Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian

August 11, 2005

CROSSROADS August 11, 2005

STEERING COMMITTEE CONTINUES ITS
PLANNING FOR VISIT OF ARAM I AND
THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SEMINARY
The summer months, especially August, are traditionally at a slower
pace. Not so for the members of the Steering Committee charged with planning
the upcoming visit of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of
Cilicia. This past Tuesday, August 9, the committee met under the presidency
of the Prelate, Archbishop Oshagan, and the chairmanship of Dr. George
Dermksian. Each member has been entrusted with specific duties.
His Holiness will arrive in New York on Wednesday, October 19 and
participate in various activities in commemoration of the 75th anniversary
of the Cilician Seminary at Antelias, which is the main focus of the
Catholicos’s visit.
During his visit to the Eastern Prelacy, His Holiness will visit New
York, New Jersey, Washington, DC, Boston, and Chicago. He will also attend
and participate in two symposiums. The first symposium in New York,
sponsored by the Prelacy and the World Council of Churches, will take place
Saturday, October 22 and will focus on ecumenical challenges. The second,
sponsored jointly by the Prelacy and Harvard University, will take place at
Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, October 29 and 30 and will be devoted to
the 1600th anniversary of the founding of the Armenian alphabet.
The reestablishment of the Seminary in Antelias is in itself a
fascinating story. The See of Cilicia, which had served the Armenian people
from the 12th to the early part of the 20th century in Cilicia, was forced
to leave its ancient Seat in Sis, the capital city of the Armenian Kingdom
of Cilicia, following the forced emigration of the Armenians in Cilicia
during the years 1920 and 1921. Many of the Armenians leaving Cilicia
relocated in Syria and Lebanon and the Catholicate followed its people.
After nine years of wandering in Syria, Lebanon, and Cyprus, the Holy See
was reestablished in Antelias, Lebanon, in 1930. The site had previously
been an orphanage where thousands of Armenian orphans were cared for by the
Near East Relief from 1920 to 1928. Thus, the former orphanage became an
ecclesiastical and educational center. The Armenian people, having lost
hundreds of priests as victims of the genocide, and having now been
dispersed all over the world, desperately needed leaders in their religious,
national and cultural life.
The fruit of the Cilician Seminary in Antelias has made a worldwide
impact through the services rendered by its graduates to the church and
nation. Its 75th anniversary is an occasion to celebrate its many successes
and assure its future growth and continued service.

ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN WILL BE IN NEW JERSEY THIS SUNDAY
This Sunday, August 14, Archbishop Oshagan will be at Sts. Vartanantz
Church in Ridgefield, New Jersey, where he will preside over the Divine
Liturgy, deliver the sermon, and officiate over the Blessing of Grapes
ceremony.

NEW BOOKS PUBLISHED BY CATHOLICOSATE
The Holy See of Cilicia recently announced the publications of new
books.
In its continuous attempts to present the Armenian literary heritage, the
Catholicosate recently published the fourth and fifth volumes of ancient
Armenian literature, Madenakirk Hayots. The series was established two years
ago through the initiative of His Holiness Aram I, and through the support
of the Armenian Affairs Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation of
Lisbon.
The latest volumes include the works of Armenian writers of the 7th
century. The fourth volume included the works of writers from Abraham
Aghpatanetsi to Anania Shiragatsi; the fifth volume includes works of
writers from Ananoun to Sahag Tsoroporetsi. Each work is preceded by
explanatory notes on the work and biographical information about the author.
Another new publication, History of Religion, is the work of Puzant
Yeghiayan who was a long-time professor and dean at the Seminary in
Antelias. The work of the late beloved educator was edited by V. Rev. Fr.
Krikor Chiftjian. In his Introduction he acknowledges a debt of gratitude to
one of his students, Meguerditch Ourfalian (the late Archbishop Dajad) who
had taken detailed notes of all his lectures, thus providing the nucleus for
this work. The 665-page book presents the evolution of religion in detail.
Yet another new publication is The Sources of Mesrobian Characters by
Dr. Armenag Yeghiayan. This volume has been published on the occasion of the
1600th anniversary of the invention of the Armenian alphabet.
For information on these as well as other books contact the Prelacy
Bookstore, [email protected] or 212-689-7810. You can also visit the
Prelacy web site for a list of publications:

MEETING OF INTELLECTUALS IN ANTELIAS
A gathering of intellectuals began today, August 11 and will continue to
August 13, in Antelias, Lebanon. The meeting was organized under the
initiative and patronage of His Holiness Aram I. Intellectuals from Armenia
and the Diaspora are participating and will discuss contemporary
educational, cultural, economic, political and other issues within the
context of Armenia-Diaspora cooperation.
His Holiness delivered the opening remarks of the three-day meeting. A
summary of each session will be distributed to the press.

19TH ANNUAL ST. GREGORY OF DATEV INSTITUTE
The 19th annual St. Gregory of Datev Institute Summer Program concluded
very successfully with the participation of 75 students from fourteen
parishes. The Institute is sponsored by the Armenian Religious Education
Council (AREC) and has become a recognized premiere youth program. To read
the full press release and view photographs from this year’s summer program
go to:

ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
AND THE BLESSING OF THE GRAPES
This Sunday, April 14, the Armenian Church celebrates the Assumption of
the Virgin Mary (Verapokhoumn Sourb Astvadzatzni) and the Blessing of the
Grapes.
According to tradition, Mary, mother of Christ, died and was buried by
the apostles. The apostle Bartholomew, who was not present at her funeral,
on hearing the news, wished to visit the grave, but when the gravestone was
lifted they were surprised to find that the body had disappeared. It was
believed that Christ had come and taken His mother to the Heavenly Kingdom.
Based on this event the Church Fathers established the Feast of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is one of the five tabernacle
feast days in the Armenian Church. It is celebrated on the Sunday closest to
August 15. Traditionally it includes a week of fasting and a memorial day
the following day (Monday).
After the Divine Liturgy celebrating the Assumption, the Blessing of the
Grapes takes place. There is no relationship between the Feast of the Virgin
Mary and the Blessing of Grapes. Similar to other feast days, the Feast of
the Virgin Mary coincides with a pagan era festivity, which has been
incorporated into the church calendar.
First the hymn Park Sourp Khatcheet is sung, passages are read from the
Bible, followed by a prayer composed by Catholicos Nerses Shnorhali
specifically for this occasion. After the prayer, the grapes are blessed
three times with Orhnestsee Bahbanestsee and then distributed to the
faithful.
The Blessing of the Grapes ceremony is dedicated to the fruitfulness of
the earth. Grapes are one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world, and
according to biblical history, Noah planted a vineyard after disembarking
from the Ark. (Genesis, Chapter 9). And, of course, the wine of the Divine
Liturgy is derived from grapes.

“Bless, O Lord, the grape plants and vineyards from which these grapes are
taken and presented to the holy church, and make them bountiful and
fruitful; let them be like good and fertile land, protect the vineyards from
all kinds of misfortunes and destruction which come from above because of
our sins, from hail, from cold, from hot winds, and from destructive
insects, so that we may enjoy that which You have created in this world for
our enjoyment and for Your glory, and grant that we may be worthy to eat and
drink with You from the bounty of Your most fruitful vine at the table of
Your Father’s Kingdom, according to the just promise which You made, to the
honor and glory of Your coexisting Trinity, the Father, the Son and the most
Holy Spirit to whom is due glory, power and honor, now and forever. Amen.
>From prayer for the Blessing of the Grapes, written by Catholicos Nerses
Shnorhali

Visit our website at

Azerbaijan says Armenia funding opposition

ISN, Switzerland
Aug 5 2005

ISN SECURITY WATCH (Friday, 5 August: 16.40 GMT) – Police in Baku late
on Thursday arrested the leader of an Azerbaijani political youth
group for allegedly taking money from Armenian security agents and
plotting anti-government acts. Prosecutors identified the suspect as
Ruslan Bashirli, of the opposition youth party Yeni Fikir. They said
he was arrested after another group member, Osman Alimuradov, notified
prosecutors that Bashirli had held a secret meeting with the Armenian
agents in Georgia in July. The National Front of Azerbaijan opposition
party called the arrest “an act of repression against the youth union”.

The White House Bulletin:
Vanity Fair Says FBI Wiretaps Mentioned Claims Of Bribes To Hastert

August 4, 2005 Thursday
— Bulletin exclusive from U.S. News

An article on Sibel Edmonds, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
translator turned whistleblower who is suing the Department of Justice,
reveals some new details of the wiretaps she translated that allegedly
involved conversations by members of Turkish associations and the
Turkish Consulate in Chicago mentioning bribes to House Speaker Dennis
Hastert (R-IL). The article is in the September issue of Vanity Fair
that is just now hitting newsstands. The article says the wiretaps
recorded members of Turkish groups claiming they had arranged for
tens of thousands of dollars to be paid to Hastert’s campaign fund in
small checks under $200, so they wouldn’t have to be itemized in public
campaign filings. Hastert’s voice was never heard in the recordings,
however, and his office denies knowing anything about this.

The article says that the wiretap recordings contained repeated
reference to Hastert’s flip-flop in 2000 on the decision to designate
the killings of Armenians in Turkey between 1915 and 1923 a genocide.
At first he supported the idea, but later he withdrew the proposal.
Hastert explained that he changed his mind because President Bill
Clinton was concerned about the resolution harming U.S. interests
abroad. But in the Chicago wiretaps, according to Vanity Fair, “a
senior official at the Turkish Consulate is said to have claimed in
one recording that the price for Hastert to withdraw the resolution
would have been at least $500,000.” The article cautions, however,
that “the reported content of the Chicago wiretaps may well have
been sheer bravado, and there is no evidence that any payment was
ever made to Hastert or his campaign.”

Edmonds told U.S. News and the Bulletin that she and other
whistleblowers from the FBI, Central Intelligence Agency, National
Security Agency, and Department of Homeland Security, are so fed up
with lack of congressional oversight on intelligence and national
security that they plan to launch an advertising campaign targeting
government officials who have allegedly endangered national security.
The newspaper ads, which could be launched as early two months from
now, would name officials, their titles, their salaries, where they
work and their alleged or documented wrongdoing, says Edmonds. The
campaign would be funded by private donations, like the recently
formed advocacy group she heads, the National Security Whistleblowers
Coalition.

LA City Beat, CA
Aug 4 2005

Walk on the Wild Side
Bootlegs reveal a lot about your neighborhood … and you

~ By DONNELL ALEXANDER ~

Illustration by Sean Tejaratchi

I am not nearly as cool as people tend to think I am. For instance,
I roll worse blunts than that chick with the stupid-long Korean nails.
I don’t know where the after-party is later on tonight (so stop asking,
motherfucker). And, as of this writing, I have not been involved in
a threesome.

Which is why I engage bootleg discs. I need to get out more, but
there’s so much to see and so little time. Like a Grateful Dead taper
from back in the day, I watch my DVDs – and listen to the odd CD –
for that ambient information encasing the putative object of art.

Up on Flickr.com there’s a “Crappy Bootleg DVD Covers” photo show.
It’s meant to make fun, but I find the material awesome. Independent
of the gross factual inaccuracies – Spike Lee directed The Passion?
“Jackson Pollack is the greatest living fainter?” And this on the Harry
Potter box? – there’s genius in the anime cover art interpretation for
the film A.I. Plus, that contrived sidelong nude is the Carrie-Anne
Moss scene that might have saved The Matrix Reloaded.

It’s inadvertent genius of this sort that makes me follow bootlegs,
especially in tangible Los Angeles. Like the speakeasies that are
popping up more around the cool parts of town – and that I’m only
cool enough to occasionally hit – bootlegs speak to a life that’s
beyond regulation and ineffably real.

I actually spent money on my first and last bootlegs in Brooklyn,
during the summer of 2001. The CDs? Missy Elliott’s joint, house-music
collection NYC Underground, Vol. 3, and a release that presently eludes
me. My son, then four, and I were outside a kids’ bowling party in
Sunset Park, waiting on a car. I knew it was morally sketchy, so that’s
why I made the move: For the thrill. I might not ever do it again.

And the product was fine; at the very least I cemented an affinity
for house music. Most value was peripheral – the art of the deal and
the presentation of the discs. (I love the look of faded cover art in
a digital age.) Purchasing bootlegs feels less risky than purchasing
drugs or other stolen goods. The objects themselves are transgressive,
but, let’s face it, no one feels at risk for purchasing them. It’s
strictly self-policing that keeps me out of the game.

Nowadays I watch and I listen, but don’t buy. The Gangs of New York
DVD that recently graced my pad has not been consumed. I fetishize
it anyway.

Were it not for this DVD, I might not recognize Thai writing. (Thai
subtitles and Dolby audio are primary to the disc; English, Malaysian,
and “Chinese” are other subtitle options.) If not for this disc, I’d
have continued to think all those businesses in the west portal of my
East Hollywood neighborhood were Armenian. One might call this copy
of Gangs of New York perfect were it not for its promise of “Bouns”
where one might expect bonus material. (If “Bouns” is Thai for nothing,
well, the section has bouns up the ass.)

About a year ago, Baby Mama Deux hit me off with Bad Santa, Peter
Pan, Big Fish, 28 Grams, and a title that presently eludes me. One
of Deux’s 10-year-old students sold her the DVDs for $20 while she
shopped in the Garment District, a fact that created some conflicted
feelings about contributing to an illegal activity. But at least,
she reasoned, the problem child was showing some initiative, and it
wasn’t crack that he proffered.

One can get anything in the Garment District.

Bad Santa was really excellent, a horrible copy but somehow true
to the grimy narrative and in a way preferable to Badder Santa, a
DVD release which in my opinion dragged. But Peter Pan was such an
impressionistic smear of imagery that my then-seven-year-old could
not watch it; his entire appreciation of the myth was tainted. And
as a result I developed a policy against watching any knockoff copy
from which I have any expectation of artistic excellence.

One exception: I did watch Spider-Man 2 in bootleg form while staying
at a Sacramento pad in the summer of ’04. Again and again I tried to
walk past the big screen. But the bootleg was so pristine, its audio
so absolutely clear, I just had to stay and watch the film that was
that week’s biggest hit. Spider-Man 2’s Italian titles gave away the
secret to its fine pedigree. “Made in America” has iffy connotations,
even in the realm of knockoff DVDs.

But Fahrenheit 9/11? Absolutely no watchy. The DVD’s muffled sound
and silhouettes getting popcorn were repellent. Kill Bill Vol. 2?
Still haven’t seen it. I did take in Hollywood sequels and early
Roc-A-Fella releases and decided that Soul Plane is the ultimate
bootleg film: a guilty pleasure atop a guilty pleasure.

One might find fault with my policy. Isn’t it clear, one might ask,
that I’m depriving the slumping biz of much needed income by watching
secondhand bootlegs rather than subscribing to Netflix? Well, the
biz ain’t trying half as hard as I am to control quality, with its
sequels and TV-show remakes and lowbrow spring fare. Therefore, my
standards are a lot more about my tastes than concern for the film
industry. One who doesn’t accept this can kiss my natural black ass.

Of greater importance in my moral universe is remaining part of the
citizenry’s off-the-books library, its unofficial pass-around that
allows anyone to see the town. Or the nation. Or the world.

It’s a beautiful thing, the notion of immigrants from Thailand using
bootlegs to learn an honest American history. The crime is one with
a built-in bouns.

Shit, I used to be a real wild kid. On certain weeknights when I
lived in NYC, I’d party until the Manhattan clubs and bars closed,
then shuffle into my sports-mag gig at 4 a.m. I’d write until near
9, when the ad staff began leaking in. In the bathroom, I’d roll
up a bag of funk – delivered to me in that very same john, natch –
then start making my way up the island. Up through Times Square, past
the delis on the Upper West Side, I did the watcher part of writing,
my gig – in my mind – to the core. Then the A-train dragged me back
to downtown Brooklyn, for coffee and a couple of cannoli and a smoke
in the alley and a matinee at the neighborhood arthouse.

A half-decade later, and things just aren’t the same. There are now
many children to provide for, not to mention a role model to be. So,
when my older son and I scooter past the East Hollywood bootleg man
with his wares laid out on a blanket, we look at the titles and I
tell the boy how the product came to be. I tell him not just about
the Italian Spider-Man, but also the muddled Fahrenheit 9/11. And,
sure, he wonders why we can’t buy Willy Wonka and Episode III. I
explain the desire away, and we don’t buy. I’m older now. I got
responsibilities yo.

Caucaz.com 04/07/2005

Post-Soviet Azeri Islam: under Turkish, Arabic and Iranian influence
By Bayram Balci

head of the Turkey-Caucasus programme at the Baku campus of the French
Institute for Anatolian Studies (IFEA)

As with everywhere else within the Soviet region, Azeri Islam has
seen a veritable resurgence since the first signs of the collapse
of the Soviet Union at the end of the 1980s. At that time, religion
emerged from the private, or even underground, domain, to claim a
place of its own in public life. However, its arrival in this space
had not been previously discussed with the ruling political power,
which was intrinsically very attached to the secularism passed down
from the Soviet period.

Whereas Azeri Islam had existed without any contact with the
outside world until then, relations between Soviet Islam and that
of the Arabo-Iranian-Turko world being very limited, the advent of
independence allowed it to establish contact with these three regions
and become open to all the different Islamic influences.

Shiitism in Iran, an historical influence

The way in which most of Azeri Islam belongs to duodecimal Shiitism,
predominate in Iran since the 16th century, can be explained by the
fact that Iranian influences were the first to arrive in Azerbaijan
at the start of the 1990s.

Before even establishing diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and
Iran, whose diplomats have openly worked on developing religious
exchanges between the two countries, private Iranian initiatives
had opened madrasas (schools) and sent missionaries to the main
Azeri towns, particularly in the south, to Lenkeran, Massalli and
Nakhichevan.

But above all else, since the border between the two countries was
opened, hundreds of Azeri students have headed for Iran to carry out
religious studies, especially in the holy towns of Machhad and Qom,
where hozes (Islamic campuses) welcome students from across the world.

Thanks to the efforts from both the diplomatic services and private
Iranian organisations, as well as from initiatives taken by young
Azeris, there exists today a close Islamic cooperation between the two
countries. This cooperation has meant that while Azeri Shiitism plays
a role in debating ideas that are being discussed within the Shiite
world, their integration into worldwide Shiitism has not alienated
the integration of Azeri Shiites in their own country.

Sunnism, Turkey enters the playing field

The second, and no less important Islamic influence to arrive in
Azerbaijan at the start of the 1990s came from Turkey. This influence
had a dual nature, public and private, led respectively by the State
and a succession of bodies, often linked to the brotherhood, which
went to Azerbaijan and the whole of the former USSR when the Soviet
Union began to collapse.

In Azerbaijan, it is necessary to mention three Turkish religious
tendencies, whose influences played a real role in shaping post-Soviet
Azeri Islam. In the first instance, this concerned Nakshibendis,
the representatives of the most widespread brotherhood in the Muslim
world. Two Nakshibendi leaders that were influential in Turkey,
Osman Nui Topbas and Mahmut Ustaosmanoglu, sent vekils (emissaries)
and disciples to spread ideas and the movement throughout the country.

More active than the Nakshibendis, the Nurcu are the representatives
of a movement founded by Said Nursi (1876-1960). This movement is
made up of many different forms, but just two have successfully taken
root in Azerbaijan – that of Mustafa Sungur and the more influential
form of Fethullah Gülen, a very popular religious leader in Turkey
who took voluntary exile to the United States.

The disciples of the latter have set up a vast network of private
schools in Azerbaijan allowing the movement to mobilise a modern
proselytism which many have compared to that developed by Christian
Anglo-Saxon movements.

Other Turkish Islamic tendencies have managed to take root in
Azerbaijan, but their influence is limited. All of these Turkish
Islamic currents, including that represented by the State, spread
a Sunnite form of Islam that is moderate and close, or at least
respectful of, to other mystical brotherhood traditions that are
established in the Caucasus.

Arab countries and fundamentalist Islam

The third and final Islamic influence that has touched Azeri Islam
since the start of independence is that from the Arab world. Often
called Wahhabite because of the symbiosis between this type of Islam
and the religious philosophy of Abdul Wahhab (1703-1792), this trend
considers itself as Salafist, a follower of the teachings of the
ancestors and thereby the tradition of the prophet.

This is a rigorous, puritan and fundamentalist form of Islam
that wants to establish Islam as it was during the time of the
prophet. This Islam, virtually absent during the Soviet period,
has become established in the country thanks to preachers coming
from the Arab world. These preachers came at the end of perestroika,
but mainly during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Its development was helped to such an extent by local initiatives
that it very quickly became almost indigenous to the country.

Very widespread among North Caucasian Sunnite populations, the State
does not approve of this form of Islam and has tried to stamp it out,
albeit it without much success. This Islam is today well established
in Baku and in regions with a high proportion of Sunnite, notably
Guba and Zakatala.

The changes in the relations between these three ‘Islams’ has led to a
new situation for Azeri Islam in that it is becoming more diversified
and fragmented. The State tries to monitor this evolution by managing
spiritual affairs. The State is doing neither a bad job nor a good job
of this, which is mainly controlled by a new body for the regulation
of Islam that was set up in 2001. This body, the State committee for
religious affairs, seeks to encourage a synthetic form of Islam, that
is not too Shiite, nor too Sunnite and that is an official Islam in
the service of the State. This is an ambitious aim and difficult to
achieve as, although they want to create a national form of Islam to
serve the state, the political authorities still refuse to provide
any religious education in state schools.

(Translated by Victoria Bryan)

–Boundary_(ID_Ri5ffLdmSpYCIqs+o7azLQ)–

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08/01/2005
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1) Cyprus Regrets Turkey’s EU Accord Does Not Mean Recognition
2) Armenian Flag at Council of Europe Disappears
3) US Western Region Team Shines at Athens Games
4) Homenetmen Delegation Meets Greek President

1) Cyprus Regrets Turkey’s EU Accord Does Not Mean Recognition

NICOSIA (AFP)–The Cypriot government said it regretted Turkey’s declaration
that its signing of a key document on the path to European Union membership
does not signify official recognition of the Cyprus republic.
“The Republic of Cyprus expresses its deep regret that Turkey considers it
necessary to make a unilateral statement on Cyprus at the time of signing the
protocol,” said government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides on July 30.
“It is regrettable that a candidate for accession declares that it does not
recognize one of the member states of the Union it wishes to join,” he added.
Greece also expressed disappointment at Turkey’s declaration, and continuous
refusal to acknowledge Cyprus as a state. A Greek foreign ministry statement
called Ankara’s declaration “unilateral,” adding that Turkey “insists on the
continuation of a political and legal paradox.”
On July 29, Turkey agreed to extend an existing customs accord with the EU to
include the bloc’s 10 newest member states including Cyprus, whose
internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government Ankara refuses to endorse.
The signing of the document was a key precondition set by Brussels for the
start of accession talks between Ankara and the EU, set for October 3.
Turkey, which invaded and occupied northern Cyprus in 1974, attached a
declaration to the document stating that its signature did not amount to
recognition.
“The signing, ratification, and implementation of this protocol in no way
means recognition of the Republic of Cyprus, which the protocol refers to,” a
Turkish foreign ministry stated.
“Turkey will continue to regard the Greek Cypriot authorities as exercising
authority, control, and jurisdiction only in the territory south of the buffer
zone [in Cyprus]… and as not representing the Turkish Cypriot people and
will
treat the acts performed by them accordingly,” the declaration said.
The Cyprus government spokesman said Turkey could not sustain this position
against Cyprus because Ankara’s EU accession negotiations would involve all 25
states in the bloc.
“We urge Turkey to abide by the EU’s founding principles of equal treatment
for all states and embark on a process of speedy normalization with the
Republic of Cyprus,” he said.
However, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Ankara had kept its
end of
the bargain and expected membership talks to begin on schedule.
“Turkey fulfilled its commitments. There are no longer any obstacles ahead of
the launch of EU accession negotiations on October 3,” Gul told NTV news
channel.
Cyprus plans to study the document closely to see if the declaration makes
the
signing of the protocol itself invalid under the preconditions set by Brussels
for Turkey’s EU accession negotiations to begin.
Turkey is the only country to recognize the breakaway Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) proclaimed in 1983 in the Turkish-occupied northern
third of the Mediterranean island.
TRNC leader Mehmet Ali Talat said July 30 that Ankara’s qualified
signature of
the agreement would bring about “many changes” and “various crises,” but could
eventually be beneficial.
“The result of these crises will be that the resolution of the Cypriot
question is established to be imperative and cannot be delayed,” he told
Turkey’s Anatolia news agency.
He included that the Turkish Cypriots could use the accord to formulate new
demands for a settlement.
The last international effort to end the division of Cyprus failed in April
2004 when the Greek Cypriots voted down a UN reunification plan even though
the
Turkish Cypriots gave it overwhelming support.
The outcome ensured that the Greek Cypriots alone joined the EU in May last
year, leaving the breakaway Turkish Cypriots out in the cold. EU efforts to
assist them economically and ease trade restrictions as a reward for their
vote
have been blocked by the Greek Cypriots.
Turkey is eager for the peace talks to resume, wary that the Greek Cypriots
could use their EU membership as leverage to block Ankara’s own accession
aspirations.
Gul tried to minimize any concern about a possible veto by Nicosia,
highlighting that EU leaders–including President Tassos Papadopoulos–had
agreed to open talks with Ankara last December.

2) Armenian Flag at Council of Europe Disappears

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Armenia sent a note of protest to the leadership of the
Council of Europe on August 1 against the mysterious disappearance of its
national flag displayed outside the Strasbourg headquarters of the human
rights
organization.
The Foreign Ministry in Yerevan said the red-blue-orange flag was found to be
missing on July 30 from one of the 46 flagpoles in front of the building’s
main
entrance that carry the national banners of all Council of Europe member
states. A ministry statement said a plaque on the metal pole bearing Armenia’s
name was found twisted.
“The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Armenia is vehemently protesting
against that act and is demanding that the Council of Europe take necessary
security measures on its territory and prevent the national symbols of its
member states from being vandalized,” it said.
According to the Foreign Ministry, a top aide to Council of Europe, Secretary
General Terry Davis, apologized for the incident but said the organization’s
security service is only responsible for what happens inside the sprawling
building.
“Control of the territory outside the building is carried out by the French
police and the latter have already been notified about what happened,” the
statement said, adding that a new Armenian flag has already been hoisted in
place of the missing one.

3) US Western Region Team Shines at Athens Games

ATHENS–As the Homenetmen 7th Pan Armenian Games came to an exciting close in
Athens, Greece, the USA West team came out on top. The A Division Women’s
basketball team was undefeated under the direction of Coach Jerry Armen. Team
captain Tamar Kataroyan was honored as the Games’ Most Valuable Athlete. The A
Division Men’s basketball team made an impressive showing throughout the Games
as well, defeating the Tehran team during finals to clench first place. In the
swimming competitions, the USA West team clenched second place, while the
men’s
volleyball team reached the finals, but lost to the Athens team.

4) Homenetmen Delegation Meets Greek President

Prior to the close of Homenetmen’s 7th Pan Armenian Games in Athens on Sunday,
a delegation representing the Armenian athletic and scouting organization had
the opportunity to meet with the president of the Republic of Greece Karolos
Papoulias.
The delegation included Homenetmen Central Executive members Karnig
Megerdichian, Stepan Der Bedrosian, Vahram Tanielian; organizing committee
chair of the Games Boghos Cholakian; and ARF Greece Central Committee
representative Krikor Erchanian.
The group thanked Papoulias for hosting the games, and briefed the president
about Homenetmen’s mission and worldwide activities. Papoulias noted the
centuries-long friendship between Armenians and Greeks, and in the example of
the Pan Armenian Games, conveyed that thought should be given to organizing a
similar activity for diasporan Greeks.

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EVENTS DEVOTED TO 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE HELD IN CANADA

YEREVAN, JULY 29. ARMINFO. July 16-26 in the framework of Past Lives
TV series Prime TV channel (Canada) broadcast Rognan Fernand’s
30-minute program on the Armenian Genocide.

Another Canadian TV company CBC Newsworld presented a film about
Nagorno Karabakh Republic as part of its TV series Holidays in the
Danger Zone: Places than Don’t Exist.

State commission for organization of events devoted to 90th
anniversary of e Armenian Genocide says that Past LIves TV series
shows the everyday life of multi-national Canada and its ancestors
while the film about NKR is the documentary of the Karabakh
war. Journalist Simon Reeve presents the facts and analyses the events
laying special emphasis on the strategic importance of Shushi
liberation. The source says that Reeve has to date visited and shot
films in Somalia, South Ossetia, Taiwan.

Edicom, Suisse
Jeudi 28 Juillet 2005

Le DFAE explique à l’ambassadeur turc que la négation d’un génocide
est punissable en Suisse

L’ambassadeur de Turquie reçu à Berne – Après les déclarations d’un
politicien turc –

Berne (AP) Un entretien a eu lieu jeudi au Département fédéral des
affaires étrangères (DFAE) avec l’ambassadeur de Turquie en relation
avec l’enquête ouverte en Suisse à l’encontre d’un politicien turc
pour négation du génocide arménien. Le DFAE est confiant que les
clarifications données sur l’ordre juridique suisse permettront de
rétablir une atmosphère de travail «plus sereine».
Ce nouveau refroidissement dans les relations helvético-turques fait
suite aux propos tenus ces derniers jours par le chef du Parti des
travailleurs à l’occasion de la commémoration du Traité de Lausanne,
qui a délimité les frontières de la Turquie moderne en 1923. Dogu
Perincek a notamment déclaré que le génocide arménien de 1915 était
un «mensonge des impérialistes».
L’ambassadeur de Turquie en Suisse a été reçu par le chef de la
Division politique I, l’ambassadeur Jean-Jacques de Dardel. Le DFAE a
réitéré sa surprise face aux protestations continues du gouvernement
turc au sujet de l’ouverture d’une enquête à l’encontre de Dogu
Perincek. Lors de l’entretien, il a rappelé que le Code pénal suisse
contenait une norme contre le racisme, qui punissait tout propos tenu
en public niant, minimisant ou tentant de justifier un génocide ou
autres crimes contre l’humanité. Il a par ailleurs renvoyé à
l’indépendance du pouvoir judiciaire en Suisse.
Le DFAE rappelle que le Conseil fédéral a toujours déploré et
condamné les tragiques déportations et les massacres qui ont eu lieu
en Arménie à la fin de l’Empire ottoman. Toutefois, il est d’avis
qu’il appartient aux historiens de faire la lumière sur ces
événements et de les analyser dans leur contexte historique. A cet
égard, le Conseil fédéral salue la proposition du gouvernement turc
d’instaurer une commission mixte composée d’historiens turcs et
arméniens pour procéder à une étude approfondie de la question.

I-Newswire.com (press release)
July 28 2005

New CD: The First Christian Civilization’s Cultural Genocide

Simon Maghakyan, a student from Colorado, has recently issued a CD
called `The First Christian Civilization’s Cultural Genocide.’ The CD
contains more than 400 photographs testifying to the destruction of
the Armenian cultural monuments in the Republic of Turkey.

(I-Newswire) – Simon Maghakyan, a student from Colorado, has recently
issued a CD called `The First Christian Civilization’s Cultural
Genocide.’ The CD contains more than 400 photographs testifying to
the destruction of the Armenian cultural monuments in the Republic of
Turkey.

The CD is a collection of old and new photographs taken in historic
Armenia, which is now part of Turkey. During the Armenian Genocide (
1915-1923 ), Armenian churches and cathedrals were set on fire,
converted to mosques, destroyed and desecrated. The Turkish
government still continues the policy of the cultural genocide.
Between 1915 and now, more than 2000 Armenian churches have been
destroyed in Turkey. Some of them, as old as 1700 years, have been
entirely wiped off ( such as the 7th century church of St. James in
Bagrevand ), others have been converted to mosques ( St. Apostles’ of
Kars, etc. ) and several churches have been converted to public
buildings ( sport centers, cultural centers, etc. ) The legendary
monastery of Mush known as St. Apostles ( founded in the 4th century
) has been ruined and desecrated. Armenia was the first country to
adopt Christianity as the state religion in 301 A.D.

The CD has been designated for educational purposes only and is not
on sale. Copies of the CD have been donated to educational
institutions throughout the world. The Armenian National Institute in
Washington D.C., Zoryan Institute of America and the Armenian Library
and Museum of America have copies of this work.

`The First Christian Civilization’s Cultural Genocide’ also contains
information about other forms of cultural genocide, including
distortion of geographical names and national songs.

To learn more about the project visit

AUTHORITIES VIOLATE SOME EUROPEAN CONVENTIONS WHEN CONSTRUCTING
NORTHERN AVENUE IN YEREVAN: LOCAL RESIDENTS STATE

YEREVAN, JULY 28. ARMINFO. Authorities have violated some provisions
of both Armenia’s Constitution and European conventions when
constructing the Northern Avenue in Yerevan, stated representatives of
“Victims of “state needs” public organization at today’s
press-conference.

They demanded to recognize invalid the government’s decisions on lands
as they contradict to country’s Constitution and provisions of the
European convention, as well as to consider objectively the cases
connected with the development of both Northern and Main
Avenues. “Some criminal “businessmen” and state officials suckled by
their bribes, under the ephemeral idea of state need possess the
property of hundreds of families redoubling social polarization of our
society”, the organization’s massage says.

Old buildings have been demolished with the aim to construct the
Northern Avenue and 600 residents lost their dwellings and were not
given an adequate compensation.