Hogasapian rejects Aoun’s remarks about Armenians

The Daily Star, Lebanon
May 5 2004

Beirut MP Jean Hogasapian rejected former Army Commander Michel Aoun’s
recent remarks, saying Lebanon’s Armenians did not follow democratic
traditions and were manipulated by remote control by those controlling
them politically.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the MP said he would like to clarify to
Aoun that Lebanon’s Armenians had done a good job so far integrating
themselves in this country’s political life.

The Armenians “have set up political alliances and have successfully
interacted with all parts of the Lebanese community around them,”
the MP said, adding that the Armenians “abide by Lebanon’s political
principles, specifically those dealing with democracy and political
liberty.”

Commenting on Sunday’s Mount Lebanon municipal elections, Hogasapian
said Armenians had “exercised their right to vote and were not
influenced by any political pressure.”

Aoun-backed candidates in Sunday’s elections had predominantly failed
to give a good account of themselves. Aoun had held Armenian voters
partly to blame for that failure.

Profile of next US ambassador to Armenia – news agency

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan
10 May 04

Prior to his taking up the appointment as US Ambassador to Armenia,
John Evans is profiled as a diplomat experienced in Russian and NATO
affairs but the news agency questions his ability in dealing with
a previous regional conflict. It notes that he was one of the first
diplomats to chart Vladimir Putin’s rise. Following are excerpts from
a report by the Armenian news agency Mediamax; subheadings inserted
editorially

On 6 May, the President of the United States George Bush nominated
to the Senate the candidacy of the new US Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary to Armenia – Director of the State Department’s
Office of Russian Affairs, John Marshall Evans. Despite the fact that
Evans’s official appointment, most likely, will take place in several
months we decided to present some facts from his biography.

Previous posts

John Evans is a graduate of Yale College and Columbia University. He
has served in US diplomatic missions in Iran (1971-74), Czechoslovakia
(1975-78), the Soviet Union (Moscow, 1981-83), at NATO Headquarters,
1983-86). In the State Department, he has served as a special assistant
to Secretaries Cyrus Vance and Edmund Muskie in different years.

In the mid-nineties, John Evans John Evans held the posts of Deputy
Head of the US Diplomatic Mission in Czech Republic and US Consul
General in Saint Petersburg. In 1997-1999, he headed the OSCE Mission
to Moldova. After returning to Washington, John Evans became Director
of the Office of Analysis for Russia and Eurasia in the Bureau of
Intelligence and Research. For the last few years John Evans has been
Director of the State Department’s Office of Russian Affairs. The
diplomat’s spouse, Donna Evans, is the executive director of the
World Affairs Council in Washington [D.C.]

Judging by the record of service, John Evans is a more experienced
diplomat than the current US Ambassador to Armenia John Ordway, who
will soon head the US diplomatic mission in Kazakhstan. At the same
time, if we compare the biographies of the two diplomats it becomes
clear that they have much in common – Ordway, like Evans worked in the
US diplomatic missions in Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union and NATO,
and before his appointment for the post of US Ambassador to Armenia
he was Deputy Head of the US Diplomatic Mission in Moscow.

Ambassadors with a “Russian past”

Yerevan’s opposition newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak [Armenian Times]
asserts that Washington sends ambassadors with a “Russian past”
to Yerevan as it “considers Armenia to be Russia’s vassal.”

“The fact that a diplomat specialized in Russia will take the post
of the US ambassador to Armenia testifies to the fact that Armenia
is perceived not as a separate geopolitical unit but as Russia’s
vassal. In order to work in Armenia the foreign diplomats should be
familiar with Russia,” Haykakan Zhamanak wrote on 6 May.

We can agree with the newspaper’s one opinion only – the US Ambassador
to Armenia should really be familiar with Russia. But this does not
mean that by appointing John Evans the United States “gave up on
Armenia” which they think to be “Russia’s patrimony.”

In our opinion the appointment of John Evans, on the contrary,
proves the United States’ growing interest towards Armenia. For the
last two years, Armenia and the USA have moved forward considerably
in their relations. The military cooperation between the two states,
which seemed unreal several years ago, has not only become a reality
but is also developing consecutively. Armenia-NATO relations,
the main inspirer of which is the United States, also develop
intensively. Armenia has already stated its intention to sign
Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO, and the Alliance’s
leadership does not hide that NATO’s policy in relation to the South
Caucasus will be formulated and voiced at the forthcoming NATO Summit
in Istanbul in June.

Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
Ambassador Elizabeth Jones said in mid- April [2004] that “Armenia has
taken big steps to enhance its security relationship with the United
States and NATO in the past six months”. “We have strongly encouraged
the Armenian government to permit closer military cooperation with the
US and look forward to a positive response from Yerevan,” Jones said.

Thus, there is every reason to suppose that one of the priority
directions in John Evans’s work will become the development of
US-Armenian military cooperation and the provision of further close
relations between Armenia and NATO. It is natural that the diplomat
will need his acquaintance with Russia while solving these questions.

Early familiarity with Vladimir Putin

An interesting nuance – John Evans is one of those few American
diplomats who was personally familiar with Vladimir Putin at the time
when few people could have expected the former KGB Colonel to become
President of the Russian Federation. Putin and Evans got acquainted
in Saint Petersburg: Russia’s future President was Deputy Mayor at
that time and was in charge of foreign economic ties, and the future
US Ambassador to Armenia was Consul General of the United States in
Saint Petersburg.

Delivering a lecture on the situation in Russia in Mississippi
University in February 2002, John Evans said that he attentively
followed Putin’s career. Speaking about Russian leader’s policy, he
noted that Putin subordinated Russian Foreign Policy to economic goals
and for that reason he was tilting more to the West than to the East,
especially after 11 September 2001.

However, Evans’s favourable attitude towards Vladimir Putin did
not prevent him from making a number of harsh-worded statements in
relation to Russia in the autumn of 2002, the reason of which was the
flight of Russian military planes over Georgia’s territory. Evans’s
statement could hardly be called diplomatic: “we have some doubts
that the Russian highest civil government controls its armed forces.”

John Evans also said: “Due to the opportunities of collecting
information created by the USA during the Cold War, Washington at
once learned what happened to Kursk submarine on 12 August [2000]
and we immediately shared this information with the Russian side
but your military leadership did not disclose the truth for two
years.” “Part of Russian high military officialdom continuously lies
to the country’s leadership,” he said.

Solving conflicts

On the post of the US ambassador to Armenia, John Evans will have to
engage in solving the Nagorno Karabakh conflict as well. As at the
end of the nineties he headed the OSCE mission to Moldova, which was
actively involved in settling the conflict in the Dniester region,
we can assume that Evans possesses certain experience in this sphere.

Despite the fact that Evans left Moldova in 1999 he did not set aside
the Dniester region conflict. In any case, he discussed the Dniester
region conflict with the Chairman of International Committee of the
Federation Council Mikhail Margelov last November. Evans said in
particular that the memorandum suggested by Russia for settling the
situation in the Dniester region and the fact that both Moldova and
the region spoke for its adoption “gives hope for an earlier peaceful
settlement of the problems in the region.”

In spite of the fact that after this statement by John Evans the
Russian newspapers published articles headed “The USA approve of
the Russian plan” several days later the Russian initiative failed
as official Kishinev refused to sign the document suggested by
Russia, which had already been coordinated with Dniester region
authorities. Moscow was so irritated that Russian Foreign Minister
Igor Ivanov openly accused the United States, which was not informed
about the coming signing of the peace plan, for the failure of the
Russian peace initiative. Nobody explained the reason that made John
Evans support the Russian peace initiative several days before.

We can only hope that such “incidents” will not happen in the process
of Nagorno Karabakh settlement, the fate of which depends of Russia
and USA’s coordinated actions in many respects.

May 10, 2004
CONTACT : Loucia Isaac Seropian
Phone: 961-1-353010 Ext.: 365
Email: [email protected]

Haigazian University-Public Relations Office
PO Box: 11-1748Beirut, Lebanon

HAIGAZIAN UNIVERSITY RECOGNIZES DISTINGUISHED LEBANESE MOTHERS

Haigazian University honored five distinguished women from Lebanon for
being pioneers in the philanthropical, cultural and academic fields. The
event took place on Friday, May 7, 2004 at the Phoenicia Intercontinental
Hotel under the auspices of Lebanese First Lady, Mrs. Andree Lahoud.
Present were almost three hundred women from various regions and
communities in Lebanon, among whom were wives of government ministers and
parliament members.

The honorees of this year were:

Mrs. Rabab Al Sader, for her role of empowering women in society;
Mrs. Hermine’ Aydenian, for her well-recognized academic endeavors;
Mrs. Mounira Al Solh, for supporting the disabled and for involvement in
politics;
Mrs. May Arida, for her cultural contribution to Lebanon, especially the
Baalbeck Festivals.
Mrs. Youser Saab, for being a prominent philanthropist in her region.

After a welcoming word by the Haigazian University Women’s Auxiliary chair
Mrs. Terine Hasserjian, HUWA member Mrs. Silva Libaridian led the audience
in a half hour audio-visual journey “down memory lane” presenting the lives
of the five honorees in mesmerizing detail. In her conclusion, she praised
the women for their dedication to the needs and wants of the less
privileged in their society.

Haigazian University President, the Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian addressed the
audience with a message that identified the image of an “ideal mother” with
that of the “servant” in such a way that the focus is put on responding
properly to the true needs of others in society. He said that the honorees
this year have all had “a special eye and a special hand on society.” He
added, ” Mindless giving is also heartless giving. Love misplaced is the
key to alienation. We often do not know what the real needs of others are
and therefore provide insignificant care and misplaced generosity.”
“Giving to the society and our generation means addressing the true needs
of humans that leads to life. This is a divine calling,” Haidostian
concluded.

Then each of the five honorees received a special plaque from the hand of
Mrs. Lahoud and in return President Haidostian awarded the First Lady with
a silver plaque of appreciation.

The program was concluded with a luncheon of fellowship during which the
attendees had the opportunity to meet the various members of the HUWA, chat
with Mrs. Lahoud, and familiarize themselves with the academic services of
Haigazian University.

In addition to the enjoyment of the event as a whole, the attendees
expressed deep appreciation for the participation of some Haigazian
University students who during the celebration presented a special musical
interlude, and an Armenian traditional dance during the luncheon.

Director of Public Relations Office
Haigazian University

Lebanon

Mailing Address:
Public Relations Office
P.O.Box 11-1748
Riad El Solh, Beirut 1107 2090
Rue Mexique, Kantari, Lebanon
Tel/Fax: 961 1- 349230/1, 961-1- 353010/1/2

NKR Leader Says Karabakh Army Guarantor of Truce with Baku in 9 May Speech

Arminfo, Yerevan
8 May 04

STEPANAKERT

The 9 May has always been honoured by the Karabakh people, the
president of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic (NKR), Arkadiy Gukasyan,
has said in his congratulatory speech to the people.

According to an Arminfo correspondent in Stepanakert, Gukasyan said
that in the relatively recent past the 9 May had been celebrated as a
victory of the then common motherland in the patriotic war against
fascist Germany. Every second resident of Nagornyy Karabakh who went
to the front was killed in this war.

“But 12 years ago the 9 May acquired a special importance for us,
indeed becoming decisive for the Armenians of Artsakh (Nagornyy
Karabakh),” Gukasyan said. The town of Shushi was liberated on that
day and again became an Armenian town, as it should be. The NKR
defence army, which marks its birthday on 9 May, liberated this town,
amazing the world with its courage and fighting skill.

“Due to the successful Shushi operation the road of life’ to mother
Armenia was opened, saving the Artsakh people from full physical
elimination,” Gukasyan added. He talked about the historical
significance of the Shushi liberation.

It is very symbolic that these three dates are marked on the same
day. This coincidence embodies the succession of
generations. According to Gukasyan, the current generation of Artsakh
people continued with glorious military traditions of their
grandfathers and fathers who had demonstrated courage and fearlessness
on the battlefield of the World War II. The current generation
defended freedom and independence of Nagornyy Karabakh in fighting
with the enemy which was much stronger, given personnel and hardware.

“May the memory of those, who were killed for Artsakh’s happy future,
live forever. The duty of those living is not to allow the blood shed
by them be in vain. Long live our military veterans!”, Gukasyan said.

He said that, the NKR leadership will take care of them in the future
as well. The NKR defence army, which was formed to fight for the
republic’s freedom, remains the most reliable guarantor of security of
the NKR and its people. Today, when Azerbaijan is trying to turn the
history back and is cherishing revanchist hopes for the forcible
settlement of the Karabakh problem, “we should maintain the rate of
military construction and equip our army with up-to-date weapons and
improve its fighting skills”.

“At the same time, I again declare with all responsibility that the
NKR defence army is an army of peace. Its main task was and remains to
defend Nagornyy Karabakh and its people from external aggression. Be
confident: our army is ready at any moment to repulse the enemy, if it
dares to breach our peaceful life and infringe on our independence,”
he added.

Gukasyan said that this May holiday coincided with another important
event, i.e. the signing 10 years ago of a cease-fire agreement in the
zone of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan, Nagornyy
Karabakh and Armenia. Azerbaijan was forced to recognize Nagornyy
Karabakh as a party to the conflict and sign the truce with it
exclusively due to the successes of the Karabakh army. If cease-fire
has been preserved up till now, this is due to the strength and might
of the NKR defence army which defends our motherland.

“Precisely for this reason our army is also one of the effective
guarantors of maintaining a peaceful settlement of the conflict with
Azerbaijan. I would like to assure you that, as before, the NKR
leadership thinks that there is no alternative to a peaceful
settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh problem.

“Dear people of Artsakh, congratulations on the forthcoming holiday. I
would like to congratulate you all on the day of our common victory. I
wish peace, prosperity and happiness to all of us,” Gukasyan said.

Martin hand-picks another candidate
PM breaking promise for democratic reform, opposition MPs say

Anne Dawson
The Ottawa Citizen

Sunday, May 09, 2004
Page A5 – Morning Edition

Prime Minister Paul Martin ignored his own promise to make Parliament
more democratic yesterday by hand-picking yet another Liberal
candidate and doling out another patronage appointment.

In the past two days, he has used his power to appoint one candidate
in Ontario and another four in Alberta and British Columbia. He has
also given patronage appointments to two sitting MPs in exchange for
them stepping aside so he could designate his favourites in their
ridings.

The moves drew sharp criticism from opposition leaders, who accused
Mr. Martin of playing a game of “who you know” rather than allowing
grassroots democracy to take its course in the selection of political
candidates. They also said the actions would further alienate Western
Canadians already extremely dissatisfied with the workings of federal
politics.

Manitoba-born Ruby Dhalla, a Toronto chiropractor and a longtime
Liberal activist, was appointed to be the Liberal candidate in the
Brampton-Springdale riding. Liberal MP Sarkis Assadourian, who has
represented that riding since 1993, has been given the position of
special adviser on Near Eastern and South Caucasus Affairs to the
prime minister in exchange for giving up his riding.

“I am delighted to be able to turn to Sarkis Assadourian for expertise
when it comes to matters of trade and foreign relations with the Near
East,” said the prime minister in a press released issued yesterday.

Late Friday, Mr. Martin announced four other candidate
appointees. They include: B.C. party president Bill Cunningham, who
worked on Mr. Martin’s leadership campaign, in the Burnaby-Douglas
riding; lawyer Julia Turnbull, in Calgary South Centre; John Bethel,
who was Mr. Martin’s Alberta leadership campaign director, in Edmonton
East; and Dave Muti, who served as a Liberal riding president, in
Calgary North East.

He also gave Winnipeg MP John Harvard an appointment to be the new
lieutenant-governor of Manitoba in exchange for him stepping down so
Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray could run in his
Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia riding.

Human Resources Minister Joe Volpe staunchly defended Mr. Martin’s
appointments on the grounds that the Liberal party permits such
appointments under its constitution.

But Conservative leader Stephen Harper said Mr. Martin has “tainted”
the Liberal candidates he has appointed with all the bad publicity the
announcements have garnered.

“This hardly seems like a way to fix the democratic deficit. It will
ultimately jeopardize the election chances of every single one of them
— especially in Western Canada where these issues of democratic
reform are most acute and the dissatisfaction with the existing system
is most severe,” Mr. Harper said yesterday.

NDP leader Jack Layton accused Mr. Martin of showing a blatant
disregard for the Chinese community by ousting Asian candidates in
B.C. that have already shown they can win elections

Mr. Layton said Mr. Martin has shown a “complete … lack of
understanding of western alienation” by playing a game of “who you
know” rather than allowing democracy to take its course.

“There seems to be no understanding in the prime minister’s mind of
the concept of grassroots. How are you going to get effective local
voices if you don’t allow local communities, through their local
ridings to pick their candidates?” said Mr. Layton.

A few weeks ago, Mr. Martin made another round of appointments in
B.C., including businessman David Emerson, former NDP premier Ujjal
Dosanjh, union leader Dave Haggard, native leader Miles Richardson and
community activist Shirley Chan.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2004

Armenian defectors ask Azeri human rights activist for help

ANS TV, Baku
7 May 04

Roman Teryan and Artur Apresyan, who fled Armenia and arrived in
Azerbaijan as a sign of protest against [Armenian President] Robert
Kocharyan’s regime and are currently being held at the remand centre
of the Azerbaijani Ministry of National Security, have officially
appealed to Arzu Abdullayeva, chairwoman of the Azerbaijani National
Committee of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly, to help them move to a
third country.

Abdullayeva told ANS that she had received the appeal. She asked the
National Security Ministry to answer numerous questions and receive
those Armenians. On Monday [10 May], she will ask the UN office in
Baku and other international organizations for help.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri minister says Armenia ready to discuss stage-by-stage plan

ANS TV, Baku
9 May 04

[Presenter] The Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuriy
Merzlyakov, has said that Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will hold their next meeting in the
Kazakh capital, Astana, in September. He said that the meeting would
be held on the sidelines of a CIS summit.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said that the date and
venue of the presidents’ next meeting will be known for certain after
a meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries due in
Strasbourg. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan will discuss the liberation
of Azerbaijan’s seven occupied districts in Strasbourg on 12 May. Here
is Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov:

[Mammadyarov, speaking to journalists] There will be a general
exchange of opinions. I mean, the co-chairmen expressed their views in
Prague, the Azerbaijani side expressed its views and the Armenian side
expressed its views. We will again exchange our views in Strasbourg,
and each side – Azerbaijan, Armenia and the co-chairmen – will once
again discuss which path to take.

As you know, the Azerbaijani president mentioned the liberation of
seven districts and the opening of transport links. We suggest going
this way so as the conflict is settled even quicker.

[ANS journalist] Does this mean that Azerbaijan will propose that the
principles of a stage-by-stage settlement plan be discussed along with
some other elements?

[Mammadyarov] Yes, exactly the state-by-stage plan. This is what we
suggest because we know that our main task now is to return refugees
and displaced persons to the liberated lands.

[ANS journalist] Does Armenia agree to discuss this option?

[Mammadyarov] Yes, there is a general feeling that Armenia is ready to
discuss the stage-by-stage plan.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee
San Francisco – Bay Area
51 Commonwealth Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
Tel: (415) 387-3433
Fax: (415) 751-0617
[email protected]

Contact: Roxanne Makasdjian (415) 641-0525

Bay Area Armenians Commemorate Genocide

– Kossakian calls on community to prepare for the next phase of Hai Tad
– City of Oakland Recognizes Armenian Genocide for First Time

San Francisco – The Armenian-American community commemorated the
Armenian Genocide with various activities over several weeks, including
public resolutions, screenings, a youth program and student events,
religious ceremonies and a program of speakers and cultural presentations.

Bay Area Cities Recognize the Armenian Genocide
The San Francisco and Santa Clara counties and the cities of Berkeley
and Oakland honored the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide
by declaring April 24th a day of remembrance for the Armenian Genocide.
This was the first year Oakland recognized the Armenian Genocide.
Over the previous two months, ANC members in Oakland brought the issue
of the Armenian Genocide to the attention of Oakland City Council
members, who unanimously voted for the resolution, which was passed and
discussed during a public City Council meeting. At the urging of the
Bay Area ANC, the San Francisco and Santa Clara county Boards of
Supervisors sent letters to President Bush calling for the appropriate
recognition of the Genocide by the administration.

Community Evening of Commemoration
On the evening of April 24th, Armenian-Americans gathered to hear
speakers Jean Kossakian, principal of Ferrahian Armenian High School,
and Barlow Der Mugrdechian, Armenian Studies lecturer, Fresno State
University, in addition to Armenian songs and recitation.

Speaking in Armenian, Kossakian spoke of the importance of continuing to
remember the Armenian Genocide, saying that if the Armenian people can
continue to celebrate Vartanants after 1500 years, we can surely
continue the struggle for recognition of the Genocide until justice
prevails.

Kossakian described the evolution of the Hai Tad struggle, beginning
with the early decades of lamentation, to the cries of `Our lands, our
lands!’ to the acts of political assassination, to nations beginning to
officially recognize the Genocide, to the struggle for an independent
Armenia and Karabagh.

`The entire Diaspora stood together for the independence of Armenia and
Karabagh,’ Kossakian said, adding that Armenia, Karabagh and Javakhk
constitute the basis of a free and independent Armenia. `Genocide
recognition has become a part of the Armenian foreign policy, and we are
now moving into a new era, moving from recognition towards reparations.’

Emphasizing the fact that the Armenian Genocide is unique because it not
only took lives, but lands and property, Kossakian said the Genocide
continues with Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s genocide denial, their claims
that Armenians are the newcomers to the region, their continued
blockades of Armenia, their construction of a pipeline which bypasses
Armenia, and their ever-growing populations compared to Armenia’s
diminishing population.

Kossakian said our people must prepare for the day when Armenia will
bring the Armenian Case to the International Court of Justice, by
continuing to persuade cities, states and nations to recognize the
Genocide, persuade governments and schools to include the history in
their educational systems, and by developing new approaches to the
Armenian Cause. `Within the next few years we have to prove that the
Diaspora is represented by Armenia, ask for reparations, and put Turkey
on the defensive.’

Barlow Der Mugrdechian, speaking in English, also called on Armenians to
participate in Armenian life. `While some call for unity,’ he said, `I
would call for unity of spirit.’

Der Mugrdechian urged Armenians to see Armenia and Mt. Ararat, not as a
tourist experience, but as an educational experience, learning from the
people there and contributing in some way. He reminded community
members that the Armenian Case is still unresolved and people should
participate in the Cause.

`Germany and the Secret Genocide’
The Bay Area Armenian National Committee invited the public to a
screening of `Germany and the Secret Genocide,’ and a discussion with
filmmaker Michael J. Hagopian. The film, which reveals Germany’s
involvement in the Armenian Genocide screened on April 14th at the San
Francisco Public Library with a diverse crowd in attendance.

Armenian Students’ Associations of UCB, UCD and Stanford
Armenian-American students at three Bay Area universities organized a
variety of events: at UCB, students organized lectures, a film
screening, and `Hands Across Campus’ bringing together many student
groups linking hands across campus to take a stand against Armenian
Genocide denial and human rights abuses everywhere. At UC Davis,
students held a public evening vigil where students and other campus
speakers addressed the crowd. At Stanford, the Stanford Daily newspaper
published an opinion piece about the need for recognition of the
Armenian Genocide.

Youth Program and `Hokehankeest’ at Mt. Davidson Cross
Representatives of the ACYO (Armenian Christian Youth Organization), KZV
Armenian School and the HMEM Armenian Scouts conducted a solemn
proceeding at the 103-ft Mt. Davidson Cross. Mt. Davidson Cross is the
largest cross in the country and stands atop the highest peak in San
Francisco overlooking the city. The Armenian-American community of the
Bay Area owns the Cross, after having won it at a city auction approved
by city voters in 1997. They have been able to maintain ownership and a
memorial plaque at the foot of the cross despite several lawsuits by
atheists which reached the Supreme Court and a recent lawsuit by the
Turkish consul.

##

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Syrian Arab News Agency
May 9 2004

Abu Mousa Meeting with Kohar Mirakian

Damascus, May 9 (SANA)-

Chairman of Al-Baath Vanguards Organization Dr. Ahmad Abu Mousa on
Sunday met Mrs. Kouhar Mirakian, Head of the Armenian delegation of
children who participate in the activities of the Regional Vanguards
Festival .

Dr. Abu Mousa expressed pleasure over participation of Armenian
children with their Syrian counterparts in the Festival. He pointed
out to the patronage given by President Bashar al-Assad to the
Children, particularly his Excellency’s keen on enhancing children’
spirit of renovation and innovation.

For its part, Mrs. Mirakian highly praised the Syrian experience in
field of Youth education, expressing pleasure over several
distinguish activities in Syria regarding the educational and
technical establishments, particularly in qualifying teachers to
enable them to perform their moral and educational duties in
discovering and developing children creativity.

Nawal/ Zahra.

The Forum, ND
May 9 2004

Other views: Armenian genocide examined
By Anna Hovhannisyan, The Forum

The Ottoman Empire carried out the annihilation of the Armenians, a
nation that accepted Christianity the first in the world in 301 A.D.

Out of a total of 2.5 million Armenians, 1.5 million were killed.

Abdul Hamid II had 300,000 Armenians slaughtered in 1885, which could
be considered the beginning of the Armenian genocide. In 1909, 30,000
Armenians were slaughtered in Adana. Upon a premeditated plan, the
ruling party of Turkey carried out the annihilation of the Armenians
in the Empire.

And this genocide is forgotten. Many countries in the world deny the
genocide of Armenians. Thirty-three states of America have recognized
it, and 166 senators and congressmen of the United States signed the
letter to President George Bush urging him to recognize the Armenian
genocide.

Leaving crimes unpunished is a prerequisite for new ones. Proof of
this is obvious as Hitler said to his generals before the Holocaust:
“Who after all remembers the extermination of Armenians?”

The movie “Ararat” about the Armenian genocide will be presented
Tuesday at 7 p.m., at Minnesota State University Moorhead, Comstock
Memorial Union, room 227.

“Ararat,” Atom Egoyan’s mysterious drama about the horrors of the
largely unknown Armenian genocide in Turkey, unrolls through a film
within the film.

The members of a film crew struggle with their own respective
interpretations of the past as they make a docudrama about the
Armenian holocaust.

Hovhannisyan is a mass communication student at Minnesota State
University Moorhead.

E-mail [email protected]