Author: Vardanian Garo

LEAFLETS SPREAD IN STRASBOURG

A1 plus
12-10-2004

The head of Armenian delegation in the CE Tigran Torosyan, speaking
Tuesday at a news conference, said a young man was spreading leaflets
outside the PACE session building in Strasbourg, when the Assembly
held its fall session last week.

Totosyan said the leaflets had been made by one of Armenia’s
organizations. However, he didn’t specify what organization it
was. He only say a person who did that has announced on television
that he intended to inform the CE about the situation in the country.

“Such a kind of leaflets could be used by Chechens against
Russians”, Torosyan said.

BBC News
Last Updated: Monday, 4 October, 2004, 13:29 GMT 14:29 UK

Belarus urged to halt executions

Some families have not been given relatives’ bodies for burial (picture
Amnesty International)
The human rights group, Amnesty International, has launched a campaign
urging Belarus and Uzbekistan to stop using the death penalty.
It says they are the last former Soviet republics to still use the
punishment.

Amnesty said people in both countries were sentenced to death in unfair
trials, often after “confessions” extracted through torture.

It added that prisoners were often not told the date of execution and burial
places remained secret.

Neither Belarus nor Uzbekistan has released full statistics on the number of
people they execute by shooting.

In 2001, the Uzbek authorities said that about 100 people were executed
annually, a figure contested by Uzbek human rights groups who say that the
real number is double that.

Beatings

In Belarus, Amnesty says the number of people sentenced to death is thought
to have decreased to between four and seven each year.

Amnesty is concerned that the secrecy surrounding the death penalty, as well
as the conditions on death row, lead to immense suffering.

I do not know where Dmitry is buried. If I knew I would at least have a
place where I can go with my grief

Tamara Chikunova,
mother of executed prisoner
It says prisoners are frequently beaten by prison officials and held in
small cells with only limited and monitored contacts with the outside world.

“Honestly, they treat us here not like human beings but as if we were cattle
or small mosquitoes,” said Uzbek prisoner Zhasur Madrakhimov in a letter he
managed to smuggle out before being executed in 2004, eight days after the
UN Human Rights Committee had urged the authorities of Uzbekistan to stay
his execution.

The impact on prisoners’ families is also a concern for Amnesty.

Tamara Chikunova, whose son Dmitry was executed in 2000 in Uzbekistan, said:
“It is one of the worst things for me that I do not know where Dmitry is
buried.

“If I knew I would at least have a place where I can go with my grief and
where I can talk to him.”

She has erected a symbolic gravestone for her son in a cemetery in Tashkent,
next to the grave of his grandfather.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, all the newly independent
states retained the death penalty.

Since then, nine have abolished it – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia,
Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Turkmenistan and Ukraine – and four have
suspended it – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation and Tajikistan.

Azeri, Armenian football teams draw one-one in European qualifier

Arminfo, Yerevan
4 Oct 04

Skopje

The Under-19 Armenian and Azerbaijani football teams have drawn 1:1 in
their final tournament of the 2005 European cup qualifier in
Macedonia. The only goal for Armenia was scored by Edgar Manucharyan,
who scored all four goals of the Armenian junior team in the
tournament.

Let’s recall that the Armenian and Azerbaijani teams had never met
with each other since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The
encounter drew tremendous interest among specialists and football
fans.

The Armenian players still have good chances to qualify for the next
stage, while their Azerbaijani counterparts have lost theirs after
being beaten by Macedonia and France.

The 1:1 draw showed that both teams were determined not to lose. But
the draw played into the hands of the Armenian team which, together
with France, had qualified for the next stage of the
tournament. Azerbaijan has only one point and has therefore reached
the end of its qualification campaign.

GOVERNMENT UNWILLING TO HELP GIFTED CHILDREN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 14. ARMINFO. Fifteen winners of international
mathematics, physics, informatics, and chemistry competitions have
received presents of the RA National Academy of Sciences (ANAS). The
ceremony of presenting the gifted children with encyclopedias and
photo cameras was held on the occasion of International Science Day.

Head of republican and international competitions Garnik Tonoyan
compared looking for talents to prospecting gold in the country’s
entrails, pointing out that the Government is rather passive in this
matter. According to him, the pupils’ achievements are their own
service, as ordinary comprehensive schools have not potential for
preparing talented children. Schools have no manuals, and teachers
cannot answer gifted children’s questions. Tonoyan stressed that the
International Scientific-Technical Organization, which allegedly spent
20mln. USD on revealing talented children, has not actually spend a
single dollar to sponsor the participants in international
competitions. “The matter is that the Government has no strategy to
support talented pupils,” Tonoyan said. As a result, Armenian
prodigies do not receive such good prizes as their peers from
Azerbaijan and Georgia. The winners of competitions visited the
country’s scientific centers, where scientists told them about their
achievements in mathematics, physics, medical genetics, etc..

Turkey at a Glance

Posted on Sun, Oct. 03, 2004

Population: 69 million

(July 2004 estimate)

Per-capita income: $6,700

(2003 estimate)

Median age: 27.3 years

Religion: 99.8 percent Muslim, mostly Sunni

Ethnic breakdown: Turkish, 80 percent; Kurdish 20 percent (estimated);
small numbers of Greeks, Jews and Armenians

History

Istanbul, formally Constantinople, was the seat of the Greek-speaking
Eastern Roman Empire (later the Byzantine Empire) and Eastern Orthodox
Christianity. The central Asian Ottoman Turks took the city in 1453
and established their own empire (including the Islamic caliphate),
which came to control much of the Middle East and parts of Europe.

Turkish troops were repulsed from Vienna in 1683, and the Ottoman
Empire fell into decline and was defeated fighting alongside Germany
in World War I. Most of the two million Christian Armenians who had
lived in the empire were forcibly deported or killed in a series of
massacres from 1915 to 1920.

In 1923, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the Republic of Turkey after
driving out the Greek army and overturning the draconian Treaty of
Sevres. The remnants of a thriving Greek merchant community fled after
anti-Greek riots in the 1950s.

The Turkish military overthrew elected governments in 1960, 1971 and
1980, and in the 1997 “post-modern” coup, the military forced the
resignation of an Islamic fundamentalist prime minister.

Preparations for EU Membership

In the last two years, in an effort to comply with EU standards,
Turkey:

Banned the death penalty.

Allowed broadcasting and classes in the Kurdish language.

Banned sex discrimination, torture and honor killings.

Scrapped state security courts and reduced the military’s role in
government.

Eased bureaucratic restrictions on non-Muslim religious groups.

Lifted free-speech restrictions.

Baku to welcome any efforts in Azerbaijani-Armenian settlement
By Tengiz Pachkoria

ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 28, 2004 Tuesday

TBILISI, September 28 — Baku will welcome efforts of any countries,
including Georgia, in the Azerbaijani-Armenian settlement, Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov said at a Tuesday briefing in
Tbilisi in answer to the question if Tbilisi had offered mediation
in the Azerbaijani-Armenian settlement.

“The OSCE Minsk Group is the main body in the Karabakh settlement
negotiations. But we will welcome efforts of any countries, including
Georgia, to speed up the Karabakh settlement process,” he said.

Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili said at the briefing
that Tbilisi “is interested in progress at the Karabakh settlement
negotiations.” “Settlement of that conflict, the same as settlement
of conflicts on the Georgian territory, will contribute to the general
stabilization in the Caucasus,” she said.

International Conference will consider foreign policies and conflicts in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN TO BRING TOGETHER SOUTH CAUCASUS DIPLOMATS AND SCHOLARS

University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
Armenian Studies Program
1080 S. University, Suite 4640
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1106
Tel: (734) 764-0350
Fax: (734) 764-8523
Contact: Sara Sarkisian
Email: [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

During four days in October the Ann Arbor campus of the University of
Michigan will become the gathering point for diplomats and scholars who,
for the past 15 years, have been involved in the shaping or study of the
foreign policies and conflict resolution processes of Armenia,
Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

The international conference, titled “Armenia/the South Caucasus and
Foreign Policy Challenges,” is being organized by the Armenian Studies
Program at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and will be held at
the main campus of the University on October 21-24, 2004. The conference
is co-sponsored by the International Institute, the Center for Middle
Eastern and North African Studies, the Center for Russian and East
European Studies, The Department of History, the Near Eastern Studies
Department and the Political Science Department.

This unique gathering will bring together some thirty-five scholars,
past and present diplomats, and conflict negotiators from over ten
countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Russia, Iran,
the European Union, Canada, and the US to discuss the challenges faced
by these republics in developing policies in a fast changing world, the
path traveled in resolving outstanding conflicts, with special emphasis
on the Nagorno Karabakh problem.

The goals of the conference are (1) to acquaint the University and
larger community in the country with the specific issues and challenges
that relate to a part of the world that has acquired increased
significance in the last decade; (2) to place in historical and
international perspectives the path traveled by Armenia and the South
Caucasus since the break up of the USSR; (3) to reflect on the
perceptions and policies adopted in the 1990s by the South Caucasus
republics, their neighbors, and international actors; (4) to assist the
academic and policy making communities–in the region and in the
international community– in redefining and refining their approaches to
the region; and, (5) possibly develop ideas and approaches that might
enhance conflict resolution, regional cooperation, and long term
integration of the region in the international community to the benefit
the peoples of the region.

“This conference will provide a rare opportunity for interaction between
scholars and diplomats who have been involved in the study of the region
or in negotiations to end conflicts in the South Caucasus, specially the
problem of Nagorno Karabakh,” stated Prof. Gerard Libaridian (Department
of History), the organizer of the conference.

The South Caucasus region has acquired increased strategic significance
since the collapse of the USSR. It has as immediate neighbors Russia,
Turkey and Iran, each with its own interests and concerns; the US has
projected its own strategic view on the region; while Europe considers
it part of its extended neighborhood. Caspian Sea hydrocarbon resources
and their export routes have added another dimension to regional
politics, complicating further the challenges faced by the three
republics in balancing the sometimes conflicting interests of bigger
neighbors and the West.

“While it may be possible to argue that the Cold War ended with the
disintegration of the Soviet Union,” explained Libaridian; “the Caucasus
is one region where a mini-Cold War has survived. Events in the region
highlight the character and impact of changes in the international order
while the conflicts there constitute and challenge to the world
community and the current understanding of the nation-state concept. The
South Caucasus has the potential of turning into a model for
international cooperation and integration of interests or turning into
the next hot spot of generalized conflict and confrontation.”

Professor Kevork Bardakjian, Director of the Armenian Studies Program at
the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, considers the conference another
milestone in the development of Armenian Studies at the University.
“Armenia and Armenians have been an integral part of many ‘worlds,’
often at the critical junctures of cultural, strategic and political
meeting points,” stated Prof. Bardakjian. “We consider this conference
an example of the expansion of our vision of and perspective on Armenian
Studies. The support of the University and its specialized institutes,
centers and departments is testimony to the shared understanding of
Armenian Studies as an integral part of the social sciences and
humanities,” he added.

The conference will be open to the general public. All sessions will
provide ample opportunity for the attending public to participate in the
question and answer and discussion segments. Information on the
conference is available on the website of the University of Michigan
Armenian Studies Program, Inquiries can be
made by writing to Sara Sarkisian <mailto:[email protected]>
([email protected]). All sessions will take place at the Alumni Center,
main campus.
The preliminary program of the conference is presented below.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

“ARMENIA/THE SOUTH CAUCASUS AND FOREIGN POLICY CHALLENGES”

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, ANN ARBOR/OCTOBER 21-24, 2004

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21
Day One
5:00 – 5:30 PM
OPENING

1. Prof. Gerard Libaridian

Department of History, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Opening Remarks

2. Prof. Mark Tessler

Vice-Provost for International Affairs; Director of the
International Institute; Political Science Department,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Introduction to the Conference

5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

PANEL I EVOLVING INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND THE SOUTH CAUCASUS

How have the collapse of the USSR and events of worldwide significance
since affected our understanding of international relations and
relations between states? What has been the impact of these changes
on the way states like those in the South Caucasus integrate in the
world community? How have perceptions of the South Caucasus changed
considering developments in the Near East?

1. Dr. Vitaly Naumkin

Director, International Center for Strategic and Political
Studies, Russia

2. Prof. Hadi Semati

International Relations Department, Tehran University
Currently at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,
Washington, DC

3. Prof. Michael Kennedy

Department of Sociology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22
Day Two
08:30 – 10:30 AM
PANEL II
ARMENIAN FOREIGN POLICY IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Can one speak of recurring foreign policy problems that have
characterized Armenian history ? Are there patterns in the way
Armenians have perceived, developed and practiced foreign policy during
the past two centuries? In what way are these questions relevant to
post-Soviet Armenia? What role has the Diaspora played in the making
of Armenian foreign policy?

1. Dr. Ashot Sargsyan

Senior Researcher in History, Matenadaran; Senior Archivist,
President Ter-Petrossian Archives, Armenia

2. Prof. Kevork Bardakjian

Near Eastern Studies Department, University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor

3. Prof. Ronald Suny

Department of History, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

4. Dr. Razmik Panossian

Director, Policy and Programs, Rights and Democracy,
Montreal

10:30 – 11:00 AM Coffee break
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
PANEL III
THE WORLD AS SEEN BY THE SOUTH CAUCASUS

How do Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia perceive their region in
relation each other, to their neighbors, and to the larger community
of states? What do they see as their main challenges in their foreign
policy agenda?

1. Ambassador Araz Azimov

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Azerbaijan

2. Ambassador Nika Tabatadze

First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Georgia

3. Ambassador Rouben Shugarian

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Armenia

2:00 – 3:30 PM
PANEL IV
THE SOUTH CAUCASUS AS SEEN BY THE REGIONAL POWERS

What are the policies of the three major powers neighboring the South
Caucasus–Russia, Turkey and Iran–toward the South Caucasus? What
is the role of the region in the overall foreign policies of these
three states and how does it affect their relations with other states?

1. Prof. Hossein Seifzadeh

International Relations Department, Tehran University

2. Prof. Ahmet Han

International Relations Department, Bilgi University,
Istanbul

3. Dr. Evgueny Kozhokin

Director, Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, Moscow

4:00 – 5:30 PM
PANEL V
THE SOUTH CAUCASUS AS SEEN BY THE WEST

What are the policies of Europe and the US toward the South Caucasus?
What is the role of the region in the overall foreign policies of
the West and how does it affect their relations with other states?

1. Dr. Svante Cornell

Uppsala University, Sweden, and SAIS, Johns Hopkins
University, DC

2. To be announced

3. Mr. John Fox

Director of Caucasus and Central Asia Affairs, US Department
of State

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23
Day Three
8:30 – 10:00 AM
PANEL VI

THE IMPACT OF THE SOUTH CAUCASUS ON THE STUDY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Do developments in the South Caucasus since independence–including
problems of economic and political transformation, conflicts, and
energy transportation issues–compel us to revise our understanding
of international relations or are accepted models of relations between
states adequate?

1. Prof. Charles King

Political Science Department, Georgetown University,
Washington DC

2. Prof. Stephen Jones

Department of Political Science, Mount Holyoke College

3. Mr. Asbed Kotchikian

Department of Political Science, Boston University

10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
PANEL VII
THE WORLD OF CONFLICTS

How do we explain the high concentration of conflicts in the South
Caucasus? What are the similarities and differences between them? Which,
if any, of the conflict resolution approaches apply to the region? Is
international mediation the proper means to resolve these conflicts?

1. Dr. Ghia Nodia

Director, Center for Democracy and Peace, Tbilisi

2. Prof. Bruno Coppieters

Political Science Department, Free University of Brussels

3. Mr. Arman Grigorian

International Relations, Columbia University/Wesleyan
University

4. Mr. Tom de Waal

Author; Institute for War and Peace Studies, London

2:00 – 6:00 PM
PANEL VIII
NAGORNO KARABAKH: A CASE STUDY IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN THE 1990s – A
Round Table discussion

How did the international community perceive the conflicts in the
region, especially the problem of Nagorno Karabakh? What was right
and what went wrong with the OSCE Minsk Group process charged with
the resolution of that conflict? What lessons can be learned from it?

How does the leadership of Nagorno Karabakh perceive the problem and
the solution?

1. Ambassador Vladimir Kazimirov

Former Karabakh negotiator for Russia, Moscow (retired)

2. Ambassador Ömer Ersun

Former Karabakh negotiator for Turkey, Istanbul (Retired)

3. Ambassador Joseph Presel

Former Karabakh negotiator for the US, Washington DC
(retired)

4. Dr. Mahmood Vaezi

Deputy Director, Center for Strategic Research, Tehran
Former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Iran

5. Ambassador Tofik Zulfugarov

Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Karabakh negotiator,
Azerbaijan

6. Ambassador David Shahnazaryan

Former Minister of National Security and Karabakh
negotiator, Armenia

SPECIAL PRESENTATION

7. Ashot Ghoulian

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nagorno Karabakh, Stepanakert

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24
Day Four

9:00 – 11:00 AM
PANEL IX
RECONCILING THE PAST AND THE FUTURE

How can we assess the path traveled by the South Caucasus republics?
What are the main similarities and differences in their foreign
policies? Is there need and/or room for a common foreign policy? What
should be the main focus at this time?

1. Dr. Leila Alieva

President, Center for National and International Studies,
Baku

2. Dr. Archil Gegeshidze

Senior Research Fellow at the Georgian Foundation for
Strategic and International Studies, Tbilisi; former
advisor to President Edvard Shevardnadze

3. Prof. Edward Walker

Political Science Department, University of California,
Berkeley

Visiting Armenian officials discuss cooperation with Chinese colleagues

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
27 Sep 04

[Presenter] A delegation led by Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
left for China on a state visit on Sunday [26 September]. The president
made a stopover in Tajikistan en route to China.

[Passage omitted: Kocharyan discussed bilateral cooperation with his
Tajik counterpart Emomali Rahmonov]

[Correspondent Lilit Setrakyan reports by phone from Beijing] The
agriculture ministers of the two countries have held a meeting at the
Chinese Agriculture Ministry. Armenian Agriculture Minister David
Lokyan said he was confident that the programme to provide Armenia
with Chinese tractors would be continued.

Also, Armenian businessmen met their colleagues at the Chinese
international trade development council today. The presidents of the
companies Pure Iron, Mshak [Technology Innovation Center] and Armenal
[Armenian Aluminium] discussed cooperation in the spheres of machine
building, high technologies and aluminium trading.

Chinese President Hu Jintao will meet Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan this afternoon.

The Standard
September 25, 2004

FIT FOR A KING

by Graham Lees

If Thomas Leonowens hadn’t inconveniently died on the Malaysian
island of Penang, Hollywood could never have made the film musical
classic The King and I starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr.

It was Leonowens’ untimely death in 1859 which forced his
impoverished young widow, Anna, to pack her bags and her two children
and head north to Bangkok to become governess to the King of Siam’s
82 children. The rest is Hollywood _ but not, by the way, Thai _
history, resurrected most recently in 1999’s less memorable remake
Anna and the King.

In the 19th century, Penang was a fashionable place to be for a
young, adventurous couple of the British empire like the Leonowens,
who moved to the island’s capital Georgetown from India.

The world has changed enormously since those times, but perhaps more
than most places once painted red on the British imperial map,
Georgetown has retained an exotic, cosmopolitan flavour found in the
town’s rich mix of architecture and even richer cuisine.

In many respects, it’s reminiscent of Singapore in its more
swashbuckling days, before both the streets and local vice were swept
clean.

The port town was named after Britain’s 18th-century King George III,
who helped lose the 13 colonies of America but gained this tiny
substitute when Captain Francis Light went looking for a safe port
for East India Company shipping between India and China. Light
induced the local sultan with offers of money and protection to hand
over Penang in 1786.

Such was the opportunist entrepreneurial entourage that followed in
the British wake in those days that Light was able to write in his
log a few months later: Our inhabitants increase very fast. They are
already disputing the ground, everyone building as fast as he can.”
Light had a knack of inducing people. He filled a ship’s cannon with
gold coins and fired them into the waterfront jungle to encourage
rapid land clearing.

Penang was the first British acquisition east of India and it quickly
became the new home of Hainan and Hokkien Chinese, Bengalis, Tamils,
Pathans, Armenian Jews and remnants of Portuguese and Dutch
communities abandoning Siam in the wake of a devastating war with
Burma.

That exotic melting pot is still reflected in Georgetown today, home
to some of the richest mix of street food in East Asia, and a
pot-pourri of religious and colonial architecture which has survived
the buffeting of economic slumps and war.

Light’s original street layout, named after notable Englishmen of the
day, such as Buckingham, Pitt, Hutton, Greenall and Farquhar, is
still much in evidence, although one or two late 20th-century
multi-storey blocks poke into the sky.

Trishaw driver Harun, my two-hour pedalling guide, insists that the
only significant change he has noticed in 30 years of cycling around
Georgetown is the introduction of a one-way road system. It is more
work for the legs, sir,” the 51-year-old ethnic Tamil says with a
wry smile.

A leisurely tour with the wiry Harun, or one of his dozens of
pith-helmeted colleagues, takes in many of the sights and smells of
the town _ from the esplanade’s Victorian City Hall, which looks more
like a grand hotel on the seafront of England’s Brighton resort, to
the bubbling curry pots of Little India. There is the simple
white-painted St George’s Church on Bishop Street, built in 1818;
mosques, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist temples _ notably the Chaiya
Mangkalaram with its large reclining gold Buddha _ and the Chinese
shophouse at 120 Armenian Street where Dr Sun Yat Sen is said by
local historians to have lodged and plotted his 1911 revolution in
China. He certainly did a lot of plotting around Southeast Asia.

The Anglican cemetery on Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah street is the last
resting place of Captain Light and Thomas Leonowens, whose gravestone
describes him as an army officer struck down by sunstroke.

Penang also was a favourite stopping off place for later characters
of the British empire, notably authors Rudyard Kipling and Somerset
Maugham and the entertainer Noel Coward. They all stayed at the
waterfront Eastern and Oriental Hotel, which in its heyday was said
to be the British empire’s best hotel east of the Suez Canal. It
boasted the world’s longest seafront garden lawn which stretched 280
metres.

After a sad period of decline and closure the hotel has now re-opened
following a US $ 16 million (HK$ 124.8 million) renovation. The E&O,
as it’s known, was founded by the Sarkies brothers, the Armenian
family who also created Singapore’s Raffles Hotel and The Strand in
Rangoon before losing their shirts in the Great Depression of the
1930s.

Today, the E&O is again a match for Raffles _ among other luxuries it
boasts a personal butler service for guests _ but is now owned by the
Malaysian property company Eastern & Oriental Berhad.

The street hawker life that disappeared 25 years ago in Singapore is
still alive and well here. Few trishaw drivers manage to steer
through the street food stall congestion of Chinatown and the silk
shops of Little India without a passenger stop.

By accident rather than design, probably the greatest asset the
British left behind in Georgetown is not the English language, still
spoken widely, nor the architectural edifices of imperial power, but
the exotically diverse cuisine. It’s no exaggeration to say that at
any one time half of Georgetown seems to be cooking for the other
half. The added delight for everyone, residents and visitors, is that
only a stone’s throw separates the street woks of Chinatown from the
Malay and ethnic Indian and Thai cooking pots. Cooks here have rubbed
shoulders for more than 150 years, leading to a kind of fusion
cuisine known as nyonya or nonya. It’s primarily a mix of Chinese and
Malay ingredients and methods. Nyonya cuisine is linked to the old
Portuguese-British colony of Malacca in southern Malaysia, where it’s
influenced by Indonesian cooking, and Penang where it’s influenced by
Thai ingredients.

A classic example is Penang laksa: a thick sweet-and-sour fish soup
with rice noodles, tamarind, onion, chilli, cucumber and pineapple.

Another Georgetown culinary delight is mamak, an adaptation of
southern Indian Muslim dishes which include the pancake-like murtabak
stuffed with mutton, vegetables and plenty of spices.

And the garlic or onion naan breads cooked to order before your eyes
at Kasim Mustapfa’s on Chula Street are the freshest I’ve tasted
anywhere. Much of this exquisite dining is in the much lived-in old
quarter of Georgetown, with its narrow streets of single-storey
houses.

The Malaysian government in Kuala Lumpur likes to promote Penang as
Silicon Island” because of the concentration of international high
technology industries on the southeast coast, but Georgetown has one
of the biggest concentrations of pre-1945 buildings in the region _
the result of a quirky rent control law which had the effect of
deterring property owners from redevelopment binges. The law was
abolished recently and now the city authorities are scrambling to
secure long-term protection by acquiring United Nations World
Heritage Site status.

If the heat of the town becomes oppressive in the early afternoon,
instead of retreating into hotel air-conditioning you can still do
what generations of sahibs and memsahibs did _ head for the cool of
the nearby hills. The peak of Penang Hill, 800 metres high, is
reached by a funicular railway built in 1924. Macaque monkeys swing
from trees alongside the track.

The British began building their weekend bungalows up the hill in
1800, and Penang historians insist that this was the first hill
station” of the British empire _ the cooler mountain retreats common
later in India among the colonial elite.

Much of the interior of the 24-kilometre long island remains
undeveloped, but the northern coast has several large beach resorts,
notably Batu Ferringhi, 18 kilometres from Georgetown. But a beach is
a beach wherever the sea washes up, whereas Penang’s capital is
unique.

Source: The Standard.

Zaman, Turkey
Sept 24 2004

Gul Addresses UN

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul attending the 59th United
Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York made a speech yesterday and
evaluated latest developments in Turkey-European Union (EU) relations
as well as the issues in the world.

Full text of his address as follows:

Mr. President,

Mr. Secretary General,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to start by congratulating you on your election as
President of the 59th General Assembly. I pledge the full support of
my delegation in your endeavors. I would also like to pay tribute to
your predecessor, His Excellency Mr. Julian Hunte for his able
Presidency.

Mr. President,

We are a generation of world leaders at a time when our globe is
undergoing an important phase of adaptation to new realities,
opportunities and challenges.

As the Secretary-General, H. E. Mr. Kofi Annan frequently states, we
now possess the know-how to address our common concerns. The
Millennium Summit, which was the largest gathering of the world
leaders, produced a historic document: the Millennium Declaration
which charts the right course for humanity in the new Millennium.

The goals that the Millennium Declaration defined for humanity are
ambitious, yet achievable. Reducing hunger and extreme poverty,
spreading universal primary education, halting infectious diseases,
and reducing child mortality within 15 years continue to be urgent
tasks.

Universal humanitarian challenges and chronic political-military
conflicts are compounded with new and asymmetrical threats: Threats
such as terrorism, narcotics, organized crime, proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction and environmental problems. Racism,
anti-Semitism, prejudicial attitudes against the tenants of certain
creeds and cultures, among them the Muslims, and xenophobia add fuel
to those menaces. Besides, special and urgent needs of the African
continent remain to be responded collectively.

The UN system should be encouraged to elevate its role in addressing
these issues. Faith in international order and institutions should
not be undermined. A more effective and credible United Nations would
be more capable of facing the common challenges of today. The UN
Security Council should have a more representative and balanced
character. Representation at the Council has to be inclusive and
fair. This will increase its legitimacy and efficiency. In this
respect, I would like to commend the efforts of the
Secretary-General.

Mr. President,

Correlation between good governance and peace and prosperity is valid
both at home and in the world. Therefore, a global agenda for reform
should cover all aspects of our domestic and international life. Each
member of the international community has a stake and responsibility
in implementing such an agenda.

On our part, fully conscious of this correlation, my government has
realized sweeping political and economic reforms in the last two
years. We, thus, upgraded and deepened our democracy. An accountable,
transparent and efficient administration and a dynamic civil society
upholding the rule of law and human rights have been consolidated.
Expectations of our people as well as the relevant United Nations and
European Union standards inspired us in our reform drive. I take
pride in seeing that many, both in the west and the east, have
observed in our experience a perfect embodiment of modernity,
progress, identity and tradition.

Mr. President,

I should like to take this opportunity to confirm Turkey’s candidacy
for a non-permanent seat at the Security Council for the term
2009-2010. In spite of her substantial contributions to peace and
security, Turkey has not been a member of the Council for almost half
a century. Therefore, we rightfully expect the support of the General
Assembly for our candidacy.

Our bid for the non-permanent seat is in tune with Turkey’s larger
efforts to secure peace, stability and security in its region and
beyond. Turkey figures as a prominent country in humanitarian
activities from Palestine to Darfur. Our contribution has been made
available in increasing numbers for international peace keeping
missions in a wide geography from Bosnia to Afghanistan.

Turkey has a unique position as the only member of the Organization
of Islamic Conference that is also a candidate to the European Union.
This position enables us to facilitate interaction and dialogue
between the Islamic World and the West.

Turkey’s achievements in helping create an environment in our region
and beyond that is conducive to development, stability and progress
are plenty. The Black Sea Economic Cooperation, Economic Cooperation
Organization, Stability Pact are good examples to that effect.

Mr. President,

My Government has been pursuing a peaceful and problem-solving policy
to world affairs.

On the chronic issue of Cyprus, my government placed its full support
behind the Secretary General Kofi Annan’s good offices mission. We
cooperated closely with him. The Secretary General’s settlement plan
was the result of four years of serious negotiations between the two
sides. They were conducted on the basis of a new bi-zonal partnership
with a federal government and two constituent states. The Plan was
put to separate referendum with the prior agreement of all parties
concerned. The Annan Plan was overwhelmingly accepted by the Turkish
Cypriots whereas the Greek Cypriot leadership chose to reject it.

I profoundly regret that the opportunity to solve the long standing
problem of Cyprus was thus missed. As a result, a chance to grant
fresh credibility to the United Nations was lost. A possible source
of inspiration for peace-makers elsewhere, in the Middle East or the
Caucasus, also disappeared.

The Secretary General in his report to the Security Council clearly
stated that the referenda drastically changed the situation in the
Island. It confirmed, once again, the existence of two equal peoples
and their separate rights to decide for their fate.

The Secretary General also called on the members of the Security
Council, I quote, “to give a strong lead to all States to cooperate
both bilaterally and in international bodies to eliminate unnecessary
restrictions and barriers that have the effect of isolating the
Turkish Cypriots and impeding their development”, end of quote.

Turkey remains committed to a lasting settlement in Cyprus. Five
months have passed since the Turkish Cypriots, responding to the
calls of the international community, voted courageously in favor of
the UN Plan. However, they are yet to be rewarded for expressing
their will for the reunification of the Island. We urge the Security
Council to positively respond to the Secretary General’s calls. We
also appeal to UN member states to take, at bilateral level, concrete
steps to put an end to the isolation and punishment of the people of
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Mr. President,

Turkey has and will continue its strong support for the preservation
of peace and stability in Southeast Europe.

We are glad to note considerable progress in this region thanks to
the sustained efforts of the international community and the Balkan
countries themselves.

Turkey is determined to sustain the promising and constructive
atmosphere in our relations with Greece. We hope that the improvement
in bilateral relations will continue in the coming period. Our wide
ranging cooperation is expanding in every field. This will facilitate
the settlement of all pending issues. It will also result in a
climate of cooperation beneficial to the two countries as well as
peace, stability and security in the region as a whole.

Turkey believes that it is high time to start taking concrete steps
to eliminate the existing frozen conflicts in Southern Caucasus such
as Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. As a neighboring
country, we actively contribute to efforts aimed at achieving
stability and prosperity in this region. To this end, we have been
encouraging all the parties concerned while facilitating the ongoing
process of dialogue.

We hope that the Abkhazian conflict and the problems in South Ossetia
are overcome by peaceful means, within the territorial integrity and
sovereignty of Georgia.

My Government supports a just and lasting solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of the fundamental principles
of international law, the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and
good neighborly relations. We expect the Armenian Government to fully
comply with the relevant UN resolutions to reach such a solution.

Mr. President

The Middle East problem and the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan
stand as the major conflicts compounding instability in the world and
leading to increasingly serious consequences.

The Road Map is the only available framework for a comprehensive
settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian problem. Benefiting from her
traditional ties with the parties, Turkey has already offered its
active contribution to the implementation of the Road Map. We also
support every effort that is initiated and coordinated in this
context. We join the call made by the Quartet yesterday.

The resumption of the negotiating process between the two parties
should remain the central objective of the current efforts. Likewise,
fulfilling the performance criteria by both sides as laid out in the
Road Map is important. Terrorist attacks against the Israeli people
must stop. So must the deliberate destruction of Palestinian lives
and properties. The reform process of the Palestinian institutions
must be advanced. Israeli settlement activities must be immediately
halted. The ruling of the International Court of Justice must be
respected. The living conditions of the Palestinians need to be
urgently improved.

Any settlement would not be complete without progress in all the
tracks including the Syrian and the Lebanese ones.

Mr. President,

My Government is focused on contributing to improvement of the
situation in Iraq. We appreciate the massive resources and political
efforts mobilized by the US Administration and the international
community for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Iraq. We
sincerely wish these efforts to yield the desired results soon.

However, humanitarian, political and security difficulties faced by
the people of Iraq continue to adversely affect each other. It goes
without saying that developments in Iraq are also affecting my
country and causing suffering for my people while most of Iraq’s
humanitarian needs are being supplied through Turkey as a neighboring
country.

The Iraqi transition is not only about the fate of the Iraqi nation.
It is about the future of peace and prosperity in the whole region
and beyond. This is the motive of Turkey’s strong support of a
united, territorially intact and democratic Iraq: An Iraq that is in
peace with itself and with its neighbors. This should and can only be
achieved with the full participation and support of the Iraqi people
as a whole. More UN involvement would facilitate this task. The
Neighboring Countries Meetings, initiated by Turkey, is also a most
valuable instrument to be taken into account. After all, Iraq’s
success will be our collective success, and so will be its failure.

Turkey, will continue to support the Iraqi interim government’s
efforts in paving the way to normalcy and democracy.

The traditional support of Turkey towards the Afghan people will
continue. The establishment of security, stability and a democratic
system in Afghanistan is another urgent task. Making this country
free from terrorism, extremism and narcotics is of crucial importance
for the international community. We should all work for the incoming
elections to constitute a significant step to these ends.

Mr. President,

We all agree that terrorism has no justification. It can never claim
to represent any religion, nation or cause. Indiscriminate killing of
innocent people, be it in New York, in Istanbul, in Baghdad, in
Beslan or elsewhere, is a crime against humanity. We condemn these
terrorist atrocities in the strongest terms.

As a country that long suffered from terrorism, Turkey calls for more
intensified multilateral cooperation. The United Nations system is an
important platform in this respect and we extend our full support to
efforts under this roof.

We also strongly believe in the urgent need to strengthen the control
regimes on weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. We
will continue to support the ongoing work to ensure full adherence to
the legal instruments in this field. The creation of Nuclear Weapon
Free Zones is an important way of strengthening peace and security in
the world and in all regions, including the Middle East.

Mr. President,

Turkey is determined to deploy every effort aimed at strengthening
peace and stability in its immediate region and beyond. We will try
to make use of our multi-dimensional ties and deep-seated relations
to achieve this goal. We remain strongly committed to translating
into reality the universal validity of the noble values and
principles written in the United Nations Charter.

Thank you for your attention.