceremony Armenian Prime Minister Andranik
Margarian noted that the measure initiators – Pan-Armenian
International Youth Center” and the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs –
are working for establishing ties between the growing generation of
the Armenian Diaspora with the youth organizations of Armenia and
ensuring their participation in the pan-Armenian projects implemented
by the government. Meeting with Armenian FM Vardan Oskanian has been
also scheduled. At the moment the forum participants are discussing
three major topics, these being “Culture and Armenian Originality”,
“Youth and Urgent National Issues”, “Diaspora and Globalization”.
Future plans such as organizations of measures dedicated to the 90-th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey and business
forum with the participation of Armenian entrepreneurs from different
countries of the world will be as well being considered.

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

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT WENT ON 10-DAY LEAVE

26.07.2004 14:08

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian went on a
10-day leave on July 26. According to a report of RA President’s
press service, he intends spend his holiday in Armenia.

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

KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT MEETS US NATIONAL INTERESTS, AMERICAN
MEDIATOR STATED

26.07.2004 14:07

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement by means of negotiations within the frames of the
OSCE Minsk Group (MG) conforms to the US national interests, MG US
co-chair Steven Mann told Regnum IA. In his words, US pursues a
long-term policy in references to this region. US has no interest in
events that can threaten stability in the region as it assists energy
projects, one of them being Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which
is important for the whole region, the diplomat said. When replying
to the question “whether the US will support Azerbaijan of the latter
decides to restore its territorial integrity”, Mr. Mann stated that
the US position remains unchangeable – the conflict should be
resolved peacefully. At that he called the parties “to sense and
compromise”. “Only by making concessions it is possible to find a
solution admissible for the conflicting parties. This is the opinion
of the co-chairs. Only this way we can achieve long-term peace in the
region. The conflicting parties chose the OSCE to resolve this
problem and we are trying to settle the conflict peacefully and will
support the decisions taken by the parts”, the American diplomat
stated. As for the new proposes, they always exist, he said. However
everything depends on the attitude of the parties and readiness to
accept them, he noted adding that the co-chairs are to continue
consultations with the parties within next few weeks.

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

REPRESENTATION OF YEREVAN BRANDY FACTORY OPENED IN UKRAINE

26.07.2004 18:14

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ French concern Perno Ricar CJSC, the owner of the
Yerevan Brandy Company opened its representation in Ukraine. As
reported by Arminfo agency, the major goal of Perno Rirar- South is
to supply the southern regions of Ukraine with Armenian brandy. To
note, Ukraine is the second (after Russia) market where this Armenian
beverage is sold.

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

METROPOLITAN OPERA SOLOIST GAVE CHARITY CONCERT IN NAGORNO KARABAKH

26.07.2004 14:38

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Famous Canadian singer of Armenian origin, soloist
of the Metropolitan Opera Isabel Bayrakdarian (soprano) gave a
charity concert in Nagorno Karabakh capital of Stepanakert on July
24. On the same day she met with NKR President Arkadi Ghukasian.
During the conversation the singer pointed out to the great interest
of the Karabakh people show to the art. In her opinion, this
testifies that “aspiration to the beautiful, the Armenians have been
always remarkable for, became essential part of the life of the
Karabakh people, who could preserve and supplement the best
traditions for the formation of an intellectually mature
personality”.

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

AMERICAN ARMENIANS ENDORSE KERRY FOR PRESIDENT

26.07.2004 14:15

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The other day the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA) announced itsendorsement of the Kerry ticket.
According to the ANCA leadership, Senator Kerry has been a friend of
the Armenian American community for over twenty years, with a proven
track record of fighting hard for issues of concern to Armenian
Americans across the nation. Kerry welcomed the ANCA endorsement,
stating that, “John Edwards and I would like to thank the ANCA for
its endorsement. We are looking forward to working with all Armenian
Americans to create a stronger America, more respected in the world.”
To remind, the presidential election in the US is scheduled for
November 2.

