Author: Emma Jilavian

Turkish Press
April 25 2005
ARMENIAN GAME FAILS AGAIN
TURKIYE- US President George W. Bush didn’t mention the word
‘genocide’ in his speech this year too, shocking Armenian diaspora.
The US Congress on the other hand didn’t discuss the Armenian
proposal. Besides, American citizens also supported the march of
Turks in Washington D.C. who protested Armenians.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Outside the Beltway, VA
Tuesday, April 5, 2005
Papal Candidates: Cardinal Francis Arinze, Nigeria
Posted by Robert Tagorda at 17:19
Because he hails from Africa, Cardinal Arinze has attracted considerable
media attention and prompted questions about whether the world is ready for
a black pope. But his background runs deeper than skin color. As a convert
and a citizen of Nigeria, where approximately half the population is Muslim,
he can speak with authority on interfaith and cross-cultural matters: in
1985, Pope John Paul II tapped him to lead the Pontifical Council for
Inter-Religious Dialogue. But he’s equally comfortable in dealing with
internal Catholic issues, having spearheaded the Congregation for Divine
Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Thus his 1973 quotation, noted
by the Washington Post, is appropriate:
The Church has to be at home in every culture, while not being tied down or
imprisoned by any.
“Proposed, Not Imposed”
Buddha is “a great teacher of humanity.” Muslims and Christians are “part of
one human family.” Indeed, writes Cardinal Arinze, “Christians must remember
that God has also manifested himself in some way to the followers of other
religious traditions.”
So how does Catholicism distinguish itself? Cardinal Arinze highlights
“God’s salvific will” and emphasizes the Church’s role as “the universal
sacrament of salvation.” He then adds:
But there are people who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ
and his Church. They also are included in God’s plan of salvation. There
are, however, conditions. They must be sincere in their seeking of God. They
must be open to the secret but real action of the Holy Spirit in them. They
should follow their conscience in all matters of right and wrong. Because
Christ has taken on human nature and somehow united himself with every man
and woman, God can in ways known to him put people in link with the saving
mysteries of Christ (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22). He can give them the grace
needed for salvation.
But to say that the followers of other religions can attain salvation under
some conditions does not mean to ignore the fact that in these religions
there are limits, errors and shadows. As St Paul says: “Very often, deceived
by the Evil One, men have become vain in their reasonings, and have
exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served the creature rather than
the Creator. Or else, living and dying in this world without God, they are
exposed to ultimate despair” (Rom 1:21,25). This explains why the Catholic
Church “painstakingly fosters her missionary work” (Lumen Gentium, 16) so
that, becoming full members of the Church, people may have access to the
fullness of the means of salvation, a fullness to be found only in the
Church which is the ordinary means to salvation.
In stressing respect for human dignity and recognizing religious freedom,
Cardinal Arinze not only reveals his conversion story but also aligns
himself with Pope John Paul II’s message:
This stand is in perfect line with the Catholic doctrine that the human
response to God in faith should be free. “He who believes and is baptized
shall be saved, but he who does not believe shall be condemned” (Mk 16:6).
Religion is proposed, not imposed. “The truth cannot impose itself except by
virtue of its own truth, as it makes its entrance into the mind at once
quietly and with power” (Dignitatis Humanae, 1).
There have been periods in Church history when this principle has not been
sufficiently respected in practice. Vatican II itself admits this: “In the
life of the People of God as it has made its pilgrim way through the
vicissitudes of human history, there have at times appeared ways of acting
which were less in accord with the spirit of the Gospel and even opposed to
it” (Dignitatis Humanae, 12). This happened, for example, when people
accused of heresy were imprisoned or burnt. In the 12thMarch 2000 ceremony
in St Peter’s Basilica, the Holy Father asked pardon of God for all such
acts.
“Culture Is Broader Than Religion”
According to Cardinal Arinze, “religion can be said to represent the
transcendent dimension of culture and in a certain way its soul.” But he
also acknowledges the “alienating influence” that religion can sometimes
have on politics and civilization. This realism is particularly evident in
his views on Christian-Muslim relations.
He recognizes the commonalities between the two faiths:
Among the values shared between Christianity and Islam, peace deserves
special mention. Both religions stress the pre-eminence of peace. “Peace I
bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give,
this is my gift to you” (Jn 14:27), said Jesus to his Apostles the night
before he suffered and died. And after his Resurrection when he appeared to
them he generally began with the greeting: “Peace be with you” (cf. Jn
20:19, 21, 26). St Paul calls Christ “our peace” (cf. Eph 2:14). For
Muslims, Peace is one of the Beautiful Names of God. Does this fact not give
added significance to the customary greeting among Muslims: al­salamu
‘alaykum? Peace is necessary for individuals, within the same religious
community, between two or more religions, between peoples and between
States. Christians and Muslims have a duty to promote this tranquillity of
order. No right­thinking Christian or Muslim today should support crusades
or holy wars. Nor should they allow their conduct to be tainted by racist
considerations or give way to discrimination on the basis of race, colour,
condition of life or religion.
But Cardinal Arinze is unafraid to point out differences — even those with
serious political implications. Consider his thoughts on human rights:
Christians see human beings as having been created in God’s image and
likeness. They are brothers and sisters of Christ, the Son of God made man.
The Incarnation has ennobled the whole of humanity. This is the real
foundation of human dignity. Moreover, Christ died on the cross to redeem
all humanity. So we can say that love of God passes through love of
neighbour. The Muslim vision is different. The human person is the servant
of God, and remains so even when receiving God’s call to be caliph or God’s
vice­regent, among created things. This vision finds expression in the names
used. Many Muslim names begin with ‘Abd (servant) followed by one of the
numerous names for God. Christians see man as created by God with certain
inalienable rights. Prominent among these is the right to religious freedom.
“This freedom means that all men are to be immune from coercion on the part
of individuals or of social groups and of any human power, in such wise that
in matters religious no one is to be forced to act in a manner contrary to
his own beliefs. Nor is anyone to be restrained from acting in accordance
with his own beliefs, whether privately or publicly, whether alone or in
association with others, within due limits” (Dignitatis Humanae, n. 2).
Here’s the money quote:
[S]ome predominantly Muslim countries have their reservations regarding the
United Nations 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights which they see as
an expression of Western culture. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
in Islam, proclaimed in Paris in 1981, does contain an article on the right
to religious freedom (art.13). It is however very short, merely stating:
“Every person has freedom of belief and freedom of worship in conformity
with his belief: ‘to you your religion, to me mine’ (Q. 109:6)”. The
following article treats of the right to summons (da ‘wa) and to
proclamation (balagh), but the content of the article remains vague. It is
not clear whether or not people of religions other than Islam have the right
to propagate their religion. There is certainly no mention of a right to
change one’s religion. So the question of human dignity and the rights which
flow from it is one on which Christians and Muslims who have learned to know
and trust one another can exchange views in the hope of greater service to
the human person and therefore to the world.
That’s a pretty firm criticism. It’s also highly relevant for a post-9/11
papacy. Whereas a different religious leader might struggle to make such
strong statements, Cardinal Arinze seems to have genuine credibility. At the
same time, it’s hard to confuse him for a bellicose neoconservative when he
asserts:
Poverty, underdevelopment, justice and corruption are fertile grounds for
the rise or growth of extremist religious tendencies. In such societies
those who reject the present situation, or who oppose the government in
power, may find it easy to get the support of the suffering poor who are the
vast majority, by making appeal to extravagant religious claims. The
temptation that the answer to these situations of suffering is a return to
what is presented as an original or pure form of a certain religion –
whether Christianity or Islam – is an easy one. The effective response is
not a crackdown on religious fanatics. It is rather a joint commitment of
Christians and Muslims, and other citizens, to justice, development, sound
economic programmes, honesty in private and public life, and willingness on
the part of the rich to show serious solidarity with the poor. Peace stands
on the pillars of love, truth, development, justice and solidarity.
“Sometimes It Shows a Lack of Faith”
When it comes to liturgical issues, Cardinal Arinze frowns upon departures
from approved rites:
The general approach is that the liturgy is the public worship of the
Church. It is not an area where individuals do their own thing, feed the
people with the latest production of their over-fertile imaginations. This
would do damage to the faithful and the liturgy. Sometimes it shows a lack
of faith.
