Category: News

GrandPrix.com
JUNE 29, 2004
WHO gets to 155
Another seven countries have signed up to the World Health Organization’s
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, living the total number of
signatories to 155 with one day remaining before the deadline for
signatures. These include Nigeria, one of the most populous countries which
had not signed. The only major states left to sign now are Indonesia and
Russia.
The remainder who have not signed are Albania, Afghanistan, Andorra, Angola,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Colombia, Cuba,
Domenica, the Domenican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Grenada,
Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Iraq, Laos, Lichtenstein, Macedonia, Malawi, Moldova,
Nauru, Oman, St Christopher and Nevis, St Lucia, Sierra Leone, Somalia,
Swaziland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Western Sahara,
Western Samoa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Hardly the stuff for a Formula 1 World Championship in the future…
The message is very clear that tobacco advertising is going to be stamped
out within the next few years.

Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
June 28, 2004
10 NOMINEES FOR MUNICIPALITIES
June 24 was the last date of candidate nomination for the municipal
governments. The chairman of the NKR Central Election Committee
Sergey Davtian informed that for the 202 posts of head of community
404 persons were nominated, and for the post of member of the
community council 1707. 10 persons were nominated for the post of
mayor of Stepanakert. They are Hamik Avanessian, mayor of
Stepanakert; Pavel Najarian, does not work; Vazghen Hayrapetian,
lawyer, NKR Union of Lawyers; Iosif Adamian, president of `Iosif and
Sons’ Ltd.; Sergey Grigorian, executive director of `Stepanakert
Industrial Factory’ State CJSC; Shahmar Atanessian, does not work;
Vladimir Sarghissian, architect, `Narineh’ Ltd.; Edward Aghabekian,
chairman of the NKR National Assembly permanent committee for social
questions; Garik Jhangirian, head of Stepanakert Tax Department;
Hrant Melkumian, head of the control service of the NKR government
administration. From June 25 to July 18 the registration of the
candidates will be done, election campaign will last from July 20 to
August 7. The election to the municipalities will take place on
August 8. According to S. Davtian, during the nomination of the
candidates they noticed interest among the population. In many
villages more than two people were nominated. In the regional center
of Askeran 11 candidates were nominated, in the village Sos of the
region Martouni 5, in the village Aygestan of the region of Hadrout
5, and 3 candidates in the small village Ughtasar. In reference to
the statement of the chairman of the CEC of Azerbaijan that official
Baku will prevent the participation of international observers in the
elections to the municipalities, Sergey Davtian mentioned that
inviting observers is the business of the NKR authorities and not of
the chairman of the CEC of Azerbaijan.
NAIRA HAYRUMIAN

Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
June 28, 2004
REPUBLIC BANK OF DATA OF THE DISABLED
Presently about 9 thousand disabled people live in Karabakh, who
receive state monthly pensions and have certain privileges. The
invalids of Karabakh have a lot of problems related to social
conditions, housing conditions, employment, medical care and other
questions. According to the NKR minister of social security a number
of measures are taken in this relation. It is notable that soon the
bank of data of the disabled will be created, which will allow to
study the sphere thoroughly. According to the minister, the record
card of the invalid will provide information on his or her education,
specialty, housing conditions, family status, and other data.
Speaking about the future work L. Ghulian also informed that all over
the territory of the republic checking of invalidity will be carried
out, and this time the special commission will be sent to the
regions. `By gathering data about employment of the disabled it will
become clear what kind of jobs to create for them and what works of
retraining to carry out. Diagnostic studies will indicate what kind
of rehabilitation center is needed in NKR.’ L. Ghulian mentioned that
the creation of the bank will enable to solve in the future the
housing problems of the disabled, especially those who need special
flats. The minister assured that the works have already started and
the bank will operate from August. The bank which will be operated by
the medical and social expert commission will have full control of
the sphere.Â
ANAHIT DANIELIAN

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH IN ISTANBUL, TURKEY (AS PREPARED FOR
DELIVERY)
WhiteHouse.gov
June 29, 2004
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen: Laura and I are grateful for the
warm hospitality we have received these past three days in the Republic of
Turkey. I am honored to visit this beautiful country where two continents
meet – a nation that upholds great traditions, and faces the future with
confidence. And America is honored to call Turkey an ally and a friend.
Many Americans trace their heritage to Turkey, and Turks have contributed
greatly to our national life – including, most recently, a lot of baskets
for the Detroit Pistons from Mehmet Okur. I know youre proud that this son
of your country helped to win an NBA championship, and America is proud of
him as well.
I am grateful to Prime Minister Erdogan and President Sezer for hosting the
members of NATO in an historic time for our alliance. For most of its
history, NATO existed to deter aggression from a powerful army at the heart
of Europe. In this century, NATO looks outward to new threats that gather in
secret and bring sudden violence to peaceful cities. We face terrorist
networks that rejoice when parents bury their murdered children, or bound
men plead for their lives. We face outlaw regimes that give aid and shelter
to these killers, and seek weapons of mass murder. We face the challenges of
corruption and poverty and disease, which throw whole nations into chaos and
despair – the conditions in which terrorism can thrive.
Some on both sides of the Atlantic have questioned whether the NATO alliance
still has a great purpose. To find that purpose, they only need to open
their eyes. The dangers are in plain sight. The only question is whether we
will confront them, or look away and pay a terrible cost.
Over the last few years, NATO has made its decision. Our alliance is
restructuring to oppose threats that arise beyond the borders of Europe.
NATO is providing security in Afghanistan. NATO has agreed to help train the
security forces of a sovereign Iraq – a great advantage and crucial success
for the Iraqi people. And in Istanbul we have dedicated ourselves to the
advance of reform in the broader Middle East, because all people deserve a
just government, and because terror is not the tool of the free. Through
decades of the Cold War, our great alliance of liberty never failed in its
duties – and we are rising to our duties once again.
The Turkish people understand the terrorists, because you have seen their
work, even in the last few days. You have heard the sirens, and witnessed
the carnage, and mourned the dead. After the murders of Muslims, Christians,
and Jews in Istanbul last November, a resident of this city said of the
terrorists, “They do not have any religion … They are friends of evil.” In
one of the attacks, a Muslim woman lost her son Ahmet, her daughter-in-law
Berta, and her unborn grandchild. She said, “Today Im saying goodbye to my
son. Tomorrow Im saying farewell to my Berta. I dont know what [the killers]
wanted from my kids. Were they jealous of their happiness?”
The Turkish people have grieved, but your nation is also showing how
terrorist violence will be overcome – with courage, and with a firm resolve
to defend your just and tolerant society. This land has always been
important for its geography – here at the meeting place of Europe, Asia, and
the Middle East. Now Turkey has assumed even greater historical importance,
because of your character as a nation. Turkey is a strong, secular
democracy, a majority Muslim society, and a close ally of free nations. Your
country, with 150 years of democratic and social reform, stands as a model
to others, and as Europes bridge to the wider world. Your success is vital
to a future of progress and peace in Europe and in the broader Middle East –
and the Republic of Turkey can depend on the support and friendship of the
United States.
For decades, my country has supported greater unity in Europe – to secure
liberty, build prosperity, and remove sources of conflict on this continent.
Now the European Union is considering the admission of Turkey, and you are
moving rapidly to meet the criteria for membership. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
had a vision of Turkey as a strong nation among other European nations. That
dream can be realized by this generation of Turks. America believes that as
a European power, Turkey belongs in the European Union. Your membership
would also be a crucial advance in relations between the Muslim world and
the West, because you are part of both. Including Turkey in the EU would
prove that Europe is not the exclusive club of a single religion, and it
would expose the “clash of civilizations” as a passing myth of history.
Fifteen years ago, an artificial line that divided Europe — drawn at
Yalta – was erased. Now this continent has the opportunity to erase another
artificial division – by fully including Turkey in t
Turkey has found its place in the community of democracies by living out its
own principles. Muslims are called to seek justice – fairness to all, care
for the stranger, compassion for those in need. And you have learned that
democracy is the surest way to build a society of justice. The best way to
prevent corruption and abuse of power is to hold rulers accountable. The
best way to ensure fairness to all is to establish the rule of law. The best
way to honor human dignity is to protect human rights. Turkey has found what
nations of every culture and every region have found: If justice is the
goal, then democracy is the answer.
In some parts of the world, especially in the Middle East, there is wariness
toward democracy, often based on misunderstanding. Some people in Muslim
cultures identify democracy with the worst of Western popular culture, and
want no part of it. And I assure them, when I speak about the blessings of
liberty, coarse videos and crass commercialism are not what I have in mind.
There is nothing incompatible between democratic values and high standards
of decency. For the sake of their families and their culture, citizens of a
free society have every right to strive peacefully for a moral society.
Democratic values also do not require citizens to abandon their faith. No
democracy can allow religious people to impose their own view of perfection
on others, because this invites cruelty and arrogance that are foreign to
every faith. And all people in a democracy have the right to their own
religious beliefs. But all democracies are made stronger when religious
people teach and demonstrate upright conduct – family commitment, respect
for the law, and compassion for the weak. Democratic societies should
welcome, not fear, the participation of the faithful.
In addition, democracy does not involve automatic agreement with other
democracies. Free governments have a reputation for independence, which
Turkey has certainly earned. That is the way democracy works. We deal
honestly with each other, we make our own decisions – and yet, in the end,
the disagreements of the moment are far outweighed by the ideals we share.
Because representative governments reflect their people, every democracy has
its own structure, traditions, and opinions. There are, however, certain
commitments of free government that do not change from place to place. The
promise of democracy is fulfilled in freedom of speech, the rule of law,
limits on the power of the state, economic freedom, respect for women, and
religious tolerance. These are the values that honor the dignity of every
life, and set free the creative energies that lead to progress.
Achieving these commitments of democracy can require decades of effort and
reform. In my own country it took generations to throw off slavery, racial
segregation, and other practices that violated our ideals. So we do not
expect or demand that other societies be transformed in a day. But however
long the journey, there is only one destination worth striving for, and that
is a society of self-rule and freedom.
Democracy leads to justice within a nation – and the advance of democracy
leads to greater security among nations. The reason is clear: Free peoples
do not live in endless stagnation, and seethe in resentment, and lash out in
envy, rage, and violence. Free peoples do not cling to every grievance of
the past – they build and live for the future. This is the experience of
countries in the NATO alliance. Bitterness and hostility once divided France
and Germany… and Germany and Poland … and Romania and Hungary. But as
those nations grew in liberty, ancient disputes and hatreds have been left
to history. And because the people of Europe now live in hope, Europe no
longer produces armed ideologies that threaten the peace of the world.
Freedom in Europe has brought peace to Europe – and now freedom can bring
peace to the broader Middle East.
I believe that freedom is the future of the Middle East, because I believe
that freedom is the future of all humanity. And the historic achievement of
democracy in the broader Middle East will be a victory shared by all.
Millions who now live in oppression and want will finally have a chance to
provide for their families and lead hopeful lives. Nations in the region
will have greater stability because governments will have greater
legitimacy. And nations like Turkey and America will be safer, because a
hopeful Middle East will no longer produce ideologies and movements that
seek to kill our citizens. This transformation is one of the great and
difficult tasks of history. And by our own patience and hard effort, and
with confidence in the peoples of the Middle East, we will finish the work
that history has given us.
Democracy, by definition, must be chosen and defended by the people
themselves. The future of freedom in the Islamic world will be determined by
the citizens of Islamic nations, not by outsiders. And for citizens of the
broader Middle East, the alternatives could not be more clear. One
alternative is a political doctrine of tyranny, suicide, and murder that
goes against the standards of justice found in Islam and every other great
religion. The other alternative is a society of justice, where men and women
live peacefully and build better lives for themselves and their children.
That is the true cause of the people of the Middle East, and that cause can
never be served by the murder of the innocent.
This struggle between political extremism and civilized values is unfolding
in many places. We see the struggle in Iraq, where killers are attempting to
undermine and intimidate a free government. We see the struggle in Iran,
where tired and discredited autocrats are trying to hold back the democratic
will of a rising generation. We see that struggle in Turkey, where the PKK
has abandoned its ceasefire with the Turkish people and resumed violence. We
see it in the Holy Land, where terrorist murderers are setting back the good
cause of the Palestinian people, who deserve a reformed, peaceful, and
democratic state of their own.
The terrorists are ruthless and resourceful, but they will not prevail.
Already more than half of the worlds Muslims live under
democratically-constituted governments – from Indonesia to West Africa, from
Europe to North America. And the ideal of democracy is also powerful and
popular in the Middle East. Surveys in Arab nations reveal broad support for
representative government and individual liberty. We are seeing reform in
Kuwait, and Qatar, and Bahrain, and Yemen, and Jordan, and Morocco. And we
are seeing men and women of conscience and courage step forward to advocate
democracy and justice in the broader Middle East.
As we found in the Soviet Union, and behind the Iron Curtain, this kind of
moral conviction was more powerful than vast armies and prison walls and the
will of dictators. And this kind of moral conviction is also more powerful
than the whips of the Taliban, or the police state of Saddam Hussein, or the
cruel designs of terrorists. The way ahead is long and difficult, yet people
of conscience go forward with hope. The rule of fear did not survive in
Europe, and the rule of free peoples will come to the Middle East.
Leaders throughout that region, including some friends of the United States,
must recognize the direction of events. Any nation that compromises with
violent extremists only emboldens them, and invites future violence.
Suppressing dissent only increases radicalism. The long-term stability of
any government depends on being open to change, and responsive to citizens.
By learning these lessons, Turkey has become a great and stable democracy –
and America shares your hope that other nations will take this path.
Western nations, including my own, want to be helpful in the democratic
progress of the Middle East, yet we know there are suspicions, rooted in
centuries of conflict and colonialism. And in the last 60 years, many in the
West have added to this distrust by excusing tyranny in the region, hoping
to purchase stability at the price of liberty. But it did not serve the
people of the Middle East to betray their hope of freedom. And it has not
made Western nations more secure to ignore the cycle of dictatorship and
extremism. Instead we have seen the malice grow deeper, and the violence
spread, until both have appeared on the streets of our own cities. Some
types of hatred will never be appeased; they must be opposed and discredited
and defeated by a hopeful alternative – and that alternative is freedom.
Reformers in the broader Middle East are working to build freer and more
prosperous societies – and America, the G-8, the EU, Turkey, and NATO have
now agreed to support them. Many nations are helping the people of
Afghanistan to secure a free government. And NATO now leads a military
operation in Afghanistan, in the first action by the alliance outside
Europe. In Iraq, a broad coalition – including the military forces of many
NATO countries – is helping the people of that country to build a decent and
democratic government after decades of corrupt oppression. And NATO is
providing support to a Polish-led division.
The government of Iraq has now taken a crucial step forward. In a nation
that suffered for decades under brutal tyranny, we have witnessed the
transfer of sovereignty and the beginning of self-government. In just 15
months, the Iraqi people have left behind one of the worst regimes in the
Middle East, and their country is becoming the worlds newest democracy. The
world has seen a great event in the history of Iraq, in the history of the
Middle East, and in the history of liberty.
The rise of Iraqi democracy is bringing hope to reformers across the Middle
East, and sending a very different message to Teheran and Damascus. A free
and sovereign Iraq is also a decisive defeat for extremists and terrorists –
because their hateful ideology will lose its appeal in a free, tolerant,
successful country. The terrorists are doing everything they can to
undermine Iraqi democracy, by attacking all who stand for order and justice,
and committing terrible crimes to break the will of free nations. The
terrorists have the ability to cause suffering and grief, but they do not
have the power to alter the outcome in Iraq: The civilized world will keep
its resolve … the leaders of Iraq are strong and determined … and the
people of Iraq will live in freedom.
Iraq still faces hard challenges in the days and months ahead. Iraqs leaders
are eager to assume responsibility for their own security, and that is our
wish as well. So this week at our summit, NATO agreed to provide assistance
in training Iraqi security forces. I am grateful to Turkey and other NATO
allies for helping our friends in Iraq to build a nation that governs itself
and defends itself.
Our efforts to promote reform and democracy in the Middle East are moving
forward. At the NATO summit, we approved the Istanbul Cooperation
Initiative, offering to work together with nations of the broader Middle
East to fight terrorism, control their borders, and aid the victims of
disaster. And we are thankful for the important role that Turkey is playing
as a democratic partner in the Broader Middle East Initiative.
For all of our efforts to succeed, however, more is needed than plans and
policies. We must strengthen the ties of trust and good will between
ourselves and the peoples of the Middle East. And trust and good will come
more easily when men and women clear their minds, and their hearts, of
suspicion and prejudice and unreasoned fear. When some in my country speak
in an ill-informed and insulting manner about the Muslim faith, their words
are heard abroad, and do great harm to our cause in the Middle East. When
some in the Muslim world incite hatred and murder with conspiracy theories
and propaganda, their words are also heard – by a generation of young
Muslims who need truth and hope, not lies and anger. All such talk, in
America or in the Middle East, is dangerous and reckless and unworthy of any
religious tradition. Whatever our cultural differences may be, there should
be respect and peace in the House of Abraham.
The Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk has said that the finest view of Istanbul is
not from the shores of Europe, or from the shores of Asia, but from a bridge
that unites them, and lets you see both. His work has been a bridge between
cultures, and so is the Republic of Turkey. The people of this land
understand, as Pamuk has observed, that “What is important is not [a] clash
of parties, civilizations, cultures, East and West.” What is important, he
says, is to realize “that other peoples in other continents and
civilizations” are “exactly like you.”
Ladies and gentlemen, in their need for hope, in their desire for peace, in
their right to freedom, the peoples of the Middle East are exactly like you
and me. Their birthright of freedom has been denied for too long. And we
will do all in our power to help them find the blessings of liberty.
Thank you, and God bless the good people of Turkey.
Return to this article at:

AZERI LEADER NOT RECEIVED WELL AT NATO SUMMIT IN ISTANBUL – PAPER
Azadliq, Baku
29 Jun 04,
headlined “Ilham Aliyev receives cold reception in Turkey” and
subheaded “Saakashvili overshadows him again”
A NATO summit began in Istanbul yesterday (28 June) but the heads of
state and government arrived on 26 June. A “NATO at a turning point”
conference was held on that day and those who attended the summit took
part in it as well.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his counterparts came to
Istanbul on 26 June. However, the way he was welcomed and the attitude
to him during NATO meetings was different. Unfortunately, in a
negative sense. It was clear at the Istanbul summit that unlike
democratic governments, authoritarian regimes, especially the ones led
by weak leaders, are treated with disrespect.
Ilham Aliyev was greeted at the airport by the Turkish transport
minister, whereas the president of neighbouring Georgia, Mikheil
Saakashvili, was met by the Turkish deputy prime minister and foreign
minister, Abdullah Gul.
Moreover, during the summit it was plain to see that US President
George Bush and other influential heads of government treated
Saakashvili better than Aliyev.

–Boundary_(ID_rdHFipy0wmh4KtjQioA/pg)
Content-typ e: message/rfc822
From: Karen Sarkavagyan
Subject: Armenia Tree Project Celebrating 10th Anniversary
Armenia Tree Project office, Yerevan
Tel: 553069 or 569910
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
Armenia Tree Project Celebrates its 10th Anniversary with an Open Air Gala
Concert at Garni Temple
The Armenia Tree Project (ATP) and the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia
(NCOA) under the direction of Aram Gharabekian are pleased to announce an
Open Air Evening Gala Concert at the historic site of Garni Temple, one of
the oldest historical landmarks in Armenia, built in the 1st Century BC. The
upcoming concert is in celebration of ATP’s 10th Anniversary of regreening
Armenia. President Robert Kocharian, U.S. Ambassador John Ordway and other
high-ranking government officials, ambassadors and foreign officials have
been invited to the event. Representatives from dozens of local and
international organizations who partner with ATP will be present at the
concert.
The Armenia Tree Project was founded in 1994 during Armenia’s darkest and
coldest years with the vision of securing Armenia’s future by protecting
Armenia’s environment. Funded by contributions from Diasporan Armenians,
ATP has planted and rejuvenated 530,000 trees at approximately 500 sites
ranging from Gumri to Goris. Two state-of-the-art nurseries, founded in the
refugee villages of Karin (Ashtarak area) and Khachpar (Masis Area) not only
provide 40,000 – 50,000 trees annually for community tree planting all over
Armenia, but are also a major source of employment for these refugee
villages. Another vast nursery has been established this year for providing
over one million trees annually for reforestation of the devastated
landscape in Vanadzor. Although we have accomplished much since 1994, our
work in protecting and restoring Armenia’s forests has just begun.
In 2003 ATP launched a Sustainable Mountain Development Project in the
refugee village of Aygut in the Getik River Valley in Gegharkounik Marz.. In
this program of mountainous reforestation, ATP is creating a model of
partnering with the villagers and with other international and local
organizations to combat the linked problems of poverty and natural resource
degradation. Among the contributors to date are USDA/MAP, World Food
Program, Heifer International, Project Harmony, ORRAN, Boghosian Education
Center, the Peace Corps and Satsil. ATP is expanding to all 13 villages in
the Getik River Valley, this year including the second village in the
Valley, Dzoravanq. The sub-projects being implemented include the Backyard
Nursery Project, through which villagers generate income by growing
seedlings in their backyards for reforestation, the Milk Collector Project,
Backyard Orchard Rejuvenation and Ecological Education Programs in the
schools.
Never before in history have Armenia’s forests been so close to extinction.
With only 8 % of forest cover left, down from 12% in 1990 and 25% at the
beginning of the 20th century, the World Bank estimates that the last of our
trees will be gone in only 20 years at the current rate of cutting. 81.9%
of Armenia’s land faces the danger of desertification (National Report on
the State of the Environment 2002). The future of Armenia’s forests, climate
and biodiversity rest in our hands. The actions we take now for combating
deforestation will save Armenia from the path it is on toward
desertification. The Armenia Tree Project is energizing the nation’s youth,
educating the Armenian public and the Diaspora about the nature of the
problem and possible solutions and joining forces with like minded
organizations and individuals to meet the common goal of greening Armenia
and reversing the dangerous and destabilizing trend of environmental
degradation.
–Boundary_(ID_rdHFipy0wmh4KtjQioA/pg)–

Ha’aretz, Israel
June 29 2004
6 comments on the situation

By Yoel Marcus

1. One of the Israeli government’s favorite hobbies over the
generations has been freaking out the public from time to time. At
the moment, it has decided to distribute Lugol to all residents
living in the vicinity of the nuclear reactors in Dimona and Nahal
Soreq. This pill is meant to protect them against radioactive fallout
in the event of a leak, and it is supposed to be on hand in every
household, like gas masks. The question is why, all of a sudden, do
we need them. Has there been a leak that no one told us about? Israel
has always been evasive about its nuclear capacity. So what’s going
on? What gives with these pills? Are we getting ready for a nuclear
war, or just the mega-attack we’ve been obsessing over? Come to think
about it, once the gas masks from the last panic are being recalled,
why not use the opportunity to distribute Lugol to everyone? In any
case, the concerned citizen should be able to walk into the nearest
pharmacy and pick up a bottle. I’ve got a good brand name: Vanunu
Forte.

2. The media recently reported a new invention: a chair with hidden
electrodes that turns into a polygraph machine without the person
sitting in it noticing a thing. If this is true and the chair is on
the market, we should consider buying some for the Knesset, the
government conference room and the living room at Sycamore Ranch. Who
knows? Maybe we’ll catch someone telling the truth.
3. If we hadn’t seen it with our own eyes on live TV, we might have
thought it was a Yatzpan comedy skit. Arafat, dressed to the nines in
his uniform and insignia, festively announced to the world that he
was declaring a hudna – a cease-fire – for the entire period of the
Olympic Games in Greece. On the one hand, it’s not clear what one
thing has to do with the other. On the other hand, it’s beyond me why
he is so anxious to show that he’s a chronic liar. Because if he can
turn the flame up and down as he sees fit, Israel is right in saying
that he orchestrates terror from his seat in the Muqata and nothing
is done without his okay. “If he can get the violence to stop, then
let him do it right now – not for the sake of sports but for the sake
of our lives here.” I had to hear this sentence twice for it to sink
in that the speaker was not Sharon but Yossi Beilin, the last of the
Arafat groupies.
4. Avraham Burg’s decision to quit the Knesset to go into private
business shows that the man is not leadership material. He belongs to
a band of aspiring middle-aged politicians who are good talkers but
lack stick-to-it-iveness. There is no more important asset for a
politician aiming for the top than patience. Britain is a classic
example in this department. Leaders don’t drop down from the sky:
they climb up from below. Parachuting straight to the summit hasn’t
been very successful in this country. Netanyahu and Barak, both
airlifted leaders, suffered a crash landing and resigned from the
Knesset only to try again. As Golda Meir and Pinhas Sapir told Moshe
Dayan when he was an up-and-coming Mapainik: “Patience, young man.
Biology will do the trick.” Dayan was unconvinced. “In that respect,
I can’t rely on you,” he said. But for Dayan’s partner, the
indomitable Shimon Peres, biology is operating in reverse. He’s
beating all the ambitious young `uns and marching toward a unity
government at the age of 81.
5. Dennis Ross, head of the Jewish Agency Institute for Jewish People
Policy Planning, says that the decisions of the Israeli government
don’t take the Jews of the Diaspora into account. He wants official
representatives of the Jewish people to be involved in the
decision-making. Very nice. First let them immigrate to Israel and
serve in the army. Dear Abbys we have aplenty.
6. Turkey, butcher of the Armenians and oppressor of the Kurds,
doesn’t like Israel’s policy in the territories – so much so, that it
has ordered its ambassador in Tel Aviv to return to Ankara for
“consultations.” Now Israel is urging its tourists in Turkey to pack
their bags and come home for consultations. I would say that’s a
fitting diplomatic response, wouldn’t you?

Framingham Metro West Daily News, MA
June 29 2004
Bond of ‘brothers’ can’t be broken
By Jeff Adair / News Staff Writer
Dr. H. Martin Deranian can’t help but compliment Cameron Fersch.

“He’s done very well in his life,” he says.

“Martin has always said that,” replies Fersch, as if he’s heard
it a million times before.

“It’s true. I really believe that,” said Deranian, 81. “His life
could have gone any way. It could have been the people…”

“Breaking into people’s homes,” said Fersch, finishing the
sentence with a chuckle.

Talking to the pair, it’s obvious they have a mutual respect for
one another. They sound like best buddies. They sound like old
childhood friends.

That’s not exactly right.

For 39 years, Deranian, a Shrewsbury dentist, and Fersch, owner
of Cameron Tile Co. in Holliston, have maintained a friendship.

They talk on the telephone or get together on a monthly basis
for lunch.

They first met in Worcester when Fersch was an angry
11-year-old. He grew up poor in a broken home. His father, who was
physically violent and psychologically abusive, deserted Fersch’s
mother and four children. His mother suffered from depression and
several years later, when Fersch was in his late teens, he stopped
her from committing suicide. She succeeded on a second attempt.

“There was no love. There was no real sense of intrinsic
self-worth provided by either parent,” he said.

Deranian and his wife were unable to have children, so he signed
up to be a big brother with the then-newly launched Big Brothers Big
Sisters of Worcester County.

The two were matched. It was Fersch’s second. He bombed out on
his first match when his mentor got angry on a bowling outing when
Fersch purposefully threw the ball when the changer was down.

“We immediately seemed to strike it off,” Deranian recalled. “I
took you for ice cream.”

Looking over a bunch of notes he has kept on Fersch over the
years, Deranian recalled the lad as bright but with a very negative
attitude. He never spoke of his father. He was cynical, he said.

“I did’t trust people,” said Fersch. “It took me a long time to
get over that.”

The two went camping, to the movies, to the airport and the
science museum, and they often ate out.

Ben Ticho, longtime executive director of Big Brothers Big
Sisters of Worcester County, which is merging with the MetroWest
office, has known the two friends for years.

“It’s an amazing relationship,” he said, noting that while it’s
the oldest ongoing match in the area, he heard of a man in New York
whose friendship with his mentor goes back to before World War II.

Fersch describes his relationship with Martin as a lifeline.

“One of the things about Martin that made him so important in my
life, you can probably see, he was not judgmental,” he said. “He
always saw how things could have been.”

Two years ago, Fersch signed up to be a big brother and now
mentors Malakahai Pearson, 9, of Framingham.

“I really have no experience with children. I’ve learned about
setting limits,” he said.

Deranian, who still works in dentistry and recently wrote a book
on Armenians in Worcester, glowed from ear to ear like a proud
grandfather as Fersch talked about his relationship with Pearson.

“Isn’t this what we’re supposed to do in life?” said Fersch.
“Isn’t this what it’s all about?”

BBC News
Last Updated: Monday, 28 June, 2004, 16:01 GMT 17:01 UK
Turkey’s unrequited EU love
By Oana Lungescu
BBC correspondent in Istanbul
Two years ago, Turkey won the Eurovision song contest with a tale of
unrequited love.
In many ways, it echoed the country’s own unsuccessful bid to woo the
European Union since 1963, when it signed an association agreement that
promised eventual membership of the bloc.
Things began moving in 1999 when Turkey was officially recognised as an EU
candidate, and especially after the election of the Justice and Development
Party (AKP) government in 2002, which quickened political reforms to an
unprecedented pace.
Earlier this month, Turkish state television began broadcasting in Kurdish,
the language of a sizeable minority in this country of 67 million.
On the same day, the government released four Kurdish activists, including
human rights award winner Leyla Zana, who had spent 10 years in jail after
trials deemed unfair by the EU.
Turkey’s new government is working hard on reforming its image
Over the past 18 months, the government has passed nine reform packages,
including a ban on the death penalty, a zero-tolerance policy towards
torture in prisons, and curtailing the interference of the military in
politics, education and culture.
“I am impressed – because starting with the constitution, they’ve changed a
lot of laws,” says Murat Celikan, a human rights activist who writes a
regular column in the daily Radikal.
“To give one example, two years ago, a radio was banned for one year for
airing a song in Kurdish and in Armenian. Now the state television has
Kurdish programmes – so that’s a great change.”
The EU has also welcomed the reforms, but it wants them implemented across
this vast country by local police, judges and bureaucrats. So far,
implementation is uneven, especially in the provinces and the Kurdish areas
in the south-east.
“It will take time because I am sure that the security forces especially are
not yet well informed about those changes. If you want to make a
demonstration in Istanbul or in an eastern province like Diyarbakir, the
procedures are still different – not by law, but because of implementation,”
says Murat Celikan.
Investor wariness
The prospect of EU membership, coupled with IMF-inspired reforms, have also
brought greater stability to the crisis-prone Turkish economy.
Huge shopping centres are full of young people in search of the latest
trends. The economy is growing, while inflation has fallen to single-digit
figures for the first time in decades.
It will be a big, almost the biggest country, it will be pretty much the
poorest country in the EU and it’s located in quite a difficult strategic
security position
Kirsty Hughes
Analyst
But foreign investors remain wary of Turkey. In 2002, they invested only
$300m (£164m), 10 times less than in Hungary, a country whose entire economy
equals that of Istanbul.
Cem Duna, a leading member of the influential Turkish businessmen and
industrialists association Tusiad, has this explanation.
“Hungary is a member of the European Union and has been a candidate for the
past 10 years or so, this was the main reason why this happened. Now Turkey
can easily amass up to $10-15bn (£5.5-8bn) foreign direct investment per
annum once it is on the same track, with the same finality in sight.”
Meanwhile, Turkey remains poorer than the 10 countries of central and
southern Europe that have just joined the EU, with living standards at about
a quarter of EU levels.
Muslim giant
But in terms of population, it is as big as all of the 10 put together.
If it were to join around 2015, it would become the second biggest country
in the EU after Germany.
Is the EU ready to admit such a large poor country, which also happens to
border on Iraq and Syria?
Kurdish rights have improved as Turkey tries to gain EU entry
Kirsty Hughes is the author of a recent study on the implications of Turkish
EU membership.
“It will be a big, almost the biggest country, it will be pretty much the
poorest country in the EU and it’s located in quite a difficult
strategically security position,” she says.
“But when you actually look at what does that mean for joining the union,
what it means for its economic policies, for its budget, for how it votes to
make decisions, then all those things start to look manageable.
“For instance, it would have about 15% of the votes in the EU Council,
that’s slightly less than Germany has today in the say of how to run the EU.
In budget terms it would cost about as much as the ‘big bang’ enlargement
that we’ve just had.
“Now again, that’s not cheap, but it’s about 10% to 15% of the EU’s budget
so it’s not as shocking as if you said it’s going to be half the budget. It
does have a lot of implications for EU foreign policy, but I think those
will have to be taken as they come.”
Strategic
For Guenter Verheugen, the European enlargement commissioner, Turkey’s
strategic position straddling Europe and the greater Middle East is an asset
rather than a drawback.
EU politicians face one of the toughest decisions they have ever had to
take. If they say no to Turkey, they risk alienating a key ally in the
Muslim world with unpredictable consequences. If they say yes, they may
upset many voters at home who are already unhappy about where the EU is
going
At a recent conference in Brussels, he warned that the EU would make a
tragic mistake if it stopped or reversed the process of democratisation in
Turkey by denying it eventual membership.
“The eleventh of September 2001 marks a far-reaching change in our strategic
thinking. Since 11 September, the question of the relationship between
Western democracies and the Islamic world is one of the most important
issues in the first decade of the 21st Century.
“The question – which role will Turkey play in the organisation of that
relationship – can be very crucial. Personally, I am convinced it will be
crucial.
“And the process of reforms in Turkey has a meaning far beyond the borders
of that country. It has a meaning for the whole Islamic world, because it
demonstrates that there’s no contradiction between the universal values of
human rights, democracy, the state of law and a country with a Muslim
population and Muslim background.”
EU decision
In October, Mr Verheugen will issue a progress report on Turkey which will
form the basis for the decision of EU leaders.
While the report is widely expected to be positive, public opinion in
France, Germany, Austria and elsewhere is becoming increasingly reluctant to
accept a further enlargement of the EU, especially to include a large Muslim
nation like Turkey.
Since the Netherlands will be holding the EU’s rotating presidency in the
second half of the year, I asked Ben Bot, the Dutch foreign minister (and a
former Dutch ambassador to Turkey) how worried he is about the lack of
public support among Western voters?
“Perhaps there has been a lack of proper communication and now there is, I
think, an unjustified fear of Islam, which is perhaps understandable in the
context of terrorism and so on, but which is not justified – because I think
that the situation in Turkey is completely different.
“They also forget that Turkey has been a member of Nato, of the Council of
Europe, that it has helped the West during all these years, also during the
Cold War, has been a staunch ally.
“And so, it’s in itself astonishing that people all of a sudden are against
Turkish participation, whereas we think that Turkey would be a very valuable
member of the EU. It will take a long time, that I agree, it will certainly
take many, many years of negotiations before they fully comply with all the
criteria.”
Indeed, in 10 years or so from now, the EU will be a very different union,
and Turkey will be a very different country.
But come December, EU politicians face one of the toughest decisions they
have ever had to take.
If they say no to Turkey, they risk alienating a key ally in the Muslim
world. But if they say yes, they may upset many voters at home who are
already unhappy about where the EU is going.

A1 Plus | 14:08:04 | 29-06-2004 | Official |
ARMENIANS IN ISTANBUL
On June 28 morning Turkey’s Industry and Trade Minister Ali Joshqan met the
Armenian delegation, which arrived in Istanbul to partake in NATO Summit.
Armenian delegation head, FM Vardan Oskanyan met Turkey’s Vice Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gule in Istanbul’ Congress and
Exhibition Center where NATO Summit passes.
Issues regarding bilateral relations, situation in the region and the
present process of Karabakhi conflict settlement were on the agenda.
Stressing importance of such meeting both parts agreed upon continuing the
direct dialogue.
On June 28 evening Armenian, Turkish and Azerbaijani Foreign Affairs
Ministers met. They discussed the situation in Southern Caucasus, exchanged
thoughts on developments in the region, like expansion of European Union,
enrollment of Caucasus states in EU “New Neighborhood” and the new
approaches of NATO to Caucasus.
Ministers also referred to Karabakhi conflict settlement, especially in the
light of the meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs on June 21 in
Prague.