The Age, Australia
Oct 6 2006
The folly of dangerous and foolish patriotism
By Tony Coady
October 7, 2006
Samuel Johnson famously declared that patriotism was the
last refuge of the scoundrel, but the American satirist Ambrose
Bierce may have been closer to the mark when he said that it was the
first. In any case, the fog of patriotic fervour now lies so heavy on
the Australian political landscape that it is necessary to clear some
of it away lest we lose direction entirely.
Attachment to the good habits and institutions of one’s country and a
modest pride in the genuine achievements of one’s co-nationals is a
commendable attitude, capable of forging ties and cementing community
feeling. But patriotism has a strong tendency to go beyond this. The
slogan, “My country, right or wrong” is palpably absurd, but the more
seductive, though equally foolish, idea is that my country can
actually do no wrong, or, at any rate, no serious wrong. The emotions
of patriotism all too often blind us to the moral crimes and follies
that “we” have committed and can again commit. When this is combined
with the political advantages of populism, the mixture can be lethal.
It is not only scoundrels who misuse patriotism; the foolish and
opportunistic also do it.
Our politicians are falling over themselves to reach the peak of
Patriot Hill. They vie with each other to make new and more dramatic
proposals for pulling the rest of us into line with some opaque
vision of Australian values. The proposals range from the
conspicuously silly, such a Kim Beazley’s visa pledge to Aussie
values for tourists to the downright unpleasant, such as Andrew
Robb’s proposal to force migrants to wait four years for citizenship
instead of the present two. There is even a whiff of it in Julie
Bishop’s call for a common national school curriculum designed to
fend off Marxist, feminist and even (God help us!) Maoist
interpretations apparently being foisted on our unsuspecting Aussie
kids by ideologues in state education bureaucracies.
Much of this combines exaggerated fear with extravagant attachment to
a comforting fantasy of a stereotypical Australia. The fantasy is
supposed to protect us from the fear. The fear itself is partly a
genuine if overwrought fear of terrorist acts, and partly a formless
dread of unusual foreigners, especially, nowadays, Muslims.
I remember when Australian patriotism used to be a quiet and modest
affair. The 1950s that our Prime Minister is so fond of was actually
a time when loud affectations of “Aussie values”, condemnations of
“anti-Australian behaviour”, and indulgence in flag-worship would
have been greeted with astonishment and scorn. I can only hope that
some of that earthy, cynical realism remains in our make-up, but
decades of exploitative advertising (“C’mon Aussie, c’mon”) and
imitation of the most sentimental elements in American culture have
undoubtedly had their effect. The idea that respect for law, regard
for justice (“fair go”), and concern for women’s rights somehow
flourish distinctively here (“Aussie values”) and languish everywhere
else is of course nonsense, but that is the impression regularly
conveyed by many of our political leaders, and reinforced in much of
the media.
The Steve Irwin phenomenon is instructive. His death was sad and
shocking, but the hysterical sentimentality of the media reactions to
it, and the casting of Irwin as a heroic embodiment of Aussie-ness
were bizarre. Irwin’s high-voltage buffoonery and loud, extroverted,
continuous talking are quite unusual characteristics in this country.
It is indicative of the Prime Minister’s tin ear for Australian
dialect that he should have described Irwin as a “larrikin” when the
more accurate colloquialism would have been “bit of a ratbag”. In
fact, the crocodile man was better known and more loved in America
than Australia, which may explain some of the Prime Minister’s
infatuation with his image.
The really impressive thing about the celebration of Irwin’s life was
not the media hyperbole, the politicians’ gushing, or the
professional sincerity of various celebrity actors. No, it was the
quiet dignity of his family, especially his father, whose brief
speech was understated and genuinely moving. The family’s rejection
of the absurd offer of a state funeral injected a rare dose of common
sense into the aftermath of Irwin’s sad death.
The dangers of patriotism have just been dramatically illustrated by
the recent criminal indictment in Turkey of the novelist Elif Shafak
for having insulted “Turkishness”. Her alleged crime consisted in
writing a novel that explores the dark secret of Turkish crimes
against Armenians at the end of the Ottoman Empire when thousands of
Armenians were massacred in an outrageous ethnic cleansing. We are
still some way from criminalising criticism of our past (and to the
credit of the Turkish courts, she was acquitted) but the price of
massive self-deception and manipulated sentiment so often inherent in
the patriotic voice is very high. We need to confront our urgent
problems calmly, rationally and with an eye to empirical facts and
universal values. Patriotic posturing is at best a distraction, and
at worst a dangerous folly.
Tony Coady is professorial fellow at the Centre for Applied
Philosophy and Public Ethics at Melbourne University.
The Steve Irwin phenomenon is instructive. His death was sad and
shocking, but the hysterical sentimentality of the media reactions to
it, and the casting of Irwin as a heroic embodiment of Aussie-ness
were bizarre. Irwin’s high-voltage buffoonery and loud, extroverted,
continuous talking are quite unusual characteristics in this country.
It is indicative of the Prime Minister’s tin ear for Australian
dialect that he should have described Irwin as a “larrikin” when the
more accurate colloquialism would have been “bit of a ratbag”. In
fact, the crocodile man was better known and more loved in America
than Australia, which may explain some of the Prime Minister’s
infatuation with his image.
The really impressive thing about the celebration of Irwin’s life was
not the media hyperbole, the politicians’ gushing, or the
professional sincerity of various celebrity actors. No, it was the
quiet dignity of his family, especially his father, whose brief
speech was understated and genuinely moving. The family’s rejection
of the absurd offer of a state funeral injected a rare dose of common
sense into the aftermath of Irwin’s sad death.
The dangers of patriotism have just been dramatically illustrated by
the recent criminal indictment in Turkey of the novelist Elif Shafak
for having insulted “Turkishness”. Her alleged crime consisted in
writing a novel that explores the dark secret of Turkish crimes
against Armenians at the end of the Ottoman Empire when thousands of
Armenians were massacred in an outrageous ethnic cleansing. We are
still some way from criminalising criticism of our past (and to the
credit of the Turkish courts, she was acquitted) but the price of
massive self-deception and manipulated sentiment so often inherent in
the patriotic voice is very high. We need to confront our urgent
problems calmly, rationally and with an eye to empirical facts and
universal values. Patriotic posturing is at best a distraction, and
at worst a dangerous folly.
Tony Coady is professorial fellow at the Centre for Applied
Philosophy and Public Ethics at Melbourne University.

Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers to meet in Paris once again
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 6 2006
[ 06 Oct. 2006 19:06 ]
Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Vardan
Oskanyan had one-by-one meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov and OSCE MG co-chairs in the Ministry building in Moscow today.
Then the ministers negotiated in the presence of the co-chairs.
Azerbaijan FM Press and Information Policy chief Tahir Tagizadeh
told the APA that the ministers discussed all main principles of
the Nagorno Garabagh conflict solution and co-chairs’ new proposals.
Mammadyarov positively evaluated the negotiation.
The ministers agreed to meet in Paris on October 24. /APA/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Iraq’s anti-Christian pogroms
By Charles Tannock
Manila Times, Philippines
Oct 6 2006
The world is consumed by fears that Iraq is degenerating into a civil
war between Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. But in this looming war of all
against all, it is Iraq’s small community of Assyrian Christians that
is at risk of annihilation.
Iraq’s Christian communities are among the world’s most ancient,
practicing their faith in Mesopotamia almost since the time of
Christ. The Assyrian Apostolic Church, for instance, traces its
foundation back to 34 AD and Saint Peter. Likewise, the Assyrian Church
of the East dates to 33 AD and Saint Thomas. The Aramaic that many of
Iraq’s Christians still speak is the language of those apostles-and
of Christ.
When tolerated by their Muslim rulers, Assyrian Christians contributed
much to the societies in which they lived. Their scholars helped usher
in the “Golden Age” of the Arab world by translating important works
into Arabic from Greek and Syriac. But in recent times, toleration
has scarcely existed. In the Armenian Genocide of 1914-1918, 750,000
Assyrians-roughly two-thirds of their number at the time-were massacred
by the Ottoman Turks with the help of the Kurds.
Under the Iraqi Hashemite monarchy, the Assyrians faced persecution
for co-operating with the British during the First World War. Many
fled to the West, among them the Church’s patriarch. During Saddam’s
wars with the Kurds, hundreds of Assyrian villages were destroyed,
their inhabitants rendered homeless, and dozens of ancient churches
were bombed. The teaching of the Syriac language was prohibited
and Assyrians were forced to give their children Arabic names in an
effort to undermine their Christian identity. Those who wished to
hold government jobs had to declare Arab ethnicity.
In 1987 the Iraqi census listed 1.4 million Christians. Today, only
about 600,000 to 800,000 remain in the country, most on the Nineveh
plain. As many as 60,000, and perhaps even more, have fled since
the beginning of the insurgency that followed the United States-led
invasion in 2003. Their exodus accelerated in August 2004, after the
start of the terrorist bombing campaign against Christian churches by
Islamists who accuse them of collaboration with the allies by virtue
of their faith.
A recent UN report states that religious minorities in Iraq “have
become the regular victims of discrimination, harassment, and,
at times, persecution, with incidents ranging from intimidation to
murder,” and that “members of the Christian minority appear to be
particularly targeted.”
Indeed, there are widespread reports of Christians fleeing the country
as a result of threats being made to their women for not adhering
to strict Islamic dress codes. Christian women are said to have had
acid thrown in their faces. Some have been killed for wearing jeans
or not wearing the veil.
This type of violence is particularly acute in the area around Mosul.
