TRYING TO APPROACH EUROPE

A1plus

| 16:26:04 | 15-06-2005 | Official |

During Robert Kocharyan’s today’s working consultation the preliminary
set of offers about the plan of actions Armenia-EU within the
framework of the “European New Neighbors” policy was discussed. The
participants of the consultation were the Ministers of Commerce and
Economic Development, Justice, Finance and Economy, as well as head
of the Government, the deputy Foreign Minister and other officials
concerned by the field.

A reference to the issue was made several months ago and according to
Kocharyan, an agreement has been reached about the processing of the
plan of actions from the point of view of developing the relations with
the EU within the framework of the “New Neighbors” program. According
to Robert Kocharyan, although the draft program is ready, a work of
several months is still needed to bring it to a final form.

Representing the preliminary set of offers, Minister of Commerce and
Economic Development Karen Chishmarityan mentioned that it was formed
on the basis of the offers of different Ministries and inspections,
the aim of which is to correspond the political and economic atmosphere
of Armenia to the European standards as much as possible.

Giving and overall positive evaluation to the represented set of
offers, Robert Kocharyan said that it needs further processing and
ordered the corresponding structures to continue the work in that
direction.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Los Angeles Daily News, CA
June 15 2005

Mass killer found dead

Prison hanging likely suicide

By Charles F. Bostwick, Staff Writer

LANCASTER — A prison inmate convicted of murdering his wife and
six children nine years ago in Glendale’s worst mass murder was
found dead Tuesday, hanging from a bedsheet in the prison infirmary,
officials said.

The 49-year-old inmate, an Iranian refugee serving a life sentence
without possibility of parole, had been in state prisons since his
2000 conviction and had been at the Lancaster prison since April,
officials said.

“Preliminary reports have suggested that the inmate committed suicide,”
California State Prison-Los Angeles County spokesman Lt.

Ken Lewis said in a written statement. “As a result, an investigation
has been initiated by prison officials to determine events leading
up to the death.”

Prison officials did not release the man’s name because they could
not locate his next of kin to inform them of his death.

But coroner’s officials confirmed he was Jorjik Avanesian, who was
convicted of dousing his family’s one-bedroom apartment in Glendale
with gasoline and setting it on fire in 1996, four months after the
Avanesians came to America as religious refugees.

Psychiatrists testified that Avanesian was delusional, but he denied
he was insane. His trial was delayed for more than two years while
he was treated in a state mental hospital.

Prosecutors said bystanders heard his family screaming from
inside the burning apartment, but Avanesian refused to unlock the
apartment-complex gate so they could be rescued. Three bodies were
found in the bedroom and four in the bathroom.

Avanesian later told police that he killed his family because he
believed his wife and oldest daughter were involved in pornography.

Three months before the fire, he brandished a knife at his 17-year-old
daughter, and he slapped and threw a stool at his 8-year-old son. He
was told to get counseling at an Armenian charity but never showed up.

The Pasadena Superior Court jury that convicted Avanesian deadlocked
on whether to recommend the death penalty, so prosecutors settled on
a sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole.

Los Angeles County coroner’s officials said a full autopsy will be
conducted, which is the standard policy for deaths that occur in
jails or prisons.

A correctional officer found the inmate hanging from a sheet attached
to a ceiling air vent in the prison’s infirmary about 11:10 p.m.

Monday, officials said. Prison medical staff and paramedics performed
cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him, but could not revive him.

He had been in the prison infirmary for what prison officials
characterized only as medical reasons.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WITHOUT KOCHARYAN

A1plus

| 17:29:21 | 15-06-2005 | Politics |

Today Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliev discussed issues about the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict tete-a-tete. The Azeri internet
site day.az informs about it.

According to the same source, the RF President has said that he is
sure that both the economic and the political relations between the
two countries will develop at a high level.

Putin has thanked Ilham Aliev for taking part in an international
economic forum in Saint Petersburg.

Georgian PM: Tbilisi Positive over Resumption Abkhaz Railway

Civil Georgia, Georgia
June 15 2005

Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli, who addressed the summit of
chiefs of railway companies of the CIS countries in Tbilisi on June
15, told reporters that Georgia is “now positive” about resumption
of railway communication via breakaway Abkhazia. Chief of Russian
Railway Company Genadi Fadeev said that at least USD 100 million will
be needed for rehabilitation of this portion of railway.

“Georgia’s previous authorities had different position and were against
[of reopening this railway link], but the new authorities recently
have taken more positive stance of this issue. But this process [of
reopening railway] has some organizational problems and of course
this issue is first of all linked with the security of the Georgian
population of Gali district [of Abkhazia],” Prime Minister Zurab
Nogaideli said.

Chief of Russian Railway Company Genadi Fadeev told reporters on
June 15 that at least USD 100 million will be needed for resumption
of railway link via Abkhazia.

“But this cost will further increase if we include [expenses of]
rehabilitation of [portion of railway] bridge over Enguri river [at
the administrative border between Abkhazia and rest of Georgia],”
Genadi Fadeev said.

“I think all the participating countries, Russia, Georgia, also Armenia
and on certain extant Azerbaijan as well, should fund implementation
of this project,” the Chief of Russian Railway Company added.

Chief of Georgian Railway Company Davit Onoprishvili told reporters on
June 15, that this railway connection via Abkhazia should be reopened
“sooner, or later.”

“We are ready [for launch of rehabilitation process]. Today, groups
[from Russia and Georgia, with the participation of the Abkhaz side]
are meeting in Moscow to negotiate over the technical issues. The fact
is that this railway should be reopened sooner or late and Georgia
will benefit first of all from this,” Davit Onoprishvili said.

Zaman Online, Turkey
June 15 2005

Universal Ethics: No to Intolerance

NEVVAL SEVINDI
06.15.2005 Wednesday – ISTANBUL 16:13

The symposium, “From Terrorism to Universal Ethics: Religions and
Peace,” was staged in Moscow for the first time.

Religions and beliefs were side by side. Hundreds of people,
Buddhist, Muslim, Orthodox, Syriac; Rabbi, Catholic and Orthodox
representatives from 26 countries, donning their splendid ceremonial
attires and symbols greeted the people in the hall. Among the
impressive dresses, colors and symbols, Mustafa Cagrici looked very
alien with his attire, that included a nearly century-old necktie.
Unfortunately, Turkey represented a stance of non-identity with
this dress, that did not befit hundreds of years of civilization and
religious representation. Laws and conditions may have been different
yesterday, however, at least donning a traditional dress and symbol
for this occasion would have been more meaningful today. In fact,
it is impossible for someone who does not know anything about Turkey
to understand where this culture and religion belong. Living with
the fears of the 19th century, in a world where cultures are being
marketed, means we have been left outside. The Armenian church speaking
Turkish, Syrian religious leaders and a chief rabbi also represented
our cultural heritage.

There are many things that could be said about the symposium. But
if you ask about the most basic emotion, it was people of all
religions and beliefs, and also unbelievers, sitting side by side,
and their speaking and eating together. The masses who belong to
these religions and beliefs will question their prejudices when they
look at this picture. They will say if our leader sat there, I should
also reconsider my negative feelings. If you ask whether this will be
enough to stop those who complain about fanaticism, but later express
the most narrow-minded views in their news reports, I would say, it is
better not to expect anything from those who prepare news items without
consulting influential scientists, religious leaders and intellectuals.

The DA Platform (Dialogue Assistance Platform), which organized the
forum, is a success for the independent civil initiative. Working
wholeheartedly with a staff made up of only a few people and
integrated with the DA Journal, the platform aims to restore respect
for differences, because, the loss of differences is a nightmare that
leads to violence.

We had a chat with a priest, Bup Hyun, who came from Korea and is a
member of the Buddhist TaeGo Order. There was a picture of a lovely
child priest on his card. I asked him what that meant. He replied:
“Buddhism is being considered as something very difficult and
confusing. We use the picture of children in order to prove quite the
opposite.” He in fact talked about the ability of being able to look
at life and the universe like a child, with love and surprise. He
went on: “If we liken the world to a garden, it would be boring if
there is the same flower all the time or only roses. Various flowers,
colors and smells beautify our garden.”

Ilber Ortayli’s remarks that “Culture means peace” and Kenan Gursoy’s
assessment that “Those who want to exclude religion from history have
failed,” were remembered as much as the statement of former Indonesian
parliament speaker that “The terrorist is one who thinks of himself
as superior to God.” The mufti of Istanbul also underlined a crucial
point: “In the past, people thought that an understanding of ethics
with no reference to religion would save the world. If we weaken the
sacred power, we make it fall into dangerous hands. An idea may easily
be attributed to sacredness and this could turn into an ideology if
there is no religious belief. All theories on terrorism stem from this,
because once the sacredness that belongs to religion is clarified,
all ideas are set free. They might change and are debatable. That is
to say, tolerance grows and develops. Believers should undertake this
duty.” Armenian Church Deputy Patriarch Masalyan told a short story:
“A priest gives a stick to a sexton before his sermon. The sexton asks,
‘Should I poke those who sleep with this stick?’ The priest says ‘no’,
‘you should poke me with the stick during the sermon so that I wouldn’t
make people sleep.'” Speaking for Italian Muslims, an attendant said:
“It is believed that Arabs represent Islam. Islam is universal.”

>>From Moscow, I moved on to Bergama for a conference. I benefited
from the tolerance our culture internalized into the 69th Bergama
Festival. Five thousand people came for a concert and they sang all
the folk-songs that originated among Alevi, Southeastern and Laz
people. Bergama Mayor Rasit Urper and his spouse have worked for
the development of Bergama, where Yoruk, Pomat, Albanian, Yugoslav
and Bulgarian immigrants are living. The village of Daghistan where
Daghistani natives came and settled 300 years ago is very modern.
People who educate their children, send them abroad due to lack of
investment. There is a very beautiful synagogue and the plan of the
building is ready as well, but there is no one to restore it. If you
visit Bergama one day, you will never forget it.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Arizona Republic, AZ
June 15 2005

Armenians build new sanctuary
City must OK design so building can start

Diana Balazs
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 15, 2005 12:00 AM

Jerry Avakian displayed the portable altar that is wheeled out for
Sunday services at the Armenian Apostolic Church of Arizona in
Scottsdale.

It is kept in a storage room and takes center stage on an actual
stage. The only Armenian church in Arizona has been holding its
services, known as divine liturgy, in the same cultural center where
it holds its non-religious functions.

That will soon change. The church, at 8849 E. Cholla St., plans to
build a main sanctuary, with groundbreaking set for early 2006, said
Avakian, chairman of the parish council. It would take eight to nine
months to build the church. advertisement

Funds are being raised for the $1.5 million project. Church member
and architect Artin Knadjian has designed a building with a stone
façade that is patterned after a church in Armenia. The church must
receive design approval from Scottsdale before construction can
begin.

The sanctuary will be the latest in a number of diverse houses of
worship in the city.

Scottsdale is also home to a Coptic Orthodox church and a Hindu
temple, both in the southern part of the city. The city’s first
mosque and Islamic cultural center is under construction in northeast
Scottsdale.

Scottsdale has become a melting pot of sorts for a number of faiths,
Avakian said.

“From a selfish standpoint,” he said, “diversity gives the
opportunity for a church like mine to exist in a very nice situation
of free Arizona, free America, etc. And I believe that people should
be able to develop their lives according to what their wishes are.”

–Boundary_(ID_YyRUooLVcDHhmzlXMJXByw)–

Ancient Mediterranean Recipe Brought To Life In NYC

PR Leap (press release), CA
June 15 2005

(PRLEAP.COM) New York City, NY – Salt & Vinegar, Inc. a new specialty
food company – introduces a line of gourmet pickled vegetables rooted
in an ancient, Mediterranean family recipe. Salt & Vinegar, Inc. has
preserved the flavor of this centuries-old recipe while offering a
fresh, modern look to pickled vegetables.

The company’s product line includes pickled mixed vegetables, pickled
green beans and pickled carrots. Each jar contains a delightful
combination of crisp and crunchy vegetables with a robust,
Mediterranean flavor. Using the freshest of ingredients, their
vegetables are hand-packed and simply preserved in a distinct brine
of salt and vinegar and garnished with fresh dill, garlic and hot
peppers.

In addition, Salt & Vinegar delivers an upscale, modern design to
their packaging rather than the outdated look of most pickled
vegetables. Their products are presented in a glass jar with a
signature silver lid. With this fresh new look and delicious
Mediterranean taste, Salt & Vinegar pickled vegetables make a great
gift or addition to a gourmet gift basket along with cheeses,
spreads, pates and specialty meats.

Salt & Vinegar, Inc. was founded by New York City residents David and
Melanie Koroghlian. The brother and sister team were inspired by a
classic Mediterranean family recipe that had been handed-down from
generation to generation. The recipe and tradition of pickling
vegetables comes from their family in Armenia. “Traditionally,
pickled vegetables were served as part of appetizers in Armenian
families. We have fond memories of our parents making pickled
vegetables every fall just in time to be enjoyed during the
holidays,” says co-founder Melanie. “Today, we have expanded our
horizons and enjoy this delicious food anytime – as an appetizer,
with salads or even as a healthy snack right out of the jar.”

Enjoyed by family and friends over the years, the pair would often
receive requests for their family’s pickled vegetables. In 2004, with
the encouragement of family and friends and the desire to work
together, David and Melanie set off with their family recipe and Salt
& Vinegar, Inc. was born.

“We are excited to introduce our product line and offer a variety of
pickled vegetables,” says David. “As our company grows, we look
forward to expanding our line to include such unique varieties as
pickled asparagus, pickled green tomatoes and a complete line of
organic pickled vegetables. We ultimately envision a collection of
premium, Mediterranean-style specialty food products, each delivered
in unique packaging using the finest ingredients to create classic
Mediterranean flavors.”

The launch of Salt & Vinegar, Inc. comes at a time when the specialty
food industry is embracing Mediterranean cuisine. In the May 2005
issue of The Gourmet Retailer, the trade journal highlights
Mediterranean fare and describes this new food trend as… “Cuisine of
the Year…with the familiar-yet-exotic flavors of Mediterranean
cuisine, it seems inevitable that more products will appear on the
market. Look in the U.S. first for activity in gourmet and natural
food stores, and later for a filtering down of such products to
mainstream supermarkets.”

The company’s complete line of pickled vegetables is available in 16
oz. jars at a suggested retail price of $10.25. For more information
about Salt & Vinegar, Inc. products, visit their website at
or call 212.563.7008.

BORDYUJA MET THE PRESIDENT

A1plus

| 17:54:58 | 15-06-2005 | Official |

Today Robert Kocharyan received Nikolay Bordyuja, Secretary General
of the Joint Security Agreement Organization.

The sides discussed the issues included in the agenda of the Joint
Security Council session to take part in Moscow on June 22-23, the
problems faced by the Organization, the ways of their solution and
the further activity of the organization.

Nikolay Bordyuja represented the works done combating narco trafficking
and human trafficking, as well as the active anti-terrorist actions
in the context of the present challenges.

Issues about the military-technical cooperation within the framework
of the Joint Security Agreement Organization were also discussed.

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Switzerland
June 15 2005

Deiss “is welcome” to visit Turkey

Swiss Economics Minister Joseph Deiss is welcome to visit Turkey as
planned in the autumn, according to a senior Turkish parliamentarian.

The renewed invitation comes just days after the trip was thrown into
doubt following a diplomatic row with Ankara over a Swiss
investigation into a Turkish historian.

Mehmet Dülger, head of the foreign-affairs committee of the Turkish
Grand National Assembly, told swissinfo that he had no reason to
doubt that Deiss’s visit would go ahead as planned in September.

“I am sure that this visit will take place in Istanbul in September,”
said Dülger. “We are all convinced that this would be a very useful
trip and a welcome opportunity to further [economic ties].”

He was speaking on the second day of the foreign-affairs committee’s
week-long trip to Switzerland which has so far included meetings with
Deiss and Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey.

The visit was overshadowed last week by news that the Turkish trade
minister, Kürsad Tüzman, had cancelled plans to speak later this
month at the Swiss-Turkish Business Council in Zurich. It also
emerged that Deiss’s trip to Turkey was unlikely to take place as
scheduled.

Newspapers in Ankara reported that Tüzman had decided not to travel
to Switzerland in protest at the treatment of Turkish historian Yusuf
Halacoglu.

Last month the cantonal prosecutor’s office in the Swiss city of
Winterthur launched an investigation into claims that Halacoglu had
violated anti-racism laws by playing down the massacre of Armenians
in 1915-18 during a speech in Switzerland in 2004.

Testing times
Turkey and Switzerland have been at odds over the Armenian question
since 2003, when canton Vaud’s parliament ? and later the House of
Representatives ? voted to recognise the killings as genocide.

Armenians say around 1.8 million people were killed. Turkey disputes
this, putting the figure closer to 200,000.

But Dülger rejected suggestions that Swiss-Turkish relations could
suffer as a result of the investigation into Halacoglu’s comments on
Armenia.

The Turkish ambassador to Bern, Alev Kiliç, added that he had been
assured by the Swiss authorities that there was “no reason to be
concerned” about the case against the historian.

“It seems that an official complaint was made [about what Halacoglu
said] and the prosecutor therefore had no choice but to launch an
investigation,” said Kiliç.

“Our understanding is that the legal proceedings now have to run
their natural course.”

Dülger confirmed that Halacoglu’s case had come up during discussions
with government officials.

But he made it clear that the focus of the talks ? which included
meetings with Swiss parliamentary colleagues ? was on how to
strengthen bilateral ties.

The five-member Turkish delegation travels to Geneva on Wednesday for
meetings at the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. The
parliamentarians move on to Zurich on Thursday for talks with Swiss
business leaders.

–Boundary_(ID_RI6POkCk7jSV6dGoDOqx1Q)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Manchester Evening News, UK
June 15 2005

manchester music

System of a Down @ M.E.N. Arena

Neal Snowdon

NO NONSENSE: SOAD
14/06/05

TICKETS prices were cheaper than average, the light show was basic
and between-song banter was non-existent.

This was no-frills arena rock and the near-capacity crowd loved every
pulsating minute. System don~Rt deal in the niceties of showbusiness.

For them it~Rs a case of turn up, tune up and blast it out.

The result was a solid 90-minute set that had the crowd going wild
from the start and ended with grown men fighting over drumsticks
lobbed into the crowd by skinbeater John Dolmayan.

Their musical stew of thrash punk, heavy metal and progressive rock
means this Armenian-American four-piece serve up a sound similar to
rock opera put through a crusher.

The opening blasts of BYOB and Revenga and old chestnuts like Chop
Suey showed a band unafraid to change tempo and style. And the crowd
loved them for it.