Author: Topchian Jane

AsiaNews.it, Italy
Jan 16 2009

Msgr. Sako: Bagradis case, a kidnap with a tragic ending

This is how the archbishop of Kirkuk explains the murder of the man
shot to death yesterday in Mosul. The Christian community is the main
target for abductions because `it does not respond to violence with
revenge’. The prelate launches an appeal `for unity’ even at a
political level and anticipates the days for the next Synod of Iraqi
Bishops: the 12th of May Erbil.

Kirkuk (AsiaNews) ` `It is a case of a kidnap with a tragic ending’.
This is how msgr. Louis Sako, Archbishop of Kirkuk comments on the
murder of 36 year-old printing press employee Chourik Bagrad, whose
body was found yesterday in the eastern al-Bakr district of Mosul.

`The tried to kidnap him but he put up a fight ` confirms the prelate
` after a brief struggle, the kidnappers pulled a gun and shot him in
the head’. Msgr. Sako underlines that it is not a case of `religious
violence: religion has nothing to do with it. These are criminal
gangs specialised in extorting money from kidnappings’. A similar
case to that of the Christian, took place in Mosul on New Years Eve,
saw the abductee tortured and then released after 50 thousand dollars
in ransom was paid.

Christians are the main target for these kidnappers because what
differentiates them from the Arabs and the Kurds is that they are an
unprotected community. `The Christian community ` continues the
archbishop of Kirkuk ` is a soft target because they have less
protection and the relatives do not seek revenge for violent attacks
against their families. There is no `vendetta’; that is why these
gangs see them as a sitting target for their criminal activities’.

Msgr. Sako confirms that every day life is difficult in Mosul.
Chourik Bagrad, is the most recent victim of the violence, killed in
`the same city district as Fr. Ragheed and Msgr. Rahho’. Despite
everything however, he insists that we must not give in to the logic
of fear and violence, but stay to rebuild Iraq and a new future’. To
this ends Msgr launches a challenge to the government and Christian
community: `I ask the government to defend not only Christians but all
Iraqi citizens, without distinction, from the violence. And I ask the
Christian community not to give up on the land of it’s’ birth and to
remain united’.

For the Archbishop of Kirkuk, `unity’ remains the main stumbling block
and he does not hold back on his criticism of Christian politicians
who are divided among themselves and fail to represent the common
good. Elections are slated for the end of January, but still there is
no sign of `an outstanding candidate’ or a `shared political project
capable of giving hope to the community’. `Christians are divided `
he explains ` each part protecting its own interests to the detriment
of the common good. In doing so they are headed for certain defeat.
Even the Church must show unity and ask the parties, tribes and
government to protect the Christian community, which remains a
minority in this land and has no recourse to arms or militias to
defend itself. Fragmentation, be it political or religious, saps
strength and fails to protect the interest of our people’.

Msgr. Louis Sako, who will be in Rome from January 21st for the Ad
Limina visit of the Iraqi bishops, has also revealed the date of the
next Iraqi Synod. Foreseen originally for the end of January it has
been postponed until May 12th in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, in the north
of the country. (DS)

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TURKISH DILEMMA: CAN THE FRAYED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND TURKEY BE REPAIRED?
by Jeffrey Azarva

The Weekly Standard
lic/Articles/000/000/016/009jjztw.asp
Jan 15 2009

As I traveled across Turkey in November, optimism over Barack Obama’s
electoral victory was in the air. Several Turks told me stories of
villagers who had sacrificed 44 sheep in honor of the 44th president’s
election. They were not alone in their jubilation: Indeed, many people
I met believed President-elect Obama could restore U.S. moral clarity
and mend the troubled U.S.-Turkish alliance.

Such sanguinity does not surprise. Come inauguration day, the United
States will enjoy, at least briefly, a spike of good will in global
public opinion, if for no other reason than the fact that Obama is
not George W. Bush.

Nowhere might this bounce be more needed than in Turkey. In recent
years, relations between Washington and Ankara have frayed. From
Turkey’s March 2003 refusal to open up a second front in Operation
Iraqi Freedom to Congress’ October 2007 deliberation of an
Armenian genocide resolution, events have fed mutual distrust and
recrimination. Today, polls consistently rank Turks as the most
anti-American nation on Earth.

Conventional wisdom in Turkey lays much of the blame for this crisis
of confidence at the doorstep of the Bush White House. If only
U.S. policymakers had appreciated Turkish concerns more in the run-up
to the Iraq war and not stonewalled on providing Ankara assistance in
its fight against PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) terrorists, Turks,
the logic goes, would have far less reason to inveigh against the
United States.

It is naive, however, to think the reversal of Bush administration
policy alone will induce a sea change in Turkish public attitudes. The
burden of improved U.S-Turkish relations does not lie squarely on
Obama’s shoulders. To believe otherwise would exculpate Turkey’s
ruling Justice and Development Party–an Islamist-rooted party known
by its Turkish acronym, the AKP–and its media organs of stoking
rampant anti-Americanism.

Indeed, under the AKP’s stewardship, U.S. bashing has become something
of a national sport. One of the most egregious instances of such
incitement came in October 2003 when Yeni Å~^afak, an Islamist
daily close to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, published a lead
story accusing U.S. soldiers of raping thousands of Iraqi women. The
scurrilous allegations served as motivation for a suicide bombing
the following month that devastated HSBC’s Turkish headquarters,
killing eleven.

Yet, Islamist media outlets affiliated with the AKP have since grown
more unrestrained. Following the July 2008 attack on the U.S. consulate
in Istanbul, the pro-AKP press again flew into high dudgeon. The daily
Vakit accused U.S., British, and Israeli intelligence of orchestrating
the attack, which killed six people, including three Turkish policemen,
in order to push Ankara into Washington’s lap. The AKP’s subsequent
silence did little to disabuse Turks of this notion.

I observed the cumulative effect of such slander when I met with
college students in the city of Adana. The meeting, part of a State
Department-funded exchange program to bridge the gap in U.S-Turkish
relations, revealed distorted views of the United States in the
Turkish press. For example, none of the students knew anything of
U.S. relief efforts after the 2004 tsunami, and several Turkish papers
even blamed Washington for the natural disaster. Worse, all believed
PKK terrorists received arms from U.S. forces in Iraq.

The fact that the media peddles this latter myth is telling. Since
2007, U.S. Kurdish policy has reversed course. Resentment may
linger, but U.S. action against the PKK–whose presence in northern
Iraq Washington once tolerated–is now resolute. Today, with both
U.S. intelligence and acquiescence, Turkish warplanes regularly enter
Iraqi airspace to strike PKK targets.

Still, Turkish media continue to prevaricate. Following an October 4,
2008, PKK attack that killed 15 Turkish soldiers, the mainstream daily
Milliyet opined that the "heavy weaponry [used in the attack] cannot be
moved, deployed, and implemented without [U.S.] authorities…receiving
information about it." Milliyet may be secular, but its journalists
find themselves under increased pressure to hew an AKP line.

The AKP’s media apparatus has endorsed similar conspiracy theories,
too. But incitement is not just a sin of commission. The AKP leadership
has repeatedly failed to repudiate anti-American rhetoric elsewhere
that, left unchallenged, is often taken as fact. Though the AKP cannot
be called to account for every incendiary comment, the reality is
that anti-American sentiments have proliferated on their watch. Alas,
more Turks now appear willing to act on what they hear.

Washington can no longer countenance this situation. While Obama can
help matters–enlisting Iraqi Kurdistan’s support against the PKK
would be a good start–he alone cannot solve them. The AKP must begin
to tell it like it is and curb widespread anti-Americanism. Should it
not, the answer to "Who lost Turkey?" will end up being far different
from what the current narrative would have us believe.

–Boundary_(ID_g6uam3Le4W9vzTKXCXgEOw)–

FIFA RATES ARMENIAN FOOTBALL TEAM ON 112TH HORIZONTAL

Panorama.am
17:26 14/01/2009

Today FIFA published its ranking table of national teams and rated
Armenian national team on 112th horizontal. Armenian team improved
its positions by one horizontal. The best three teams of Spain,
Germany and Netherlands lead the table.

1. Spain – 1663 (points)

2. Germany – 1389
3. Netherlands – 1338
4. Italy – 1326
5. Brazil – 1246
6. Argentina – 1180
7. Croatia – 1142
8. England – 1115
9. Russia – 1103
10. Turkey – 1016
16. Ukraine – 909
50. Lithuania – 583
54. Belgium – 548
61. Bosnia and Herzegovina – 517
69. Uzbekistan – 485
70. Latvia – 484
81. Belarus – 420
97. Moldova – 373
108. Georgia – 328
112. ARMENIA – 313
118. Estonia – 260
133. Kazakhstan – 210
134. Azerbaijan – 209
146. Tajikistan – 162
149. Turkmenistan – 149
159. Kyrgyzstan – 112

ARMENIAN PM ASSURES THAT 2009 WILL BE YEAR OF DRASTIC CHANGES

ARMENPRESS
Jan 9, 2009

YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, ARMENPRESS: This year’s first session of the
government launched with the presentation of the main activities and
most important targets for the 2009.

Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan noted that the Armenian
government’s biggest activity is expected in the sphere of
business. "The businessmen demand ensuring equal, transparent,
conditions and first of all they point out that the state does
not succeed to bring large businesses to the tax field and ensure
equal competitive conditions. From that point of view the 2009
will be a year of drastic changes," Tigran Sargsyan pointed out,
adding that these changes are intended with the program of the
government and are directed towards the improvement of tax and customs
administrations. The prime minister pointed out that the program has
been approved by the President of the country.

"Our number one target is large business which must work transparent
and under oversight. New rules of game will enter into force so that
the public trust and believe the government," T. Sargsyan said.

He reminded that the National Assembly has already confirmed the most
important legislative package presented by the government according
to which, from 2009 the large business must print the results of its
activity in press which means that it will also be controlled by the
public. Armenian prime minister expressed opinion that it will also
create favorable conditions for the activity of the government.

FOUNDATION OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS IN ARMENIA TO BE ESTABLISHED

Noyan Tapan

Jan 8, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. During the January 8 sitting,
the Armenian government made a decision to establish the Foundation
of Economic Development of Rural Areas in Armenia and approved its
regulations.

The purpose of the newly-created foundation is poverty reduction
through economic development of Armenian rural areas. The powers of a
state government body to act on behalf of the foundation were reserved
for the RA Ministry of Agriculture. The minister of finance and the
minister of agriculture were instructed to allocate, after the state
registration of the foundation, funds (243,874.4 thousand drams) of
the Market Opportunities to Farmers program being implemented with
the IFAD’s assistance under the RA Law on the 2008 State Budget of
the Republic of Armenia. This sum will be allocated on behalf of the
Armenian government as a voluntary property payment for establishing
the foundation. The ministers were also instructed to sign with the
foundation an agreement on subsidizing envisaged by the financing
agreeement.

According to the RA Government Information and PR Department,
the minister of agriculture received instructions to present the
composition of the foundation’s board of trustees to the Armenian
prime minister within 10 days.

EXCHANGE RATE OF ARMENIAN DRAM AGAINST US DOLLAR RISES BY 1.2% IN PAST YEAR

Noyan Tapan

Jan 8, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. Consumer prices in Armenia and
the settlement exchange rate of the Armenian dram against the US
dollar rose by 0.1% and 0.9% respectively (the dollar appreciated)
in December on November 2008.

According to the RA National Statistical Service, consumer prices and
the exchange rate of the Armenian dram against the dollar rose by 5.2%
and 1.2% respectively in December 2008 on December 2007. The average
settlement exchange rate of the Armenian dram against the US dollar
made 307.9 drams in December 2008, exceeding by 3.8 drams the index
of December 2007 (304.1 drams).

NKR Defense Minister: `The party, having problems with Nagorno Karabakh
should be ready to negotiate with it’

2008-12-30 10:34

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

`Nagorno Karabakh is a sovereign state, which solves its issues on its
own’, the NKR Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Movses Hakobyan
stated at the press-conference devoted to the summing up of the year.

Welcoming the Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian declaration as a document,
in which the idea of solving the Nagorno Karabakh issue by peaceful
means is fixed, the NKR Defense Minister noted: `No state can sign a
document instead of us. If someone wants to make relations with us,
including Azerbaijan, it should recognize us. The party, having
problems with the NKR should be ready to hold negotiations with it’.

According to him, the NKR Defense Army successfully realized its goals
in 2008 and is ready to start fulfilling the tasks of 2009.

Technology Business Journal
December 30, 2008

OPTICAL RESEARCH;
Reports outline optical research from Yerevan State University

According to recent research from Yerevan, Armenia, "Oblique
propagation of light through a planar layer of a chiral photonic
crystal (CPC) is considered. The problem is solved using
Ambartsumyan’s layer-summation method."

"Specific features of the reflection (transmission) spectra in the
presence of dielectric boundaries are studied. Apparent contradictions
of the Belyakov-Dmitrienko theory with experiments are
discussed. Possibility of the laser emission wavelength control in a
CPC layer doped with a laser dye is analyzed," wrote A.H. Gevorgyan
and colleagues, Yerevan State University.

The researchers concluded: "Characteristic features of the light
absorption at oblique incidence are investigated."

Gevorgyan and colleagues published their study in Optics and
Spectroscopy (Effects of Angle of Incidence and Polarization in the
Chiral Photonic Crystals. Optics and Spectroscopy,
2008;105(4):624-632).

For additional information, contact A.H. Gevorgyan, Yerevan State
University, Yerevan 375025, Armenia.

Publisher contact information for the journal Optics and Spectroscopy
is: Maik Nauka, Interperiodica, Springer, 233 Spring St., New York, NY
10013-1578, USA.

1887-1915 ARCHIVES OF HUNCHAK NEWSPAPER PLACED ON WEBSITE OF MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

Noyan Tapan

Dec 19, 2008

LOS ANGELES, DECEMBER 29, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. A collection
of issues of Hunchak official newspaper of the Social Democrat
Hunchakian Party (SDHP) has been placed on the website of Michigan
University. The Armenological Program of the university reported
that the newspaper’s issues released in 1887-1915 are available at
the website. These issues were received from the National Library of
Armenia, "New Generation" Cultural Union and thanks to cooperation
with SDHP.

The first issue of Hunchak was published in Geneva in 1887.

Ottawa Citizen, Canada
Dec 27 2008

Fasten your seatbelt for this musical ride

Richard Todd, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Saturday, December 27, 2008

1. Beethoven: Complete Symphonies, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Charles Mackerras, conductor (Hyperion): This is the most intimate and exciting account available of the Beethoven symphonies. The tempos are based upon the composer’s metronome markings, so fasten your seatbelt.

2. Gomidas Songs, Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano (Nonsuch): Armenian-born superstar Isabel Bayrakdarian ravishes the ear with music by Gomidas, a priest and ethnomusicologist active in the years before the First World War.

3. Oppens Plays Carter, Ursula Oppens, piano (Cedille): This CD includes all of the piano music of Elliot Carter, who is 100 this month and has yet to put his pen down. Most of it was written in the last 10 years. Oppens is a most sympathetic interpreter.

4. Brahms: Symphony no. 1, Orchestre Révolutionaire et Romantique, John Eliot Gardiner, conductor (Soli Deo Gratia): This period instrument recording will appeal to just about every Brahms lover. The textures are a bit leaner than what we’re used to, allowing for a clarity that Gardiner exploits to the fullest.

5. Beethoven: Symphonies 7 & 8, Tafelmusik (Analekta): Aside from a slightly bangy first movement in the Eighth, these interpretations are magisterial. The famous Allegretto from the Seventh is so beautiful that it would be worth the price of the disc all by itself.

6. Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, etc., Les Violns du Roy (ATMA): Les Violons du Roy chamber orchestra is best known for its performances and recordings of Baroque music. Recently, however, it has been exploring more modern repertoire, like this collection of Bartók, played with great nuance and transparency.

7. Fantasies and Variations, Cynthia Millman Floyd, fortepiano (Floyd): This is a good a demonstration of how well the fortepiano, the period instrument of the late 18th century, suites the music of that era. Compared to the modern piano, the light timbre and clarity of the instrument provide different interpretive opportunities.

8. Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem, Philippe Herreweghe, conductor (Harmonia Mundi): Along with the very different Verdi Requiem, this work stands at the summit of 19th-century choral music. Among the soloists is Canadian baritone Gerald Finley, whose Herr, lehre doch mich is probably the finest rendition of that grave aria available.

9. Bach and the Liturgical Year, Shannon Mercer, soprano (Analekta): Soprano Shannon Mercer has what it takes to perform Bach arias. Organist Luc Beauséjour is her principal accompanist and he also plays several chorales, fugues and the like most convincingly.

10. Shostakovich: String Quartets, vol. 3 — Manderling SQ (Audite): Does the world need this set from the Manderlings? Possibly not but, on the basis of the three quartets on this disc (5, 7 and 9), these musicians are indeed to be taken seriously.