Author: Tumanian Talar

Armenpress

ARMENTEL REFUSES TO PAY $400,000 FINE

YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS: A government-affiliated commission for
protection of economic competition said it has received today a complaint
from ArmenTel telephone operator protesting its August 12 decision to fine
the company $400,000 for the more than month-long breakdown of its network
that caused widespread anger among its nearly 300,000 subscribers from June
30 to July 10. The company had to pay the fine within ten days.
The commission had ruled that the Greek-owned company, which maintains
its legal monopoly on fixed-line telephony and Internet services in Armenia,
has abused its “dominant position” in the cellphone business. Commission
chairman, Ashot Shahnazarian, said ArmenTel said it would cite additional
information to explain the service’s failure. He said the commission will
convene on August 31 to respond to the complaint, saying also that the
commission is very unlikely to revise its August 12 decision. He said if the
company fails to pay the fine the commission will take the case to court.
Shahnazarian said he was assured by ArmenTel’s managers that the quality
of mobile phone services “will finally improve by September 15.”

Agency WPS
The Russian Business Monitor (Russia)
August 24, 2005, Wednesday

OPIC TO INVEST UP TO $100 MILLION IN FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS

Overseas Private Investments Corporation (OPIC, US) plans to invest
up to $100 million in the former Soviet republics through funds of
direct investments, reports the company. OPIC is prepared to invest
up to $100 million in projects in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan,
Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

The corporation is also ready to act as a partner and participant of
the newly established funds of direct investments oriented at the
former Soviet republics and to invest up to 33% of the overall
capital of the funds in them.

OPIC plans to spend the money on investments in projects with high
risks including private companies, new business projects, development
of the already existing companies and programs for restructuring and
privatization of companies.

Source: polit.ru, August 23, 2005

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Aug 22 2005

Iran Makes Aid to Armenia
Kemal DURANCAN (JTW)

ANKARA – Iran Islamic Republic makes grants to two Christian
countries of the region, Armenia and Georgia. Armenia has occupied
almost 20 percent of Azerbaijan for more than a decade. Iran has a
strong Azerbaijani minority. It is argued that almost 40 percent of
Iranian population is Azerbaijani. Dr. Yesim Sahiner says `Iranian
foreign policy is not Islamic or Islamist, but pragmatist. I can see
no difference between Shah’s Caucasian policy and Islamic Republic’s
Caucasian policies.’ `If Iran’s foreign policy is Islamic, it should
support Muslim Azerbaijan instead of Christian Armenia. Iran grants
half million dollars as the US does. What is the difference between
Iran and the US in Caucasus’ Sahiner added.

Sahiner argued that Armenia is an aggressive state and has attacked
its neighbors. `Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani
territories. It has irredentist aims on Georgian territories. Yerevan
further does not recognise Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s national
borders. Many Armenian terrorists who killed more than 40 Turkish
diplomats during the 1970s and 1980s are free in Armenia. Armenia
even makes aid to the terrorists. The European Union many other
international organizations publicly declared that Armenia was an
occupier in Karabakh and in many Azerbaijani towns. However the
United States can make economic aid to such an occupier country, and
now the Iran Islamic Republic grants a lot of sources. No one can
defend itself by using ideological words here’.

IRAN GRANTS TO 10 STATES

Iranian Cabinet on Sunday approved payment of a 10-million-dollar
grant to seven states upon a proposal of the foreign ministry.
According to Public Relations Department of Ministry of Economy and
Finance, the grant will be provided from development credit fund.
Based on the cabinet’s approval, Iran will grant 2.5 million dollars
to Tajikistan, 2 million dollars to Iraq, 1.5 million dollars to
Niger, 1.5 million dollars to Guinea, 1.5 million dollars to Mali,
0.5 million dollars to Armenia and 0.5 million dollars to Georgia.

Iran has very good relations with Armenia. Many projects on oil, gas,
transportation and electricity are agreed between Tehran and Yerevan
while Tehran-Baku relations are not as good as that. Turkey has
developed close relations with Georgia and Azerbaijan and urged
Armenia to withdraw from occupied territories and join the Caucasian
integration attempts. Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan will finish the
Baku – Tbilisi – Ceyhan Pipeline Project in 2004 and three states
will establish a more integrated transportation system in the region.

Turkish officials say Ankara wish to see Armenia and Iran in regional
integration projects. There is another gas pipeline between Turkey
and Iran and Turkey buys almost 1 billion dollars Iranian gas every
year.

