Author: Tumanian Talar

Turkish local official to be investigated over book-burning

NTV television, Istanbul
5 Apr 05

The Interior Ministry has assigned a civil servant inspector the task
of conducting an investigation into Mustafa Altinpinar, chief district
officer of Isparta’s Sutculer District, who issued a directive saying
that novelist Orhan Pamuk’s [winner of Turkish and international
literary prizes] books should be confiscated and destroyed.

It is reported that the inspector has already started his investigation
in Sutculer. Altinpinar had issued an order to confiscate, burn,
and destroy the books of Orhan Pamuk after a statement he issued on
the Armenian genocide in February.

The ‘Pope of the People’ Is Remembered in Prayers
BY ANTHONY DePALMA

The New York Times
April 3, 2005

In thousands of churches and millions of homes throughout the world,
the people for whom Pope John Paul II had knelt in prayer through
a turbulent quarter-century as leader of the Roman Catholic Church
quietly bent their heads yesterday and prayed for him.

Some prayed for a miraculous recovery that Vatican doctors warned
was unlikely; many accepted what seemed increasingly inevitable and
simply prayed that the pope would be graced with a peaceful death.

As the cardinals of the church began to assemble in Rome to prepare
for the ancient process of selecting the next pontiff, the faithful,
some too young to have known any other pope, others old enough to
have appreciated how different this one was from his predecessors,
gathered to pray and to remember.

They remembered not the frail old man who struggled for breath at his
last public appearance Wednesday, but the powerfully built figure
in flowing white robes who was known in every country as the pope
of the people. They talked of his goodness and of his greatness;
of his remarkable life and what they saw as his courageous struggle
with death.

In the many parts of the world that he visited during his
26-year-reign, people felt a special attachment, as though a friend
or relative lay dying. And even in places where the pope had longed
to be but never set foot, like Russia, his name was on the lips and
in the hearts of many.

Russia

Stanislav Sobotta, whose last name, he says, “means Sabbath,” could
not stay away from church this weekend, especially because he lives
in Moscow, far from his hometown of Lezhaisk, a beer-bottling town
in Poland. He felt he needed to pray for the ailing pope.

“Papa is a symbol, and of course I came to pray for him, it’s just
so, so sad,” Mr. Sobotta, a businessman, said as he rushed in for
the first 8:30 a.m. Mass on Saturday morning.

“And besides, I am from Poland, and Poles built this church, you know,”
he says proudly, striding into a red-brick Catholic cathedral that
reopened after the Soviet Union collapsed and people openly practiced
religion after decades of persecution.

At the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Mowcow, Father Aleksandr
had just finished the first of many mournful Masses. They will last all
day in half a dozen languages-Russian, Spanish, Korean, Armenian. “We
pray God will be with him in these last difficult moments,” the priest
says to the Russian-language service. “He lived a holy life.”

Outside after Mass, in the cold sun, Father Aleksandr buttoned his
black coat and recalled the fervor with which the pope had pursued
closer ties with Russia.

“He always asked people who went to visit him from Russia, ‘What are
you hearing in Moscow? What’s new there?’ ” he said. “He never was
allowed to visit, although he always wanted to. He knew what it was
like here under Communism and in Soviet times, to live without God.”
Erin E. Arvelund

Jerusalem

John Paul did get to see the Holy Land, and his visit to Jerusalem
in March 2000 resonated not just among Catholics there but among all
the faiths that mingle on that revered site.

Josephine Apostol waited patiently in line on Saturday at the Church of
the Holy Sepulcher, which Pope John Paul II called “the mother of all
churches” on his historic visit there. Like the pope, she kissed the
marble slab where tradition says Jesus’s body was prepared for burial.

Then she prayed for the soul of John Paul II, a man she said “had
served the whole world.”

Ms. Apostol, 28, from the Philippines, works as a caregiver in Tel
Aviv. “He seems a kind man,” she said, as priests in long black robes,
full of dust, moved around the worshippers and tourists to replace
dead candles.

“It’s why all the people of the world sympathize with him and pray
for him,” she said.

In the courtyard, Hussein Cordi, who works as a tour guide and scout
for Dajani’s Orient Bazaar, a souvenir shop in the Old City, said that
Muslims were also praying for the pope. “Everyone knows about him,”
said Mr. Cordi, who lives in Bethlehem.

“Everyone remembers his visit to the D’heisha refugee camp, and when
he went there, everyone cried.” The pope’s visit to the camp was
unprecedented, and gave Palestinians a sense that he shared their
difficulties, Mr. Cordi said.

Pope John Paul II will be most remembered in Jerusalem for his effort
to bind the three faiths of the riven city, considered holy to all
of them, and to make a lasting reconciliation between Roman Catholics
and Jews.

Shimon Peres, deputy prime minister, told Israel Army radio that the
pope “was a true spiritual leader who prayed everywhere for peace
and love of others.”

“He impressed me at each of our meetings by his rare mixture of a
sense of history and personal charm.” Steven Erlanger

London

At Our Lady of the Victories church on busy Kensington High Street
young worshippers came in the midst of shopping excursions, laden
with bags from supermarkets and clothing stores, just to spend a few
minutes reflecting on the pope and the efforts he made to reach out
to young Catholics around the world.

Patricia Nava, a 27-year-old student from Bolivia, said she admired
the pope’s perseverance in traveling outside of Italy, even through
his illnesses and advancing old age. “He understood the values that we
have to live by,” she said, “the values that are important to follow.”

Teresa Chapman, a store clerk, said that the pope’s greatest
achievement was to “come out to the world and not stay in the Vatican,
like all the others.”

In Rome, even as the pope lay weakening, he was said to have
acknowledged the young people who had gathered in the plaza outside
St. Peter’s and those around the world who were praying for him:
“I have looked for you. Now you have come.” Sarah Lyall

New York

At St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, the first Mass of a bleak
and rainy day drew a small crowd of tourists and visitors along with
a few people who work in the neighborhood. The police had set up
barricades anticipating large crowds, but by midmorning the streets
were empty. Those who came clearly had the pope in their thoughts.

The French Club from the Wellsburg Middle School in Wellsburg, W.V.,
had other plans for their last weekend in New York but detoured to
the cathedral at the instigation of Robyn Heaton, a teacher from
the school.

Mrs. Heaton, a Baptist, said the momentousness of the pope’s situation
shifted their plans. “We came to show respect,” she said.

Sean O’Shaughnessy, a dental surgeon from Dublin who was passing
through New York on his way to Washington, came to the early Mass as
an act of communion.

“Being here allows me to be with my friends at home in Ireland and
indeed all over the world who are also at Mass today praying for the
Holy Father,” Mr. O’Shaughnessy said. “John Paul is the first pope of
the media age to bring the word and image together – with the others
you had the printed word but with him you had the whole package.”
Jim Dwyer

Poland

In Krakow, concerns about the pope brought a flood of memories about
the places associated most intimately with his beginnings.

Outside Father Adam Boniecki’s office and around the corner is the
stately, ocher colored residence of the Bishop of Krakow where John
Paul lived when he held that position and where he used to stay on
visits to the city. Over the past two days, the grassy space below
the window was filled with people standing silently, just looking up
at the window where the pope used to appear.

At the edge of the square is the 13th-century Church of Saint Francis,
where the pope used to celebrate Mass and where on Saturday a wedding
celebration was taking place – life as usual on an unusual day.

“For me it’s very moving to see young people crying here in the
square,” said Father Andrzej Zajac, the principal priest at the
church. “But you can see that on a day when the head of the church
is dying, there was a baptism in the morning and a wedding in the
afternoon, because the commonwealth of the church is a living thing.”

Father Zajac said that during the war, the pope was a factory worker
and often visited the church. “On one of his visits here after he
became pope, I remember him saying, ‘Who could have imagined that
this worker in wooden sandals would come back here as pope?’

“He said, ‘This is very important, because it shows that anyone,
even someone from a poor background, can reach the top of human
possibilities.’ ” Richard Bernstein

ARKADI GHUKASIAN: AZERBAIJAN TRIES TO BLACKMAIL INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY BY CREATING TENSION IN CONTACT BORDERS

YEREVAN, APRIL 1, NOYAN TAPAN. Contacts between the Presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan are necessary, but they cannot replace the
process of negotiations dedicated to the Nagorno Karabakh settlement,
which “is lacking at present”. Arkadi Ghukasian, the NKR President
stated about this at the end of his March 30 meeting in Yerevan, with
Dimitriy Rupel, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office. That process must take
place within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, as decided by the
OSCE 1994 Budapest Summit, according to which there are three parties
on the conflict, including Nagorno Karabakh. In reply to the idea
expressed by D.Rupel, that from now and till the late spring or early
summer, there is a “window of opportunies” for the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict, the NKR President mentioned that there is very
little time till the summer, and this time must be used to create
atmosphere of mutual confidence among the conflicting parties.

A.Ghukasian again emphasized the necessity of Karabakh’s
representation as a party of negotiations: Nagorno Karabakh has
participated in the process of negotiations since 1992. According to
Ghukasian, negotiating only with Armenia, Azerbaijan tries to assure
the international community that Armenia is an aggressor and sanctions
must be imposed on it. “We try to settle, to solve the problem,
Azerbaijan tries to charge Armenia. Azerbaijan is busy with
propaganda, we really try to solve the problem,” he emphasized. At the
same time he expressed confidence that Azerbaijan will at last
negotiate with Karabakh: “I have a formula: if Azerbeijan does not
negotiate with Nagorno Karabakh, then Azerbaijan does not want to
settle the problem,” Arkadi Ghukasian mentioned. According to the NKR
President, it is meaningless to speak about concessions today,
especially that there is no active process of negotiations. He also
added that the NKR concessions are hanged on Azerbaijani concessions,
that process cannot be of one party. According to Ghukasian, at the
meeting the OSCE Chairman-in-Office also expressed concern about the
strained situation on the border. According to the NKR President, by
increasing tension on the border, Azerbaijan follows two goals: the
first, to solve an home political problem, trying to persuade to the
opposition that it is ready for the war; and the second, by means of
blackmail, to try to persuade to the international community to solve
the problem by Azerbaijani scenario, otherwise Azerbaijan will
re-start the war. The reason of the last exchanges of fire on the
border, according to the NKR President, was that Azerbaijan was trying
to move its positions closer to the positions of Armenian forces, in
some cases as close as 70 m. The NKR President had suggested the OSCE
Chairman to fix the countact borders and re-control the processes
taking place there. The NKR President excluded the possibility of
signing of any document within the framework of Aliev-Kocharian
meeting in May.

A1 Plus | 16:58:01 | 31-03-2005 | Politics |

WE WILL IMPROVE THE SITUATION BY OWN STRENGTH

It’s three years already since A1+ TV Company was deprived of air. Today
a press conference was held in the House of Journalists to officially
announce that April 2 at 12.00 p.m. local time on the initiative of
several public organizations a protest procession will start from Grigor
Lusavorich 12 and finish at the monument to Komitas.

To remind, April 2, 2002, the National TV and Radio Committee held a
contest and deprived A1+ of air. “The problem is not that our team has
not worked for three years already; we have deliberately lowered the
standards”, Director of the A1+ TV Meltex LTD. Mesrop Movsisyan stated
when commenting of the professional level of the journalists. In the
beginning of his speech he recollected that three years ago he foretold
that 2 or 3 years later the closed company will become even more
dangerous for the incumbent leadership. In Movsisyan’s opinion, his
forecast has come true.

During three years A1+ has 8 times participated in TV frequency tenders
and 8 times it was rejected. For over a year the National TV and Radio
Committee has not announced any tenders alleging the absence of free
frequencies. Minister of Transport and Communications Andranik Manukyan
also states that the International Telecommunication Union does not
provide frequencies. “The Union has provided Armenia with 21-69
frequency range while the Minister making statements of the kind has
forgotten that presently there are 9 free frequencies – 33, 43, 53, 54,
65,66, 67, 68, 69”, Mr. Movsisyan said. “We are losing our culture, our
people and ourselves in this country”, he added noting that the protest
actions have been initiated not for the sake of A1+ only. The aim of the
public journalist organizations is to find a way for settling the
situation, as the authorities “are not absolutely unwilling to find a
way-out”.

To note, A1+ can also remain roofless. April 5 in the Economic Court
will hear the suit brought by the National Academy of Sciences. Lawyer
Tirgan Ter-Yesayan representing the interests of A1+ noted that the
proceedings will be «hot». The NAS chairman took into court as it failed
to fulfill the order of the government and the decree 39 by the RA
President of 02.10.03. “The government decided to convey the building
from one party to another neglecting the interests and rights of the
organizations acting in it, Tirgan Ter-Yesayan said. “If the court
officers take our property out into the street, not A1+ but the
President and Prime Minister should be ashamed, since they will
demonstrate their attitude towards press», Mesrop Movsisyan stated.

It should be also noted that the A1+’s suit is already being heard in
the European Court. The company has already informed the court of the
advisability of presence of its representative at the hearings.

Petoskey News-Review, MI

NEWS: Local/Regional

Alanson native headed for Peace Corps

by ryan bentley news-review staff writer
Wednesday, March 30, 2005 12:39 PM EST

Having acquired a background in nonprofit management while in graduate
school at Indiana University, an Alanson native will get a chance to apply
it during an upcoming stint in the Peace Corps.

Jenny Zeisler, a 1998 Littlefield High School graduate, expects to leave for
Peace Corps service in Armenia on June 3. Following three months of language
and job training in that country, she’ll work for two years as an adviser
for one or more nongovernmental, or nonprofit, organizations. Zeisler will
assist with needs such as fund-raising, volunteer management, leadership and
program development.

“I believe working with the Peace Corps will not only give me the
opportunity to help a culture grow and sustain itself, but will also afford
me the privilege of learning about the world through the lens of a different
culture,” Zeisler said, adding that “I am dedicated to helping curb the
wealth disparity that is ever growing in our world.”

Early in her involvement in the federal Peace Corps agency, Zeisler expects
she’ll be living with host families. Later on, she’ll have a chance to
obtain her own apartment or continue living with a family.

She’ll be paid a living wage consistent with the local economy. The Peace
Corps will provide for her airfare to Armenia and any medical needs, and
will offer her a $6,000 stipend at the end of her service.

While in her teens, Zeisler served on the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area
Community Foundation’s Youth Advisory Committee, which helps the endowment
make decisions on youth-related funding requests. She credits this
experience with boosting her interest in community service and philanthropy.

“In the YAC, I found a place where passion met concern, and my joy of living
was embraced,” Zeisler said. “I was able to serve my community, gained
valuable experience, made lifelong friends and found my calling in life. So
joining the Peace Corps seemed like a logical next step.”

In Peace Corps service, Zeisler senses the opportunity to learn about a new
culture through immersion, to apply past education and experience in a
real-life situation, and to expand on her skills.

By serving in a nation where economic resources are more limited than in
many others, Zeisler said she’ll likely get a new sense of what’s needed to
survive and what she can live without. She also expects to better understand
the “frustration and difficulty of being an outcast, not being able to
communicate fully – things immigrants in the United States go through
daily.”

Zeisler obtained a bachelor’s in professional communications from Old
Dominion University, with minors in sociology, philosophy and music. At
Indiana University, she completed a dual master’s program in public
administration – with an emphasis on nonprofit management – and in
philanthropic studies.

She currently lives in Norfolk, Va., with her father, Dennis. She’s working
for an arts festival on a seasonal basis.

Her mother, Kathleen Betts, now lives in Traverse City.

During her Peace Corps service, Zeisler hopes to correspond with teachers
and students in Littlefield.

After she completes her stint in Armenia, Zeisler said there are a variety
of paths she may consider taking: staying abroad and working for the foreign
service, moving to New York City, working for an arts or grantmaking
organization or teaching and doing research at the college level.

Ryan Bentley can be contacted at 439-9342, or [email protected].

Print this story

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 30 2005

`Foreign Ministry should condemn Russian Vice Speaker’s statement’

Baku, March 29, AssA-Irada
Official Baku should express its position on the latest statement by
Vladimir Zhirinovski, Vice-Speaker of the Russian Duma (parliament)
and chairman of the Liberal-Democrat Party, which says that `the
self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh Republic may be recognized by Moscow
some day’.
MP Tapdig Kamalov of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party said in a
Tuesday meeting of the Milli Majlis (parliament) that such statements
should be condemned by the Foreign Ministry.
Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov said it is inappropriate to express attitude
in the parliament on the statement by Zhirinovski, who is considered
an insane person in the Russian parliament. He also suggested that
the Foreign Ministry express its stance on the Russian Vice-Speaker’s
statement.
Alasgarov also called on MPs to `respond’ to Zhirinovski through the
media.*

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
03/29/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://

1) Armenia Warns of Azeri War Preparations
2) Parliament Committee Hearing on Mountainous Karabagh
3) Longtime ARF Member Natalie Lazian Passes Away at 105
4) Arab Tribal Leaders Pay Tribute to Genocide Victims
5) Armenian among Kidnapped Journalist in Iraq
6) Oskanian Speaks at National Assembly Hearings on Karabagh

1) Armenia Warns of Azeri War Preparations

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said on Tuesday that
Azerbaijan may be preparing for another war in Mountainous Karabagh, and
revealed that Azeri troops have moved closer to Armenian positions along the
heavily militarized frontline in recent weeks. He said the Armenian government
has already alerted international mediators about what it sees as a
possibility
of renewed fighting.
“They have been bringing their trenches closer to ours and more casualties
are
suffered as a result,” Oskanian told reporters. “We just don’t see the
rationale for that and are starting to think that maybe they want to torpedo
negotiations; maybe they have serious intentions to start military actions.”
The remarks are the starkest yet warning about a resumption of the Karabagh
war voiced by a senior Armenian official since the signing of the May 1994
ceasefire agreement. They follow recent deadly skirmishes reported along the
line of contact northeast of Karabagh, with each side blaming the other for
truce violations.
“The Armenian army is ready to give an adequate response to any Azerbaijani
offensive,” Oskanian said. He added that Armenia has conveyed its concerns to
the United States, Russia, and France that jointly co-chair the Minsk Group of
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Azeri leaders regularly threaten to take by force Karabagh and territories
surrounding, if the long-running peace talks remain deadlocked. “The people of
Azerbaijan will never put up with the loss of their lands,” President Ilham
Aliyev repeated over the weekend. “The people will liberate their native lands
at all costs.”
Addressing a congress of the governing Yeni Azerbaycan party, Aliyev at the
same time claimed that recent trends in the peace process bode well for
Azerbaijan, pointing to recent meetings between Oskanian and Azeri Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.
Oskanian and Mammadyarov were due to continue their talks in Prague on March
2. They were cancelled due to Oskanian’s illness. Mammadyarov was quoted by
the
Azerbaijani media this week as saying that the meeting will take place at the
end of April.
But Oskanian insisted that no new dates have been set yet. He also indicated
that a possible meeting in May between Armenian and Azeri presidents would be
far more important. “We believe that quite a lot of work has been done by the
ministers and it is time for the presidents to step in,” he said.

2) Parliament Committee Hearing on Mountainous Karabagh

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Armenian parliament’s foreign relations committee on Tuesday
began two-day hearings on the Karabagh conflict. Senior government officials
and representatives of political groups in the National Assembly will review
possible resolutions.
“Common ground is on the horizon,” Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told the
hearings. “But at the same time we are still far apart in our positions.”
Oskanian and other speakers were unanimous in ruling out Karabagh’s return to
Azeri rule under any circumstances. Opinion only differed on whether the
Armenian-populated enclave should be independent or formally become part of
Armenia.
ARF faction’s Armen Rustamian, who chairs the committee and is presiding over
the hearings, called for the creation of an interagency body that would
coordinate Armenia’s Karabagh policy. He also urged Armenia to formalize its
close political, economic, and military links with Mountainous Karabagh
Republic (MKR).

3) Longtime ARF Member Natalie Lazian Passes Away at 105

ATHENS–ARF member Natalie Lazian passed away in Athens on March 24 at the age
of 105. A woman loved and respected by all, Lazian, along with her husband ARF
Bureau member Gabriel Lazian, traveled from country to country, finally
settling in Athens where they carried on their nationalistic work.
Born in Izmir of Greek ancestry, Natalie Lazian became acquainted with
Armenians, embraced our struggles, and faithfully followed her husband.
Serving
the Armenian Cause, her travels were risky–going from Izmir to Batumi, from
Batumi to Yerevan, Alexandropol, Alaverdi, Porchalou, Tbilisi, back to Izmir,
then Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, and finally, Athens. After learning to speak
Armenian fluently, the couple established the “Nor Or” newspaper in Athens
from
1932-40.
Funeral services for Natalie Lazian took place on March 25, at the Nea Smirni
Cemetery. She is survived by her son, Aidan, who currently resides in Athens.

4) Arab Tribal Leaders Pay Tribute to Genocide Victims

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)–A delegation of 12 Arab tribal leaders,
accompanied
by National Assembly’s Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) faction and the
ARF Armenia Supreme Body members, visited the Dzidzernagapert Memorial on
Tuesday to pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian genocide.
Praying for the victims’ souls, the delegation members stressed that the
reality of the Genocide cannot be denied, noting that it is proven by numerous
documents.
The influential tribal leaders, some of whom reside in Saudi Arabia, Jordan,
Iraq, and Qatar, are in Armenia to take part in the events commemorating the
90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, to pay tribute to the Genocide
victims, and remind the world of the unpunished vicious crime. The trip has
been organized by the Armenian community of Aleppo.
Leader of the Tal tribe, Mohamed Elfarif, said the Arabs gave shelter to
Armenians who were deported by the Turkish government to the desert and were
condemned to death. Commenting that some Armenian girls even married young
Arab
men, Elfarif said, `Now we have the same blood,’ adding that he had heard such
stories from his grandparents.
He said they wish to see Armenia in its historic borders, and expressed that
the viewpoint of the tribes does not differ from the viewpoint of the Arab
people as a whole.
Armenian chief consul in Aleppo Armen Melkonian said, `The visit of such
people who are considered rather influential in their country will promote the
establishment of friendlier relations between our countries.’
According to another leader of a Syrian tribe, Noaf Alpashiri, 100 families
are currently living in their tribe who are the descendants of Armenians who
survived the Turkish massacre.
The delegation arrived in Yerevan on Monday, accompanied by
representatives of
the Armenian Church’s Beria Prelacy.
Armenian National Assembly’s ARF faction secretary Hrair Karapetian and ARF
Bureau’s Political Affairs Office director Giro Manoyan greeted the guests at
Yerevan’s Zvartnotz airport.
Their hospitable ancestors gave refuge to the fragments of Armenians who
miraculously survived in the Genocide; today, many of those Armenians and
their
heirs still live side-to-side with the friendly Arab people and enjoy equal
rights.
The leaders of the tribes met with Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and
Yerevan mayor Yervand Zakharian. They are also scheduled to meet with Prime
Minister Andranik Margarian, parliamentary factions, and Defense Minister
Serge
Sargsian.

5) Armenian among Kidnapped Journalist in Iraq

BUCHAREST (Combined Sources)–Three Romanian journalists kidnapped in Baghdad,
among them Romanian Armenian Ovidiu Ohanesian, managed to send desperate text
messages to relatives and colleagues just before disappearing on Monday, as
they became the latest foreigners to be abducted in Iraq.
“We’re kidnapped. This is not a joke. Help!!!!,” one of the three, Prima TV
reporter Marie Jeanne Ion, managed to message her mother from her mobile
phone,
her mother Magdalena Ion told Realitatea TV on Tuesday.
“Don’t kill us, we are from a poor country and we have no money,” Ion was
quoted as saying.
Ion’s cameraman Sorin Miscoci and journalist Ovidiu Ohanesian of the Romania
Libera daily newspaper, all on a short reporting trip to Iraq, were also
missing, authorities said.
President Traian Basescu said both local and foreign secret services had been
alerted and he chaired a meeting of a crisis committee set up to handle the
situation.
“We have alerted all the secret services and the foreign intelligence
services
of our allies to solve the case,” Basescu told the Romanian TVR1 television
after the three journalists were snatched on Monday night.
“President Traian Basescu assures Romanians that Romania has the will and the
capacity to defend its citizens,” his spokeswoman Adriana Saftoiu said.
The three were seized while Basescu was on a whistle-stop visit to
Afghanistan
and Iraq, where staunch US ally Romania has sent 800 troops to join the US-led
force.
Like other east European countries grateful to Washington for its support in
shedding communism, Romania is a faithful US ally that has unwaveringly
supported the war in Iraq, providing logistical support and troops.
Amid wide political consensus, it joined NATO in 2004 and is eager to host
permanent US military bases on its Black Sea coast.
The kidnappings appeared to cause no immediate political backlash for
Romania’s role in Iraq, with officials saying they suspected the motives were
financial rather than political.
“I would like to believe that only economic reasons triggered their
situation.
I don’t want to believe that their kidnapping was politically motivated,” said
Simona Marinescu, an adviser to the Romanian embassy in Baghdad.
More than 150 foreigners have been seized in Iraq over the past year. Most
have been freed after negotiations or payment of ransom, but about a third
have
been killed. Many more Iraqis have been abducted, often for ransom.
The news editor of Prima TV, Dan Dumitru, said Ion managed a quick call to
her
newsroom before disappearing and that he had heard her desperately pleading
with her kidnappers.
“I heard Arabic, English, and Romanian words shouted,” he said. “I heard her
imploring the attackers not to kidnap them because they come from a poor
country which won’t be able to pay the ransom.”
Her mother appealed to authorities not to rush into rescue operations before
hearing out the abductors.
“Please don’t send special troops to look for them,” Magdalena Ion said. “We
must wait and see what the kidnappers want.”
Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu told reporters: “We will make every effort so
that the three journalists return home safely.”
Journalists at Romania Libera had a difficult time believing their colleague
had been kidnapped since there was no demand from the kidnappers.
“We cannot say we are absolutely positive he was kidnapped. We have tried to
contact our colleague and we will continue to try,” said fellow journalist
Cornel Popa.
The disappearance of the three Romanians is just the latest kidnapping
incident involving journalists in Iraq.
Earlier this month Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena was freed after the
intervention of the Italian secret service, after nearly four weeks as a
captive.
But Nicola Calipari, the international operations chief of Italy’s military
intelligence service who masterminded her release, was shot and killed by US
troops at a checkpoint as Sgrena was being driven to Baghdad airport.
In January Liberation correspondent Florence Aubenas and her translator,
Hussein Hanoun al-Saadi, were snatched outside a Baghdad hotel and are still
missing.
And Christian Chesnot, a freelance journalist kidnapped in Iraq while working
for Radio France International and Georges Malbrunot, Le Figaro’s Iraq
correspondent, were released just before Christmas, after more than four
months
in captivity.

6) Oskanian Speaks at National Assembly Hearings on Karabagh

YEREVAN (Yerkir)–Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian on Tuesday made a statement
at the Armenian National Assembly’s Foreign Relations Committee hearings on
resolving the Mountainous Karabagh conflict. Below is an excerpt of his
statement:

`I welcome this opportunity to discuss aloud and together the history,
development, present situation, and future prospects for the resolution of the
Nagorno Karabakh issue. I believe that such joint, public explorations are
useful and should facilitate a healthy civic debate on premises and prospects,
always with the purpose clearly in mind: that what we seek is a peaceful,
lasting resolution to this conflict.
I’ve looked at the agenda of these two days–the topics and speakers are
diversified and reflect varying political perspectives and political forces.
Such a diversified spectrum will provide us with a better picture of the range
of opinions in our republic on this issue.
I will try to be as open as possible, to present not just Armenia’s position,
but also our take on those international situations and events which may
affect
the Nagorno Karabakh process, our perception of the adversary’s views, and
also
the evolution and dynamics of the resolution process.
Really, we must understand the dynamics and evolution of the process if we
are
to understand our situation today and the choices before us.
Let me break down the NK process into stages during which both the format and
nature of the negotiations evolved, as did the content of the discussions.
This most recent phase became a conflict, when, in 1988, Azerbaijan used
force
to respond to peaceful demonstrations and demands, thus resulting in military
activities. During those early years, there were various incongruent,
uncoordinated, random, impulsive efforts at mediation from within the former
soviet space. These efforts did not turn into a coherent process, however, and
no documents were produced.
In 1992, the resolution process became internationalized. The Conference for
Security and Cooperation in Europe, of which both Armenia and Azerbaijan were
members, took a decision to resolve the issue of Nagorno Karabakh’s status
through a conference in Minsk. As a result, the CSCE Minsk process was born,
with the participation of Nagorno Karabakh.
The Russian Federation continued to remain engaged, often competing with the
Minsk Group. At the same time, the conflict itself extended beyond the borders
of Nagorno Karabakh, when as a result of Azerbaijan’s aggression, Armenian
forces were compelled to bring certain territories under Armenian control, for
the purpose of assuring Nagorno Karabakh’s security. By May 1994, there was a
mutually agreed upon ceasefire, and therefore, a halt to military activities.
As military activities ceased, the OSCE, at a Summit in Budapest, harmonized
the various negotiation tracks. They created the Minsk Group co-chairs
structure, formalized the negotiation process, and put an end to competition
among the various mediators. Thus the end of militarization coincided with the
creation of a mechanism for serious negotiations.
This cycle of negotiations that has now gone on for over a decade, can be
divided into 4 stages: the first stage began with the OSCE Budapest Summit and
ended with the OSCE Lisbon Summit; the second stage covered the post-Lisbon
period through the change of presidential administration in Armenia; the third
stage stretched to the death of Father Aliyev; and the fourth stage is the one
we’re in now, that started with the change of administration in Azerbaijan.
Despite Azerbaijan’s engagement, and the efforts of the sides to search
for an
acceptable resolution of the issue, Azerbaijan continues to attempt to
simultaneously introduce the Nagorno Karabakh issue in those international
forums which continue to abide by a traditional, conservative approach to the
issues of territorial integrity and self-determination.
Their answer to claims of self-determination is simply greater human rights
and certain economic benefits. This approach ignores a great many factors
including the role of history in shaping of one’s identity and destiny.
Today, everyone recognizes that these principles cannot be universally
applied, that there are places in the world where more acceptable solutions
can
and are being found, and states–new and old– continue to live in new
relationships to each other. In our time, we have witnessed East Timor’s
independence through referendum, we witnessed the signing of an agreement in
Sudan putting an end to a decades-old conflict on the basis of the notion of
referendum to be held in one portion of the country in six years.
We are all following serious deliberations about the possibility of a
referendum to determine Kosovo’s status. Among the political, legal, academic
experts working in and around those places, there is a growing awareness of
the
possibility and reality of recognizing the right of self-determination in
certain circumstances.
In all cases, one must judge existing self-determination struggles each on
its
own merits, each in terms of its own historical, legal circumstances, as well
as the realities on the ground.
As such, we can divide today’s self-determination conflicts into four types
determined by the combination of degree of control the state exercises over
its
entire territory (including the territory occupied by those striving for
self-determination) and the degree of self-determination achieved by them.
Quebec, for example, falls in Category I. In this case, the territorial
integrity of Canada is preserved, while the province of Quebec has voted to
remain part of Canada; that is, they have exercised their right to
self-determination.
The overwhelming majority of today’s secessionists fall in Category II, where
the movements struggle without any degree of self-determination and the state
continues to fully control the territory under question. The Kurdish people’s
struggle in Turkey falls into this second category.
Those in Category III are the borderline cases where the state is not able to
control those desiring self-determination, while they themselves are not
strong
enough to maintain control over their territory with any certainty of
permanence, and the outcome can go either way.
Today, Nagorno Karabakh falls in a completely different, fourth, category.
Azerbaijan has no control whatsoever over those territories, as Nagorno
Karabakh has enjoyed, for the last 15 years, all the attributes of complete
sovereignty. In this case, to attempt to win over the people of Nagorno
Karabakh by enticing them with human rights and economic advantages in
order to
attempt to return them to Azerbaijani jurisdiction, is a simply senseless
exercise.
Azerbaijan’s new authorities are having a hard time coming to terms with
these
indisputable realities. Clear-cut, categoric changes are obvious in their
approach to negotiations and the search for a resolution. Worse, and more
worrisome, there are new myths and premises –public and official–on which
their positions are being constructed.
First, they have convinced themselves that the essence of the issue is the
issue of their territories. When this conflict began, there were no
territories
outside Nagorno Karabakh under Armenian control.
Those territories came under Armenian control because not only was there not
an agreement on Nagorno Karabakh’s status, but also because Azerbaijan saw the
solution in cleansing Nagorno Karabakh of all Armenians. Therefore, the
solution today necessarily revolves around the determination of Nagorno
Karabakh’s status, and continued control over those territories guaranteeing
the security of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh.
Second, they want to believe that if they do not receive their maximum
demands
through negotiations, they can always resort to military solutions. It is
obvious that it has not been possible nor will it be possible to conclusively
resolve this issue militarily. In order for a successful military solution,
arms and munitions are not sufficient against the people of Nagorno Karabakh
who are defending their own homes and hearth. Azerbaijan must succeed in
ethnically cleansing Nagorno Karabakh of all Armenians.
Under today’s circumstances, that is simply not possible. This has been
proven
impossible in Serbia, for example, where the former authorities nearly
succeeded in their efforts at ethnic cleansing using military might. But
today,
they are standing trial for their crimes, and the right of the people of
Kosovo
to self-determination is on the table.
Third, Azerbaijan thinks that time is on their side. Of course, the obvious
reason for this is their confidence in future oil revenues to enhance their
military capacity.
This is the greatest deception, because time is not guaranteed to work in
favor of any one side. Further, international tendencies today are moving
towards reinforcing the right to self-determination. The longer that Nagorno
Karabakh maintains its de-facto independence, it will be that much harder to
reverse the wheel of history.
Fourth, they think that an isolated Armenia will be economically unable to
sustain its positions, and will sooner or later agree to serious concessions.
This is in itself a faulty assumption, because it is the people of Nagorno
Karabakh who must first agree to concessions.
Additionally, a people who lived through the deprivations and hardships of
the
last decade and a half have demonstrated that they can do so again if it is
life and liberty that is at stake. On the contrary, both in Armenia and
Nagorno
Karabakh, the societies have gone past survival, and are recording economic
growth.
Finally, Azerbaijan has convinced itself that by presenting Armenia as
aggressor, it will become possible through resolutions in international
organizations to force Armenians to capitulate. However, Armenians have
succeeded in consistently demonstrating that Azerbaijan is a victim of its own
aggression and that today’s situation is a consequence of that aggression.
If those territories must be returned to assure Nagorno Karabakh’s security
and future, that is possible. If those territories must be kept in order to
assure Nagorno Karabakh’s security and future, that, too, is possible. The
purpose is security and self-determination and not territories.
To conclude, the point is the solution will not be found through military
action, it will not be found through the creation of documents and resolutions
in international forums, nor can there be a solution imposed on the sides from
the outside. The only way to a solution is to demonstrate political will, to
sit and discuss openly and honestly, by embracing realistic positions.
Armenia remains faithful to its initial premises that there cannot be a
vertical link between Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh, that it must have a
geographic link with Armenia, and that the security of the people of Nagorno
Karabakh must be assured.
Today, for us, the basis of the resolution, is the affirmation of the
right of
the people of Nagorno Karabakh to self-determination and the international
recognition of that right.
Azerbaijan’s simply accepting this fact, and its formalization in an
agreement,
will make possible the start of a resolution of the matter, and the
elimination
of the consequences of the conflict.

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RUSSIAN AND IRANIAN COMPANIES SUBMIT OFFERS ON COMPLETION OF 5TH POWER
UNIT OF RAZDAN TPS

YEREVAN, MARCH 29. ARMINFO. Armenian Ministry for Energy will publish
its conclusion concerning the investment offers of three companies on
completion of the 5th power unit of the Razdan Thermal Power Station
(TPS) within 1-2 month, Energy Minister Armen Movsissyan informed
journalists, Mar 29.

In his words, “Gasprom” OJSC and “Russian UES” JSC presented a joint
technical-and-commercial offer to the Ministry some days ago.
According to the offer, it is planned to complete the 5th power
station of the TPS with 300 Mgwt installed capacity and supplement it
with up-to-date 150 Mgwt gas turbine capacity. Gas consumption for
production of 1 Kw electric power will total nearly 250-270 gram as
against 330 gram in accordance with unit’s previous project.
Movsissyan refused to call the cost of Russian companies’ investment
program. However, it should be noted that President of “Russian UES”
Anatoly Chubays informed Russian mass-media that the $120 mln would be
required to realize the project. An Iranian company (Movsissyan did
not mention its name) presented the another offer on completion of
TPS’s 5th power unit. Both offers are being discussed at present and
it is early to draw any conclusions, Minister said.

Movsissyan noted that supplies of electric power in exchange for
Iranian gas after construction of Iran-Armenia gas pipe-line will be
fulfilled from those TPS which will be more efficient. In this case,
the project of reconstruction of the Yerevan TPS out of the proceeds
of $150.2 mln Japanese government’s credit (it is planned to consume
about 160-170 gram of gas to produce 1 Kw electric power as against
current 372 grams) rivals with the Razdan TPS.

To add, “Russian UES” JSC has stated about its interest to become the
operator on exchange of Armenian electric power instead of Iranian
gas. -r-

DetNews.Com
Friday, March 25, 2005

Painter Ed Sarkis examines the state of humanity.

Review

Museum of New Art combines the works of 4 solo shows

Exhibit captures the demise of Detroit, terrorism and war in
photographs, paintings.

By Joy Hakanson Colby / The Detroit News

Four Solos

GRADE: B+

Museum of New Art (MONA)

7 N. Saginaw St., Pontiac

12-6 p.m. Thurs.-Sat.

through April 3

Call (248) 210-7560

By any name, the Museum of New Art (MONA) is an art gallery known for
creative exhibits and a director who likes to tweak the public’s
sensibilities. The place lives up to its reputation on both counts
with the current offerings.

Four solo shows under the MONA umbrella are spread over two floors of
the Oakland Art Center. Photographers John Cynar and the mysterious
Stig Eklund share one second floor space. Painter Ed Sarkis holds
forth across the hall. Downstairs in a gallery earmarked for emerging
artists is an installation by Audra Wolowiec.

Although the exhibits have topical references, the artists deal with
them individually. For instance, in his series of black-and-white
digital images devoted to the demise of a central city, Cynar avoids
such obvious subjects as burned-out buildings to concentrate on
doorways and windows photographed in Detroit’s Woodward corridor after
midnight. Together, these pictures reflect the sadness and sense of
loss that many Detroiters feel these days.

Cynar, a sculptor turned photographer, also is showing a striking
series of two-part digital images of churches on one side and radio,
cell phone or TV towers on the other side. They are united by overlays
of color.

Sarkis takes on terrorism, war and other political and social
conflicts that mark our times. He works with a restless, probing line
and gestural brushwork to convey images of hooded prisoners in
Afghanistan, riot police in Seattle or the World Trade Center
bombing. The paintings have a universal quality and question the
meaning of humanity.

Now for Stig Eklund, who is billed as a Norwegian photographer; he
takes command of digital technology, creating haunting portraits,
shadowy figures and urban and country landscapes. Some of the
landscapes glow in the dark thanks to luminescent paper.

Eklund, as it turns out, is none other than MONA’s director Jef
Bourgeau, who also excels as a painter, a video artist and a maker of
constructions. By any name, Bourgeau is one terrific all-around
artist.

You can reach Joy Hakanson Colby at (313) 222-2276 or [email protected].

ARMENIANS OF NOVOROSSIYSK FEAR FOR LETTING CHILDREN GO TO SCHOOL

NOVOROSSIYSK, MARCH 28. ARMINFO. The Armenians residing in
Novorossiysk fear for letting children go to school.

According to the newspaper of Armenians of the South of Russia
“Yerkramas,” the events on March 22 in Novorossiysk can be
characterized as a pogrom in a separate district of the city, says a
member of the Board of the City Society of Armenian Culture “Luys,”
Coordinator of National Community of Novorossiysk Alla Partsikyan.

She confirmed the information that on Mar 22 evening about 100-200
Cossacks made disorders in an Novorossiysk district. They attacked
Armenians and their cars and commercial buildings. The conflict was
caused by Mar 21 night incident in a cafe in the city. Cossacks headed
by Ataman Vladimir Petrushin came to a group of young Greeks and
Armenians. During a started fight Petrushin was inflicted heavy bodily
injuries and taken to hospital. Doctors say that his state is stable.

It is known that a criminal case was initiated on Article 111
(infliction of bodily harms) and 213 (Hooliganism) of the CC of
RF. Despite Novorossiysk Administration’s measures to prevent the
aggravation of the situation, and the extreme discussion of
Municipality with representatives of national communities of the city
and promises that those guilty will be exposed and punished, the local
Armenians still keep in contact with “Luys” wondering if it is safe to
let children go to school.

Today, a joint meeting with Armenian Diaspora representatives and the
Treasury, the Law-Enforcement and City Administration will be held. To
note, Novorossiysk Mayor Vladimir Sinyagovskiy took his office in Nov
2002, replacing Valeriy Prokhorenko, who was prosecuted. Before taking
his post, Sinyagovskiy was head of the Administration of
Slavansk-on-Kuban where in 2002 also an Armenian pogrom took place,
Yerkramas reports.