Some abuses make the Mass invalid. For example – nobody did this – but
suppose a priest says, “I don’t like wine at all. I am going to use
Coca-Cola.” From the point of view of theology, it would not be Mass at all.
If he didn’t use bread made from wheat but uses bread from cassava or wine
from the palm tree and not from the vine.
These are abuses that affect the validity of the sacrament. But there can be
abuses that do not make the sacrament invalid. Like if a priest begins Mass
by saying, “Good morning. Did your favorite football team win?” That’s
banalization. Everyone would recognize that.
Suppose in preaching it is no longer on the Gospel and our faith but on
politics. Or suppose he says, “I do not like these vestments. I think I will
use my overcoat.” Or if he says, “I do not like some of the words in the
book, I am going to invent my own prayers. I composed these myself last
night.”
On the other hand, he stresses the principle of subsidiarity, as this
statement on liturgical dance makes clear:
In the last analysis, the bishops of each country must look into this
matter. It is not cut and dried. There are many rites: Ethiopian, Byzantine,
Greek, Armenian, Coptic, Chaldean, for example. The Latin rite has not
traditionally known dance. If you say “dance” to anyone in Europe, I leave
it to you to see what comes to their mind. They will say, “That has nothing
to do with the liturgy. When we want to see a dance, we don’t go to Mass. We
go somewhere else.” It is a cultural thing.
In the same vein, note his recommendation for addressing liturgical abuses:
Do your best to speak with those in the parish who can do something about
it. If there is no success, if it still very important, you can approach
your diocesan office. But the first thing to do is not to take paper and
write to the Vatican. There must be a better solution than that, although as
a last resort, people retain that right.
“Each One Will Have a Separate Story”
In the end, Cardinal Arinze seems strongly influenced by his conversion to
the faith. Though he shuns the term — “in Nigeria, we would hardly call the
person a convert” — he’s quick to invoke the “work of God’s grace.” “This
is,” he says, “God’s own mystery.”
–Boundary_(ID_9vQs7zuaDoVHK36C1BnIjA)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

L.A. Mayoral Hopefuls Vie for Key Groups
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD
The Associated Press
03/12/05 14:17 EST
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Mayor James Hahn is limping toward a May runoff
with no clear path to a second term, mostly deserted by his fragile
political coalition in one of the nation’s most diverse cities.
Hahn squeaked into a rematch against city Councilman Antonio
Villaraigosa with a paltry 24 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s primary,
having squandered his good will with the two constituencies credited
with vaulting him into office four years ago: South Los Angeles blacks
and the moderate-to-conservative voters in the San Fernando Valley.
Hahn’s support among black voters in the 12-candidate primary shrank
drastically from 2001 – when the two Democrats also faced each other
in a runoff – and the more liberal Villaraigosa beat him in the valley,
according to an exit poll.
Even union members, whose leaders switched allegiances and endorsed
Hahn this year, threw more of their support to Villaraigosa, helping
him reach 33 percent overall.
The primary showed Hahn “has no identifiable group in the city that
is the base of his support,” said Raphael Sonenshein, a political
scientist at California State University, Fullerton. He “has to
reconstruct something that isn’t there anymore.”
Will Hahn, a white former city attorney with long-standing familial
ties to the black community, be able to reclaim his base in largely
black South Los Angeles, where some voters feel he hasn’t lived up
to promises? Or will Villaraigosa, the son of a Mexican immigrant,
overcome historic rivalries between blacks and Hispanics?
The Jewish vote also is in play for the May 17 election, now that
third-place finisher Bob Hertzberg is out. So are Republicans, who
also gravitated to Hertzberg, along with the valley and the largely
white, liberal-tilting west side.
“If the black vote sits at home, the Jewish vote becomes very
important,” said Frank Gilliam, a political scientist at the University
of California, Los Angeles. “There is a social justice vote in the
Jewish community, in particular, and they may decide it’s time for
a Latino mayor.”
The question now is whether Hertzberg will endorse anyone.
Hertzberg supporters “voted for change, they voted for big ideas,”
said his consultant, John Shallman. “When you say change, when you
say big ideas, you don’t say Jim Hahn.”
There’s also an untapped pool of more than 1 million registered voters
who ignored the primary.
Unlike 2001, Villaraigosa is muting references to his Hispanic heritage
and focusing on inclusiveness, an apparent attempt to make himself
more attractive to blacks and others dissatisfied with Hahn.
“Can he reach out, particularly to black and west side voters, and keep
his (Hispanic) base at the same time?” asked Gilliam. “As a uniter,
you can stand for everyone and stand for nothing.”
Hahn still has the advantage of being the incumbent. What’s more,
he bears a gilded political name in city politics – his father was a
county supervisor who represented black neighborhoods for decades –
and has won six citywide elections dating to his days as controller
in the early 1980s.
And he did manage to beat 10 other candidates to make the runoff
with Villaraigosa, despite a flood of bad publicity over a corruption
investigation at City Hall.
Polls before the election found the mayor was damaged by two decisions
he defends as a sign of leadership – his support for the ouster of the
city’s black police chief in 2002 and his opposition to a secession
movement that would have split the valley from Los Angeles.
Many blacks recoiled at his treatment of then-Chief Bernard Parks,
and San Fernando Valley voters sympathetic to secession were riled
when Hahn raised millions of dollars to fight off the proposed split.
The majority of the black vote in the primary went to Parks, now a
councilman, a Los Angeles Times exit poll found.
Four years ago, Hahn was elected with about three of four black votes,
the bloc once faithful to his father. But in this primary, the mayor
could only muster 23 percent of the black vote.
Both candidates have already started campaigning, with Hahn planning
to walk South Los Angeles streets during the weekend.
Villaraigosa rushed to campaign in the valley the day after the
primary. And on Friday he was in South Los Angeles, where he was
endorsed by a black county supervisor who backed Hahn four years ago.
“Today is a different day,” said the supervisor, Yvonne B. Burke.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Music From the Movies, UK
March 2 2005
Vodka Lemon
Reviewed by: Peter Holm
Michel Korb’s music to the critically acclaimed drama/comedy Vodka
Lemon, by director Hiner Saleem, gets a proper release by the new
French label Amélie Aime le Cinéma. This is my first experience with
the music of Michel Korb. He is a French composer who was born in
1960 and graduated from the Berklee School of Music in 1984 with a
diploma in film scoring. The liner notes present a handful of films
that Korb has composed the music to, all of which are French, and
spans from 1994 to 2004.
Vodka Lemon reflects today’s life in post-Soviet Armenia and deals
with issues such as poverty, loss and the hope for a better life. In
the centre of the film are a widow and widower and their
relationship. It’s so far away from the glamorous films made in
Hollywood, but it’s not without a sense of humour. Korb’s score
expresses the very same in the music and mixes a variety of emotions.
He has gathered a small group of musicians, using traditional
instruments such as piano, violin, cello, bass and accordion
accompanied by the mysterious and strange colours of the duduk and
cimbalom (here called santhour). These are two of my favourite
instruments (just listen to the wonders of John Barry’s The Ipcress
File or Jerry Goldsmith’s The Last Run). Another instrument is the
exotic oud (a lute like instrument).
Korb’s score starts with the jaunty `Hamo et Nina’, which is a very
dance-like and rhythmic cue, and indeed a very optimistic one,
featuring piano and accordion up-front. This is one of the score’s
thematic tapestries along with the following `Le Jour se Lève’, which
is a more reflective piece. The opening solo part for accordion
reminds me of the bleak soundscape that Carl Davis established in The
Trial.
Even though it has its moments of melancholy and loneliness, it’s far
from a depressive score, like for instance Zbigniew Preisner’s
Dekalog, because even in bleakness there’s beauty, and Korb has
really found a perfect balance between passion, bleakness and
optimism. It’s a very intimate score and I think it owes a lot to the
fact that we get small and delightful solos from the instruments here
and there, something that reminds me of Georges Delerue’s way of
scoring.
