POPE PERFORMS A PR MIRACLE
Sandro Contenta

Toronto Star, Canada
European Bureau
Dec 2 2006

Benedict XVI turns Turkish trip into surprising success

ISTANBUL-Seen through Turkish eyes, the Pope was a charmer till
the end.

He began his visit by proclaiming, "I love the Turks," and ended
it yesterday with a rhetorical offering sure to fuel the gushing
newspaper headlines.

"A part of my heart remains in Istanbul," Benedict XVI told Turkish
officials moments before boarding his plane back to Rome. The
Roman Catholic pontiff even had a thought for the city’s 10 million
residents, acknowledging they "suffered" through traffic chaos caused
by the closing of roads in a massive security lockdown.

The parting words of affection capped a four-day visit that saw
the pontiff transformed from a man reviled to "the congenial Pope,"
as an editorial in the influential Hurriyet newspaper put it. For a
pontiff who sparked outrage in much of the Muslim world two months
ago by linking Islam to violence, the transformation seemed nothing
short of miraculous.

Dreadfully low expectations certainly helped. And the major
stakeholders in the trip – the Turkish government, the Vatican and
Turkey’s Christian minorities – also had an interest in making sure
it was a success.

Vatican officials describe the visit – particularly the pontiff’s
silent prayer at Istanbul’s Blue Mosque – as a landmark on the path
to reconciling Islam and Christianity.

Judging by headlines such as "The Istanbul Peace," the visit went
some way to achieving that goal in this officially secular country.

Similar effusiveness in the rest of the Muslim world, where many
still demand an apology for Benedict’s comments on Islam, will be
far harder to come by.

But the Grand Mufti of Istanbul, Mustafa Cagrici, was poetically
optimistic.

"A single swallow can’t bring spring, but many swallows will follow and
we will enjoy a spring in this world," he told the Pope, after sharing
a moment of prayer with him Thursday at the 17th-century Blue Mosque.

The trip was fraught with the burden of history and contemporary
concerns of a "clash of civilizations:" A pontiff seen as having
toughened the Vatican’s stand on Islam visiting the ancient seat of the
Holy Roman Empire before the Ottomans and Islam swept it aside in 1453.

An anti-Pope protest by 25,000 people and the initial reluctance
of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to meet the pontiff had many
fearing the worst on the eve of his visit.

But Benedict XVI landed in Ankara Tuesday, walked into a meeting with
a suddenly available Erdogan and began his charm offensive. Erdogan
emerged to announce the pontiff had reversed his position and now
backed Turkey’s bid to enter the European Union. The Vatican nuanced
Erdogan’s claim, but didn’t deny it.

With Turkey’s EU negotiations stumbling, the surprise announcement
instantly changed the complexion of the Pope’s visit. Erdogan reaped
the benefit of having turned around a pontiff who once described
Muslim Turkey as being in "permanent contrast" with Europe’s Christian
heritage.

The Pope then sat quietly as Turkey’s director of religious affairs
denounced those who believed Islam was spread by the sword – a
not-too-veiled reference to the papal speech that caused so much
outrage. "Once the Pope swallowed that, suddenly every negative
thing about him was forgotten and everybody fell in love with him,"
said Murat Belge, a leading left-wing social critic.

The Pope called for a sincere dialogue between Muslims and
Christians. By the time he became only the second pope in history to
pray at a mosque, the pontiff could do no wrong.

Yet Benedict never shied away from topics that, in another context,
would have caused a political storm. He joined Patriarch Bartholomew
I of Constantinople in calling for more freedom for Turkey’s dwindling
Christian communities. They made it a condition for EU membership.

The Pope also praised Armenians for clinging to Christianity despite
"the very tragic circumstances of the last century" – a reference
to the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915. He didn’t
call it genocide – the Vatican’s official position – but the mere
mention of an event Turkey refuses to accept responsibility for no
doubt strained sensitivities in Ankara.

Niyazi Oktem, a political philosopher at Istanbul’s Bilge University,
said the visit should act as an example to both sides in the so-called
"clash of civilizations." Turkey showed other Muslim states the
strength of its democracy by having a civilized dialogue with the
leader of the world’s 1.1 billion Roman Catholics. It also showed
Europe how the Turkish model has kept fundamentalist Islam at bay,
Oktem added.

The Pope left relieved, but with little desire to push his luck.

Invited by Istanbul’s governor to visit Turkey again, Benedict XVI
smiled and politely declined.

"I’m old and I don’t know how many more hours the Lord will give me,"
the Pope replied. "I’m in His hands."

THE 4TH LONDON KURDISH FILM FESTIVAL – LONDON 8-14 DECEMBER

Kurdish Media, UK
Dec 4 2006

The organizing committee for the Kurdish Film Festival is delighted
to welcome you to the 4th London Kurdish Film Festival. It features a
varied programme of over sixty films: fiction, documentary, animation,
features and shorts. The festival was the first – and is now the
largest – of all the Kurdish Film Festivals organised worldwide. The
event will be enriched by discussions with the directors, filmmakers
and actors themselves. One of our main aims is to promote new talent
that is emerging. We are glad to see so many young Kurdish film makers
from Europe making connections with the cultural developments that
are changing the face of Kurdish society back home, and their work
occupies a significant space in our programme. Cinema is the language
that transcends the barriers that politics, geography, religion and
cultural divisions impose upon us.

We need to cultivate it in order to enrich the dialogue between
nationalities that live together.

It is a particular pleasure to hold our festival at the Rio Cinema,
which has supported the event since its inception. We have come a
long way since our first festival in 2001. The LKFF was launched by a
group of volunteers who came together following an initial call from
the Halkevi-Kurdish and Turkish Community Centre in Hackney. We have
grown over the years, empowered by new recruits to the organising
committee, which has held constructive discussions to determine how
to take the work forward to best fulfil its responsibilities. All the
individuals involved in organising the film festival were aware from
the beginning of the fact that the festival is organised on behalf
of the largest nation in the world without a nation-state. This is
a difficult task not made easier by the fact that we lack the basic
support that other nations in the world enjoy. Our discussions led
us to seek to develop a structure that would be more accountable
to the Kurdish people as well as making it possible to obtain more
support from within the heart of the community. At the end of 2004,
the LKFF decided to become a joint sub-committee of the main community
centres in the UK – Halkevi Kurdish and Turkish Community Centre in
Hackney, Kurdish Cultural Centre in Lambeth, Kurdish Community Centre
in Haringey and Kurdish Exile Association in Kensington and Chelsea.

The fledgling Kurdish Film Industry has been very prolific since
our last festival in November 2004. In recent months some of these
films have managed to scoop prestigious awards at international
film festivals. Filmmaking is relatively new to Kurdistan, but it
has already produced some memorable works, some of which have taken
the critics by storm and have achieved worldwide distribution and
acclaim. As result of political developments involving the Kurds in
particular, new found stability especially in South Kurdistan (Iraq)
enabled activities to develop giving fresh impetus to Kurdish cinema.

Having received more films than ever this year, we had to go through
a rigorous selection process to decide on our one-week programme.

Sadly, we could only accomodate half of the films submitted. This
year is also a year of firsts. We are particularly proud to introduce
the classic silent film ZARE, made in 1926 in Armenia. This film is
considered to be the first film ever made about the Kurds and we
would like to thank the Armenian National Film Centre and Yerevan
International Film Festival for the great efforts they have made to
enable us to show this film in our festival. And we are particularly
happy to present some Kurdish animated films for the first time.

These, together with other films suitable for children have given
us the opportunity to present a schools/young people’s programme for
the first time.

Festival highlights will include: Bahman Ghobadi’s HALF MOON winner of
three awards at this year’s San Sebastian Film Festival, the British
premiere of Omer Ugur’s HOME COMING, about the military coup in Turkey
in 1980, Jamil Rostami’s REQUIEM OF SNOW, best foreign film contender
for Iraq at the 2005 Academy Awards, Hiner Saleem’s KILOMETRE ZERO
selected for the Cannes competition in 2005, Mahdi Omat’s brand new
NIGHT OF MANY YEARS, Jalal Jonroy’s political comedy DAVID and LAYLA,
Yilmaz Arslan’s recent feature FRATRICIDE, Masoud Arif Salih & Hussein
Hassan Ali’s film made entirely with a Kurdish crew NARCISSUS BLOSSOM,
Mano Khalil joining us with two masterful documentaries DAVID THE
TOLHILDAN and AL-ANFAL, Halil Uysal and his friends honouring us with
their latest film BERITAN, Karzan Sherabayani’s RETURN TO KIRKUK,
Gwynne Roberts & John Williams’s SADDAM’S ROAD TO HELL and Cayan
Demirel’s 38. The festival also includes many award winning short
films and a diverse range of fascinating and powerful documentaries.

All films will have English subtitles except BERITAN.

Our message for this year is: Without dialogue, peace is impossible. We
hope that our festival will encourage peace and understanding amongst
all people.

Enjoy the Festival!

RUSSIAN OFFICIALS WANT TBILISI TO ‘SHOW RESPECT’

Civil Georgia, Georgia
Dec 2 2006

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gregory Karasin said on December 1
that it is too early to speak about the possibility of the Russian
ambassador’s return to Georgia. The ambassador was recalled from
the country after Georgia arrested four Russian officers for alleged
spying.

He also called on Tbilisi to "respect mutual problems" and refrain
from inflammatory rhetoric.

"The inadmissibility of a humiliating tone and officials’ humiliating
rhetoric is a basis in bilateral relations between states," Karasin
said.

Also on December 1, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov said that
Russia is guided by purely commercial principles while dealing with
economic relations with Georgia.

He said that USD 230 per 1000 cubic meters, which Russia’s Gazprom
plans to sell its gas to Georgia in 2007, is a commercial price which
has nothing to do with politics.

"Yes, Armenia will receive our gas for a lower price, but not because
of political reasons. Armenia has handed over its gas transportation
infrastructure [to Russia]," Ivanov said.

He has also said that Russia cut air links with Georgia because the
Georgian airway companies have an air service debt to the Russian side.

Ivanov indicated that tensions with Georgia were not triggered only by
the spy scandal. He said that there have been several cases of Russian
officers being beaten up by officers from the Georgian Military Police.

INSUFFICIENT FUNDING OF ARMENIA’S SCIENCE SPHERE MOST IMPORTANT PROBLEM

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Dec 2 2006

YEREVAN, December 2. /ARKA/. Insufficient funding of Armenia’s science
sphere is the most important problem, President of the Armenian
National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Radik Martirosyan told reporters
Wednesday. He said that in order to better develop science it is
necessary to raise funding for the needs of the sphere," he reported.

Commenting on the idea to reform the science sphere, offered by the
NAS, Martirosyan pointed out that it is in the focus of attention of
scientists and has been discussed at the NAS institutes.

"At today’s discussion, scientists will exchange opinions and
approaches, clarify positive and negative norms, pin down what impact
science will have on economic development. It is necessary to work
out approaches and refute the opinion that there is no progress
currently in the sphere of science. Our science has quite a high
level of development," he said.

At the same time, he added that a number of shortcomings and gaps
exist in this sphere that need to be fixed. It is planned to allocate
AMD 5.5bln for development of science in 2007 against AMD 5.1bln in
2006.

BELGIUM: TURKEY SHOULD BE GIVEN ‘HONEST CHANCE’ TO CONTINUE EU TALKS

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Dec 2 2006

In another sign of the disagreements over Turkey’s drive to join the
European Union, Belgium said Friday that the predominantly Muslim
country with a secular state should be given an "honest chance"
to continue membership negotiations.

A Dec. 14-15 summit of EU government leaders will decide whether
to act on a recommendation by the EU’s executive arm to partially
suspend the negotiations, which began a year ago.

EU members including France, Greece and the Greek Cypriot
administration are seeking tough measures against Ankara until it opens
its ports to Greek Cypriot ships and planes. Others, like Britain,
Spain and Sweden, want to make sure a potential important ally like
Turkey is not excluded.

"To refuse Turkey an honest chance would be a historical error,"
Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht wrote in an op-ed piece in
De Morgen newspaper. Yet he criticized recent developments in Turkey.

"Trials against intellectuals for insulting the Turkish identity,
discussions about the Armenian ‘genocide,’ quarrels about relations
with [Greek] Cyprus," he said. "Old symbols are coming to the fore."

De Gucht said, however, that the EU had to look beyond the current
differences.

"Enlargement is a good thing and Turkey deserves the benefit of the
doubt," he said.

On Wednesday, divisions among EU nations were laid bare after the
European Commission recommended partially halting membership talks
because Turkey refuses to open its ports to the Greek Cypriot
administration, which joined the bloc in 2004 despite lack of a
political settlement on the divided island.

"It is of major importance that Turkey remains a stable, secular
democracy," De Gucht said.

"Joining the Western club, which is the European Union, would send
a very strong signal to the world that the ‘clash of civilizations’
is not inevitable."

If the talks are partially frozen, it would significantly slow
Turkey’s EU membership talks, which already were expected to last at
least a decade. The EU has always stressed they offer no guarantee
of membership.

"Negotiating with such a strong neighbor can only be a tough,
time-consuming process," said De Gucht.

CEASEFIRE REGIME NOT BROKEN DURING MONITORING ON FRONTLINE BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA
Author: E.Javadova

TREND, Azerbaijan
Dec 4 2006

The ceasefire regime was not broken during the monitoring on the
frontline between Azerbaijan and Armenia on 4 December, Trend reports
with reference to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. The monitoring
was held in the line of contact near the Gapanli village of Tartar
district of Azerbaijan in accordance with the mandate of the personal
representative of the OSCE Chairman-in Office.

>From the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring was held by the field
assistants of the OSCE Chairman-in Office, Colonel- Lieutenant Imre
Palatinus and Gunter Folk, and from the Armenian side the field
assistants of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Piter Ki, Miroslav Vimetal
and Jaslan Nurtazin.

FROMMER BIDS FAREWELL
By Anthony Kim

Burbank Leader, CA
Dec 2 2006

Dario Frommer, who terms out today after six years of service, says
he’ll find work in the private sector.

GLENDALE – Assemblyman Dario Frommer made merry with friends and
co-workers Wednesday night at the Alex Theatre, celebrating the end
of his six years of service in the state legislature.

"It’s great to see a lot of our friends," Frommer said.

"It’s really nice to see a lot of people you know and have a lot
of fun."

Hoover High School’s jazz band performed an eclectic mix of music as
a crowd socialized in the outside patio.

Many familiar faces made appearances to meet Frommer in his final
major event as the Assembly Majority Leader.

"It’s been a very nice celebration of the six years of service Dario
has given to the state," State Sen. Jack Scott said.

Paul Krekorian, who will be replacing Frommer following a swearing-in
ceremony Monday, said he was enjoying the atmosphere and looking
forward to his new position.

"I’m going to meet with Dario to discuss transitioning as seamlessly
as possible for the constituents," he said. advertisement

After representing the 43rd Assembly District for the maximum of three
two-year terms, the assemblyman is taking a break from public service.

"I have a young family," he said.

"I enjoyed [being assemblyman], but it’s very demanding."

He has not yet decided what he will do for a living, but for now it
will be in the private sector, Frommer said.

His departure had created a mood around his Glendale office of a
blend of poignancy and bustle.

"The packing has been chaotic," staff member Narine Zardarian said.

Zardarian is moving on to become the community-relations director
for the Armenian Assembly of America.

"It’s very bittersweet," she said. "This was the best job I ever had,
I can honestly say."

Most of the staff have found jobs working for elected officials or
the public sector, Frommer said.

"We ensured that everyone pretty much has a place to land," he said.

Frommer’s staff will not have a problem moving onto better positions,
said Chief of Staff Dan Reeves.

"You’re judged by who you work for," he said.

Some politicians only go through the motions, he said. Their staffers
have to be exceptional to find other positions.

"Then there are people like Dario, who is a political animal,"
Reeves said.

"He’s young and energetic."

Working for the assemblyman has turned staffers like Zenay Loera on
to politics.

"It’s probably the most important type of job, whether it be working
for the city … or an elected official," she said.

Loera started out as a volunteer six years ago, going door to door
campaigning for Frommer. She will be moving onto work for Los Angeles
councilmember Jose Huizar in six weeks. "Everyone is getting a little
bit sad," Frommer said.

"It’s their last days working for me, but we’re working right up to
the end."

ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES SUPPORT EFFORTS OF FRENCH AMBASSADOR IN STRENGTHENING ARMENIAN-FRENCH RELATIONS

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Dec 4 2006

YEREVAN, December 4. /ARKA/. The Armenian government is willing
to support all efforts of the French Ambassador to Armenia in
strengthening the bilateral relations, Armenian Prime Minister Andranik
Margaryan reported at the meeting with French Ambassador Serge Smessov
on Wednesday.

The press service of the Armenian government reported that the
prime minister congratulated the ambassador on the beginning of his
diplomatic mission in Armenia. He expressed confidence that the high
level of political relations, close cooperation and friendship between
the two peoples will be developed and strengthened during his activity
in Armenia.

In his turn, Smessov stated that he will do his best to contribute
to the development of these relations.

The ambassador also pointed out that previously signed plan of
actions under the EU New Neighborhood policy will also provide big
opportunities for partnership.

During the meeting, they also discussed the internal political
situation in the country, the preparations for the upcoming
parliamentary elections as well as the reforms in the electoral laws.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

POPE’S SILENCE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE SHAMEFUL
Opinion By Mark Geragos

ABC News , USA
Dec 2 2006

Benedict Missed a Chance During His Historic Visit to Turkey

Dec. 1, 2006 – After an initial foray into interfaith relations by
inciting almost 2 billion Muslims with ill-advised references to the
legacy of their prophet Mohammed, Pope Benedict XVI leaves Turkey
with the press hailing the visit a success.

Much like the war in Iraq, however, defining the simple concept
of "success" has become increasingly like declaring "mission
accomplished." Case in point, the pope’s recent visit to Turkey.

Following the pontiff’s gaffe heard ’round the Muslim world, the
fact that larger protests and riots didn’t accompany his visit to
Turkey must have certainly elicited a collective sigh of relief from
the Vatican and tempted many prognosticators to proclaim the trip
a success.

Perhaps prompted by a sense of relief and joy at not being embarrassed
by a rancorous reception upon his arrival to Turkey, the pontiff even
took time to don his political advisor cap and stump for Turkey’s
admission into the European Union.

Fortunately, the more discerning European nations see that issue
in a slightly different light and are waiting for Turkey to adopt
something other than medieval standards of justice before setting
out the welcome mat.

Still, as the leading spiritual figure for Christians around the world,
much more is expected and required of the pope.

After all was said and done, and as the cameras rolled and the press
jockeyed to capture and transmit images of the pope being led on
a tour of Istanbul’s Blue Mosque by local Islamic and Christian
leaders, the press failed to capture the big, fat, noisy elephant
parked squarely amidst this assemblage – Turkey’s ongoing legacy of
intolerance and oppression.

For too long, the various Christian and other minorities of Turkey have
silently suffered the suppression of their rights and the deliberate
erosion of their collective memories through the state sponsored
destruction of ancient churches and other historical monuments dating
back almost two millennia.

These minorities remain mute, not unlike hostages, who are constantly
reminded of the harsh consequences visited upon those who dare speak
the truth, or see the elephant for what it is.

This past year’s stern waggle of the finger by the Turkish government
at the mischievous and misbehaving came when the Turkish government
prosecuted and convicted the editor of the Armenian language weekly
Agos, Hrant Dink for "insulting" Turkish identity.

Ironically, Dink’s alleged transgression can be traced to a series of
articles he wrote encouraging Armenians in the diaspora to shift their
focus away from outing the Turkish denial of the Armenian genocide
of 1915 to 1918 and toward assisting the fledgling Republic of Armenia.

Nonetheless, explanation notwithstanding, Dink got dunked and was
eventually convicted.

According to press accounts, aside from a vague reference to the
Armenian genocide – painfully couched as "tragic conditions …

experienced in the past century" – to the Armenian Patriarch in
Istanbul, the pontiff said precious little about the genocide or
Turkey’s unconscionable denial of the same to the Pope’s hosts,
the people who actually needed to hear it.

While this may be the most glaring omission from what most might
envision as an item that would have been on a spiritual leader’s
"things to do list," it was, unfortunately, not the only one.

The pope evidently failed to mention the destruction of some of
the oldest remaining Christian churches in the world located in the
ancient Armenian city of Ani, located in present day eastern Turkey.

Nor is there any indication that he brought up the issue of the
destruction of Greek Orthodox churches in Northern Cyprus, which
remains illegally occupied by the Turks after the invasion of 1974.

It is also unclear whether the pope broached the mistreatment of
the Muslim Kurds. Of course, in order to be understood by his hosts,
the Pope would have had to refer to them as "Mountain Turks," since
the Turkish government blanches at the thought of identifying the 8
million to 10 million Kurds living in Turkey as "Kurds."

While the Armenians, Greeks and Kurds may be the minorities with the
most well known grievances, the Jewish and Syrian Orthodox Christian
communities have legitimate cause to complain as well.

It is no secret that the Christian and other minority communities in
Turkey constantly walk a thin line when seeking to preserve their
religious and cultural heritage. These minorities have learned to
march to the beat of the intolerant Turkish drum, regardless of the
indignities they continue to suffer.

No one can blame them for assuming that position, given Turkey’s
history of intolerance and retribution.

However, it is situations like this where leadership steps in. In
fact, the very purpose of leadership is to speak for those who can
not. Evidently, such leadership was not on display as the cameras
rolled and dignitaries exchanged pleasantries while strolling through
the expansive Blue Mosque.

In the hopes of bridging differences that exist between the Christian
and Muslim worlds, turning a blind eye to the festering wounds that
exist only serve to widen the gap between East and West.

Perhaps we vest too much hope in religious leaders to stand up and
say the things that need to be said. However, I can’t help but look
at the photos of the pope and other religious leaders assembled and
feel that the teetering elephant is ready to collapse upon these
leader’s followers.

Seems to me that if we start accepting something less than success as
success, we may end up having to deal with the same type of success
as we have in Iraq.

Mark Geragos is a lawyer who has represented former Rep. Gary Condit,
former first brother Roger Clinton, Academy award-winning actress
Winona Ryder, pop star Michael Jackson and Scott Peterson.

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TURKEY CONDEMNS ARGENTINA’S RESOLUTION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Source: Xinhua
People’s Daily Online, China
Dec 2 2006

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Friday condemned the approval of
a resolution on alleged Armenian genocide by the Argentinean House
of Representatives.

The ministry said in a statement that Argentina’s move did not comply
with historical facts and spirit of bilateral relations between Turkey
and Argentina.

"Turkey offered that 1915 incidents should be examined by Turkish
and Armenian historians but this proposal was not backed. We condemn
the approval of resolutions (by various parliaments on the so-called
Armenian genocide)," the statement said.

The Argentinean parliament on Wednesday adopted a resolution setting
April 24 as "the day of tolerance and respect among peoples in the
memory of Armenian genocide."

Turkey, which is facing increasing pressure from the European Union
to fully acknowledge the killings, has always denied that up to 1.5
million Armenians were subjected to genocide during the Ottoman Empire
period in World War I.

However, it does acknowledge that up to 300,000 Armenians died during
fighting and efforts to relocate population away from the war zone
in eastern Turkey.

The French National Assembly in October adopted a bill criminalizing
anyone who denies the massacres of Armenians, sparking anger across
Turkey.