Author: Vasilian Manouk

PRESS RELEASE

Alpha Epsilon Omega,
Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee
Contact: Narek Zograbyan
Tel: 818-445-1164
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

Alpha Epsilon Omega, The Armenian Fraternity, has
launched the “Never Again” awareness wristband
campaign and will soon launch the accompanying
website,

The wristbands will bring greater awareness to the
Armenian Genocide and the struggle for recognition.
They will serve as a constant reminder that the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide is a crucial part
in preventing future genocides.

The awareness wristbands are in black and have “NEVER
AGAIN” embossed on one side. They will be available
starting mid March. All funds raised by the sale of
the wristbands will go to various organizations that
are actively pursuing the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide.

If you would like to become a sponsor, or would like
to know how you or your organization can contribute to
this campaign, please send an email to
[email protected].

Thank You,

Narek Zograbyan
Committee Chair
Alpha Epsilon Omega,
Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee
818-445-1164
[email protected]

Café Babel, France
Feb 18 2005

Azerbaijan: Europe’s only hereditary democracy

Despite the country’s admission to the Council of Europe, the human
rights situation in Azerbaijan remains a cause for concern. The West
must take a stance on this region, which is getting ever closer to
Europe

With the opening of the former Eastern bloc and the enlargement of
the European Union, a region that has previously received little
attention draws closer to Europe: the Caucasus. Ever since the
democratic opposition in Georgia was able to force Schevardnadze’s
resignation through the Rose Revolution, expectations have grown of a
democratic domino effect in Armenia and Azerbaijan. Yet democratic
developments, or the lack thereof, in Azerbaijan have attracted
little interest in Europe, even though it has been a member of the
Council of Europe since January 2001. Despite irregularities in the
parliamentary election of 2000, Azerbaijan was still admitted to the
Council because of its previous endeavours and based on the condition
that it released political prisoners and respected freedom of speech
and freedom of the press. Its development along these lines is
subject to long-term monitoring by the Council of Europe. In April
2002 Azerbaijan ratified the European Convention on Human Rights and
many hoped that this development, along with the support from Europe,
would lead to, among other things, free elections.

A ‘democratic’ dynasty

Yet not only did the parliamentary elections of 2000 exhibit such
strong irregularities that they had to be repeated in January 2001,
but the presidential elections in October 2003 were also marked by
wide-spread manipulation. The obstacle posed by the opposition
political party had already begun to emerge during the election
campaign, resulting in the opposition’s demonstrations on 15th and
16th October, held at the time of the election, being brutally
suppressed, the election manipulated and hundreds of the opposition
arrested.

Thus, the beginning of President Ilham Alijew’s term in office was
hardly in line with democratic standards. In October 2003 he took
over from his father, Hejdar Alijew, as head of state, thereby
becoming the first example within former Soviet territory of a
successful hereditary succession within the highest office of a
presidential republic. Plus, in the following weeks, the unrest
surrounding the elections was used by the Azerbaijani government as
an excuse to suppress the opposition and human right activists, as
well as the free press. The opposition, their supporters, and a large
part of society were intimidated by the brutality of the police and
the arbitrary arrests. International observers confirmed reports of
those in opposition being forced to leave their party, of more than a
hundred politically-motivated redundancies, of the persecution of
members of the opposition’s families and the wide-spread use of
torture.

Resignation instead of Revolt

Since Ilham Alijew’s arrival in government, an increasing stagnation
of both the state and society’s democratisation can be detected. So
far his actions have been based on measures to safe-guard his power
and the continued construction of a soviet-style police regime that
he inherited from his father. As a result, while the wages of the
excessive police force and security apparatus have been raised, the
majority of Azerbaijanis still struggle daily to provide for their
family. The consequences of poverty are emigration and labour
migration – a last alternative for many men capable of work.
According to estimates, out of a population of 8.2 million, up to 2
million Azerbaijanis are currently working in Russia. In the last few
years political opponents have been leaving the country alongside the
financially-motivated labour migrants. In practice, legal and
economic reforms are hardly implemented and the progress expected by
Europe fails to materialise. Hopes for democracy, which were
nourished by Azerbaijan’s accession to the Council of Europe and the
European presence at the elections, have subsided into general
resignation.

As the EU’s new neighbour, the Caucasus should be accorded more
attention. Substantial public interest from the West could exert a
considerable influence on the internal events of authoritarian states
interested in, or dependent upon, interaction with the West. A clear
and decisive European policy with regard to human rights abuse and
the increasing corruption is necessary, as well as help with strict
conditions attached to promote civil society, in order to bring about
developments towards the rule of law in Azerbaijan.

Zaur Gasimov is an Azerbaijani citizen who went to university in its
capital city, Baku. He is currently doing a Masters in International
Relations at the University of Eichstätt in Germany, where the
historian Wiebke Bachmann is doing a doctorate.

;Id=3214

–Boundary_(ID_5E65uwT5SL+hbd8vMAyIGw)–

Russia believes in benefit of Azerbaijan-Armenia peace talks

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Feb 18 2005

Baku, February 17, AssA-Irada — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov says that the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace talks will be beneficial.

“Russia is ready to support a mutually-beneficial agreement to be
reached by the parties to the Upper Garabagh conflict.”

The meetings held by the two countries’ foreign ministers in Prague
will definitely yield results, he said. Lavrov added that “Russia
does not want the fate of South Caucasus states to depend on Moscow
and Washington”.*

ARMENIAN ARCHBISHOP OF TEHRAN CONDEMNS IRANIAN TV AND RADIO PROPAGANDA

ArmenPress
Feb 18 2005

TEHRAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS: The Tehran Diocese of the
Armenian Apostolic Church organized the first painting and recital
competition among students of local Armenian schools. The topic of
the painting competition was the Bible and that of the recital
competition were the Psalms.
While handing over prizes the head of the Diocese, Archbishop
Sepuh Sarkisian, emphasized the necessity of Christian education at
schools and in families, but also criticized the growing “distorted”
propaganda by the Iranian television and radio alleging that Iranian
Armenians “have deep faith in Islam and its relics.”
He said this is either an “unconscious” propaganda or the outcome
of interviews with “poor-informed’ Armenians about Islam and its
relics.
Condemning such propaganda, Archbishop Sarkisian stressed that
today is the time of dialogue and mutual understanding and there is
no need for such primitive propaganda, which he said was a violation
of national minorities’ rights.
He said Iranian Armenians have a respect towards Islam, its relics
and rituals, but also called on Armenians “to honor the memory of
their fallen victims and avoid irrelevant announcements in order to
please the interviewers.”
Iran’s officially recognized religious minorities are the Armenian
and Assyrian Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians. But despite the
constitutional protection and political representation they enjoy in
the Islamic republic, all three communities are dwindling because of
emigration and low birth rates.
The Armenians, brought to Persia en masse as merchants and
partisans by Shah Abbas in the early 17th century, are the largest
official minority. They have two seats in the Islamic parliament ,
one for Tehran and northern Iran, the other for Isfahan and the
south.
“Before the 1979 Islamic revolution there were 300,000 Armenians
in Iran. Today, according to some estimates, there are no more than
150,000. Many have moved to join relatives in the United States or
Western Europe.
Since Armenian Christians do not proselytize, they are not
regarded as a threat to Iran’s Islamic faith.

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND RUSSIA SATISFIED WITH RESULTS OF NEGOTIATIONS

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17. ARMINFO. All the issues of Armenian-Russian
relations were discussed in the course of Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov’s meetings with Armenian leadership. Armenian Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan made this statement at a joint press
conference with his Russian colleague in Yerevan, Thursday.

The Armenian Foreign Minister divided the circle of discussed issues
into 4 parts: bilateral relations, economic, military cooperation,
culture. The second circle included in it regional issues, which are
of extreme importance taking into account the developments in the
neighboring states; and it supposes deepening of Armenian-Russian
cooperation. The third circle includes in it global issues, and the
minister mentioned the cooperation at international organizations in
it. In this connection, the minister mentioned the problem of reforms
at the UN and the OSCE. Russia and Armenia are included into these
processes and have common interests, which demands specification of
positions and development of cooperation. “And, finally the issue
of Nagorny Karabakh. I mainly informed the minister of the process’s
development, our positions. I discussed the possible scenarios and how
to do to achieve positive progress in the negotiations, especially,
taking into account the regular meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani
foreign ministers on 2 March. We are satisfied with the results of
the visit and sure that it will become an additional impetus for
further development of relations,” Oskanyan said.

In his turn, Russian foreign minister said that the year was expected
to be rich for partner and ally relations of Armenia and Russia. In
his words, agreements adopted by the Intergovernmental Commission
for Economic Cooperation in December 2004 are to be discussed, that
is, expansion of trade, economic cooperation, including investment
projects. “There are agreements on military and technical cooperation
and we have agreed to intensify the consideration of all the issues
agreed on by the parties in order that our presidents are able to see
their fulfillment during the events dedicated to opening of Russian
Year in Armenia. Besides, the two presidents are expected to meet
in Moscow in the course of festivities on the occasion of the 60th
Anniversary of the Victory over Fascism, contacts of foreign ministers
and other officials are planned,” the minister said.

As to regional problems, the Russian party is interested in settlement
of conflicts within the nearest future and in establishment of
economic, energy, transport cooperation between all the states of the
region, the Russian minister said. He added that specific issues were
discussed. He said that in the issue of reforms at the UN and OSCE,
approaches of the two states practically coincided, like their close
positions in the reforms of CIS. “Of course, enough attention was
paid to settlement of Karabakh conflict. We count upon the so-called
Prague process of regular meetings of Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministers will allow achieving progress, OSCE MG co-chairs are ready
to contribute to this. And we shall do everything for the process
develops successfully and prepares ground for regular talk between
Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents,” the minister said. The agenda
is not in the stage of stagnation. There are no problems in the
Armenian-Russian relations, but they develop constantly demanding
constant attention. We agreed that the two foreign ministries will
control over the fulfillment process of the fundamental agreements
of the presidents, the Russian minister said.

PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
395 Concord Avenue
Belmont, MA 02478
Tel.: 617-489-1610
E-mail: [email protected]
Contact: Marc A. Mamigonian

FORMER TARC CHAIRMAN PHILLIPS

TO GIVE LECTURE AT NAASR

Perhaps no entity in recent years has occasioned so much comment in
the Armenian community as TARC, the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation
Commission. It is difficult to find anyone without strong opinions
on the subject – yet the actual participants have kept a low profile
and the exact nature of their discussions is largely unknown to most
of the public.

David L. Phillips, who served as chairman of the commission,
will discuss his experiences with TARC in a lecture entitled
“Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation: Lessons Learned from TARC,” on
Tuesday, February 22, at 8:00 p.m., at the Center and Headquarters of
the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR),
395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA.

First Lecture to the Armenian Community

Phillips is the first member of the commission to write
extensively about the experience of shaping and participating in
the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation process in the newly published
Unsilencing the Past: Track Two Diplomacy and Turkish-Armenian
Reconciliation. The book will be on sale and available for signing
by the author on the evening of the lecture.

In his first lecture to the Boston-area Armenian community audience,
Phillips will offer a unique insider’s account of the ups and downs of
establishing a dialogue between Armenians and Turks: the obstacles,
accomplishments, and prospects for the future. A question-and-answer
period and refreshments will follow the lecture.

Extensive Background in Foreign Affairs and Conflict Resolution

David L. Phillips is Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of the Center
for Preventive Action at the Council of Foreign Relations and Director
of the Peacebuilding Program at American University, as well as a
Visiting Scholar at Harvard University and an analyst for NBC News.
Previously, he was a Senior Advisor to the U.S. State Department
and the United Nations. Phillips has written more than one hundred
articles and editorials in publications such as the New York Times,
the International Herald Tribune, the Wall Street Journal, and the
Financial Times.

Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR
Bookstore will open at 7:30 p.m. The NAASR Center and Headquarters is
located opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the U.S. Post
Office. Ample parking is available around the building and in adjacent
areas. The lecture will begin promptly at 8:00 p.m. and interested
parties are strongly encouraged to arrive early as space is limited
and a large turnout is anticipated.

16 ARMENIANS DEPORTED FROM KRASNODAR RUSSIAN TOWN

PanArmenian News
Feb 16 2005

16.02.2005 17:59

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Besides the ordinary passengers the Krasnodar-Yerevan
flight conveyed a number of illegal immigrants – 16 Armenian
citizens, who had not followed the demands of the Russian migration
legislation. They had not validated the essential documents allowing
to live and work in the Krasnodar region. Since that day they are
forbidden the country for the next 5 years.

The Daily Star, Lebanon
Feb 16 2005

Sunnis call for Hariri’s son Bahaa to take on his political mantle

Observers consider him the best substitute for his father, as the
eldest son and a successful businessman

By Nada Raad
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, February 16, 2005

BEIRUT: One day after the assassination of former Prime Minister
Rafik Hariri, Sunnis called for his son, Bahaaeddine, to replace him
in May’s parliamentary elections.

Crowds of Hariri’s Sunni supporters gathered at the site of the
assassination in front of the St George Hotel in downtown Beirut
shouting for Bahaa to fill the political vacuum left by his father’s
murder.

One of the crowd said: “We want Sheikh Bahaa to run for elections and
continue the path of his father. We want Syria to withdraw before the
parliamentary elections and the government, the Cabinet and
especially President Lahoud to resign.”

Commenting on the possibility of Bahaa heading up a list in this
year’s elections, Beirut MP Nabil de Freij, a member of Hariri’s
parliamentary bloc said: “Hariri’s family will have to decide on such
an issue, which won’t happen before the obituary ends.”

Lebanese political analyst Hilal Khasham added: “Bahaa could run for
the elections next may and become an MP, but it is very difficult for
him to fill his father’s shoes in the short-run.”

Despite Bahaa’s current focus on business, observers consider him the
best substitute for his father, as the eldest member of the family
and a successful businessman.

Khasham said: “Although Bahaa is currently distant from politics, the
sudden death of his father will force him to show interest in the
affairs of the state and continue his father’s path.”