The length of the cues varies from eighteen seconds to almost four
minutes, but this doesn’t affect the musical flow because it’s so
nicely laced together, even featuring three traditional cues along
with a concluding song (written by Salvatore Adamo). To mention a few
highlights: the piano solo in `Dans la Maison’, the soaring duduk in
`La Rose’, the flourishing `Envoléé’, the gloomy `La Lettre’ and the
cheerful `Improvisation’. Even though this is my first Michel Korb
score it’s easy to hear that he has a distinct voice of his own and I
wouldn’t hesitate for a minute if I found another one of his scores
on CD, because this guy is definitely worth following.

AZERTAG
PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV RECEIVES PROSECUTOR GENERAL OF
KAZAKHSTAN RASHID TUSUPBEKOV
[February 28, 2005, 18:10:55]
President of the Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev on February 29 at
the Presidential Palace received Prosecutor General of the Republic
of Kazakhstan Rashid Tusupbekov.
Head of the Azerbaijan State expressed satisfaction with the
existing relations between two countries, including the development
of strategic cooperation in the political, economic, humanitarian and
others spheres. President Ilham Aliyev noted that after Azerbaijan
has gained state independence, the kind friendly links between
the nationwide leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev and President
of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev have played exclusive role
in foundation of intensive relations in the current phase. And
participation of the Kazakh President at the funerals of the
Azerbaijani nationwide leader was highly appreciated by the People
of Azerbaijan, Mr. Aliyev underlined.
And currently, warm relations between the presidents of Azerbaijan and
Kazakhstan give strong pulse to expansion of bilateral cooperation,
head of the Azerbaijan State said. Reminding his successful visit to
Kazakhstan last year, President Ilham Aliyev said the signed documents
have brought closer the two countries.
Noting that Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan play significant role in the
political processes in the region, in realization of global economic
projects, President Ilham Aliyev underscored that the two states
constantly support each other in the global questions either. From
this standpoint, Kazakhstan, basing on the international legal
principles, always backed fair position of Azerbaijan in settlement
of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict, which is highly
appreciated by the people of Azerbaijan.
President Ilham Aliyev has evaluated as a good example of
cooperation the signing of document on division of Caspian seabed
and transportation of hydrocarbon reserves. Underlining his consent
with the high level of cooperation between the numerous state
and law-enforcement bodies, including prosecutor service bodies,
President Ilham Aliyev said the prosecutor bodies play great role
in strengthening of sovereignty and ensuring stability. Head of the
Azerbaijan State expressed confidence for further development of
cooperation between the prosecutor bodies of two states.
Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan Rashid Tusupbekov conveyed greetings
and high considerations of President Nursultan Nazarbayev to the
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, saying Mr. Nazarbayev attaches
great importance to the relations with Azerbaijan. The friendly ties
between the nationwide leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev and President
of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev have set solid ground for the
fraternal relations between the two peoples, Mr. Tusupbekov emphasized.
Noting that presence of socio-political stability in Azerbaijan
and Kazakhstan has prompted high development of economic sphere in
both countries, Rashid Tusupbekov said he was eyewitness of notable
economic development during his visit to Azerbaijan, stressing that he
was deeply impressed by scale of the works at the Sangachal terminal
and quick development in the construction field in Baku.
Dwelling on successful cooperation of the prosecutor bodies of both
countries, the guest said that the agreement on rendering legal
assistance signed during his visit in Baku was a good example of
these links. These relations will play important role in expansion
of cooperation between the prosecutor bodies, as well as promote
settlement of global issues, effective combat against extremism and
terrorism, he stressed.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Turkey complains EU about Armenia’s “Chernobyl to be” Nuclear Reactor
Journal of Turkish Weekly
Feb 28 2005
The Armenian nuclear reactor in Medzamor can be the next Chernobyl
according to Turkey and EU. Medzamor plant which is 16 km away from
Turkish Armenian border is among the five most dangerous nuclear plants
in the world. Plant’s Armenia-1 and Armenia-2 units were reported to
have problems. The same plant was shutdown in 1988 due to a powerful
earth quake in the Spitak region of Armenia. The nuclear facility is
on the Eastern Anatolia fault.
But after Soviet’s collapse, the plant was restarted in 1995. Armenia
insists on running the nuclear plant. The high risk reactor may cost
millions of Armenian’s life as it was in Chernobyl.
European Union ordered Armenia to close the nuclear plant.
International Environmentalist groups protested Armenia several
times. A possible earthquake may turn a substantial part of Armenia
into a deserted nuclear area.
JTW
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Lavrov calls for observation of nuclear non-proliferation regime
By Kseniya Kaminskaya, Tigran Liloyan
ITAR-TASS News Agency
February 17, 2005 Thursday
YEREVAN, February 17 — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said
in Yerevan on Thursday that “concurrent observation of the nuclear
non-proliferation regime and Iran’s interests” was the only way to
solve the problem of Iran’s nuclear program.
“The concerted effort of Russia, France, Germany and Britain on the
international aspect of Iran’s nuclear program is directed at achieving
the consensus,” Lavrov went on to say. “Work in this direction is
based on these agreements,” the Russian foreign minister stressed.
Lavrov said that the process was developing in the right direction.
“Russia continues its contacts with America and Europe on this
subject. The only possible way is to develop a political dialogue with
the observation of Iran’s energy interests and the non-proliferation
regime,” the Russian foreign minister emphasized.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian president names two members of Public TV board
Arminfo
15 Feb 05
Yerevan, 15 February: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has appointed
Genrik Ovannisyan and Stepan Pogosyan members of the board of the
Public Television and Radio Company for a period of six years, the
presidential press service told Arminfo news agency today.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE ASIA QUAKE : Has this catastrophe really made us a more caring world?
Irish Independent
Jan 08, 2005

By Mary Kenny
Has the world been changed by the terrible tsunami in Asia? Has human
nature been altered by this appalling catastrophe, brought home to us
by the television cameras with more vividness than any other
catastrophe in history?
It certainly seemed like that in the two weeks following the
disaster. An unprecedented flow of global generosity poured out from
all countries, a flow led not by politicians or other leaders but
spontaneously erupting from ordinary people. Within two weeks,
worldwide pledges of donations had reached $3bn (â=82¬ 2.27bn) – a sum
of money never before collected in such a short time for a caring
cause.
And if ‘globalisation’ is a dirty word in the mouths of some – the
‘anti-globalisation’ campaigners certainly have used it thus – after
the tsunami the admirable and uplifting aspect of a global
consciousness became evident. People were not thinking in terms of
national, racial or religious relief. They were thinking globally.
Back in the 20th century, kindly and compassionate gestures were
certainly made for peoples who had suffered catastrophe, but these
were usually on some basis of kinship. The Irish-Americans helped
Ireland; the British helped those they were linked to by ‘Empire’; the
Church of England helped the Armenian peoples because they were being
persecuted by the Islamic Turks; the Catholic Church in Ireland raised
quite a lot of help for victims of the Russian famines in the 1920s,
partly because the victims were often Christians starved out by an
atheistic regime and partly because the very word ‘famine’ is always
evocative in Ireland.
But with the tsunami, it hasn’t been like that at all. This global
response was for suffering humanity, with no particular links of
kinship or other points of common cultural identity. It was pure,
globalised altruism. Indeed, some Darwinist thinkers were quite
puzzled by it, since Darwinism teaches that we are programmed to give
preference to peoples who might be related to us over those with whom
we share no gene pool.
So, yes, in one way we could conclude that the tsunami has been a
turning point for the ‘global village’. Its terrifying scale and
unpredictability has raised awareness that there must be a sustained
globalised response to catastrophes and, further, that the richer
world must be ready to help the poorer world on a continuing basis.
This is not entirely a new idea. The notion of alms-giving is explicit
in almost every religion – Judaism and Islam are particularly emphatic
about it. You are obliged to give to the poor and the needy. In
Ireland, that generosity has always been quite remarkable, and however
much bad publicity the Catholic Church has had over the past decade,
hostility never affected the caritas role of the Church. Year in, year
out, the St Vincent de Paul still attracted support and revenue.
Calvinism did not approve of charity to the same extent as older
faiths: the Calvinist strain distinguished between the ‘deserving’ and
the ‘undeserving’ poor. The deserving poor were merely unlucky; the
undeserving were the feckless and improvident who had brought it all
on themselves and would never alter their behaviour. That dilemma is
still with us each time we pass a beggar in the street. Is it kind to
give him money, knowing full well that he is likely to spend it on
drugs that will keep him where he is? Or should we simply act
charitably and not enquire where the money goes?
On a larger scale, some of the post-tsunami donors will be asking the
same question: is it right to give money where a society is corrupt?
Or should we just be charitable without a strings-attached clause?
All in all, the tsunami has pushed the world more towards the spirit
of generosity. Even where governments are corrupt, we realise that
people are needy. And we should have a worldwide consciousness of
these needs. It’s as if the tsunami has almost ushered in an idea
pledged in the Communist Manifesto of1848: “From each according to his
ability, to each according to his need”.
But if the world order has been changed by this catastrophe, it is
less likely that human nature itself has. Disasters shake us and
resolve us to show humanity, but soon enough the Old Adam
appears. There are people who immediately show great kindness and
heroism, but there are also people who quickly take advantage. Within
a week of the disaster, in Britain, there were reports that special
collections for tsunami victims had been stolen by thieves. Within 10
days, there were reliable reports coming from Unicef that gangs were
recruiting tsunami orphans to sell into the sex trade. There were
grumbles, too, from other charities that money collected for the
tsunami victims would now meanless revenue for them.
There were proclamations from Islamic clerics that the tsunami was a
punishment from God for all the sex-tourism and prostitution that has
been associated with some parts of the Far East. And the internet was
awash with other conspiracy theories: the Americans were quickly
blamed, as they so often are now. Strange, was it not, that the
island of Diego Garcia, host to an American airbase, was untouched by
the tidal wave? Actually, there is a geological explanation, but that
would spoil the conspiracy theory!
There is something frightening and extraordinary about the thought
that the tectonic plates can move beneath the surface of the ocean and
the globe itself can shift on its axis. The world has been changed by
this knowledge. And for all that we complain about the rubbishy aspect
of television, this is one great service that TV and international
communications have performed: bringing it all so close to us.
But to sustain that consciousness, and to maintain that sense of
global solidarity will require a change in human nature itself. And
that has always been somewhat more difficult to achieve.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri official dismisses Armenian threat to quit peace talks
Ekspress, Baku
23 Dec 04
Excerpt from report by Alakbar Raufoglu in Azerbaijani newspaper
Ekspress on 23 December headlined “Iravan [Yerevan] is blackmailing:
‘We will officially walk out of the dialogue with Azerbaijan, if
Nagornyy Karabakh is not involved in the talks'”
The next meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign
ministers will be held in Prague in mid-January, Armenian Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan has told Armenian Public TV.
[Passage omitted: reported details]
The non-involvement of Karabakh’s separatist regime in the talks has
no effect on Yerevan’s position: “This is not about the strengthening
or weakening of our position. Karabakh’s involvement in the talks is
a need. Despite Azerbaijan’s approach to the problem, Azerbaijan and
Karabakh are the parties to the conflict. Armenia is taking part in the
talks because Baku does not want to talk to Xankandi [Stepanakert]. If
Azerbaijan interprets our involvement in the talks differently and
tries to change the essence of the issue, Armenia will refuse to take
part in the dialogue. That’s why, we want the settlement process to
be held in the format of the [OSCE] Minsk Group. The inclusion of
the issue in the UN agenda changes the format, and Yerevan will not
be able to represent Nagornyy Karabakh in this format.”
[Passage omitted: more details]
“One should put an end to unlimited manipulations in the Karabakh
talks. Moves of this kind promise nothing positive to the peace
process,” the Azerbaijani deputy foreign minister and the president’s
special representative on the Karabakh issue, Araz Azimov, told
Ekspress newspaper, commenting on Oskanyan’s views on the need to
involve the Armenian community of [Karabakh] in the talks.
Baku hopes that the upcoming talks will be held “on the basis of
more specific positions”. Armenia should send “precise signals”
in this connection.
Azimov did not speak about the essence of the current discussions.
“Everything will be clear after the next meeting. In any case,
the discussions have been held for 14 years now. The international
community has been making persistent statements on the process as
well. All these factors will be recorded,” Azimov said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress