Month: October 2006

ERDOGAN CALLS ON TURKS TO EMBRACE DISSIDENT NOBEL WINNER

Anatolian Times, Turkey
Oct 18 2006

ANKARA – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on his
compatriots to wholeheartedly embrace 2006 Nobel literature laureate
Orhan Pamuk and "put aside" the controversies he has stirred up in
the past, in remarks published Monday.

"Let’s put aside the polemics. The prize is a first for a son of Turkey
and it will be wrong for us to underestimate it," Erdogan said in a
television interview to be aired late Monday, excerpts of which were
published in the best-selling newspaper Hurriyet.

"We must congratulate him," he said. "It would be wrong to mix what
Pamuk has said in the past and the fact that he has won this award."

The 54-year-old Pamuk, who has long had bad blood with the state,
landed himself in court on charges of "insulting Turkishness" and won
the reputation of a "traitor" among nationalist circles when he told
a Swiss magazine last year that "one million Armenians and 30,000
Kurds were killed in these lands."

His remarks were widely seen as an acknowledgement that the Ottoman
Turks committed genocide against Armenians during World War I,
a label that Ankara fiercely rejects.

Ironically, Thursday’s announcement of his Nobel prize came shortly
after the lower house of the French parliament voted a bill that
would make it a crime to deny that the killings were genocide,
infuriating Ankara.

The celebration of Pamuk’s award at home was overshadowed by skeptics
who argued that the author won the favors of the West not for his
literary skills but for his vocal criticism of his country

The divisions plagued even the highest state echelons: while Erdogan
personally called Pamuk, currently in New York, to congratulate him,
President Ahmet Necdet has remained mum, contrary to his tradition
of issuing congratulations to international achievements by Turks.

On Friday, Pamuk joined the chorus of criticism of the French bill,
saying that it flouted France’s "tradition of liberal and critical
thinking."

The court case against Pamuk, in which he risked up to three years
in jail, was dropped on a technicality in January.

The writer first drew the ire of the state in the mid-1990s when he
denounced heavy-handed policies against the Kurdish minority.

The state extended an olive branch in 1998, offering him the accolade
of "State Artist," but Pamuk declined.

FRENCH CROONER CHARLES AZNAVOUR TAPS CUBAN RHYTHMS

Reuters, UK
Oct 18 2006

HAVANA (Reuters) – At the age of 82, French crooner Charles Aznavour
is still looking for new ways to capture an audience and has turned
to the hot rhythms of Cuban music to convey his songs.

Aznavour teamed up with Latin jazz piano virtuoso Chucho Valdes to
record 11 songs, Aznavour said on Tuesday before heading home after
eight days in a Havana studio.

His new offerings include songs about environmental degradation and
last year’s race riots in France.

"To have Cuban music with such lyrics will draw us closer to the
public. It’s not a question of selling records but of conveying ideas
to people, not political but important human ideas," he said at a
news conference.

It is not Aznavour’s first encounter with Cuban musicians. In 1999,
he recorded the song "Morir de amor" (Dying of Love) with the late
Compay Segundo of Buena Vista Social Club fame.

"That was a marvelous experience. Between smiles, cigars and music
we managed a duet," said the blazer-clad singer.

Born in Paris of Armenian immigrants, the raspy-voiced Aznavour was
discovered by Edith Piaf in the 1940s. His breakthrough in America was
not on the stage but on the screen in Francois Truffaut’s 1960 film,
"Shoot the piano Player."

Ray Charles, Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby sang songs written by
Aznavour.

"Songs are a powerful weapon. Important statements disappear from
the newspaper the next day, but songs remain. They penetrate walls
and keep important ideas alive in the human spirit," he said.

Aznavour’s new record, scheduled for release by EMI early next year,
was recorded in Havana’s Abdala studio with Chucho Valdes and musicians
from his Iraquere band.

LAUNCH OF SYSTEM OF CONTROL OVER MEDICAL SERVICES QUALITY UNDER WAY IN ARMENIA

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 18 2006

YEREVAN, October 17. /ARKA/. Launch of a system of control over the
quality of medical services is under way in Armenia, Deputy Minister of
Healthcare of Armenia Tatul Hakobyan reported during the discussions
on the topic "Issues of Provision of Quality of Healthcare Services
and Economic Availability of Medicaments".

He said that international standards are being elaborated within the
frameworks of creation of this system, and also works on establishing
internal committees of control over the quality are under way.

Hakobyan also pointed out that this process is currently at the
stage of formation of relevant plans of action, standards, as well
as flexible and proper mechanisms meeting the requirements.

Public discussions are organized by the ministry of finances and
economy under the strategic poverty reduction program of Armenia.

Participating in the activity were representatives of the healthcare
sector, state governing bodies, NGOs, and also independent experts
from relevant international organizations.

HIGGS: DO YOU KNOW YOUR CITY PARKS?
By Norma Higgs

Niagara Gazette, NY
Oct 18 2006

During the summer I heard a lot about Hyde Park as the Niagara
Beautification Commission did a project in conjunction with the city
near the golf course. I learned this is a 580 acre park with many
activities for people of all ages. I also learned that there are 25
other parks in the city of Niagara Falls with nearly 135 acres of
green space. Some of these I never heard of and I wondered how many
you are aware of.

Let’s start in the LaSalle section with Caravelle Drive Park (0.5
acres) near Marine Memorial Drive which has a playground area. Then
on to Griffon Park, (20 acres) on River Road and 95th Street near
the boat docks. Moving over to Bollier Avenue and 82nd Street we find
Hennepin Park, (7 acres) another natural habitat area.

We all know of Jayne Park (22 acres) on Cayuga Island, which is a
full service park. LaSalle Park (6 acres) is also a full service park
and is located at Frontier Avenue and 91st Street. How about Perry
Park? (5 acres)

Also in LaSalle adjacent to 60th Street School is 70th Street Park
also known as Kies (5 acres).^PIt has two Little League diamonds
and is at Girard and 70th Street. 63rd Street Park at the corner of
Stephenson (1.3 acres) is really nothing more than a vacant lot but
it is kept up by the Parks Department. Further along Stephenson is,
well, Stephenson Park (1.39 acres), which has a playground, with a
sandbox and basketball courts. Finally we have Black Creek Park at
96th and Colvin Boulevard which was established at the urging of the
Black Creek Block Club.

So now we have determined that at least half of the city parks are
in LaSalle and we travel to the west side of Hyde Park where there
are also parks that I did not know about. Jerauld Park (2.5 acres)
on Jerauld Avenue and 29th Street which is actually owned by the
Niagara Falls School District but given to the city to maintain,
has a softball diamond, a small playground and basketball court in
need of repair. Lafayette Park (0.4 acres) is not more than a vacant
lot which is mowed and maintained by the Parks Department.

D’Amelio Park (15 acres) on Center Avenue and 15th Street next to the
Community Center in the Highland Avenue area is a full service park.

DiFranco Park (2 acres) on Main and Second streets is in a prime
development area downtown near the Howard Johnson Hotel. This facility
is being used temporarily as a construction storage site for the
Department of Transportation road improvement project in that area.

Gill Creek Park (7 acres) is on Niagara Street near 31st Street
and is in the process of renewal. A new gazebo and nature walk,
along with a picnic shelter, playground and comfort station will be
dedicated on Oct. 28. Robert Kostoff and the late Frances Scarfone
of the Niagara Street Business Association had a lot to do with the
updating of this park. Gluck Park (1.3 acres) is situated like one
of the squares of Savannah surrounded by 15th and 16th streets and
South and Weston avenues.

We head to Liberty Park (0.56 acres) at Elmwood Avenue and 19th
Street where we find a playground used extensively by children in
the area. The city recreation program is held here during the summer
months with supervised activities and free lunches. Over on the east
side we find a mystery park which is virtually unused and currently
under study for the future.

