TURKEY: TOP RELIGIOUS OFFICIAL CRITICIZES POPE

Journal Chretien, France
Dec 8 2006

Ankara’s top government religious official accused Pope Benedict
XVI yesterday of "doing injustice to Turkey" by declaring after his
historic visit to Turkey last week that the country’s Catholics live
under difficult conditions.

In an interview with the semi-official Anatolian News Agency published
in today’s liberal Radikal newspaper, Director of Religious Affairs
Ali Bardakoglu complained that the problems of Turkey’s religious
minorities had been exaggerated during the pope’s visit.

Speaking from Rome on Sunday (December 3), the pontiff had expressed
his "cordial thanks" to the Turkish authorities for their friendly
hospitality last week during what he termed a fruitful and
"unforgettable spiritual and pastoral experience" of Christian
ecumenism and dialogue with Muslims.

But Benedict also noted in his Sunday address that the "small flock"
of Catholics in Turkey "live in conditions that are not easy." His
gentle but direct remark echoed similar comments sprinkled throughout
his four days of public statements while in Turkey.

The pope’s comments caused the foreign press to conclude, Bardakoglu
objected, that "Turkey does not have religious freedom. This is an
injustice to Turkey."

"There are countless attacks on mosques in Europe, and Muslims are
facing discrimination just because of their faith," Bardakoglu said.

"But we have never acted like this, making targeted accusations
against the Western countries and all Christians over these actions."

While he described the papal visit as "rather positive" in terms
of Turkey’s image and hospitality, Bardakoglu said that resolving
isolated problems mentioned by the pope "required discussion."

>>From the outset, it was clear that Benedict’s high-profile visit to
Turkey had the potential to go beyond its related goals of Christian
ecumenism and dialogue with Muslims. In effect, the pope’s modest but
repeated comments on religious freedom last week further dramatized
the Vatican’s campaign for "reciprocity" between majority Muslim and
Christian nations.

Advancing Solutions

In a clear statement the day Benedict arrived, Archbishop Demetrios
of America declared to an Istanbul press conference, "It is hoped,
if not expected, that the meeting between Pope Benedict and Patriarch
Bartholomew will advance the proper solution" to unresolved issues
for local Greek Orthodox Christians.

Archbishop Demetrios cited recognition of Bartholomew’s title as
"Ecumenical" Patriarch, full legal church status, the return of
government-confiscated church properties and opening of the Orthodox
seminary as major problems to be addressed with Turkish authorities.

Thus it was no surprise that Benedict specifically included the issue
of religious freedom in almost every public statement he made.

In so doing, he raised the bar of international awareness and scrutiny
of Turkey’s unresolved issues with its non-Muslim religious minorities.

The Catholic leader’s observations also made it into the Turkish media,
which rarely gives significant or balanced coverage to incidents of
discrimination or violence against Turkey’s tiny Christian minorities.

Sharing a public exchange of dialogue with Bardakoglu on November 28,
his first day in Ankara, the pontiff declared : "Freedom of religion,
institutionally guaranteed and effectively respected in practice,
both for individuals and communities, constitutes for all believers
the necessary condition for their loyal contribution to the building
up of society."

The following day, Benedict again touched on religious freedom and
minority rights during his homily outside the House of Mary, a tiny
stone church on the hill overlooking the ruins of ancient Ephesus.

Describing Turkey’s Christian community as "a small minority which
faces many challenges and difficulties daily," the pope noted that
local Catholics were still wounded by the tragic murder of Father
Andrea Santoro, an Italian priest killed last February while kneeling
in his church in the Turkish city of Trabzon.

Link to EU Guarantees

The joint declaration issued on Thursday (November 30) by the pope
and his host, Patriarch Bartholomew of the Greek Orthodox Church,
took an even stronger stance, declaring religious freedom "a witness
and guarantor of respect for all other freedoms" in the context of
European Union (EU) guarantees.

"In every step towards unification," the declaration noted,
"minorities must be protected, with their cultural traditions and the
distinguishing features of their religion." And while they acknowledged
that Europe must remain "open to other religions and their cultural
contributions," the two Christian leaders also called for a united
effort to "preserve Christian roots, traditions and values."

Later that same day, during a formal visit to Istanbul’s Armenian
Apostolic Patriarchate, Benedict made reference in his remarks to the
"Christian faith and witness of the Armenian people, transmitted from
generation to the next, often in very tragic circumstances such as
those experienced in the last century."

The Turkish government officially denies what it terms the "alleged
genocide" of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915. Today’s Armenian
community, which constitutes Turkey’s largest Christian minority,
faces ongoing restrictions preventing education of their clergy,
ownership of their centuries-old properties and legal church status.

In his final mass celebrated on Friday (December 1) in Istanbul’s
Church of the Holy Spirit, Benedict stressed that "the church wishes
to impose nothing on anyone…she merely asks to live in freedom."

Even today, during his general audience at the Vatican, the pontiff
continued the theme : "The distinction between civil and religious
spheres constitutes a principle, and the [Turkish] state should
guarantee effective religious freedom. Christians and Muslims should
collaborate together on issues like justice, peace and life."

Pope ‘Seriously Misinformed’

As a government-appointed bureaucrat, Bardakoglu clearly had
anticipated some discussion of Turkey’s treatment of its non-Muslim
religious minorities during the papal visit.

"If the pope says Christians in Turkey are mistreated, I will tell him
that he has been seriously misinformed," Bardakoglu told Reuters in
an interview published November 24, four days before Benedict arrived.

Sidestepping the rights of Turkey’s Christian citizens, Bardakoglu
instead cited his government’s support for places of worship for
expatriates living and working in Turkey, according to Reuters.

The EU has identified religious freedom reforms as one of four
key issues Turkey must resolve in its negotiations to obtain EU
membership status.

Statistically, Turkey has fewer than 100,000 Christian citizens. Most
Christians in Turkey are members of the ancient Armenian, Greek and
Syriac communities, in addition to an undetermined number worshipping
in small Catholic and Protestant congregations across the country.

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RUSSIA COMPANIES TO CONSTRUCT HYDROELECTRIC POWER STATIONS IN OCCUPIED AZERBAIJANI TERRITORIES

Today, Azerbaijan
Dec 8 2006

Russia is interested in the development of energy sector in occupied
Azerbaijani territories.

Armenian Minister for Territorial Management and Infrastructure Armo
Tsaturyan said that Russia companies are interested in the construction
of hydroelectric power stations in Nagorno Karabakh.

"We are ready to begin to negotiate with Russia companies on this
issue," he said.

Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry Press and Information Policy department
Chief Tahir Tagizadeh told the APA that he does not think that those
companies represent Russia.

"It may be any commercial company. In any case, FM will investigate
the fact and take necessary steps," he said.

URL:

COMPANIES LOOK TO TAP AZERBAIJAN OIL RUSH
By Kristian Gravenor – Business Edge

Business Edge, Canada
Dec 8 2006

Few Canadian firms involved, but opportunity beckons to cash in on boom

It wasn’t long ago that a spy in a tuxedo snooped around an imaginary
oil pipeline that held huge global political and economic implications.

James Bond’s The World is Not Enough helped sell a few barrels of
oily popcorn, but the pricier barrels – those full of oil – hit world
markets in July when armies of workers turned the fictional pipeline
into fact.

The world’s second-largest pipeline now brings Caspian gold to the
world market via tankers on the Mediterranean.

Since it began operation, one million barrels of Azeri oil have flowed
through the pipe, earning Azerbaijan a reputation as a new Kuwait on
the Caspian.

Kristian Gravenor, Business Edge Bars and cafes are open for business
on a Baku street.

In engineering and oil circles, the three-year, $3-billion effort is
considered as glamorous as any spy in a tuxedo. Investors from Norway,
Israel, Britain, Japan and beyond are deep into the action.

But most Canadians are at the other end of the ice, far from the puck.

Among the few Canadian companies that seized on opportunity in this
country of eight million at the foot of the Caucasus is Vancouver’s
Canadian Helicopter Corp., which flies oil workers to offshore rigs.

Montreal’s Stonepay – run by Azeri-Canadian Sam Jafarpour – builds
luxury housing. Alberta’s Nation’s Energy has a team of 16 Canadians
extracting oil onshore.

While Baku has become a second home to countless British Petroleum
workers who fill downtown pubs, crossing paths with a Canadian in
Baku is rare. That’s because the rising price of oil has led Canadian
companies to focus on business at home.

EnCana Corp., which has allowed its small oil interest in Azerbaijan
to lie dormant, explains that philosophy.

"Over the past couple of years we’ve taken our focus off overseas and
put our interest on North America," says EnCana spokesman Alan Boras.

"We’ve sold off large overseas interests and are investing further
money here in Canada."

Canada’s pipeline builders also consider a rising barrel reason to
stay home.

"Quite frankly, the pipeline industry has a significant amount of
work in Canada and the U.S.," says David MacInnis, president of the
Canadian Energy Pipeline Association. "The Canadian pipeline industry
doesn’t have a real history of looking outside its borders.

"We’ve got about $60 billion of projects on the drawing board between
natural gas and oil pipeline, the bulk of which are in Canada and
the U.S. That’s enough to keep us pretty busy."

Kristian Gravenor, Business Edge McDonald’s has arrived in the Azeri
capital to take advantage of the current energy-driven economic surge.

So, while Britons, Americans and others have meticulously cultivated
business relations with Azerbaijan, Canadians have seemed oblivious
to opportunities in the fastest-growing former Soviet republic.

But it’s not too late to get into the action, according to Edmonton
native Raymond Conway.

The Baku-based banker has a message for those who might think that
the completion of the massive international project has drained
opportunities from Azerbaijan.

"If you drive around Azerbaijan, you still see oil fields with nodding
donkeys all over the place. Many are still using old technology,
pulling out a barrel here and there. I’ll bet a lot of the equipment
is the same as when the Nobel brothers arrived here in 1860," says
Conway, referring to the family responsible for creating some of
Azerbaijan’s earliest oil-extraction infrastructure before becoming
more famous for their eponymous annual prizes.

Conway has lent millions of dollars to small businesses as Baku bureau
chief of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD),
a business lending institution co-owned by 60 countries.

He still sees fortunes yet to be made in Azerbaijan. "I’m willing to
bet if you came here with steam injection or other kinds of secondary,
tertiary technologies, you could easily increase production tenfold
with minimal investment. If you’re pulling 5,000 barrels out of the
ground in Alberta, you have a successful company.

Here, you could do up to 10,000 barrels a day with a modest investment,
that’s not a bad return."

Conway says he’s "a little shocked that Canadians are not here a bit
more aggressively."

While the U.S. has been racking up $150-million trade surpluses with
Azerbaijan, Canada’s exports have never topped $30 million a year,
which include such goods as a million dollars’ worth of cow tongues
from Alberta.

Other than the odd crate of pomegranate juice, Canada imports almost
nothing from Azerbaijan. Imports weigh in at less than $1 million
a year.

Azerbaijan suffered years of threadbare desperation following
independence in 1991.

War with Armenia – which still occupies about 20 per cent of
Azerbaijan’s territory – led the country to suffer a refugee crisis,
as a million displaced people were forced to live anywhere they could
find. Tens of thousands spent years living in derelict traincars.

Hopes were dim until a decade ago when former president Heydar Aliyev
signed on to an oil-sharing agreement. It led a flood of US $29 billion
in foreign direct investment into the country, making Azerbaijan the
world’s leader for FDI-to-GDP (foreign direct investment to gross
domestic product) in 2005.

Azeri streetscapes that once featured old women in babushkas pushing
twig brooms are now increasingly peopled by denim-clad youth chattering
on cellphones. Construction cranes needle every vista.

But some old traditions endure. The World Bank’s recently released
annual Doing Business Report ranks Azerbaijan 99th out of 170 countries
as the easiest place to do business. Azerbaijan has been slower than
some in eradicating seven decades of Soviet tradition.

The report argues that running a business in Azerbaijan still
involves too many visits to sleepy-eyed wicket zombies to rubber-stamp
triplicates.

Study co-author Caralee McLiesh, senior economist at the World Bank,
obtained results by surveying lawyers on 10 criteria of business law.

She says the data show that Azerbaijan needs to swing a big machete
at its layers of red tape. "We’ve seen some reforms from Azerbaijan
since the prior year. The number of days it takes to start a business
has gone from 115 days – among the longest in the world – to 53 days.

It’s a significant improvement, but there’s still some way to go in
order to compete with leading economies."

But ask the few Canadians working in Azerbaijan and you won’t hear
much groaning. The mostly Alberta-born members of Nation’s Energy
crew of oil specialists are fans of the country, which stacks up well
against their last home in Siberia, where they worked without even
a telephone connection.

"Here in Baku, these guys get everything they want, the North American
sports networks are all on TV. Now you wake up in the morning and
have your choice of hockey and baseball games," says Mike Palmer,
one of the few Americans on the largely Canadian staff.

Palmer reports little trouble in wheeling and dealing within
Azerbaijan, even though he can’t speak the Azeri-Turkic language.

"It’s a very positive business climate, the government is anxious
to do business with the West. It’s safe and I can walk the streets
at night. The thing I cherish about Azerbaijan is that there is the
sanctity of the contract here. Whenever you sign a contract, you know
that it’s going to be respected," he says.

His one major knock is that Canada has no embassy in Baku. "I can
walk across the street to the Russian, Norwegian, British embassies.

But to get a Canadian embassy I have to work out of Ankara. It would
make my life easier if there was a Canadian embassy here."

Azerbaijan has an embassy in Ottawa and Ambassador Fakhraddin Gurbanov
is a booster for closer relations with Canadian investors.

He notes that Azerbaijan, which isn’t in the World Trade Organization,
boasts a competitive 5.7-per-cent weighted average trade tariff. The
country has a workforce that’s cheaper than that of eastern Europe
and laws are designed to open the doors to foreigners looking to make
a buck.

"Generally, the legislation of Azerbaijan establishes a very permissive
national regime for foreign direct investment. There are no special
permissions or specific registration requirements for any foreign
investment. Licensing has been substantially simplified with foreign
investors’ interests in mind. A regime of non-discrimination applies
to foreign investors in Azerbaijan," says Gurbanov.

A spate of upcoming Azeri laws aims to further entice foreigners.

Soon, any investment will be protected from rule changes for
10 years. The government will be banned from expropriating or
nationalizing foreign investment and will be forced to financially
compensate any illegal actions by any member of its government.

Some investors in the former Soviet Union have suffered jitters at the
so-called Khodorkovsky syndrome, named in honour of Russia’s richest
man who was tossed into a jail cell, supposedly because he became a
potential political threat.

But lately, Azerbaijan’s financial elite no longer cite the old Azeri
adage that courage is 10, nine is the ability to escape. Or so says
the one western observer who might have the best gut-level intuition
about the future of Azerbaijan.

Montana author Thomas Goltz, whose book Azerbaijan Diary chronicled
the political development of the country following its chaotic years
after independence in 1991, doubts that much of the fast-incoming
"wall of cash" will flee to Swiss bank accounts.

"They now seem to be confident of living in a wealthy country," he
says. "They’re not trying to squirrel away their money and I regard
that as a good sign."

Ottawa business consultant Grant Thomas has conducted several
exploratory missions to Azerbaijan and sees a sort of spiritual
synchronicity between Canada and Azerbaijan, both oil exporting
countries that sleep next to economic elephants – the U.S. and Russia.

"We Canadians know what it’s like to have an asymmetrical relationship
as a smaller country," he says.

It’s a natural market and that could also be a way into trickier
spots. "Azerbaijan is a soft Islamic country and can serve as a
gateway to flashspots like Iran," adds Thomas. "Besides, Azerbaijan has
petroleum, we have infrastructure for oil. They have regional telecom
and banking aspirations, and we have large banks and a reputation
for telecom."

Meanwhile, after three years in Baku, Raymond Conway, his wife and
three kids still "love living in Azerbaijan."

In fact, Conway has been considering permanently settling in and
starting his own oil concern.

"The only downside of living here that I can think of is that the
driving habits are among the most challenging in the world. Aside
from that it’s a much more international city than people realize.

The weather is fabulous, a little hot on occasion and you might have
to pay a bit more sometimes, but you can get whatever you can get
anywhere else."

Conway describes Azerbaijan as a "relationship economy," and stresses
the need to hit the ground running with a local partner, hopefully
one that didn’t learn business in the old Soviet era.

He’s also bullish on Azeri tourism, which has so far been almost
non-existent. "If you go a couple of hours west to the mountains, it’s
very beautiful country and if they could clean up the Caspian it would
have very nice beaches. They still have the kind of Soviet concepts
in the tourist industry that need to be developed, but the people
are warm and friendly. On occasion they look a little intimidating,
but I’ve never had any difficulty with the Azeris."

And the future leadership looks bright. "There is a generational
shift," he says. "Some of the senior people in government have lived
abroad extensively and they know what the potential is and they’re
trying to realize that."

The Azeri proverb notes that it’s not shameful not to know, but it’s
shameful not to ask. So far, Canadians haven’t asked many questions
about Azerbaijan. Conway, among others, would choose profit over shame.

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KIBAKI ‘NOT LINKED TO CRIMINALS’

News24, South Africa
Dec 8 2006

Nairobi – Kenya’s usually mild-mannered President Mwai Kibaki has
furiously denied family links with two flamboyant Armenian brothers
deported last week for roughing up customs officers at Nairobi airport.

The president also promised an investigation into the activities in
Kenya of brothers Artur Margariyan and Arthur Sargsian, who had been
accused of receiving official protection for shady dealings in the
east Africa nation.

The saga of the Armenians had gripped Kenya for months.

Terming claims of family links "blatant lies", Kibaki demanded an
apology and threatened to sue the media for a report linking the
Armenian pair to a woman said by some local media to be the president’s
second wife.

Media house raided

But, Kibaki’s statement – a rare flash of anger for the mild-mannered
74-year-old president – did little to quell growing demands from
Kenyans for a proper probe into allegations of links between the
Armenians and powerful politicians.

The two burst into the national limelight in March after an opposition
politician accused them of being "mercenaries" used by the government
to provide muscle for a raid on Kenya’s second biggest media house,
an act widely condemned around the world.

The brothers denied that, saying they were respectable businessmen
wanting to invest in Kenya.

Brothers ‘became celebrities’

But, they had become virtual celebrities in recent months, seldom out
of cartoons and gossip columns, and leading a swaggering lifestyle
that included parties, luxury cars, flashy jewellery and trademark
sunglasses.

The saga took a fresh twist with their deportation on Friday after
a scuffle at the airport.

But, a broad spectrum of Kenyan politicians, civil activists and media
complained they should have been kept here, and interrogated over
their alleged high-level connections and mysterious business dealings.

Two lesser-known brothers deported

Kibaki said: "I have only one family, which consists of the first
lady Lucy Kibaki, daughter Judy Kibaki, Sons Jimmy, David, Tony and
their wives and children.

"No member of my family has had any dealings with the said
foreigners…I am, therefore, demanding that the newspaper should
apologise to me and my family for the blatant lies."

Two lesser-known brothers were also deported. Kibaki added: "The
matter of their stay and transactions in Kenya is the subject of
investigations."

Fuelling concern at what they were doing, police said guns, machetes
and bulletproof vests were recovered at the Armenians’ luxury home
in Nairobi after they were deported.

It was reported that the government’s handling of the saga was
"shameful".

The reports said: "Besides seeking explanations as to why the two
brothers were quickly spirited out of the country, the public demands
to be told how government vehicles got their way into the Runda
residence of the Artur brothers," it said in an editorial.

FOUR BLAZE THEMSELVES IN ARMENIA

China Daily, China
AP
Dec 8 2006

YEREVAN, Armenia – Three teenagers and their grandmother set themselves
on fire in the Armenian capital Thursday to protest what they said was
authorities’ inaction on investigating a relative’s death, a family
member said. Two of them were injured.

Gyulizar Avdalian sets herself on fire during a protest outside the
president’s office in Yerevan, Armenia, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006. [AP]

The protesters poured gasoline on themselves and set themselves on
fire in front of the president’s office in Yerevan, the teenagers’
great uncle Surian Avdalian told The Associated Press. The grandmother
and her 14-year-old grandson were injured and hospitalized with burns,
Avdalian said. The other two teens were unharmed.

The four were members of the small Yazidi community who were protesting
what they called official inaction in last month’s beating death of
the children’s father, Avdalian said. They argued that the case was
not being investigated because of discrimination against the Yazidi,
a Kurdish ethnic group. About 50,000 Yazidi live in Armenia.

Prosecutor General Agvan Grigorian later met with relatives of the
family and told them a man had been arrested the day after the father’s
death, according to spokeswoman Sonna Truzian.

She also said a criminal investigation had been opened into the
grandmother’s involvement in the protest, saying she herself allegedly
poured flammable liquids on her grandchildren.

GROUP AIMS TO BLOCK ANTENNAS
By Christina Pazzanese, Globe Correspondent

Boston Globe, MA
Dec 8 2006

Neighbors fight plan for 12 more

A proposal to erect a dozen cellular antennas atop an office building
in Watertown’s Coolidge Square has prompted neighbors to say enough
is enough.

Resident Norman Adler objected to a plan by Sprint Nextel to put
antennas on the 80 Bigelow Ave. office building at a Zoning Board
of Appeals hearing last week . Adler filed a petition signed by 125
residents. Council president Clyde Younger and councilors Angeline
Kounelis and Marilyn Petitto Devaney spoke in support of the neighbors.

Adler, who lives nearby in the Coolidge Village Condominiums complex,
said neighbors, including a large number of seniors, oppose the
antennas on the grounds that they would decrease property values,
block views, and be aesthetically "discordant" with the surroundings.

"Something is wrong here," said Adler. "We shouldn’t be exposing kids
to this."

The neighborhood includes five schools, a public park, several multi
family residences, and four churches. Adler noted that other cities,
including New York City, have limited cellular antennas so close
to schools.

The zoning board, which has been considering the plan since October,
is scheduled to resume hearing the matter Jan. 3.

Alegria Caragay, who also lives in the Village condos, said the
application should be denied because the town already has more than 100
antennas, 59 of which are within a half-mile radius of Coolidge Square.

Caragay said the company’s contention that it needs antennas to fill
a service gap is unfounded.

She recently surveyed 25 people at the Arsenal Mall, a local Shaw’s
supermarket, and around the Hosmer School to ask about their cellular
service. A dozen people told her they used Sprint or Nextel , and of
those, only one reported trouble with reception , said Caragay, adding
she believes the company wants to fill gaps in Cambridge and Belmont.

Mark Elliott, a spokesman for Sprint, said the antennas were necessary
but declined to say how many customers would be affected or quantify
how much better their cellular reception will be if the antennas go up.

Local zoning ordinances cannot be used by the board to deny such
applications, said Harry Vlachos, the zoning board chairman. "We have
to look at them case by case, and they have to show there is a need."

The US Telecom Act of 1996 prohibits zoning officials from basing
a denial on the grounds that cellular antennas may harm residents’
health, he said.

Vlachos said he was concerned about the affect on the skyline of
adding the antennas. "That building is already higher than what’s
normally allowed," he said.

The four-story building, which is owned by the Armenian Cultural
Society , houses the Armenian National Committee of America (Eastern
Region) , the Armenian Youth Federation , and the Hairenik Association
Bookstore . It is nearly 40 feet tall, putting it 10 feet above the
town’s 30-foot limit for a neighborhood business zone, said Nancy
Scott, zoning enforcement officer. The antennas would add another 15
feet above the maximum allowed under zoning rules, she said .

Zoning board members have also raised concerns about the placement
of a ground-level electronic cabinet. Originally, the cabinet was to
take up a parking space, but officials pointed out that the building
already lacks the minimum 15 spaces — another issue that will have
to be addressed.

Sprint Nextel attorney Ricardo Sousa could not be reached for
comment. But Watertown attorney Ara H. Margosian, who represents the
building owner, said he was only hired to protect the rights of the
property owner, not push the zoning board for a permit. "You won’t
be able to see antennas on top of the roof," he said.

Despite Adler’s perception that the town has been "very permissive"
in giving out permits to cellular providers, Vlachos said that’s
simply not the case. "I don’t think anyone’s coming to Watertown to
put up antennas," he said.

"We’re encouraged the thing has not gone through at this point,"
said Adler .

In 2003, Sprint sued the town after the zoning board denied its
application to put six antennas at the former Rosary Academy . The
company was eventually allowed to install one antenna, said Scott.

The board denied T-Mobile’s request to erect a 120-foot antenna tower
atop the Oakley Country Club in 2004. The company filed suit but
dropped it after the town allowed four antennas elsewhere, said Scott.

‘SCREAMERS’ A LOUD AND CARNAGE-FILLED HISTORY LESSON
By Evan Henerson, Staff Writer

Los Angeles Daily News, CA
Dec 8 2006

There’s no masking filmmaker Carla Garapedian’s outrage. It comes
barreling across the screen with every note thrashed out by political
rockers System of a Down, with every bit of politicspeak from past
U.S. presidents, and with all those corpses lying wide-eyed and
decaying along dusty roads and in makeshift graves.

The end credits of Garapedian’s documentary "Screamers" – which
examines the world’s history of genocides in the 20th and 21st
centuries – contains a huge body count of casualties: 1.5 million
Armenians dead, 2 million Cambodians, 400,000 and counting in Darfur.

And you get the sense that, had she the resources and screen time,
the director might have thrown every last corpse up on screen. The
effect, alas, quickly becomes numbing.

Cutting between the carnage and the commentators who acknowledge
that, yes, the United States has a rather shoddy history of genocide
intervention, Garapedian takes us on the road with System of a Down.

The Grammy-winning rock band whose members – like Garapedian – have
Armenian lineage, deliver music with a message.

They take action off stage as well, lobbying House Speaker Dennis
Hastert to bring an Armenian genocide recognition bill to the floor.

(During his one on-camera moment in the Capitol, the speaker meets
System lead singer Serj Tankian and politely blows him off).

Tankian’s direct link to the carnage of 1915 is his 96-year-old
grandfather, Stepan Haytayan, whose memories of the death march from
Efkere are partially recounted in "Screamers." The late scenes between
the rocker activist and the wizened old man whose very being fuels
the band’s quest, are quietly touching.

Less so, the rest of the film. Garapedian has lined up an assortment of
erudite and well-spoken contributors (most notably Harvard University
genocide expert Samantha Power) to drive home our nation’s culpability
in the global carnage. By trying to bring the Holocaust, Pol Pot’s
Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur onto the same 91-minute canvas,
the director has perhaps cast her net too wide, leaving her outrage
over Armenia less sharply drawn.

That said, through "Screamers," Garapedian and producer Peter McAlevey
offer much to ponder, not to mention a group with more than fame on
its mind.

SCREAMERS Our rating: (R: disturbing images, language) Starring:
System of a Down.

Director: Carla Garapedian.

Running time: 1 hr. 31 min.

Playing: Mann Chinese 6, Glendale Marketplace 4, Mann Criterion
Santa Monica.

In a nutshell: The unending cycle of genocide told through System of
a Down’s music, social commentators and footage of enough corpses to
fill up a dozen cemeteries.

NAGORNO KARABAKH SEEKS COMMON CAUSE WITH PRIDNESTROVIE
By Jason Cooper

Tiraspol Times & Weekly Review, Moldova
Dec 8 2006

A delegation from Nagorno Karabakh’s parliament (shown) supports PMR,
while Armenia strongly criticizes MoldovaTIRASPOL (Tiraspol Times)
– Pridnestrovie, also known as Transdnistria, has much in common
with Nagorno Karabakh. That was the conclusion by a top NKR Armenian
delegate to Tiraspol, speaking at a news conference in a run-up to
Sunday’s presidential elections.

" – The two countries have much in common. Both of them are
self-sufficient states with all inseparable attributes," Yuri
Hayrapetian, the chairman of the committee on state and legal issues
at the Nagorno Karabakh National Assembly, told a news conference in
Tiraspol. Yuri Hayrapetian and NKR government representative Garry
Jahangirian arrived in Tiraspol to observe the presidential election
due on December 10.

The NKR delegates are going to attend the polling stations and meet
with the Armenian community of Pridnestrovie, often alternately also
called Transdniester in English or Transnistria in Romanian.

" – Both Transdnistria and Nagorno Karabakh are not yet perceived by
the international community as full subjects of international law.

But both states formed and asserted their independence and have
survived bloody wars. Both are under economic blockades, and both
have experienced economic and political hardships," Hayrapetian said.

However, he also remarked that unlike Pridnestrovie, Nagorno Karabakh
has a supporter which defends its interests at international level,
renders it financial assistance, and has a common border with NKR. He
was referring to the Republic of Armenia. And although Moldova is
often quick to assert that in Pridnestrovie’s case, Russia is that
kind of supporter, Hayrapetian pointed out that this was not the
case. Russia does not unequivocally defend Pridnestrovie’s interests
at the international level, does not automatically render financial
assistance, and does not in the least share any kind of common border
with Pridnestrovie. Although Pridnestrovie does consider Russia a
friend, the relationship is much less clear-cut than in the case of
Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia.

" – The other difference is complete absence of any interaction between
Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, the borders with which make the front
line and actually we are still in state of war. At least in this case,
Transdnistria and Moldova has maintained some kind of dialogue. In
our case, the negotiations with Azerbaijan proceeded limply. Instead,
we decided to build our state in accordance with our interests,"
Yuri Hayrapetian said.

Armenia criticizes Moldova Meanwhile, Armenia has issued a strongly
worded statement against Moldova and two other states, noting that
Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova are meddling into an issue that doesn’t
concern them.

" – Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova are playing into the hands of
Azerbaijan by meddling into an issue which does not concern them,"
said Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian when commenting on
GUAM’s statement about referendum in Nagorno Karabakh.

In his words, the Moldova-backed statement does not have anything
with reality.

" – During a decade and a half, in a situation of no-peace and
no-war, and to their credit, the people and authorities of Nagorno
Karabakh have built a lawful, well-regulated internal governance
system. They have built political institutions; through elections
they have selected their own authorities and developed a legislative
framework. Today, they have recognized the need for a basic law, and
chosen the internationally accepted practice of a referendum as the
only acceptable way to collectively adopt that basic law. Azerbaijan
claims that exercising a vote is an obstruction to the peace process.

Just the opposite. At the core of the negotiations to reach a peaceful
resolution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is the right of the people
of Nagorno Karabakh for self-determination. What really obstructs
the process is the Azerbaijani overreaction to Karabakh’s democratic
activities, their refusal to engage Nagorno Karabakh in peace talks,
their repeated militaristic calls and their persistent efforts to
sidetrack the Minsk Group negotiation process," reports the press
office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

On Sunday, Pridnestrovie’s voters go to the polls in a democratic
election to freely and fairly choose a president. It is the fourth
such election in the young country’s 16 year history. (With information
from PanArmenian Network)

Article URL:

ORHAN PAMUK SAYS ‘NO COMMENT’ TO ARMENIAN QUESTION

Zaman, Turkey
Dec 8 2006

Speaking to the press on the Nobel Prize in Sweden, Turkish novelist
Orhan Pamuk avoided commenting on the Armenian issue.

Pamuk came to Sweden to receive his Nobel Prize in Literature with
his daughter Ruya and stayed at the Grand Hotel.

Pamuk made a press statement at Norstedts Publishing, which published
Pamuk’s books in Sweden. Over 100 media members from all over the
world followed the press conference.

Reporters asked questions to Pamuk, who was very excited about
the prize.

A journalist reminded Pamuk of his controversial remarks on the
alleged Armenian genocide. When asked about his views on the issue,
Pamuk was reluctant to discuss politics and simply said, "no comment."

Before coming to Sweden, Pamuk had said he would focus on global
issues, not just Turkey.

Pamuk will deliver his Nobel speech on Thursday and receive his prize
on Sunday.

The laureate said he would return to Istanbul as soon as he received
the prize.

Japan to Build Prisons Without Guards By Cihan News Agency, Tokyo
zaman.com

A new type of prison is being constructed in Japan next spring in
the southern Japanese city of Yamaguchi.

Instead of concrete walls, a wire fence will be used. Infrared sensors
will be used for surveillance. And instead of prison guards, prisoners
will carry surveillance tools attached to their uniforms.

The devices will enable constant computerized surveillance of
prisoners. Nonetheless, only prisoners convicted under minor charges
will be kept in the prison.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SOMETHING TO SCREAM ABOUT: SCREAMERS DIRECTOR AND SYSTEM OF A DOWN JOIN FORCES TO DECRY ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
By Gabriel San Roman

Orange County Weekly, CA
Dec 8 2006

On April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Turkish government began a systematic
campaign of arrests, deportation, and annihilation against the Armenian
people. By 1923, mass killings had claimed the lives of an estimated
1.5 million Armenians in what became the first genocide of the 20th
century. To this day, the Turkish government continues to deny that
genocide took place, and despite numerous nations recognizing the
Armenian Genocide, the United States, after 91 years, has yet to
officially recognize it.

Activists in the States have tried to reverse the U.S. government’s
shameful stance. All-Armenian and Grammy Award-winning rock group
System of a Down has used its influence to raise awareness about the
genocide, and now documentary filmmaker Carla Garapedian, herself an
Armenian American, chronicles the band’s activism and the history of
the Armenian Genocide in her new film Screamers, which opens Friday
in Orange.

I recently talked with Garapedian and System of a Down drummer John
Dolmayan about the project.

OC Weekly: Carla, a documentary featuring System of a Down titled
Screamers will carry the connotation of what Serj Tankian and Daron
Malakian do on stage, but it has a different meaning, doesn’t it?

Carla Garapedian: It does. I got the term from Samantha Power’s
Pulitzer Prize-winning book, A Problem From Hell: America in the Age
of Genocide. She very cleverly tells the story of genocide in the last
century. Powers argues that in each case of genocide, whether it’s
the Armenian genocide or what’s going on in Darfur, Sudan, now, there
are always individuals who raise the alarm and say this is going on
and we have to do something about it. She calls those people screamers.

Why did you choose to explore the Armenian Genocide through the prism
of System of a Down?

Garapedian: All the members of System of a Down are grandchildren of
genocide survivors, as I am. They have a very strong sense of their
cultural identity and the denial of the genocide. I didn’t think about
making a film on genocide until I heard their music and learned about
them. They’re a worldwide phenomenon and they are affecting how young
people think about politics. It struck me that this band was having an
effect that was really different. It made me think that using their
music, passion and energy might help me tell the story of genocide
in the last century.

John, why did System of a Down decide to be a part of this film?

John Dolmayan: We didn’t do this movie for any other reason than to
do what we felt was a commitment we have to follow through with.

Being Armenian, I feel very strongly about genocide and injustice. I
was compelled to be a part of this. I’m proud of the film. I think
the film came out well. It didn’t come off preachy; just informative.

How personal is the Armenian Genocide recognition cause for you? Did
your activism on this issue begin before System of a Down was formed?

Dolmayan: It’s a very personal issue for all of us in the band. I
don’t know if I would consider myself an activist, even to this day.

As a human being, not just an Armenian, I believe that genocide is
wrong. If that makes me an activist, I guess that’s the definition of
it. It’s very personal for us. We each had a loss of family members,
a loss of our history, and a loss of our ancestry. We can only date
our families back to a certain extent. It deeply motivated us in our
lives to prevent other genocides from taking place.

There’s a scene in Screamers where you and Serj approached Congressman
Dennis Hastert about the Armenian Genocide resolution in a respectful
manner. Did you feel like Hastert blew you off?

Dolmayan: I think that he did what most politicians do. First of all,
he didn’t acknowledge the letter Serj and I handed in him in Chicago.

It was obvious he read it at some point. He’s just doing what
politicians do. Most of their lives are spent distorting truth.

Carla, what audience do you hope to reach with Friday’s opening at
the Block in Orange?

Garapedian: There are many fans of the band in Orange County, and
they were really critical in the early days of System of a Down’s
success. We want to show the film to pay homage and thank those fans
who supported the band in the early days, although this isn’t a System
of a Down movie; it features them. Also, there are many Armenians in
Orange County, and the film is going to get its start by appealing
to those core audiences. By going to the film in its first weekend,
people will be sending a message out to the rest of the country that
there can be a film about genocide and the message will also be sent
that there are people who care about this issue. That’s what I’m
hoping to do in Orange County.

Gabriel San Roman is the assistant producer of Uprising, a popular
prime time radio program on KPFK Pacifica Radio in Los Angeles.

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