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Dreaming of Europe
by NEVVAL SEVINDI

Zaman, Turkey
Sept 29 2004

One of the most prominent names in Ottoman Istanbul was a Jewish
doctor named Giacomo di Gaeta, who escaped from Italy’s Renaissance
intolerance, and took refuge in the empire.

In the streets of Istanbul, where Greek, Armenian, Albanian, Bulgarian
and Serbian languages were spoken, besides Turkish, Persian and Arabic,
the attitude that defied nationalism lasted for centuries.

The mutual love and respect that existed in this multinational
and multicultural empire, have not been experienced in Europe yet.
Neighbors celebrated Greek, Armenian, and Turkish festivals together,
one after the other. Istanbul was the place of religious festivals.
Furthermore, they visited each other’s churches and holy graves
together to light candles and pray, as it is today. While Dante
threw Prophet Mohammed into his “hell,” Mevlana called upon all
mankind, saying, “Come whoever you are!” He also said, “This is
not a door.of hopelessness.” When we look at an expanding Europe,
we see that Europeans still have a long way to go. Continuing to see
Western culture as the “superior culture,” in an elite manner, it is
nonetheless incumbent upon Europeans to dream of a new Europe. Along
with the different languages, religions and cultures, Islam will
enter the continent legally for the first time with the help of
Turkey. Turks coming from a culture, where nations and cultures blend
together, can bring a new understanding to the knights of the castle
and the princedoms. Is multiculturalism an ideology that the West
opposes, as Huntington said? Is it not necessary to put and end to
this “only supreme Western Christian culture” ideology of the West,
whose traces from the Middle Ages and later periods have still not
been erased? Europe, which is borderless and multicultural, resembles
a dough that can be reshaped. You can make heart-shaped cookies as
well as bastions. However, can the various cultures from neighboring
countries brought into Western culture form a multicultural world? Or
will the racist views continue, like a caricature published in the
supposedly esteemed Stern magazine? Europe has to cross-examine
itself. It did not do this during the Bosnia War; at least it must
do so while it is expanding.

If Stern can rain insults on Turks as easily as it did, then Neo-Nazis
entering the parliaments in the former East German states should be
no surprise.

Even after 50 years, the existence of strong racist roots, the rise
of neo-Nazism and the far-right indicate that Germany has not yet been
able to grasp the spirit within the EU. Please, dream of a new Europe!

If Europeans, through cross-examination, do not come to face with
their identities and the new multicultural situation in the expansion
process, then this will be left to the fascists and neo-Nazis.
Europeans and Germans, who will be living with Muslim neighbors,
should start opening up their inner senses for discussion right now.
And the Turks have to understand that the European identity is not
only about the economy. The common denominator is humanism and to
share human values.

The debate on whether or not Turkey is a model is on a naive track.
Turkey has become a model as much as it could. It has established a
lifestyle envied by Middle Eastern and Arab countries. It is not an
80-year model, but an-800-year model. Belittling this does not earn
us anything. Does it earn the West anything? For the “alternative”
is Turkey with a working model of Muslim identity. The prejudiced view
of Westerners is normal. Anyway, childish reasons such as Arabs should
not be offended, are by no means materials for books. I hope the hate
channel among nations, divided by artificial borders and antagonism
after the Ottoman rule, will not be Turkey. This is a topic that can
be better understood after reading a little bit of history.

While Europe is admitting us into its fold, it has to dream of
internalizing: A European dream. In this dream, there is love and
toleration of other cultures.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

New Era (Windhoek)- Namibia
Sept 29 2004

A New Look At the Stars

Wezi Tjaronda
Windhoek

SCORES of scholars, researchers and scientists descended on Farm
Goellschau for the inauguration of the HESS telescope observatory,
which will provide answers to how the most violent of things happen
in the universe.

With the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS) telescopes erected
two years ago, scientists have observed the gamma rays from a binary
system, in this case a Be star. The observations performed between
February and May this year are the first discovery of a binary system
emitting energetic gamma rays. It also observed a mysterious source
of gamma rays as the first unidentified TeV source discovered by the
HESS experiment.

The universe contains a large cluster of galaxies with very high
energy sources that emit gamma radiation.

“Gamma rays have highest energy in the spectrum of cosmic emissions.
High energy processes cause the radiation,” said the chairman of the
HESS Collaboration Board, Professor Heinrich Völk yesterday.

