asbarez.com news room 08-11-2000

[Guest]

1. Assen, Netherlands Officials Need to Hear From You

 

We reported last Saturday, that a group of Turkish organization have urged Turks around the world to write officials at the Dutch city of

Assen and urge them to drop plans to erect a Genocide memorial monument in that city. It is time to fight back and write those officials,

explaining the importance of the Genocide monument. Below is the contact information for Assen, Netherlands officials, as well as sample

letter to be considered for your correspondence. According to the Saturday report, the deadline for submissions is August 18.

 

Mrs D. Van As-Kleijwegt

 

Mayor of City

 

Postbus 30018

 

9400 RA ASSEN – The Netherlands

 

TEL. 31 592 366 911 FAX. 31 592 366 595

 

E-Mail : Assen_bibliotheek@amazed.nl

 

Mr G. J. EERLAND

 

City official in charge of monuments

 

KENNEMERLAND 1

 

9405 LA ASSEN – The Netherlands

 

TEL. 31 592 366 911 FAX. 31 592 366 595

 

E-Mail : Assen_bibliotheek@amazed.nl

 

Dear _____________:

 

I am writing to encourage you to take a stand against the denial of crimes against humanity by ensuring that the Assen memorial clearly

identifies the crime of genocide committed against the Armenian people.

 

As a believer in human rights, I respectfully urge you to resist the shameful efforts of the Turkish government to pressure your municipality

into denying the historical truth and the suffering of an ancient nation.

 

I am sure that you agree that Turkey - which has among the world's worst human rights records and imprisons more journalists than any

other country - is in no position to lecture either you or the good people of Assen about human rights and tolerance.

 

Thank you for your consideration of my concerns.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Armenia Returns World War Two Art Booty To Germany

 

BERLIN (Reuters)--Thousands of valuable antique books and manuscripts seized by the Red Army after World War Two and kept in

Armenia were due to return to Germany on Thursday, the German government said.

 

The hoard of 18,000 manuscripts, science books and musical compositions from the 19th and 20th centuries were taken from libraries in

Bremen, Magdeburg, Berlin and Leipzig by Soviet forces shortly after the war.

 

The books were brought to Moscow before being shipped to Yerevan where they were kept in Armenia's Academy of Sciences, the

German government said in a statement. Most of the books were in excellent condition.

 

Armenia first returned war booty to Germany in 1998, when it handed over 575 antiques and manuscripts.

 

German Culture Minister Michael Naumann hailed the return of the books and said he was confident that other German artefacts still held

in Armenia, including valuable sheet music, would be returned soon.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Sevres Treaty Anniversary Marked in Yerevan

 

YEREVAN (Armenpress)--The committee for coordinating the Hayrenik-Spyurk cooperation held a conference today at the National

Academy of Sciences to mark the 80th anniversary of the Treaty of Sevres to clarify the whole process of this event which was a

diplomatic and political milestone.

 

A salutary message of the prime minister Andranik Markarian was read. All the speakers pointed out that the Treaty was of an exclusive

importance for Armenia and despite the fact that Armenian-related clauses did not come true, it marked an exclusive victory of the

Armenian diplomacy.

 

According to Rafael Hambartsumian, the chairman of Nakhichevan Friendly Association, the clauses concerning Armenia were ignored

as a result of secret talks between the Bolshies and Turks that resulted in annulling Armenia-related clauses at 1923 in Lozanne.

 

Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies Nikolay Hovanisian said the Sevres Treaty fixed three very important points - elimination of

the Ottoman Empire as a result of which a number of Arab countries got independence, it outlined the territories that should have been

passed to Armenia including four villayets or provinces of Erzerum, Van, Bitlis and Trabizon that would open the road to the Black sea.

The accomplishment of the last point was put on a commission led by US president Woodrow Wilson. Yet, another clause of the Treaty

foresaw creation of Kurdish state, which, according to Harutunian, was also important for Armenia. "Aside from its historic significance,

the Treaty has political importance and can benefit Armenia in strengthening its position internationally," he noted.

 

At the conclusion of the conference, the participants issued a statement of the Hayrenik-Diaspora cooperation coordinating committee

which says that the relevant classes of the Sevres Treaty must be made an open-ended means for seeking Hay Dat, Armenian Cause, and

to draw the international community's attention once again, to reconfirm the just rights of the Armenian people and condemn the 1915

genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire.

 

As we reported earlier, after a group of influential Armenian academicians had issued a letter to prime minister Andranik Markarian urging

him to mark the 80th anniversary of the Treaty of Sevres, the prime minister instructed the Yerevan city hall to rename one of the Yerevan

streets in memory of Woodrow Wilson.

 

The treaty was signed by France, Italy, Japan, Greece, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Czechoslovakia and Turkey. The document

also recognized Armenia's independence.

