Author: Zakarian Garnik

LasVegas Sun, NV
Jan 30 2005

Sisters who faced deportation to Armenia return home to Las Vegas

By CHRISTINA ALMEIDA
ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAS VEGAS (AP) – Two teenage sisters who spent more than two weeks
awaiting deportation to a country they haven’t seen since they were
toddlers returned home Friday after being released from immigration
custody.

“It feels great. I’m so happy to see my family,” said Emma Sarkisian,
18, who was surrounded by family and friends at her father’s pizza
shop in Henderson.

Sarkisian and her sister Mariam, 17, had been held at a Los Angeles
immigration center since Jan. 14.

Although the sisters were born in what is now known as Armenia, they
were raised in the United States after their father emigrated from
the former Soviet Union in 1991.

The sisters’ residency status was not discovered until a trip to the
Department of Motor Vehicles. After meeting with immigration
officials in Las Vegas, they learned they faced an outstanding
deportation order. Until then, the family thought the sisters were
properly documented.

They were taken into custody after they complied with a summons to
report to the local immigration office. There they learned they were
being sent to Armenia, a place where they have no family and hadn’t
seen since they were 3- and 4-year-olds.

“It was terrible,” Emma Sarkisian said, recalling her despair about
being sent to Armenia. “How am I going to go back? I don’t read. I
don’t write. I don’t speak.”

Immigration officials agreed late Thursday to release the sisters
into their father’s custody after Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., asked
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge to give the case “personal
attention.”

“We’ve thoroughly reviewed the case and have decided based on
humanitarian reasons to release them,” said Virginia Kice,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman. “This doesn’t convey
any legal immigration status on them.”

“ICE will continue to review the case,” she said.

The girls’ father, Rouben Sarkisian, is a legal resident, who can
file for citizenship and then seek residency status for his
daughters.

Mariam Sarkisian expressed gratitude for being reunited with her
family and away from the detention center in Los Angeles.

“It was horrible,” Sarkisian said. “You just think about your family,
the stuff you really don’t appreciate until it’s taken away from
you.”

KARABAKH FORCED OUT OF TALKS

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
28 Jan 05

– Mr. President, recently there has been certain fuss about the
problem of Nagorni Karabakh (Baku’s undertaking at the UN, Atkinson’s
report at the PACE, the upcoming visit of the OSCE mission to
investigate the situation in the territories controlled by Nagorni
Karabakh, the statement of the assistant of the US secretary of
state). In this context how well is the anxiety of certain political
scientists grounded that the Armenian side is yielding in the
negotiation process? – First, I want to clarify that two Armenian
sides have been involved in the conflict: Nagorni Karabakh and
Armenia. As the Karabakh side has been artificially isolated from the
talks, it would not be correct to give an assessment to its diplomatic
activities. As to Armenia, the regular meetings of the foreign
minister of Armenia with the foreign minister of Azerbaijan are
useful, indeed. But they cannot replace the complete negotiation
process with the full participation of Nagorni Karabakh. We must not
forget that the question of Nagorni Karabakh was raised by the people
of Nagorni Karabakh and it refers to the status of Nagorni
Karabakh. The rest is the consequences of the war imposed on us by
Azerbaijan, a country which does not recognize the right of the people
of Nagorni Karabakh for self-determination and therefore does not wish
to discuss the question of the status of Nagorni Karabakh. I think the
anxiety of political scientists, as you said, are motivated by the
latter consequence. – Do you think Yerevan and Stepanakert make enough
effort for preventing unfavourable formulations concerning Nagorni
Karabakh in international organizations? – The appearance of
unfavourable wording in documents of European organizations due to
Azerbaijan is also, in my opinion, caused by the absence of the
Karabakh party in the discussions of our problem in international
organizations. Talks and debates on the Karabakh issue mainly going on
between two countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan, of course, suppose
occasional occurrenceof similar wording is. And it is not the degree
of efforts made that matters but the conceptual approach towards
principles and mechanisms of regulation. â=80` How possible is it that
the attempts of Baku to carry the issue of Nagorni Karabakh to other
international organizations will be a success and what will the
involvement of other organizations in the resolution of the problem
result in? Why, in your opinion, the format of the OSCE Minsk Group
does not appeal to Azerbaijan? – The Azerbaijani side is busy with
persuading as many international organizations as possible to adopt
various documents in which Armenia wouldbe presented as an aggressor
country, and Karabakh as an uncontrollable territory. Baku’s
behaviour starts from its perception of the nature of the conflict as
aggression by Armenia against Azerbaijan. Therefore Baku does not want
to make concessions. Many countries that member international
organizations have no relationships with the resolution of the country
(and these are the majority) therefore Baku’s tactics may produce
temporary political dividends.What is more, the procedure of decision
making at the UN allows the Baku authorities to do that. As to the
co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group, the representatives of Russia,
the USA and France who mediate the process of negotiations, I am sure
they are well-aware of the motives of the confrontation, as well as
the circumstances which brought about the military and political
status quo in the conflict area, making Azerbaijan discontent. These
circumstances are not favourable for Azerbaijan, as you
understand. Therefore the Azerbaijani authorities seek to get reed of
the OSCE Minsk Group mediation which endorses the necessity of
compromise in the peaceful settlement of the conflict and does not
interrupt relationships with NKR. – In your opinion, isn’t it high
time for Yerevan to put directly the question of participation of
Nagorni Karabakh in Negotiations? – First, the question is not
addressed correctly. Second, through ultimatums the conflict cannot be
settled peacefully. And indeed it cannot be solved without the full
participation of the Karabakh party. – The recent developments testify
to the increasing closeness of Russian-Turkish relationships. Do you
have anxiety that close relationships between Moscow and Ankara may
have a negative impact on the settlement of the conflict of Nagorni
Karabakh? â=80` In my opinion, Russia has clearly stated its
standpoint. As it is known, its standpoint is that the conflict
parties must solve the problem themselves, and Moscow may only support
them and act as guarantor of agreements achieved. Apparently, this
standpoint sets out from the interests of Russia and we may suppose
that it will keep to this position in the future too. Although,
nothing should be excluded. At least, Turkey which absolutely supports
Azerbaijan in the Karabakh problem will in my opinion try to influence
Russia for the latter to exercise pressure on Armenia and Nagorni
Karabakh. – What is the standpoint of Stepanakert in the question of
the future status of Nagorni Karabakh? â=80` The standpoint of the
Nagorni Karabakh authorities is based on the position of our
people.Our position is that security and prosperity of our people are
impossible under the Azerbaijani rule. Only the equal relationships of
two subjects of the international law may be concerned. The Republic
of Nagorni Karabakh has already demonstrated to the world that the
level of democratic reforms in our country is higher than in
Azerbaijan, and the NKR economy, culture and the social sphere develop
at high rates in independence from Baku, which would be impossible if
Nagorni Karabakh were within the Azerbaijani state. The numerous
foreign guests of NKR, including your colleagues, journalists confirm
this fact. Moreover, Azerbaijan, which imposed cruel blockade and then
war on us, did not and does not hide its intentions to force out or
exterminate the Armenian population from Karabakh. Hardly anyone can
accuse us of the fact that we defended our right to live in our
historical homeland with weapons in our hands. We acquired our
independence at the price of irreparable losses and therefore we will
never give in.

REGNUM.
28-01-2005

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

CROSSROADS E-NEWSLETTER – January 27, 2005

FIVE EAST COAST ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVE
SETTLEMENT FROM NEW YORK LIFE
Yesterday, January 26, was both a poignant and melancholy day as five
Armenian organizations on the east coast each received $333,333 as part of a
$20 million settlement reached between New York Life and descendants of
victims massacred in the 1915 Armenian Genocide. The ceremony took place at
the New York headquarters of the Armenian General Benevolent Union.
The five organizations are: the Armenian Church of North America Eastern
Diocese (New York); Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Eastern
United States and Canada (New York); Armenian Apostolic Catholic Exarchate
in the United States and Canada (New York); Armenian Missionary Association
of America, Inc., (Paramus, New Jersey); and the Armenian General Benevolent
Union (New York). An additional four other Armenian organizations in
California and Massachusetts will receive an equal portion of the proceeds
in ceremonies later this month.
Representing the Eastern Prelacy on this occasion were: V. Rev. Fr.
Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar General; Mr. Bedros Givelekian, treasurer of the
Executive Council; Dr. Vazken Ghougassian, Executive Director; and Mrs. Iris
Papazian, Communications Director.
On hand for the ceremony were attorney Brian S. Kabateck of the Los
Angeles based firm of Kabatek Brown Kellner, LLP, one of the attorneys
representing the class, California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi and
Bill Werfelman representing New York Life.
Prior to 1915, New York Life sold life insurance policies to thousands
of Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. New York Life policyholders were
among the 1.5 million Armenians massacred during the Armenian Genocide. In
the ensuing chaotic years, many of the rightful policy heirs were unable to
obtain the insurance proceeds while others were unaware that they were
entitled to any insurance benefits. According to the records of New York
Life about 2,400 policies were sold to Armenians before the Genocide and
remain unpaid. Survivors and/or their descendants will share the bulk of the
multi-million settlement.
Descendants have until March 15, 2005, to make a claim for a portion of
the settlement. Details, including a list of the names, addresses, and
occupations of the policyholders, are available at

The first distribution totals three million dollars. Any unclaimed money
from the $20 million settlement will subsequently be distributed to the
Armenian charitable organizations.
To view photos from the ceremony yesterday go to:

STATUE OF ST. GREGORY THE ILLUMINATOR
IS INSTALLED AT ST. PETER BASILICA AT VATICAN
Pope John Paul II attended the unveiling and official installation of a
statue of St. Gregory the Illuminator, the patron saint of the Armenian
Church, last week on January 19. The 18-foot, 26 ton statue of Carrara
marble is the work of Khatchik Kazandjian of Paris. St. Gregory holds in his
right hand the Armenian Holy Cross of gilt bronze, and in his left hand the
Holy Bible decorated with the symbols of the four Evangelists. To see a
photo of the statue go to:

ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN IS IN ROME
FOR DIALOGUE
Archbishop Oshagan is currently in Rome attending official dialogues at
the Vatican between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches.
The division dates back to the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The Oriental
Orthodox Churches include: Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, Coptic
Orthodox Church, Armenian Apostolic Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
in India; and Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church.
The meetings began Tuesday, January 25 and will continue to Sunday,
January 30.

PRELACY LENTEN PROGRAM WILL
FOCUS ON PASSION NARRATIVES
This year the Prelacy’s Lenten program will focus on passages from the
passion narratives, particularly those that are solemnly read during the
Holy Week services in the Armenian Church. The six-week Bible study will be
led by Archdeacon Shant Kazanjian, Director of the Armenian Religious
Education Council (AREC), sponsor of the series together with the Prelacy
Ladies Guild. The Lenten programs will take place at St. Illuminator
Cathedral, 221 E. 27th Street, New York City. For details go to:

CATHOLICOS ARAM I RECEIVES DELEGATION
OF NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES USA
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, received
a delegation of the National Council of Churches USA at the Catholicosate in
Antelias, Lebanon, last Saturday, January 22.
His Holiness spoke about the challenges facing the Ecumenical Movement
and identified areas where the Churches should cooperate and support each
other: We do not live in isolation. Global, regional and local challenges
are inter-connected and we need to adopt a policy of facing them together
and responsibly. In this respect, the role of the Churches should be
expressed as bridge-builders and promoters of dialogue and collaboration,
and the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is strongly committed to this
principle.
The delegation invited His Holiness to address the National Council of
Churches Board meeting in October, in New York.

ARTICLE BY VIGEN GUROIAN IN
RECENT ISSUE OF CHRISTIANITY TODAY
An article by Professor Vigen Guroian is included in the recent issue of
Christianity Today. The article entitled, Dorm Brothel, explores modern-day
mores in institutions of higher learning and condemns the institutions for
allowing what he calls the new debauchery.
The article can be found at:

REMEMBERING CATHOLICOS SAHAG BARTEV
This Saturday, January 29, the Armenian Church remembers Catholicos
Sahag Bartev who with Mesrob Mashtotz was instrumental in the establishment
of the Armenian alphabet which led to the naming of the fifth century as the
Golden Age of Armenian literature. Sahag was the son of Nerses the Great.
Sahag wisely understood that the lack of a written Armenian language was
a major problem for the Church. He realized that the faith would be
transmitted more effectively to the people if the liturgy itself were in
Armenian, and if the Gospels and other books of the Bible were available in
Armenian. He, therefore, became a great proponent for the development of the
Armenian alphabet. As it happens so many times in history, he was joined by
the right person in this endeavor in the person of Mesrob Mashtots.

CELEBRATING THE GHEVONTIAN SAINTS
Next Tuesday, February 1, is the commemoration of the Ghevontian saints
and priests. It has become a time when clergy come together for a period of
renewal and brotherhood. The collective name for the feast honors the memory
and the sacrifice made by those churchmen who dedicated their lives to their
faith and nation. While the name, like Vartanantz, is meant for the many, it
is based on one individual, Ghevont Yeretz (Leondius the Priest).
GhevontYeretz studied under Mesrob Mashtotz and St. Sahag, and was one of
the early translators. He is remembered and honored for his extraordinary
religious devotion, eloquent speech and exceptional patriotism.
The martyrdom of Ghevont Yeretz and his fellow clergy is observed in the
Armenian Church on the Tuesday before the beginning of Lent and two days
before Vartanantz. It is a day of particular importance for Armenian
clergymen, since Ghevont is their patron saint. It has become traditional
for the clergy to come together to observe the memory of their saintly
predecessors while celebrating the present and future of the Armenian
Church.
This year the clergy of the Eastern and Western Prelacies will travel to
Montreal where they will be hosted by the Canadian Prelacy.

WINTER IN FULL BLOOM
After the start of a mild winter, the east coast was barraged with the
fury of winter, with a major blizzard this past weekend bringing up to three
feet of snow in some areas, especially in New England. Travel was difficult
especially with temperatures in the single digits and below. But still, the
whiteness and purity of the snow had a beauty of its own. And really, is it
possible to appreciate spring without winter?

May the most beneficient Christ be moved to pity, that he may be your
comforter and savior, release you from these material bonds that constrain
you, and humiliate your enviers and enemies. May he make you worthy in the
eyes of your families and all the Armenian world. May the remains of each of
you be interred alongside those of your forbears, and may your souls be
released from the invisible bonds of Satan, and thus be safeguarded always.
Prayer by Ghevont Yeretz for the martyred clergy

Visit our website at

EU envoy says Karabakh solution cannot be imposed from outside

Arminfo
25 Jan 05

YEREVAN

A solution to the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict cannot be imposed by the
international community. It has to be reached by Armenia and
Azerbaijan themselves, the visiting EU special representative for the
South Caucasus, Ambassador Heikki Talvitie, has told Arminfo.

Talvitie said the international community can contribute to a
negotiated settlement of the conflict.

“The process through which the [OSCE] Minsk Group co-chairmen are
trying to find a solution is the only one there is, and there is no
need to raise the problem with other international institutions. We
have to concentrate on it, otherwise we won’t achieve any results,” he
said.

IRNA, Iran
January 24, 2005 Monday 8:55 PM EST

Azeri president, Iranian FM discuss bilateral ties

Tehran, January 24

Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi met here on Monday night with
visiting Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and discussed the latest
developments in bilateral relations and regional issues.

President Aliyev referred to Iran`s status in the region and said
Iran is a great and respected country in the eyes of Azeri people.

Aliyev expressed satisfaction over the talks with Iranian senior
officials and said the two countries` cooperation has always been
sincere and positive.

He praised Iran`s technical and industrial abilities in production of
machineries and said this is one of the fields for exchanging
experience between Tehran and Baku.

Kharrazi, for his part, evaluated mutual ties and said Tehran-Baku
relations have always been based on mutual respect, good neighborly
relations, religious commonalities and cultural interests.

He added, “By continuation of current dialogue we hope to be able to
deepen and strengthen new capacities in our ties”.

Concerning the regional developments, especially Karabakh issues,
Kharrazi expressed hope that current negotiations between Azerbaijan
and Armenia could result in a positive outcome and establishment of
peace and security in the region.

TO IMPROVE WATER SUPPLY

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
22 Jan 05

In winter water supply of the capital is worse than in other seasons
of the year. Water supply stopped for several times in the first ten
days of January. According to `Water Supply – Sewer’ State CJSC at
the area Ghaybalu in the tributary of the river Karkar water has
decreased and freezes in winter andas a result water supply is not
regular in the capital. Recently the company carried out works of
breaking the ice in the river and presently 150 litersof water per
second is supplied to the filtering station N1 and the corresponding
quarters of the capital already have regular water supply. At the same
time, inhabitants of certain quarters who built water pipeline on
their means didnot keep to the technical rules and the pipes froze
causing problems of water supply.

LAURA GRIGORIAN.
22-01-2005

IRNA, Iran
January 19, 2005 Wednesday 5:48 PM EST

Armenian minister calls for expansion

Tehran

Armenian Minister of Labor and Social Affairs ghvan Vardanian meeting
with Iran`s Ambassador to Yerevan Alireza Haqiqian on Wednesday
called for expansion of cooperation in different fields between the
two countries.

In the meeting, Vardanian referred to mutual friendly ties and Iran`s
effective participation in the region.

Iran`s balanced position is very important for stability and security
in the region, he added.

Haqiqian, for his part, emphasized expansion of mutual relations in
all fields and called the upcoming visits of Armenian minister to
Iran “important” for mutual ties in different fields.

Vardanian, heading an Armenian delegation, is to travel to Iran on
January 22 for a four-day official visit.

Speaking in an interview with a Yerevan-based weekly in December
Haqiqian said “Iran`s bilateral relations with foreign countries, in
particular its neighbors, is based on mutual respect and
non-interference in their domestic affairs.”

Expressing satisfaction over the current level of Iran-Armenia
relations and its growing trend, he said that the visits of Armenia`s
President Robert Kocharian to Tehran and President Mohammad Khatami`s
trip to Yerevan played a crucial role in further strengthening mutual
ties.

He referred to some of the projects on the agenda including the
meetings of the joint economic commission, active participation of
Iranian tradesmen in Armenia`s market, the activities of Iranian
economic institutions there and cooperation in the energy sector.

In response to a question whether Moscow-Baku-Tehran railway will
replace Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan route, he said that given Iran`s decisive
role in the regional transit system, the interest of the countries of
the region in cooperation with Iran is quite natural.

He added that according to a number of specialists, the Baku-Ceyhan
railway project is a political scheme, not economical.

Iraq to Seal Borders During Election

Guardian/UK
Tuesday January 18, 2005 1:46 PM

By BASSEM MROUE

Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) – Iraqi officials announced Tuesday that they will
seal the nation’s borders, extend a nighttime curfew and restrict
movement inside the country to protect voters during the Jan. 30 vote,
which insurgents are seeking to ruin with a campaign of violence.

Attacks continued Tuesday, with a suicide car bomber detonating
explosives outside the offices of a leading Shiite political party,
killing three other people as part of an apparent rebel campaign to
frighten Shiites from this month’s election. Also, masked gunmen
killed a Shiite Muslim candidate in the Iraqi capital.

A video surfaced Tuesday showing eight Chinese workers held hostage by
gunmen who claim the men are employed by a construction company
working with U.S. troops, in the latest abduction of foreigners in
Iraq.

Elsewhere, a Christian archbishop kidnapped by gunmen in the northern
city of Mosul was released Tuesday, a day after his abduction. The
Vatican had called his kidnapping a “terrorist act.”

Sunni Muslim militants, who make up the bulk of Iraq’s insurgency, are
increasingly honing in on Shiites in their campaign to sabotage the
parliamentary election that is widely expected to propel their
religious rivals to a position of dominance.

Tuesday morning’s car bombing gouged a crater in the pavement, left
several vehicles in flames and spread shredded debris and flesh on the
street outside the offices of the Supreme Council for the Islamic
Revolution in Iraq, a main contender in the election.

The party, known here as SCIRI, has close ties to Iran, and is
strongly opposed by Sunni Muslim militants.

The U.S. military reported the bomber and three others were dead and
four people were injured.

A spokesman for the Shiite party said it would not be cowed. “SCIRI
will not be frightened by such an act,” Ridha Jawad said. “SCIRI
will continue the march toward building Iraq, establishing justice and
holding the elections.”

Iraq’s Independent Electoral Commission announced that the country’s
international borders would be closed from Jan. 29 until Jan. 31
except for Muslim pilgrims returning from the hajj in Saudi Arabia.

Iraqis will also be barred from traveling between provinces and a
nighttime curfew will be imposed during the same period, according to
a statement from the commission’s Farid Ayar.

Such measures had been expected because of the grave security
threat. U.S. and Iraqi authorities are hoping to encourage a
substantial turnout but fear that if most Sunnis stay away from the
polls, the legitimacy of the new government will be in doubt.

Iraq’s interior minister warned Tuesday that if the country’s Sunni
Arab minority bows to rebel threats and stays away from the polls, the
nation could descend into civil war.

Falah Hassan al-Naqib, a Sunni, told reporters he expects Sunni
insurgents to escalate attacks in the run-up to the election,
especially in the Baghdad area. Voters are to choose a new 275-member
National Assembly.

“Boycotting the elections will not produce a National Assembly that
represents the Iraqi people,” he said.

If that happens, he added, the Iraqi people “will enter into a civil
war that will divide the country.”

Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said in a news conference that he
will boost the country’s armed forces with 70,000 more troops in an
effort to take over more security tasks from U.S.-led forces. He said
they’d be “equipped with the most advanced weapons.”

A video delivered to several news organizations showed eight Chinese
captives in front of a small mud brick building. The men displayed
their passports for the camera and were flanked by two gunmen with
headscarves wrapped around their faces.

The Chinese government later confirmed they had been kidnapped.

In a handwritten note delivered with the tape, an insurgent group
calling itself the al-Numan Brigades said it abducted the men as they
were leaving the country.

“After interrogation, we found that they are working for a Chinese
construction company that is working inside American sites in Iraq,”
the note said.

The note indicated the group might release the hostages because China
did not participate in the war.

In Mosul, Archbishop Basile Georges Casmoussa of the Syrian Catholic
Church was freed a day after he was seized near his church, according
to local church officials and The Vatican.

“I’m happy to have returned to the bishop’s office,” Casmoussa told
Vatican Radio. “I can say that I wasn’t mistreated.”

He didn’t identify his captors but said he didn’t think his kidnapping
was meant as an attack on the Church.

The Vatican said that the 66-year-old archbishop’s captors had
demanded a $200,000 ransom for his release.

Christians make up just 3 percent of Iraq’s 26 million people. The
major Christian groups include Chaldean-Assyrians and Armenians with
small numbers of Roman Catholics. Several churches have been bombed in
recent months, presumably by Islamic extremists.

Elsewhere, a third American trooper died in fighting in Iraq’s
troubled Anbar province, west of Baghdad, the military said
Tuesday. Two other soldiers assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary
Force were also killed in action there on Monday.

It was unclear if the three were killed in a suicide car bombing in
the western city of Ramadi that U.S. officials said resulted in
American casualties. Further details were withheld for security
reasons.

In Baghdad, bursts of heavy machine gun fire were heard for about half
an hour in the afternoon coming from a southern neighborhood, and
witnesses said Iraqi National Guard units were battling insurgents in
that area.

Two U.S. Apache attack helicopters hovered over the area near the bend
in the Tigris River that flows through the center of the capital.

Also, masked gunmen Monday shot dead Shaker Jabbar Sahl, 48, a Shiite
who was running on the ticket of the Constitutional Monarchy Movement,
headed by Sharif Ali bin Hussein, a cousin of Iraq’s last king.

Iraq’s Shiite Muslim majority has welcomed the vote, but many members
of the country’s Sunni Muslim minority want the ballot postponed,
arguing that security is precarious and the election should not take
place under foreign occupation.

PanArmenian News
Jan 17 2005

LACHIN AND SHUSHI CANNOT BE OBJECTS AT ISSUE, KARABAKH POLITICIANS
CONSIDER

15.01.2005 15:57

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “The statements saying that Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh are following the policy of inhabiting of the liberated
territories do not correspond to reality”, Armen Aghaian, a
representative of a public initiative for the defense of the freed
territories said to Azg newspaper reporter. On the state level the
policy of inhabiting the former Armenian territories is being pursued
by Azerbaijani leadership and we have a lot to learn from them, the
author of the article continues. Deputy of the Karabakh parliament
Maxim Mirzoian reminds that Armenians have lost about 180 000 houses
in Azerbaijan. Just these people should settle the lands around
Nagorno Karabakh. In this view the deputy considers it to be
inadmissible to change the present status of the Karvachar (Kelbajar)
and Kashatakh (Lachin) regions. “In any case Lachin and Shushi cannot
be objects at issue”, states Myasnik Malkhasian, a trustee of
Yekrapah, the Union of Volunteers of the Karabakh war, says.

Paper mulls over financial implications of Armenian peacekeeping in Iraq

Iravunk, Yerevan
14 Jan 05

Text of D. Akopyan’s report by Armenian newspaper Iravunk on 14
January headlined “The price of the military contingent that will be
sent to Iraq”

When the top authorities of Armenia almost unexpectedly decided to
send an Armenian military contingent to Iraq, and the National
Assembly ratified this decision, political circles and analysts
started speculating about the price of this decision. Incidentally,
the point is not so much about an unpopular and risky political
decision as about its financial aspect.

It was supposed that this would be done using credits and grants from
Western and international financial organizations and generous aid
from some countries. And these predictions seem to have come true, but
in a slightly unexpected way. It has become known from a source close
to American diplomatic circles that, thanks to direct support from the
Washington administration, about 100m US dollars will soon be given to
Armenia within the framework of the Lincy Foundation programme.

According to our sources close to the Armenian government, some
ministries have already started taking into account the use of the
credits that will be given to them by the Lincy Foundation. In
particular, the Agriculture Ministry hopes to spend the money it will
get. At the same time, the analysts noticed that on 7 January, in
order to encourage the Armenian authorities to send a military
contingent to Iraq, US President George Bush signed a decree according
to which, from now on, a normal trading regime will be granted to
Armenia. Incidentally, that same decree says: “Armenia has
demonstrated its obvious desire to develop friendship and cooperation
with the USA.” At the same time, it is also obvious that grateful
Americans will not ignore either Armenian Defence Minister Serzh
Sarkisyan, who made great efforts to send an Armenian military
contingent to Iraq.

And it is not by chance that at a recent meeting with Serzh Sarkisyan
at the Defence Ministry, the US ambassador to Armenia, John Evans,
“specially mentioned that he values Serzh Sarkisyan’s open way of
expressing his ideas and his wide view of the events taking place in
the world, which greatly contributes to the deepening of the two
countries’ relations”. And this relates to a functionary who was known
as very pro-Russian until recently. Such an estimation by the US
ambassador is a turning point in itself.

At the same time, some observers also note that, to choose my words
carefully, the noticeable warming of the Washington administration
towards the current Armenian administration certainly differs from the
approach of the US administration towards undemocratic and corrupt
regimes in other post-Soviet countries over the last two years. This
fact proves once again that this superpower – which proclaims great
ideas of democracy, a free economy and human rights – as well as other
geo-political giants, have been and are guided in their policy by
so-called double standards. According to analysts, understanding the
ambiguity of the US position on the leadership of Armenia, the US
administration will nevertheless try to “save face” in front of
Armenian political circles and people, demanding from time to time
that the Armenian authorities carry out reforms of some kind. Let us
recall that in December 2004, the IMF officially expressed its
displeasure with the process of tax collection by the Armenian tax and
customs systems and, on the whole, with the content of the budget and
the way it was implemented. The unexpected activity of Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan at the beginning of the year should be seen
within the framework of these demands. Visiting the Armenian State
Customs Committee and State Tax Service, the president in fact
declared a new economic policy, which according to Kocharyan is aimed
at reducing the shadow economy, forming a free and equal economic
field, and so on. This process, which the state propaganda machine has
already declared a “revolution from above” and which the opposition
has declared another deception by the “illegitimate regime”, is
obviously directed at the world community as well and in particular at
US taxpayers, who, as is known, unlike Armenian taxpayers, do not like
and will not allow their money to be wasted.