Author: Zaminian Bedik

SOAD FANS URGE DEBATE OF GENOCIDE RESOLUTION IN US HOUSE

Pan Armenian News
22.09.2005 04:22

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Thousands of fans of System of a Down rock
band have sent letters to US House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL),
urging him to introduce legislation on recognition of the Armenian
Genocide before the House, reported the Armenian National Committee of
America. Letters sent to Hastert via ANCA WebFax free system urge him
to keep his promise of 2000 to submit the Armenian Genocide Resolution
for vote. “The Armenian Genocide is a purely moral issue. Today the
fate of human rights is in your hands. Make the right move, keep your
promise. Serve to US interests and values by letting the legislation
be introduced before the House as soon as possible,” the numerous
messages say.

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 20 2005

17 YEARS OLD DAVID HARUTYUNYAN TO RETURN FROM YEKATERINBURG TO
ARMENIA BY AIR ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2005

YEREVAN, September 20. /ARKA/. 17 years old David Harutyunyan will
return from Yekaterinburg to Armenia by air on September 21, 2005,
press-service of the RA Ombudsman Office reported ARKA News Agency.
He is a native of Nagorno Karabakh, and left his Motherland with his
father when he was 4 years old. He has lived in Nijni Tagil for 13
years, without relations with his family. Due to the efforts of the
RA Ombudsman Larisa ALaverdyan and Ombudsman of Sverdlovsk region of
Russia Tatiana Merzlyakova, David’s family was found, and his return
to the family was organized. Merzlyakova will see David off at
airport of Yekaterinburg and his mother Jasmena Harutyunyan and RA
Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan will meet him at the airport of Yerevan.
A.A. -0–

AZG Armenian Daily #169, 21/09/2005

Analysis

AZERBAIJAN COULD WIN A MILITARY VICTORY OVER ARMENIA BY 2015

Yet, U.S. and Western European Experts do not envision Karabakh’s return to
an “autonomous” status within Azerbaijan

According to the survey conducted by the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA),
most U.S. and Western European expert-respondents see a significant shift in
terms of military capability in favor of Azerbaijan over Armenia due to the
increase in its oil revenue. One-third of respondents predict that
Azerbaijan could win a military victory over Armenia by 2015. Asked “In your
opinion, a resumption of open warfare in the near future would see which
outcome?”, 42 per cent believed “Armenians win”, “stalemate”- 29 per cent,
“no comment”- 29 per cent, and no one believed “Azeris win.” On the other
hand, only 4 per cent of respondents predict that Armenia could win a
military victory over Azerbaijan by 2015.

Most respondents see Azerbaijan’s enrichment from increased oil production,
along with other Azerbaijan-related developments, to have the biggest effect
on Armenia, “for good or for worse.”

Starting in 2004, the Office of Research & Information at the AAA conducts a
yearly survey in an attempt to gauge expert opinion of how Armenian issues
are perceived within the United States and Western Europe. The survey
(conducted by Tim Manook (St. Andrews University, UK) and supervised by Emil
Sanamyan (AAA) respondents include former U.S. government officials, think
tank analysts and university academics. The survey was conducted firstly
through e-mail, and a certain number of follow-ups required telephone calls.
There were 24 responses for 2005 survey, and the total number (24)
represents approximately a 5-10 per cent sample of the targeted expert
community that watches developments in Armenia and the region.

None of the respondents envision Karabakh’s return to an “autonomous” status
within Azerbaijan, while one-fifth sees its formal reunification with
Armenia or independence. At the same time a solid majority – 62 per cent –
sees a persistent status quo. As in 2004 survey, the overwhelming response
was a continuation of the status quo. Respondents pointed to the
“Cyprusisation” of the Karabakh conflict.

Most respondents do not believe that recent revolutions in Georgia, Ukraine
and Kyrgyzstan would lead to destabilization of either Armenia or
Azerbaijan. Asked “U.S. foreign policy maintains great emphasis on
supporting democratization. How do you think recent events in Georgia,
Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan will impact upon Armenia?”, 48 per cent predicted
“Lead to more responsible governance”, 22 per cent – “Have no tangible
effect” and only 4 per cent sees “Lead to democratic revolution”. As of
Azerbaijan, 25 per cent believes “Lead to instability and government
crackdown”, 25 per cent – “Lead to more responsible governance”, 29 per cent
– “Have no tangible effect” and only 8 per cent sees “Lead to democratic
revolution”.

Respondents are more inclined to think that both political and military
influence of the United States in the South Caucasus will grow and
intensify. They have become significantly more pessimistic about the course
of U.S.- Russian relations, with a majority seeing this year increased
competition. Respondents have become significantly more pessimistic about
the course of U.S.-Iranian relations, with a majority predicting increased
conflict short of a military confrontation.

The majority of U.S. and Western European Experts believe that Turkey would
eventually join the European Union by 2020-25. Still, a majority does not
believe that Ankara could positively address the Armenian Genocide. While
still a minority, more than 45 per cent of respondents expect to see U.S.
affirmation of the Armenian Genocide in the next five years. To a question
“How do you see the development of U.S.-Turkey relations over the next three
years?” 62 per cent predicted “Continuation of status quo”, 17 per cent –
“Closer cooperation.”

In a survey, there was one general question: “Finally, which developments in
the region do you perceive will have the most effect on Armenia (for good or
for worse)?” Accumulatively, 45 per cent of concern is focused over issues
connected with Azerbaijan, 16 per cent with Turkey, 11 and 9 per cent
respectively Russia and Georgia, leaving 19 per cent concerns with “other”
issues, such as Iran, Iraq and so on.

By Tatoul Hakobian

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

HIS HOLINESS CHAIRS
THE WCC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

His Holiness Aram I presided the meeting of the Executive Committee of the
World Council of Churches, held in Geneva last week.

The agenda of the meeting focused on the preparations for the WCC 9th
Assembly to be held in Brazil in February 2006. The participants discussed
and finalized the meeting’s agenda, as well as the political, economic and
social decisions to be taken by the Assembly.

The Executive Committee listened to the General Secretary’s report and
adopted decisions accordingly. The financial situation of WCC was widely
discussed and the participants concluded that despite the economic
initiatives taken by the Council, WCC still faces financial difficulties,
which force the Council to plan more wisely for the coming years.

After long and serious discussions the Executive Committee took a series of
decisions related to administrative, economic and executive issues. The
committee established new committees and assigned people to new positions.

As chairman of WCC’s Executive and Central Committees, His Holiness Aram I
emphasized the importance of keeping up with the modern world, introducing
drastic changes to WCC’s structures and projects and turning the
inter-religious dialogue into an important imperative.

His Holiness Aram I also held meetings with the General Secretary,
secretariat and the heads of some committees of WCC.

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

Editorial: Ambivalent Turkey
EU bid entangled in Armenian dispute

Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, September 16, 2005

A nearly century-old debate over what some call the “Armenian
genocide” and most Turks call a human tragedy brought on by the chaos
of World War I has become enmeshed in Turkey’s faltering effort to
join the European Union. How the conflict turns out is important – for
Turkish-Armenian relations and for the future of Turkey, a country
that straddles Europe and the Middle East.

Turkish officialdom has always denied that forces of the collapsing
Ottoman Empire sought to exterminate Turkish Armenians starting in
1915, when ethnic Armenians say the Turks killed as many as 1 million
Armenians over eight years. Turkish officials agree that hundreds of
thousands of Armenians died, but say that disease, famine and exposure
as well as fighting caused by Armenian guerrilla raids against
retreating Turkish troops were the primary causes.

There matters stood until last spring, when Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan invited foreign scholars to study Ottoman
archives to determine what really happened.

That encouraging gesture has had little hopeful result. Scholars have
run afoul of Turkish officials and military leaders, who forced
cancellation of a conference. An ethnic Armenian publisher has been
accused of defaming Turkey by calling himself “an Armenian of Turkey,”
and a prominent novelist faces a similar charge for saying in an
interview that Turks killed 1 million Armenians and, more recently,
30,000 Turkish Kurds in a guerrilla war, and that “no one but me dares
to talk about it.”

The timing of these charges – just weeks before negotiations are to
begin on Turkey’s application to join the EU – has raised suspicion,
and charges that some nationalist elements, already angered by growing
European opposition to Turkish EU membership, are trying to sabotage
the process. The criminal charges fly in the face of extensive changes
in Turkish law, including abolition of the death penalty and ending a
ban on speaking Kurdish, to satisfy EU requirements for
membership. France opposes Turkey joining, and if the Christian
Democrats win Germany’s election, another prominent negative voice
would be added.

What’s at stake goes well beyond the Armenian issue, coming as
millions of Europeans – even in such liberal bastions as the
Netherlands – are rethinking their traditional welcome to
immigrants. And Muslims rank highest in this reassessment.

Turkey, with an overwhelmingly Muslim population but a staunchly
secular political system, is seen by many as a bridge between the
Christian West and the Muslim East. But as Europe’s welcome mat is
pulled away, many Turks resent what they see as rising European
religious and cultural bigotry. Although it’s hard to envision
Turkey’s secular leaders rejecting the West and embracing Islamic
tradition, the roadblocks in the path of Armenian-Turkish
reconciliation raise again the question of whether Turkey and Europe
can ever share a common home.

This article is protected by copyright and should not be printed or
distributed for anything except personal use.

The Sacramento Bee, 2100 Q St., P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852
Phone: (916) 321-1000
_The Sacramento Bee_
()

STURUA PLEASED WITH TODAY’S SEARCHING YOUTH
By Tamar

AZG Armenian Daily #164
14/09/2005

Culture

“I don’t want to speak out about my love towards Armenia but I have
to say that this country is very dear to me and I have real grounds
for my love”, famous Robert Sturua, stage director of Shota Rustaveli
Academic Theatre of Tbilisi, told journalists yesterday. “I was in
close ties with Parajanov, Atchemian, Khaplanian, Elibekian and knew
many Armenian composers. I felt their influence in my works later on”,
he said.

Robert Sturua arrived in Armenia after a 10 years’ break to stage
a play within the frameworks of Shakespearean mono performances
at Armmono-3 International Theatre Festival. Director expresses
hope that the tradition of cultural visits will be restored in both
republics. On October 28, Armenian delegation will take part in the
reopening of Rustaveli Theatre.

Sturua’s staging of Shakespearean “Hamlet” in London was included in
10 best performances of last 50 years. “Perhaps there was a prankster
sitting down in me that tried to understand what will happen if I stage
‘Hamlet’ in a new way”, Sturua says.

The searching stage director is pleased with today’s youth. Though
lagging behind elders with their knowledge, young people look for
novation and try to understand everything. Sturua suggested young
directors to understand their own personality first of all, to admit
their own shortcomings and only after that open a dialogue with
the spectators.

ARMENIAN A CAPPELLA

Belmont Citizen-Herald, MA
Sept 8 2005

An a cappella concert of Armenian folk songs performed by Zulal, an
Armenian folk trio, will be held on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 3 p.m. at the
Longy School of Music’s Pickman Hall in Cambridge. The concert will
pay tribute to those who have lost lives through perpetrated tragedy.

“Zulal,” meaning clarity, is a renowned a cappella trio whose original
arrangements evoke Armenia’s folk roots while forging imaginative
harmonies that add a fresh energy to traditional repertoire. Formed
in 2002, Zulal has appeared in such venues as the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, the Museum of the
City of New York and Boston’s Tsai Performance Center.

Zulal’s performance at the Longy School of Music is presented
by the Cambridge-Yerevan Sister City Association which aims “to
foster friendship, mutual trust and dynamic interaction between
the peoples of Yerevan and Cambridge”; and Amaras Art Alliance, a
not-for-profit cultural organization based in Watertown, whose mission
is to facilitate the exchange of ideas and expressions between the
American and Armenian cultures.

Tickets for the Zulal concert are $20 ($15 students) and all proceeds
will be allocated to the Hovanness Badalian Music Fund established
by Amaras. The fund provides scholarships and grants worldwide to all
children, regardless of national origin, who are enrolled in Armenian
music programs.

For more information and visit

Author Orhan Pamuk to face trial for “public denigration” of Turkish identity

IFEX, Canada (International Freedom of Expression eXchange)
Sept 2 2005

Country/Topic: Turkey
Date: 02 September 2005
Source: Writers in Prison Committee, International PEN
Person(s): Orhan Pamuk
Target(s): writer(s)
Type(s) of violation(s): legal action , charged
Urgency: Threat
(WiPC/IFEX) – International PEN greets with shock the news that the
world-famous Turkish writer, Orhan Pamuk, will be brought before an
Istanbul court on 16 December 2005 and that he faces up to three
years in prison for a comment published in a Swiss newspaper earlier
this year.

The charges stem from an interview given by Pamuk to the Swiss
newspaper “Das Magazin” on 6 February in which he is quoted as saying
that “thirty thousand Kurds and a million Armenians were killed in
these lands and nobody but me dares to talk about it.” Pamuk was
referring to the killings by Ottoman Empire forces of thousands of
Armenians in 1915-1917. Turkey does not contest the deaths, but
denies that it could be called a “genocide”. His reference to
“30,000” Kurdish deaths refers to those killed since 1984 in the
conflict between Turkish forces and Kurdish separatists. Debate on
these issues have been stifled by stringent laws, some leading to
lengthy lawsuits, fines and in some cases prison terms.

Article 301/1 of the Turkish Penal Code under which Pamuk will be
tried is a case in point. PEN sees it extraordinary that a state that
has ratified both the United Nations International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights,
both of which see freedom of expression as central, should have a
Penal Code that includes a clause that is so clearly contrary to
these very same principles. To quote Article 301/1: A person who
explicitly insults being a Turk, the Republic or Turkish Grand
National Assembly, shall be imposed to a penalty of imprisonment for
a term of six months to three years. To compound matters, Article
301/3 states, Where insulting being a Turk is committed by a Turkish
citizen in a foreign country, the penalty to be imposed shall be
increased by one third. So, if Pamuk is found guilty, he faces an
additional penalty for having made the statement abroad.

International PEN International Secretary Joanne Leedom Ackerman
states that “International PEN is deeply concerned by the efforts of
the public prosecutor to punish and therefore curb the free
expression of Orhan Pamuk, not only in Turkey, but abroad.” She adds
that “It is a disturbing development when an official of the
government brings criminal charges against a writer for a statement
made in another country, a country where freedom of expression is
allowed and protected by law.”

The trial against Pamuk is likely to follow the pattern of those
against other writers, journalists and publishers similarly
prosecuted. Karin Clark, Chair of PEN’s WiPC, points out that “PEN
has for years been campaigning for an end to Turkish courts trying
and imprisoning writers, journalists and publishers under laws that
clearly breach international standards to the Turkish government
itself has pledged commitment.” Although the numbers of convictions
and prison sentences under laws that penalise free speech has
declined in the past decade, PEN currently has on its records over 50
writers, journalists and publishers before the courts. This is
despite a series of amendments to the Penal Code in recent years
which were aimed at meeting demands for human rights improvements as
a condition for opening talks into Turkey’s application for
membership of the European Union. The most recent changes were
enacted in June this year. Journalists in Turkey have staged protests
against the fact that there remain considerable problems in the
revised Penal Code. In April, International PEN joined its the
International Publisher’s Association in a statement to the United
Nations Commission on Human Rights which described the newly revised
Penal Code as “deeply flawed.”

Pamuk is one of Turkey’s most well known authors, whose works have
been published world-wide in over 20 languages. In 2003, he won the
International IMPAC award for “My Name is Red”. His 2004 novel “Snow”
has met with similar acclaim. His most recent book, “Istanbul”, is a
personal history of his native city.

In early 2005, news of the interview for which Pamuk will stand trial
led to protests and reports that copies of his books were burned. He
also suffered death threats from extremists. PEN members world-wide
then called on the Turkish government to condemn these attacks.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Send appeals to authorities:
– expressing concern that Pamuk is to be tried for a statement made
in an interview for an overseas publication
– pointing out that this is in direct contravention of the United
Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European
Convention on Human Rights, to which the Turkish government is a
signatory
– protesting the decision to bring Pamuk to trial

APPEALS TO:
Prime Minister Racep Tayyip Erdogan
TC Easbaskanlik
Ankara, Turkey
Fax: +90 312 417 0476

Cemil Cicek
Minister of Justice
TC Adalet Bakanligi
Ankara, Turkey
Fax: +90 312 417 3954

Similar appeals should be sent to the Turkish Embassy in your own
country.

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

KARABAKH ISSUE WILL NOT BE SETTLED IN NEAR FUTURE

A1+
| 16:14:55 | 03-09-2005 | Politics |

This the opinion of political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan,
interview with whom is presented below.

-No serious changes are taking place in the Karabakh
settlement. However the Minsk process that has been inactive since 1999
is being restores. As a matter of fact it is a positive step, however
it has nothing in common with the Karabakh conflict settlement, which
entirely depends on the will of the Azeri and Armenian Presidents.

-Does Armenia have will?

– Presently there is no ground for real negotiations. Today
expectations are contrary. Azerbaijan wishes to deport Armenians from
Karabakh, Armenia presses for Karabakh’s independence. The Minsk Group
is trying to achieved so-called “obliged peace”. However I think the
parties are not ready for compromise yet.

-They say that the legitimacy of Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev
should be used by the international community in the process of
imposing peace. Your comments, please.

-No, it’s not so. First of all no “obliged peace” is not observed
for the near future. Second, let’s take Islam Karimov or Alexander
Lukashenko. Thus the issue of legitimacy is not political but inner
political.

CE SEC. GEN.: RESUMPTION OF KARABAKH TALKS GIVES HOPE

Pan Armenian News
02.09.2005 08:19

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “The fact that the talks over settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict have resumed gives hope,” stated Council
of Europe (CE) Secretary General Terry Davis. In his opinion “a year
after the beginning of the Prague process the prospects of conflict
peaceful settlement have considerably expanded.” Simultaneously
T. Davis expressed concern over people dying at the contact line
between the Armed Forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Speaking
of the parliamentary election in Azerbaijan in November, the CE
Sec. Gen. noted that “Azerbaijan has an opportunity to show that the
country can successfully pass an examination on democracy and serve
as an example to other countries in transition,” RFE/RL reported.