Author: Torgomian Varazdat

NEW AMBASSADOR OF VIETNAM HANDS HIS CREDENTIALS TO RA PRESIDENT

Noyan Tapan
March 25, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 25, Bui Dinh Dinh, the
newly appointed Ambassador of Vietnam to Armenia (residence Moscow),
handed his credentials to RA President Robert Kocharian. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by the RA President’s Press Office, congratulating
the Ambassador on the occasion of assuming his post, R. Kocharian
mentioned the traditional warm contacts and attitude between the
Armenian and Vietnam peoples.

Emphasizing the high level of political relations between the two
peoples, the efficient cooperation formed within the framework
of international organizations, the sides attached importance to
development of economic contacts expressing readiness to undertake
concrete steps in that direction.

They considered important organization of mutual visits, activization
of business contacts, exchange of many-sided information, which will
permit to clarify possible spheres for cooperation.

HURRICANE BLUSTERED

DeFacto Agency
March 24 2008
Armenia

YEREVAN, 24.03.08. DE FACTO. Strong hurricane that swept past
Nagorno-Karabakh completely deprived the Republic’s citizens of
electro supply. The Hadrut, Martakert regions and the capital city
of the Republic – Stepanakert – remained without electricity.

The hurricane has caused appreciable damage to the Republic. Trees
have been torn up by their root; many houses’ roofs have been blown
off. Fortunately, there have been no victims.

March 22 the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Bako Sahakian called
an urgent meeting with the participation of the government’s members,
the representatives of the Department for emergency situations,
law-enforcement organs, Defense Ministry and the Stepanakert Mayor. A
decision to establish Operative headquarters for the elimination of
the hurricane’s consequences was made in the course of the meeting.

The NKR PM Ara Harutyunian was appointed the headquarters’ chair.

At the meeting the NKR President was also informed of the situation
in each region of the Republic, pursuant to which he gave instructions
to structures and set tasks.

According to the Central Department of Information under the NKR
President, the situation in the Republic is completely under control.

The measures, which will enable to turn life to normal channel,
have been elaborated.

The NKR President also gave instruction to coordinate the actions of
appropriate structures to eliminate the natural calamity’s consequences
in the shortest possible time.

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address:  Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact:  Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel:  +374-10-517163
Fax:  +374-10-517301
E-Mail:  [email protected]
Website: 
March 23, 2008

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II
SUPREME PATRIARCH AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS
ON THE FEAST OF THE GLORIOUS RESURRECTION
OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, 23 March 2008

In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Christ is risen from the dead.  He defeated death with death, and through
His resurrection, He granted us life.
    Armenian Breviary (Book of Hours)

Dear Faithful Sons and Daughters in Armenia and the Diaspora,
We greet you all with a joyful heart and the tiding of the glorious
resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We lived the prayerful and solemn days of Great Lent with the Almighty; we
lived with our petitions, appeals and the emotions of our souls, as well as
with the crisis and pain which resulted from the tragic events of March 1. 
And through the sacred mystery of Holy Week, we communed with our Lord’s
acts of salvation during His final days on earth.

When the Teacher was crucified, His disciples and followers had dispersed in
uncertainty and grief.  Some had disowned Him and were suffering with
feelings of guilt.  Others had tied great hopes of power and glory to Him
and were now experiencing the pain of hopelessness.  But the Risen Christ
appeared to them and dispelled their sorrow and doubt, reestablished them in
true faith and hope, and confirmed them in their mission to proclaim to the
world the grace of salvation, to preach the teachings of God’s love and
peace, and the Gospel of the heavenly kingdom.

Today, our Lord no longer stands defenseless before Pontus Pilate.  He is no
longer the accused – abandoned and rejected by men.  Neither is He the One
tortured, harassed and condemned to ascend Golgotha with the cross on His
shoulders.  He is not the One buried in the tomb; rather He is the Risen –
the Lord of creation and the triumphant Savior of mankind.

`O death, where is thy sting?  O grave, where is thy victory?’ (I
Corinthians 15:55)

Death is no longer despair, no longer is it the end of life or existence. 
The tomb is no longer the end.  The `end’ was destroyed through the
Resurrection of Christ, and on the other side of the grave, we see the path
toward eternity.  Our savior, addressing His and our Father, says `And this
is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom thou hast sent.’ (St. John 17:3)

The path to eternal life in this world is the new, resurrected life through
Christ Jesus, which He bequeaths to man by His divine power.  The renewed
life of the reborn soul is free of the power of evil.  Our Lord defeated
evil, destroyed death and granted humanity the grace to be reborn, to become
sons and daughters of God.

God has created the world in which we live.  Everything is the work of His
hand.  Whatever we have belongs to Him.  But in this world, since the time
of Adam, either willingly or unwillingly, man frequently becomes a tool in
the hands of evil, destroys God’s handiwork and darkens the joy of a
creative life.  In our present day, evil, lack of faith, materialism,
falsehood, hatred, and lust for power plant seeds of death and prepare large
and small graves in the life of mankind.  Today as well, we must regrettably
accept that life is not valued to the extent and manner equal to the call of
the Lord and His Saving Will.  In his quest for peace and justice, man opens
doors to conflicts and sows injustice, since it is not the peace and justice
granted by the Lord that he seeks; rather individual security and personal
interest in the name of those virtues.  Truly, actions opposed to the Will
of God are ruinous.  Christ gave His life for mankind to save us from
destruction, and called us to live with faith, hope and love.  It is with
these values that the spiritual renaissance and moral development of
humanity become a reality.  It is with these true values that the progress
of societal life occurs, that rights are respected and laws actually work,
for the welfare of mankind.

Dear Armenian sons and daughters dispersed throughout the world,
Throughout our history, we have frequently been enveloped by the shadow of
death, we have been wounded deeply and we have lived in times of darkness;
but with a gaze thirsting for light, we have sought the heavenly break of
day.  We have measured the depth of suffering and pain, and have emerged
time and again by soaring high with heroic flight.  Today as well, we find
ourselves in trying times.  The peaceful life of our homeland is troubled
and the stability of our state is threatened; the reputation of our country
and the good name of our people have certainly been damaged – our greatest
achievements are endangered.  Intolerance, hatred and confrontation are not
ways to eliminate the negative realities from our lives or to determine
solutions to problems challenging our nation.  These result in new wounds
and new difficulties increasing the threats to our lives.  We must exercise
care, so that every word and deed that is borne of evil and reeks of
falsehood is rejected.  We are obligated to be vigilant so that true
brotherly love, a sense of justice and respect of the law, confidence,
faith, and a spirit of reconciliation and peace smoothes the path of our
lives.  Let us spare nothing in our efforts to strengthen our statehood and
the uninterrupted progress of our country, so that we overcome the
difficulties afflicting our lives, and our homeland soars with strength – a
homeland which is the hope for our united life and our endurance.

Our exhortation to you all – ranks of clergy and laity – is to make
goodness, love and benevolence abundant in your lives through the
resurrection faith in our Savior Jesus Christ.  Heal all wounded hearts. 
Cast out all evil from our hearts, our souls and the borders of our
homeland.  Be one flock with one shepherd.  Under the protection of the Holy
Right Hand of our Father in heaven, with the Holy Sign of the Cross of our
Risen Savior, and guided by the grace of the Holy Spirit, let us create the
future of our dreams – a strong, unshakeable Armenian state and a patriotic,
happy Armenian people devoted to God.  By caring for our homeland and
people, we shall store treasures and store them abundantly for the eternal
life proclaimed to us by the feast of the Holy Resurrection.

`As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. 
Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been
taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.’  (Colossians 2:6-7)

With the tiding of the glorious resurrection of our Lord, from the Mother
See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Illuminator’s holy throne, we extend
greetings with fraternal love in Christ to the incumbents of the hierarchal
sees of our Holy Apostolic Church:  His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia; His Beatitude Torkom Manoogian, Armenian Patriarch
of Jerusalem; His Beatitude Mesrob Mutafian, Armenian Patriarch of
Constantinople; and all graceful heads of Sister Churches.  We convey our
pontifical love and blessings to all diligent servants of our Holy Church
and our faithful sons and daughters dispersed throughout the world.

We greet and bless the president of the Republic of Armenia, Robert
Kocharian; president-elect and prime minister of Armenia Serzh Sargsian;
president of the Republic of Nagorno Karabagh Bako Sahakian, all Armenian
state officials and leaders and representatives of diplomatic missions
accredited to Armenia.

We pray for heavenly peace to be established in our homeland, throughout the
world and within the souls of all men.

May the giver and guide of life – our Lord Jesus Christ – bless our lives
and illuminate the path of the Armenian nation with the light of His
resurrection, and may grace, love, faith, hope and strength be with all our
people and the world entire.  Amen.

Christ is Risen from the dead.
Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ.

OUR PROBLEMS AND SUPREMACIES
Editorial

`HAYOTS ASHKHARH’
Published on March 22, 2008

There is a feeling that because of these endless elections and all the
developments deriving from them we have stopped to see the real
problems faced by the country.

All the candidates to president, observers, committees, demonstrations,
disorders, involved our society in a unique whirlpool, leaving no time
and strength for other problems. Of course another one or two months
and people will forget about all this, but we will lose the necessary
tempo and time for the solution of fatal issues.

The first and foremost problem for us is the weakening of our will,
loss of inexorability to continue the work we have already started.

It is high time to be in direct contact with our real problems,
especially those problems that hinder the development of the economy
and the country in general. We must raise the effectiveness of all the
branches of power.

Otherwise people can’t rely on neither the law nor the authorities and
justice. They will pin their hopes upon themselves, nothing more. In
this case why do they need the authorities?

The other problem that we face is the absence of the clear rules
accepted by everyone. The society can’t exist without these rules. And
the rules, in the condition of the state, are the law, the
constitutional law and order, the security of the family, and the
citizen, and the trust towards the steadiness of established rules.

The state must start from itself, not only to set up equal rules but
also follow these rules.

We have forgotten that the court issues a verdict on behalf of the
state and must correspond to that great honor. The Police and the
Prosecutor’s must serve the law and not separate people, they shouldn’t
use their power in their own interests.

Rules are necessary and important for each of us, the authorities, the
entrepreneurs, and especially those who need social protection. Is it
possible to help the weak layer of society if the taxes are not being
paid? Is it possible to build a civilized market in the conditions of
corruption? Economic progress is impossible if the official depends on
the capital.

It is characteristic of a strong state to live according to the law.
And these states can guarantee freedom for entrepreneurs, personal and
social freedom.

For us fighting poverty, protection of the market from the officials
and foreign invasion must be supremacy.

Of course in this term state supervision is indispensable, but it is
not enough. Let’s see what’s going on: people don’t have trust in the
security of their personal business, because they can’t rely on the
strength of law and the honesty of the officials. This means they are
disapproved of the state service and consequently they evade taxes.
Moreover this way they will be fairly well off.

But the state is deprived of maintaining an impartial judicial system,
because they can’t give good salary to the officials and the latter
ones will certainly take bribe.

The essence of the state order is far not in suppressing the market or
extending the bureaucratic expansion. On the contrary they must help
people find a way out, they must provide honest competition rules for
the entrepreneurs.

They must provide equal rights for everyone; they mustn’t use the state
institutions for the interests of clan or certain groups. The pivotal
solution for the whole economic policy must be honest work rather than
stealing.

Of course we can continue to list the supremacies faced by our country,
but the before mentioned ones are enough to start solving them one
after another.

DUE TO DONATION ARMENIA FUND TO RENOVATE HAGHARTSIN MONASTERY COMPLEX

Noyan Tapan
March 21, 2008

Hayastan All Armenian Fund will completely renovate and Haghartsin
Monastery Complex due to the princely donation by His Highness
Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohamed Al Qasimi. The letter is a member of the
United Arab Emirates Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. On March
17, an agreement specifying construction and renovation activities was
signed between the Armenia Fund and the H.H. the Sheikh. Construction
and renovation will begin in April 2008.

GENDARMERIE SOLDIERS ADMIT KNOWING ABOUT DINK MURDER

Today’s Zaman
March 21 2008
Turkey

Two gendarmes have confirmed earlier testimony by a witness that they
had been clearly warned about a plot to assassinate ethnic Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink.

The trial of the two soldiers on charges of dereliction of duty
by failing to take the necessary measures to prevent the murder of
Dink continued in a Trabzon court on Thursday. Sgt. Maj. Okan S. and
Special Sgt. Veysel Sahin are being accused of failing to act within
the scope of their powers to prevent the murder of Dink, even though
they had solid intelligence on the plot to assassinate the journalist
months before the incident.

The two soldiers testified for the first time at yesterday’s hearing,
corroborating earlier testimony of witness Coþkun Ýðic, the ex-husband
of a relative of one of the prime suspects of the Dink murder, that
they had previous knowledge of the plot. They also said they had
informed their superior, Trabzon’s Provincial Gendarmerie Commander
Col. Ali Oz. The two suspects testified that they had given false
statements during the course of the investigation due to pressure
from Oz.

Dink was shot by an extremist teenager on Jan. 19, 2007, outside
the Agos weekly building — where he was the editor-in-chief — in
Ýstanbul’s Beyoðlu district. The ensuing investigation revealed that
some of the suspects who were later found to be the masterminds of
the murder had links to police officers.

The first witness to testify at the first hearing for two suspects in
January was Ýðci, the ex-husband of the aunt of Yasin Hayal, a prime
suspect in the Dink murder investigation. Ýðci testified that he had
notified the two gendarmerie soldiers at least two-and-a-half months
ahead of the murder of his nephew’s plans to shoot Dink.

The witness said Hayal, who is currently in prison pending trial in
the Dink murder, had told him openly about his plans for the murder.

Ýðci stated that he informed the two gendarmes of the plans to kill
Dink about two-and-a-half to three months prior to the murder. He
testified that Hayal and his friends told him about an earlier visit
near Dink’s house and the environs of the Agos weekly in Ýstanbul,
which he relayed to the two gendarmes now being tried. He said the
two warned him not to talk to anyone about what he knew shortly after
the assassination.

–Boundary_(ID_AXQ1I7Dt9gIdXw0kadk 9yg)–

OSCE MG UNDERLINES URGENT NEED TO RESUME KARABAKH TALKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.03.2008 14:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Ambassadors Yuri
Merzlyakov of Russia, Bernard Fassier of France and Matthew Bryza
of the U.S. issued a statement upon the meetings with Armenia and
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministers, the OSCE communication unit reports.

The statement says,

"The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Yuri Merzlyakov
for the Russian Federation, and Bernard Fassier for France, as well
as Mike Carpenter, Advisor to U.S. Co-Chair Matt Bryza) met with the
Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vardan Oskanian in Vienna on the
14th of March and with the Azerbaijani Minister of Foreign Affairs
Elmar Mammadyarov in Paris on the 15th of March.

After these meetings the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs recall that,
as reiterated before the vote on the "Resolution on the Situation in
the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan" at the UN General Assembly,
France, the Russian Federation and the United States support the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and therefore do not recognize the
independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, while holding that the future status
of Nagorno-Karabakh is a matter of negotiations between the parties.

The Co-Chairs remain convinced that any peaceful and equitable
settlement of the conflict will require unavoidable compromises among
the parties. They underline the urgent need to resume the negotiations
after the pause due to the presidential election in Armenia. In that
respect, they note with satisfaction the affirmation of both Foreign
Ministers of the need to continue the discussions between the sides.

The Co-Chairs proposed to the Foreign Ministers to organize the first
meeting between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan as soon as
possible. The Co-Chairs express their sincere hope that this meeting,
accepted in principle by the two sides, will take place and lead
to the resumption of negotiations for the peaceful settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of the Document on the
Basic principles for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, presented to the sides on November 29, 2007 in Madrid before
the opening of the OSCE Ministerial Council.

Finally, at a time when serious clashes resulting in the loss of life
have occurred along the Line of Contact, the Co-Chairs urge both sides
to refrain from unilateral and maximalist actions on the ground, at the
negotiating table, as well as in their public rhetoric, and to fully
and strictly comply with their obligations relating to the cease-fire."

TOLERANCE IN TURKEY: CATHOLICS WANT TO RECLAIM ST. PAUL’S BIRTHPLACE
By Peter Wensierski

Spiegel Online
,1518,542747,00.html
March 20 2008
Germany

The Catholic Church is pushing for the construction of a Christian
meeting center at the birthplace of the Apostle Paul in Turkey.

German bishops are demanding tolerance for Christians in Turkey in
exchange for their support for mosques in Germany.

There is little left from the days when the town of Tarsus was not
Turkish but part of the Roman Empire: a handful of columns, a few old
walls — and a house where, about 2,000 years ago, a man who would
become a central figure in Christianity was born.

"I am a Jew from Tarsus," the Bible reads. The man who was quoted
as saying these words went down in history as the Apostle Paul,
who brought the Christian faith into the world.

Every year, thousands of visitors travel to Tarsus, which is near the
Turkish-Syrian border. But Christians who wish to worship in the Church
of St. Paul, built several centuries ago, must overcome bizarre hurdles
to do so. A permit is required from the local authorities to celebrate
mass in the church. In addition, worshippers are charged an entry fee
and required to bring along the essentials — from the altar crucifix
to candles — and then promptly remove them after the service. The
church was used as a military depot for several decades, before the
Turkish government suddenly declared it a museum in the 1990s.

Rome has never come to terms with the fact that Christians have such a
difficult time of it in the birthplace of the apostle. But this year,
which Pope Benedict XVI has declared the "Year of St. Paul," it will
become a topic of public debate. In June, Cardinal Walter Kasper,
the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity,
will celebrate a mass in Tarsus. A number of German bishops also plan
to travel to Turkey.

The Catholics are pursuing a politically explosive plan. Roughly
2,000 years after the birth of St. Paul, they want to get a Christian
meeting center constructed in Tarsus.

They have chosen an auspicious moment for the scheme. With Turkey vying
for European Union membership, the government of Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan (more…) can hardly afford to turn down a Christian
project. In addition, the Church, especially the German bishops,
is offering something in return. The Germans have often taken a
benevolent stance toward the construction of mosques in Germany,
a policy they intend to continue. In return, they are demanding
tolerance for Christians in Turkey.

The archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Joachim Meisner, who is well
known for his conservative views, campaigned for the initiative among
his fellow cardinals. Meisner is closely aligned with Bishop Luigi
Padovese, the pope’s apostolic vicar in Anatolia. The two men have
coordinated their efforts with Rome and found supporters who are now
coming to their aid.

For Hans-Jochen Jaschke, the auxiliary bishop in Hamburg, the proposed
structure in Tarsus would be "an extremely important symbol." Of course
Jaschke, who is in charge of inter-religious dialogue within the German
Bishops’ Conference, is not in favor of a simple church-for-mosque
trade. But then he slyly adds: "It would be very helpful towards the
acceptance of Turks in Germany if a sign of acceptance of Christians
were to be seen in Turkey."

Given the current circumstances of Christians in Turkey, however,
Jaschke’s wish taps into one of the most major issues in German-Turkish
relations. Without government approval, no religious community can
be active in Turkey. Muslim clerics must also submit their sermons to
the authorities. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey,
introduced this rule in an effort to keep Islam under control. The
strict system is intended to guarantee the state’s freedom from
religious influences, but it also drastically restricts Christians’
freedom to practice their faith.

Because of these obstacles, Cardinal Meisner took the Catholic Church’s
request for approval of its planned Christian meeting center to the
very top of the Turkish state, and wrote to the Turkish prime minister
in February. Recep Tayyip Erdogan had already been approached once
before, when he visited Cologne, Istanbul’s sister city, during a
state visit to Germany (more…) on Feb. 10. Cologne Mayor Fritz
Schramma, a member of the conservative Christian Democratic Union
(CDU), mentioned the situation at the birthplace of St. Paul to
Erdogan and conveyed the cardinal’s request to him.

Erdogan promised his support. "As soon as the church approaches
me with this wish, I will speak out in favor of it — even against
my opposition."

Bishop Padovese, who had already submitted the same request to the
government in writing months earlier, repeated the request. Together
with six other bishops in Turkey, he plans to take Erdogan, who
recently solicited German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s support for his
country’s EU membership, at his word. The bishops joined forces to
ask Erdogan to support their project. It is now up to the government
to make Tarsus into a turning point in the Turkish state’s policy
toward Christians.

For the German bishops, the matter has become a touchstone in the
Church’s relationship with Islam. A group of German leaders plans
to travel to Tarsus in September. Cardinal Meisner already went to
Tarsus more than half a year ago and held a church service there.

Meisner was horrified by the conditions under which Christians must
live in the aspiring EU member. In 1920, 20 percent of the Turkish
population was Christian. That figure has declined to only 0.1 percent
today, and the state and local authorities make life difficult for
this small contingent. The largest group consists of roughly 60,000
Armenians in Istanbul, who are barred access to higher government
positions simply because the word "Christian" is stamped in their
identification cards.

Part 2: Fears of a Christian ‘Mission’

Turkey’s 33,000 Catholics are a negligibly small group compared with
the country’s roughly 73 million Muslims. The headquarters of the
German Bishops’ Conference regularly receives horrifying reports of
how they are treated. This has helped shape the Catholic Church’s
current position that Turkey is not yet "ready to be part of Europe."

Many Catholics meet only in private homes, because they feel persecuted
and discriminated against. Even in the cosmopolitan city of Istanbul,
Christians cannot openly practice their faith everywhere. One prayer
room was set up in a former industrial building — naturally without
visible identifiers like a cross or a church tower. The training of
clergy and lay ministers is impossible; monasteries and seminaries
were closed years ago. Even foreign personnel are generally not
allowed to make up for staffing shortfalls.

Admittedly, the German Protestant pastor who attends to the
spiritual needs of tourists from Germany and the more than 10,000
German pensioners who have settled on Turkey’s southern coast is
not persecuted. However, he is merely tolerated, because he is a
diplomatic member of the consulate general.

One of the fundamental problems Christians face in the country is
their completely tentative status. Unlike Germany, Turkey does not
recognize churches and parishes as legal entities. Ownership rights
to old churches and other buildings are routinely challenged in Turkey.

"Hundreds of churches and parish halls were seized, thereby depriving
Christians of their ability to congregate," complains Otmar Oehring,
head of the human rights office of the international Catholic mission
society Missio. Only a few months ago, Turkey’s supreme appellate
court deprived the ecumenical patriarch of his title, to which he
has been entitled for centuries.

The difficult situation of religious minorities is always brought
to the attention of the international community when violent crimes
occur. In February 2006, a Catholic priest was murdered in Trabzon,
followed by the killing of a Christian journalist in Istanbul in
January 2007 and of three employees of a Christian publishing company
(more…) in Malatya in April. A monk was kidnapped in Midyat in
November 2007, a priest was wounded in a knife attack in Izmir in
December 2007, and a pastor in Antalya barely escaped being murdered
when, in January of this year, Turkish intelligence uncovered a plot
to kill him.

There is no evidence that anti-Christian propaganda led to these acts
of violence, but the mood in Turkish society is being systematically
poisoned against the minority religion. Although the number of
Christians in the country is a tiny fraction of what it once was,
Islamist and nationalist forces stoke completely exaggerated fears of a
"Christian mission."

The Turkish intelligence service and the military, as well as police
intelligence units, spread horrific stories about Christians in
Turkey. For example, the armed forces published a report titled
"Missionary Activities in Our Country and in the World," in which
they warn against the "dangers posed by converts." Governors, heads
of intelligence and education directors in the provinces have been
called upon to take joint action against "proselytizing Christians."

Ironically, the Turkish Interior Ministry has registered a
ridiculously small number of converts from Islam to Christianity:
a mere 344 in the last seven years. For this reason, Turkish papers
like the liberal daily Sabah are critical of the efforts to incite
hysteria. "A lie is being spread about missionaries," the paper wrote
in an editorial. "The public is being goaded to adopt hate-filled,
anti-Christian positions. All of this is experienced in this country,
and sometime, when the time comes, someone will believe the fairy
tale that ‘these are the enemies among us,’ and kill three people."

Liberal voices like Sabah’s allow Padovese to be cautiously
optimistic. He was especially pleased to read an editorial by the
editor-in-chief of the leading secular daily Hurriyet, Ertugrul Ozkok,
who wrote: "Turks in Germany have built more than 3,000 mosques, and
we cannot even tolerate a few churches and a dozen missionaries. Where
is our civilization?"

Last week, Padovese detected the first signs of a possible easing of
tensions: The local authorities in Tarsus assembled a commission to
discuss the request for a Christian center in the birthplace of St.

Paul. In other words, the Turks had put together a working group,
a notion that elicits a smile from the bishop. "The Turks and the
Germans are similar in that respect at least," he says.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

LIVE TELEVISION BROADCAST OF EASTER MASS VIA SATELLITE FROM ANTELIAS
MARCH 23rd, 2008

The Noursat Broadcast will be broadcasting LIVE via satellite the Holy
Easter Mass celebrated by His Holiness Aram I, from St. Gregory the
Illuminator Cathedral in Antelias, on Sunday 23 March 2008, beginning from
10:30 UTC/GMT.

You can watch Noursat live in Middle East, North Africa, Europe, North/South
America, Far East and Australia. Check your local listings for broadcast
dates and times in your area below*. For more details on how to receive
Noursat in your area, click here:
l

or follow the instructions below:
You can watch Noursat in Middle East, North Africa, Europe, North/South
America, Far East and Australia 7 days a week, 24/24 hours on Hotbird 4,
Echostar, Pas 9 and Pas 8.

Middle East, North Africa and Europe (HotBird 4):
Orbital Location: 13°E
Downlink Frequency: 10949
Downlink Polarization: Vertical
Symbol Rate: 27.5 M S/S
Fec: 3/4
961-1-254501/2/3

North America (Echostar):
Dish Network
USA: 1-800-984-3388
Canada: 1-514-636-3444

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SERJ TANKIAN GOES HIS OWN WAY
By Michael Roberts

Westword
March 19 2008
CO

Even on his own, System’s frontman bucks the system.

In "Unthinking Majority," from Elect the Dead, Serj Tankian’s first
solo album, the longtime System of a Down lead singer declares,
"We don’t need your hypocrisy/Execute real democracy" – and unlike
knee-jerk provocateurs for whom sloganeering is an end in itself,
he’s actually thought about what he means by this last phrase.

"Real democracy is one where there are no levers that may reverse
popular vote (electoral reversal in 2000)," Tankian asserts via
e-mail. "Where citizens are represented more than corporations or
foreign governments and their interests in some cases (K Street
lobbying firms, no campaign-contribution ceiling for corps like for
citizens). Where you have more than one party, or more than two
parties that are the different sides of one coin (instant runoff
voting would help encourage independent candidates). Where there is
a free and non-partisan media to report the truth (imagine that)."

Tankian began sharing his version of reality with a wider public in
1998, when System’s debut disc arrived, and since then, he’s often
paid a price for his forthrightness. In the days following 9/11,
for instance, he posted a critical essay on the band’s website –
a move that led to a barrage of abuse from right-wingers and most
likely contributed to the temporary suspension of System airplay
at Clear Channel-owned radio stations across the country. "This
is what happens when you allow the media in your country to reach
near-monopolistic levels of corporate Darwinism," Tankian notes. "It
was the closest I’ve ever felt to the ’50s, when McCarthyism scared
everyone into submission."

More recently, Tankian, who’s of Armenian descent, championed a
campaign for Congress to recognize the 1915-era murder of approximately
1.5 million Armenians as an act of genocide committed by the nation of
Turkey. In the end, the legislation collapsed after opponents argued
that it would hurt U.S. relations with Turkey, which the current
administration sees as an ally in the war on terrorism.

Tankian was frustrated by this turn of events: "A genocide isn’t a
point that can be negotiated like trade," he emphasizes. But even
as he vows to continue fighting on behalf of the cause, he tries to
maintain a balance in his professional and personal life. As he puts
it, "You don’t have to be boring to be political. You can be a good
human being and work toward justice and have fun in your life as well.

"We all know way too many bands that take themselves too seriously,"
he concedes – but in his view, "I never have. After all, this is
music, not brain surgery. It’s magic and math combined. If you can’t
laugh within your day no matter what you do for a living, you’re not
really living."

Even the unthinking majority can agree with that.