Author: Jagharian Tania

UNREST IN XINJIANG: WHERE’S THE MUSLIM OUTRAGE?
By Matthew Clark

Christian Science Monitor
13/unrest-in-xinjiang-wheres-the-muslim-outrage/
J uly 13 2009

Muslims around the world have largely remained silent about last week’s
deadly riots between Han Chinese and Uighurs. What makes this case of
‘oppression’ of Muslims different than others?

Shhhh! I think I just heard a pin drop.

Nope. It’s just more deafening silence from the Muslim Street in
the wake of last week’s ethnic riot that killed more than 184 in
China’s restive Xinjiang Province, home to the Uighurs, a Muslim
minority group.

According to the Chinese government, the majority of the victims in
the riot were Han Chinese, attacked by Uighurs who’ve complained for
decades about being marginalized, abused, neglected, and oppressed
ever since former Communist leader Mao Zedong launched a campaign
to flood Xinjiang with Han Chinese in 1960s. But many of the victims
were Uighurs, too, and thousands of Uighurs were arrested as a result
of the melee. Many could face execution.

China also closed mosques last week – just one of many strict limits
on freedom of expression in Xinjiang.

It’s the kind of stuff that would arouse passionate protests if a
Western country were the one cracking down. (Remember the apoplectic
protests over the Danish cartoon of Prophet Muhammad?)

But there were no Chinese flags burned in Karachi. No effigies of Hu
Jintao smoldered in Cairo. No "Death to China" chants echoed through
the streets of Tehran.

Not that the Monitor would ever be in favor of such protests against
any country. But why does it seem as though there such a different
reponse for China?

The Uighurs’ spiritual leader, Rebiya Kadeer (profiled here by the
Monitor’s Beijing Bureau Chief Peter Ford), has some ideas.

"So far the Islamic world is silent about the Uighurs’ suffering
because the Chinese authorities have been very successful in [their]
propaganda to the Muslim world … that the Uighurs are extremely
pro-west Muslims – that they are modern Muslims, not genuine Muslims,"
she said at a press conference Monday in Washington.

Ms. Kadeer contrasted a lack of action from Muslim countries with
the support Uighurs get from Western democracies and called on Muslim
nations to do more.

Turkey drops the G-word

Days later, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called the situation
"genocide" and thousands of Turks protested China’s treatment of
Uighurs on Sunday. Turks share ethnic and cultural bonds with the
Turkic-speaking Uighurs, so the support in Turkey goes beyond sympathy
for fellow Muslims allegedly being oppressed by non-believers.

Iran’s clerics speak out

Iranian critics are starting to get into the act, too.

Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, a high-level cleric, demanded
that Iran’s foreign ministry quickly condemn what he described as
the Chinese government’s "horrible" backing of "racist Han Chinese."

The news website Tabnak, backed by, Mohsen Rezai, conservative
challenger of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, accused the
government of hypocrisy in ignoring violence against fellow Muslims:
"When Israel was striking Gaza, state radio and television aired
round-the-clock reports and analyses about the massacre of Muslims, but
now only short reports are heard. . . . During the Israeli invasion of
Gaza, nearly 1,000 died in 20 days – or 50 per day. In China’s riots,
nearly 100 Muslims were killed in a day. Our government is silent
regarding clear carnage."

But, by and large, the Muslim Street has been just as silent.

A plea from the Palestinian territories

"Muslims around the world have an absolute religious, moral,
and human duty to identify with their oppressed brothers and
sisters in [Xinjiang]," journalist Khalid Amayreh in an opinion
piece on Islam Online, comparing the Uighurs’ plight to that of the
Palestinians. "Muslims, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
said, must never betray or abandon other Muslims, especially in time
of distress. Unfortunately, however, Muslim states and Muslim peoples
alike have been largely silent in the face of these atrocities in
[Xinjiang]."

Will this change? We’ll see.

‘RETURN HOME’ PROGRAM TO BE LAUNCHED IN ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2009-07-14 15:07:00

ArmInfo. The Diaspora Ministry of Armenia will launch "Return Home"
program on July 15, Coordinator of this program Zhenya Azizyan said
at a press-conference, Tuesday.

According to her, this program aims to familiarize young Diaspora
Armenians with their motherland, most people participating in this
program have never been in the Republic. She pointed out that the
program participants will be hosted in families, and at the moment
over 500 families ready to host young Armenian of Diaspora free of
charge are registered which for two weeks. At the initial stage a
total of 137 people take part in the program.

The program includes such countries as Egypt, Syria, Iran, France,
Russia and others. The program participants are young people whose age
ranges from 14 to 25. Within the frames of their trip to Armenia, they
will visit numerous place of interest of Armenia, go on excursions,
attend Armenian Studies, familiarize themselves with Armenian cuisine
and dances, meet the leadership of Armenian universities, etc.

The "Return Home" program was approved by the Armenian government on
May 14, 2009. A total of 25 mln AMD were allocated from the state
budget to implement the program. The first stage of the program
will be launched tomorrow in Yerevan, as well as in Kotayk, Ararat,
Armavir and Aragatsotn regions. The program is sponsored by the
Union of Iraqi Armenians of America, VivaCell and ArmenTel companies,
and Yerevan Brandy Company.

THEY IN ARMENIA, NKR AND AZERBAIJAN HAVE GOT WHAT THEY WANT: ARMENIAN POLITICAL EXPERT

ArmInfo
2009-07-13 17:39:00

ArmInfo. They in Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan have got what they want,
Director of the Caucasus Institute, a political expert Alexander told
ArmInfo when commenting on the joint statement by the presidents of
Russia, USA and France on Nagorno Karabakh and the basic principles
of settlement.

‘Nothing new happened with publication of the notorious Madrid
Principles as they were clear to the politicians, political experts and
the whole expert association in all the three countries long since. The
principles have become clear to everyone with their publication at
OSCE site, that is, our societies have got what they wanted, however,
I do not see great pleasure and joy from that’, A. Iskandaryan said.

He also said the three presidents’ statement is still of recommendation
nature. Essentially, the Madrid Principles are just a raw frame of
the whole negotiation process. ‘In particular, according to the
‘principles’, some project is offered where the destinies of the
former NKAR and the rest former territories of Azerbaijan under
the NKR control are divided. It is offered to hold a referendum in
the NKR and give the territories to Azerbaijan having divided into
two parts. However, the part to be given to Baku is not specified’,
he said.

‘Moreover, the parties have not given their consent to this project,
and it is unclear how it will happen. At any rate, nothing will happen
this year.

Armenia does not yield his positions in the process, as there has
been no provision saying we shall not surrender even an inch of
the territories.

There was such a provision within the frames of the conflict, however,
we do not surrender the territories even now’, Iskandaryan resumed.

To note, the OSCE site reports that the presidents of OSCE MG
co-chair-countries made a joint statement on the Nagorno Karabakh
Conflict at the L’Aquila Summit of the Eight, July 10, 2009. Presidents
of the OSCE Minsk Group’s Co-Chair countries France, the Russian
Federation, and the United States of America affirm our commitment to
support the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan as they finalize the
Basic Principles for settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
the statement says.

The statement also says that the Basic Principles reflect a
reasonable compromise based on the Helsinki Final Act principles
of Non-Use of Force, Territorial Integrity, and the Equal Rights
and Self-Determination of Peoples. The Basic Principles include, in
particular: return of the territories surrounding Nagorno Karabakh to
Azerbaijani control; an interim status for Nagorno Karabakh providing
guarantees for security and self- governance; a corridor linking
Armenia to Nagorno Karabakh; future determination of the final legal
status of Nagorno Karabakh through a legally binding expression of
will; the right of all internally displaced persons and refugees to
return to their former places of residence; and international security
guarantees that would include a peacekeeping operation.

VAZGEN MANUKIAN CONVINCED THAT PUBLIC COUNCIL TO MANAGE TO FIND WAYS OF SOLVING PROBLEMS CONCERNING WIDE SECTIONS OF POPULATION

Noyan Tapan
July 10, 2009

YEREVAN, JULY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met
with the members of the Public Council on July 9. Noting that this
is the first meeting since the full formation of the Public Council,
he congratuled the 36 members of the Council and wished them fruitful
activity.

Then S. Sargsyan in particular said:

"What has been created is an unprecedented body whose structure
and regulations were developed and formed outside state bodies. Its
elections were also held in a way having no precedent. What we will
receive as a result depends on all the 36 members of the Public
Council.

I … know that your decisions are not subject to compulsory execution
by state government bodies and will not have a direct effect on
the policy.

However, it is clear to all of us that this structure has been set
up to have an impact on the policy. At first glance it seems to be
contradictory, but it is obvious, at least to me, that there is no
contradiction here. The state bodies act first of all by the force
of the law, whereas respect, authority and public trust will play an
essential role in your activities…

I wouldn’t like the Public Council to become a structure resembling
a closed club…

I want you to play a significant role in decisions to be made. The
interest of the president and the state here is that while
participating in important decision making, you should become the
executors and, most of all, spreaders of these decisions…

>From the very first day of voicing the idea, some people started
sticking labels on this structure, not even knowing under what
regulations it will function. I am convinced that both you and the
mature part of our society understand very well why this discrediting
process has begun…"

According to the RA presidential press service, then Chairman of the
Public Council Vazgen Manukian presented the formation process of the
Council’s commissions and other organizational issues. He said that
during the formation of the commissions, a lot of people expressed
readiness to work on a voluntary basis, which allowed including highly
qualified experts of various spheres in the commissions.

He expressed confidence that the body headed by him will manage to
discuss the problems concerning wide sections of the population and
find ways to solve them. In his words, the Public Council has already
received many letters, which are classified by subjets and analyzed
so as to specify problems of general importance.

V. Manukian said that bodies like the Public Council exist in all the
countries proceeding along the path of democratization, and these
bodies take a considerable part in solution of social problems and
also act as a conciliator in case of a clash of interests in society.

ANC ACTIVIST TIGRAN ARAKELYAN CEASED HUNGER STRIKE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
10.07.2009 20:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ ANC activist Tigran Arakelyan, arrested on charges
of hooliganism, has declared his arrest illegal. On July 2, he
distributed leaflets about the meeting, when the group of activists
was assaulted. As noted by7 Arakelyan, the group’s activities were
permitted by Municipality’s decision No. 102.

Arakelyan declared hunger strike on July 6, the second day of his
arrest. Later, he was joined by other activists.

Following Armenian Pan-National Movement’s demand for choosing
another method of struggle, Tigran Arakelyan ceased hunger strike,
calling on his friends to act likewise, ANC says in a release.

NOVEMBER BUSINESS MEETINGS IN MOSCOW

Romanian Insurance 1asig.ro
09.07.2009

On 24-25 November 2009, for the 8th time, Moscow will be the venue of
the November Business Meetings of Reinsurers, organized by All-Russian
Insurance Association and "Business Character" Group, with the support
of PRIMM – Insurance & Pensions Magazine as Media Partner. The event
will be held at Holiday Inn SOKOLNIKI.

The 2009 meetings will be focused on reinsurance business. After the
plenary meeting in the morning of 24 November, the participants will
enjoy a program of business negotiations and presentations of new
reinsurance products and programs.

In the evening, it will take place the traditional Beaujolais Nouveau
Festival organized by the Moscow Representative Office of SCOR.

On 25 November, on evening program will be offered by the Moscow
Reinsurance Association which is a VIP Partner of the event.

The previous, 2008 November Business Meetings gathered 570 participants
and guests who represented 147 companies from 22 countries: Azerbaijan,
Armenia, Byelorussia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany,
India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Malaysia, Moldova, Poland,
Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates,
United Kingdom and Uzbekistan.

EU LEADERS REFUSE TO ENDORSE BARROSO FOR A SECOND TERM

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
08.07.2009 22:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Jose Manuel Barroso was left fighting for his job
as head of the European Commission last night after MEPs snubbed EU
leaders and refused to endorse him for a second term.

The Portuguese conservative should have been a shoo-in after winning
unanimous backing from the 27 member states but the heads of the
Socialist, Liberal and Green MEPs blocked plans for a vote next week
in Strasbourg to agree his re-appointment.

The impasse leaves Mr Barroso to sweat about his future over the
summer and risks making him and the EU seem a lame duck on the eve
of the G8 and in preparations for the Copenhagen climate change talks.

Mr Barroso’s mandate ends on October 31 and his supporters are
exasperated because they can see his re-appointment dragging on for
months while MEPs attempt to extract maximum concessions from the
member states and European Commission.

Mr Barroso – who is strongly supported by Britain and was appointed in
2004 thanks largely to Tony Blair – is caught in a trial of strength
as MEPs test their powers to resist pressure from EU governments.

He is also the victim of internal jockeying in the European Parliament,
where the centre-Right emerged as the big winner of last month’s
elections, but does not have the strength to force a vote against
the rest of the chamber despite support from the new Tory group.

MEPs will now seek to use his re-appointment as a bargaining chip
when it comes to filling the two new jobs of EU foreign minister and
President of the European Council set to be created by the Lisbon
Treaty, should it pass a second referendum in Ireland in the autumn.

European Socialists, reduced in numbers from 214 to 183 MEPs, are
demanding a work programme from Mr Barroso that will include more
measures to protect jobs and help the unemployed, rather than what
they see as his obsession with open markets and competition.

Martin Schulz, the German MEP who leads the Socialist group, criticized
EU governments for trying to foist Mr Barroso on the new Parliament
at its first session.

"This is a failure for the European Council because it was not
prepared to take note that there was no majority in Parliament for
a vote now," said Mr Schulz. "It is a major blow to Mr Barroso, who
has chosen completely the wrong strategy. Instead of looking for a
majority to renew the European Union with more social development,
he has sought only a majority for himself."

Mr Barroso insisted that he remained calm about the setback, despite
reports that Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, was fed up with
his lobbying behind the scenes.

"I am very relaxed," he said. "When the parliament is ready, I’ll
be ready. My name was the only name publicly mentioned before the
European parliament elections. After that, I got the unanimous support
of EU heads of state and government."

The leader of the Green MEPs, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, tonight proposed
several names he said would be "much better than Barroso" although
none has put themselves forward. They included Mary Robinson, the
former Irish President; Chris Patten, the former British commissioner;
Guy Verhofstadt, the leader of the Liberal MEPs; and Francois Fillon,
the French Prime Minister, The Times reported.

ARMENIA’S BUDGET DEFICIT TO BE COVERED BY WB, IMF, ADB AND RUSSIAN CREDITS

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
07.07.2009 14:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia’s State Budget deficit will be covered
due to allocations from World Bank, International Monetary Fund,
Asian Development Bank, as well as the Russian credits, RA Finance
Minister Tigran Davtyan said today during a press conference devoted to
"Global Crisis Impact on Armenian Economy: Long-term and Short-Term
Prospects", "Negotiations with all four parties are over, and
relevant international structures have already adopted decisions,"
he said. Negotiations with ABD which started early this year have
already finished. This creates a strong guarantee for funding the 2009
budget, he said, adding that half of IMF resources and some amount
of the Russian credits will be used for covering the 2010 budget. "We
are already considering prospect for fulfilling next year’s budget,"
he said.

Even the investments above will not decrease Armenia’s external
debts. "After attracting all the resources, our debts will still
remain at risk," Mr. Davtyan noted, adding that volumes in that
context will increase, but because Armenia had good base indices at
the beginning of the year (13%), the 2010-11 credit programs will
lower the specific weight of Armenia’s external debts to 30-38% in
relation to GDP (external debts with 50% specific weight are at the
highest risk). "Such debt is acceptable and controllable," he said.

Budget deficit will be funded by Asian Development Bank ($80 million)
and World Bank (about $50 million), Russian credits ($ 50 billion)
and International Monetary Fund ($ 150 million).

GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLER RAFAEL ALEXANIAN BECOMES BRONZE MEDAL WINNER OF EUROPEAN YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIP

Noyan Tapan
July 3, 2009

TBILISI, JULY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Rafael Alexanian (74 kg, Gyumri) took
the 3rd place and was awarded a bronze medal at the European Youth
Greco-Roman Wrestling Championship held in Tbilisi.

SERZH SARGSYAN: WE ARE IN A PECULIAR GEOGRAPHIC REGION

Noyan Tapan
July 3, 2009

YEREVAN, JULY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Receiving on July 3 a group of Armenian
and Azeri deputies and intellectuals who, getting the support of
the presidents of the two countries through Russia’s representative
Mikhail Shvydkoy and the Armenian and Azeri ambassadors to the RF,
had initiated a one-day joint visit on Stepanakert-Yerevan-Baku
route, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan expressed confidence that
they have brought to Armenia a desire to achieve peace, an awareness
of responsibility for future generations and an aspiration to reach
mutual understanding between the two peoples.

"We are in a peculiar geographic region, which is unique by its
cultural diversity and geographic significance. Unfortunately, our
region is also rich in unsolved problems, and only an atmosphere of
mutual trust and cooperation can allow us to hope for a happy future
of our nations. Based on that, we have always had an opinion that it
will be possible to find solutions to complex issues through dialog
and cooperation. In this context we perceived the initiative of our
ambassadors and welcomed this undertaking," the Armenian president
stated. He underlined the role of Russia’s Special Representative
Mikhail Shvydkoy in this issue.

The participants in the initiative spoke with S. Sargsyan about the
necessity and ways of establishing contacts between Armenian and
Azeri societies.

The Armenian and Azeri ambassadors to Russia said that the purpose of
their civil initiative is to create opportunities for the sides to
communicate with each other and form mutual trust. In the words of
the Azeri ambassador, it is time to take a step towards grassroots
diplomacy, involving representatives of intellectual and cultural
circles of the two peoples, who can find community of interests in
their contacts.

According to the initiative’s authors, in parallel with the political
dialog carried on at the level of the heads of the states, the
implementation of civil initiatives will enable to establish regular
contacts, while the formation of an atmosphere of trust will be a
great contribution to the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

In order to sow tolerance between the two peoples, it is necessary
to re-establish the once-friendly and partner-like relations of
representatives of the older generation of Armenians and Azeris and
to involve the younger generation in such contacts.

According to the RA presidential press service, after being hosted
by S. Sargsyan, the group left for Baku to meet Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev.

Prior to that they were received by President of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic Bako Sahakian.