I was there… The day the Melkonian was bombed

Cyprus Weekly
Friday, July 23, 2004
By Athena Karsera

A man who lived through the bombing of the Melkonian Educational
Institute as a recently graduated pupil was in Nicosia this week to
battle for the school’s survival.

One of Nicosia’s best-known landmarks for over 77 years and the pride
of the region’s Armenian community faces closure.

The 1926 stone building and its surrounding land of 125,000 square
metres is estimated to be worth at least CYP 40 million.

Nightmares

The government has placed a preservation order on the school since May
this year, ruling that “no alteration or construction be executed on
the buildings… considered to be on special architectural/
historical/ social importance.” While this may have temporarily
scuppered plans to sell off the school, its future beyond June 2005
remains uncertain.

Raffi Zinzalian had just graduated from the Melkonian and had a
university place waiting for him in Lebanon when the 1974 troubles
began. He had spent the day before the invasion on the beaches of
Famagusta and was in the school building when the Turkish planes flew
overhead on July 20, 1974.

“We were happy because the cease-fire would begin at 3pm and then at
2.45pm we saw the Turkish jets overhead. We thought they were headed
for the radio station (Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation- CyBC) but they
circled round and we heard a deafening noise, we had been bombed,” he
said.

Zinzalian said that even his years in war-torn Lebanon could not
compare to the fear he felt on that day. Thirty years later, and now a
married father of three, he still has nightmares of the bombing.

“The roof in the dormitories was about to cave in and we couldn’t
breath. We knew we had to escape, the roof was on fire and so we ran
outside to the principal’s residence. The fire brigade was called, but
the roof had collapsed,” Zinzalian said.

The students and teachers left at the Melkonian made for the
mountains. Turkish troops had surrounded Nicosia and the only way out
was on the road to Larnaca. For 6-7 weeks communication and travel was
almost impossible and Zinzalian was able to leave the island on a
Soviet cargo ship to take up his place in Lebanon. “Two years later,
the war started there,” he said.

Following his studies, Zinzalian was employed at the Press Information
Office (PIO) as a Turkish-English translator. “I saw
+AFs-then-President, Archbishop+AF0- Makarios everyday,” he said.

Archives

Zinzalian then left for the USA to study photo journalism and media
and is now a publisher at the University of LaVerne Press and on the
board of Armenia International Magazine (AIM). He is also the
president of the Melkonian Alumni and Friends in California.

“We are all very sad that the school may be closed. All the alumni I
have spoken to, in LA, in Ontario, in Cyprus, in Greece, in Lebanon,
in Turkey, all feel the same,” he said.

Zinzalian has spent the last few weeks on self-financed travels to
lobby members of the alumni. “There are 1300 members of the alumni all
around the world,” he said.

Having had meetings with the Cyprus alumni of the school and
representatives of the Armenian community on the island, Zinzalian
said that the passion for keeping the Melkonian up and running will be
hard to beat.

“We are also looking into the archives of the school because the
Melkonian brothers who founded the school made provisions before they
died for it never to close. Before they died, they put the school in
the care of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU),” he said.

The Melkonian Institute was built as an orphanage by Krikor and
Garabed Melkonian soon after the massacres of the Armenians in Turkey.

Zinzalian said that the closing of the school was “totally
unacceptable” not only because of the Melkonian’s important cultural
role and lengthy history, but also for the potential practical
problems faced by the 170 students continuing their studies at the
school following the graduation of a further 30 this past year.

“There are students at the school from all over the world who may not
be able to continue their studies as they have up until now,” he said.

“It seems ironic that the Melkonian school survived bombing and a war
and now is in peril from the people supposed to be protecting it,”
Zinzalian said.

He said that the alumni were prepared to keep up their peaceful fight
for as long as necessary, fund-raising — the California Alumni has
raised over +ACQ-370,000 for the school over the past five years —
and meeting with people able to help the situation. “The Cypriot
government has been very supportive,” he said: “and the Cyprus alumni
is the best we have.”

Zinzalian also said that he believed the AGBU did not expect to have
as large scale a fight on their hands. “I think they expected to sell
off the school and take the money back to the USA without much
reaction.”

He also criticised the AGBU for sending a non-Armenian to manage the
planned closure of the school. US national Gordon Anderson has been
sent to take the place of the school’s headmaster and oversee the
school’s future.

“Feeling the way we do about the school, I feel that closing it will
be impossible,” Zinzalian said.

+AKk- Cyprus Weekly, 2004

Zaman, Turkey
July 21 2004

PM: Border Gates will Open if Genocide Campaigns End

“The Armenian Diaspora is making a mistake by putting the so-called
Armenian genocide on the agenda,” said Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan yesterday in response to a question from a member of
the Commission of Foreign Affairs in the French Parliament about what
Turkey thinks of the Armenian issue.

“Progress on the relationship is difficult to make so long as the
campaigns continue. The border gates will not be opened unless the
campaigns are ended,” emphasized Erdogan. The Prime Minister also
reminded that Yerevan does not recognize the borders of Turkey.

Erdogan is currently in the middle of a three-day official visit to
France.

07.21.2004
Ali Ihsan Aydin
Paris

ARMENIAN, GEORGIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS DISCUSS SETTLEMENT POSSIBILITIES
OF REGIONAL CONFLICTS

YEREVAN, July 21 (Noyan Tapan). Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Ms. Salome Zurabishvili, who is in Armenia on an official visit, and
her Armenian counterpart Vardan Oskanin met on July 21 to discuss key
problems related to the regional prospects and Armenian-Gerogian
bilateral relations. The Armenian foreign minister espressed
confidence that S. Zuabishvili’s visit and high-level meetings will
give a new context to Armenian-Georgian agenda issues. The two sides
outlined their approaches to the European prospect and pointed out the
existing potential of mutually advantageous cooperation in deepening
partnership with the European and Euroatlantic structures, namely, the
European Union and the NATO, which acquires more importance with the
involvement of the three Southcaucasian countries in the new
neighborhood program. The RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Departments quoted Vardan Oskanian as stressing the importance of
developing the road and transport corridors both to the West-East and
to the South-North from the viewpoint of regional economic development
meanwhile emphasizing their harmonic development will make it possible
for the South Caucasus to become a lively crossroads. In this context,
the sides exchanged views over the full re-operation of the regional
railroads, especially dwelling upon opening the Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi as
well as the Abkhazian section of the Russia-Georgia-Armenia
railroads. The sides also touched upon the regional energy safety
problems and relevant developments. In this context they discussed
Turkey’s relations with the countries of the region. Vardan Oskanian
outlined the current state of Armenian-Turkish relations and the
registered shifts. Further the sides refered to the soft points of the
region, i.e. the Karabakhk, Georgian-Abkhazian and Georgian-Ossetian
conflicts and the possibilities of settlement. To sum up the meeting
that lasted close to an hour, the sides agreed to continue the talks
during the official reception in honor of the Georgian foreign
minister given by Vardan Oskanian. Later in the day Salome
Zurabishvili met with RA Parliament Speaker Artur Baghdassarian and
Prime Minister Andranik Margarian, put a wreath to the Tsitsernakaberd
Memorial Complex to the Victims of the Armenian Genocide, met with the
representatives of the Georgian community of Armenia at the Georgian
Embassy and visited the house-museum of Parajanov.

UEFA.com
July 15 2004

Dinamo go back to the future

Forty-eight hours after the 2004/05 edition of the UEFA Cup opened,
the first qualifying round continues tonight with the remaining 24
first-leg ties.

Previous winner
After Hungary’s Budapest Honvéd FC won 1-0 at MIKA FC in Armenia on
Tuesday, another 27 countries – spanning the breadth of Europe from
Iceland to Azerbaijan – are represented in tonight’s matches.
However, there is only one previous winner of a European trophy, FC
Dinamo Tblisi, involved.

Bottom rung
The Georgians played under the Soviet flag when they captured the
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1981, beating FC Carl Zeiss Jena 2-1 in the
final in Dusseldorf. Now, more than two decades on, they are starting
out on the bottom rung when they visit the Belarussian club FC BATE
Borisov.

Serious business
While players from the continent’s higher-profile leagues are still
working their way back to full fitness, for the clubs in action
tonight the serious business has begun already. Arguably the best
quote in the build-up to these matches came from Saulius Širmelis,
coach of Lithuanian side FK Ventspils.

Warning
His team face B68 Toftir in the Faroe Islands and Širmelis warned: “I
hope none of my players are expecting the game to be easy. I remember
how Rudi Völler and Germany came to the Faroe Islands smiling and how
pale they were at the end of the match.”

Heat is on
Elsewhere, Romanian club CF Otelul Galati’s preparations for the
visit of KS Dinamo Tirana were not helped by a brief players’ strike.
The Otelul squad refused to train for several days before receiving a
promise that they would be paid money the club owed them. Meanwhile,
it seems no amount of training can have fully prepared F.Y.R.
Macedonia’s FK Sloga Jugomagnat for the expected 40C heat they will
face when they play Omonia AC in Cyprus. Of all the venues tonight,
nowhere is likely to be as hot as this.

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Armenianow.com
July 16, 2004

Two Months, No Answers: Haglund family says “someone has gotten away with
murder”

By John Hughes ArmeniaNow reporter
The family of an American murdered in Armenia two months ago says it remains
“determined to find answers and have justice served”.
Investigators in Armenia, however, are giving no information on whether such
answers exist or whether justice is near.

Joshua Haglund, a citizen of the United States from Wisconsin, was stabbed
to death outside his Yerevan apartment in the evening of May 17. He is
believed to be the first American murdered in Armenia.
Haglund, 33, was in Armenia as part of a U.S. State Department language
fellow program. He was teaching English at Brusov Linguistic University and
was killed just days before he was scheduled to end his service in Armenia.
Reached at her home in Wisconsin, Haglund’s mother Maxine Haglund-Blommer
told ArmeniaNow that her son held high hopes for his work in Armenia and
talked about “the excitement and possibilities Armenia had in its future and
he wanted to be a part of it all.”
It happens, too, that Joshua Haglund was gay. And, privately, expatriate and
Armenian acquaintances are saying he was killed by those who opposed his
lifestyle.
ArmeniaNow asked investigators whether Haglund’s death was being considered
a hate crime. Police would give no details of the investigation nor say
whether a suspect has been identified nor how many people have been
questioned.
Members of Armenia’s gay community have privately complained that police
used Haglund’s murder investigation as an excuse to intimidate those known
or thought to be gay.
At least one man was held in confinement for several days. Another says he
was called to a police station and when he asked what crime he was being
charged with, an investigator said: “Don’t you think being a faggot is a
crime?” He also alleges that police told him they did not care whether the
law protected homosexuality, and that, in their precinct, they were the law.
“Josh was openly gay in America and his family supported him,”
Haglund-Blommer said.
She says she doesn’t understand the relevancy of her son’s sexuality to his
death because: “It isn’t important what my son’s sexual orientation was but
rather that he was a person that wanted to make a difference in the world
through teaching and travels.”
But the mother also says his family “doesn’t know what it is like to be gay
in Armenia.”
“Joshua would never intentionally put himself in danger,” Maxine
Haglund-Blommer said. “If this was a hate crime, we don’t know. But we sure
would like to find out.”
His mother says that many of her son’s friends and colleagues in Armenia
have contacted her over the past two months.
“They don’t understand how or why this could happen,” Haglund-Blommer said.
“Several have said they don’t have great hope or confidence in the legal
process in Armenia.”
Haglund-Blommer says Haglund’s brothers and sister are “very discouraged and
disappointed” with the investigation and that the family is now looking into
hiring a victim representative in Armenia.
“We want some answers to this senseless death,” she said. “Our son and
brother is gone and someone has gotten away with this murder.”