Author: Chmshkian Vicken

Turkey: A controversial report on minority rights
Monday Morning, Lebanon
Nov 8 2004
Debate over a report criticizing breaches of minority rights in
aspiring European Union member Turkey turned ugly last week when
members of a government-sponsored human rights group that issued the
document clashed in public.
The incident was the latest episode in a row within the Human Rights
Advisory Board, a body attached to the office of Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, which highlighted widespread hostility in Turkey to
advanced cultural freedoms for the country’s Kurdish and non-Muslim
communities.
Nationalist members of the board, which is comprised of government
officials, academics and civic groups, sabotaged a news conference
called to formally release the report, which makes some controversial
recommendations to the government and excerpts of which were earlier
leaked to the media.
Shortly after the head of the board, Ibrahim Kaboglu, had started
to speak, a nationalist unionist grabbed the papers from his hands
and tore them to pieces, yelling: “This report is a fabrication and
should be torn up!”
Kaboglu was forced to leave the hall, saying: “We can’t even hold a
news conference. This is the state of freedom of thought in Turkey”.
The EU, which Turkey is seeking to join, has long pressed Ankara to
grant equal cultural freedoms to its sizeable Kurdish minority as
well as smaller, non-Muslim communities such as Greeks, Armenians and
Jews. The document maintains that Turkey’s understanding of minority
rights had fallen behind universal norms and proposes far-reaching
amendments to the constitution and related laws, atop reforms that
Turkey had already undertaken as part of its EU membership bid.
The report describes as “paranoia” widespread concerns that equal
cultural rights for minorities could lead to the country’s breakup,
fuelled by a bloody Kurdish rebellion in the Southeast in the 1980s
and 1990s.
“There is no doubt that a more humane treatment by the state of its
own people will be much more helpful for the country’s unity… The
citizens the state should fear the least are the ones whom it has
granted their rights”, it says.
The report also underlines that for decades Turkey had breached its
founding instrument, the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, which envisages
the free use by all Turkish citizens of any language in commercial
activities, meetings and in the press.
It maintains that non-Muslims in particular are subject to
discrimination and are sometimes treated as foreigners rather than
equal Turkish citizens.
Critics last week blasted the report as “a document of treason” and
asked an Ankara court to launch legal proceedings against its authors.

IN THIS ISSUE:
*** NGOs 2004 CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION
***SUPPORTING THE ELDERLY
*** GARNI AESTHETIC EDUCATION SCHOOL REOPENED
*** STEPANAVAN YOUNG LEADER RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL AWARD
*** VISITING MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN
*** SIXTH ASSEMBLY OF ARMENIAN ASSOCIATION OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS
*** NGO AGAINST PESTICIDES
*** NGOs 2004 CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION
On October 15-17, the Academy for Educational Development, with financial
support of USAID and in collaboration with World Learning and the AAA NGO
Training and Resource Center, organized the NGOs 2004 Conference and
Exhibition. Almost 280 NGOs from all regions of Armenia participated in this
event, introducing their programs and discussing new ways of networking with
stakeholders. Representatives of state structures, international and donor
organizations and experts also participated in the event, which highlighted
various sectors of NGO activities. NGO representatives shared their
experience and knowledge and discussed common issues. Among the topics
addressed during 14 working sessions/roundtables of the conference were NGO
Collaboration with State and Local Governments, NGO Collaboration with
International Donor Organizations and Diaspora, NGO Collaboration with the
Business Community and Mass Media, Developing Regional and Community-Based
NGOs, NGO Code of Conduct, NGO Legislation, NGOs and Poverty Reduction, NGOs
and Fighting Against Corruption. During the conference, NGOC specialists A.
Lazarian, N. Harutiunyan and A. Kurdova spoke respectively on the Armenian
Picture of NGO-Business Cooperation: Analysis and Suggestions; Strategic
Approach to Fundraising; NGO Legislation and Taxation.
Contact: Academy for International Development
10 Aygedzor St.
Tel.: (374-1) 26-69-36; 26-69-87
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
***SUPPORTING THE ELDERLY
On the occasion of the International Day of the Elderly, the AAA NGO Center
organized a visit on October 7 for representatives of Armenian Mass Media to
Martuni town to become acquainted with NGO activities carried out in support
of the elderly. The Martuni Women’s Community Council NGO meets the urgent
social needs of the lonely elderly by providing various social services, and
developing self-assistance mechanisms of cooperation in the community.
Providing food and hygiene products, primary healthcare services to those
who have no opportunity to go out of their homes, other care, household
services, legal consultancies, preparing legal documents, creating a day
center for social and psychological support of the elderly – this is the
list of services provided to the elderly in this community. As stated by one
project beneficiary, “We – sick and isolated people – now feel that we are
being cared for and that we are part of the community.” The project is
implemented with financial assistance received from the AAA NGO Training and
Resource Center through USAID.
Contact: Anahit Gasparyan
Martuni Women’s Community Council NGO
Martuni, 8 Proshian St.
Tel.: (374-62) 4-43-00; 4-36-04
E-mail: [email protected]
*** GARNI AESTHETIC EDUCATION SCHOOL REOPENED
Through the efforts of the Gifted Children Charitable NGO, the Aesthetic
Education School of the Garni village of Kotayk region was reopened after
previously suspending its activities because of scarcity of resources.
Within the framework of the NGO’s Way to the Arts project, implemented with
the assistance of the Jinishian Memorial Foundation, community members
mobilized efforts to restore the school building. These activities
contributed not only to developing mutual trust within the community, but
also to forming social partnership between the NGO, local self-governing
body and commercial companies. To provide smooth functioning of the school,
the Gifted Children NGO provided necessary literature, consultancy and
methodic materials. For comprehensive aesthetic education and leisure time
of the Garni village children, the NGO plans to restore and renovate the
first floor and yard of the school, contributing to implementation of
educational and cognitive projects, as well as holding exhibitions,
meetings, performances and other events.
Contact: Victoria Keshishyan
Gifted Children Charitable NGO
7 Tigranyan St.
Tel.: (374-1) 22-25-93; 56-54-59
E-mail: [email protected]
*** STEPANAVAN YOUNG LEADER RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL AWARD
The goal of the YouthActionNet international program is to develop the
leadership skills of young people, and promote and contribute to their
active participation in community processes leading to positive change.
Annually, the program recognizes 20 outstanding young leaders, aged 20-28,
with awards. This year, for the first time, a representative from Caucasus
and Armenia was among the winners – Lilit Stepanyan of the Stepanavan Youth
Center NGO. For the award giving ceremony, winners from various continents
were invited to Argentina, where a seven day seminar was organized aimed at
development of their skills. “If we are afraid of and avoid difficulties,
instead of facing and overcoming them, there will be no progress and
development”, says Lilit Simonyan.
Contact: Lilit Simonyan
Stepanavan Youth Center NGO
Stepanavan, 13 Meghapart St.
Tel.: (374-56) 3-22-91; 2-21-16
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
*** VISITING MENTALLY RETARDED CHILDREN
On October 14, the Armenian Assembly of America’s trustees, within the
framework of their visit to Armenia, visited the Prkutiun Center of Disabled
Children NGO, beneficiaries of which are mentally retarded children. In the
NGO’s day center, according to their capabilities, the mentally retarded
children learn reading and writing, as well as receive food and individual
and group assistance of a psychologist and defectologist. Through a grant,
received from the AAA NGOC, integration groups function within the center
allowing the mentally retarded children to learn painting, needlework,
rice-grain decoration and computer skills together with healthy children. On
October 14, the mentally retarded children sang, danced, recited for guests
and presented their handicrafts. At the end of the program, AAA trustees
provided some financial assistance to the NGO. Prkutyun will use it for
renovation activities and obtaining food and presents for the beneficiaries.
Contact: Arpenik Abrahamyan
Prkutiun Center of Disabled Children NGO
33 Chekhov St.
Tel.: (374-1) 42-78-50; 42-65-84; (374-9) 38-34-81
E-mail: [email protected]
*** SIXTH ASSEMBLY OF ARMENIAN ASSOCIATION OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS
On October 22-23, the sixth assembly of the Armenian Association of Family
Physicians NGO was held with participation of Association members,
representatives of interested state structures, NGOs, international
organizations and pharmaceutical companies. During the assembly, issues
related to the introduction of family medicine were discussed. The assembly
had scientific and practical direction: number of issues on disease
management within the primary healthcare system were discussed. The
Association’s activities for the past five years and its future plans were
discussed. The problem of an imperfect relevant legislative framework was
particularly emphasized; it was especially noted that despite the fact that
there are 250 physicians with certificates of family physicians, not
everyone works as a family physician in Armenia. As stated by the NGO
Chairman S. Hovhannissyan, with the assistance of the Association members,
the relevant legislative framework is being gradually developed, which will
contribute to the widespread and optimum introduction of family medicine in
Armenia.”
Samvel Hovhannissyan
Armenian Association of Family Physicians NGO
49/4 Komitas St.
Tel.: (374-1) 23-48-51
E-mail: [email protected]
*** NGO AGAINST PESTICIDES
On October 11, 2004, on the initiative of the Armenian Women for Health and
Healthy Environment NGO, a theatrical performance was held in the Verin Dvin
village school of Ararat marz. The performance, the message of which was
using foods free of pesticides, was part of the NGO’s For A Toxic-Free
Future In Armenia project. Its goal is to reduce the risk of exposure of
pesticides on human health and environment in Ararat marz. Dissemination of
factsheets, information sheets, posters, newspaper articles and organizing
TV programs and performances are aimed at raising the awareness of the
population of ten villages on pesticides and their harmful impact on health.
To promote cooperation with local and regional authorities, healthcare
institutions and NGOs, seminars, lectures and other meetings on the topic
Preventing Exposure of Pesticides are organized. The project is implemented
with financial assistance received from AAA NGO Center through USAID.
Contact: Elena Manvelyan
Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment NGO
24 Saryan St., #65
Tel.: (374-1) 62-66-20
E-mail: [email protected]
__________________________________________________________________________
Armenian NGO News in Brief is a publication of the NGO Training and Resource
Center (NGOC) issued in the Armenian, English and Russian languages for
electronic dissemination inside and outside Armenia. Primary funding for the
NGOC, which is a project of the Armenian Assembly of America, is provided by
the United States Agency for International Development (USAID.) Individual
NGOs are welcome to submit information for publication to the NGOC. The NGO
Center is not responsible for the clarity of information provided by
individual NGOs.
Dear Readers,
The not-for-profit, non-governmental sector of Armenia is rich with diverse
civic initiatives and activities. This electronic publication, though far
from covering all activities of the sector at any given period of time, is
intended to contribute to raising awareness, both inside and outside
Armenia, of the activities of Armenian not-for-profit, non-governmental
organizations.
Your comments and feedback about this electronic publication are greatly
appreciated.
Thank you.
NGOC staff.
Contact Information:
In Armenia:
Armenian Assembly of America
NGO Training and Resource Center
39 Yeznik Koghbatsi St.,
Yerevan 375010
Tel.: (374-1) 54-40-12; 54-40-13; 53-92-04
Fax: (374-1) 54-40-15
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
In the United States:
Armenian Assembly of America
NGO Training and Resource Center
122 C Street NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001 USA
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

Agence France Presse — English
November 5, 2004 Friday 12:56 PM GMT
NATO chief tells Azerbaijan to turn page in relations with Armenia
BAKU
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer Friday told Azerbaijan to
“turn a page” in its relations with arch rival Armenia, its Caucasus
neighbor with which it remains in a state of war.
“At a certain stage you’ll have to turn a page,” de Hoop Scheffer said
as he continued a tour of the Caucasus.
De Hoop Scheffer spoke as he prepared to fly out of oil-rich
Azerbaijan, where he met with President Ilham Aliyev, to neighboring
Armenia to hold talks with its President Robert Kocharian.
The former Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a war in
the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, over
Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenican enclave in Azeri territory.
A cease fire agreement was signed in 1994 with Nagorno-Karabakh
effectively remaining in Armenian hands, but with Baku still claiming
rights to it. The two sides have yet to sign a peace treaty and
formally remain in a state of war.
In September, Azerbaijan refused to let officers from Armenia take part
in NATO-sponsored war games on its territory. The games were called off
as a result.
“These kind of activities should be accessible for anybody and
everybody,” De Hoop Scheffer said Friday. “My advice would be if there
is Armenian representation, what is a better way … to discuss these
fundamental problems. Let the Azeri voice be heard also in the presence
of (Armenians).”
The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan killed an estimated 35,000
people and displace close to one million.
Years of negotiations chaired by the so-called Minsk group — chaired
by France, Russia and the United States and operating under a mandate
from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe — have
failed to find a solution and today no transport or communication lines
link the two neighbors.
Nagorno-Karabakh “is a big problem which has created a lot of suffering
already for much too many years and which urgently needs a solution,”
De Hoop Scheffer said.
The NATO chief arrived in Baku from neighboring Georgia, where he met
with President Mikhail Saakashvili, who aims to join the alliance
within four years.

A1 Plus | 20:53:23 | 04-11-2004 | Economy |
HOW WAS THE TENDER CONDUCTED?
Armenian Justice Minister David Harutyunyan said at the conference
yesterday in Government the following: “Tomorrow “ArmenTel” will be
deprived of the right for rendering GSM services”. Minister’s statement
is a fact now.
“Liberty” Radio Station informs, K-TeleCom, i.e, Karabakh-TeleCom, doing
GSM services together with “ArmenTel” beginning from today, is a company
established by $ 10 million fund, which covers the 70% of Karabakh.
Let’s remind that nothing is known about a de facto tender for entering
the sphere of cellular communication in Armenia. It is not known,
either, who the rival companies were if a tender took place during the
night or what the tender proposal of “K-TeleCom” was.

Conflicting reports on Armenia’s chemical giant
Haykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
2 Nov 04
One can hardly think of a plant’s obituary being announced.
This is precisely what the director-general of the Armenian power
network, Yevgeniy Gladunchik, did yesterday [1 November].
“We are very much worried about what is taking place with [Armenia’s
chemical giant] Nairit today. I am afraid I won’t even be able to name
the owner of Nairit. It’s last owner [Russian] Volgaburmash has
abandoned Nairit. In other words, today Nairit has no owner. It is
being provided with power, we have to supply the power to protect the
environment. The plant has not been operating since August. The
promise made by the previous owner was a bluff. We did everything we
could for Nairit to function. All in vain. Nairit is not
working. Today an order was given to disconnect Nairit. The plant is
dead, unfortunately. This is a great loss to us,” Mr Gladunchik told
a press conference yesterday.
[Passage omitted: Nairit is the major power consumer and its closure
is a big financial loss]
But did Nairit really die? It is clear that the report was a little
bit exaggerated. “The statement that Volgaburmash rejected the Nairit
shares does not correspond to reality,” the leader of the
“Haykapbank”, Arutyun Mesropyan, said. This bank is connected with
Nairit in so many ways that both have became the property of
Volgaburmush. According to Mesropyan, they did not receive any
official statements from Volgaburmush that it is no longer interested
in Nairit . “Moreover, talks are under way,” Mesropyan said, but he
did not divulge any details of the talks or named the parties
involved. As to the statement that Nairit has not been functioning
since August, Mesropyan said the plant can resume work any moment now,
but he did not explain why it does not do so.
Yesterday Gladunchik said that Nairit is now the biggest debtor to the
Armenian energy network. It owes about 800m Armenian drams or more
than 1.5m US dollars. That is why the director of the Armenian energy
network read out the obituary about Nairit.
[Passage omitted: Mesropyan vows Nairit will pay off the debts given a
chance]

CONCERNS RELATED TO SPITTING INCIDENTS
Armenian Patriarchate of St. James, Jerusalem
OFFICE OF ECUMENICAL AND FOREIGN RELATIONS
Contact person: Bishop Aris Shirvanian
Tel: 972-2-6282331
Fax: 972-2-6282331
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website:
<; OFFICIAL COMMUNIQUÉ Jerusalem, 31 October 2004 The wide-scale media coverage of spitting by a young Jewish Yeshiva student in the Old City of Jerusalem upon Archbishop Nourhan Manougian, the Grand Sacristan, and the processional Cross during a solemn procession to the Holy Sepulchre Church, generated a positive sequence of events. The Patriarchate received numerous calls from Jewish Rabbis and other dignitaries expressing abhorrence and regrets over such an offensive phenomenon. The Patriarch, His Beatitude Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, wrote letters to the President of Israel, His Excellency Mr. Moshe Katzav, and the Prime Minister, His Excellency Mr. Ariel Sharon concerning this issue and asked them to take the necessary measures to bring to a halt similar disrespectful anti-Christian acts by some extremist religious Jews. His Beatitude appreciated the condemnation of such acts by His Excellency Mr. Abraham Poraz, Minister of Interior. In a letter to His Beatitude leaders of Simon Wiesenthal Center, Museum of Tolerance of Los Angeles, California, expressed their outrage over the contemptible spitting attack and pledged to redouble their efforts to prevent such incidents. Also the Vatican issued a Statement on October 19, 2004, by the Holy See's Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, stating: "Jerusalem has a sacred character for all the children of Abraham.. We call on all relevant authorities to respect this character and to prevent actions which offend the sensibilities of religious communities that reside in Jerusalem and hold her dear." "We call on religious authorities to protest publicly when actions of disrespect towards religious persons, symbols and Holy Sites are committed, such as the desecration of cemeteries and the recent assault on the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem. We call on them to educate their communities to behave with respect and dignity towards people and towards their attachment to their faith." On October 21, the Mayor of Jerusalem, Mr. Uri Lupolianski, met with His Beatitude and Bishop Aris Shirvanian, Director of the ecumenical and Foreign Relations of the Patriarchate, and apologized for the spitting assault by the yeshiva student. He pledged to talk to Rabbis to combat this type of behavior through education. He also stated that he would appoint an advisor for Christian Affairs to serve as a contact with Christian Churches. His Beatitude appreciated the Mayor's gesture. On October 26, representatives of Christian Churches met with the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger on his invitation at the Chief Rabbinate Office. This was a first historic meeting of its kind in Israel for which Christian leaders expressed their appreciation. Present were bishops and priests of the Greek, Armenian, Syrian, Coptic, Ethiopian and Russian Orthodox Churches, Latin, Greek Catholic, Armenian Catholic and Lutheran Churches. Bishop Aris Shirvanian represented the Armenian Patriarch. Also Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews and officials of the Ministry of the Interior and of Religious Affairs were in attendance. The Chief Rabbi welcomed all. He strongly condemned the disrespect to members of other faiths noting that they all were created "in the image of God" and therefore they should mutually be respected in spite of different religious beliefs and customs. Furthermore he announced that he would instruct rabbis to teach their faithful in the synagogues to refrain from offensive acts towards Christians and to respect them. Bishop Aris emphasized that the spitting incident that was reported two weeks earlier was not an isolated one. Since then there had been two other instances by extremist religious Jews. He stated that such acts are not committed just by Jewish men, but even by women and children who need to be educated by their rabbis. However, he noted that most Jews were respectful towards Christian clergy. The meeting was concluded by all the participants signing a declaration in which as leaders of Jewish and Christian religions they called upon their followers "to increase their tolerance, respect and understanding for members of different faiths." DIVAN OF THE ARMENIAN PATRIARCHATE

Persian Journal, Iran
Oct 31, 2004
Royal Road, Connecting Imperial Capitals of Persia
Persian Empire
According to the Greek researcher Herodotus of Halicarnassus (5th
century BCE), the road connected the capital of Lydia, Sardes, and the
capitals of the Achaemenid empire, Susa and Persepolis. From cuneiform
texts, other royal roads are known.
Herodotus describes the road between Sardes and Susa in the following
words [History of Herodotus 5.52-53].
As regards this road the truth is as follows. Everywhere there are
royal stations with excellent resting places, and the whole road runs
through country which is inhabited and safe.
1. Through Lydia and Phrygia there extend twenty stages, amounting to
520 kilometers.
2. After Phrygia succeeds the river Halys, at which there is a gate
which one must needs pass through in order to cross the river, and a
strong guard-post is established there.
3. Then after crossing over into Cappadocia it is by this way
twenty-eight stages, being 572 kilometers, to the borders of Cilicia.
4. On the borders of the Cilicians you will pass through two sets of
gates and guard-posts: then after passing through these it is three
stages, amounting to 85 kilometers, to journey through Cilicia.
5. The boundary of Cilicia and Armenia is a navigable river called
Euphrates. In Armenia the number of stages with resting-places is
fifteen, and 310 kilometers, and there is a guard-post on the way.
6. Then from Armenia, when one enters the land of Matiene, there are
thirty-four stages, amounting to 753 kilometers. Through this land flow
four navigable rivers, which can not be crossed but by ferries, first
the Tigris, then a second and third called both by the same name,
Zabatus, though they are not the same river and do not flow from the
same region (for the first-mentioned of them flows from the Armenian
land and the other from that of the Matienians), and the fourth of the
rivers is called Gyndes […].
7. Passing thence into the Cissian land, there are eleven stages, 234
kilometers, to the river Choaspes, which is also a navigable stream;
and upon this is built the city of Susa. The number of these stages
amounts in all to one hundred and eleven.
This is the number of stages with resting-places, as one goes up from
Sardes to Susa. If the royal road has been rightly measured […] the
number of kilometers from Sardes to the palace of [king Artaxerxes I]
Mnemon is 2500. So if one travels 30 kilometers each day, some ninety
days are spent on the journey.
This road must be very old. If the Persians had built this road and had
taken the shortest route, they would have chosen another track: from
Susa to Babylon, along the Euphrates to the capital of Cilicia, Tarsus,
and from there to Lydia. This was not only shorter, but had the
additional advantage of passing along the sea, where it was possible to
trade goods. The route along the Tigris, however, lead through the
heartland of the ancient Assyrian kingdom. It is likely, therefore,
that the road was planned and organized by the Assyrian kings to
connect their capital Nineveh with Susa. Important towns like Arbela
and Opis were situated on the road.
It is certain that the Assyrians traded with Kanesh in modern Turkey in
the first half of the second millennium BCE. The names of several
trading centers and stations are known and suggest that the route from
Assyria to the west was already well-organized. This road was still in
existence in the Persian age.
A traveler who went from Nineveh (which was destroyed by the Medes and
Babylonians in 612) to the west, crossed the Tigris near a town that
was known as Amida in the Roman age (and today as Diyarbekir). This was
the capital of a country called Sophene. Further to the west, he
crossed the Euphrates near Melitene, the capital of a small state with
the same name, which may have been part of the Persian satrapy Cilicia.
It is probable that the ruins of the guardhouse mentioned by Herodotus
are to be found near Eski Malatya.
The border between Cilicia and Cappadocia was in the Antitaurus
mountain range. The last town in Cilicia, and probably the place of the
‘two sets of gates and guard-posts’ mentioned by Herodotus, was at
Comana, a holy place that was dedicated to Ma-Enyo, a warrior goddess
that the Greeks identified with Artemis.
The route continued across the central plains of modern Turkey, a
country that was called Cappadocia. The exact course of the road is not
known, but it is likely that it passed along the capital of the former
Hethite empire, Hattuas.
The Halys was crossed near modern Ankara -which may well have been a
guard-post- and the next stop was Gordium, the capital of another
kingdom that had disappeared in the Persian age, Phrygia. Passing
though Pessinus, a famous sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Cybele,
and Docimium, famous for its pavonazetto marble, the Royal road reached
Sardes.
At Persepolis, many tablets were found that refer to the system of
horse changing on the Royal road; it was called pirradazi. From these
tablets, we know a lot about the continuation of the road from Susa to
Persepolis -23 stages and a distance of 552 kilometers- and about other
main roads in the Achaemenid empire. No less important was, for
example, the road that connected Babylon and Egbatana, which crossed
the Royal road near Opis, and continued to the holy city of
Zoroastrianism, Rhagae. This road continued to the far east and was
later known as Silk road.
Herodotus describes the pirradazi -for which he uses another name- in
very laudatory words: There is nothing mortal which accomplishes a
journey with more speed than these messengers, so skillfully has this
been invented by the Persians. For they say that according to the
number of days of which the entire journey consists, so many horses and
men are set at intervals, each man and horse appointed for a day’s
journey. Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor darkness of night prevents
them from accomplishing the task proposed to them with the very utmost
speed. The first one rides and delivers the message with which he is
charged to the second, and the second to the third; and after that it
goes through them handed from one to the other, as in the torch race
among the Greeks, which they perform for Hephaestus. This kind of
running of their horses the Persians call angareion.
[History of Herodotus 8.98]
To the Greeks, this was most impressive. There is a story by Diodorus
of Sicily that between Susa and Persepolis, even greater communication
speeds were reached:
Although some of the Persians were distant a thirty days’ journey, they
all received the order on that very day, thanks to the skilful
arrangement of the posts of the guard, a matter that it is not well to
pass over in silence. Persia is cut by many narrow valleys and has many
lookout posts that are high and close together, on which those of the
inhabitants who had the loudest voices had been stationed. Since these
posts were separated from each other by the distance at which a man’s
voice can be heard, those who received the order passed it on in the
same way to the next, and then these in turn to others until the
message had been delivered at the border of the satrapy.
[World history 19.17.5-6]
We can not establish whether this is true. If it is, it is the ultimate
tribute to the Persian talent to organize this; if it is a mere
fantasy, it is a beautiful compliment.
The road, although without the pirradazi? system, was still in use in
Roman times. The bridge at Amida (modern Diyarbakir in Turkey) is an
illustration.

Playbill.com, NY –
Oct 29, 2004
Aznavour Songs Fill New Musical Happy Anniversary!, Getting NYC Reading
With Schaffel and Cuccioli
By Kenneth Jones
29 Oct 2004
Ed Dixon, the actor-writer-composer not afraid to juggle multiple
projects, has conceived a new four-person musical, Happy Anniversary!,
drawing on the music of Charles Aznavour.
The developing show by the author of the musical Fanny Hill will be
seen in an invitation-only reading in Manhattan Nov. 8 in a
presentation by Hell’s Kitchen Musicals, a new group. Happy
Anniversary! was previously seen in a presentation at The York Theatre
Company’s venue.
In the show, Marla Schaffel (Jane Eyre) and Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll &
Hyde) will play a New York couple celebrating their 20th wedding
anniversary. Amanda Watkins and Matthew Scott play their extramarital
interests – a maid and the delivery boy, respectively.
“Everything looks O.K. on the surface, but underneath it’s really not
O.K. – they love each other but can’t stand each other,” Dixon said of
his married pair. He is calling the show a book musical, not a revue of
Aznavour songs.
The show’s title comes from one of Aznavour’s most famous songs.
Happy Anniversary! was sparked when Sybil Goday, the widow of Happy
Goday, the music publisher of Aznavour’s songs, invited Dixon to a
meeting and said she was looking for an original stage show that would
celebrate such Aznavour songs as “Sailor Boy,” “Yesterday, When I Was
Young,” “She,” “I’ll Be There” and “You and Me.”
“She wants to introduce a much larger group of people to his music,”
Dixon said.
Goday had seen Dixon in another developing Aznavour driven show, Az, in
2003 and liked his style. She agreed to grant him the rights to the
Aznavour catalog if he could come up with an original story. The
English lyrics are by Don Black, Herbert Kretzmer and Dee Shipman.
The project – conception, book and arrangements by Dixon – has come
together in the past six months, Dixon told Playbill On-Line.
Drew Scott Harris directs the 5 PM Nov. 8 presentation. Larry Yurman is
musical director.
The show covers the day of the characters’ anniversary leading to a
party at the Ritz Carlton in New York. “It’s a tiny, tiny musical,”
Dixon said, but it addresses a full range of emotions from “funny to
touching to sad.”
“I fell in love with the music and the topics – thwarted love, love not
working out,” Dixon explained of his earlier brush with Aznavour’s
songs.
But, he added, the show will have a large dose of hope in it. “It’s not
all strum und drang,” he promised.
Charles Aznavour, the French singer and songwriter, made a rare
Broadway appearance in 1998 at the Marquis Theatre, Oct. 20-Nov. 15. A
tour followed.
Aznavour was born in Paris in 1924, the son of an Armenian cook. A
singer since the late ’50s, he has written many songs, including
“Yesterday, When I Was Young.” He’s appeared in films since 1958,
including Truffaut’s “Shoot the Piano Player” and “The Tin Drum.” He
has also written the scores to several films.
His recent 80th birthday was celebrated around the world.
Ed Dixon will play Armand in the Off-Broadway musical, Under the
Bridge, based on the children’s book “The Family Under the Bridge,”
starting in December at The Zipper Theatre, where he appeared in Here
Lies Jenny May-October 2004.

“FAITH” ORGANIZATION TO DEVELOP NATIONAL PROGRAM ON SOLVING PROBLEMS
OF THE DISABLED
YEREVAN, October 22 (Noyan Tapan). The “Faith” public organization of
the mothers of children with bad hearing is currently implementing a
program called “From Equal Rights to Equal Opportunities.” Chairwoman
of the organization Susanna Zhamkochian told NT the program stipulates
comparing the RA legislation on the rights of the disabled with those
of the developed countries, as well as developing a national program
for solving the problems of the disabled. A propaganda campaign and a
monitoring are also implemented all over the country as part of the
program. S. Zhamkochian stated that another program called “Creating
Centers for Integration of Deaf Children” is also underway at the
moment. This program aims to develop the oral speech of deaf children
of pre-school age and organizing computer training courses for
schoolchildren. The chairwoman said the organization is also
implementing a program for providing children with bad hearing with
hearing device. This program has been implemented with the assistance
of the “Howard Karagyozian” Foundation since 2002. So far, 400 hearing
device have been imported and distributed within the program.

Zenit News Agency, Italy
Oct 20 2004
Catholics and Jews Appeal Jointly for Sake of Jerusalem
“We Are Partners in Articulating Moral Values,” Says Panel
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 19, 2004 (ZENIT.org).- A Catholic-Jewish panel
made an appeal for respect of the sacred character of Jerusalem as
well as of the various religious communities that live in the Holy
City.
The exhortation was made in a press statement after the meeting of
the bilateral committee of the Holy See’s Commission for Religious
Relations with the Jews and the Grand Rabbinate of Israel, held at
Grottaferrata, near Rome, from Sunday through today.
The theme of the meeting was “A Common View of Social Justice and
Ethical Conduct.” According to the text, the participants express
that “there is not wide enough awareness in our respective
communities of the momentous change that has taken place in the
relationship between Catholics and Jews.”
They stated: “We are not enemies, but unequivocal partners in
articulating the essential moral values for the survival and welfare
of human society.”
After pointing out that “Jerusalem has a sacred character for all the
children of Abraham,” the Jewish and Catholic representatives appeal
to “all relevant authorities to respect this character and to prevent
actions which offend the sensibilities of religious communities that
reside in Jerusalem and hold her dear.”
The statement is signed by six members of the Jewish delegation, five
of them rabbis, among whom are Shar Yishuv Cohen, former chief rabbi
of Haifa, and David Rosen, international director for religious
affairs.
The Catholic delegation was led by Cardinal Jorge María Mejía,
retired archivist and librarian of the Holy Roman Church, as well as
Cardinal Georges Cottier, former theologian of the Pontifical
Household.
“We call on religious authorities to protest publicly when actions of
disrespect towards religious persons, symbols and Holy Sites are
committed, such as the desecration of cemeteries and the recent
assault on the Armenian patriarch of Jerusalem,” the committee
members affirmed.
“We call on them to educate their communities to behave with respect
and dignity towards people and towards their attachment to their
faith,” they concluded.
Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Commission for Religious
Relations with the Jews, and Ricardo Segni, chief rabbi of Rome, were
to analyze the state of the present Jewish-Catholic dialogue during a
conference organized this afternoon at the Gregorian University.
On the 30th anniversary of the Commission for Religious Relations
with the Jews, established by Paul VI, Cardinal Kasper, accompanied
by a delegation of the commission, will visit the Synagogue of Rome
this Friday afternoon.
In statements on Vatican Radio, Father Norbert Hofmann, secretary of
the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews,
acknowledged that in the wake of the Second Vatican Council,
Catholics are discovering the Jewish roots of their faith.
“Jesus was Jewish, the Mother of God was Jewish, the apostles were
Jews,” he said. “Christianity has Jewish roots and we are
increasingly rediscovering what we have in common.”