During observations with the antennae , a second hot spot had been
discovered which was a new, as yet unknown, source of high-energy
gamma rays.

“Detailed investigations of the emission characteristics of the hot
spot have shown that the according to scientists.

The system can also observe the explosion of stars by means of the
gamma rays and a lot of other cosmic objects that are invisible to
the naked eye or a normal telescope.

Other discoveries have also been made but have not yet been made
public.

HESS detects sources 100 times faster than previous experiments and
opens a new window on the high-energy universe.

“These are the best results worldwide,” said Prof Völk.

The project is one of four gamma ray observatories in the world with
the other three in Australia, the Canary Islands and the United
States of America.

The Gamsberg area is said to be a excellent site for the project
because it has clear skies and dark nights, thus making it one of the
best astronomical sites in the world.

It was set up to discover more about the very early universe and was
from the beginning planned to be the biggest gamma ray stereoscopic
system in the world.

One of its objectives is to provide a better understanding of the
properties of particles that challenge science and the understanding
of the laws of physics.

It will allow scientists to observe the most violent events in the
universe such as exploding stars, black holes and jets of matter
which move at incredible speeds.

The HESS equipment was inaugurated by Prime Minister Theo Ben Gurirab
yesterday, and he pointed out that astronomy was one of the
pioneering and instrumental sciences in helping the human race to
understand the solar system.

“The HESS instruments that we see here today will help to open up new
vistas for astronomy and will no doubt make Namibia one of the few
leading centres in the world, along with South Africa, Chile, Hawaii
and some others,” he said.

Gurirab said that through the collaboration of several countries in
the project – Namibia, Germany, France, South Africa, the United
Kingdom, Ireland, Armenia and the Czech Republic amongst others –
Namibian scientists would one day echo Isaac Newton’s words that ” if
I have been able to see further, it was because I stood on the
shoulders of giants.”

He said the project should serve as a centre of discovery and
excellence to Namibians to enhance the country’s quest for research
and knowledge in astronomy.

Scientists from France, Germany and South Africa hailed the project
and highlighted the importance of astronomical discoveries like the
ones from the HESS project on African soil.

Dr Khotso Mokhele, President of the National Research Foundation,
noted that astronomy was the key to all things contrary to the belief
that it was just the study of the blue sky with no use for the human
race.

For Professor Enos Kiremire, acting Dean of the Science Faculty at
the University of Namibia, yesterday was a day of victory for
science. And since Namibia and Africa were hungry for knowledge it
could now be obtained from the HESS project.

Namibia could now not be ignored anymore according to German
Ambassador Dr Wolfgang Massing since the project had put the country
on the world map.

The event was attended by the former president of the Max Planck
Society, Professor Reimer Lüst, and representatives of the French
Embassy, ministries of education and research in France and the
director of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics and Particle
Physics in France, Dr Michel Spiro.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

nk13c

“In 2015, the South Caucasus will remain in flux because of
unresolved local conflicts, weak economic fundamentals, and continued
Russian meddling. Georgia probably will have achieved a measure of
political and economic stability, fueled in part by energy transit
revenues, but it will remain the focus of Russian attention in the
region. Armenia will remain largely isolated and is likely to remain
a Russian–or possibly Iranian–client and, therefore, a regional
wild card. Azerbaijan’s success in developing its energy sector is
unlikely to bring widespread prosperity: Baku will be a one-sector
economy with pervasive corruption at all levels of society.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Georgian and Armenian banks sign agreement

The Messenger, Georgia (messenger.com.ge)
Sept 28 2004

The Central Bank of Armenia and the National Bank of Georgia have
signed an agreement to cooperate in the sphere of supervision of the
activities of credit organizations, Prime News reports.

The president of the NBG Irakli Managadze told journalists that close
cooperation of central banks of the region is very important given
current globalization. “This cooperation will promote development of
the banking and financial sectors of both countries,” Managadze said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Nashua group wants to block sale of St. Francis Xavier
By SCOTT BROOKS, Union Leader Correspondent

The Union Leader
News – September 28, 2004

NASHUA — A Probate Court judge is considering whether to allow a
group of former St. Francis Xavier parishioners to argue against the
Diocese of Manchester’s plans to sell their old church.

Judge Raymond Cloutier said the parties should rekindle their equity
case in Hillsborough County Superior Court while he considers the
parishioners’ right to dispute the sale.

The Diocese closed the parish last year, citing “declining financial
health and waning parishioner attendance.” It now hopes to sell the
building to Hollis real estate developer Vatche Manoukian, who plans
to recast the facility as an Armenian Orthodox church.

The Diocese of Manchester closed St. Francis Xavier Church last
year and now hopes to sell the building. But a coalition of former
parishioners opposes the sale. (SCOTT BROOKS)

The St. Francis Xavier Foundation, a coalition of former parishioners,
opposes the sale, and is trying to block it with a lawsuit in Superior
Court and by intervening in Probate Court.

“The parishioners of St. Francis have a direct interest in what happens
to the property,” said Randy Wilbert, the foundation’s attorney.

Diocesan attorney Ovide Lamontagne, however, said the parishioners
do not have standing before Probate Court, claiming the Attorney
General’s Office can sufficiently represent the public’s interest in
the church’s sale.

“This is not their church,” Lamontagne said. “It is a church and a
property within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Manchester.”

Lamontagne said the parishioners, now members of the nearby
St. Aloysius of Gonzaga parish, would benefit from the church’s sale,
which would reportedly net $1 million for the diocese. The diocese says
it plans to direct all revenue from the church’s sale to St. Aloysius
of Gonzaga.

“The former parishioners are present parishioners; they are
St. Aloysius of Gonzaga parishioners,” Lamontagne said. “They will
benefit by virtue of the bishop’s decision.”

Lamontagne said an Armenian Church representative from Jerusalem
has visited the site and was “very positive” about Manoukian’s
proposal. Armenian Church leaders must agree to accept Manoukian’s
gift for the sale to proceed.

The foundation petitioned the Superior Court in April to force the
diocese to reopen St. Francis Xavier. Judge Bernard Hampsey put the
case on hold in May in anticipation of a Probate Court ruling.

Yesterday, Cloutier said the issue should be handled one case at
a time.

“It makes no sense to have two hearings about the same issue,” he said.
“It’s not going to happen.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Germany: Bavarian minister on security fears over Turkey’s EU entry

ddp news agency, Berlin
28 Sep 04

entitled “Beckstein: Integrating Turkey would make the EU security situation
deteriorate”

Passau: Bavarian Interior Minister Guenther Beckstein, Christian Social
Union (CSU), has warned against a deterioration in the EU’s security
situation following the integration of Turkey. In an interview with
Passauer Neue Presse (28 September edition), Beckstein said: “As a
friend of Turkey, I am glad that Germany does not have to get along
with neighbours like the ones the government in Ankara has. Syria,
Iraq, Iran and Armenia – all these countries have enormous security
problems. These difficulties, which are unlikely to be solved, would
move even closer to the EU should Turkey join the EU.” This applies
to terrorism as well as to organized crime and the narcotics trade.

OFFICIAL VISIT OF CHAIRMAN OF AZERBAIJAN PARLIAMENT TO UKRAINE ENDED
[September 28, 2004, 22:07:41]

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
Sept 28 2004

On September 27, in the House of the Government of Ukraine, the Prime
Minister of the country Victor Yanukovich has received parliamentary
delegation of Azerbaijan led by Chairman of Milli Majlis (Azerbaijan
Parliament) Murtuz Alaskarov, the Kiev-based correspondent of AzerTAj
reported.

Warmly having welcomed our delegation, Prime Minister V. Yanukovich has
informed on economic situation in Ukraine, the course of pre-election
struggle for the main state post in the country.

In turn, the head of the Azerbaijan parliament has told about the
stable political situation in our country, deep economic reforms,
and consecutive rate of President Ilham Aliyev on construction in
Azerbaijan a democratic, prospering society.

M. Alaskarov has touched also the main problem of Azerbaijan – the
Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, occupation by the Republic
of Armenia of the Azerbaijan territory – the Nagorny Karabakh and
7 adjoining regions, and also on the presence in Azerbaijan over
one million of refugees and internally displaced people. He has
expressed profound gratitude to the Ukrainian side for understanding
in this question and support of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
by official Kiev.

Speaker of Milli Majlis has noted the historical event – adoption
in Kiev on September 23 of the Declaration on creation of the
Parliamentary assembly of GUUAM opening prospects before this
international association.

The meeting has passed in warm, friendly atmosphere. Talat Aliyev,
ambassador of Azerbaijan Republic to Ukraine, Elbrus Abdullayev,
the deputy of the Rovno oblast Rada, Ogtay Efendiyev, chairman of
the Congress of Azerbaijanis of Ukraine have taken part in it.

In his interview to AzerTAj correspondent, the chairman of Milli Majlis
Murtuz Alaskarov has expressed deep satisfaction with the results of
official visit of the Azerbaijan parliamentary delegation to Ukraine.

The same day, the parliamentary delegation of Azerbaijan led by M.
Alaskarov has left from Kiev with official visit for Bulgaria.

KurdishMedia, UK
Sept 28 2004

New Turkish Penal Code full of anti-democratic articles

“The reform” exaggeratedly applauded by Verheugen is a deceit

The Turkish Parliament finally adopted on September 26, at an
extraordinary sitting, the controversial reform of the Turkish penal
code. Although applauded exaggeratedly by Commissionner Verheugen and
some other EU leaders because of the absence of the mention of
adultery, the new Turkish Penal Code is full of many anti-democratic
articles.

Ten days after the withdrawal by the government of the project in
order to introduce a clause penalizing adultery, the last two
articles of the Penal Code, like two other bills aiming at reforming
the legal system, were voted after the debates which lasted longer
than envisaged because of last minute amendments as well as conflict
on the calendar of application.

The meeting was marked by recriminations of the deputies of the
Republican People’s Party (CHP ) social-democrat opposition) against
the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Prime Minister, absent at the debates, whom
they accused ofhaving created an useless crisis while trying to
penalize adultery.

“We did not succeed in convincing him, it happened to be necessary
that he goes to Brussels for being convinced by Verheugen”, a CHP
said ironically. He referred to the talks Thursday between Mr.
Erdogan and Geunter Verheugen, European Commissionner for
Enlargement, who put an end to one week of crisis between Ankara and
Brussels.

The deputies of the opposition also criticized the fact that the new
penal code will be applied in three times — a first part, on the
wild urbanization, immediately, the large part of the law on April 1,
2005, and the articles penalizing the pollution of the environment on
April 1, 2007.

The CHP announced that it would seize the Constitutional court to
make cancel the clause delaying until 2007 the penalization of
environment’s pollution, like some other amendments of last minute
imposed by the AKP.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Saturday sure that the
European Union (EU) will give in December its green light to the
opening of negotiations for the country’s adhesion.

“I would like to affirm firmly and clearly that a date for the
opening of negotiations of adhesion will be fixed this year in
December”, said Erdogan in his monthly address to the Nation,
diffused by TV.

The Prime Minister’s speech intervenes 48 hours after his visit to
Brussels during which he ensured the European Commissionner for
Enlargement, Guenter Verheugen, that adultery would not be mentioned
in the new Turkish penal code.

“My conclusion is that there is no more obstacle on the table. From
my point of view, Turkey does not have additional conditions to fill
for allowing the Commission to make a recommendation “, had declared
Guenter Verheugen at the end of this visit.

However, Mr. Verheugen, as many other leaders of the European Union,
is fooled once more, because the new Turkish Penal Code is full of
antidemocratic and repressive articles for the freedom of expression
and the press. Many of these articles already existed in the former
Penal Code, borrowed in 1926 from Mussolini’s Penal Code (for example
Articles 158, 159 et 312).

These articles were imposed by the military and approved one by one
by the Grand National Assembly with the complicity of the opposition
party (CHP).

The Journalists’ Association of Turkey (TGC) has established the
following list of these new antidemocratic articles.

If the “crimes” defined in these articles are committed by any kind
of written, audio-visual and electronic media (newspapers, magazines,
radio, TV and/or Internet), the punishment will be increased one-half
or one-third according to the case.

So, even with this new Turkish Penal Code, adopted without mention of
adultery, Turkey will always remain as a country where freedom of
expression and the press is subject to the State repression.

Antidemocratic articles of the New Penal Code

Article 215 – Praising a committed crime or a person who committed
this crime: up to 2 years (if committed by the means of media, to be
increased one-half).

Article 216 (new form of Article 312) – Instigating a part of the
people having different social class, race, religion, sect or region
to hatred or hostility against another part of the people in a way
dangerous for the public security: up to 3 years (if committed by the
means of media, to be increased one-half).

Article 220/8 (new form of Article 169) – Propaganda of an
organization founded for committing crime: up to 3 years (if
committed by the means of media, to be increased one-half).

Article 285 – Spreading confidential information on a legal
investigation: up to up to 3 years (if committed by the means of
media, to be increased one-half).

Article 300 (new form of Article 158) – Insulting the President of
the Republic: up to 4 years (if committed by the means of media, to
be increased one-third).

Article 301 (new form of Article 145) – Insult to the Turkish flag or
to anything having the Turkish State’s symbol (crescent and star): up
to 3 years (if committed by a Turkish citizen abroad: to be increased
one-third); Insult to the Turkish national anthem: up to 2 years (if
committed by a Turkish citizen abroad: to be increased one-third).

Article 302 (new form of Article 159) – Insulting the Turkish
national identity, the Republic or the Grand National Assembly of
Turkey: up to 3 years (if committed by a Turkish citizen abroad: to
be increased one-third); Insulting the Turkish Government, the
judicial organs, military or security institutions: up to 2 years (if
committed by a Turkish citizen abroad: to be increased one-third).

Article 306 – Acting against fundamental national interests for
directly or indirectly receiving benefits from foreign persons or
institutions: up to 10 years. (According to the statement of reasons
for this article, written by the Parliamentary Commitee of Justice, a
citizen who demands the withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from Cyprus or
declares that the Armenian genocide actually took place during the
First World War, can be pursued by virtue of this article).

Article 319 – Instigating the people against military service: up to
2 years (if committed by the means of media, to be increased
one-half).

Article 324 – Spreading unfounded news or information during a war:
up to 10 years (if committed as a propaganda campaign against the
military and in accordance with a foreigner, up to 20 years).

Article 330 – Unveiling the information that should remain
confidential for the sake of the State’s security or its internal and
external political interests: up to 10 years (if committed during the
war or the preparation of the war: up to 15 years).

Article 331 – Unveiling, with the purpose of political or military
spying, the information that should remain confidential for the sake
of the State’s security or its internal and external political
interests: Life prison.

Article 337 – Unveiling the information that is forbidden by the
competent authorities and should remain confidential because of its
nature: up to 5 years (if committed during the war or the preparation
of the war: up to 15 years).

Article 338 – Unveiling, with the purpose of political or military
spying, the information that is forbidden by the competent
authorities and should remain confidential because of its nature: up
to 15 years (if committed during the war or the preparation of the
war: life prison). (Info-Turk, September 27, 2004)

For all latest news on the situation of human rights in Turkey:

All news on the situation of human rights in Turkey since 1998:

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

20% of Armenia’s electricity to be generated from Iranian gas

Tehran Times
Sept 28 2004

YEREVAN (Interfax) — Armenia plans to consume up to 20% of the
electricity it generates from Iranian gas, Armen Movsesian, the
Armenian energy minister, told reporters.

Armenian officials earlier said Armenia would export all the
electricity it generates with Iranian gas to Iran and, possibly, to
Georgia.

The Energy Ministry said it would export 3 kilowatt-hours of
electricity to Iran for 1 cubic meters of gas received from Iran.

Armenia and Iran have signed a $30-million credit agreement to
finance the construction of the Armenian section of the Iran-Armenia
gas pipeline. The pipeline is 141 km long, inducing 41 km in Armenia
and 100 km in Iran. The total cost of the project is estimated at
$210-$220 million. The pipeline is expected to be launched before
January 1, 2007.

Gas should start to arrive in Armenia from January 2007 and will be
used at Armenian thermal power plants to produce electricity for
export to Iran. Iran will supply 36 billion cubic meters of natural
gas to Armenia over 20 years according to the document.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA ACCENTS REALIZATION OF HUMANITARIAN ACTIONS AND PROGRAMS IN IRAQ

PanArmenian News
Sept 28 2004

28.09.2004 18:30

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Armenian Foreign Minister Deputy Ruben
Shugarian received Iraqi FM’s advisor Tariq Mohammad Yahya. In the
course of the meeting the interlocutors underscored that Armenia always
abided by balanced policy on the Iraqi crisis and was for the soonest
and peaceful resolving of the problem accentuating the realization
of humanitarian actions and programs in the post-war period. Mustafa
Jaf, the Director of Novruz Group Holding, who was also present at the
meeting, expressed readiness to develop trade-economic relations with
Armenia and to found an Armenian-Iraqi joint venture and a bank, as
well as to export Armenian commodities to Iraq. The Iraqi party also
pointed out to the importance of launching Yerevan-Baghdad-Yerevan
direct air flights.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress