Bahrain News Agency
September 21, 2005 Wednesday 11:25 AM EST
King sends Cables
HM KING HAMAD SENDS CABLES
Manama, Bahrain
21 (BNA) HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa sent cable of congratulation
to President of Armenia Robert Kocharian, President of Malta Edward
Fenech Adami, and General Governor of Belize Colville Young marking
their countries National Days.
HM wished the presidents continued health and further progress and
prosperity for their peoples.
ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
September 21, 2005 Wednesday 7:06 AM Eastern Time
Russian-Armenian relations become major stability factor – Putin
MOSCOW
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory message to
Armenian leader Robert Kocharyan on the occasion of Armenia’s
holiday, Independence Day, the presidential press service reported on
Wednesday.
“The centuries-old traditions of friendship between the peoples of
Russia and Armenia, and the proximity or coincidence of interests of
our countries are a firm basis of bilateral interaction. It is good
that Russia-Armenian relations of allies, characterized by dynamism
and versatility, became a major factor of stability and security in
the region,” Putin’s message said.
The president said he was sure of the success of the Year of Russia
cultural festival in Armenia this year and the counterpart event, to
be staged by Armenia in Russia in 2006.
They will help intensify mutually advantageous Russian-Armenian
cooperation, the Russian leader said.
Voice of America
Sept 20 2005
Turkey an Example of Religious Tolerance for 500 years
By Miguel Angel Rivera
Istanbul
Turkey is 90 percent Muslim. But in parts of the large cities, there
are pockets of people of different faiths. VOA’s Miguel Rivera looks
at three houses of worship that share adjacent parcels in Kuzguncuk,
Istanbul.
Kuzguncuk is an ancient part of Istanbul, the only city in the world
that lies in two continents: Asia and Europe. For hundreds of years
its been inhabited by Muslims, Jews, and Christians; Turks, Armenians
and Greeks.
Kuzguncuk lies on the Asian side of the Bosporus Strait. There is a
church, a mosque, and a synagogue, right beside each other. The
priest of the Armenian Orthodox Church, using a key made in 1835,
opens the doors to a Christian world within a Muslim one. The priest
is one of a few who come from another part of Istanbul to serve the
faithful. And when he says `faithful,’ he is referring to Jews and
Muslims, as well as Christians, who enter this holy place to pray.
“There is no difference between us,’ says priest Mehmet Biraz.
‘Muslims come in here to light a candle. Yes, Muslims come to pray
here. They light the candle and they pray. There is no difference.
There is only one God and different paths to that God.”
The church leader says cooperating on every level is vital for
offsetting the religious negativity he finds in politics. He says
ties with others are still strong.
“We have good relations with the neighborhood. We are buying things
from this area because we want the local merchants to benefit from
our trade. In the political world there is the appearance that
religions have problems among themselves. But at the people level, we
have no problems among ourselves.”
A small park adjoining the mosque, synagogue, and church
A woman has been living in front of the church and mosque for 20
years.
“Very beautiful… We live in peace here,’ she says. ‘Everybody loves
each other. This mosque on this side, and the synagogue on the other,
being so close to each other, shows that Turks really accept
different religions and cultures.”
It is a fresh late morning, after a rain, and faithful Turks await
the arrival of the imam, or hoja — the religious leader to direct
them in midday prayers — and prepare to pray with ritual cleansing.
The land the mosque sits on was a gift — from the Armenian Orthodox
Church.
For hundreds of years, the Ottoman Empire promoted religious
tolerance. Modern Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal, also known as
Ataturk, rejected tying his new government to Islam, even prohibiting
the use of traditional clothing in favor of western wear. Religious
tolerance was also his government’s policy.
“We have good relationships with our neighbors the Armenians and the
Greeks. They come to our funerals. We go to their funerals,’ says
Mahmut Uslu, a worshipper at the mosque. `The Armenian Church is
older than ours. Ataturk’s new republic had an open door policy to
all religions. The Sufi’s with Mevlana (known in the Western world as
Rumi) also had the same idea hundreds of years before. No matter what
country or creed, you can come to our home. Religion is important,
not what religion you belong to.”
Imam Aydin Vatan has led prayers in the Kuzguncuk mosque for years.
“We are all very close, like the flesh and fingernail. We are all
together. Nobody can separate us, Christians, Jews, and Turks.”
There are more than 22,000 Jews in Turkey. Most of them live in
Istanbul. There was an influx into the Ottoman Empire during the last
years of the 15th Century, after Jews and Muslims were expelled from
Spain during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella.
Jews held senior positions in the sultan’s government. Rabbi Cenk
Misraji is the highest-ranking Jewish leader in Asian Turkey.
“From the moment of our arrival more than 500 years ago, there has
been great religious tolerance in Turkey. We have been able to follow
our religion, and open our synagogues wherever we desired. We were
free to follow our traditions, practices and Jewish customs,” said
the rabbi.
There have been some glaring exceptions to the general tolerance of
Turkish society. The Christian Armenians say they were the victims of
Ottoman genocide in 1915, when thousands died. The Turks deny the
accusation. Turks and Kurds, fellow Muslims, have battled each other
for years in parts of the country where the Kurds are found.
And there have been terrorist attacks against Jewish targets, most
recently in 2003.
But in this neighborhood, there is a different history.
Here in Kuzguncuk, a Muslim — in a gesture of brotherhood —
designed, constructed, and donated a small park with its delicate
fountain in front of the doors of the synagogue, behind, and
adjoining, the mosque and the church.
LABOR PARTY LAUNCHES A DO NOT PURCHASE SWISS GOODS CAMPAIGN
The Anatolian Times, Turkey
Sept 20 2005
ANKARA – Turkish Labor Party (IP) deputy leader Mehmet Bedri Gultekin
has indicated today that his party has launched a campaign titled
“Do Not Purchase Swiss Goods” that will be effective until the Swiss
Parliament revokes a decision it adopted earlier on the so-called
Armenian genocide.
Members of the IP convened in capital Ankara’s main square Kizilay and
carried banners and shouted slogans encouraging Turks not to purchase
Swiss made goods due to the decision of the Swiss parliament vis-a-vis
the so-called genocide of Armenians.
Gultekin pointed out that IP leader Dogu Perincek was called by the
Lausanne Prosecutor’s Office. Perincek was warned by the Swiss police
officers before he gave a speech on the so-called Armenian genocide.
“The acts of the Swiss police have hurt the democratic image of
Switzerland. Despite the warnings, Perincek delivered his speech,”
told Gultekin.
Gultekin said Perincek will be questioned tomorrow by the Lausanne
Prosecutor.
CSIT-20055TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE DEVOTED TO COMPUTER SCIENCES AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES LAUNCHED IN YEREVAN
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 19 2005
YEREVAN, September 19. /ARKA/. CSIT-20055th international conference
devoted to computer sciences and information technologies was launched
in Yerevan. According to the Vice-President of the RA National
Academy of Sciences (NAS), Director of the Institute of problems of
informatics and automatization (IPIA) of the RA NAS Yuri Shukuryan,
the main goal of the conference is exchange of information in the
area of science and information technologies and establishment of
new contacts between specialists. Shukuryan added that from 1997,
when the first such a conference was held, Armenia did specific steps
forward in the area of information technologies, in particular, an
experimental high productive system was introduced. “After the first
conference we did a lot, and we learn from our colleagues, among whom
are very famous scientists”, he said. In particular, according to him,
representatives of the Scientific and Research Institute of Informatics
of Tuluza, Institute of High Productive Computing and Database of Saint
Petersburg, Institute of System Programming and Computing Center of
the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ukrainian Institute of Cybernetics,
Tehran University and of other scientific institutions participate
in the conference.
The conference is organized by the IPIA of the RA NAS in association
with IEEE, with the support of the International Scientific -Technical
Center, National Fund of Sciences and Advanced Technologies, Incubator
Enterprises Foundation, Arminco Company, Unicomp, Haylink. Over
35 specialists from 12 countries participate in the conference,
including the USA, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, France, India and
Iran. 135 reports, including those by over 40 young scientists from
Armenia will be read at the conference. Theoretical researches are in
the areas traditionally developing in Armenia, and which make the basis
for the applied work: theory of algorithms, machines and mathematical
logic, discrete math and theory of combinations, artificial intellect,
recognition of samples and processing of images, theory of information
and coding. A special attention is paid to the development of a high
productive system for scientific calculations in Armenia, based on
“Armclaster” high productive computing system and developed by the
project of the International Scientific and Technical Center of IPIA
and its software development on the base of theoretical researches
and technology of parallel programming. A.H. -0–
A1+
| 18:36:53 | 14-09-2005 | Politics |
ARAM SARGSYAN OFFERED TO SPLIT UP
Why did the Republican party split up today? This is a question in
which all the journalists are concerned. The points of view published
in newspapers about Serge Sargsyan having a finger in it or Russia
being involved, were denied by a single fact brought by the founder
member of the party, ex-member of the Justice bloc Vagharshak
Haroutyunyan.
He informed that his last talk with Aram Sargsyan has been about the
disagreements, and Aram Sargsyan considered the only way out of the
situation created to form a new party with those who do not share his
ideas. «What else were we to do?», asked Vagharshak Haroutyunyan and
advised us to turn to Aram Sargsyan with questions about the reasons
of the splitting.
That is, the splitting of the party has been the «initiative» of Aram
Sargsyan.
The Library of Congress
17 Sept 2005
Bill Summary & Status for the 109th Congress
H.R.3103
Title: To direct the Secretary of State to submit a report outlining the
steps taken and plans made by the United States to end Turkey’s blockade of
Armenia.
Sponsor: Rep Schiff, Adam B. [CA-29] (introduced 6/29/2005) Cosponsors
(5)
Latest Major Action: 6/29/2005 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred
to the House Committee on International Relations.
COSPONSORS(5), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]: (Sort:
by date)
Rep Baca, Joe [CA-43] – 9/7/2005Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] – 9/7/2005
Rep Pallone, Frank, Jr. [NJ-6] – 6/29/2005Rep Sherman, Brad [CA-27] –
9/15/2005
Rep Watson, Diane E. [CA-33] – 9/15/2005
A1+
| 18:40:26 | 16-09-2005 | Politics |
PARLIAMENTARY BRIEFINGS ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION
The opposition is against the Constitutional reforms as the authorizations
of the President are reduced, and those who tend to the President’s chair
cannot resist the temptation of high authorizations.
«The authorities were able to resist to the temptation», said Galoust
Sahakyan during the Parliamentary briefings today. Asked the question if the
authorities were not able to resist to the temptation in 2003 when they did
not manage to preach the Constitutional reforms and to adopt them, Galoust
Sahakyan reminded that the referendum coincided with the Elections.
Member of the Orinats Yerkir party Mher Shahgeldyan announced that they find
the democratization of the country extremely important and everything mist
be done for that purpose, in this case a more democratic Constitution must
be adopted.
Leader of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Levon Lazarian finds that
the opposition must be able to give ground for their «No» and the
authorities for their «Yes».
Leader of the National Unity Artashes Geghamyan reminded the Constitution of
Turkey at the end of the 19th century written by Abdul Hamid which was
considered the best in Europe. Nevertheless, it was under that very
Constitution that 300 thousand Armenians were killed. The same can be said
under Stalin’s Constitution. «So, what is written on the paper is of no
importance, as under these authorities we cannot expect anything good».
And is it possible that the organization of the Constitutional Referendum be
postponed? Artashes Geghamyan said that everyone understands that today, in
an atmosphere of non-confidence of the authorities organizing a
Constitutional Referendum will mean to fail it. «It means that even they
understand that the authorities have exhausted themselves».
Viktor Dallakyan announced, «It is not that people aren’t ready for the
referendum, they themselves are not ready for democratic, free and fair
voting».
A1+
| 12:53:39 | 16-09-2005 | Official |
NEW-YORK MEETINGS
Today RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan will make a speech at the UN
Assembly General. RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan will make a speech on
Sunday, September 18. And yesterday Vardan Oskanyan met in New York several
high-ranked officials.
On Thursday, the Foreign Minister met with Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European
Union Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy.
They spoke about the ENP. The Minister briefed the Commissioner on the
current state of negotiations regarding the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
Minister Oskanian also met with George Lacovou, Minister of Foreign Affairs
of Cyprus. They discussed regional issues as well as cooperation in
international organizations. Later, Minister Oskanian met with Ahmed Aboul
Gheit, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt. Minister Oskanian presented to
Minister Aboul Gheit President Kocharian¹s letter of congratulations to
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The two discussed developments in the
Middle East, and in the Caucasus.
Minister Oskanian spoke with Pierre Chevalier, Belgium¹s special envoy to
the OSCE. The Minister explained Armenia¹s cooperation with the OSCE at
various levels, expressing Armenia¹s appreciation for OSCE support in
various areas, including democratic development, regional development. The
Minister briefed Ambassador Chevalier on the ongoing Karabakh talks and
prospects for a resolution.
In the margins of the UN General Assembly, the Francophonie Association held
a high level meeting. Minister Oskanian participated in the meeting which
focused on ways the developed world can help the developing world to
alleviate poverty.
The Minister also held a working meeting with OSCE Minsk Group US co-chair
Ambassador Steven Mann.
Iranian authorities close down Azeri magazine “for promoting separatism”
Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
15 Sep 05
[Presenter] Pressure on our compatriots in Iran is continuing. The
registration of the Araz magazine, which belongs to ethnic Azeris, has
been cancelled.
[Passage omitted: Armenians’ rights are not violated in Iran]
[Correspondent over video of people in the streets of Tabriz] The Araz
magazine was closed down for publishing the map of Azerbaijan on its
cover. The magazine was designated for Azeri students of the new
Azerbaijani language faculty at Tabriz University.
The Azerbaijani ambassador to Iran, Abbasali Hasanov, has also
confirmed this fact. However, the ambassador said that Baku cannot
interfere in Iran’s internal affairs even though it is an unpleasant
incident.
Huseyn Turkelli, head of the Baku bureau of the National Liberation
Movement of Southern Azerbaijan [NRMSA], does not think so.
[Turkelli by phone] Human rights are not an internal affair of any
country. We are fighting for the rights of 30m Azeri Turks. The
registration of the Araz magazine was cancelled at Tabriz University
several days ago. The registration of the Elci magazine was cancelled
as well. The magazines are accused of promoting separatism.
[Correspondent] Armenian separatists feel comfortable in Iran. Our
compatriots from the south [meaning northern Iran] say that Armenians
will hold sporting events in Iran in two days’ time. Along with
numerous countries, teams from the Nagornyy Karabakh republic will
also take part in the contest.
[Turkelli] The Ararat sports club will hold an Olympic contest of
world Armenians in Tehran. Iran’s official state news agency has
reported that teams from Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Nagornyy Karabakh
will take part in the contest. Millions of dollars have been allocated
for the games.
[Passage omitted: The Iranian embassy says that it has no information
about this]
[The chairman of the World Azerbaijani Congress, Cavad Deraxti, told a
news conference in Baku on 14 September that 25 ethnic Azeris have
been arrested in Iran for staging a march to Fort Bazz and added that
members of the organization demand that Iran release the detainees as
soon as possible.]