Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

HYKE BABUKHANYAN: ARMENIA’S OBJECTIVE IS TO RE-JOIN

Aysor
Nov 11 2009
Armenia

"We propose to establish a National Re-Unity Day" said at today’s
press-conference chairman of Party of Union of the Constitutional
Rights, Hyke Babukhanyan. He mentioned that he has already spoken to
Presidents of Armenia and Karabakh and proposed to celebrate the 20
anniversary of re-join of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

"December 1 marks the 20th anniversary of the decision that provided
opportunities for Armenian people to regain rights in relation with
Karabakh," he said adding if a National Re-Unity Day celebrates in
Armenia, then an idea of a single state can be promoted.

"We have just raised the question of re-joining as one nation
must have one state. When a nation divides it will bring a
misunderstanding. Armenian people said agreed with independence of
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; however, it doesn’t mean we abandon the
idea of a single state.’

Hyke Babukhanyan pointed that Azerbaijan has a wrong idea that
Armenia’s only purpose is the sovereignty of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
while Armenia demanded and demands on re-joining.

ARMENIA-TURKEY RAPPROCHEMENT POSSIBLE SCENARIOS: LEVON TER-PETROSSIAN SPEAKS

Tert
Nov 11 2009
Armenia

At today’s meeting of Armenian National Congress (ANC) activists,
Levon Ter-Petrossian considered possible the following scenario of
subsequent developments:

"The Turkish parliament will postpone ratification process of the
Protocols or will ratify them with some reservations, seeking to
promote quick settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh issue in that way.

"Armenia’s parliament will be acquire an anticipatory position and
will try to refer to the ratification issue of the Protocols only
after they are ratified by Turkey.

"Considering the Nagorno-Karabakh issue to be the main obstacle for
coming out of the deadlock, the international community will try to
accelerate its denouement, which obviously corresponds to Turkey’s
position.

"Serzh Sargsyan, pointing to the sharp reaction from within Armenia
and in the Diaspora over the signing of the Armenia-Turkey Protocols,
will ask mediators for a break in the settlement process of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, explaining that it will be difficult for
him to resist one more such reaction in the short period.

"Approaching Sargsyan’s explanation with understanding, the
international community, however, in order not to lose the opportunity
of benefiting from his weakness, will refuse the request and, on the
contrary, will increase pressure on Armenia over Karabakh issue.

"Most likely, the forces concerned will persuade Armenia also to
ratify the Armenia- Turkey Protocols first, after which it will be
difficult for Turkey to postpone the ratification process.

"By a logical approach, developments in the coming months will
proceed not so much as toward Armenian-Turkish relations as much as
toward the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh issue, since, after all,
the main condition of Armenian-Turkish reconciliation is not the
Genocide wrinkle but the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue."

Levon Ter-Petrossian stated that the created situation is sensitive and
it requires great responsibility both from leaderships and opposition,
which equally face the highest problems.

SLOVENIA SUPPORTS THE SETTLEMENT OF THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT ON THE BASIS OF INTERNATIONAL PRINCIPLES – DANILO TURK

Trend
Nov 10 2009
Azerbaijan

Slovenia supports the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
on the basis of international principles, said on Monday in Baku,
President of Slovenia Danilo Turk at the joint press conference with
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev. This information was reported by
the state news agency AzerTAc.

Danilo Turk said that Slovenia is well aware of the sensitive issues
in Caucasus region. According to him, issues of security in the
Caucasus region at the same time are issues affecting the security and
cooperation in Europe. "We were not happy that the"frozen"conflicts
have persisted for so long. Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the
most protracted conflicts, and during these years we have not seen
the desired progress in the settlement," – he said.

President of Slovenia believes that in the past there was some
progress, there were identified specific points for the resolution and
there is now known what steps are necessary for a peaceful settlement.

"In the past the principles of conflict resolution have been set,
and they are very clear. These principles are territorial integrity,
inviolability of borders, peaceful settlement of the conflict", –
he said.

"Standing here in Baku, I want to say that we support the increased
efforts of OSCE Minsk Group and other parties to achieve a final
solution of the problem on the basis of already defined principles
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," – said the president of Slovenia –
"I believe that all of us, Europe are interested in this settlement,
and we all support greater efforts, which have long been waited for."

President of Slovenia is in Azerbaijan with official visit, during
which between countries there were signed five intergovernmental
agreements.

Addressing a statement, the President of Slovenia Danilo Turk thanked
Azerbaijan President for a precise description of the joint debates,
and said that Ilham Aliyev expressed thoughts about the quality
and capacity of the relations between Azerbaijan and Slovenia are
absolutely correct.

"Our countries alike. In our culture, customs and traditions also have
similarities. Of course, in our political history of the struggle for
sovereignty and independence, too, is similar, and this important part
of our history. We know and understand each other, and I am very glad
that this understanding provides a good framework for the development
of our relations", – said Danilo Turk.

Slovenian President spoke about the importance of preserving cultural
heritage. "In countries such as ours, and in our regions, we must do
such steps, to the idea of the Council of Europe and European Union
were used in the proper format. We need to know about cultural heritage
in the region. We must participate in the preservation and promotion
of cultural heritage. This can serve to strengthen peace, "- he said.

Speaking about the European Union, President Danilo Tuerk said that
the European Union – is not just an economic club, economy or merely
an economic system, but also the organization, which serves as a new
culture and promoting cultural traditions and customs.

Slovenian President praised documents signed within the visit. Danilo
Turk noted areas of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Slovenia:
"In the future there could be considered areas of energy and
diversification of energy transportation. We know that the
development of hydropower is on the agenda in Azerbaijan, and we
have good experience in this area. Members of our companies working
in this field are represented in the delegation. I am confident that
they will establish useful contacts and enhance cooperation in this
field. At the same time there might be promoted cooperation in the
field telecommunications, information technology, pharmaceuticals
and in other spheres, "- he said.

In conclusion President Danilo Turk has invited President Ilham Aliyev
to visit Slovenia for continued dialogue and further discussion and
development of all spheres of cooperation.

Id=3D120288799

Demystifying The Quince

by Laura McCandlish
Quinces
Enlarge Laura McCandlish for NPR

Quinces
Laura McCandlish for NPR

Get recipes for Quince Paste, Vegetarian Quince And Parsnip Medley,
Quince Pip Tea For A Sore Throat, and Quince Tarte Tatin.

November 10, 2009

Until recently, I had never seen a fresh quince. I knew quince paste,
or membrillo, from Spanish cheese plates. I knew that Korean friends
boiled down quince juice into a tea.

However, since moving to Oregon I’ve found quinces at the local
farmers market and even growing on trees in my neighborhood. In fact,
it turns out that the most diverse quince grove in North America, if
not the world, thrives at a U.S. Department of Agriculture gene bank
just down the road.

Still, close proximity to quinces doesn’t necessarily give you the
nerve to try the rock-hard, acerbic fruit. But last spring, I had my
quince revelation. Just one bite of the tangy, poached morsel on a
charcuterie plate had me counting the days until this fall’s season.

In late September, I huddled beside our market director, staking my
claim on her orchard’s first-to-ripen crop. She even spikes her apple
cider with quince.

I began more humbly, slipping the peeled fruit into a pie. With their
beguiling fragrance and subtle flavor, quinces naturally partner with
their more universally beloved pome sisters, apple and pear.

Revered since antiquity, quinces are still treasured all over the
globe. With their high pectin content, quinces lend themselves to
jellies, pastes and preserves. … Now, underground enthusiasts are
reviving the nostalgic fruit, hoping it can resurge.

A quince is a fruit of contradictions. It’s generally too astringent
to eat raw, yet it smells so guava-sweet. Its white, dry, hard flesh
blushes and softens, without turning mushy, when cooked. It has tough,
waxy skin that bruises more easily than you’d think.

Revered since antiquity, quinces are still treasured all over the
globe. With their high pectin content, quinces lend themselves to
jellies, pastes and preserves. The word marmalade, after all, derives
from the Portuguese name for quince.

In the United States, quinces were common in the garden and in the
kitchen from colonial days through the 19th century, until the advent
of commercial gelatin and pectin. Americans instead turned to sweeter,
eat-out-of-hand fruits. About The Author

Laura McCandlish is an Oregon-based freelance writer. She contributes
to The Oregonian’s FOODday section and hosts a monthly food show on
Portland radio station KBOO. She blogs at baltimoregon.com.

Now, underground enthusiasts are reviving the nostalgic fruit, hoping
quince can resurge just like once-forgotten rhubarb. A motley tribe
recently gathered here in Corvallis for an "unappreciated fruits"
event. Home orchardists and horticulturalists, members of Slow Food
USA’s endangered foods board, and Lebanese and Iranian natives longing
for quince, their grandmother’s stewing staple, rounded out the crowd.

One key question divided the devotees: Can a quince be eaten raw? Yes,
evidently – depending on the variety. That weekend, we walked among
the hundred or so clones at the USDA orchard, sampling some quite
palatable ones from their native Caucasus region. They tasted juicy
and crisp, with notes of raspberry and star fruit. No chalkiness. On
hand was famed fruit sleuth and food writer David Karp, who advocates
biting right into the sometimes elusive, sweeter-fleshed quince. He
hopes an apple-like variety brought here from Peru will soon be tested
and rolled out for commercial cultivation.

Many fans agree with cookbook author Barbara Ghazarian that the quince
is "the quintessential slow food," whose magic is only revealed
through cooking. She just published a culinary tome devoted to the
forbidden fruit (botanists believe the quince, not an apple, was Eve’s
true Garden of Eden temptation). Drawing on the recipes of her
Armenian ancestors, Ghazarian includes savory preparations, such as
lamb-stuffed quince dolmas and a sweet-tart quince and parsnip stew.

She, like many chefs, recommends poaching quinces over a low flame for
several hours. Try simmering slices of them in a sweetened white wine
syrup (think Riesling), with a touch of vanilla bean and citrus
zest. Reusing the poaching liquid for subsequent batches only
intensifies the sections’ ruby color. Cooking the quince coaxes out
the anticarcinogen anthocyanins, those purple pigments also found in
berries. These jewels then caramelize when baked into a tart.

By now you’re thinking, great, you live in the Mediterranean-like
Willamette Valley, where quinces flourish. Where can I buy them? Try
upscale grocers and ethnic markets, which ship them in from
California. The San Joaquin Valley grows most of the country’s
quinces, primarily the most common Pineapple variety, on a scant
couple of hundred acres. That’s all we demand.

But first, search for ones from your local apple or pear
vendor. They’re readily available at farmers markets in the
East. Unfortunately, quinces fall prey to fire blight in humid parts
of the country. More ubiquitous are flowering quince shrubs, a
different genus from the fruit-bearing Cydonia oblonga. They do,
however, produce small pomes that can be substituted in some recipes.

With a season that runs through December, quinces make an aromatic
holiday centerpiece. How can you tell they’re ripe? Rubbing off their
fuzz should reveal a bright, yellow peel. Better yet, just follow your
nose. A quince’s perfume should fill a room. Quince Paste

This recipe comes from canning maven Linda Ziedrich, author of The Joy
of Jams, Jellies and Other Sweet Preserves (Harvard Common Press
2009). The fruit leather-like texture and taste is similar to Mexican
guava paste. Go Middle Eastern by adding a whisper of cardamom and
rose water. Serve it with blanched almonds on a cheese plate. Pair it
with salty Stilton or manchego cheese for a tangy grilled panini. I
even topped pizza with the paste and fresh figs.

Quince Paste
Enlarge Laura McCandlish for NPR

Quince Paste
Laura McCandlish for NPR

Makes about 1 3/4 pounds

2 pounds quinces (about 3 cups), quartered but not seeded or peeled

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

Crushed seeds from 7 cardamom pods (less than 1/4 teaspoon), optional

1/2 teaspoon rose water, optional

Combine the quinces and water in a pot. Over low heat, simmer the
quinces, covered, until they are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the
pot from the heat and let the quinces cool a bit. For a redder paste,
let the quinces stand at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.

Scoop out the seeds from each quince piece and discard them. Pass the
fruit and any juice through the medium screen of a food mill. (If you
don’t have a food mill, peel and core before cooking. Then puree in a
food processor, to an applesauce-like consistency at this stage.)

