Month: December 2008

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Dec 28 2008

Civil, mannered and sane politicians wanted

Turkey’s politicians are adopting increasingly tougher and ruder
language against each other: Several cases over the past week have
revealed once again how easily they can lose their temper with rivals
and use vulgar, churlish and even insulting language, which is far
from befitting a member of Parliament.

On one such occasion last week, Republican People’s Party (CHP)
deputy Canan Arıtman, who linked President Abdullah
Gül’s pro-freedom approach toward an apology campaign recently
launched by several intellectuals over Armenian killings at the hands
of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 to Gül’s ethnic roots, said she
would like to throw a shoe at the president when she sees him, the
same way an Iraqi journalist hurled a shoe at visiting US President
George Bush on Dec. 14.

Although many agreed that as a member of Parliament, it was
Arıtman’s right to criticize Gül, the fact that she
openly revealed her intention to attack the president, the person who
represents the country, has been met with criticism.

Andrew Finkel, a British journalist covering Turkish politics for many
years and a columnist for Today’s Zaman, said there was a combination
of factors that lead politicians to embrace unparliamentary
language. `There are frequent television pictures of parliamentary
brawls in South Asian politics. Fisticuffs seem to have an honorable
place in Korean or Thai politics.’

Looking back on recent years, he said it was not long ago that there
were fights at party conventions in Turkey; during the 1990s there was
a lot of throwing of plastic chairs at CHP and Motherland Party (ANAP,
now ANAVATAN) party conferences.

`I remember attending one controversial vote in Parliament and
witnessing the [now-defunct] Virtue Party [FP] members attacking [in
the sense of rushing across the floor of Parliament] CHP members from
Ä°zmir who held up a sign mocking them. I think Abdullah
Gül was one of them. I never saw him move so fast,’ Finkel told
Sunday’s Zaman.

On another such occasion, an independent deputy from the eastern
province of Tunceli who is notorious for using abrasive language,
Kamer Genç, astonished all with remarks about parliamentary
deputies during a speech in Ä°zmir last weekend. `You insult
them in the strongest way possible from Parliament’s podium, but they
remain silent; they feel no embarrassment. They rob people; you tell
them, and still they feel no embarrassment. There is only one way
forward in such a situation: to shoot those deputies in the head,’
Genç said in statements met with criticism and largely
interpreted as being provocative. Nevzat Tarhan, a professor of
psychiatry also known for his research in social and political
psychology, thinks the use of angry and unbecoming language by Turkish
politicians could be due to several reasons.

According to the professor, an angry mood can be part of someone’s
character, urging them to react furiously and unexpectedly. In his
view, such a mood is the signal of a politician’s authoritarian
leadership style, while a democratic leader’s attributes would include
persuasion through the use of temperate language. `Having such a mood
is a shortcoming for a politician. It leads him/her to loneliness and
wards off different opinions around them, leaving only people who
unwillingly approve and praise that leader’s actions out of fear,’ he
said.

Another reason cited by Tarhan for the angry mood of politicians could
be a feeling of despair, weakness and incompetence. The influence of
group psychology can also play a role as some deputies often get
carried away with each other’s remarks in Parliament and find
themselves in a fierce quarrel or exchanging blows with other
deputies.

`If there are angry people in a party who show their reactions in a
harsh way, they influence others to behave the same way. Some parties
hold party congresses very peacefully without any incidents because
there are no angry people in their ranks.’

In September, Young Party (GP) leader Cem Uzan was convicted of
insulting Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an and was ordered
by a court to enroll in an anger management program and read five
books on `anger management’ and `self development,’ a first in the
history of Turkish politics.

Most recently, last Friday, Parliament witnessed a fight between
Democratic Society Party (DTP) deputy Sırrı Sakık
and CHP deputy Mevlüt AslanoÄ?lu when the latter accused
Sakık of being a `denouncer.’ After walking towards
AslanoÄ?lu, Sakık tried to punch him and appeared to have
hit him. Other deputies intervened, breaking up the fight. Deputy
Parliament Speaker Meral AkÅ?ener ended the meeting, and DTP
Deputy Chairman Selahattin DemirtaÅ? went up to the rostrum and
apologized on behalf of his party.

A former politician and a columnist for the Radikal daily, Hasan Celal
Güzel, thinks it is a tradition for Turkey’s politicians to
adopt unparliamentary language as this has been the case throughout
the history of the republic.

`But such political fights and language are not peculiar to Turkish
politics as politicians of other countries are involved in similar
situations,’ said Güzel.

According to Güzel, the reason why such bad and unbecoming
language is widely used in politics is the main opposition CHP, which
he says always resorts to non-democratic means for the settlement of
parliamentary disputes.

Güzel agrees that the public sometimes approves of such actions
by politicians depending on who the politician is and how he expressed
his anger.

Before last year’s July 22 elections, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
ErdoÄ?an, who is frequently criticized for his angry outbursts,
rebuked a farmer in the southern province of Mersin in front of
cameras after the farmer had complained to him about his deteriorating
financial situation due to government policies, saying, `You made my
mother cry, prime minister.’ In response, an angry ErdoÄ?an told
the farmer, `Take your mother and leave,’ in remarks that were
interpreted as very tough and not befitting a prime minister.

Although ErdoÄ?an’s opponents severely criticized him at the
time and accused him of using insulting language against a citizen,
his party ended up winning the general elections, receiving 46.6
percent of the nationwide vote.

Güzel said although the public generally disapproves of the use
of tough language, they may welcome and enjoy it on certain occasions,
as in ErdoÄ?an’s case, according to the situation and the person
who used that language. `A smile could change many things,’ added
Güzel.

28 December 2008, Sunday
FATMA DÄ°Å?LÄ° Ä°STANBUL

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Dec 28 2008

Apologizing is all around

I don’t know about your New Year’s celebration plans, but mine are
simple and the same as they were last year and the year before: After
visiting my parents and exchanging good wishes with my friends, I will
watch the movie "Love Actually," which I’ve already memorized in its
entirety, even the special features. This movie warms my soul, though
it has the many shortcomings possessed by romantic comedies. The
screenplay is based on the stories of several characters, all linked
to each other in some way, and each story tells about different
aspects of love. The film begins five weeks before Christmas and is
played out during a week-by-week countdown until the holiday, with an
epilogue that takes place one month later.

The soundtrack is very nice, too, and it opens with the Christmas
variation of classic hit "Love Is All Around." This song makes me
happy, but this year I will try to sing my own variation, which will
be "Apologizing Is All Around" — and for this version, it does not
matter how awful my voice is, it will make me even happier.

Whatever others may say, I think 2008 was a remarkable year because
one of the very important deficits in our dominant political culture
began to be defeated, and this is why 2008 deserves a special
blessing.

In our dominant political culture, even in the dominant daily culture,
to "apologize" has a very limited place. For us, it is always very
difficult to accept our faults; it is more difficult to articulate it
even if we are sad because of them. For example, I don’t know if
you’ve noticed, but even in a small traffic accident, the obviously
wrong party does not apologize but tries instead to pretend that s/he
is innocent. This habit is also reflected in our political culture. I
can’t even recall a single political leader who was able to say "I am
sorry."

The wave of apologies began with Justice Minister Mehmet Ali
Å?ahin when he conveyed the apology for the murder of Engin
Ã?eber, who reportedly died after being beaten by security
forces. Maybe it was not good enough, but nonetheless it was a very
important step because it showed us that the state can apologize.

Then came the "apologizing campaign" of the intellectuals for the
"Great Catastrophe that the Ottoman Armenians were subjected to in
1915." Well, perhaps some reactions to it were at the level of racism,
but the important thing is that apologizing is starting to be a part
of our sovereign political culture.

Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Canan Arıtman, while
criticizing the president’s silence regarding the apology campaign,
called for an investigation into the ancestry of Gül’s mother
in a statement, implying that she was of Armenian origin. She has not
apologized for it yet; on the other hand, she is not worth taking
seriously. Another CHP deputy, Å?ükrü
ElekdaÄ?, who strongly opposes the apology campaign, did
apologize to Gül’s mother, and it was definitely something.

(But perhaps I should apologize here because I am a woman who tries to
advocate for the involvement of women in politics as much as I can. I
definitely do not mean the male chauvinist, racist, fascist women like
Arıtman.)

The apology campaign may have created many reactions, but on the other
hand, as German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said: "All truth
passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is
violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."

Then, all of a sudden, another apology came, this time from Culture
and Tourism Minister ErtuÄ?rul Günay. He told Alevis that
in the past there had been provocations against Alevis and that he was
apologizing for this because he is a representative of the
state. Alevis did not accept the apology — of course, those who have
been given an apology have the right to refuse it — but still, it is
something.

Then, suddenly, just like in "Love Actually," just a couple of weeks
before New Year’s, we started hearing apologies coming from
everywhere. At the beginning of the movie, David, the British prime
minister (played by Hugh Grant), says the words one by one before the
story telling starts: "Actually-love-is-all around."

So with great pleasure and hope, I want to say,
"Actually-apologizing-is-all around."

Happy New Year’s.
28.12.2008

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Dec 28 2008

The Armenian apology campaign and the Ottoman Ergenekon

by IHSAN YILMAZ

The apology regarding the terrible fate of the Armenians in 1915
sparked harsh debates in Turkey. The same sections that vehemently
opposed President Abdullah Gül’s visit to Armenia are this time
blaming the signatories of the campaign. I will now simply repeat what
I had to write during the debates surrounding Gül’s visit. I think we
have to keep reiterating that there are certain sections in the
country — among them the Ergenekonian deep state — that do not want
a solution to the problems with Armenia so that they can meddle with
Turkey’s domestic and foreign politics. Any solution to the Armenian
issue will not make them happy.

This is a simple summary of modern Turkish history. Turkey is
surrounded by enemies and thus we need strong nationalist
authoritarian guardians to protect us. Now, as the Justice and
Development Party’s (AK Party) "zero problems with neighbors policy"
has shown, we can enter into dialogue with our neighbors and talk
about our differences. I hope that we can succeed in doing this with
Armenia as well.

As far as I can see, an overwhelming majority of people do not have
any problem with entering into dialogue with Armenia. Even the
terrible incidents around 1915 and the Armenian Secret Army for the
Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) terror organization’s assassinations of
our diplomats did not change Turks’ positive feelings toward
Armenians. Generally speaking, the remaining Armenians did not face
any hostility from Turks. Yet the state’s position is a completely
different story.

Even in the law, Armenians have not been treated as first-class
citizens. The Turkish state’s definition of citizen has somehow —
unofficially and in practice — been limited to Muslims. Non-Muslim
Turkish citizens could never get sensitive bureaucratic
positions. This is in full contrast to the Ottoman experience. In
terms of diversity and tolerance, the Republic of Turkey is light
years behind the Ottomans.

The state has always denied that there was any Armenian massacre
ordered by the state. I am not a historian and have not studied the
1915 incidents in detail. But whenever I — as an ordinary Turk —
think about the issue, the Turkish state’s treatment of its other
citizens instantly comes to mind and my mind starts drawing
parallels. I know very well that this is not a scientific technique or
instrument utilized by historians, but not every Turk has to be a
historian, and they still have feelings, ideas and opinions on certain
matters.

Yes, whenever I start thinking about the Armenian issue and the
incidents of 1915, the state’s treatment of Kurds in southeastern
Turkey comes to mind. Banning their mother tongue is a prime
example. Could there be any bigger torture than that? Then I remember
thousands of young people — leftist, rightist, Kurdish — who were
continuously tortured in Turkish prisons just after the 1980
coup. Then I remember how Turkey had to pay many thousands of dollars
in compensation on many occasions to our citizens of Kurdish
background just because some of our soldiers made them eat cow dung.

Then I think that if some of our administrators and bureaucrats could
do all of these things to our citizens in this age and time, then
like-minded Ottoman politicians, administrators and bureaucrats would
find it suitable to react to Armenian hostilities — encouraged by the
great powers and Russia — by simply deciding to exile them to Syria
without taking enough precautions about health and safety
issues. Moreover, some "Ottoman Ergenekonians" could easily target
these civilians.

My conscience and my reading of modern Turkey, including the Ergenekon
case, convince me that the Ergenekonian-like ultra-patriots who
thought the country was in danger — and it was indeed in danger —
could easily massacre Armenian civilians and that they would not
really need any legislation or document signed by a minister to do
that. I find it funny when our nationalist historians try to prove
that there are not any documents signed by the Ottoman authorities to
order the Armenian massacre. Did today’s Ergenekonians need such a
document to make Kurdish villagers eat cow dung or to kill many
people?

28.12.2008

Kolkata Newsline, India
Dec 28 2008

A Street Named Memoir

EXPRESS FEATURES SERVICE
Posted: Dec 28, 2008 at 0407 hrs IST

Kolkata Pragya Paramita takes a walk along Park Street with a group of
enthusiastic young friends to know more about the city Walter Savage
Landor once famously wrote ‘ `Rose Aylmer, whom these wakeful eyes,
May weep but never see, A night of memories and sighs I consecrate to
thee’ ‘ of his beloved Rose Aylmer who sailed to Calcutta with her
aunt and died two years later. And the remains of Landor’s beloved,
who died sometime in the eighteenth century, are one of the many
obscure graves dotting the Park Street cemetery. It’s not one of the
best graves in the cemetery though but it certainly is one of the
things that will be pointed out to those who take the Calcutta Walks
along the entire Park Street in the morning.

Calcutta Walks, an endeavour started by a few enthusiastic young
friends, has been organising walking tours around different parts of
the city for the past one year and lately they added Park Street to
the list of historical roads on their itinerary. Some of the other
walks they conduct are in Dalhousie Square, Chowringhee, Sovabazar,
Bow Barracks to Burra Bazar and Kumartuli.

Park Street, says Iftekhar Ahsan, founder-member of the walk, is one
of the most interesting and fascinating streets in the city. And a
trip down this road could never get boring.

The Park Street chapter starts with a quick history of the old Asiatic
Society. Formed by Indophile William Jones, it was also one of the
first societies to be formed in the country. While one of the famed
jewel still stands, the other wonder at this end of the road, has but
disappeared into the oblivion. Hall and Anderson, that used to be one
of the biggest and oldest departmental stores on this side of the
continent, was patronised by the royal families of the country. `At 5
lakh square feet, even in history, it dwarfs over the modern
departmental stores,’ says Ahsan.

>From the past to the present, one of the best- kept secrets of the
road is Flury’s bakery situated behind the Apeejay House where breads
and muffins would still be baked in an oven that was brought to the
city in 1905 till about a decade ago when the place was renovated.
>From the back doors of the `gentle lady’, as Flury’s is affectionately
called, it’s then a stroll down with quick references to the Queen’s
Mansion, that was lost by a certain JC Golston in the races and the
Stephan Court founded by the Armenian Aratoon Stephan, who used to
drive a wheelbarrow in the streets of Calcutta and 25 years later
ended up owning the Grand Hotel.

`Interestingly, Park Street was known as the Burial Ground Road and
the place used to be marshes. There were settlements in North Kolkata
and Chowringhee but not here. This was basically an elevated road
going to the cemetery,’ says Ahsan.

While Park Street to most of its patrons may be the road of the Sky
Room and the wild girl as the Trincas is called, Ahsan makes it clear
it’s more than that.

`There is the Goethel Library in St Xavier’s College housing over a
thousand books printed before 1800, and of course the San Soucu
theatre patronised by Esther Leech who died when her dress caught fire
in the theatre before her performance. Today, it’s the St Xavier’s
auditorium,’ says Ahsan.

>From there it’s a quick walk to the grave of eighteenth century
British poet Landor’s beloved Rose Aylmer. But the cemetery, as Ahsan
points out, is a place that requires a full day’s dedication. So a
walk among the graves, a quick look at the graves of Derozio and
another Indophile Charles `Hindu’ Stuart, and then it’s back to
Flury’s for a breakfast.

`I have been to plenty of such walks in other cities like Singapore,
Hyderabad, Delhi and I realised that there could not be just one way
to see the city, and this is one of the unique ways one can experience
the city,’ says Ahsan.

Entertainment and Showbiz!, India
Dec 29 2008

Susceptibility to PTSD, depression and anxiety may be inherited

Posted by ranjankul in Other News

A study on the survivors of the massive 1988 earthquake that killed
17,000 people in Armenia, and destroyed nearly half the town of Gumri,
has revealed that vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder,
depression and anxiety may be inherited through genes.

Armen Goenjian, a research psychiatrist in the Department of
Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California,
Los Angeles, studied 200 participants from 12 multigenerational
families exposed to the earthquake.

The researcher revealed that the subjects suffered from varying
degrees of the disorders.

Reporting their findings in the journal Psychiatric Genetics, he and
his colleagues revealed that 41 percent of the variation of PTSD
symptoms was due to genetic factors.

They also said that 61 percent of the variation of depressive symptoms
and 66 percent of anxiety symptoms were attributable to genetics.

The team added that they found that a large proportion of the genetic
liabilities for the disorders were shared.

`This was a study of multigenerational family members – parents and
offspring, grandparents and grandchildren, siblings, and so on – and
we found that the genetic makeup of some of these individuals renders
them more vulnerable to develop PTSD, anxiety and depressive
symptoms,’ said Goenjian, a member of the UCLA-Duke University
National Center for Child Traumatic Stress and lead author of the
study.

According to him, the study suggests that a large percentage of genes
are shared between the disorders.

`That tracks with clinical experience. For example, in clinical
practice, the therapist will often discover that patients who come in
for treatment of depression have coexisting anxiety. Our findings show
that a substantial portion of the coexistence can be explained on the
basis of shared genes and not just environmental factors such as
upbringing,’ he said.

The study involving statistical methods to assess heritabilities
showed that that a significant amount of genes were shared between
PTSD and depression, PTSD and anxiety, and finally depression and
anxiety.

Goenjian claimed that this is the first time that a study suggesting
such a heritability of PTSD has been based on whole families, who were
exposed to a particular trauma like earthquake.

He said all previous studies showing such results had been twin
studies.

`It’s very hard to do family studies on PTSD because typically only
single individuals, not whole families, are exposed to a particular
trauma. In our study, we were able to avert this problem since all the
subjects were exposed to the same severe trauma at the same time,’ he
said.

Goenjian said that the findings were promising for the next step in
understanding the underlying biology of such disorders, that is,
locating the specific genes involved. (ANI)

eptibility-to-ptsd-depression-and-anxiety-may-be-i nherited-200812287923

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

China Post, Taiwan
Dec 28 2008

Singer Aznavour granted Armenian citizenship

YEREVAN — The renowned French singer of Armenian origin Charles
Aznavour has been granted Armenian citizenship by presidential decree,
the presidency of the ex-Soviet republic said Friday. `Armenian
President Serzh Sarkisian has signed a decree granting Armenian
citizenship to the prominent singer and public figure, a hero of the
Armenian people, Charles Aznavour,’ the presidency said in a
statement. Born Shahnur Aznavourian, the 84-year-old singer is among
the best-known figures of France’s 400,000-strong Armenian
diaspora. He was born in Paris to Armenian parents. After the 1988
earthquake in Armenia which killed 25,000 people, Aznavour set up a
foundation and organised a series of charity concerts to help quake
victims. He also serves as Armenia’s permanent delegate to the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The author of over 1,000 songs, Aznavour is one of France’s most
popular singers and is the first French performer to have a recording
that went platinum in Europe. He sold over over 100 million records
worldwide. In 1998 he was named Entertainer of the Century by CNN and
Time Online.

AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
Dec 24 2008

Fraud revealed in Turkish apology campaign

24-12-2008 03:50:24

An apparent fraud has been revealed in an online signature campaign
launched by a group of Turkish citizens to apologize to Armenians for
the alleged World War I-era killings of their countrymen.
It has now been revealed that most of the Turks included in the list
of people voting for the "apology" have either died or are
non-existent. Additionally, some of the persons listed were not aware
that they had been included in the campaign.

The initiative, launched on the website on
December 15 by up to 200 Turkish scholars, journalists, men of art and
NGO representatives, seeks to extend an apology for the alleged mass
killings in the Ottoman Empire that Armenians term as genocide, a
claim strenuously denied by Ankara. Supporters of the campaign vote by
including their names, city of residence and email addresses on the
web-page. An opportunity has also been created for non-users of the
Internet to submit their votes by mail. The campaign is expected to
last a year.

The website claimed that among those apologizing to the Armenians was
Turkey`s ambassador to France Ismayil Erezi, who was slain by Armenian
terrorists in Paris in 1975.

The web site further says that over 13,000 people have already joined
the campaign, but it is unknown which of the published names are
forged. After the persons whose names had been included in the list
without their knowledge appealed to the prosecutor`s office, the
website`s sections saying "Katilanlar" (Those joining) and "Katilmak
ichin tiklayin" (Click to join) were removed.

It is of note that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other
Turkish officials have condemned the campaign.

"I do not understand the organizers of this campaign and believe they
are wrong," the Turkish premier said. "One has to commit a crime to
ask for an apology afterwards.

Treating matters with good will is one thing, while apologizing in the
absence of any crime is completely another."The Turkish Armed Forces
Headquarters has labeled the online "apology" campaign as a move that
will be harmful to the country, with Armed Forces official, Metin
Gurak, calling the move erroneous.

Turkish Ambassador in Baku, Hulusi Kilic, has also come out against
the initiative, saying Turkey is not apologizing to Armenians, but, on
the contrary, is expecting an apology from them.

"The Turkish nation does not owe an apology to any other nation,"
Kilic told reporters.

Some 60 former ambassadors denounced the "apology" initiative as
running opposite of the country`s national interests. In a statement,
they said the re-settlement of Armenians carried out in 1915 in the
conditions of war had caused bitter consequences. However, the Turks`
losses due to Armenian terror and riots, were no less heavy.

To counter the initiative, Turkish intellectuals have lately launched
a campaign called "We are not apologizing." The signature collection
campaign is being carried out on the website.

Meanwhile, the Turkish embassy in Baku has expressed concern over the
baseless reports in local as well as Azerbaijani media claiming that
President Abdullah Gul`s maternal side is ethnic Armenian. A source
from the embassy told AssA-Irada that Gul has made a formal statement
regarding his family`s roots, saying his generation comes from
traditional Muslim Turks.

After all officials in Ankara except President Gul condemned this "act
of propaganda", a representative of Turkey`s opposition Nationalist
Movement Party claimed that Gul`s relatives on his maternal side are
ethnic Armenian Turkish citizens who originally come from the Kayseri
region. The embassy said Armenia was sticking to its unequivocal
stance on the purported genocide and its relations with the
neighboring country. It noted that the head of state has repeatedly
offered to Yerevan to open up historical archives to study the Ottoman
Turkey developments, in order to prove the falsehood of the genocide
claims.Armenia and Turkey maintain no diplomatic ties and the border
between the two countries has been closed since 1993 on Ankara`s
insistence in response to Armenia`s policy of occupation of
Azerbaijani territories and the Armenian "genocide" claims. However,
relations between the two countries have begun to improve of
late. Following secret talks between Turkish and Armenian diplomats in
Bern in July, the two countries` leaders attended a 2010 World Cup
qualifying soccer match together in Yerevan early in September when
Abdullah Gul became the first Turkish president to visit
Armenia. Further, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian visited
Turkey on November 24 where both countries discussed ways of
normalizing relations between Ankara and Yerevan. Documented evidence

A document has been discovered that exposes the fraudulent nature of
Armenia`s genocide allegations. According to the Turkish media, the
document says that the then Armenian patriarch and a group of
Armenians from his entourage launched a signature-raising campaign to
put forward territorial claims against Turkey. "The Turks tormented us
in 1917 and endangered our lives and property", the document said.

In response to this statement, the Anatolian Armenians and Greeks
circulated a statement of their own.

"We, the Anatolian Armenians and Greeks, have lived in peace and
stability with the Turks for years, and this will continue," the
historical document says. "There is no pressure against us
whatsoever. This is a ploy by those interested in muddying the
waters. We are very pleased with our lives."

.php?news_id=9536

PanARMENIAN.Net

Google Earth: Armenian Genocide Memorial renamed into `Khojaly
genocide memorial’
27.12.2008 14:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan was
renamed into `Khojaly genocide memorial’ in Google Earth.

A user posted 26 photos on Panoramio. In one of them, Lake Sevan was
named `Lake Goycha in West Azerbaijan,’ while Armenian churches in
Artsakh are presented as former mosques.

Earlier, the Armenian Genocide Memorial was renamed into Talaat Pasha
monument. After a wave of protests the image was removed.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Vafa Guluzade: Azerbaijan can’t influence Turkey’s regional policy
27.12.2008 14:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey’s regional policy and its political
priorities proceed from the interests of global forces, an Azeri
expert said.

`Azerbaijan can’t influence Ankara’s regional policy,’ Vafa Guluzade said.

Meanwhile, Sedat Laciner, head of a Turkish international and
strategic research center, thinks that Azerbaijan has one of key roles
in development of Turkey’s regional strategy.

`Azerbaijan is an energy resources supplier and is a door to Turkic
states of Central Asia, what makes it an important country for
Turkey,’ Laciner said, Trend Azeri news agency reports.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Karabakh conflict sides fixed progress in 2008, Bryza says
27.12.2008 14:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The main achievement in 2008 for the Nagorno
Karabakh peace process has been the emergence of a constructive
relationship between Presidents Sargsyan and Aliyev, the OSCE Minsk
Group U.S. Co-chair said.

`While I would not yet say that the two leaders trust each other
sufficiently to reach the compromises required to finalize the Basic
Principles, I am pleased by the willingness each President is showing
to work through the remaining difficult issues with his
counterpart. In short, the psychological atmosphere may now be right
to catalyze tough decisions,’ Matthew Bryza said.

`As Presidents Sargsyan and Aliyev noted in the November 2 Moscow
Declaration, the sides should continue and intensify their efforts to
finalize the Basic Principles in close cooperation with the Minsk
Group Co-Chairs. The parties have made considerable progress. To
finalize their work, they will need to prepare their societies for
difficult compromises that will bring peace, stability, and
prosperity. The Minsk Group Co-Chairs will facilitate this work in
early 2009 by traveling again to the region and preparing the ground
for another meeting between the Presidents. It is up to the Presidents
to decide whether they wish to meet on the margins of the World
Economic Forum in Davos,’ he said, the Azeri Press Agency reports.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress