Author: Chatinian Lara

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS TO VISIT THE REGION

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Jan 9 2007

Year 2006 fell to the history as rise-fall-rise in the settlement
of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, stated the OSCE Minsk Group American
co-chair Matew Braiza, APA reports quoting Azertaj State Agency.

He regarded presidents’ meeting in Minsk fruitful. He also noted that
both presidents took tense stance at the discussions and defended
the interests of their countries. Matew Braiza said that the report
of the OSCE mission on arson in occupied territories is about to be
finished. The report offers Action Plan to prevent arsons and remove
aftermath of arsons. He stated that OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will
visit the region in late January and early February. The exact date
of the visit depends on the schedule of Azerbaijani and Armenian
presidents.

"We intend to take a step forward on consolidation of achieved positive
results until the election campaign in Armenia becomes tense", he
said.

THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE CENTRAL TOPIC OF AMERICAN AND TURKISH AUTHORITIES

Yerkir
08.01.2007 13:57

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Although the Turkey-US relations face the question
of the future of Iraq, the Turkish "Radical" considers that the
upcoming discussions of the Armenian Genocide lay in the core of
these relations.

According to the newspaper, the question of participation of the
Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) in the high-level meetings between
Turkish and American authorities is no more important. Instead,
the main topics of these meetings are Iraq, Iran and especially the
possible recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the US Congress.

The newspaper wrote that if before US President George Bush managed
to convince the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives
not to hold discussions on the Armenian Genocide, then after the
victory of Democrats House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will hardly yield to
Bush pressures. Therefore, the possibility of adoption of an Armenian
bill by the House is extremely high.

The US Government is still considering Turkey’s steps in case of
recognition of the Armenian Genocide and is calculating the damage
to US interests.

New York Times, NY
Jan 6 2006

At Armenian Churches, a Distinct Observance Today

By PETER STEINFELS
Published: January 6, 2007

Today the Armenian Church, one of the most ancient branches of
Christianity, celebrates the birth of Jesus. One wonders, admittedly
a bit fancifully, if there is a lesson in the Armenian practice for
the many Christians who desperately wish that the religious meaning
of Jesus’ birth could be rescued from angry culture wars and
commercial frenzy.

For the Armenian Church, today’s holy day is the Feast of the
Theophany. Other Christians will also be celebrating Theophany as a
major religious feast today or, in some of the Western churches,
where the day is commonly known as Epiphany, tomorrow. But over the
centuries the focus of the day has come to differ within the
different strands of Christianity.

What is common to all of them in its celebration is captured in the
derivation of the feast’s name from Greek, combining `theos,’ or
`god,’ with `phainein,’ meaning `to show forth.’ Thus `Theophany’
means `divine manifestation.’ (`Epiphany’ is simply `manifestation.’)

In the East, the Orthodox churches, which do not include the
Armenian, place their focus on the manifestation of Jesus as God’s
son when, as related in three of the four Gospels, he was baptized by
John the Baptist in the Jordan River. In the West, the focus has come
to be the manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles symbolized by the
visit of the gift-bearing Magi.

In the early centuries of Christianity, the many manifestations of
Jesus – from the Annunciation to Mary right through his first
miracle, at the wedding feast in Cana, and of course including his
birth – were celebrated together, at least in some parts of the East,
and especially on Jan. 6. In the absence of any scriptural basis for
precisely dating these events, that day emerged for symbolic reasons,
probably related to the Egyptian calendar that placed the winter
solstice at this time.

In the fourth century, however, the birth of Jesus was increasingly
celebrated separately on Dec. 25, first in Rome and later in the
East. Again, most scholars attribute this to a Christian effort
either to appropriate or to supplant the religious themes of the
imperial Roman cult of the sun, which was in turn related to the
dating of the solstice by the Roman, or Julian, calendar.

Only the Armenians, who were not part of the Roman Empire and
therefore not faced with a competing imperial cult, never accepted
Dec. 25 or in fact any separate date for celebrating Jesus’ birth.

Instead, the Armenian Church maintained in the one Feast of Theophany
the linkage of Jesus’ birth, which will be emphasized in today’s
services, and his baptism, to be emphasized tomorrow, when a cross
will be immersed in water. Indeed, the liturgy retains echoes of the
whole series of `theophanies,’ or divine manifestations.

(Warning: The story of dates for celebrating Jesus’ birth is further
confused by the fact that some parts of Eastern Orthodox Christianity
still follow the Julian calendar in their church life rather than the
16th-century reformed Gregorian calendar. By the Julian calendar,
Dec. 25 falls on the modern calendar’s Jan. 7 and its eve on Jan. 6,
while Theophany comes 12 days later, on the modern Jan. 19. In any
event, these Orthodox churches celebrate the two feasts, marking
birth and baptism, on separate days.)

Do Armenian Christians in the United States celebrate the Dec. 25
holiday with gifts, Christmas trees and all the rest? Yes, they do,
especially those here for generations, said the Very Rev. Vahan
Hovhanessian, pastor of Holy Martyrs Armenian Church in Bayside,
Queens, although there is also a custom, carried over from the Middle
East, of exchanging gifts on New Year’s Eve.

But Armenians maintain a clear mental distinction between the
American culture’s Christmas, Father Vahan said, and the Armenian
Church’s religious celebration of Christ’s birth on Theophany.
Armenians churches will be packed today, he said; people will be
lined up on the sidewalk outside Holy Martyrs.

Other Christian leaders may observe this distinction with a degree of
envy. Many say that they feel trapped and wearied not only by the
commercialization of Christmas but also by the culture warriors who
are eager to embrace that commercialization in a strangely conceived
campaign to keep the culture Christian or, as Stephen Colbert might
say, `Christianish.’

`Instead of putting the Christ back in Christmas, maybe we should
just take him out,’ the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and
author, wrote in The Philadelphia Inquirer before Christmas. `In the
battle between the Christians and the marketers,’ he wrote, `the
marketers have won – decisively.’

Father Martin’s `modest proposal’ was to `give Christmas to the
corporations’ and find a new date for a `New Christmas’ – `a nice,
quiet, shopping-free, religiously grounded holiday.’ His suggestion?
`Around, say, June,’ when Flag Day would be its only serious
competition.

But maybe the Armenian celebration of Theophany is more promising.
Tied as the feast is to the whole panoply of what Christians hold as
divine manifestations, it might prove easier to keep the `theos’ in
Theophany than to keep Christ in Christmas.

Not that anyone should ever underestimate the power of the marketers.
How long would it be, after all, before advertisements began
appearing on Jan. 7: `Only 364 shopping days till Theophany’?

Turkish scholar to discuss Armenian genocide

Fresno State News, CA
Jan 3 2007

Dr. Taner Akçam, often described as the first Turkish scholar to call
the 1915 massacres of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks a genocide, will
speak at California State University, Fresno at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21.

Akçam, a visiting professor at the University of Minnesota, will
speak about his new book, ~SA Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide
and the Question of Turkish Responsibility~T in the Leon S. and Pete P.

Peters Educational Center, which is in the Student Recreation Center
(at Shaw and Woodrow avenues). The lecture is free and open to the
public. Free parking is available in Lot V.

Akçam made use of Turkish, European and American records to tell the
full story of what the Ottoman Turks actually planned, intended and
did to their Armenian population.

One of the very few Turkish historians to acknowledge the genocide, he
follows the chain of events that led to the killings and reconstructs
their systematic orchestration by government officials, civil servants,
party loyalists, state-run local militias and the army.

A sociologist and historian, Akçam was born in the province of
Ardahan, Turkey in 1953. He became interested in Turkish politics at
an early age. As the editor-in-chief of a student political journal,
he was arrested in 1976 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Amnesty
International adopted him as one of its first prisoners of conscience,
and a year later he escaped to Germany, where he received political
asylum.

In 1988, Akçam began work as a research scientist at the Hamburg
Institute for Social Research. While researching the late Ottoman
Empire and early Republic, especially the history of political violence
and torture in Turkey, he became interested in the Armenian Genocide.

In 1996 he received his doctorate from the University of Hanover
with a dissertation entitled "The Turkish National Movement and the
Armenian Genocide Against the Background of the Military Tribunals
between 1919 and 1922." He has been a visiting associate professor
of history at the University of Minnesota since 2002.

Akçam is the author of 10 books and numerous articles in Turkish,
German, English and other languages. Copies of ~SA Shameful Act~T
will be on sale at the lecture.

For more information contact the Armenian Studies Program at
559.278.2669.

006/12/turkishscholar.htm

–Boundary_(ID_c1YBFLQH fWX3H8uTXBN6yw)–

Turkish prime minister holds talks with Lebanese leaders on political crisis
By HUSSEIN DAKROUB, Associated Press Writer

Associated Press Worldstream
January 3, 2007 Wednesday 12:46 PM GMT

BEIRUT Lebanon — Turkey’s prime minister on Wednesday began talks
with rival Lebanese leaders on the country’s deepening political
crisis during a one-day visit to the embattled country.

Shortly after his arrival, Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Lebanese
Prime Minister Fuad Saniora whose Western-backed government is facing
increasing pressure in the form of street protests led by Hezbollah
and other opposition groups.

The visit came as the growing political and sectarian tensions among
Lebanese factions threaten to tear the country apart. It also came
more than a week after Arab League chief Amr Moussa said that his
efforts have failed to reach a solution to the crisis.

Tensions between pro- and anti-Syrian groups erupted when six
pro-Hezbollah Cabinet ministers resigned in November after Saniora
rejected their demand for a new national unity government that would
give Hezbollah and its allies a veto power on key Cabinet decisions.

Erdogan’s visit is primarily aimed at expressing support for Saniora’s
Cabinet, a Lebanese government official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not
authorized to speak to the media, said Erdogan’s talks with Lebanese
officials will cover "the situation in Lebanon, developments in the
region and implementation of U.N. Resolution 1701." He was referring
to the U.N. Security Council cease-fire resolution that ended the
34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in the summer.

Erdogan met Saniora who has been living at his office complex in
central Beirut amid a tight security cordon near the thousands of
Hezbollah supporters and allies camping nearby.

Erdogan also was scheduled to fly by a Turkish military helicopter
to southern Lebanon to inspect Turkish troops serving with the U.N.
peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL before meeting in late afternoon
with President Emile Lahoud and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri,
a Hezbollah ally.

Some 260 Turkish troops, deployed near the southern port city of Tyre,
are helping rebuild bridges and roads damaged in last summer’s war
between Hezbollah and Israel. Turkish officials said that the total
number of Turkish personnel in Lebanon would ultimately reach 681,
including sailors and engineers.

Ahead of Erdogan’s arrival, about 100 Armenian citizens, waving
Lebanese flags, gathered outside the Beirut airport to protest
his visit.

"No to Turkish mediation in Lebanon," and read some of the placards
carried by the protesters. Other leaflets condemned Turkey over alleged
brutalities against Armenians by Turkish troops in the region nearly
a century ago.

In October, thousands from Lebanon’s 80,000-100,000 strong Armenian
community rallied in downtown Beirut to protest Turkish participation
in the U.N. peacekeeping force because they blame Turkey’s Ottoman
rulers for the mass killing of Armenians in the early 20th century.

Turkey, a U.S. ally and NATO’s only predominantly Muslim member,
has close ties to both Israel and Arab states.

Armenpress

GOVERNMENT APPROVES NATIONAL PLAN TO FIGHT
TUBERCULOSIS

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS: The government
of Armenia has approved today the National Plan of
Actions to Fight Tuberculosis in 2007-2015.
Vahan Poghosian, a senior official of the health
ministry, said the new program is the continuation of
a program that was fulfilled in 2003-2006.
One of the actions calls for increase in the number
of special departments at all regional clinics for
treatment of TB from 43 now to 77. The plan of actions
foresees also a set of preventive measures in
correction facilities and in the armed forces.
The focus of the 2003-2006 program was on
revelation of primary patients and their treatment.
Thus in 2000 1,284 primary patients were revealed and
2006 patients in 2005.
Mortality rate among TB patients in 2000 was 33 per
100,000 population and 63 in 2005. Doctors explain,
however, that the rise in numbers is due to a better
revelation of TV patients.
The National Plan of Actions to Fight TB will be
funded, apart from the government, also by the
government of Germany that will provide 2. 250 million
euros and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS and TB that
will provide $7.5 million

TAN: "ANKARA EXPECTS MORE CONCRETE STEPS FROM THE EU"

Anatolian Times, Turkey
Dec 28 2006

Speaking to reporters at his final press conference before taking his
post as Turkey’s ambassador to Israel, Foreign Ministry spokesman
Namik Tan evaluated the recent state of Turkish-European Union
relations. Stressing the EU’s letter of invitation to begin accession
talks on the chapter on industry and organizations, Tan said that
Ankara had expected to begin talks on four chapters and so the current
situation falls short of meeting its expectations. "We hope that the
bloc will take more concrete steps in the coming days," the spokesman
said. Commenting on the Iraq issue, Tan said that Turkey has never
intended to interfere in Iraq’s domestic affairs. In addition,
concerning the revival of Armenian efforts in the US to pass a
so-called genocide resolution, Tan said that Turkey expected the US
to act with common sense. Tan will begin his tenure in Tel Aviv after
presenting his letter of credentials to Israeli President Moshe Katsav
on Jan. 22.

TURKEY DISCONTENT WITH THE ACTIVITY OF ARMENIAN LOBBYISTS IN THE US

ArmRadio.am
28.12.2006 17:00

"Turkey follows with regret the efforts of the Armenian lobbies
seeking to win votes to exploit political developments in the United
States," Turkish Foreign Affairs spokesman Namik Tan told a weekly
news conference in Ankara on Wednesday.

Asked to comment on a bill on the Armenian Genocide, claimed to be
discussed at US Congress and on the recent statements of the Armenian
executives, Tan said, "We have observed that there were expectations
of the Armenian circles about adoption of so-called Armenian Genocide
after the elections held in the United States in November."

Tan said relations between Turkey and the United States were "multi
dimensional" and "strategic," and indicated that the relations included
comprehensive topics.

"The United States has been pursuing a commonsensical approach so
far. We believe that US administration will maintain the relations
with the same understanding. Relations between Turkey and the United
States have importance beyond this small expectations," he added.

59 ECONOMIC ENTITIES CALLED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE LIABILITY AS A RESULT OF CHECKINGS CONDUCTED BY STATE LANGUAGE INSPECTION IN 2006

Noyan Tapan
Dec 26 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 26, NOYAN TAPAN. As a result of checkings conducted
by RA State Language Inspection in 2006, 59 economic entities were
called for administrative liability due to having signboards in foreign
languages. As Lavrenti Mirzoyan, Head of the State Language Inspection,
reported on December 26, in 2006 the total amount of fines was nearly
4 mln 40 thousand drams (nearly 12 thousand USD), which is less by 1
mln 450 thousand as compared with the previous year. In L.Mirzoyan’s
words, some economic entities motivate this by not being familiarized
with the legislative field. In the words of the inspection head, this
is their omission. Spelling and Terminologial Manual was published
for the purpose of improving the situation. In the manual laws
regarding the sphere were presented by a separate part. Nevertheless,
in L.Mirzoyan’s words, as a result of periodical checkings the number
of signboards and advertisement boards in foreign languages reduces
year by year. In L.Mirzoyan’s words, worship of foreign things prevails
in all spheres today in Armenia, but everything should be done for the
people to realize that RA state language is Armenian and we should
respect our native tongue. "Purity and preservation of the language
is the task of every Armenian," L.Mirzoyan said.

Archbishop Goriun Babian visits Abu Dhabi

Azad-Hye, Dubai
23 December 2006

On 7th November 2006 Archbishop Goriun Babian, Catholicosal Representative
of the Diocese of Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf countries (based in Kuwait
City) arrived in Abu Dhabi on a special mission.

Accompanied by Der Aram Deyirmenjian, pastor of the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) Armenian community and members of the representative and executive
bodies of the Abu Dhabi Armenian community, His Eminence paid an official
visit to "Qasr Al Bahr" Palace, where he met with the Director of the
Presidential Affairs His Excellency Ali Salem Obaid Al Kaabi. The purpose of
this visit was to express gratitude for the recently issued decree by the
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi granting 2.500 square meters land to the Armenian
community in the vicinity of Abu Dhabi to build a church and community
complex.

Archbishop Goriun evoked the memory of the late President of the UAE, Sheikh
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Two Catholicoses of Cilicia (Karekin II and Aram
I) had the opportunity to meet with the late President in 1995 and 1998
respectively. During both meetings a request for providing a piece of land
for the Armenian Church was put forward. It is worth mentioning that Sheikh
Zayed granted US$ 100.000 in 1998 to the Armenian community, as part of his
support to the foreign communities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Archbishop Goriun thanked the Government of Abu Dhabi for bringing the long
time dream of the Armenian community closer to reality and said, "with your
noble act, you inspired us hope that in the near future the members of our
Church will have their own place of worship and community center". His
Eminence briefed Al Kaabi on the activities of the Catholicosate of Cilicia
and the structure and mission of the Diocese of Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf
countries, highlighting the fact that throughout history the Armenians have
lived in brotherly and peaceful terms with the Arabs. He reminded the noble
Arab stance towards the Armenian refugees who escaped the Genocide and found
in the Arab societies the perfect environment for revival and full-fledged
involvement and contribution into the economic progress of their new
habitants.

Referring to the limited financial resources of the small Abu Dhabi Armenian
community, Archbishop Babian expressed hope that the Government of Abu Dhabi
would provide economic and moral support for the success of the
aforementioned project, in the same way it did in the past. He took the
opportunity also to elaborate on the special role of the Catholicosate of
Cilicia, under the leadership of His Holiness Aram I, in creating channels
of dialogue with all religions and especially between Islam and
Christianity. In this context Archbishop Babian expressed his willingness to
repeat what has been already achieved in Kuwait during the visit of His
Holiness Aram I, in the from of press conference and other academically
attributed activities with the participation of scholars and official
representatives.

Al Kaabi highly appreciated the visit and announced that "through such
encounters we come to know the Armenian community far better and our
relationship moves smoothly forward". He congratulated the Armenian
community for receiving the church plot and expressed hope that the
Government of Abu Dhabi will be able to provide further support for the
overall success of the project. Referring to the Christian communities in
the United Arab Emirates Al Kaabi noted that "the UAE Government does not
practice any sort of discrimination between Muslims and Christians. We all
live here in an atmosphere of mutual friendship and respect. Our State is
against any kind of religious extremism. I have known Lebanon through my
frequent visits. Particularly in these days it is very important to create
an ambiance of cooperation between the two religions and their followers by
utilizing the spirit of dialogue. We need the advice of spiritual leaders of
your caliber in order to facilitate this dialogue and to reach to positive
results. The Americans and the West do not know us in the proper sense and
they have misconception about what Islam and the Arabs represent. We need to
work together to correct this ideas".

Al Kaabi promised to undertake all measures necessary to arrange a meeting
for the Armenian side with the Crown Prince and the President of the UAE in
the future.

Visit to the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia (09 November 2006)

As in all previous visits to Abu Dhabi, His Eminence Archbishop Goriun
Babian paid a visit to the Embassy of Armenia. H.E. Ambassador Vahagn
Melikian, who has been appointed to this position since May 2006 (following
a five year tenure by Ambassador Arshag Poladian), showed a warm welcome.
Archbishop Babian briefed the Ambassador on the present day status of the
Armenian communities in the Gulf countries and gave a synopsis of the
accomplished achievements and other projects under process. In his turn, the
Ambassador gave an account on the future projects related to the Embassy.
His Eminence expressed interest to visit the construction site of the new
Embassy in order to observe the ongoing construction works on the piece of
land granted by the UAE authorities. The visit was materialized on 11
November 2006, accompanied by Vahe Toukhmanian, Chairman of the Council of
the Abu Dhabi Armenian Community. After witnessing the serious work that has
been done so far, Archbishop Babian thanked the chief architects Berj
Aprahamian and Salah Hariri for their volunteer designing work and
supervision of the project. The two architects informed him that the
construction of the two main buildings will be over in six months time.

Visit to the weekly school

In the afternoon of the same day (11 November 2006), Archbishop Babian
visited the weekly Armenian school of Abu Dhabi, which has recently
celebrated its 25th anniversary. Veteran Head of School Tamar Der Ohanesian
welcomed the Catholicosal Representative and informed him that the number of
the students who are following Armenian language, religion and history
lessons in the school was 50, covering all stages from Kindergarten to the
eight grade.

Meeting with the members of legislative and executive bodies in Abu Dhabi

On the same evening Archbishop Babian held a consultative meeting with the
members of the legislative and executive bodies in Abu Dhabi, during which
the following two subjects were discussed:

1- Bearing in mind that the four-year period of the Representative Council
(Temagan Joghov) in Kuwait and the other Arabian Gulf countries will come to
its end in December 2006, it is necessary to form an Election Committee
which will supervise the election process of the new Council. Following a
brief exchange of views, two probable dates were set forward but the final
one would be decided upon consultation with the Councils of Kuwait and the
Northern Emirates (Sharjah – Dubai).

2- The construction of the church in the newly granted piece of land was
discussed. It was decided to do some preliminary research at the present and
leave the concluding decisions to the discretion of the new Council’s
(post-election) meeting. Archbishop Goriun visited also the site of the
future church and explored the possibilities of constructing adjacent
buildings. Holy Mass was performed in the Greek Orthodox Saint Nicolaos
Church on 10th November 2006 during which Archbishop Babian reminded the Abu
Dhabi Armenians that they are witnessing important developments in the
history of the community, stressing that the decades long dream of having
own church is coming true with the collective efforts of all the members of
the community.

Source: Excerpts from the report prepared by the office of the Diocese of
Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf Country, 22 November 2006. English translation
by Azad-Hye.
________________________________________
Photos:
1- Archbishop Babian with His Excellency Ali Salem Obaid Al Kaabi, Director
of the Presidential Affairs in Abu Dhabi.
2- Al Kaabi with the other members of the Armenian delegation.
3- In the construction site of the new building of the Embassy of Armenia.
4- Group photo with the students and educational staff of the Abu Dhabi
Armenian community weekly school.
5- With the student (Abu Dhabi).
6- With the educational staff (Abu Dhabi).

See Armenian text and photos at:
Id=112dad92