Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
March 26, 2004

WE MAY USE ANY BROADCASTING FREQUENCY

The Azerbaijani mass media write that in one of the regions of
Azerbaijan Armenian programs are broadcast by the TV channel ANS thus
hindering viewing the programs of this channel. The mentioned programs
are broadcast through the transmitter placed in the town Shoushi
which, according to the Azerbaijani party, belongs to them. To find
out more we talked to the director of `Atsakhkap’ Souren Mirzoyan. He
said that the transmitter of Shoushi provides broadcasting in a number
of villages, towns Askeran and a part of Stepanakert in NKR. `As to
the anxiety of our neighbours, we also have similar problems. Powerful
transmitters placed in the territory of Azerbaijan hinder broadcasting
of our TV programs. For this reason we choose a more convenient
broadcasting frequency from the point of view of transmitting. If the
channel we have chosen hinders them, we may discuss the question
together and in case of an agreement change it. And as to the
transmitter placed in Shoushi, it is registered in the assets of
`Artsakhkap’ and is the property of the company. Naturally with the
right of the master we may use the transmitters which are our property
in our territory and make use of any broadcasting frequency. We do not
pursue any other aim but to provide normal broadcasting in the
republic.’ Currently in the capital more than ten TV channels are
available. The director of the company informed that an agreement was
signed by the Armenian TV channel `Armenia’ and soon the programs of
this channel will be broadcast in the territory of the republic.

AA.

Armenian holocaust meets brain disease

Robert Cushman
National Post

March 26, 2004

ROGUES OF URFA

Artword Theatre, Toronto

Araxi Arslanian’s grandfather survived the Turkish massacre of the
Armenians during the First World War. She herself has survived
Arterio-Venous Malformation, a brain disorder that kills most of the
people it afflicts. Her play Rogues of Urfa, which she performs
herself, is a solo piece that tells these two stories in alternating
slabs, narrated by protagonists whose kinship is revealed only at the
end.

One doesn’t want to make light of so much real suffering, but the
mixture doesn’t take. The monologue form is always perilous, and here
it has the effect of reducing an individual medical case-history and
the virtual elimination of an entire people to the level of a couple
of hard-luck stories. Plays about illness are always a tough
proposition because the pain, in most cases, is nobody’s fault; ergo,
there is no conflict. If such a subject is to have any dramatic life,
it has to be approached from other points of view besides that of the
sufferer; otherwise, the play becomes a mere complaint.

The Armenian holocaust obviously presents different opportunities and
different problems. The event may be said to have set the tone for the
20thcentury; Hitler famously said the world’s amnesia about the
Armenians made him feel safe about eliminating the Jews. The details
are horribly familiar: the families burned alive in their own homes,
the mass graves dug by the victims, the death marches, the war
obscuring the whole operation. (At that, there seems to have been more
international protest over this genocide than over the later one —
not that it did any good.) Only the gas chambers are missing, but
doubtless the Turks would have got around to those if they’d had the
technology and if they’d had numbers as great to dispose of. It’s a
story that still needs telling, and it provides some duly harrowing
moments here. But it is diminished — not only in scale but in
emotional impact — in being presented so much as the story of one
man. Arslanian’s forbearer comes from the town of Urfa, identified as
the birthplace of Abraham (and so presumably identical with the
Bible’s Ur of the Chaldees).

“I am a young man of the city,” he says, “its secret prince.” Many
times he repeats this rubric, whose first part may be unexceptionable,
but whose second is never supported: His story supplants that of his
granddaughter every time. It functions, in fact, as a form of aural
ID — one that starts out mildly irritating and ends up screamingly
intolerable by the end. He and two friends escape from one of the
forced marches and take refuge with the French army; returning home
after the war they find prejudice as rampant as before — another
example of history, so to speak, anticipating itself. The trio are
presumably the title’s “rogues of Urfa” but there is nothing very
colourful about themto justify the appellation — and it also seems to
devalue the intercut story of Arslanian herself, which is surely meant
to be equally important.

That it is literally her story is only made explicit at the very end,
when her father addresses her by the author’s own first name; but it
has been plain enough all the way through. She begins by telling us
how, as a schoolgirl in Canada, she tried to present a puppet play on
the Armenian experience, and how her classmates laughed at her;
initially one assumes that this was racial prejudice, but it turns out
that she was exhibiting the first symptoms of AVM. Admitted, full of
hope, to the National Theatre School, she is forced to leave — by
what seems, from her account, to have been a monstrously unsympathetic
administration — when she started having seizures. Then came a spell
at university and an eventual breakthrough into the professional
theatre, where she went through hell at the hands of colleagues who
referred to her as “Seizure Sally.” This seems to refer to her
appearance in a Toronto production of Our Country’s Good for which,
nonetheless, she won a Dora — an event she has recalled in interviews
with, it must be admitted, justifiable satisfaction.

One sympathizes, sometimes painfully, with her constant feelings of
being excluded, but still feels that one is only hearing half the
story; however appallingly people may have behaved to her, the laws of
the theatre dictatethat they should be condemned out of their own
mouths rather than hers. George Orwell said that an autobiography
should only be believed when it shows its subject in a bad light, and
the same applies even more to a play-length soliloquy. Everything
Arslanian tells us may be factually true, but it doesn’t make good
drama.

In pursuing her drive toward self-vindication (or, if jargon’s your
dish, self-empowerment) Arslanian may actually be short-changing
herself, since she seems competent as a writer and skilled as a
performer. A big lady, she throws herself enthusiastically into the
angular bits of mime-to-music that her director, Rebecca Brown, has
either devised or permitted to mark the transitions between her two
principal personae. None of her characters is much characterized, but
she shifts very confidently between voices.

The conclusion, that survival runs in the family, comes across both
hurried and sentimental; one can feel happy at the escapes of both
generations without regarding them as more than a fortunate
coincidence. Recurring references to “sand” and “white light” are not
enough to unify the play’s two halves. As a person Arslanian is fully
entitled to her convictions on this score — she has probably more
than earned them — but as a dramatist she needs to persuade rather
than affirm.

The Artword Theatre hosts this production, but did not originate it;
all the same, despite the horrors that it relates, it’s very much in
the house’s familiar folksy feel-good mould.

Until April 4. Box office: 416-504-7529

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (E.)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

March 26, 2004
___________________

HOLY WEEK AT ST. VARTAN CATHEDRAL WILL BE OBSERVED APRIL 4 THROUGH APRIL
11, EASTER SUNDAY

St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral will observe Holy Week, April 4 through 11,
with a series of special services, culminating in the Easter Sunday
celebration on April 11, 2004.

Holy Week is the sacred commemoration of the dramatic events leading to the
Resurrection of Jesus Christ, His victory over death and the redemption of
humanity and the fallen world. The Armenian Church re-enacts these
episodes in the days leading up to Easter. What follows is a brief
schedule of Holy Week events:

PALM SUNDAY–the commemoration of Jesus’ triumphal entry into
Jerusalem–falls on April 4. Fr. Mardiros Chevian (dean of St. Vartan
Cathedral) will be the celebrant for the services, which will begin with a
Morning Service at 9:30 a.m., and will continue with the Divine Liturgy at
10:30 a.m. The Turun-Patzek or “Door-Opening” Service will be held after
the Divine Liturgy.

April 8 is GREAT AND HOLY THURSDAY, and the day’s services memorialize the
Last Supper, Jesus’ vigil in the Garden of Gethsemane, His arrest and
trial. Two separate services will be celebrated on this day. In the
morning, the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated by Fr. Mardiros Chevian,
beginning at 11:00 a.m. This will be followed by a luncheon.

In the evening, the “Washing of the Feet” ceremony will start at 7:00 p.m.,
with the Khavaroom or Vigil Service following at 8:30 p.m. Archbishop
Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese, will officiate. During the
Washing of Feet ceremony, twelve men will serve as surrogates for the
apostles. This year, twelve deacons and subdeacons ordained by the Primate
will participate in the Washing of Feet.

The crucifixion and death of Christ will be observed on April 9–GREAT AND
HOLY FRIDAY–and again two services will occur. The Order of the
Cruci-fixion of Christ will begin at 12:00 noon. This will be a short
service enabling working people in Manhattan to attend, and it will be
followed by a luncheon in the Diocesan Complex’s Yerevan Room.

That same evening, at 7:30 p.m., the Order of the Entombment of the Lord,
or Taghoom Service, will take place.

On GREAT AND HOLY SATURDAY, April 10, the Divine Liturgy will be preceded
by a scripture-reading ceremony at 6:00 p.m. Easter Eve Liturgy will begin
at 7:00 p.m. The celebrant will be His Eminence Archbishop Yeghishe
Gizirian, former Primate of England. The St. Vartan Cathedral Youth Choir,
under the direction of Maro Partamian, will sing the liturgy. (The St.
Vartan Cathedral Youth Choir is made up of students from the Diocesan
Khrimian Lyceum, and Diocesan Armenian Saturday schools of New York and New
Jersey.) Students of the Diocesan Khrimian Lyceum will also provide the
Scripture readings. A reception will follow the services.

The drama of Holy Week will culminate on EASTER SUNDAY, April 11. Easter
is the central holy day of the Christian calendar, and commemorates the
discovery of Christ’s empty tomb and the news of His glorious
Resur-rection. Matins will begin at 9:30 a.m. The Divine Liturgy will
begin at 10:30 a.m. Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of America, will celebrate the Liturgy and deliver the
homily. The St. Vartan Cathedral Choirs will sing the Divine Liturgy under
the direction of Maestro Khoren Mekanejian. Florence Avakian will
accompany on the organ.

Immediately following the service, the traditional Antasdan ceremony, or
“Blessing of the Fields,” will be conducted on the cathedral plaza. This
will be followed by the release of doves ceremony on the cathedral plaza,
where His Excellency Armen Martirossian, the Republic of Armenia’s
Ambassador to the United Nations, will participate.

As in past years, an Easter Luncheon and Program will follow the services
in Haik and Alice Kavookjian Auditorium. The luncheon will include a
home-blessing service, a musical program by the a cappella group “Zulal,”
and the recognition of the various names associated with the holiday.

For more information on these observances, call the Diocese of the Armenian
Church at (212) 686-0710. St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral is located at 630
Second Avenue (corner of 34th Street) in New York City.

–3/26/04

# # #

Armenian president, EU envoy discuss cooperation

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
26 Mar 04

[Presenter over video] The special representative of the EU for the
South Caucasus, Heikki Talvitie, and President Robert Kocharyan
discussed in Yerevan today the prospects for involving the South
Caucasus countries in the programme “Expanded Europe: New Neighbours”.

Robert Kocharyan said that Armenia’s participation in this programme
will seriously stimulate the implementation of all reforms in the
country in line with European standards.

Ambassador Heikki Talvitie noted the importance of developing regional
cooperation in the South Caucasus and stepping up the region’s
economic relations with European countries.

The Armenian president expressed Armenia’s determination to develop
and deepen relations with the European Union.

Armenian foreign minister regrets cancellation of Prague meeting

Mediamax news agency
26 Mar 04

YEREVAN

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan today expressed his regret
in connection with official Baku’s refusal to participate in the
meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers with the
[OSCE] mediators in attendance, which was set for 29 March in Prague.

“We regret that Ilham Aliyev is missing another opportunity to resume
the negotiating process,” the Armenian foreign minister said,
answering our Mediamax correspondent’s questions.

Vardan Oskanyan also stated that “the Azerbaijani president has been
taking an unclear position on the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh
issue”.

Armenian premier replaces head of state property department

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
25 Mar 04

One more staff change has been made in the Armenian government.
According to Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan’s decision, David
Vardanyan has been relieved of the post of head of the Department for
the Management of State Property.

Karine Kirakosyan, deputy head of the Armenian government staff, has
been appointed to this post.

Armenian authorities, opposition trade threats ahead of “real fight”

Aravot, Yerevan
26 Mar 04

Text of unattributed report by Armenian newspaper Aravot on 26 March
headlined “The stage of frightening each other”

“Time will come and we shall see who will kill whom,” [Defence
Minister] Serzh Sarkisyan has said in reply to the opposition’s call
for a power change in April. His reply may be considered a motto of
today’s domestic political life in Armenia.

We shall see if the opposition will kill the authorities or visa
versa. All this is like a duel of professional boxers inside a ring,
when before the duel they swap threats. Such a psychological
atmosphere is becoming imminent between the authorities and the
opposition. And naturally much depends on who will win. They should
first answer the question – how will their own people react to what
will happen and who will they follow?

Let us start with the opposition. Its leaders speak so confidently
that one starts to believe that they really know where they are going
and are 100 per cent sure that people will follow them. Naturally,
this makes the authorities angry. Though the authorities assure us
that they are not frightened of the spring actions of the opposition,
they are obviously preparing for opposition attacks by strengthening
the prosecutor-general’s office, police, etc.

At present we have only a psychological fight on our political
ring. The real fight has not yet started and it cannot be ruled out
that it will not start. In reality though the authorities and the
opposition are trying to frighten each other as much as possible. They
are also worried as they do not know how people will behave during
their duel. People might decline to referee in this duel and recognize
somebody else as a winner. In all probability this will happen.

Armenian leader may start war in Karabakh to remain in office – Azeri daily

Ekho, Baku
26 Mar 04

The military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan may resume in
April. The command and staff exercises of the Armenian armed forces
which started this week “in order to get the army fully operational”,
may be the first step to increase tension.

“War is today the only option for [Armenian President] Robert
Kocharyan to somehow silence the opposition,” the chairman of the
Helsinki Association of Armenia, Mikayel Daniyelyan, has told Ekho
newspaper in an interview.

[Correspondent] Military exercises started in Armenia this week.

[Daniyelyan] Yes, we have begun military exercises. At this stage,
they have more to do with the promise of the opposition to carry out
serious actions of protest. Permanent actions of protest are expected
in mid-April with the sole objective – resignation of the
president. We will see what happens.

The authorities are seriously concerned. They have replaced the
prosecutor-general, dismissed several prosecutors and heads of police
departments in various districts of Yerevan. The authorities are in
need of more than ever control over the army, as there are fears that
not all the top brass will follow [defence minister and Kocharyan’s
political ally] Serzh Sarkisyan. The more people there are in the
army, the less of them can attend rallies. If Kocharyan sees that
nothing can be achieved through these harsh measures (arrests, so on),
then he will take this step (go to war – correspondent).

The opposition took a decisive step towards unity this week. Following
protracted negotiations, the Justice bloc and the National Unity Party
issued a statement which said, in particular, that the Justice bloc
and the National Unity Party are taking on responsibility to lead the
national movement to fulfill national demands: remove the illegitimate
regime, establish the constitutional order and legal authorities in
Armenia. To that end, the sides agreed to jointly organize a
nationwide demonstration of disobedience no later than by 13
April. The date of the demonstration will be announced on 5 April. The
Justice bloc and the National Unity Party will make a joint statement
on that day. “We re-confirm our determination to struggle till the
change of power in Armenia,” the statement read.

[Passage omitted: Citing a report in Russian newspaper]

Robert Kocharyan has more than enough grounds for concern. In order to
remain in office in such a situation, his only, and perhaps last,
resort is to increase tension on the frontline, Mikayel Daniyelyan
told Ekho.

Armenia will hardly be able to resume military operations without a
“cause”. Official Armenian newspaper started dreaming it up as long
as several weeks ago. Ekho reported earlier calls aired in Yerevan
that Karabakh separatists “retain their right to launch a preventive
attack” against Azerbaijan. The Armenian official press urges
“harsher” approach towards Azerbaijan.

[Passage omitted: David Shakhnazaryan’s reported views]

Meanwhile, as Ekho was told in the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry, the
situation in the occupied territories and in Armenia is being
carefully monitored, with information coming in from various
sources. “At present, there is no tension on the frontline,” the
ministry said. However, the Azerbaijani army is ready to respond to
provocation. “We have it all under control and our response will be
instantaneous,” the ministry said.

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
March 24, 2004

Contact: Ardashes Kassakhian
Telephone: 818.500.1918

LOS ANGELES MAYOR EXPRESSES FULL SUPPORT FOR ANCA GENOCIDE PREVENTION
POSTCARD CAMPAIGN

Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn expressed his full
support for the ANCA Genocide Prevention Postcard Campaign. The
Postcard Campaign is designed to seek passage of legislation pending
in both the U.S. Senate andHouse of Representatives commemorating the
15th anniversary of America’s adoptionof the Genocide Convention. The
legislation specifically references the Armenian Genocide. Over 50,000
Americans have participated in the ANCA postcard Campaign since it was
launched last year.

Mayor Hahn expressed his support for the ANCA Postcard Campaign in a
personal note sent to ANCA-WR Headquarters on March 17, 2004. The
Mayor thanked the ANCA for focusing Congressional attention on the
need to end cycles of genocide. `The ANCA Genocide Postcard Campaign
continues the never-ending endeavor to keep alive in our minds and
memory what History is want to omit: the extent to which humans are
capable of implementing a system of hate,’ wrote Mayor Hahn in his
letter to ANCA-WR Chairman Raffi Hamparian.

“We appreciate Mayor Hahn’s support for the ANCA Genocide Postcard
Campaign,” explained ANCA-WR Executive Director Ardashes
Kassakhian. “His support for our Campaign is building the momentum we
need to force Congressional leaders to permit a vote on bills, which
we and over 100 organizations support, commemorating the 15th
anniversary of America’s adoption of the Genocide Convention,’
Kassakhian added.

Individuals wishing to participate in the ANCA Genocide Prevention
Postcard Campaign are encouraged to contact the ANCA-WR offices at
(818) 500-1918 or visit

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots political organization.
Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and
supporters throughoutthe United States and affiliated organizations
around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the
Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

Editor’s Note: Letter from Mayor Hahn is attached.
#####

The Moscow Times
Thursday, Mar. 25, 2004. Page 6
Business in Brief

Foothold in Armenia

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Russia’s state-owned Vneshtorgbank on Wednesday
bought 70 percent of the shares in a major Armenian bank, officials said.

Andrei Kostin, board chairman of Vneshtorgbank, said that the purchase of a
controlling stake in Armenia’s Armsberbank marked the Russian bank’s first
acquisition of another bank in the former Soviet Union.

He called it recognition of Armenia’s political and economic stability.

Russian state-owned companies have increasingly tightened their foothold in
this ex-Soviet republic. Unified Energy Systems assumed financial control of
Armenia’s only nuclear plant last year in a deal that Armenia sought to get
out from under massive energy debts to Russian fuel suppliers.

Armenia also depends on Gazprom for natural gas supplies, and Russian
businesses are reportedly eyeing other sectors of the Armenian economy.

Kostin said VTB planned to use its investment to provide “the whole spectrum
of services to Russian companies operating in Armenia.”

Armsberbank was created in 1923 and privatized in 2001. Two other Armenian
banks, Areksimbank and Yunibank, also have Russian investors.