Put the puree into the pot along with the sugar (and the crushed
cardamom, if desired). Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring, until
the sugar is completely dissolved. Simmer the mixture, stirring often
at first and almost constantly toward the end, for 40 minutes or
more. When the paste is ready, you’ll have to hold onto the pot to
keep it from sliding around as your spoon leaves a clear path across
the bottom. Stir the rose water into the paste, if desired.

Pour the paste about 3/4-inch thick into lightly oiled ceramic
ramekins or an 8-inch square cake pan with vertical sides. Let the
paste cool and then turn it out to dry in a warm place, perhaps in
your oven on its lowest setting, or in the sun.

When the paste is dry to the touch, after about 2 hours, cut it into
smaller pieces if you like, and wrap the pieces in plastic or waxed
paper. Unless you’ll be eating the paste soon or you’re sure it’s
thoroughly dry, store it in a heavy-duty plastic bag in the
refrigerator, where it should keep for several months. Vegetarian
Quince And Parsnip Medley

"Queen of Quince" Barbara Ghazarian includes this "curiously sweet"
recipe in her new cookbook Simply Quince (Mayreni Publishing
2009). These two "ugly duckling" foods blend together into a beautiful
stew. The aromatic dish would grace any Thanksgiving table. Serve it
over rice, bulgur pilaf, couscous or even, as I did, polenta.

Vegetarian Quince And Parsnip Medley
Enlarge Laura McCandlish for NPR

Vegetarian Quince And Parsnip Medley
Laura McCandlish for NPR

Makes 8 servings

1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Two 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 pound parsnips, cut into bite-size pieces (about 2 cups)

1/2 to 3/4 pound fresh quinces, peel left on, cored and cut into
bite-size pieces (1 1/2 to 2 cups)

One 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 1 bunch)

1/2 cup currants

1 cup vegetable broth

3 tablespoons shelled pistachio nuts, optional

Saute the onion in the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over
medium heat until the onion begins to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the
tomatoes, curry, cinnamon, salt, black pepper and red pepper
flakes. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the
parsnips, quince, garbanzos, parsley, currants and broth.

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/4 hours, or until the
parsnips and quince are tender throughout. Adjust seasonings to
taste. Sprinkle with pistachio nuts, if desired, and serve.

Quince Pip Tea For A Sore Throat

Vegetarian chef Deborah Madison features several quince recipes in her
Local Flavors cookbook (Broadway Books 2002), including this
brew. Make up a batch just in time for cold season. The medicinal,
emollient-coated quince seeds are used to soothe sore throats the
world over, so why waste the cores?

Quince Pip Tea
Enlarge Laura McCandlish for NPR

Quince Pip Tea
Laura McCandlish for NPR

Makes 4 cups

Skins, cores and pips (seeds) of 4 quinces

2 quarts water

Honey

Put the skins, cores and pips in a saucepan with water. Bring to a
boil, then simmer until the liquid is syrupy and reduced to about 1
quart. While still warm, strain and sweeten to taste with honey.

Refrigerate in a clean jar. Sip warm or cold when you feel the need
for something soothing on your throat. The tea keeps in the
refrigerator for several months. Quince Tarte Tatin

Georgeanne Brennan resurrects this old recipe in her new cookbook
Gather (Sasquatch Books 2009). Using quince yields a rosy syrup and
zing that apples can’t match. Garnish each piece with a dollop of
sweetened creme fraiche. I used whole wheat pastry flour for the
crust. My topping didn’t adequately caramelize because I couldn’t find
my Pyrex pie dish; use a glass one if you can, so you can watch as it
bakes.

Quince Tarte Tatin
Enlarge Laura McCandlish for NPR

Quince Tarte Tatin
Laura McCandlish for NPR

Makes 8 servings

Quince Filling

6 to 8 large, ripe quinces

2 cups red wine (merlot, syrah or a Rhone-style blend)

1/2 cup sugar

One 2-inch piece vanilla bean, slit

1 cup sultana raisins

Pastry

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt

1 stick plus 3 tablespoons (11 tablespoons total) unsalted butter,
chilled and cut into chunks

6 tablespoons ice water

Finishing

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup sugar, divided

Filling

Peel and core the quinces and cut them into slices about 3/8-inch
thick. In a large bowl, combine the wine, sugar and vanilla bean. Add
the quinces and raisins. Cover and let the quinces marinate overnight
at room temperature, turning them several times to ensure an even
color.

Pastry

Combine the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse once or
twice. Add the butter and pulse only until pea-sized bits form, about
45 seconds. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing just until a
ball of dough forms, about 1 minute. Gather the ball, cover it in
plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Using 1 tablespoon of the butter, heavily grease a baking dish 9 or 10
inches in diameter and 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep. Sprinkle the bottom
with 1/4 cup of the sugar.

With a slotted spoon, remove the quince slices and raisins from the
wine marinade. Arrange the quince slices snugly, making concentric
circles in a single layer around the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle a
third of the raisins and a third of the remaining sugar over the
quince slices. Repeat this entire process twice, but since the second
and third layers of quince won’t be visible once the tart is inverted,
they don’t have to be arranged quite as carefully. Cut the remaining
butter into small pieces and dot the top of the quince.

On a lightly floured board, roll out the pastry dough 1/8-inch thick
and just a little bit larger than the diameter of the baking
dish. Drape the pastry over the rolling pin and transfer it to the
baking dish. Unfold it and gently place it over the quince, tucking
the dough inside the dish. Press the edge of the crust gently against
the sides of the dish. Lightly prick the pastry all over with a
fork. Bake the tart until the crust is golden and a thick,
garnet-colored syrup has formed in the bottom of the baking dish.

When the tart is done, remove it from the oven and let it stand just a
few minutes. Run a sharp knife between the pastry crust and the edge
of the baking dish to ensure that nothing is sticking. Invert a
serving platter on top of the baking dish, and, using a hot pad, hold
the platter and the dish firmly together and flip them over, so the
dish is upside-down on the platter. The tart will unmold itself onto
the platter. Should any slices of quince stick to the bottom of the
baking dish, simply replace them on the tart. Serve warm.

BRIDGE OF HOPE NGO ORGANIZES SEMINAR ON EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES ON NOVEMBER 11

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.11.2009 20:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On November 11, Bridge of Hope NGO is organizing a
seminar on equal rights in Yerevan. Seminar objective is to discuss
with journalists criteria for selecting the best material during the
contest on providing equal opportunities to individuals with limited
capacities. This is the 7th contest held jointly with Mission East
organization, by the assistance of RA Ministry of Labor and Social
Issues.

Contest organizers aim to advocate equal opportunities for individuals
with disabilities.

EDUCATIONAL REFORMS TO BE PROPOSED

news.am
Nov 6 2009
Armenia

Major reforms in Armenian educational system will be implemented
in the frames of cooperation with EU. RA National Security Council
Secretary Artur Baghdasaryan stated at Nov. 6 session of working
group on approval and realization of EU educational system’s expansion
program in Armenia.

The decision to propose reforms’ package for four months aimed at
bringing Armenian educational system into compliance with European
standards, Baghdasaryan press service informed NEWS.am.

Under the reforms, the acceleration of cooperation in science,
elaboration of common strategy, more active participation of
Armenia’s research centers and scholars in the EU programs, as well
as development of educational institutions of European orientation
is foreseen.

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT’S CONGRATULATION TO HIS HOLINESS GARGEIN II

armradio.am
04.11.2009 16:59

On November 4 His Holiness Garegin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos
f all Armenians, hosted the Russian Ambassador to Armenia, Vyacheslav
Kovalenko.

During the meeting the Ambassador congratulated the Catholicos on
the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his election and conveyed
the congratulatory message of the President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev.

The message reads, in part:

"Russia feels great respect for the Armenian Church, which has
preserved the Christian belief for centuries. We rate highly the
kind relations between the Orthodox Church of Russian and the
Armenian Apostolic Church. They have always played a great role in
the reinforcement of friendship and trust between our countries. Its
tangible evidence is the Armenian temple being built in Moscow and
the Russian Orthodox Church in the Armenian territory. Undoubtedly,
as an outstanding religious figure, who pays great attention to the
humanitarian ties between Armenia and Russia, you have made a great
personal contribution to this.

Great is your contribution to the reinforcement of inter-religious
dialogue. We are confident that your efforts within the framework of
the CIS Inter-religious Council established by the Armenian Apostolic
Church, will contribute to the establishment of peace and stability
in the South Caucasus."

The Catholicos of All Armenians expressed his deep gratitude for the
congratulations, assuring that the Armenian Apostolic Church would
uphold its efforts towards reinforcement of ties between the two
peoples and countries in line with the spirit of centuries-old warm
and brotherly relations between the two peoples and churches.

THE KARADZIC TRIAL AND BOSNIAN REALITIES

Agoravox
e.php3?id_article=10930
Nov 4 2009

The trial of the Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic is a test of
justice and accountability over terrible crimes. But the trend of
events in Bosnia itself also demands the international community’s
urgent attention. By Martin Shaw.

he trial of Radovan Karadzic, leader of the Serbian nationalist regime
in Bosnia in the early 1990s, resumed in The Hague on 27 October
2009. The accused initially refused to appear in court on the basis
that he needed more time to prepare his defence, but announced in a
letter to the presiding judge on 2 November that he would indeed be
present to face the court at a procedural hearing the following day.

Karadzic is charged with genocide over the attempt "to permanently
remove Bosnian Muslims [Bosniaks] and Bosnian Croats from the
territories of Bosnia and Herzegovina claimed as Bosnian Serb
territory" between 1992 and 1995, as well as over the infamous massacre
at Srebrenica in July 1995. The other charges include extermination;
murder; persecutions; deportation; inhumane acts; acts of violence
the primary purpose of which was to spread terror among the civilian
population; unlawful attacks on civilians; and the taking of hostages.

These can be seen not as a series of different crimes but as components
of a single campaign of genocide. Indeed the charges potentially
broaden the overall legal assessment of the Serbian genocide in
Bosnia-Hercegovina, which in earlier judgments – like that of the
International Court of Justice in February 2007 – has been restricted
to Srebrenica; the importance of the charges against Karadzic is that
this enables understanding that Srebrenica was only the most murderous
moment in the three years during which Serbian forces systematically
targeted the destruction of the non-Serb population in the areas they
controlled (see "The International Court of Justice: Serbia, Bosnia,
and genocide", 28 February 2007).

The trial – which starts sixteen months after Karadzic’s arrest
in Serbia in July 2008, following thirteen years in hiding there –
is widely seen as the last major case of the International Criminal
Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which is scheduled to begin
winding down from the end of 2009 – despite the scandalous failure
to arrest Karadzic’s fellow indictee Ratko Mladic, who commanded the
Bosnian-Serbian forces at Srebrenica. The ICTY has had considerable
success in arraigning secondary war-criminals of all nationalities,
but no settling of the accounts of the post-Yugoslav wars of the
1990s will be complete until Mladic joins Karadzic in the dock. The
fact that prime architects of Yugoslavia’s ethnic destruction in the
1990s – Serbia’s Slobodan Milosevic’s (who died in March 2006, during
his trial) and Croatia’s Franjo Tudjman (who died before he could be
indicted) – escaped justice, means that the tribunal’s record will
appear even more seriously flawed unless Mladic and Karadzic are
successfully tried.

The new trial will doubtless rekindle the deep divisions which Bosnia
opened in western publics in the 1990s. A reminder of these came on
29 October 2009 when Ed Vulliamy, the Guardian reporter who (with
colleagues from the broadcaster ITN, Penny Marshall and Ian Williams,
exposed the Serbian concentration-camps at Omarska and Trnopolje in
August 1992) published an open letter to Amnesty International; this
protests against the NGO’s invitation to the radical academic Noam
Chomsky to give the annual Amnesty lecture in Belfast on 30 October.

Chomsky, says Vulliamy, has encouraged the "revisionist" view which
denied the character of the camps (even if it was others such as
Thomas Deichmann, writing in Living Marxism magazine, who were the
direct authors of this denial [see Ed Vulliamy, "Poison in the well
of history", Guardian, 15 March 2000]).

In 2005, Chomsky told a Guardian interviewer: "Ed Vulliamy is a very
good journalist, but he happened to be caught up in a story which
is probably not true." Vulliamy reminds Amnesty that he directly
witnessed the situation he described, and went on to collect hundreds
of testimonies; he accuses the human-rights organisation of "giving
comfort" to Mladic and Karadzic through its invitation to Chomsky.

The logic of Dayton

The political realities on the ground in Bosnia put some of these
controversies in perspective. Radovan Karadzic may be in the dock
in The Hague, but the Serbian statelet of Republika Srpska (RS)
which he founded is firmly entrenched. The first phase of the Serbian
campaign in 1992-93 left RS in control of a formerly mixed territory,
from which 90% of the non-Serb population (principally Muslims and
Croats) were expelled through the brutal methods described in the
ICTY’s indictment of Karadzic.

The Serb forces failed fully to defeat Bosnian and Croatian forces, but
the diplomatic settlement of November 2005 – the Dayton (Ohio) peace
accords, agreed by Bill Clinton (the United States president), Slobodan
Milosevic, Franjo Tudjman, and Alija Izetbegovic (Bosnia’s president)
– left the Serbian nationalists in control of the RS, even if it was
reincorporated into a nominally unified and internationally supervised
Bosnia-Herzegovina. The international regime was supposed to support
the return of refugees to RS (as to Croatian- and Bosnian-controlled
areas). In the event, the small number of returns achieved have not
altered the outcome of the genocidal war: Serbs today form almost 90%
of RS’s population.

The Dayton settlement thus (in Marko Attila Hoare’s words) "established
a Bosnia-Hercegovina that was more partitioned than united", and
subsequent developments have reinforced the partitionist logic. For
every year that the Dayton settlement persists it brings Bosnia another
step closer (Hoare again) "to full and complete partition. Every
year, Republika Srpska further consolidates itself as a de facto
independent state; the Office of the High Representative [OHR;
Bosnia’s international overseer] declines in power and authority;
the international community’s will and ability to coerce the Republika
Srpska are that much weaker; the already dim prospect of Bosniaks and
Croats returning to Republika Srpska recedes further; and the share
of the Bosnian population that can remember the unified, multinational
country that existed before 1992 becomes smaller."

Even in late 2007 it was possible for Peter Lippman to argue that the
international regime was having some success in integrating the police
and the army into a unified Bosnian force (see "Crisis and reform: a
turnaround in Bosnia?", 18 December 2007). Two years on, the low-key
current international efforts to move Bosnian politicians towards
reform are completely deadlocked. Serbian secessionist impulses –
part-cause and part-consequence of this situation – are never far
from the surface. Moreover the current RS administration of Milorad
Dodik is growing in its defiance of the international regime and
(a linked matter given the statelet’s provenance) its denial of the
very crimes of which Karadzic is accused.

Dodik, who has denied that genocide was committed at Srebrenica,
further provoked the non-Serb population of Bosnia in September 2009
by pointedly denying one of the worst Serbian atrocities of the war:
the massacre of seventy young people in a square in Tuzla in May 1995.

(In this context, Ed Vulliamy is right to say that the questioning of
well-documented atrocities such as the concentration-camps by western
commentators is no academic matter; and that Noam Chomsky’s attitude
to these issues raises questions about Amnesty’s choice of lecturer).

Against this background, even a conviction in the Karadzic trial –
assuming the accused’s spoiling tactics are unsuccessful – will be
a hollow victory for his victims. The danger, Hoare suggests, is
that "however monstrous the injustice that Bosnian partition would
represent, with every year that passes, the injustice is further
forgotten by the world and full partition – like death – draws nearer.

We need only look at the other injustices that have become realities
on the ground: the three-way partition of Macedonia in 1912-13;
the dispossession of the Armenian population of Anatolia; the
dispossession of the Palestinian population of present-day Israel –
these are realities on the ground" (see "Bosnia: weighing the options",
Bosnian Institute, 13 October 2009).

The cost of failure

It is difficult to gainsay this bleak assessment of the historical
record: partitions have always involved appalling injustices which
have rarely been reversed (see Sumantra Bose, "The partition evasion",
23 August 2007). The Indian partition of 1947 is one of the worst
examples. For a century, western "statesmen" have been tempted to draw
lines on maps and consign hundreds of thousands of people to suffering;
all the more reason by now to have learned from these experiences.

If the partition of Bosnia is indeed steadily becoming irreversible,
this should cause alarm across Europe. It should not be assumed that
Balkan politicians’ need for European recognition and funding will
always inhibit radical moves that would once again destabilise the
region. The integration of southeastern Europe into the European Union
and western institutions has not proceeded so far as to provide full
insurance against a new Bosnian – or even wider Balkan – war.

The situation of Bosnia, and especially of its Bosniak majority areas,
is – under the pressure of Serbian separatism – getting more serious.

It is time for western politicians, having accepted responsibility
for Bosnia, to consider and take the steps necessary to prevent this
already divided country from moving towards new and dangerous schisms.

Peter Lippman also argued in 2007 that "nationalist leaders –
Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks" had a responsibility "to show that they
are serious about developing the reforms that would allow Bosnia &
Herzegovina to exist as a functional state that can join the European
Union on its own." But it is even more urgent that "the international
community and the OHR maintain a robust stance with regard to these
reforms, in order to prompt and encourage Bosnian leaders to see them
through." The Radovan Karadzic trial is a reminder of the worst that
could happen if they fail.

SERZH SARGYSAN LEAVES FOR KUWAIT: OFFICIAL TWO-DAY VISIT

Tert
Nov 3 2009
Armenia

Serzh Sargsyan today will leave for an official two-day visit to the
State of Kuwait, informs the President of the Republic of Armenia
press office.

This is the first official visit by an Armenian president since
Armenia’s independence to a Gulf country.

At Kuwait International Airport, the Armenian president will be greeted
by Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, Crown Prince
Navaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, and high-ranking officials.

On the first day of his visit, Serzh Sargsyan will meet with speaker
of Kuwait’s National Assembly, known as Majlis Al-Umma, Jassem Mohammad
al-Kharafi and Prime Minister Nasser al-Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah. The
Armenian president will also meet with Kuwait Investment Authority
Managing Director Bader Mohammad al-Sa’ad and economic development
foundation director Abdulvahab Ahmad al-Baderi.

The meeting between the president of Armenia and the Emir of Kuwait
will take place near the end of the first day, after which the Republic
of Armenia and the State of Kuwait will sign a number of documents on
cooperation between the two countries. Following the official ceremony,
Serzh Sargsyan will be honoured with an official banquet by Kuwait’s
Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah.

On the second day of his visit, Sargsyan will visit the Kuwait
Institute for Scientific Research, and will meet with the president
of Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ali Mohammed Thunayan
al-Ghanim.

On the second half of the second day, the delegation headed by the
Armenian president will return to Yerevan.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada
615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont-Quebec H2V 3H2
Contact: Deacon Hagop Arslanian,
Tel: 514-276-9479
Fax: 514-276-9960
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Mon, Nov 2 2009

Laval Officials visit New Site of Holy Cross Church
On Friday, October 23, 2009, His Worship Gilles Vaillancourt, Mayor of
Laval, visited the new site of Holy Cross Armenian Church in Laval. The
Primate, His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, greeted him. On this
occasion, the former President of NKR Honorable Arkady Ghoukassyan was
also present.

During the visit, Bishop Galstanian provided extensive information for the
planning and execution of the work of the church building. Mayor
Vaillancourt expressed his joy for the successful commencement of the
construction work. He commended on the role of the pastor, parish council
and sponsors of the Church, and all their work to achieve this reality.

Also, Mr. Guy Ouellette, member of Quebec National Assembly for Chomedey,
visited the building site and congratulated Primate Galstanian, the Holy
Cross Armenian Church community for their perseverance and dedication to
make their vision a reality. In this respect, another significant
announcement will be forthcoming regarding the project of Holy Cross
Armenian Church Center.

Accompanying Mayor Vaillancourt were Mr. Basil Angelopoulos (City
Councilor for Chomedey,) Mme. Jocelyne Guertin (City Councilor for
Souvenir-Labelle,) Mme. Ginette Legault-Bernier (City Councilor for
Abord-à-Plouffe.) Present to welcome and meet the officials were the
sponsors and benefactors to the Church Project, the Pastors and parish
council chairmen of Laval and Montreal Armenian Churches, accompanied by
members of both parish councils and friends of our Diocese.

02 Nov 2009 by Press Office

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