 

The treaty, drawn up by US president Woodrow Wilson and signed by the superpowers at the time, envisioned a 162,000 square

kilometer area as Armenia, and included almost all of historic Armenia, Artsax, Akhalkalak and Nakhichevan.

 

 

 

 

 

4. Russian Pullout from Javakhk to be Discussed

 

TBILIS (Noyan Tapan)--The procedures and administration of a Russian troop pull-out from Akhalkalak and Batumi will be the focus of

special talks between Georgian and Russian officials, announced Russian forces spokesman Aleksander Loutskevich Wednesday.

 

"In this matter, not everything is as clear cut, because the units in Akhalkalak and Batum are considerably large and their pull out will be

expensive," said Loutskevich.

 

Meanwhile, Georgian leaders believe that after the pull out of Russian forces from Abkhazia, the remaining two units in Akhalkalak and

Batum may be pull out within one-and-a-half years' time.

 

Foreign Ministry communications director Aftandil Napetvaridze told Interfax Wedneday that the fourth Russian-Georgian military summit

will convene in September to specifically discuss the pull out from Abkhazia, which is slated to take place by July 1, 2001.

 

The Georgian official said that immediately following those talks, Georgia will present its expectations regarding troop withdrawals from

Akhalkalak and Batum.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Armenian Church Still Hopeful About Papal Visit

 

ETCHMIADZIN (RFE/RL)--His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, said Thursday that he still hopes that Pope John

Paul II will pay a visit to Armenia and that he plans to discuss its possibility during a trip to Vatican later this year.

 

A first-ever papal visit to Armenia, officially scheduled for July 1999, was cancelled due to the rapidly deteriorating health condition and

subsequent death in June the same year of the previous Armenian Catholicos, Karekin I. Vatican officials said at the time that John Paul

still wants to make the trip some time in the near future

 

"We plan to visit Rome in November to pay our respects to the pontiff as the newly elected head of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

During our conversations we will certainly raise the issue of the Pope's visit to Armenia," Karekin II told RFE/RL in an interview. The

feasibility of such a trip will depend on the pontiff's health condition, the chief Armenian cleric added.

 

The Pope's arrival in Armenia was originally timed to take place ahead of next year's official celebrations of the 1700th anniversary of its

adoption of Christianity. An ancient Armenian kingdom was the first in the world to declare Christianity a state religion in 301 AD.

Armenian clerics and government officials hoped that the Pope will pay a tribute to the country's contribution to the faith and expose its

Christian identity to the outside world.

 

Karekin II said that while in Vatican he will receive from the Roman Catholic Church relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator, the founder of

the Armenian Church. The relics will be eventually placed in a new cathedral currently built in Yerevan. Its construction is due to be

completed by June 2001, at the height of the anniversary celebrations.

 

 

 

 

 

6. Tukey Refuses Permission To Mount Ararat Climbers

 

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--Turkish authorities have refused to give permission to a group of Armenian tourists to climb Mount Ararat. The

group consisting of 23 Armenians, two Russians, one American and one Canadian, arrived in the Turkish town of Dogubeyazit near

Ararat Wednesday. The group wanted to make what they described as a friendship climb of Ararat.

 

The chief editor of the Armenian newspaper in Turkey Marmara Rober Haddejian told RFE/RL the only reason the local authorities

refused to give permission was that the group had no clear statement on the purpose of their planned trip. Haddejian said that foreigners

should seek permission before climbing Mount Ararat.

 

However, the group had a very warm reception in Kars region where they arrived first from Armenia.

 

"They were even allowed to have a walk and take pictures in the ruins of the ancient Ani town which is not generally allowed to the

foreigners," Rober Haddejian said.

 

The trip to Ararat was dedicated to the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity in Armenia. The members of the group also

intended to search for the remains of Noah's Ark."This could be the reason why the Turkish authorities were so reluctant to let the group

to climb the mountain," said Haddejian.

 

Speaking by phone to RFE/RL from Kars, the head of the presidential commission on human rights, Paruir Hairikian, who accompanied

the group, said that the trip was purely touristic with no political purpose. However, he did not specify whether they have official

permission to climb Mount Ararat.

 

Hairikian said that they had permission to make a trip, but at the very last moment National Security officials found that the group didn't

have proper documentation.

 

"We still believe this was a misunderstanding," Hairikian said, adding that the group still hopes to get permission to climb Ararat. The

group returned to Kars Thursday.

 

 

 

 

 

7. Armenian Army 'In Much Better Shape'

 

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—The combat-readiness of the Armenian armed forces has improved markedly over the past seven years,

Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian claimed on Thursday. Sarkisian told reporters that the army, which fought a successful war against

Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Artsax, is now "better armed, better funded and better organized" than in 1993-95, during his previous

spell as minister of defense. "The difference is really big," according to him.

 

Sarkisian also insisted that discipline in the armed forces is strong despite a recent incident in which two fugitive servicemen shot dead

eight people before being caught by the police. Also, parents of dozens of soldiers killed in out-of-combat incidents held a series of

demonstrated outside the presidential palace in Yerevan last month, protesting an alleged official cover-up of the crimes. "We do have a

normal army," the minister said.

 

A former wartime commander of Artsax Armenian forces who has held key posts in the government of Armenia proper since 1993,

Sarkisian resigned as minister of national security in the wake of last October's parliament shootings under pressure from political allies of

the slain leaders of the governing Unity bloc. He was appointed as head of President Robert Kocharian's staff shortly afterwards,

retaining much of his political influence.

 

Sarkisian's appointment as defense minister in May marked Kocharian's final victory in the power struggle with the Unity bloc.

 

 

 

 

 

8. Government Outlines Health Insurance Strategy

 

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—The Armenian government approved on Thursday the main points of what it expects to become a national

system of mandatory health insurance in the next few years. The insurance "concept" developed by the ministry of health aims to introduce

a system of monthly obligatory payments to a special public fund that will cover costs of medical services, presently unaffordable for a

considerable part of the population.

 

It is expected that the majority of contributions will come from the state budget, Minister of Health Ararat Mkrtchian told reporters after

the cabinet session. The government plans to put the new system into practice "in the first of half of next year," he said. Its implementation

is unlikely to proceed smoothly given the high rate of unemployment and lack of jobs with stable income in the country.

 

Mindful of this fact, Mkrtchian said, the government has opted for a gradual introduction of medical insurance, starting from such relatively

high income earners as senior bureaucrats, banking and energy sector employees. They will be able to choose between the state and

private insurance agencies.

 

Lack of budgetary funds means that Armenians have to pay for most medical services. The past eight years have seen a sharp decline in

policlinic and hospital visits as many people go to doctors only in emergency cases.

 

 

 

 

 

9. Drought Causes $40 Million Damage

 

YEREVAN (Armenpress)—The result of a severe drought that took place from the middle of June to the beginning of August, is a total

estimated damage cost of $40 million. The Armenian agricultural ministry has worked out a plan of emergency action to deal with the

aftermath of the drought, agriculture minister Zaven Gevorgian told a news conference on Tuesday.

 

According to the minister, the drought has caused most serious damages to land owners having killed most of the crops. Dry weather and

lack of rain have destroyed 70 percent of grain, as well as fodder crops, vegetables, water-melons, melons, gourds, and potatoes.

 

The drought also affected 172,000 hectares of pastures, which may be fraught with a decrease in meat and dairy production, added the

minister.

 

Gevorgian said one of the main priorities of the ministry was to help farmers sell their products. He said financial aid had been provided to

processing enterprises. According to him, over the last ten years, the canneries have procured 6,500 tons of apricot. He said the

processing enterprises have managed to find new markets for their products and will not face major problems selling them.

 

He said that the processing factories were operating very successfully and even if the Pernod Riccard who is the French owner of the

Yerevan Brandy Company refuses to procure grapes this year, the vine-growers will not face problems. Though no agreement has been

signed with Pernod Riccard on grapes purchase for this year, the company seems to be preparing for it, Gevorgian said.

 

 

 

 

 

10. Former Commander of Interior Troops Pleads Not Guilty

 

YEREVAN (Armenpress)—Vahan Harutunian, former commander of Armenia's interior troops, who was tried for executing a series of

contract killings, declared that he and other members of the gang were not guilty as they were executing their former chief interior minister

Vano Siradeghian's orders. Harutunian claimed that ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian was aware of those orders.

 

The lawyers of Vahan Harutunian and the other ten defendants asked the court to issue verdicts of not guilty and release them, as they

were military men and were executing orders of their superior.

 

The court is expected to issue the final verdicts tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

11. Artsax Considers Joining Ottawa Convention on Mine Issues

 

STEPANAKERT (Noyan Tapan)—The Nagorno-Artsax Committee of the International Movement for Prohibition of Anti-personnel

Mines was established in Artsax in April 2000. The purpose of the Committee is to assist the authorities in mine-clearing in the

Republic's territory, organizing preventive measures and rendering assistance to those suffered from mines. The founders of the

Committee are the Nagorno Artsax Department of the International League for the Rights and Liberation of Peoples, the Artsakh War

Disabled Veterans' Society named Vita and the Nagorno Artsax Republic Union of Journalists.

 

According to Chairman of the Nagorno Artsax Committee of the International Movement for the Prohibition of Anti-personnel Mines

Ashot Adamian, the problem of mine lifting is especially urgent for Artsax where there is one hidden mine per capita, and

comprehensive postwar rehabilitation in the Republic is impossible without solving this problem.

 

The organization is in cooperation with the ICRC Stepanakert Office, which has serious experience in mine lifting activities, as well as with

the Special Government Commission on Mine Issues.

 

The Committee is considering the possibility of Artsax participating in the Ottawa Convention on Prohibition of Anti-personnel Mines.