Author: Taslakhchian Andranik

A SWEET TRADITION IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND THE US
By Carol Huang

Christian Science Monitor, MA
Dec 28 2006

Arabic pastries are a treat this time of year, and you don’t have to
go to the Middle East to find them.

During the holidays, as families gathered and traditional desserts
made their appearance, I began to think of home. But not the Boston
apartment I recently moved into, or my parents’ house in L.A. My
yuletide yearnings wandered to Beirut, Lebanon, which was my adopted
home for the past two years, before I returned to the US this summer.

One treat in my daily life there had been the overwhelmingly sweet
sensation of golden, flaky, nutty Arabic pastries. A patisserie on
Bliss Street seemed to infuse all nearby sidewalks with its honeyed
smell. The delightful scent enveloped me in a moment of sugary
euphoria every morning when I turned onto the appropriately named
road and every evening on my way home.

Arabic sweets are to the Middle East what Christmas cookies are
to the US: festive treats meant to be shared among family and
friends.Densely packed, these sweets are best enjoyed in tiny bites
about the size of a peanut M&M. Varieties abound and differ by region,
but usually involve flour, phyllo dough, semolina, sugar, butter,
eggs, pistachios, or dates, which are molded and baked to golden,
pleasing rotundity. Holidays come richly arrayed in qataif, kaak,
and other traditional nut- or fruit-filled sweets and pastries.

December and January host a number of holidays celebrated in the
Middle East: Muslims’ Eid al-Adha falls on the final days of this
year, for instance, while Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas on
Jan. 7. With so many good reasons to feast, I thought, someone in
Boston must be making the treats.

So I went looking for immigrant families who had brought with them the
tradition of Arabic sweets. In the pursuit, I got to sample my favorite
golden pastries for the first time since leaving Beirut. And I got a
taste of the close family ties, hospitality, and loud group gatherings
that characterized some of my fondest Middle Eastern memories.

Karima Salman and her husband, Khaled, moved in with their daughter
in Cambridge, Mass., to help take care of their new grandchild,
leaving behind their small Palestinian town near Ramallah, in the West
Bank. In addition to being a full-time nanny, Karima has taken on the
traditional matriarchal duty of providing Arabic desserts for family
and friends. On the morning of my visit, she prepared a pan of layaly
libnan – a semolina-based cake topped with cream and chopped nuts.

In Middle Eastern households, Khaled told me, every woman knows how to
make these sweets. They also give kids an opportunity to have fun in
the kitchen. Molding a doughy ball around a colorful pistachio-cinnamon
center to make mamoul is a treat for little hands.

"Eat sweets, have a good time, make the kids happy," he philosophized.

In the US, Karima has double the December holidays to prepare for.

"As Muslims, we celebrate Eid al-Adha," her husband explained. The
"festival of the sacrifice" refers to the story of Abraham and his
son Isaac, which is found in Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. "But
in America, we also celebrate Christmas."

These delicious sweets have also gone outside the home – without losing
their familial flavor. One such venue is Andala ("Nightingale"),
whose yellow Grand Opening sign is still flapping happily over
the entrance in Cambridge. Here, it is a man who bakes goods for
family and friends. The cafe is a longtime dream of Sami Herbawi,
a Palestinian immigrant from Jerusalem.

"We just want a place for friends, family, and neighbors to enjoy,"
Mr. Herbawi explained. On a recent weekend, the clatter of a party
swirled up the stairwell from the staging area downstairs. "Join us,"
he said as he rushed by with his 10-year-old daughter’s birthday
cake. I descended into a cacophony of girls jumping, boys playing,
and parents chattering.

Sweets fill the entire top right side of Andala’s singe-page menu,
and Herbawi brought me one of each kind. I had come hungry and was
secretly salivating. He set the plate next to the tea he had already
served me. " Ahlan wa sahlan," he said over and over. "Welcome." It’s
one of the most common phrases in the Arabic language, reflecting a
time-honored culture of hospitality.

Even in a well-established Middle Eastern grocery store a few miles
away, the line between business and family remains nicely blurred.

Store owner Elizabeth Basmajian, part of the Armenian population
whose predecessors fled to Lebanon (and Syria) during World War I,
had to leave 26 years ago when Lebanon’s civil war worsened.

Mrs. Basmajian never thought that food would become her livelihood.

Yet, despite stiff competition from nearby Armenian-run stores, Arax
Market has succeeded for more than 20 years. The crowded shelves
of familiar Arab brands reminded me of the small shops I frequented
in Lebanon.

Then, there they were, in the center of the store: the glistening,
glowing Arabic sweets. I fought the impulse to dive face-first into
the several square feet of honey and sugar.

"I have my recipes in here," she told me, lifting a finger toward
her deep red hair. She uses a special butter-ghee mixture to make her
pastries and, when possible, prepares her own phyllo dough for baklava.

Basmajian finds the opportunity to dispense motherly advice along
with her namoura and harisa. "I decide my customers’ orders," she
said. Once, somebody requested 40 pounds of sweets for a party. She
made him buy less.

"I’m like their mother," she added, before shooing me out so she could
get on with her business. She and all my new friends have holidays
to celebrate – and cater – for another week.

As for me, I’ll be wanting more sweets tomorrow. But the helpful
heaping of Middle Eastern family warmth and good cheer should tide
me over for the Northeastern winter to come.

2006 MOST SIGNIFICANT IN NKR GOVERNMENT’S ACTIVITIES

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Dec 27 2006

STEPANAKERT, December 27. /ARKA/. The year 2006 has been the most
significant in respect of the NKR Government’s activities, Prime
Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) Anushavan stated at
the Government’s last sitting this year.

According to him, the budget revenues increased by over 42%, which
is evidence of unprecedented economic growth.

Danielyan also pointed out shortcomings. He stressed that "what failed
to be done is much more than the achievements, and harder work is
expected in the coming year."

TURKISH INTERIOR MINISTRY ACCEPTS FRENCH HISTORIAN DEMAND TO ACQUIRE CITIZENSHIP

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Dec 27 2006

["Interior Ministry Accepts Demand Of French Historian To Acquire
Turkish Citizenship" – AA Headline]

ANKARA (A.A) -27.12.2006 -Turkish Interior Ministry accepted the demand
of French historian Jean Michel Thibaux who applied to acquire Turkish
citizenship in protest of a recent French bill that criminalizes any
denial of so-called Armenian genocide.

Officials of Interior Ministry told A.A that the Ministry accepted
the application of Thibaux and then presented it to the Council
of Ministers.

After the Council of Ministers approves the application, Thibaux will
become Turkish citizen and use the name and surname "Atakan Turk".

US POLICY IN REGION AIMED AT ACTIVATION AND COOPERATION, NOT AT ISOLATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.12.2006 16:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ US policy in South Caucasus is aimed at promoting
regional cooperation and normalization of relations instead of
isolation, says a statement by US congressmen, co-chairs of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Frank Pallone and Joe
Knollenberg, addressed to the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA).

Earlier, the US president approved a bill banning state
financing of the construction of the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku
railroad. Earlier, the bill was passed by the House of Representatives,
and then by the Senate. "We call upon Turkey to revise the policy of
alienating Armenia, put an end to the 13-year-old blockade and take
actions directed at cooperation with its neighbors," the statement
says.

The document contains an amendment proposed by Senators Robert Menendez
and Rick Santorini, which rules out financing by the Export-Import Bank
of the construction of the railway that would isolate Armenia from the
economic and regional transport corridor with average estimated cost
of $400 mln. Adoption of the amendment is part of the AAA lobbying
directed against isolation of Armenia. In his turn, AAA Executive
Director Bryan Ardouny highly appreciated the role of the senators
and congressmen in "implementing this important initiative," namely
in fighting Turkey and Azerbaijan’s attempts to isolate Armenia. The
initiative is one of numerous measures to secure safety and wealth
of Armenia. He expressed gratitude to organizations and persons,
who combined their effort with the Armenian Diaspora of the United
States. The Armenian Assembly of America welcomed inaction of the
bill banning financing of the railroad joining Turkey, Azerbaijan
and Georgia bypassing Armenia.

RA CONSTITUTIONAL COURT CONSIDERS ANTI-CONSTITUTIONAL AND INVALID A
NUMBER OF PROVISIONS OF RA LAW "ON PARTIES"

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Constitutional Court
considered a number of provisions of RA law "On "Parties" as invalid
and contradicting the Constitution at the December 22 sitting. The
case was examined on the basis of RA Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian’s
application. The Constitutional Court, in particular, recognized the
2nd and the 3rd points of the mentioned law’s 31 article’s 2nd part
as invalid and contradicting the Constitution. The above-mentioned
points declared that a party is subject to dissolution if: a) it
failed to have more than 1% of votes at the proportional voting at
two elections running, b) it failed to have more than 1% of votes
at the proportional voting at one general elections and failed to
take part in the subsequent elections, c) it failed to take part in
two elections running, The provision on passing the property that
remained after the party’s dissolution to RA was also considered
anti-Constitutional. The Constitutional Court registered, that within
the framework of provisions of RA Law "On Parties", the legislative
body not only failed to display succession in securing the legislative
guaranteeing, but also such norms were included in the law, which
deviate from the logic of constitutional regulation. In particular,
the procedures prohibiting the parties’ activities were facilitated
by the acting law, evading the Constitutional Court.

Russia’s Stance on Disputed Territories: Just How Hypocritical is it?
By Michael Averko

Serbianna.com, MI
Dec 23 2006

As of late, there has been a good deal of action on matter pertaining
to post Communist bloc land disputes. Within the confines of the former
Soviet Union, representatives of Nagorno Karabakh, South Ossetia,
Abkhazia and Trans-Dniester regularly meet, with some of their
discussions occurring in Russia. On another front, former Yugoslavia
is embroiled in an international dialogue on whether Kosovo should
be allowed to separate from Serbia. This has no doubt encouraged
Republika Srpska to consider breaking away from Bosnia.

Certain elements in the West accuse Moscow of showing a bias for
pro-Russian independence movements and recalcitrance towards not
so pro-Russian ones. The New York Times’ C.J. Chivers ("Sun and
Surf, but Also Lines in the ‘Russian’ Sand," Aug. 20) and Publius
Pundit’s Robert Mayer ("Russia’s Kosovo Double Standard," Nov. 14)
are among those suggesting such. The title of Mayer’s article is
enough of a hint to his view. Chivers cites Russia~Rs refusal to let
Chechnya become formally independent, while sympathizing with some
independence movements elsewhere. Chivers’ point is non-parallel,
since most Chechens aren’t supportive of independence because of what
"independence" had twice done to their republic over the last decade.

On two different occasions during that period, Chechnya operated as
an independent entity. In each instance, there was an enhanced chaos
that made life more miserable for Chechnya’s population. Like it or
not, a greater Russian control of Chechnya has led to an increased
stability in that republic.

Those arguing in support of the Russian position (myself included)
stress that each of the disputed former Soviet and former Yugoslav
regions have different degrees of legitimacy for independence. Under
this very same belief, there are those going against Russia. A critical
review of these areas is therefore required.

The Kremlin hasn’t formally recognized the four disputed former Soviet
territories as independent states. With the exception of Nagorno
Karabakh, the other three have shown an interest in reunifying with
Russia. Nagorno Karabakh is interested in unifying with Armenia. In
this sense, these regions aren’t necessarily seeking to become
independent.

Nagorno Karabakh’s separatist drive has the least enthusiasm among
Russian political elites. It’s a landlocked area within Azerbaijan’s
Communist drawn boundaries, thereby making its separation from
Azerbaijan all the more difficult. The Russian city/region of
Kaliningrad is an example of how a territory can exist outside of its
affiliated country. However, unlike Nagorno Karabakh – Kaliningrad
hasn’t been involved in a violent dispute for decades (towards the
end of World War II, under its former name Konigsberg and as a part
of Germany, it was the scene of a violent ethnic cleansing campaign
against the ethnic German population).

As the Soviet Union broke up, old hatreds between Orthodox Christian
Armenians and Turkic Muslim Azeris re-ignited. Up to 30,000 were
killed over who would govern Nagorno Karabakh. In the end, the
Armenian government supported Nagorno Karabakh Armenians defeated
the Azeri government forces. For well over a decade, there has been
a cold peace between Yerevan and Baku.

Russia’s position on that dispute is tempered by conflicting
realities. Armenia has historically been more pro-Russian than
Azerbaijan. Materialistically, fossil fuel rich Azerbaijan is of
greater value. Current Azeri foreign policy appears motivated to play
the West and Russia off with each other. It’s not out of the realm to
hypothesize that a "deal" (official or otherwise) could be made where
Russia could tacitly support an Azeri takeover of Nagorno Karabakh
in exchange for Azerbaijan becoming geo-politically closer to Russia.

Azerbaijan is using its energy revenue to enhance its military.

South Ossetia and Abkhazia share a border with Russia. These two
regions were part of a pre-19th century independent Georgia. Between
1801 and the Soviet breakup, South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Georgia
proper were affiliated with Russia as parts of the Russian Empire
and the USSR. South Ossetia’s majority ethnic Ossetian population
is related to the majority Ossetian population in the neighboring
Russian republic of North Ossetia. The two Ossetias share the same
flag and coat of arms.

When in office, the three post-Soviet Georgian presidents have
advocated closer ties to the West and a lessened dependency on
Russia. South Ossetia and Abkhazia prefer the opposite. As is true
with the Armenians and Azeris, there’s animosity between Georgians
and the Abkhaz and South Ossetian communities. These differences
could be attenuated with an improvement of Russo-Georgian relations.

This isn’t impossible because many Georgians welcome close ties
with Russia.

As part of a March 1, 2006 Russia Blog feature on Moldova, my article
"Moldova: The Most Overlooked of the European Former Soviet Republics"
detailed Trans-Dniester’s excellent case for independence.

This region was never part of an independent Moldova.

Trans-Dniester’s captial Tiraspol, was founded in 1792 by Russian
Field Marshall Alexander Suvorov. (arguably Russia’s greatest military
commander) At the time, Tiraspol served as a fortress marking the
border on the Dniester River between Imperial Russia and Ottoman Empire
ruled Moldova. In a recent referendum, Trans-Dniester’s peaceful,
multi-ethnic and democratic society expressed the desire to reunify
with Russia.

For a variety of reasons, Kosovo doesn’t have a great case for
independence. It has been a continuous part of Serbia since 1912.

Prior to that, it had been under Ottoman occupation for a lengthy
period. Centuries earlier, Kosovo was an integral part of Serbia. It
was never an independent entity unto itself or a part of an independent
Albania. For decades, Kosovo’s non-Albanian population has lived
under constant threat from extreme Albanian nationalists.

Since the end of the Bosnian Civil War, Republika Srpska has been at
peace as a good number of Muslims and Croats have resettled in that
republic. The 1995 Dayton Peace Accord governing Bosnia gave Republika
Srpska the right to establish its own relations with other states.

In comparison, UN Resolution 1244 governing Kosovo states that
the province is a continued part of Serbia. This resolution also
calls for a return of Serb military and civilian administration to
that province. Serbia is internationally recognized as the de facto
successor state of the now defunct Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which
had signed UN Resolution 1244. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
consisted of Serbia and Montenegro. At the time and to the present,
Kosovo is recognized as a part of Serbia.

On the matter of hypocrisy, there’s a recent New York Times editorial
("No More Delays for Kosovo," Nov. 17) which nonchalantly supports
Kosovo independence. "The paper of record" has yet to endorse
Trans-Dniester’s independence even though it has a much better case
than Kosovo.

Michael Averko is a New York based independent foreign policy analyst
and media critic. His commentary has appeared in the Action Ukraine
Report, Eurasian Home, Intelligent.ru, Johnson’s Russia List, Russia
Blog, The New York Times and The Tiraspol Times.

KARS-AKHALKALAKI-BAKU RAILWAY WILL BE CONSTRUCTED
By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Tiko Giorgadze)

The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 21 2006

Despite the fact that the EU and the US are displeased with the route
of the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Baku railway route (because it excludes
Armenia) and have refused to help finance the project, plans are
still underway for the railway’s construction.

Armenia is concerned that the railway will further isolate the country
stating that the Kars-Akhalkalaki railway construction will hinder
development cooperation in the South Caucasus and prevent regional
stability. With the help of the Armenian lobby in the EU and the US,
both have declined investing funds in the project. The US Congress
passed a bill forbidding the U.S. Export-Import Bank from financing
the new railway construction in the Caucasus.

( ).

Armenia wants to reopen the Kars-Giurma-Akhalkalaki railway route that
isn’t functioning due to political problems with Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Kars-Akhalkalaki railway construction reportedly will begin in
the spring of 2007. Turkey and Azerbaijan were able to find money
themselves for financing the project that costs USD 420 million.

Azerbaijan will allot USD 150 million for constructing 30 kilometers
long part of the railway on the territory of Georgia. Totally Georgia
needs USD 220 for the railway construction but Turkey will allot the
rest money to the country.

Armenian media regards the fact that the railway will be still
constructed, as a big failure of the Armenian diplomacy and they are
accusing the government of being inactive towards the issue.

According to them this failure cannot be neutralized with the successes
that the Armenian government has reached in the foreign policy and
is proud of it. ().

NO ARMENIAN TO TAKE PART IN RE-OPENING OF AGHTAMAR CHURCH IF IT TAKES PLACE ON APRIL 24, MESROP MUTAFIAN STATES

Noyan Tapan
Dec 20 2006

ISTANBUL, DECEMBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Archbishop Mesrop
Mutafian, the Armenian Patriarch of Turkey, responded the statement
made by Turkish Minister of Culture Atilla Goc on the previous day,
according to which "the reconstructed Aghtamar church must be opened
on April 24." The Patriarch mentioned that it is nothing else but to
speculate people’s pains for a political purpose, even, to mock. In his
words, opening of the recostructed church on that day will completely
liquidate the positive influence of the opening.

"The weak relations between the two countries will be done more damage
than they were done by the decision made by the French Parliament,
Turkey will be criticized on the international scene with the
accusation of impudence. Such an approach towards the Armenians’ pains
is as wrong, as the ones using the genocide as a source for profit
are wrong. I can say at the moment that no Armenian, including me,
will take part in the opening of the church," Patriarch Mutafian said,
adding that such an impudent attitude towards another’s suffering is
not admissible either from religious viewpoint or from the viewpoint
of conscience. Patriarch Mutafian also expressed perplexity on the
occasion of turning "Ani" place name into "An." "The issue that
Armenians are native inhabitants of Anatolia is a reality which may
not be renounced. Though names of some cities, regions, monuments
having a historic value can be changed in the way they change names
of cities and villages, but it is a blame against the heritage of the
world history, insult against the historic heritage. Such a change of
names means self-deception, and it puts our country and our scientists
into a funny situation. The Ani ruins are a historic heritage left
for our country, and I want to believe that Turkey, with outline of
state ripeness, would not want to be engaged in such a wrong policy
of changing the names," the Armenian Patriarch of Turkey said.

THERE WERE NO CALLS FOR COUP D’ETAT

A1+
[02:26 pm] 21 December, 2006

December 21, 2006 – The Aldermen of the Armenian Intelligentsia have
made an announcement which says, "On December 9, the representatives
of National Security Service(NSS) exerted rough measures and arrested
the active participants of the Artsakh war – Zhirayr Sefilyan,
coordinator of the initiative "Protection of Liberated Territories",
hero of Artsakh war, Vardan Malkahsyan, member of "Motherland and
Honour" Party’s Board and head of the party’s Aragatsotn structure
and a few other activists. The arrests had groundless motivations
and were realized under the guise of "making public calls for the
forcible shift of the RA constitutional order".

The close connection between the events on the eve of the 2003
elections and nowadays criminal activities is apparent.

The arrests once more come to testify to the permissiveness and
willfulness of the acting authorities, to the unpredicted illegal
acts, existence of ordered trials, indifference to public opinion,
intelligentsia and other powers.

Suchlike cases deepen public’s concern about the country’s present
and future well-being.

The authorities implant the atmosphere of fear and dictatorship,
aimed at providing their reproduction in the forthcoming elections
and making compensations during the Karabakh conflict regulation via
silencing the public and Artsakh heroes.

Some of the Aldermen representatives were present at the well-known
meeting of December 2. They state that the meeting participants
called on the forces concerned with the country’s problems to ally,
administer justice in the country and eradicate the atmosphere of fear,
permissiveness and willfulness.

All the above-mentioned issues were to be realized by the very
authorities.

We condemn the unfair verdict brought against the Artsakh heroes and
urge that suchlike steps can hinder the Armenia-Diaspora relations.

We demand to set the Artsakh heroes free immediately.

It is immoral to keep them in prison during the New Year celebrations".

The announcement was signed by the members of the Intelligentsia
Forum-Rafael Ghazaryan, Ervand Manaryan, Khoren Palyan, Lenser
Ahgalovyan, Robert Karayan, Ohan Duryan, David Sedrakyan, Hrachya
Matevosyan and Armen Manaryan.

RUSSIAN AND SPANISH FOREIGN MINISTERS DISCUSSED ‘FROZEN CONFLICTS’ ON CIS TERRITORY

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.12.2006 18:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The central topic of negotiations between Russian and
Spanish Foreign Ministers in Moscow was Spain’s chairmanship in OSCE
in 2007. "I’d like to better learn Russia’s interests and attitude as
a very important member of this organization, as well expound the main
priorities of our program to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In
Moscow we discussed the subject of the so-called ‘frozen conflicts’
on the territory of CIS – in Moldova, Georgia and Azerbaijan. It is
one of such problems, which particularly worriy OSCE. At that, here
Russia’s stance is crucial," stated Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel
Ángel Moratinos , the upcoming OSCE Chairman-in-Office during the
interview to the Rosiskaya Gazeta.

–Boundary_(ID_VYg49B6ZX1ZKXAV3X8SXOQ)–