He added: “Leadership in Lebanon is often inherited, it’s the reason
why the absence of any prominent political figure is always filled by
their children.”

But other observers said family fears for the safety of Bahaa if he
entered politics could well count for more than any political
pressure to follow his father and rule out a career in politics.

The aftermath of Hariri’s assassination has also raised questions
about whether the government will press ahead with this year’s
elections, which most observers believe the opposition is set to win.

But Interior Minister Suleiman Franjieh insisted yesterday the
elections would “take place on schedule.”

The Sunni leader’s death also raises questions as to whether the
opposition will remain united after losing one of its most
charismatic figures.

Hariri was ready to provide financial and moral support to the
opposition, particularly in areas with a minority of Christian and
Druze voters, such as some northern areas and the Bekaa.

Also, Hariri was ready to enter the electoral battle in Beirut, where
the authorities had managed to tailor an electoral law proposal that
would decrease his representation in Parliament.

Hariri had extensively announced that he would run in Beirut’s second
electoral district, where the government planned to win nine seats,
as it placed the majority of voters from the Shiite and Armenian
communities, two sects that support the government.

His death also leaves his parliamentary bloc of around 15 MPs facing
an uphill battle in the election, although some observers feel the
bloc will be able to harness a protest vote following Monday’s tragic
events.

Meanwhile, leading opposition member Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt
reiterated his response to fears that Hariri’s death might quell
opposition criticism of Syria.

He said: “I accuse them directly. This regime, backed by the Syrians,
this regime of terrorists, terror, succeeded yesterday in eliminating
Rafik Hariri.”

Meanwhile in a massive demonstration in Sidon, where the majority of
residents are Sunnis, protesters shouted anti Syrian slogans.

Political heir?

The son of the late Rafik Hariri, Bahaaeddine Hariri, who is in his
late 30’s, has already followed his father’s footsteps in the world
of business, carving out a successful career outside of the family
fold, but still retaining a role in some of his father’s companies.

After graduating from Boston University in 1990, Bahaa moved to Saudi
Arabia and worked at Saudi Oger, his family’s construction and
development company.

Hariri left the firm to start his own business, but continues to
serve on Saudi Oger’s board and executive committee. Bahaa is also
chairman of Al-Abdali Project in Jordan, which along with state-owned
corporation Mawared and Saudi Oger, is working to rebuild the city
center of Amman.

He is also president and CEO of Exceed SA, another of his ventures
and the owner of Horizon, a company specializing in real estate and
development projects in Lebanon.

He has involvement in the banking sector, serving on the Board of the
Arab Bank and the Banque de la Mediterranee. Hariri chairs the board
of his father’s newspaper, Al-Mustaqbal, and is also the chairman of
two soccer clubs in Lebanon.

ARMENIAN YOUTH DEMAND ARMENIAN GENOCIDE INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

A1+
15-02-2005

31 Armenian youth organizations issued a common statement on the
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

The necessity of such statement was conditioned by the fact that
during his visit to Turkey Chairman of the Youth Party of Armenia
Sargis Asatryan said that in order to establish dialogue with Turkey
Armenians should forget about the Genocide.

Although upon arrival in Armenia Sargis Asatryan has refuted this
news, the adopted statement says, â~@~We condemn the organizations,
individuals and institutions the activities of which are directed
to concealment of the fact of the Armenian Genocide and impede the
international condemnation of the crime against humanity”. The
Armenian youth will press for the recognition of the Genocide by the
international community.

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Armenia DM talks on Caucasus, bilateral relations in Iran
By Konstantin Kazeyev

ITAR-TASS News Agency
February 9, 2005 Wednesday

TEHERAN, February 9 — The situation in the Caucasus and issues of
bilateral relations were in the focus of attention at talks Armenian
Defence Minister and National Security Secretary Serzh Sarkisyan held
with Iranian officials.

Sarkisyan arrived in Teheran on a visit on Tuesday and held talks
with President Mohammad Khatami, Secretary of the Supreme National
Security Council Hasan Rowhani and Chairman of the Expediency Council
Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

The regional current problems could be solved without interference
of outside states, the sides stressed at the talks. Iran expressed
readiness to undertake a mediator mission in the Karabakh crisis
settlement that should be resolved peacefully, the Iranian leadership
is certain.

Cooperation between Yerevan and Teheran is aimed at ensuring security
at stability in the region, Khatami stressed.

The sides gave major attention to cooperation in the transport sphere,
in particular, to the project of connecting the two countries’
railway networks.

The Iranian president emphasised the importance of creating the
North-South transport corridor important for the development of
regional integration.

The sides stated the intention to accelerate the implementation of
projects on the transportation of Iranian gas and Iranian electric
power supply to Armenia.