New PAC

[Joseph]

.S.-ARMENIAN TYCOON LAUNCHES NEW LOBBY GROUP
By Harry Tamrazian in Prague

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Dec 13 2006

Gerard Cafesjian, a U.S. philanthropist of Armenian descent, has set
up a new lobbying organization which he hopes will "complement" the
existing Armenian-American advocacy groups and match their considerable
influence in Washington.

The Cafesjian-funded U.S.-Armenia Public Affairs Committee (USAPAC)
announced its creation in a mission statement last week, pledging to
become a "powerful and effective addition to the Armenian-American
lobby."

The group will be run by Ross Vartian and Rob Mosher, two former
senior executives of the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA), which
is led by another U.S.-Armenian tycoon, Hirair Hovnanian. Cafesjian
himself has long been a member of the AAA board of trustees.

Vartian, who was the Assembly's chief executive as recently as last
year, insisted that the USAPAC is not a splinter group, arguing that
Cafesjian will remain on the Assembly board. "Our primary purpose
is to add to the community of the Armenian lobby in a unique and
collaborative way and make the Armenian lobby stronger by doing it,"
he told RFE/RL in an interview.

"It's quite clear that in any large lobby there are many voices,"
he said. "The problem is not the number of voices, the problem is do
those voices work together? And we pledge to do that."

The AAA and the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
have been instrumental in the passage of congressional bills making
Armenia one of the largest per-capita recipients of U.S. aid in the
world. They are also at the forefront of a long-running campaign for
U.S. recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide.

According to Vartian, the USAPAC will concentrate on countering the
impact of Azerbaijani oil on U.S. policy towards Armenia and pressing
Washington to take a pro-Armenian stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. He said genocide recognition will also be on the USAPAC
agenda but indicated that the new group will favor a softer line on
Turkey's membership in the European Union.

"Turkey today is not a friendly neighbor to Armenia. But as a fully
mature member of the EU, Turkey would be a much more friendly neighbor
of Armenia," Vartian said.

Vartian denied that the USAPAC will also be furthering the interests
and agenda of Armenia's government, with which Cafesjian is believed to
have close ties. "While the Armenian government may welcome our doing
this, we are not here to promote or push the Armenian government,"
he said.

Cafesjian is the principal owner and sponsor of three Armenian
television stations that are staunchly supportive of President Robert
Kocharian and his government. Their news coverage of opposition
candidates during the 2003 presidential and parliamentary elections
in Armenia was criticized as extremely biased by Western observers.

The TV channels caused an uproar earlier this year by suggesting that
Armenia's leading human rights groups work for Western intelligence
services. One of the accused human rights campaigners charged at the
time that Cafesjian's money is being used for "spreading government
propaganda and disinformation."

In Vartian's words, the USAPAC believes that democracy is important for
Armenia and hopes that the upcoming national elections in the country
will be free and fair. "We will not hesitate to talk about the pluses
and minuses of what is happening in Armenia, just like anyone else
does," Vartian said. "It would not be a problem for us to criticize."

"But we are not here to criticize, we are here to support," he added.

[Joseph]

USAPAC's Ross Vartian says a confident community is ready for a
broad advocacy agenda in Washington

Ross Vartian is the executive director of USAPAC, the U.S.-Armenia
Public Affairs Committee, formed in December in Washington. We spoke
to Mr. Vartian on June 28 to find out where the advocacy organization
stands six months after it was launched. (USAPAC received its initial
funding through a grant from Gerard L. Cafesjian and the Cafesjian
Family Foundation, which owns this newspaper.)

Q: USAPAC has been around for six months now. What did you hope to
have achieved in the first few months and what have you achieved?

Vartian: Our initial objectives were to create a credible Washington
presence; establish working relations with our community's
congressional friends, the other members of the Armenian lobby, the
Armenian Embassy, the NKR Office, and select Bush Administration
officials; encourage greater intra-Armenian cooperation and
collaboration in pursuit of our community's advocacy agenda; and add
our unique voice to the overall advocacy effort in support of Armenia
and Artsakh.

I believe that USAPAC has made good progress on all of these
objectives since our launch.

With the generous founding support of philanthropist and political
activist Gerard L. Cafesjian, we occupied a suite of offices on K
Street near the White House and hired a core staff in Washington. I
have the privilege of serving as executive director and Rob Mosher, an
experienced Capitol Hill staffer and professional Armenian-American
advocate, joined the organization as director of government affairs.
John Waters, vice president of the Cafesjian Family Foundation, serves
as a founding, volunteer member of the Board.

Once our headquarters presence was set up, Rob and I conducted
scores of meetings in Washington to outline the rationale for and
overall objectives of USAPAC, and most importantly, to listen to the
ideas and concerns of public-policy makers representing the U.S.,
Armenia, and Karabakh. This initial round of consultations was vital
to our organization formulating an advocacy agenda beyond the
traditional priorities of aid to Armenia and Artsakh, and of course
resolutions on the Armenian Genocide.

* The Armenian lobby team

We also sought from the outset to promote greater intra-Armenian
cooperation and collaboration.

USAPAC was pleased to be welcomed as part of the Armenian lobby team
in our nation's capital. We were among the institutional planners and
supporters of the 92nd-anniversary commemoration of the Armenian
Genocide on Capitol Hill under the auspices of the Armenia Caucus
co-chairs and the Armenian Embassy. Pan-Armenian solidarity is
essential for remembrances of the Armenian Genocide and Independence
Days for Armenia and NKR.

Similarly, USAPAC is pleased to be part of a House working group on
the Genocide resolution composed of the Armenian Assembly, the
Armenian National Committee, ARMENPAC, the offices of Caucus co-chairs
Pallone and Knollenberg, and resolution lead sponsors Schiff and
Radanovich. Our organization will continue to offer our unique blend
of supporters, ideas, tactics, and resources to the collective effort
of the community to espouse and defend Armenian interests.

Q: You say you wanted to have an "advocacy agenda beyond the
traditional priorities of aid to Armenia and Artsakh, and of course
resolutions on the Armenian Genocide." Those have been the priorities
of the Armenian lobby. Of course, security concerns are also on the
agenda: there was Section 907, which prohibited U.S. military aid to
Azerbaijan; now there's the matter of aid parity between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. So what else is on your advocacy agenda?

Vartian: It bears repeating that the community's traditional agenda
of U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide and the annual
appropriations process consumes a great deal of the Armenian lobby's
human and political capital. Making these advocacy objectives ongoing
priorities has resulted in continuing assistance to Armenia's
humanitarian, technical, reform, and economic development, as well as
to Karabakh's humanitarian needs. Without the focused attention of the
Armenian Lobby working together, there would not be 212 House
co-sponsors and 31 Senate co-sponsors to pending Armenian Genocide
resolutions.

* An expanded agenda

Of course, there have been and will be other issues of concern to our
community that require advocacy in Washington. You mentioned Section
907 and maintaining parity in U.S. assistance to Armenia and
Azerbaijan. USAPAC has joined the Assembly and the ANCA in urging --
thus far successfully -- no further changes to Section 907 and
security aid parity. Maintaining these provisions helps keep the
delicate peace that Azerbaijan routinely threatens to violate.

In addition, we have joined with the same organizations in seeking
to expand U.S/Karabakh relations and in ending genocide in Darfur.
Over time and with the ongoing encouragement of Armenia's and
Karabakh's representation in Washington, USAPAC hopes to expand the
range of issues that the Assembly, ANCA, and our organization work on
together. To the extent that we do effectively collaborate, the
peoples of Armenia and Karabakh benefit.

USAPAC is working on a range of important issues that include:
improving Armenia's energy diversification and independence,
increasing U.S.-Armenia trade relations, supporting greater
U.S.-Armenia security cooperation, encouraging more U.S. delegations
to visit Armenia and Artsakh, confronting Azerbaijan's war mongering
and preparation, ending Armenia's regional isolation, and, protection
for Armenians at risk throughout the diaspora.

Finally we have been working throughout the first six months to
recruit more donors and volunteers. During the next six months, USAPAC
will launch our membership and grass roots website and expand
recruiting nationally for donors and members. A competent Washington
office must be complemented by a national network of supporters.

* A confident community

Q: You've been working to shape policy in Washington on behalf of
Armenian-Americans for almost three decades. The community has changed
over this time, as have the concerns we take to Washington. And, of
course, Washington has changed, as has the Armenian reality with the
momentous fact of Armenia's independence. Do you find that
Armenian-Americans have become any better at getting our voices heard
and getting things done?

Vartian: What a polite way to broach the subject of my near
retirement age! It has been almost 30 years since I began representing
Armenian-American interests, first with the Assembly, then the
Armenian Genocide Museum & Memorial, and now with USAPAC. Happily, our
community has grown and matured dramatically during this period. There
are exponentially more civic activists working effectively through
Armenian and non-Armenian advocacy/political organizations on a far
broader array of issues of national and international significance.

Armenian-Americans have overcome the initial intimidation of the
political process. We have gained confidence and become actively
involved at the local, state, and federal levels. Armenian-Americans
are seeking elective public office and civil service careers in
unprecedented numbers. On the advocacy front, we have gone from
relying on protest to relying on the legitimate place at the public
policy table we earned through years of focused political effort.
Today, there is no doubt that the Armenian lobby -- thanks to the
broad community support earned and enjoyed by the Assembly and the
ANCA over the years -- is respected and factored in by decision makers
in Washington.

Our relationship with Congress has changed dramatically as well. In
the beginning, our contacts were with members of Congress in districts
where we were numerous. Today, the Armenian lobby has effective and
mutually beneficial working relationships with congressmen and
congresswomen from both parties throughout our country -- including
congressional districts where Armenians are very few. We are now a
national force to be reckoned with.

Obviously, the issues we champion today could not have been
anticipated in the early 70s when our community coalesced around the
notion that we needed formal and continuous representation in our
nation's capital. At that time, none could have foreseen Armenia's
earthquake in 1988, the Soviet Union's collapse and Armenia's
liberation in 1991, and the historic, ongoing, and successful campaign
for Karabakh's self-determination. These three moments continue to
drive our advocacy agenda today.

While we are considerably better at advocacy after some three
decades of learning on the job, we have more to do in a much more
competitive, and in some cases, hostile Washington environment.

It is important to note that during this same period, the strength,
number, diversity and sophistication of our adversaries have grown as
well, at times dwarfing our advocacy effort. Turkey relies on
multimillion dollar hired lobbyists, on an increasingly active
Turkish-American community, on longstanding relationships with key,
senior American policy makers, and on its advantage of geography.
Azerbaijan is following the Turkish model step by step and its
temporary advantage of hydrocarbon assets. We can and must do better
in the decades ahead to further US/Armenia and US/Karabakh
interdependence and support.

Q: What does USAPAC add to the Armenian advocacy table? And you said
"USAPAC was pleased to be welcomed as part of the Armenian lobby team
in our nation's capital." Can you elaborate?

Vartian: As I have already asserted, there is no question that the
Armenian lobby has been effective and that our advocacy challenges and
adversaries are such that much more needs to be done. Our motivation
in forming USAPAC in the way that we did was to offer something
different from, yet compatible with current Armenian-American advocacy
organizations with a Washington presence.

USAPAC is a matrix of four linked organizations that together enable
us to support or oppose legislation and policies, support or oppose
federal candidates, advocate without limitation on issues or interest,
and organize grassroots support nationally without limitation.

This combination of organizations -- consisting of the Council on
U.S.-Armenia Relations; the U.S.-Armenia Public Affairs Committee; the
U.S.-Armenia Political Action Committee; and the Committee on
U.S.-Armenia Issues -- is unique in our community. They constitute the
optimal institutional combination with the least restrictions on size
of contributions and the maximum freedom to participate in every
category of lobbying activity, including issues advocacy, political
fundraising, and voter education.

* The pro-Israel model

As we explored new ways to respond to the forces arrayed against
Armenian-American concerns and objectives, we looked to one of the
most effective groups in the U.S. that also faces comparable forces in
opposition to its agenda -- the pro-Israel Lobby. This community's
advocacy preeminence can be attributed in significant measure to its
diversity and sheer numbers of national, regional, and local advocacy
organizations that can be relied upon time after time to act with
remarkable coordination and effect. Our community has every reason to
emulate this successful model of strength in numbers and unity of
purpose.

As to how USAPAC has been received in Washington, we are very
pleased with, and grateful for, the positive response. Both the
Armenian Embassy and the NKR Office welcomed our organization from day
one. Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues co-chairs Pallone and
Knollenberg set the tone and standard for USAPAC's seamless
integration into the Armenian lobby family. Dozens of congressional
offices have similarly accepted USAPAC as a member of our community's
advocacy effort. Finally, our organization appreciates the effective
pan-Armenian collaboration on select, priority issues made possible by
the Assembly and the ANCA. We look forward to eventual
Assembly/ANCA/USAPAC cooperation on the community's full advocacy
agenda.

Q: An area in which there's an emphatic difference between the
Armenian Assembly and the Armenian National Committee is the
nomination of a U.S. ambassador to Armenia. USAPAC has spoken against
the confirmation of President Bush's nominee, Richard Hoagland. Is the
U.S.-Armenia relationship suffering because of the absence of an
ambassador for the last 10 months?

Vartian: Inevitably, there are and will be differences of opinion
within the Armenian lobby. As you pointed out, the Hoagland nomination
is a striking example. USAPAC continues to vigorously oppose his
nomination, as does the ANCA. Nevertheless, all three organizations
continue to work either together or toward the same objectives on a
range of issues including the Armenian Genocide resolutions and
appropriations for Armenia and NKR.

It is preferable to have this important post filled at all times.
But this was a unique circumstance with the firing of Ambassador Evans
for telling the truth about the Armenian Genocide, followed by the
Bush Administration not allowing its nominee Ambassador Hoagland to
refer to the attempted annihilation of our people as genocide. The
pro-Israel lobby would never support a prospective ambassadorial
nominee to Israel that did not acknowledge the Holocaust. Neither
should we.

Of course the U.S.-Armenia relationship has been impacted, but not
as much as had Ambassador Hoagland been confirmed by the Senate and
posted to Yerevan. Moreover. However, Armenia's ambassador to the
United States Markarian, America's chargé Godfrey, and USAID's
director Fickenscher have each stepped up to fill the gap. While the
position is vacant, all U.S./Armenia programs have continued without
interruption. Nevertheless, we look forward to having an American
ambassador serving in Armenia without controversy so that he or she
can do the job effectively.

Q: Over the last couple of weeks, the number of members of the House
who have signed onto the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.106 is up
to 212. That's just six members short of a majority of members. What
can readers do to get six -- or 60 -- more members to sign on? And
once that happens, then what?

Vartian: Crossing the 200 House co-sponsor threshold is already an
unprecedented achievement for those in Congress leading this campaign
-- Adam Schiff (D.-Calif.), George Radanovich (R.-Calif.), Frank
Pallone (D.-N.J.), and Joe Knollenberg (R.-Mich.) -- and of course for
our community. By the time this article is published, the magic number
of 218 -- one over half of the House -- may have been reached. In
three decades of trying, this has never been done.

* A call for action

USAPAC urges that our community remain active. Do not stop at 218.
Drive the number of co-sponsors as high as possible right up until the
day the Armenian Genocide resolution is scheduled for its
long-deferred vote and passage by the House of Representatives. Also,
make sure to once again thank each member of Congress that has already
co-sponsored. Know that political pressure is being brought to bear on
them to withdraw their sponsorship.

The next step on the House side is for Speaker Pelosi and Majority
Leader Hoyer to agree on a course of action. Both have strongly
supported all Armenian Genocide resolutions throughout their
distinguished congressional careers. Our many friends in Congress,
augmented by Armenian-American activists nationwide, have strengthened
their hand to proceed in the face of intense Bush Administration and
Turkish opposition.

Q: Thank you, Ross.

connect:

http://www.usa-pac.org/

* * *

To find out whether your representative is a co-sponsor, visit
http://thomas.loc.gov type "H. Res. 106" in the box for "Bill number"
and then click on "Bill Summary and Status."

[Joseph]

Background on Ross Vartian

Mr. Ross Vartian is the Executive Director of the U.S.-Armenia Public Affairs Committee, a Washington-based advocacy group.
Vartian was the Executive Director of the Armenian Assembly of America from 1979 to 2000 and again from 2003-2005. In that capacity, Mr. Vartian presented the Assembly’s views on genocide, human rights, Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh, and other issues of concern to the Armenian-American community.

From early 2001 to early 2003, Mr. Vartian served as the Director of Planning of the Armenian Genocide Museum & Memorial Project.
Mr. Vartian has appeared on various broadcast news programs including ABC’s Nightline, the PBS NewsHour, and National Public Radio. He has been the museum spokesperson in print media coverage in the Washington Post, Radio Liberty and the LA Daily News.

Mr. Vartian was born in Detroit, MI. In the late 1960s he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam. Mr. Vartian subsequently graduated from the Michigan State University and taught at Detroit-area Armenian schools.

[Gavur]

Cafesjian's museum dream lands in federal court

The rescuer of the carousel that bears his name has wanted to build an Armenian Genocide Museum in Washington, D.C.

By Dan Browning, Star Tribune

Last update: June 22, 2007 – 9:05 AM

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Gerard Cafesjian's ambitious plan to develop an Armenian Genocide Museum and Memorial just blocks from the White House is at an impasse, according to a federal lawsuit pending in Minneapolis.
Cafesjian, a retired West Publishing executive, is a major benefactor of the project and has been working for more than seven years with the Armenian Assembly of America to build the museum in the old National Bank of Washington building.

The Armenian genocide took place between 1915 and 1918, when the Ottoman Empire ordered Armenians into exile in Syria and Iraq. The Armenian National Institute in Washington says up to 1.5 million died in the purge. The Turkish government, which succeeded Ottomans, puts the figure at 300,000 to 600,000.

Cafesjian, who now lives in Naples, Fla., could not be reached for comment. He is best known in Minnesota as an art aficionado and as the primary benefactor who helped preserve the historic State Fair carousel that now bears his name in Como Park.

Biographical material on one of Cafesjian's foundation websites says the Armenian genocide had a profound effect on him. His father lost his parents and siblings in the genocide, and his mother had already been twice widowed when she married his father.

He hired New Jersey architect Edgar Papazian to design an elaborate memorial that attaches to the existing bank building. But the other members of the museum board balked, fearing it would be too difficult to get permits.

"It was a very daring design, I have to admit," Papazian said in a recent interview. But he insists that it's buildable. Papazian said he hasn't heard anything about the project in about a year, when he was told that Cafesjian was looking to get out of it.

End of 'grandiose' plans

The Armenian Assembly says in its court filings that it asked Cafesjian to stay on and pursue his vision of the project. But it says that Cafesjian failed to deliver on his "grandiose" plans and now wants to recoup four lots around the bank building, which he and his Cafesjian Family Foundation bought for more than $12.85 million and donated for the project.

Robert Kaloosdian, a Massachusetts lawyer and founding member of the Armenian Assembly of America, says in a sworn statement that the idea of the genocide museum began in the 1990s. In 1997, Kaloosdian and others sought Cafesjian's help.

Cafesjian agreed to work with the group and the bank site was found in 2000, Kaloosdian says. Cafesjian and his foundation contributed $4 million as a grant to help buy the site, on top of $1 million that had already been contributed by the Cafesjian Family Foundation Charitable Trust. As part of the grant agreement, the Armenian Assembly signed a promissory note for $500,000, which was needed to close the deal.

'This isn't going to work out'

Cafesjian filed suit April 26 in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis demanding that the note be paid. He also seeks to be reimbursed for all donations. His attorney, Timothy Thornton of Minneapolis, said that means he wants the four lots back, together with his interest in the bank building.

"The only one who's put any real money into this is Cafesjian," Thornton said. "These people have sat back and sniped and carped and did everything they could to prevent this from going forward," he said. "And having failed to perform their end of the bargain, it's just apparent that this isn't going to work out."

Arnold Rosenfeld, a Boston lawyer representing the Armenian Assembly, said it was always understood that Cafesjian would forgive the $500,000 note. "The big problem is that Mr. Cafesjian does not want to continue with this. Until that's resolved, it's unclear right now how and when we're going to be able to proceed to build the museum," Rosenfeld said. "I think what may happen is the whole project may be downsized ... to just be the old National Bank Building."

Rosenfeld said the lots surrounding the bank may be worth $18 million to $20 million now. Cafesjian could have whatever he donated back, Rosenfeld said, but the appreciated value of the real estate should go to the genocide museum.

Rosenfeld is scheduled to argue Aug. 23 that the case should be dismissed from federal court in Minnesota on jurisdictional grounds. He wants to arbitrate the matter in Washington.

But Thornton says Minnesota is the proper venue because the promissory note says that any dispute would be resolved here.

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1261544.html

Dan Browning • 612-673-4493 • [email protected]