Ankara honore un historien turc poursuivi en Suisse

Schweizerische Depeschenagentur AG (SDA)
SDA – Service de base francais
18 août 2005

Istanbul (ats) La capitale turque Ankara a decide cette semaine de
rebaptiser une de ses rues en l’honneur de Yusuf Halacoglu. Cet
historien fait actuellement l’objet d’une enquete en Suisse pour
negation du genocide armenien.

La municipalite d’Ankara a accepte cette mesure a une très large
majorite, indique le quotidien “24 Heures” dans son edition de jeudi.
Un seul depute s’y est oppose, arguant qu’il n’est pas dans les usages
de donner a une rue le nom d’une personne encore vivante.

La nouvelle rue Halacoglu portait auparavant le nom d’Abdullah Cevdet,
leader “Jeune Turc” du debut du 20e siècle tombe en disgrâce pour ses
positions racistes. Elle est situee dans le quartier de Cankaya, siège
de nombreuses representations diplomatiques, mais pas de l’ambassade
suisse, qui se trouve dans le quartier de Kavaklidere.

Poursuivi pour negationnisme

Yusuf Halacoglu est le directeur de l’Institut turc d’histoire,
organe etatique gardien de l’histoire du pays. En tant que tel, il
est le porte-parole de la position officielle de la Turquie, selon
laquelle les attaques perpetrees en 1915 par l’Empire ottoman contre
la minorite armenienne ne constituaient pas un genocide cible.

Le ministère public zurichois avait ouvert une enquete contre
l’historien après des allegations semblables tenues lors d’un
discours a Winterthour en mai. La justice souhaitait determiner si
ces affirmations violaient la norme antiracisme. Cette enquete avait
provoque des tensions entre la Suisse et la Turquie.

Les relations entre les deux pays avaient encore ete mises a mal
par l’ouverture en juillet de procedures similaires dans les cantons
de Zurich et de Vaud contre le politicien Dogu Perincek. La visite
en Turquie du conseiller federal Joseph Deiss, prevue en septembre,
avait notamment ete reportee par les autorites d’Ankara.

–Boundary_(ID_NmlQQeEdlhTnnNcppoG8FQ)–

AZG Armenian Daily #146, 19/08/2005

Karabakh issue

WILL KOSOVO RECOGNITION PIONEER KARABAKH?

An influential organization in conflict study, the International Crisis
Group is going to represent the UN letters of credence concerning 44
persisting conflicts, including Karabakh conflict. Regnum agency quoted
vice-president of the Group Alan Deletroz as saying that independence
is the only alternative for Kosovo. “That’s our fundamental stance
which is accepted by a number of officials in the UN and EU but is not
supported so far by countries of contact group and the capitals. There
are not less than 2 million residents in Kosovo today and the territory
is within the EU in fact. If you think the world community will meet
the claims of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno Karabakh halfway
that is, in my opinion, not very realistic”, he said.

The ICG is preparing proposals on Karabakh regulation. “We have
made two reports on inner political situation in Azerbaijan and
Armenia. But we have not formulated proposals as yet. If none of
the sides want to compromise, there will be no peace”, Deletroz
said earlier. In mid-July, the Group organized a closed discussion
on Karabakh issue in Tbilisi with the participation of Armenian and
Azerbaijani experts. According to the Azeri press, the Group presented
Armenians and Azeris a project of conflict regulation that dissatisfied
the Azeri side. Gyulteki Hajiyeva, participant of the discussion, said
that the project did not mention the “fact of occupation and tended
to legalize the administration de facto existing in Karabakh”. The
project proposed to settle Karabakh issue through a referendum.

International analysts think that the recognition of independent Kosovo
will open doors for other conflicts as well. Moscow-based analyst
Sergey Markedonov voiced an opinion in Baku press recently that the
recognition of Kosovo “will put Nagorno Karabakh next to be recognized
in post-soviet territory”, as “Karabakh, among other unrecognized
states, is the one that has organized system of governance”.

By Tatoul Hakobian

ANNUAL CELEBRATION “EUROPEAN HERITAGE DAYS” TO BE HELD IN ARMENIA ON SEPTEMBER 3-18

YEREVAN, AUGUST 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The annual celebration “European
Heritage Days” held in European countries will be held in Armenia under
the title “Book of Way, Way of Book” this September 3-18. Within the
framework of the events dedicated to the 1600th anniversary of the
invention of the Armenian letters, subject shows, a conference, show
of films will be held with the help of which the way of the Armenian
letters and book will be presented. Visits will be organized to
those monuments and sightseeings of Armenia where publishing houses
and literary centers acted. The “European Heritage Days” program
officially affirmed by the Council of Europe in 1991 has been held
under the slogan “Europe: Common Heritage” since 1999. The goal of
this march including all Europe is to make citizens closer to their
cultural values, save the dangered heritage, icrease public awareness
concerning security of that heritage. Within the framework of the
program, an active struggle is led against racialism, xenophobia and
intolerance. This year, the “European Heritage Days” officially will
start on September 3, in Prague.

GIBRAHAYER
e-magazine
[email protected]
http:// gibrahayer.cyprusnewsletter.com

The largest circulation Armenian
online e-magazine on the WWW

UNITED STATES HOUSE SPEAKER ACCUSED FOR TAKING BRIBES FOR STOPPING GENOCIDE
RESOLUTION
Friday, August 05, 2005. Vanity Fair has an interview with FBI whistle
blower Sibel Edmonds, who was fired “after she accused a colleague of
covering up illicit activity involving Turkish nationals”. Among others,
Edmonds says wiretaps of the Turkish Consulate reveal remarks by a Turkish
official who claims the price for the Speaker of the House of
Representatives Dennis Hastert to withdraw the Armenian Genocide Resolution
in the fall of 2000 “would have been at least $500,000”.

Here’s an excerpt from the Vanity Fair article:
Thanks to Hastert, the resolution vehemently opposed by the Turks, passed
the International Relations Committee by a large majority. Then, on October
19, minutes before the full House vote, Hastert withdrew it.
At the time, he explained his decision by saying that he had received a
letter from President Clinton arguing that the genocide resolution, if
passed, would harm U.S. interests. Again, the reported content of the
Chicago wiretaps may well have been sheer bravado, and there is no evidence
that any payment was ever made to Hastert or his campaign. Nevertheless, a
senior official at the Turkish Consulate is said to have claimed in one
recording the price for Hastert to withdraw the resolution would have been
at least $500,000.
&nbs p; Hastert’s spokesman says the congressman withdrew the genocide
resolution issue only because of the approach from Clinton, “and to
insinuate anything else just doesn’t make any sense.” He adds that Hastert
has no affiliation with the A.T.C. [American Turkish Council] or other
groups reportedly mentioned in the wiretaps: “He does not know these
organizations.” Hastert is “unaware of Turkish interests making donations,”
the spokesman says, and his staff has “not seen any pattern of donors with
foreign names.”

more at:

ANORTHOSIS SEND THE CONQUERORS OF THEIR CITY STRAIGHT TO HELL

(Gibrahayer Nicosia August 8, 2005) During the week that thousands of
Cypriot refugees were commemorating the invasion of their city by the
Turkish army 31 years ago, Anorthosis of Famagusta invaded the Black Sea
city of Trabzon and ousted the local football team from the prestigious
Champions League preliminaries.
The Turkish nation was sent to national mourning, administration and
players were stoned while leaving the stadium by angry Turkish mobs and
their star coach Senol Gunes – who led the National Turkish football team to
the best three teams in the World Cup 2002 – was asked to resign by a
hostile Turkish press which characterised the Cyprus victory as a “national
humiliation”.
The Turks won the battle of intimidation, rock-throwing and abuse. The
Turkish harassment of the Anorthosis delegation (which also included 90
fans) started with their arrival at the airport in Trabzon, continued at the
hotel and ended on the football field.
The thousands of flags of the pseudo-state, the rhythmic chants of an
ignited crowd, even the recorded messages of Ataturk from the stadium
speakers were not enough to stop the Cyprus team’s victory. We were beaten
“fair and square” on the pitch as one Turkish newspaper wrote.
The 1-0 victory of Trabzonspor proved inadequate to overturn the 3-1
first leg score. Right after the match the Anorthosis delegation was
escorted by local police squads straight to the airport, not before being
attacked by Turkish mobs who threw stones on their convoy. The attack was
broadcast live from local sport correspondents and then straight to Cyprus
through Syria, where more than 6,000 Cypriots were waiting for their heroes
at 4:00 am in the morning after an all-night party in every town on the is
land.
Anorthosis face Glasgow Rangers tonight at GSP in Nicosia. If they go
through they will become the first Cyprus team to survive three rounds of
preliminaries in the Champions League.

How a football club came to symbolise Cyprus – Cyprus Mail article by Elias
Hazou at ;cat_id=1

TURKEY AND FRANCE CLASH OVER CYPRUS
ANKARA (Reuters/Bloomberg)–Turkey and France clashed on August 4 over
whether Ankara should recognize Cyprus, a European Union member, before it
begins its own EU entry talks on October 3.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey could not accept any new
conditions for opening the talks and that he was upset by comments from
France that Ankara must first accept the internationally recognized Greek
Cypriot government.
“It is out of the question for us to discuss or consider any new
conditions with regards to October 3,” Erdogan told reporters in televised
comments. “We are saddened by the statements of the French prime minister
and of
President (Jacques) Chirac,” he added. Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin
said on August 2 it was “inconceivable”
that Turke y start talks with the EU without recognizing one of its 25
member states, though he did not say if Paris would deploy its veto.
Chirac has not publicly commented on Turkey’s EU talks this week, but
the French daily Le Figaro, quoting unnamed ministers, reported that the
president told a cabinet meeting he agreed with his prime minister. Chirac’s
office declined to comment on the report. Chirac has traditionally backed
Turkey’s EU bid but now faces growing opposition among French voters to
admitting the large, relatively poor, mainly Muslim country into the wealthy
bloc.

PRESSURE
Maintaining pressure on Ankara, French Foreign Minister Philippe
Douste-Blazy repeated Villepin’s criticism on August 4. “Not wanting to
recognize one country in the Union while wanting to join [is] not
acceptable,” Douste-Blazy told Le Monde newspaper in an interview. “We would
like there to be an extensive discussion on this question within
the EU,” he added.
Ankara recognizes only a breakaway Turkish Cypriot enclave in northern
Cyprus. The island has been split along ethnic lines since Turkish troops
invaded in 1974 after a brief Greek Cypriot coup backed by the military
junta then ruling Greece.
France can block the start of talks–as can Cyprus–as the 25 EU states
must approve a negotiating mandate unanimously before they can begin.
Villepin said France would decide its position after talks among EU foreign
ministers in September. Turkey cleared the last formal hurdle to the start
of its entry talks last Friday by signing a protocol extending its customs
union to new EU members including Cyprus. However, Ankara also issued a
declaration making clear the signing did not mean a change in its stance
over the island, whose Greek Cypriot government is viewed in Brussels as the
sole legitimate authority.
Turkey says recognition can come only after a comprehensive peace
settlement on the Mediterranean island. Ankara believes it has done all it
can reasonably be expected to do about Cyprus by backing a UN-brokered peace
deal last year which Turkish Cypriots also endorsed in a referendum. The
plan was not supported by the Greek Cypriots.
Despite the latest French comments, Erdogan said he was confident
Turkey would begin entry talks on schedule.
“We will start the negotiations on October 3. We think only of the
negotiations,” Erdogan said.
The talks are expected to last many years and Turkey is not expected to
join the EU before 2015 at the earliest.

THE NEXT ISSUE OF GIBRAHAYER E-MAGAZINE WILL BE PUBLISHED ON TUESDAY 30
AUGUST
WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OUR SUBSCRIBERS FOR THEIR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT.
IF YOU ARE TAKING A BREAK, HOPE IT IS A PLEASANT ONE.

NORTHERN CYPRUS GIVES WARM WELCOME TO AZERIS
AzerNews, Azerbaijan. Aug 4 2005. 80 Azerbaijani businessmen and journalists
arrived in the non-recognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)
last Wednesday on a first direct flight from a foreign country to the
Turkish-populated part of the ethnically divided island over the last 31
years. Citizens of Northern Cyprus welcomed the Azeri representatives with
tears in their eyes.
Economic relations between Azerbaijan and TRNC and investment
opportunities in the country, which faces international isolation, were
discussed during the three-day visit. The two countries’ businessmen signed
two agreements on cooperation in conclusion of a business forum on Friday,
covering trade and banking. The participants also discussed ways of
collaborating in the area of tourism, construction and agriculture.
& nbsp; ‘One nation-three states’ UATB chairman Erentok said that
Azerbaijan and Turkey have been referred to as ‘one nation-two states’ so
far. “But from now on, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Northern Cyprus should be
called ‘one nation-three states’, he said during the business men’s meeting
with the national leader, ex-president of Northern Cyprus Rauf Denktash on
Friday.
Denktash called the opening of the Baku-Lefkosha flight as a
significant event for Northern Cyprus, saying that Azerbaijan should be
considered a model for other countries.
“Like the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan, the Northern Cyprus is still
under occupation. The Greek community of Southern Cyprus is not willing to
unite with the Turkish community of Cyprus within a federation and is trying
to keep the entire Cyprus under its control. But they won’t succeed in this.
TRNC exists and will continue to exist.”
Erent ok underlined that UATB will further work to develop relations
between Azerbaijan and Northern Cyprus. In conclusion of the meeting,
Denktash was elected honorary member of UATB. Denktash and his son Serdar
Denktash, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, will visit Baku on
August 15.
Diplomatic tensions Greek Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos has
condemned the Azerbaijani business men’s visit. “Opening flights to Northern
Cyprus is unacceptable”, Turkish NTV channel quoted him as saying.
Papadopoulos said he has forwarded a letter expressing his objection to
President Ilham Aliyev. “The leadership of Greek Cyprus has decided to take
active steps to prevent such flights. We have filed a complaint to the
International Civil Aviation Organization”, the document says.
Informal reports say that Greece has threatened to open a flight to
Upper Garabagh in response to Azerbaijan’s deci sion to start direct flights
from Baku to Lefkosha.
A presidential administration official has said that Azerbaijan’s plans
to forge ties with TRNC should not perturb anyone. The country will continue
working in this direction. “These steps are aimed at preventing isolation of
Cyprus Turks from the international community”,
said head of the President’s Office international relations department
Novruz Mammadov.
Turkish Prime MinisterErdogan said during his visit to Russia that
Baku’s recent steps ‘de facto imply recognition of the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus’. “I hope that Azerbaijan’s policy in this area will
continue”, he said.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
If anyone had paid ten times the amount of what the Turkish Chamber of
Commerce paid to TIME magazine to circulate a DVD denying the Jewish
Genocide, would TIME magazine have circulated it?
Thank you H.B. from Larnaca

We have just returned from our vacation trip to Ireland and the Republic of
Cyprus. Our stay in Cyprus was nice and instructive. Yes, there is a
“Green Line” in Nicosia, Europe’s “Last Divided City,” and I took many
pictures. It appears that our Turkish “friends” are engaged in their usual
political man oeuvres of signing the EU Customs Union protocol so EU
accession negotiations can commence, but issuing a separate document “not
recognizing” the existence of the Cyprus Republic as an EU member state.
Naturally, this approach is legally inconsistent. However, the UK appears
to support it. Per the BBC article below, France today (8/2/2005) denounced
the Turkish moves. Feel free to distribute this information to
others.

I have just come across the Gibrahayer e-magazine and I must say I am rather
impressed by what I have seen. I thought I will send you a quick e-mail
about this.
I hope you and your family are all well.
Best Regards Serko Armaghanian – Redhill, UK.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN Contribute Over $20,000 For Genocide Awareness
;new
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JUST OUT READ ARTSAGANG JULY ISSUE BEFORE IT REACHES YOU BY POST
You can now read the Armenian community’s 20- page monthly Armenian
publication (July 2005 issue number 124) in front of your computer in pdf
format at:

FORMER OIL-FOR-FOOD CHIEF QUITS U.N.
Sevan calls payoff allegations false, says Annan ‘sacrificed’ him

UNITED NATIONS Monday August 8, 2005 (CNN) – The former director of the U.N.
oil-for-food program resigned Sunday, denying wrongdoing and blasting the
organization and its leadership a day before he is to be accused of
profiting from illegal deals.
Benon Sevan resigned from the United Nations in a letter to Kofi Annan,
accusing the secretary-general of “sacrificing” him for political
expediency. more at:

BENON SEVAN’S ATTORNEY LASHES AT INQUIRY COMMITTEE
`The conduct of the Independent Inquiry Committee (`IIC’ or `Committee’)
headed by Paul Volcker has reached a point where it is no longer useful to
attempt to respond internally to the IIC’s insupportable and biased findings
against former Under-Secretary-General Benon V. Sevan,’ said Mr. Sevan’s
attorney, Eric Lewis of Baach Robinson & Lewis PLLC. `They have been out to
scapegoat him from the beginning,’ Lewis stated. `The IIC is unaccountable
to anyone; some of its own staff do not trust its objectivity and have
resigned; and now the IIC tries to change the subject again by falsely
attacking Benon Sevan’s integrity.
Gibrahayer received the following press releases. Click here to read them.

NEWS IN BRIEF
¢French the Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, answering the journalist
Jean-Pierre Elkabach, declared in connection with Turkey which has just
accepted Cyprus in Customs union, without recognizing the existence of it,
that “It would not be conceivable to accommodate a country (speaking about
the negotiations envisaged on October 3) which would not have recognized
each member of the European Union. It up to Turkey to prove its will to
come in the Union.”
¢Armenia sent a note of protest to the leadership of the Council of Europe
on Monday against the mysterious di sappearance of its national flag
displayed outside the Strasbourg headquarters of the respected human rights
organization.

4B8A-8012-DEC5D5C1CE88.asp
¢A Yerevan-based travel agency hopes to find a new niche in Armenia’s
burgeoning tourism industry, pioneering weekend tours of Armenian-controlled
territories in Azerbaijan that surround Nagorno-Karabakh.

¢Iranian archaeologists recently discovered over 50 ancient sites dating
back to the Urartian era northwest of Lake Urmia which seem to confirm the
theory of Urartian settlement in the region.
¢The European Commission said on Thursday it had written to Turkey
complaining about legislation on religious foundations that did not meet EU
standards for the rights of non-Muslim communities.
¢The Cyprus govern ment is looking into the spectrum of its relations with
Azerbaijan, hoping that it will review its decision for direct flights to
the occupied areas and will respect international law and the sovereignty of
the Cyprus government, Cyprus Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Sotirios
Zakhaios has told CNA.
¢On Wednesday, 27 July 2005, four deacons under the spiritual jurisdiction
of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, the Reverend Deacons Sahag
Bicakciyan, Sevan Civanyan, Harutyun Babigyan and Hayg Koparyan were
officially called to the Holy Order of Priesthood by His Beatitude Mesrob
II, Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul and All Turkey.
SPORTS NEWS AND CALENDAR
¢Refugee Football Club Anorthosis of Famagusta – Cyprus earned a sweet
defeat at Trabzonspor of Turkey 1-0 but secured qualification to the third
round of qualifications in the Champions League having won 3-1 in Cyprus two
weeks ago. They face Glasgow Rangers tonight (Tuesday August 9, 2005) in
Nicosia at GSP Stadium at 9:00 pm.
¢Troodos Open Tennis Championships. Seniors Men’s singles +35 Finals on
Friday 12 August 2005 at 3:30 pm at the Dolphin Club in Troodos.

NEWLY ARRIVED BOOKS AT MOUFFLON BOOKSTORES
BIRDS WITHOUT WINGS by Louis de Bernieres
(author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin)
Tel:22665155 [email protected] ,

ARMENIAN MUSIC By Arek Dakessian in Beirut
This section is dedicated to bringing Armenian Music closer to us, shedding
light on the Armenian music scene, its history and how all this has affected
the Armenian Question.

THE REBIRTH OF ROCK
After the nap rock music had been taking in the seventies, it woke up,
in the eighties, bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden hit their peaks in
this decade… The cold war was sending its last cold winds to the world,
Pink Floyd hit the public with The Wall… this was the trend of rock now,
politically motivated, deeply meaningful lyrics accompanied by the new
generation of guitarists, taught by the bands in the sixties, who were
stronger in technical terms, a little more mature in musical terms, they
knew how to strike the chords a little more passionately than the
sixties-bands. But maybe I say that subjectively, each decade had its own
unique taste.
So basically the whole world is head-banging. Armenia was too, the
rebirth of rock had affected us too, we had many new bands like “Vostan
Hayots”, “Ro De U”, “Asparez”, “Breeze”… Candlelight concerts were also
popular, the bards were still singing, Roupen was close to his peak, if not
on it, Meschian was still performing, Vahan Artsruni and Gurgen Melikian
were two other bards performing in the candlelight…
Roupen, the bard whose lyrics were more emotional than political, converted
to singing political, yet evermore emotional songs because of the hectic
political lifestyle, other bard-bands like Ararat came close to being
categorized as punk rock, another bard-band Zorikian used more melancholic,
morose tunes; the casual Armenian tune really. Punk rock was beco ming all
the more famous, “Slayer” was already a household name despite the
censure… Quite simply, the eighties are the blooming years of rock music!
In 1989, to have the Armenian signature on all this, the earthquake hit
Leninagan and Spitak brought to the ground in a matter of seconds. I might
be reviving old memories here, and maybe sad ones, but it’s interesting how
we come together as people in times such as the latter. My dad tells me when
he had gone to donate money, he had seen one of his students, they started
talking and the student (who was quite poor) told my dad that the money he’s
paying is the money he had saved up to get married, the wedding was
postponed in one country to save one in another. The Entertainer of the
Century, Charles Aznavour gathered up the elite of French music (who mind
you contained 3 other Armenians at the time) and sang “Pour toi Armenie”,
this marked the fact that Armenian bands started to take on a new role.
When you think about it, it’s very typical of our Armenian nature, in
the eighties the Karabagh war was under way, Armenians in Azerbaijan got
massacred, (Ararat was no longer the football powerhouse it once was),
Armenia turned independant… all this, with the renaissance of rock, made
Huge rock bands come along, people some traveled to the States to give
concerts, some collapsed and turned into a production company (this is the
bright side), some introduced punk rock, others introduced death metal (at
the time death metal was different than now)… We had the guitars –
sensational ones by the way – the voices, the brains, the melodies, the
themes, we had it all really, we even had an Armenian production company to
make sure records were released. One might ask, if it weren’t for the events
in the eighties our rock bands could’ve made it into the big-time, but then
again, who knows what would’ve happened without the events in the eighties,
they were the inspiration…
Here is a link to download some Armenian music from, you will find some of
the older bands and be impressed by the maturity of the new ones:

g i b r a h a y c a l e n d a r

¢Armenian Youth Federation annual Panagoum at the Camping site of The
Archbishopric of Morphou in Kakopetria. A fun and educational program for
Armenian youth now in its 28th year. Fourth week of August 2005. Lunch and
cultural program for parents and friends on the last day of Camp. Details to
follow. Contact: Nareg Tavitian on 99488926, Raffi Mahdessian on 99441588 or
Simon Aynedjian on 99437073
¢AYF weekly meetings continue every Monday at AYMA at 8:00 pm
¢Watch the contests of the Cyprus teams in Europe at AYMA: Anorthosis Vs
Glasgow Rangers on Tuesday 9 August at 9:00 pm and on Thursday 11 August AT
8:45 Apoel Vs Macabe followed by Dynamo Buch arest Vs Omonia at 9:45 pm.
¢Armenian Radio Hour on The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation via real audio
on . Broadcast 17:00-18:00 local Cyprus time (14:00-15:00
GMT). Armenian news every Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday.
¢The Armenian Prelature announces that the next permit for the Armenian
Cemetery visitation at Ayios Dhometios on the Green line, is on Sunday 21
August, 2005.

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Investment Opportunities in Armenia

BISNIS Trades & Tenders
07/28/05 – 08/09/05

This issue of BISNIS Trades & Tenders includes opportunities in:

– Automotive
– Food Products and Services

** Companies replying to these leads should consider using the BISNIS
FinanceLink program, which distributes information about planned
transactions seeking financing to organizations open to financing
business activities in the region. Please see:
**

**********************************************************
AUTOMOTIVE LEADS

Spayka LLC – Trucks (used), Yerevan, Armenia

cfm?2804

For more information on the Automotive Sector in the NIS, please contact
Charles Raether at BISNIS at [email protected]

**********************************************************
FOOD PRODUCTS AND SERVICES LEADS

Logicon Development LLC – Whipped cream ingredients (emulsifier and
stabilizer), Yerevan, Armenia

For more information on the Food Products and Services Sector in the
NIS, please contact Charles Raether at BISNIS at [email protected]

**************************NOTE****************************

These opportunities are provided solely as an informational service and
do not represent an endoresment by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Verification of these leads is the responsibility of the reader.

This report is provided courtesy of the Business Information Service for
the Newly Independent States (BISNIS). BISNIS is the U.S. Government’s
primary resource center for U.S. companies exploring business
opportunities in Russia and other Newly Independent States of the former
Soviet Union.

BISNIS website:

Akipress , Kyrgyzstan
Aug 8 2005

Archeologists Discover Medieval Monastery In Kyrgyzstan

Archaeologists in Kyrgyzstan say they have discovered the remains of
a medieval Christian monastery on the northern bank of Lake
Issyk-Kul.

Aleksandr Kamyshev, who is heading the team from the Kyrgyz-Russian
Slavic University, told ITAR-TASS that archeologists have long
suspected the existence of a monastery built by Armenian Christians
on the shore of Issyk-Kul.

Maps from the time charting the Silk Road suggest the remains of the
Apostle Matthew are buried near the monastery walls.

Kamyshev said the monastery was built around the 14th century and is
designed in a style similar to medieval Armenian Christian monasteries.

FBI WHISTLEBLOWER APPEALS TO SUPREME COURT
BY REBECCA CARR

Cox News Service
August 5, 2005 Friday

WASHINGTON — FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds is asking the
U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether a lower court erred in dismissing
her claims of wrongful termination based on the rarely used “state
secrets privilege.”

By invoking the “state secrets privilege,” the Justice Department
prevented Edmonds, a former language translator, from airing in
court her allegations that the bureau fired her for reporting serious
security breaches and possible espionage.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled in May
that Edmonds could jeopardize national security if her case proceeded.

But the state secret privilege was created by the high court 52 years
ago to be used as “a shield for sensitive evidence, not a sword the
government can use at will to cut off argument in a case,” said Ann
Beeson, who represents Edmonds as the associate legal director of
the American Civil Liberties Union.

The ACLU is asking the high court to “rein in the government’s misuse
of this privilege,” Beeson said.

The ACLU is also asking the Supreme Court to reverse a decision by
the court of appeals to ban the media and the public from hearing
Edmond’s appeal.

There are at least four other cases now pending where the federal
government has asserted the state secrets privilege, which effectively
ends the case when a judge approves the use.

On Thursday, the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond
affirmed the CIA’s use of the privilege to end a discrimination
lawsuit filed by a Jeffrey Sterling, a former operations officer in
the agency’s Near East and South Asia division.

“The district court properly concluded that this case would require
disclosure of highly classified information concerning the identity,
location and assignments of CIA operatives,” the court’s ruling states.

When the government invokes the privilege, the person seeking justice
against discrimination or retaliation loses because the case is
dismissed, open government advocates say.

The executive branch is increasingly using the privilege to obtain
dismissals of civil cases that allege unlawful conduct by federal
agencies, said Mark S. Zaid, who represents Sterling.

The government sends a message of “keep your mouth shut” to all
whistleblowers when it invokes the state secrets privilege, Zaid said.

Congress needs to investigate whether the executive branch is
misusing the state secrets privilege, said Beth Daley, director of
communication for the Project on Government Oversight, a watchdog
organization based in Washington.

“The executive branch is abusing this authority,” Daley said. The
result is that national homeland security whistleblowers are afraid
to come forward when they see wrong doing because their cases end up
in a black hole, she said.

The Justice Department did not return calls seeking comment, but in
the past it has argued the privilege is a necessary tool to protect
government secrets.

Edmonds was hired by the FBI as a contract linguist soon after the
Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks for her fluency in Turkish, Farsi
and Azerbaijani.

Between December 2001 and March 2002, she reported a number of serious
security breaches to her superiors, including an allegation that a
fellow translator had been associating with an FBI target.

New details of those allegations appeared in the September issue of
Vanity Fair.

The article stated that Edmonds listened to wiretapped conversations
of FBI targets at the American-Turkish Council and the Assembly of
Turkish American Associations and the Turkish Consulate in Chicago.
The article claims that the Turkish groups arranged for tens of
thousands of dollars to be paid to House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s
campaign funds in small checks of less than $200 so they would not
have to be itemized in public campaign filings.

The article states that recordings mention Hastert’s decision in
2000 to withdraw his support for a congressional proposal that
would have designated as a genocide the killings of Armenians in
Turkey between 1915 and 1923. The article said that a senior Turkish
official claimed that the price for Hastert to withdraw his support
was at least $500,000.

Hastert’s voice was not heard on the recordings. And the article
notes that there was no evidence that any payment was ever made to
Hastert or his campaign.

Ron Bonjean, Hastert’s spokesperson, said the allegations are
“nonsense.” Hastert changed his vote because former President Bill
Clinton asked him to withdraw his support out of concern for U.S.
interests abroad.

” It makes for great summer time reading,” Bonjean said. “The
next thing you know they will blame the speaker for the Jennifer
Aniston-Brad Pitt break up.”

The Vanity Fair article also states that Edmonds listened to a
conversation between a Turkish official and a State Department
staffer. In the conversation, Vanity Fair reports, that government
officials agreed that the State Department staffer would send a
representative to pick up $7,000 in cash at the American-Turkish
Council’s Washington headquarters.

“I deny the allegations in the article in the strongest possible
terms,” said James Holmes, president of the American-Turkish Council.
“The article’s treatment of the ATC is packed with knowable lies. Any
rookie fact checker could have found out that the facts were wrong.”

Edmonds’ legal battle with the Justice Department began soon after
she was fired in March 2002. She filed a federal lawsuit alleging that
her termination was in retaliation for reporting security breaches.

U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton dismissed her case in July 2003
because then-Attorney General John Ashcroft invoked the “state
secrets privilege,” allowing the government to block the release of
any material that would harm national security.

In May, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia affirmed
her dismissal of her case based on the state secrets privilege.

“This privilege was supposed to be invoked rarely, but you see here
that they are using this as a tool to gag whistleblowers,” Edmonds
said on Friday. “It is extremely dangerous the way they invoke it.
According to them, my place of birth, my languages, my resume, are
all state secrets. It’s ludicrous.”

On the Web:

The American Civil Liberties Union’s filing before the U.S. Supreme
Court:

Rebecca Carr’s e-mail is rcarr(at)coxnews.com