There is a house adjacent where once stood Moon’s Saloon, rumored
to have been a favorite hangout of the Buffalo Sabres. Also in this
area are two parks on Orleans Avenue (1.15 acres each) surrounded by
homes built after World War II on 24th Street and 25th Street.

The reincarnation of vacant land at North and Lockport (1.95 acres)
is a dream of the North End Block Club. This was once a busy city park
with a playground and sports activities. This neighborhood club is
currently attempting to raise interest and funds to bring this back
to what it once was and more. Their vision includes ball diamonds,
playground, basketball courts and handicap accessibility which would
be the only park with this advantage. Anyone interested in helping
in this goal can contact member Candace Corsaro at 284-2177.

Another historical park is Porter Park (4 acres) on Buffalo Avenue at
Ninth Street. It is believed that the Small Fort of the Portage was
situated nearby at the Niagara River. This structure was destroyed
by the French during the French and Indian War. At one point in
history the home of John Stedman of Goat Island fame was here as was
a local tavern, but today only the chimney believed to be from the
Fort remains. During the construction of the Robert Moses Parkway,
the chimney was moved at the urging of the Niagara Beautification
Commission to its present location to save it, thus establishing
the park.

Staying in the downtown area we find the Statue of Liberty Park (0.5
acres) sitting between the Rainbow Bridge and the Twist of the Mist.

The NBC arranged to have the Statue of Liberty moved here from Hyde
Park some years ago and there is also a civic monument placed here.

The last stop is on Main and Pine where we find Wright’s Park aka
Cenotaph Park and who some call Veteran’s Park. A triangle shape
dividing the streets, this is used for services and commemorations
on Memorial Day, Flag Day and Veterans Day. There is also a monument
recognizing the Armenian population lost during genocide from a
Turkish uprising in the 1900s.

As you can see, we have lots of parks to enjoy in all areas of the
city. We are very fortunate aren’t we? These small parks are a lot
of work for only five members of the Parks Department assigned to
"small parks" who must also keep up vacant lots owned by the city. I
acknowledge and thank the city Parks Department for some of the
factual information you read here.

Norma Higgs serves with the Niagara Beautification Commission and
Niagara Falls Block Club Council. Her columns appear Wednesday’s in
the Gazette.

DIAMANDA GALAS: THE OTHERWORDLY DIVA TACKLES ARMENIA
By Nicole Gluckstern

San Francisco Bay Guardian, CA
Oct 18 2006

Leave it to the Germans to invent one multisyllabic word for something
we English speakers can only express in full sentences.

Dubbing the multilingual, three-and-a-half-octave vocal acrobatics of
Diamanda Galas Schreioper (shriek opera), they’ve captured both the
technical virtuosity and the theatrical quality of her performances.

Something akin to a one-woman force of nature, the classically trained
musical extremist has long turned to the dark side for inspiration,
revealing demonic sympathies with her 1982 Litanies of Satan and
creating pieces on the AIDS epidemic for a trilogy of mid-’80s
recordings.

p?entry_id=1899&catid=85&volume_id=254&amp ;issue_id=257&volume_num=41&issue_num=03

HEROES OF THE VISA WAR
Olga Allenova

Kommersant, Russia
Oct 18 2006

Crowds Meet Deported Georgians in Tbilisi

A Russian Emergencies Ministry plane arrived in Tbilisi yesterday
carrying 150 Georgian citizens who were being deported from Russia.

They were given a hero’s welcome. That flight, which was supposed to
have brought to Tbilisi a Georgian citizen named Tengiz Togonidze who
died in Moscow on the way to the airport, delivered a crushing blow
to the remnants of Russia’s authority in the region. Kommersant’s
special correspondent Olga Allenova has the details.

That day, the Tbilisi airport was particularly crowded: besides
the usual crowds accompanying and meeting travelers, there were also
journalists and representatives of the Russian embassy and the Georgian
authorities. Even several additional fast food restaurants had opened
in the departure hall. The Emergencies Ministry (MChS) flight, which
was expected at 16:00, was delayed until 18:00: a Georgian citizen
named Tengiz Togonidze, who was supposed to be on the flight, died on
Moscow on the road to Domodedovo airport. As soon as the news reached
Georgia, it was clear that a turning point had been reached in the
cold war between Moscow and Tbilisi. The two sides will have to come
to an agreement now or never. Judging by the scene in the airport,
those in Georgia have cast their vote in favor of the latter.

The approximately one hundred Russian citizens who were preparing
to leave Georgia on the same MChS plane were reluctant to speak with
journalists. Only one woman responded, when asked why she was leaving,
"since it’s possible, I’m going." Airport workers said that those who
are leaving are mainly Armenians and some Georgians who have succeeded
in obtaining Russian citizenship. "Why are they leaving?" parroted a
security services official at the airport, his voice heavy with irony
– "because it’s free!" A little while later, the same man explained
with dignity to journalists that President Saakashvili has forbidden
cargo planes from the Russian MChS to fly into Georgia so that Russia
has been forced to send an Il-62 passenger plane instead of stuffing
people into cargo planes like cattle. Valery Vasiliev, the Russian
consul in Georgia, told me that this will probably be the last plane
that will take Russian citizens out of Georgia: all of those who wanted
to leave Georgia, around 500 people, have already left. In reply to
the question of how it came about that a person being deported by
Russia died on the road to the airport, the consul answered, "it is
a very sad event, there will be an investigation," but said nothing
more concrete. That was provided by Georgian ombudsman Sozar Subari:
"It is run-of-the-mill fascism," he said. "It’s Nazism. I approached
the Russian ombudsman with a request that he intervene in this outrage,
if in Russian some kind of positive forces still exist. Out of the
150 people deported today, more than half have normal documents and
the right to live in Russia!"

When the people from the MChS plane cleared passport control and
began to trickle into the arrival hall, they were surrounded by a
wall of journalists so solid that it was difficult to push through
it. Those who arrived did not want to comment. Someone shielded his
face with his hands, and another covered his head with his coat as he
pushed through the throng. The men, frowning, haphazardly attired and
with unshaven cheeks, were irritated and embittered, and the women
were distraught. One of them, who was carrying a child in her arms,
stopped as a microphone was thrust at her. "Why did they arrest you?"

she was asked. "My visa was not in order," said the woman. "What will
you do now?" "I don’t know! I have no idea what to do!" The following
dialogue was had with another man:

"How long did they hold you in the isolation unit?"

"Ten days."

"Ten days?!! How did they treat you?"

"Badly."

"Why did they arrest you?"

"Because I’m a Georgian."

Many explained their arrest in similar terms. Someone said something
in Georgian about Russian Nazism; someone showed his passport, which
had a Russian visa, and said that they had no right to kick him out.

Someone mentioned a week of incarceration in an isolation unit,
where it was even forbidden to wash. Someone simply broke down in
tears of humiliation.

I glanced at the ombudsman, Mr. Subari, whose eyes were aflame. I
think he was feeling these people’s humiliation as keenly as they
themselves were. And I felt burning shame for my country.

A young woman from the Georgian Education Ministry stopped children
and teenagers and pressed into their hands a booklet that had "Welcome
Home!" written across it. On the other side of the booklet, a notice
from the Education Ministry explained that all schoolchildren who had
been forced to leave Russia would now be attending Georgian schools
and that they should call such-and-such a number so that they would be
accepted into school. The children hid the booklets in their pockets,
and their mothers cried.

The Russian Federal Migration Service stated that day that all of
the deportees had overstayed their visas or did not have visas at all.

The service also said that the Russian budget allocates about 27,000
rubles for the deportation of a migrant, which includes expenditures
for tickets, detention in a special holding area, medicine, and food.

But in the case of the deported Georgians, the budget was economized
by half: the deportation of a single Georgian was managed by the
government for only 13,000 rubles. Maybe that’s why Tengiz Togonidze,
an asthmatic, died when he wasn’t given medication in time.

In Georgia yesterday thousands of people saw on their television
screens their compatriots and their visas, both overstayed and valid.

Thousands of people heard the story of Tengiz Togonidze. Thousands of
people in Georgia asked each other for the third time – this was the
third MChS plane from Russia – why it was necessary to so thoroughly
humiliate the Georgians, who were once desired guests in Russia. I
am certain that these people will never forget what they have seen.

"Russia shown has its face once again," Georgian Minister for Refugees
Georgy Kheviashvili told me. "Russia has shown that it is impossible
to live with it in peace. Russia has done everything to push Georgia
as far away as possible. Well, thanks for the gift. I don’t doubt
that we will be able to use what has happened in our own interests."

I also have no doubt.

_Georgians_Tbilisi/

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CROONER AZNAVOUR TAPS CUBAN RHYTHMS

The West Australian, Australia
Oct 18 2006

At the age of 82, French crooner Charles Aznavour is still looking
for new ways to capture an audience and has turned to the hot rhythms
of Cuban music to convey his songs.

Aznavour teamed up with Latin jazz piano virtuoso Chucho Valdes to
record 11 songs, Aznavour said before heading home after eight days
in a Havana studio.

His new offerings include songs about environmental degradation and
last year’s race riots in France.

"To have Cuban music with such lyrics will draw us closer to the
public. It’s not a question of selling records but of conveying ideas
to people, not political but important human ideas," he said at a
news conference.

It is not Aznavour’s first encounter with Cuban musicians.

In 1999, he recorded the song Morir de amor (Dying of Love) with the
late Compay Segundo of Buena Vista Social Club fame.

"That was a marvelous experience. Between smiles, cigars and music
we managed a duet," said the blazer-clad singer.

Born in Paris of Armenian immigrants, the raspy-voiced Aznavour was
discovered by Edith Piaf in the 1940s.

His breakthrough in America was not on the stage but on the screen
in Francois Truffaut’s 1960 film, Shoot The Piano Player.

Ray Charles, Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby sang songs written by
Aznavour.

"Songs are a powerful weapon. Important statements disappear from
the newspaper the next day, but songs remain. They penetrate walls
and keep important ideas alive in the human spirit," he said.

Aznavour’s new record, scheduled for release by EMI early next year,
was recorded in Havana’s Abdala studio with Chucho Valdes and musicians
from his Iraquere band.

BAYKAL’S TARGET WAS AðAR

Sabah, Turkey
Oct 18 2006

The chairman of CHP (Republican People’s Party) Deniz Baykal responded
harshly to the words of the chairman of DYP (True Path Party) Mehmet
Aðar saying: "Baykal does not understand me." He responded to Aðar
that: "You were not misunderstood; you have spoken wrongly just
like the Pope." Baykal added that the government does not give real
reaction to the Armenian genocide denial bill of France except a flash
in the pan. Baykal stated that political fight should be accompanied
by jurisdical fight.

–Boundary_(ID_LZEUV5g50/lNMZNdDuQGzg)–

GRAND NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF TURKEY CONDEMNS FRANCE AND REMINDS OF THE NEAR HISTORY

Sabah, Turkey
Oct 18 2006

General council of Grand National Assembly of Turkey responded
the denial of genocide bill harshly: "You caused the death of one
million people in Algeria, Indian China, Madagascar and other African
countries. Gul said: "The irreparable wounds have been opened."

Grand National Assembly of Turkey responded the French Parliament
which enables jurisdiction of the ones denying the Armenian genocide
with a communiquThe Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Gul
warned France in a harsh tone: "If the bill is accepted as a law,
our relations in political, economical and security field will be
wounded irreparably." The communiquaccepted by the council unanimously
briefly stated that Grand National Assembly of Turkey condemns the
legal bill seriously and all Turkish citizens including the Armenian
ones react against this bill. France which caused the death of over
one million innocent people in Algeria, Indian China, Madagascar and
other African countries with its applications in the near history,
should speak carefully about other countries’ historical events.

EXTREMISTS MANAGE TO KEEP EACH OTHER HAPPY
By Gwynne Dyer

Hamilton Spectator, Canada
Oct 18 2006

Words matter. The Holocaust of the Jews in the Second World War
was genocide. The mass deportation of Chechens from their Caucasian
homeland in the same war was a crime but not genocide, though half of
them died, because Moscow’s aim was to keep them from collaborating
with German troops, not to exterminate them. Which brings us to the
Armenians and the Turks.

On Oct. 12, France passed a law declaring that anyone who denies that
the mass murder of Armenians in Turkey in 1915-17 was genocide will
face a year in prison. But the French foreign ministry called the law
"unnecessary and untimely" and President Jacques Chirac called Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan to apologize.

Why would the conservative majority in the French parliament
deliberately set out to annoy the Turks, knowing the law will
eventually be vetoed by the president? Because they hope to provoke
a nationalist backlash in Turkey that will further damage its already
difficult relationship with the European Union.

French public opinion is already in a xenophobic mood over the last
expansion of the EU, with folk tales of "Polish plumbers" working for
peanuts and stealing the jobs of honest French workers causing outrage,
especially among right-wing voters who never much liked foreigners
anyway. The prospect of 80 million Muslim Turks joining the EU, even
if it is at least 10 years away, is enough to make their blood boil.

So a row with Turkey should attract votes to the right’s presidential
candidate in next May’s election. That’s likely to be none other
than current Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy who said last month that
Turkey should never be allowed to join the EU: "We have to say who
is European and who isn’t. It’s no longer possible to leave this
question open." The new law is not really about Armenians or Turks.

It’s about the French election.

Meanwhile, in Turkey, anti-EU nationalists have their own game. As
Turkey was busy amending its penal code to conform to EU standards in
the past few years, hard line lawyers and bureaucrats smuggled in a
new law, Article 301, that provides severe penalties for "insulting
Turkishness."

In practice, that mainly means trying to ban public discussion of the
Armenian massacres. Some 70 prosecutions have already been brought
by the ultra-right-wing Union of Lawyers against Turkish authors,
journalists and other public figures.

For several generations Turkey flatly denied any guilt for the Armenian
massacres, insisting they didn’t happen and if they did, it was the
Armenians’ own fault for rebelling against Turkey in wartime.

Latterly, Turkish intellectuals have been saying that a million or
more Armenians did die in the mass deportations and that Turkey needs
to admit its guilt and apologize, though most still refuse to call
it genocide as that would put it in the same category as the Holocaust.

The prosecutions for "insulting Turkishness" — even against Turkey’s
greatest living novelist, Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk — are
not just attempts to stifle this dialogue among Turks, or between
Turks and Armenians. The ultra-nationalists also want to derail the
negotiations for EU membership by painting Turkey as an authoritarian
and intolerant state that does not belong in Europe. They are, in
effect, Sarkozy’s objective allies.

But Prime Minister Erdogan will probably repeal Article 301 once next
year’s elections are past. France’s law, which requires people not to
deny the Armenian massacres, the talks that 301 bans, will probably be
vetoed by Chirac. And Turkey’s best-known Armenian journalist, Hrant
Dink, who has already been prosecuted several times under 301, has
just announced he’ll go to France "to protest against this madness and
violate the law … and I will commit the crime to be prosecuted there,
so that these two irrational mentalities can race to put me into jail."

Gwynne Dyer is a London-based independent journalist whose articles
are published in 45 countries.

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress