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TDN
Saturday, June 24, 2006

Greek Cypriot diplomat’s misadventures in Baku:

The misadventures of a Greek Cypriot diplomat who showed up in
the Azeri capital of Baku hoping to interfere with decisions at the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) foreign ministers, who met
to express full support for northern Cyprus, are covered in yesterday’s
Hürriyet. Hürriyet reports that southern Cyprus’ ambassador to Moscow,
Leonidas Pantelides, arrived in Baku on June 19 hoping to get into
the OIC meeting. Following his arrival, however, Azeri authorities,
who had apparently been informed by Ankara of the Greek Cypriots’
intentions of sending someone to the meeting, told Pantelides that
he was "not accredited" as a diplomat for the meeting and added that
there were no hotel rooms available for him, either.

Hürriyet reports: "The Azeri authorities, after telling the
Greek Cypriot diplomat that they would not be able to extend him
accreditation, told him all the hotels in the city were full and
that he could not get a room. They did however tell Pantelides that
his coming to Baku as a ‘tourist’ was not a problem. … The Azeri
authorities then proceeded to keep the Greek Cypriot ambassador under
observation through the night of June 19 until the morning of June 20,
noting that Pantelides spent the entire night going between open bars
and restaurants, and the streets."

On the trail of the 70 kilo, six-meter python:

The story of the python that went missing from Ankara’s zoo is given
generous coverage in yesterday’s Vatan daily, which says: "Though
many are saying that the snake escaped when the doors to its cage
were left open, the possibility that it was stolen is looking more
and more realistic. The belief that it was kidnapped is supported by
the fact that the snake’s skin is very valuable and that it could be
used for circus performances." The Environment Ministry is reportedly
scanning the area around the zoo with thermal cameras to see if it can
pick up a trace of the 70 kilo, six-meter snake, while the Turkish
Veterinary Association is telling residents what they should do if
they happen to come across the python. "If you see it, the best idea
is to run/get away from it."

The association notes that the python can open its mouth much wider
than its own body and that, as such, it could attack and swallow even
a goat or a deer. The Vatan article reports on Ankara Mayor Melih
Gokcek’s reaction to the story of the missing animal: "The python is
not a fast-moving creature. I think for this reason we will find it.

It seems to me that someone put the python in a bag and left the
zoo with it." In response to a reporter’s question about whether he
thought the python had been eaten, Gokcek said: "What part of the
python could be eaten? Who would eat it? Not in Turkey, it would not
be eaten here. It would be eaten in China. I don’t think it became
a kebab or anything."

Karekin II, worldwide leader of Armenian Orthodoxy, visits Istanbul:

Sabah daily yesterday covered the visit by the head of the worldwide
Armenian Orthodox Church, Karekin II, to Istanbul. Karekin II took
a trip to the small island of Heybeliada off Istanbul on Thursday,
where he stopped by both the Heybeliada seminary (which has been
the focus of much controversy over past years), and the Aya Triada
Monastery. Sabah reports that Karekin II’s visit to the island was
met with very high security, so much so that two people holding a
sign that asked "Did Karekin come to kiss the hand of Bartolomeos?"

100 meters from the monastery on Heybeliada were arrested by security
forces. Karekin II was accompanied on his Heybeliada visit by both
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartolomeos and the Patriarch of Turkish
Armenians, Mesrob II.

Sabah reports that the three religious leaders "got into a police
escort" and drove to the Heybeliada seminary and were met by various
school and monastery authorities there that presented him with gifts.

"The three leaders then walked around the garden of the seminary
for a while, collecting flowers as they did so, and then posed for
press with flowers in their hands." In a brief sidebar to news of
Karekin II’s visit, the Sabah report notes that the visit by the
religious delegation to Heybeliada was protested by a group of 30 or
so people headed by nationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz. Kerincsiz was
reportedly first allowed and then stopped from making statements to
the press in front of the Heybeliada seminary, after which he yelled
"Arrest me!" to the police.

Football frenzy spills over into flag attacks:

A human interest story which captures one of the most passionate
subjects in Istanbul and across Turkey is covered in yesterday’s
Radikal daily: the tale of the giant Galatasaray flag that has been
hung on the Bosporus Bridge, and attacked three times in six days.

Radikal reports that the Galatasaray authorities are planning to hang
a new giant flag for their team on Friday, this after the two previous
flags were thrown into the Bosporus by attackers. The article explains:
"The first 100×30 meter flag was hung on June 16.

Four days later, a group calling themselves the ‘Young Fenerbahçe fans’
cut the ropes hanging the flag, dropping it into the Bosporus.

The group of five was arrested for their crime, and then set free the
next morning, while the Galatasaray leadership prepared to hang the
second flag." Radikal reports the second flag didn’t fair much better,
with an attempt to cut its ropes failing because of the small size
of the knives the attackers were using. Another attempt to burn the
flag on Thursday morning was recorded by a pro-Fenerbahçe Web site,
which used music to accompany its message to Galatasaray fans that
"You hang it, we will cut it or burn it…"

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