Category: News

La Croix
28 juin 2004
Sommet de l’OTAN. La Turquie pousse ses pions en Europe. Istamboul
accueille aujourd’hui et demain le sommet de l’Otan. Une occasion
pour la Turquie de prouver à ses alliés européens qu’elle est un
atout stratégique pour l’avenir de l’Union européenne. ANKARA,
reportage de notre envoyée spéciale.
par ROTIVEL Agnès
Après la tenue du sommet de l’Organisation de la conférence islamique
(OCI) en juin, la Turquie accueille aujourd’hui les chefs d’Etat et
de gouvernement des 26 pays appartenant à l’Organisation du traité de
l’Atlantique-Nord (Otan), dont elle est membre depuis 1952. Un
événement à la hauteur des grandes ambitions de la Turquie et de son
premier ministre, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, qui veut montrer que la
position géopolitique et stratégique unique de la Turquie en fait un
partenaire incontournable.
Elle a forgé des relations amicales avec la Bulgarie et la Roumanie,
auparavant dans la sphère d’influence de l’ex-URSS. Ankara a
également noué des relations étroites avec des pays émergents du
Caucase et de l’Asie centrale, devenus stratégiques en matière de
pétrole et de débouchés économiques pour la Turquie. Ainsi, le
pétrole de la mer Caspienne devrait être transporté par le nouveau
pipeline Bakou-Tbilissi-Ceyhan (Ceyhan est située dans le sud de la
Turquie, à proximité de la frontière syrienne), en service en 2005.
De plus, du temps de l’ancien premier ministre turc Turgut özal, le
pays, guidé par le nouvel environnement international, avait amorcé
une politique étrangère libérale , héritage que reprend la nouvelle
équipe au pouvoir aujourd’hui, en y ajoutant le terme pacifique .
· l’occasion du tremblement de terre qui a frappé la Turquie en 1999,
les Grecs et les Turcs ont entrepris un rapprochement historique.
Depuis l’arrestation du leader du Parti des travailleurs kurdes
(PKK), Abdullah Ocal”n, le gouvernement Erdogan a renoué des
relations politiques et économiques avec la Syrie, recevant en visite
officielle, le 6 janvier, son président, Bachar el-Assad. Enfin, avec
le soutien du plan Annan au référendum pour la réunification de l’île
de Chypre, bien que refusé par les Chypriotes grecs, Ankara a montré
sa bonne volonté pour mettre un terme à ce conflit de plus de trente
ans. Sur le front géorgien, c’est aussi la détente. Avec les Kurdes
de Turquie, sous la pression européenne, Ankara a accéléré les
réformes. La chaîne en continue CNN Turc a diffusé pour la première
fois une chanson en Kurde et les cours privés en langue kurde
devraient commencer à se généraliser. Reste l’Arménie, pays avec
lequel le contentieux demeure, du fait de la non-reconnaissance du
génocide dont fut victime la population arménienne en 1915.
Selon Seyfi Tashan, directeur de l’Institut de politique étrangère à
Ankara, la Turquie pourrait être une porte d’accès à des pays dont
l’Europe ne serait pas forcément très familière. Pour un conseiller
du premier ministre turc, depuis le 11 septembre 2001, nous avons
travaillé à renforcer la démocratie en même temps que la sécurité .
Une stratégie qui vise, dit-il, à aplanir les frontières au lieu de
les renforcer. Lorsqu’il s’agit de l’Iran, de la Syrie et des Kurdes,
nous regardons les réalités d’aujourd’hui, nous ne nous basons pas
sur le passé. Nous ne renouons pas des liens avec les Syriens et les
Iraniens sur le dos des Kurdes. Nous voulons établir une zone de paix
et prévenir les affrontements
ethniques .
Parallèlement, l’évolution de la politique étrangère de la Turquie a
bousculé ses relations avec deux de ses alliés de toujours : Israël
et les Etats-Unis. En 1996, Ankara et Tel-Aviv signaient un accord de
coopération militaire. Depuis son arrivée au pouvoir, le gouvernement
de l’AKP affirmait remplir le rôle de facilitateur dans le conflit
israélo-palestinien. Mais voilà que, fin mai, les relations entre les
deux pays se sont gtées. Recevant à Ankara le ministre israélien des
infrastructures, le premier ministre turc lui demandait : Quelle est
la différence entre les terroristes qui tuent des civils israéliens,
et Israël qui tue aussi des civils ? Quelques jours plus tard, dans
un entretien au quotidien israélien Haaretz, il qualifiait les
opérations israéliennes à Rafah de terreur d’Etat , provoquant une
véritable crise diplomatique. En avril, une visite du vice-premier
ministre israélien Ehoud Olmert avait été annulée. En novembre,
Receyp Tayyep Erdogan déclinait une invitation d’Ariel Sharon. La
Turquie réprouve les méthodes des terroristes palestiniens, mais
s’affirme pour la création d’un Etat palestinien, contre la
construction du mur et réclame qu’Israël respecte les droits des
Palestiniens.
Depuis la guerre en Irak, les différends se sont accumulés aussi avec
Washington, la Turquie refusant le passage des troupes américaines
sur son sol. Il n’est pas bon d’avoir une seule superpuissance dans
le monde , explique Hüsnü Bozkurt, ancien officier de l’armée turque.
Et d’avancer les pions de la Turquie dans l’Union européenne : Si
l’Union européenne avait fixé une date pour l’entrée d’Ankara au
moment de la guerre en Irak, ce n’est pas par deux voix que la
Turquie aurait refusé le passage des troupes américaines sur son sol,
mais par une majorité. Nous avons déjà adopté un certain nombre de
standards européens. Nous partageons déjà notre souveraineté et, une
fois dans l’UE, nous ferons partie du processus de décision , estime
encore Seyfi Tashan. Mais qu’en pense l’armée, le pilier de l’Etat
turc ? Il y a deux choses qu’elle n’acceptera jamais, affirme
l’ancien militaire, Hüsnü Bozkurt, c’est d’être le légionnaire des
Américains au Proche-Orient et dans le Caucase et d’être l’armée d’un
pays fondamentaliste religieux . De quoi rassurer l’Europe à l’heure
du sommet de l’Otan.
AGNÔS ROTIVEL
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LRAPER Church Bulletin 27/06/2004
Armenian Patriarchate
TR-34130 Kumkapi, Ýstanbul
Licensee: The Revd. Fr. Drtad Uzunyan
Editors: The Revd.Dr.Krikor Damatyan, Deacon Vagharshag Seropyan
Press Spokesperson: Attorney Luiz Bakar
T: +90 (212) 517-0970
F: +90 (212) 516-4833
E-mail: [email protected]
Armenian Patriarch Meets U.S. President
On 27 June 2004, Sunday afternoon, President George W. Bush of the United
States of America had a meeting with the religious leaders of Turkey.
His Beatitude Mesrob II, Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul and All Turkey,
accompanied by the Revd. Fr. Drtad Uzunyan, attended the meeting held at the
Hilton Hotel in Istanbul at the U.S. Embassy’s invitation.
Also present were His Excellency Ali Bardakoglu, Director of the Office of
Islamic Religious Affairs in Ankara; His Holiness Bartholomew I, Greek
Orthodox (Ecumenical) Patriarch of Istanbul; His Excellency Rav Itshak
Haleva, Chief Rabbi of Turkey; His Grace Philixinos, Metropolitan of the
Syriac Orthodox Church in Istanbul; His Excellency Mustafa Cagrici, Grand
Mufti of Istanbul; Mr. Colin Powell, U.S. Secretary of State; Mr. Eric
Edelman, U.S. Ambassador to Ankara; Dr. Condoleezza Rice, the President’s
National Security Advisor, and others.
The meeting was cordial and began with President Bush welcoming each guest
personally. The President, in his opening remarks, spoke of his appreciation
of Turkey’s being a mosaic of faiths and cultures, and how she presents a
good model for a country which is a secular democracy, though predominantly
Muslim.
In his exchange with the Armenian Patriarch, the President indicated his
awareness that His Beatitude had studied in the United States. In response,
Patriarch Mesrob said that he considers the United States his second home
after Istanbul, and therefore the visit of the President of the U.S. gave
him great pleasure.
The Patriarch also referred to America’s hospitality over the years since
the second half of the 19th century to hundreds of thousands of Armenians,
who had settled on the friendly shores of the New World. The President
fondly said that he thinks highly of the American Armenian community and
made a special reference to Mr. George Deukmejian, the 35th Governor of
California.
Speaking of the minority situation in Turkey, Patriarch Mesrob said that any
of the non-Muslim minorities in Turkey, or for that matter, for any ethnic
or national minority to exist anywhere, three types of institutions are
essential: First, places of worship to preserve religious heritage and to
nourish the spiritual life of the community, secondly, schools to teach
language and culture, and thirdly, foundations to fund religious and
educational activities and the personnel who enliven them. The minorities
in Turkey are attempting to maintain those institutions for the future and
well-being of their communities.
Patriarch Mesrob expressed his satisfaction that there was an on-going
inter-faith dialogue between the different religious establishments in
Turkey, and also a neighbourly dialogue of life among peoples of various
confessional communities.
Another subject Patriarch Mesrob touched on was the intermediary roles of
the minorities. He said that the communities have sometimes been in the
past, are ready today and will be so in the future to act as catalysts in
any peace undertaking in the region between Turkey and neighbouring
countries.
And finally the Patriarch said that being ministers of religion engaged in
spiritual edification, religious leaders try not to interfere or engage in
politics. However, certain occurences call for, if not political
involvement, at least a moral response to particular situations. Fully
supporting the initiative of the World Council of Churches called “the
Decade to Overcome Violence,” Patriarch Mesrob voiced the sadness and
disquiet of many believers of various faiths in Turkey who are daily
bombarded with terrible scenes of violence via the media. Such images come
daily from Palestine, the Sudan, Afghanistan and Iraq and other places in
the world. The Patriarch said he was deeply concerned with this because he
is worried that such occurrences may cause lasting differences between
various faiths and cultures.
President Bush thanked the Patriarch for his remarks, but on the issue of
violent images from Iraq, he emphatically iterated that he himself “felt
sick” by certain images from the prison in Baghdad. “That is not America or
Americans. That is not us. Believe me our feelings are mutual on this
matter. We will deal with those responsible under the rule of law. Those
kinds of actions are not permissible, because we are in Iraq for peace. We
mean peace.”
Other subjects touched on during the meeting of the President of the United
States with the religious leaders in Turkey were the following: the
hoped-for accommodation of the Turkish government to institutions of higher
learning that would train clergy for non-Muslim religions; the role of
religion in peace efforts in the region; that religions are essentially
peaceful and that they should be taught properly and not subjected to
politicization; the accession of Turkey to EU membership fully supported by
the religious communities in Turkey and their appreciation of the U.S.
President’s encouragement of that process.
Patriarch Mesrob presented the President with an album of the Armenian
churches in Turkey. The President gave the Patriarch a Steuben crystal bowl
with his insignia engraved on it.
The meeting ended with an opportunity given to the Turkish and international
press to photograph the company.
Patriarch Mesrob, before taking leave of the President, handed him a letter,
which said:
“Dear Mr. President,
It is with great pleasure that we welcome your visit to our country on the
occasion of the NATO summit here in Istanbul.
The Armenians of Turkey, constituting by far the largest Christian community
in this country, have long cherished, with affection and amity, the United
States of America, which, besides having a historic friendship and alliance
with Turkey, also has welcomed to its shores many of our kinsmen since the
second half of the 19th century.
It is because of these warm sentiments, that I feel able to express the
uneasiness we feel at the escalating level of violence which has been
spreading across the globe and which is especially pressing in the Middle
East region, where we also live.
I personally believe that you, Mr. Bush, as the president of a great country
that leads the world, have the authority to affect the course of events, and
this is why I would like to voice my anxiety to you.
War, terror, torture, embargo, marginalisation, defamation or
condescension…. Whatever form violence takes, it always leads to
consequences which are not in accord with human dignity. Instead it leaves
indellible scars in memories and generates lasting enmities between peoples.
Throughout history, there has never been an act of violence or retaliation
which has not harmed the innocent. Sadly, the consequence is usually that
violence begets more violence.
This is why, even when seeking to serve legitimate, higher ideals such as
establishing peace, upholding democracy or preventing terror, the resort to
violence, merely culminates in more pain and suffering to the innocent,
especially children.
Throughout history, when governments have resorted to force when challenged
by violence or even civil unrest, it often effectively became collective
punishments of whole nations or peoples. What has happened recently in
Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Sudan are clear examples. This cannot
be a portrayal of sublime sentiments and indeed, to many it is viewed as
revenge, a sentiment which cannot coexist with civilisation.
I believe that the United States of America and her President, have the
ability to preserve the values they struggle for without resorting to
violence in all its terrible diversity. It is sufficient to maintain their
trust in God, in their sense of vocation and ultimate potential for good.
Whenever we embrace violence we are already diminished and the high moral
and religious ideals to which we aspire are betrayed.
Mr. President, I can imagine to a certain extent the pressures that you must
be undergoing at present and therefore please be assured of my prayerful
support. May God be in all visions for world peace and may He protect us all
from losing our faith.
With my sincere good wishes,
MESROB II
Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul & All Turkey”

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway
The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief
================================================
Monday 28 June 2004
TURKMENISTAN: POLICE CONTROL OF BELIEVERS SET TO CONTINUE
In an apparent sign that they intend to keep tight control of religious
communities, officers of the police sixth department, which fights
organised crime and terrorism, summoned at least four religious leaders in
early June. Officers demanded full information about current and planned
activities, and names and addresses of all members, Forum 18 News Service
has learnt. Intermittent raids on religious communities continue as
unregistered religious activity remains illegal. One Protestant told Forum
18 of serious threats in repeated raids on a church in Dashoguz in May. A
Jehovah’s Witness elder said five local officials confiscated two Bibles in
a 10 June raid on a private home, adding that it is too early for them to
apply for registration. “Can we apply when some of our lads are still
in prison? We won’t lodge an application until our community can function
freely.” Only four minority communities – the Adventists, the
Baha’is, the Baptists and the Hare Krishnas – have gained
registration since March.
TURKMENISTAN: POLICE CONTROL OF BELIEVERS SET TO CONTINUE
By Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service
Despite government claims that it has eased restrictions on religious
practice and despite the early release in mid-June of six of the country’s
nine religious prisoners (see F18News 25 June 2004
), religious leaders
report continuing police harassment of their communities. Although fines
are not known to have been levied on believers since April, Forum 18 News
Service has learnt that intermittent raids, threats and pressure to convert
from minority faiths continue. Several religious leaders have told Forum 18
they have been summoned by officers of the sixth department of the police,
which tracks organised crime and terrorism, and asked for full information
on all their community’s activities and plans. Officers are also demanding
full lists of members and their addresses, as well as the names of people
who live in the same buildings as their members. Unregistered religious
activity remains illegal.
Of the four religious leaders known to Forum 18 to have been summoned to
the sixth department in the capital Ashgabad in early June, some refused to
go while others went but refused to write a statement about their
activities or to present the list of members the police were demanding. One
of those summoned told Forum 18 that the officers’ demands indicated that
the police intend to continue keeping tight control over religious
activity, especially for communities that gain official registration.
The most serious harassment came in May, when secret police and police
officers threatened members of a Protestant church in the town of Dashoguz
[Dashhowuz] in north-eastern Turkmenistan. “Police and secret police
officers took the believers and threatened them,” one Protestant, who
asked not to be identified and requested that the denomination likewise not
be identified, told Forum 18. “This happened several times in
May.” The Protestant also reported harassment of the church in other
towns, including in the southern town of Tedjen. “Elsewhere the
situation is fairly normal.”
The Jehovah’s Witnesses report that the last time any of their members were
sacked from work because of their faith was in March. In April one
Jehovah’s Witness was fined a large sum in Turkmenabad (formerly Charjou).
But an elder in Ashgabad, who preferred not to be identified, told Forum 18
on 25 June that their communities still cannot meet together in large
numbers without being harassed and such harassment has continued since
April.
Police visited one Jehovah’s Witness’ home on 8 June, while on 10 June five
officials of the hyakimlik (local administration) raided the Ashgabad home
of a female Jehovah’s Witness. “They treated her like a
criminal,” the elder complained. “They also confiscated two
Bibles.”
The Jehovah’s Witness elder says the community cannot apply for
registration while such harassment continues. “Can we apply when some
of our lads are still in prison? We won’t lodge an application until our
community can function freely,” the elder told Forum 18. “What is
registration anyway?”
Although the government eased registration restrictions, at least in
theory, back in March the registration process is going very slowly. While
Ashgabad’s Baha’i and Adventist communities gained registration in early
June, the first non-Sunni Muslim and non-Russian Orthodox communities to
get registration since 1997 (see F18News 3 June 2004
), only weeks later
– at the end of June – did two more of the other groups that
have applied for registration receive it.
Pastor Vasily Korobov told Forum 18 on 25 June that his Baptist Church had
received its registration certificate earlier that day, though he says he
has to return this week to the Adalat (Fairness or Justice) Ministry to
“correct and complete” the application. Forum 18 has also heard
reports that about the same time the Hare Krishna community received
registration.
The Adalat Ministry has consistently refused to give Forum 18 any
information about the registration process since Shirin Akhmedova was moved
from her post in the department that registers religious organisations
several months ago. Contacted by Forum 18 in June, Bibi Tagieva and
Svetlana Maltseva, two officials from the same department, have either put
down the phone or have insisted that while information on the registration
process is “not a state secret” and that “we’re not afraid
to give information”, all requests have to be channelled through the
Foreign Ministry.
However, Maltseva did confirm to Forum 18 on 16 June that the Armenian
Apostolic Church had not applied to register any communities, before
refusing to discuss individual faiths any further. She denied suggestions
that no minority religious communities will be allowed to register in towns
outside Ashgabad.
Fr Ioann Kopach, Russian Orthodox dean of Ashgabad, told Forum 18 on 16
June that neither the Adalat Ministry nor the government’s Gengeshi
(Council) for Religious Affairs has yet told his Church whether it will
have to re-register its 12 parishes as demanded by last October’s revised
religion law.
Catholic priest Fr Tomasz, one of two foreign priests based in Ashgabad who
have diplomatic immunity as Vatican diplomats, told Forum 18 the Catholic
Church is waiting for a letter from the Vatican and other documents before
submitting its registration application. “Hopefully we will soon have
registration,” he told Forum 18 on 25 June. He said the Church would
apply for registration to cover the whole country. “We have a few
Catholics in other parts of Turkmenistan, but no organised communities. We
hope to organise parishes in other towns once we have registration.”
Armenia’s ambassador to Turkmenistan, Aram Grigoryan, confirmed to Forum 18
from Ashgabad on 16 June that there had been no progress in regaining the
historical Armenian Apostolic church in Turkmenbashi. “We’re still
waiting,” declared the ambassador, who has long been spearheading
attempts to get back the church and reopen it for worship.
Pastor Viktor Makrousov of Ashgabad’s Pentecostal Church told Forum 18 he
has not yet lodged his community’s registration application, though he has
been preparing the documents.
A member of another church, who preferred not to be identified, told Forum
18 his community was optimistic it would soon get registration and be able
to restart public worship. The church lodged its registration application
some weeks ago. Asked why registration was taking so long Forum 18 was
told: “A woman doesn’t give birth immediately but carries her child
for nine months.”
It remains unclear whether Christian Churches will try again to register a
Bible Society. Attempts in the late 1990s were unsuccessful. Officials of
the International Religious Liberty Association outside Turkmenistan told
Forum 18 it is “too early” to think of forming a branch of the
association there, though they believe this is desirable as soon as it is
practicable.
Forum 18 has been unable to find out if any Muslim communities plan to seek
registration again for the medrassahs (Islamic colleges) closed down by the
authorities in the 1990s. Sources have told Forum 18 a few private
medrassahs function quietly, led by Muslims who believe current Islamic
education is inadequate. A respected Turkish-run set of private schools in
Turkmenistan have been banned from teaching Islam, although this is a
routine part of their curriculum in Turkey and other Central Asian
states.
Fr Kopach told Forum 18 that the Russian Orthodox Church does not have
Sunday schools for children, though he glossed over whether this was
because of state restrictions or lack of resources on the Church’s part.
Pastor Korobov told Forum 18 that the Baptist Church’s registration covered
the whole of Turkmenistan. The Baptists have congregations in Turkmenbashi
(formerly Krasnovodsk), Balkanabad (formerly Nebit-Dag) and Mary as well as
Ashgabad. All four of its churches were closed after the communities lost
registration in 1997. The Ashgabad church was confiscated, while the other
three were sealed by the authorities. “It’s relatively simple to
reopen the three churches in other towns, but here in Ashgabad it will be
more complicated,” Pastor Korobov told Forum 18. “Other people
are living there now.” He said they would now start to work to recover
the confiscated Ashgabad church.
After 1997, when all non-Sunni Muslim and non-Russian Orthodox communities
lost registration, the authorities destroyed the Adventist church in
Ashgabad, two Hare Krishna temples in Mary region, Ashgabad’s Baha’i temple
and several mosques. Moscow-based researcher Nikolai Mitrokhin told Forum18
the authorities also destroyed a dilapidated Orthodox church in Mary in
1997 (the priest was reportedly unconcerned as the town’s other church was
large enough to accommodate worshippers even at Easter), while Moscow
journalist Arkady Dubnov told Forum 18 an unused Russian Orthodox chapel
dating back to 1913 in the southern border town of Kushka was demolished
some time between 1999 and 2003 as part of government schemes to destroy
old Russian monuments.
However, rebuilding or getting back former places of worship may be
difficult. Veronika Annaklycheva, deputy hyakim (head of administration) of
the Kopetdag district of Ashgabad where the Adventist church was bulldozed
in November 1999 remained unrepentant. “Schools and flats were
destroyed to make way for reconstruction and a road,” she told Forum
18 from her office in Ashgabad on 9 June. She seemed uninterested that the
Adventist community had regained its registration. “I don’t know
anything about that – I haven’t seen the certificate.” She
brushed off suggestions that the Adventist community should be given
compensation for the destruction of their place of worship to help them
rebuild it. “That’s not a question for me.”
Just as the Baptists’ church in Ashgabad was seized, so was the city’s
Pentecostal church. “We want it back – it’s my private property,”
Pastor Makrousov told Forum 18. “It would be difficult to function as
a community without somewhere to meet for worship.”
One Protestant pastor, who preferred not to be identified, remained highly
suspicious over registration. “Honestly, it would be wrong to dance
for joy at getting registration as the law and regulations are so
restrictive,” he told Forum 18. “Registration means being obliged
to abide by all the regulations, asking for permission to hold services,
invite foreigners, conduct educate or import literature. Maybe it’s worse
than not having registration.” The pastor pointed out that conditions
for registered communities are now much harsher than before harsh
registration restrictions were adopted in 1996. “At least there was
some freedom back then.”
A representative of the Council of Churches of Evangelical
Christians/Baptists, which rejects state registration on principle and has
several congregations in different towns of the country, told Forum 18 that
the police are still watching their activity. “They are showing they
still have teeth. The law may have changed but what has changed on the
ground?” The congregations regularly have to change the places they
hold services to avoid police raids. The representative pointed out that
until unregistered religious activity ceases to be illegal their
congregations will not be free to function openly.
The representative cited a police summons to the local court to Valentina
Kalataevskaya in Turkmenbashi on 25 May. Kalataevskaya, whose husband
Vyacheslav was deported from Turkmenistan into neighbouring Kazakhstan in
June 2001 by the secret police, was not at home when the police called.
Despite threats that if she failed to go the police would arrive in force
and seize her, she refused to attend on the basis of a verbal summons.
The government appears to have maintained the ban on registering
specifically Shia Muslim mosques. Reportedly the only Shia place of worship
that functions legally is a prayer room attached to a registered Sunni
mosque in Ashgabad (which, like most schools and factories and some places
of worship, has a “Ruhnama room” honouring the president’s book
that is forcibly imposed on the country). The Iranian embassy in Ashgabad
also runs its own Shia mosque under diplomatic auspices, though this is
apparently inaccessible for local citizens. Elsewhere such Shia mosques
have been denied registration.
Others whose worship remains illegal include the Lutherans and several
other Protestant denominations, Jews, New Apostolic believers and Molokans
(an early Russian Protestant group with communities in Ashgabad and
Bairam-Ali, a small town near Mary).
For more background see Forum 18’s latest religious freedom survey at

A printer-friendly map of Turkmenistan is available at
tml?Parent=asia&Rootmap=turkme
(END)
© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved.
You may reproduce or quote this article provided that credit is given to
F18News
Past and current Forum 18 information can be found at

FROM THE MARGINS
Glendale News Press
A day in the life of a mid-century Glendalian
PATRICK AZADIAN
June 12, 2004
A couple of months ago, I decided to experience life as a Glendalian of
the mid-1950s. This would have been a time when Glendale was a quiet
little town with an ethnically homogenous population.
What better day to carry out this time-travel experiment than on April
24? On this particular Saturday, a significant population of the city
would be busy commemorating the Armenian Genocide, and the city would
revert to what it was half a century ago. I had already dedicated my
column leading up to this day to the lives lost in 1915. My conscience
was clear; I sensed a green signal from my grandparents in the other world.
As green seemed to be the color of the day, I headed to the coffee shop
with the green logo of the mermaid. It was about noon, and I still had
not had my Americano grande. I would have had the “traditional” cup of
coffee, but sometimes when the coffee reaches the bottom of the barrel,
it begins tasting burned. And I can feel the employees getting tired of
my seemingly snobby question: “Is the coffee fresh?” I pay the 50 cents
extra to get the consistency I need, as well as the espresso foam that
comes on top of my hot beverage.
Lorna, the quasi-redhead manager with some distant Korean roots, was on
duty that day. I knew my Americano foam was going to be just perfect.
She did not disappoint, and in return, I decided to gift her with a bit
of coffee trivia.
“Hey, Lorna, do you know where ‘Americano’ originated from?”
“Hmm … no, please enlighten,” she said with a hint of sarcasm.
“Only if you can take a coffee break.”
“Sure, give me a second.”
She put the cap on my Americano, dressed it up with the brown recycled
sleeve, and placed it on the oval wooden pick-up area. “Thank you,
Patrick, I’ll be out there in a second.”
While I waited outside, I had some time to think about the delivery of
my story. I was determined to keep the core of the story true, but
enhance it with a mid-century theme. Lorna eventually walked out and sat
across from me, and lighted her cigarette. She took a deep puff into her
Baltimorean lungs, kept the smoke in for a second, and finally let it
out from her nostrils. “So, tell me. Where does the ‘Americano’ come from?”
“I thought you’d never ask … Well, during World War II, in July 1943
to be exact, the American forces landed on the Mediterranean island of
Sicily. They arrived in the ancient port of Gela, the ancient Campi
Geloi. The port was founded by Cretan and Rhodian colonists in 688 BC … ”
“And … ”
“Well, once the war was won, and the soldiers had some time to enjoy
themselves, three of the men found their way to a café in the center
piazza (public square) in Gela. As is the usual practice in Italy, the
waiters only come to your table if they feel like it. So after the
mandatory half an hour of trying to make eye contact with the waiter,
the Americans placed an order for three caffés. Another half an hour of
compulsory waiting followed before the young waiter emerged with three
shots of espresso. After another hour of waiting, the Americans faced
the possibility of consuming the tiny shots within seconds. As in
America, where more, and not less, is always more, they sent the waiter
back, demanding: ‘Caffé Americano! Caffé Americano!’
“The puzzled waiter ran to the kitchen and informed his boss of the
apparent crisis. The big boss displayed the same type of resourcefulness
his beloved Italy had shown during the war. He exclaimed: ‘Basta
mescolare il espresso con acqua e nessuno sa la differenza.’ (In
Italian: ‘Just mix espresso with water, they won’t know the difference.’)
“And that’s how the ‘Americano’ was born.”
By this time Lorna was trying to make rings with her smoke, but she was
startled by my abrupt silence. “Thank you for the story, Patrick. I
gotta get back to work.”
“No problem. See ya.”
It was about 1 o’clock by now, and I pondered my next move as a
Glendalian. I picked up an issue of the News-Press and scanned the
Calendar section. The 1954 movie, “On the Waterfront,” starring Marlon
Brando, was showing at 2 p.m. at the Alex. How appropriate. I had half
an hour to find a victim to accompany me to the show. I made a phone
call to my favorite Armenian redhead, and was cordially turned down. I
attributed it to the short notice. I should have known — the color of
the day was green, not red. I walked over to the theater, ordered myself
a drink from the food stand, and sat myself in the open-air plaza. I was
basking in the sun, there wasn’t an Armenian in sight, I was surrounded
by early 20th-century architecture, and was awaiting a 1954 movie
featuring my all-time favorite actor.
It would have been nostalgic had I lived in that era. It was an
unfamiliar state of being.
,1,5538740.story?coll=la-tcn-glendale-columnists

Xinhua, China
June 28 2004
Romania not to send more troops to Iraq

BUCHAREST, June 27 (Xinhuanet) — Romanian President Ion Iliescu
announced in Istanbul, capital of Turkey, on Sunday that his country
will not send more troops to Iraq.
Speaking to the correspondent of the Rompres, Iliescu, who
arrived in Istanbul on Sunday to attend the NATO summit, said
thatRomania will only make some adjustments in the structure of its
troops in Iraq and may send a few technical officers there.
The president said that the Iraqi issue will be a top item on the
agenda of the NATO summit, and NATO is possible to get into the Iraqi
affairs.
Iliescu said Romania holds that NATO should expand the range
ofits peaceful partnership action plan in the western Balkans and the
Black Sea region to include Georgia and Armenia.
Romania will also propose NATO invite Serbia and Mongenegro,
aswell as Bosnia-Herzegovina to the partnership plan, Iliescu added.
Romania became the full-fledged member state of NATO on Mach
29this year. It is the first time for the Romanian president to
takepart in a NATO summit.

Journal Times Online, WI
June 28 2004
It’s all in the family at the annual Armenian Picnic
By Phyllis Sides
RACINE – It was a family affair at St. Hagop Armenian Apostolic
Church annual Madagh picnic Sunday at H.F. Johnson Park.
The picnic is like a family reunion: Anybody who has a connection to
St. Hagop comes back to Racine for it, picnic chairman Zohrab
Khaligian said.
“People come from all over,” said Khaligian, who has been chairman
about five years. “It’s very enjoyable and rewarding. There are
non-Armenians who have come so many times they are part of the
extended family.”
Agnes Garabedian from Downey, Calif., started coming to the picnic
about 15 years ago after meeting her “cousin,” Lucy Buchaklian.

“I met her on an airplane in 1971,” Garabedian said. “We were going
on a pilgrimage. We became friends and we’ve been cousins ever
since.”
All Armenians are cousins, Buchaklian added: “I told her if she
didn’t come to the picnic I wouldn’t visit her
anymore.”
St. Hagop’s has held their traditional Madagh picnic since 1938. The
traditional meal, bulgur pilaf and beef stew, is cooked over an open
fire pit in the park.
Preparing the traditional meal is a two-day affair. The pit is dug
and the fire is started Saturday evening so cooking can start at
about 5 a.m. Sunday. They have to start early so the food will be
ready by 11 a.m. for the blessing of the meal, said Andy Mikaelian,
one of the cooks.
“I’ve been at the park since 5 to 5,” Mikaelian said. “We use about
800 pounds of beef, 150 pounds of onions, special spices, tomato
sauce, tomato paste and we cook it until it’s ready.
“There is no recipe. It’s just to taste.”
“There were at least two generations of cooks helping prepare the
meal,” Khaligian said. “We want to keep the tradition going. It’s
important to maintain our cultural heritage and national identity.”
The meal is served after the blessing and it is shared with everyone
who attends the picnic. In addition to the Madagh meal, the picnic
features marinated shish kebab and chicken dinners, sarma (stuffed
grape leaves), pastries and other delicacies.
Madagh means offering and the tradition came over from the old
country, Sara Mikaelian said. The tradition dates back to biblical
times to Abraham, who was willing to sacrifice his only son.
“It’s a thank you for our bounty,” she said. “We are the only
community in the country that carries on the tradition this way.
“The food is passed out to the congregation and the public. In the
old country it was passed out to orphanages and old folks’ homes.”
The Rev. Arsen Kassabian said the traditional food and the blessing
were symbols of Abraham’s sacrifice and of Christ’s sacrifice.

Interfax
June 28 2004
Armenia, Iran to start gas pipeline construction
Yerevan. (Interfax) – Armenia and Iran intend to immediately begin the
construction of a gas pipeline between the two countries, says a
report from the Armenian presidential press service.
The report discusses the results of a visit by an Armenian delegation
headed by Artashes Tumanyan, who heads the Armenian presidential
administration and is co-chairman of the bilateral intergovernmental
commission on economic cooperation, to Iran on June 21-24.
The terms for starting the construction are not given in the
statement. A source in the Armenian government told Interfax that it
will probably be decided before the visit of Iranian President
Mohammad Khatami to Yerevan, which is scheduled for September.
The agreement between Iran and Armenia on construction of the pipeline
was signed in Yerevan on June 13, 2004. The document envisages
supplying 36 billion cubic meters of Iranian gas to Armenia over 20
years in exchange for electricity.
The length of the pipeline will be 141 kilometers, 100 of which will
be located on Iranian territory. The total estimated construction cost
is $210-$220 million. It is expected that gas supplies to Armenia will
begin before January 2007.

A1 Plus | 17:16:15 | 28-06-2004 | Politics |
TIGRAN TOROSSYAN QUOTING YERZI YASKERNIA
Armenian National Assembly Vice-Speaker Tigran Torossyan, speaking at a news
conference on Monday, said quoting the head of PACE Monitoring Group Yerzi
Yaskernia as saying at the recent PACE session that Armenian Constitutional
Court had a decision, according to which there was no need in revising the
election results announced by Election Commission.
In his words, Yaskernia said the Constitutional Court had proposed to
conduct confidence referendum. Yaskernia put special emphasis on proposed,
Torossyan said.

AGBU London lecture Series
PHOTO PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION
POVERTY, TRANSITION AND DEMOCRACY IN ARMENIA
Centre for Armenian Information and Advice
105a Mill Hill Road, Acton
London W3 8JF
Nearest tube: Acton Town
29 June 2004. 7:30 pm. Admission Free.
AGBU London is pleased to host a presentation on poverty in the republic of
Armenia. The speaker, Onnik Krikorian is a British photojournalist living in
Armenia for the past five years. He identifies some of the crippling poverty
and its probably long term consequences in Armenia today. The purpose of
Krikorian’s presentation is to share information, to cultivate a better
understanding of everyday realities in Armenia, and to foster informed
discussions when considering the future of Armenia and Armenians. The AGBU,
the largest Armenian philanthropic organisation in the world, has a vested
interest in promoting such an understanding of Armenia.
The Armenian Government recently declared a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
(PRSP) to reduce poverty in Armenia to 20% by 2015. This is a major
undertaking that merits serious attention and forms the backdrop to our
guest speaker. Krikorian will share his insights through his experience
working with international organizations and NGOs operating in the Republic,
as well as his every-day interaction with ordinary people in Armenia. His
talk will be illustrated with probing photographs and commentaries. He will
also address other related issues such as corruption, landmines, refugees,
the media and the democraticization process in the Republic of Armenia
today.
Finally, Krikorian will present a multimedia CD of his photographs and
articles. This CD project was partly supported by AGBU London and aimed at
NGOs working in Armenia. Copies will be available at the event.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER: While in Armenia, Krikorian has written and photographed
for the United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF), Médecins Sans Frontières
(France), Transitions Online, New Internationalist, Fox News, Radio Free
Europe / Radio Liberty, The Los Angeles Times, as well as Armenian Forum
(Gomidas Institute), The Armenian Weekly, and others.
He is currently working for the Association of Investigative Journalists of
Armenia / HETQ Online. For more information about the above presentation or
AGBU (London) please contact Ara Sarafian at (020) 7602 7990 or email
[email protected]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1 Plus | 20:19:48 | 28-06-2004 | Politics |
BORIS NAVASARDYAN: A1+ ISSUE MUST NOT BE REMOVED FROM PACE RESOLUTIONS
President Kocharyan has come up with a proposal to sent the PACE monitoring
group to Armenia to convince PACE that the situation in media field here is
not so bad, the opposition activists are not being bared from airing their
views on TV channels and the fact of stripping A1+ TV Company from
broadcasting license doesn’t mean restriction of freedom of speech. He’s
done it in a hope that the issue will be removed from the PACE resolutions.
On Monday, Chair of Yerevan Press Club Boris Navasardyan, commenting on
that, said there was convincing evidence that the 2002 and 2003 tenders for
broadcasting frequencies had been held with the law serious violation. The
A1+’s issue must not be removed from the resolutions. Even in the event the
things are put right in media field, the A1+ TV Company’s issue must remain
in the resolutions. In his opinion, these two issues are completely separate
and must not be lumped together.
“As a rule, monitoring held amid political tension produces is more
effective. Different organisations having conducted monitoring during the
2003 elections on Armenia noticed biased stance shown by leading media
outlets in covering them.
It laid grounds for saying Armenian faced serious problems related to
freedom of speech. Air availability for the opposition is one of freedom of
speech criteria. But there are other criteria. It is very important how
media outlets cover social and political developments”, Navasardyan said.
He thinks, measuring duration of air-time or space in newspapers given to
the opposition activists is only one part of monitoring.
Methodology of monitoring in calm political situation should be completely
different: it should show the media whole activity at the certain period of
time, Navasardyan said.