CANADIAN FILMMAKER EGOYAN PRAISES HARPER’S STANCE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
By: Jennifer Ditchburn

CP
10, MAY, 2006 – 3:47 pm

OTTAWA (CP) – Celebrated filmmaker Atom Egoyan, perhaps the most
famous Canadian of Armenian decent, praised Prime Minister Stephen
Harper for his controversial recognition of the Armenian genocide.

“I think the Harper government has taken a courageous stand in its
early days, on several issues that could have faded into history
but bear scrutiny,” Egoyan said in an interview Wednesday. “It’s
interesting to me that very often Conservative governments seem to
be more morally responsible than one might imagine.”

Harper recently became the first Canadian prime minister to publicly
declare that the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians during
the First World War constituted a genocide.

The remark has caused a diplomatic row with the Turkish government,
including that country’s withdrawal from an international military
exercise in Canada.

The Turkish press has speculated that Canada could be prevented
from competing for the lucrative sale of reactors for Turkey’s first
nuclear plant.

Egoyan, who devoted his 2002 film Ararat to the issue of an Armenian
genocide, says he has faced plenty of pressure from the Turkish
government over his film and his views, and doesn’t think governments
or individuals should bend on recognition.

“Ultimately, I believe that the only way to have any sort of move
on this issue is to try and seek recognition from as many different
places as possible and isolate the Turkish government,” Egoyan said
from Toronto.

“That’s the only way change will be effected.”

The House of Commons passed a resolution in 2004 characterizing what
happened in Armenia as genocide, but the Liberal government at the
time said it did not constitute government policy. Harper’s comments
went further than any previous government by commemorating what he
termed a “genocide.”

“Ninety-one years ago the Armenian people experienced terrible
suffering and loss of life,” Harper said last month.

“We must never forget the lessons of history. Nor should we allow
the enmities of history to divide us.”

But history has certainly set Turkey against any other government
that has examined the issue of a genocide. Turkish officials have
said there were deaths on both sides during that time, and that they
are casualties of war.

Ankara recently withdrew its ambassador to Canada over Harper’s
remarks, and has now pulled its jet fighters and support aircraft
out of an exercise at a Canadian Forces base in Alberta, scheduled
for next week.

The Turkish embassy wouldn’t comment on suggestions that Canada could
be barred from competing for a contract to outfit a major nuclear
plant project.

But an official noted that the Turkish Foreign Affairs department had
been communicating frequently with Harper’s office to try to dissuade
him from wading into the issue, fearing the Armenian community was
swaying the government.

“There is no scholarly consensus on this, so one way is to go after
politicians and try and change history,” the official said of the
Armenian community.

A similar row is going on between Turkey and France. The French
government is proposing a law that would criminalize denial of the
Armenian genocide, a much more incendiary issue there because of its
large Turkish immigrant population.

To date, 23 countries have recognized the Armenian genocide.

Harper’s comments were not a complete surprise to those who follow
the issue closely.

The Conservative party, and the Canadian Alliance and Reform parties
before it, were consistently supportive of any move to recognize the
death of 1.5 million Armenians during the reign of the Ottoman Empire.

MP Jason Kenney in particular, now parliamentary secretary to Harper,
has pushed for recognition for years.

“It just is a question of fundamental justice for me. I’ve done a
lot of reading of the historical record, and I don’t think this could
legitimately be called as anything but a genocide,” Kenney said.

“This is a particular aspect of the history of the 20th century that
the world needs to never forget.”

WARNING AGAINST MINES

Panorama.am
12:56 10/05/06

Mines “remind” about themselves from time to time, especially at the
borderline areas. An incident has been reported near village Khachik
of Vayots Zor.

According to the source, a village resident’s leg was cut by 1/3 on
May 7 from a mine explosion. Reports say that the resident’s leg is
amputated at Yegheghnadzor hospital.

Another mine explosion was reported in Aragatsotn region on May 9
killing one shepherd.

Rescuers have discovered that Mkrtich Grigoryan found out an unexploded
mine near Sasnashen village. The explosion happened because he tried
to unlock the mine on his own.

These incidents make us ones again to remind people against touching
unknown or explosive items but to inform respective bodies about
them.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE EXCLUDES POSSIBILITY OF TERRORISM ACT

Panorama.am
13:39 10/05/06

According to our sources at the Armenian General Prosecutor’s Office,
two of the verdicts on May 3 Yerevan Sochi plane crash are excluded
at the outset of the investigation of the case – act of terrorism
and not sufficient fuel on the plane.

Investigation is initiated on the case headed by Hakob
Gharakhanyan. The investigation group is already in charge
of the recording between the plane personnel and Georgian air
controllers. Other documents are also available. More than dozens of
employees of air companies are interviewed.

RAT ESCAPE FROM ORINATS YERKIR CONTINUES

Panorama.am
14:21 10/05/06

The leader of democratic party Aram Sargsyan is sure that rat escape
from Orinats Yerkir will continue since “they have no principals and
have not joined the party based on their convictions,” A. Sargsyan
told a briefing today. “Orinats Yerkir was once strong and now they
are looking for another strong one,” he said.

According to him, this is a revenge against Orinats Yerkir for very
expensive seats at the parliament.

“Parliamentary elections are the start for the presidential elections,”
he said. Sargsyan said we will never build a normal society unless
a businessman and a parliamentary are scared of the executive
branch. “They may be called at any time and be guided to certain
actions.” Sargsyan is sure that this tendency is encouraged by the
president of the state.

BIG SUMS TRANSFERRED TO BANK ACCOUNTS FOR RELATIVE A320 VICTIMS
By Gohar Gevorgian

AZG Armenian Daily
11/05/2006

On May 4, special bank accounts were opened at the Finance and Economy
Ministry of Armenia to raise money for the relatives of A320 crash
victims. By 3.45 pm on May 6, the total sum on the accounts amounted
to 22 million 521 thousand drams.

Armavia air carrier also has opened accounts at Armsavingsbank,
Inekobank and Armeconombank but the latter refused provide
information on transferred money saying they can tell it only
to Armavia representatives. Soon after speaking to the company
representatives Inekobank told daily Azg that by 4.00 pm on May
6 there was 2 million 357 thousand drams on the account. Armavia
assured that it will provide information on the size of donations
and will disclose the names of benefactors if allowed.

STATE AND SOCIETY SHOULD COOPERATE

Panorama.am
17:11 10/05/06

The regional development center of Transparency International Armenia
has organized a discussion today on Orhuss convention. Sona Aivazyan,
Transparency International Armenia representative said that the aim of
the discussion is to promote implementation of some of the provisions
of Orhuss convention. Armenia has ratified the convention in 2001.

As mentioned by discussion participants, Armenia will submit a report
to Orhuss committee on steps taken to implement the convention. The
committee has submitted a package of suggestions and Armenia has to
come up with a report on that to be submitted 6 month earlier before
the next meeting, which will be in May 2008.

Regular meetings are planned to make the report a real
action.

FRENCH SPECIALISTS STARTED SEARCHES OF “FLIGHT RECORDERS” OF ARMENIAN AIRPLANE A-320

Yerevan, April 10. ArmInfo. The French specialists started searches
of “flight recorders” of the Armenian airplane A-320, which fell into
the Black Sea on the night of May 3, the Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Russia Armen Smbatyan told to ArmInfo
correspondent. He had categorically denied the information spread
that the works will be interrupted till Thursday.

Smbatyan also said that the relatives of the dead had already returned
to Armenia. As it was informed earlier, the French equipment will
be mounted on the “Navigator” boat from Novosibirsk. The flight
recorders, installed on A-320 board, may keep during 30 days at a
depth of up to 6000 meters and their radio beacons continue to work
within this period. One of the self-recorders is intended for the
flight parameters recording during the whole flight , the other one
records the talks in the plot cabin. The total weight of the “black
box” is 10 kg, 7 kg of which is the weight of the armored cladding.

The self-recorder can withstand temperature of 1100 0C within an hour
and force compression of 2,2 tons.

The “Armavia” airplane, which was carrying out Yerevan-Sochi flight,
fell into the Black Sea on May 3 flying up to Adler, in 5-6 km from
the beach.

There were 113 people on board, including 8 crew members. All of them
had died. The rescuers succeeded to find 51 bodies of the dead until
now, 46 of them are identified. Thirty four of them are citizens of
Armenia and 12 people are citizens of Russia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN DM: NAGORNY KARABAKH WON IN WAR IMPOSED BY AZERBAIJAN

Stepanakert, May 10. ArmInfo. “I don’t agree with the view that
our victory in the war imposed by Azerbaijan was just half the
work. Victory is victory.

I think that Nagorny Karabakh was won,” Armenian Defence Minister
Serzh Sargsyan said during the May 9 celebrations in Stepanakert.

Sargsyan said that the Karabakh problem must be solved
through mutual concessions. “No peace is possible without
mutual concessions. Azerbaijan must recognize the right of the
Nagorno-Karabakh people to free life. They must understand that a
people has the right to live the way it wants,” Sargsyan said.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH REPUBLIC CELEBRATES TRIPLE HOLIDAY

Stepanakert, May 10. ArmInfo. May 9 Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
celebrated triple holiday – the Day of Victory in the Great Patriotic
War, of Liberation of Shushi and of Formation of NKR Defence Army,
reports ArmInfo’s correspondent in Stepanakert.

May 9 morning NKR President Arkady Ghukassyan, Parliament Speaker
Ashot Ghulyan, Prime Minister Anushavan Daniyelyan as well as Armenian
Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan and Defence Minister Serzh Sargsyan
laid flowers to the graves of the heroes of the Great Patriotic and
Karabakh wars. They also visited Shushi.

An army parade, meetings with veterans, concerts, exhibitions and
other festivities were held all over the republic.

NKR DM: NAGORNY KARABAKH WILL NOT BE SUBORDINATE TO AZERBAIJAN IN ANY SCENARIO OF KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

Stepanakert, May 10. ArmInfo. “When we liberated Shushi we understood
that we can protect our homeland, our faith, our rights and dignity
on our own.

And today we can say that the liberation of Shushi was the beginning
of all our further victories,” NKR Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan
said during the May 9 celebrations in Stepanakert.

Ohanyan said that the formation of the NKR defence army was one of
the key achievements of the Karabakh movement.

Speaking about the Karabakh conflict settlement, Ohanyan said that
any settlement scenario will be based on the present realities in
the region – that is, Nagorno Karabakh will never be subordinate to
Azerbaijan, will have land communication with mother Armenia and strong
guarantees of security for its people. “In any case the NKR Defence
Army is strong and ready to rebuff any encroachments,” Ohanyan said.