High-ranking clergy claim that priests in Iraq can no longer
wear their clerical robes in public for fear of being attacked by
Islamists. Last January, coordinated car-bomb attacks were carried
out on six churches in Baghdad and Kirkuk; on another occasion, six
churches were simultaneously bombed in Baghdad and Mosul. Over the
past two years, 27 Assyrian churches have reportedly been attacked
for the sole reason that they were Christian places of worship.
These attacks go beyond targeting physical manifestations of the
faith. Christian-owned small businesses, particularly those selling
alcohol, have been attacked, and many shopkeepers murdered. The
director of the Iraqi Museum, Donny George, a respected Assyrian,
says that he was forced to flee Iraq to Syria in fear of his life,
and that Islamic fundamentalists obstructed all of his work that was
not focused on Islamic artifacts.
Assyrian leaders also complain of deliberate discrimination in the
January 2005 elections. In some cases, they claim, ballot boxes did
not arrive in Assyrian towns and villages, voting officials failed to
show up, or ballot boxes were stolen. They also cite the intimidating
presence of Kurdish militia and secret police near polling stations.
Recently, however, there are signs the Iraqi Kurdish authorities are
being more protective of their Christian communities.
Sadly, the plight of Iraq’s Christians is not an isolated one in the
Middle East. In Iran, the population as a whole has nearly doubled
since the 1979 revolution; but, under a hostile regime, the number of
Christians in the country has fallen from roughly 300,000 to 100,000.
In 1948 Christians accounted for roughly 20 percent of the
population of what was then Palestine. Since then, their numbers
have roughly halved. In Egypt emigration among Coptic Christians is
disproportionately high; many convert to Islam under pressure, and
over the past few years violence perpetrated against the Christian
community has taken many lives.
The persecution of these ancient and unique Christian communities,
in Iraq and in the Middle East as a whole, is deeply disturbing. Last
April the European Parliament voted virtually unanimously for the
Assyrians to be allowed to establish (on the basis of section 5 of
the Iraqi Constitution) a federal region where they can be free from
outside interference to practice their own way of life. It is high
time now that the West paid more attention, and took forceful action
to secure the future of Iraq’s embattled Christians.
Charles Tannock is vice-president of the Human Rights Subcommittee of
the European Parliament and UK Conservative Foreign Affairs spokesman.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 6 2006
Azerbaijan Ambassador to CE: Azerbaijani Delegation Achieved Ends Set
at PACE Autumn`s Session
Source: Trend
Author: A. Ismayilova
06.10.2006
The Azerbaijani delegation to the Council of Europe (CE) has achieved
the ends set at the autumn`s session of PACE (Parliamentary Assembly
of Council of Europe), Agshin Mekhtiyev, Azerbaijan`s Ambassador to
CE exclusively told Trend commenting the autimn`s session of PACE
completed today.
Mr. Mekhtiyev thinks that on the whole, the results of the session
are can be called positive. The Azerbaijani delegation prepared
documents on a number of issues touching different aspects of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as other issues of a great
interest to Azerbaijan and d then distributed them in PACE. Among
these issues, a document on possible dangerous consequences of the
operating Metsamor Atomic Power Station in Armenia, and continued
pollution of waters of the Kura River by Armenians, etc.
In addition, the Ambassador pointed out that some issues that were
introduced to the agenda were of a certain interest to Azerbaijan as
well. For example, the debate on discussing the issue on foundation
of the memorial Centre for Victims of Forced Deportations and Ethnic
Clean-Ups. “Armenians did all their best to use this debate to
blacken our country again, and once more appear as a “long-suffering”
nation. But, the Azerbaijani MPs perfectly rejected all their views”
he added.
“The information about the black business of Armenian Dashnak bands
against Azerbaijanis in the course of the history, including the
Stalin`s approved deportations of Azerbaijani population from the
territory of the modern Armenia, the nowadays` genocide acts and the
ethnic clean-up in Khodjali and the other territories which are under
the Armenian occupation now”, told Mr. Mekhtiyev.
Within the PACE session, Pact on Stability in South Caucasus was
discussed in the PACE Political Committee and recommended to further
discussion during the January`s session of PACE. The initial
discussion of the issues concerning the preparation of the report of
Rapporteur of the PACE Committee for Migration, Refugees, and
Population in South Caucasus Leo Platvoet was took place as well. The
Ambassador thinks that both the issues will be included to the agenda
of the PACE January`s session.
He also considers the meeting among Head of the Azerbaijani
Parliamentary Delegation to CE Samad Seyidov and Head of the PACE
Subcommittee for Nagorno-Karabakh Lord Russell Johnston with the Head
of the Armenian delegation to CE important. The corresponding offices
of PACE discussed the preparation for the visit of the PACE mission
on the situation over the Azerbaijan cultural heritage on the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan and in Armenia itself.
Negotiations with the Co-Rapporteurs on Azerbaijan Tony Lloyd and
Andreas Herkel were held.

International Herald Tribune, France
Oct 6 2006
Turkey warns French draft bill on Armenian killings could severely
hurt ties
The Associated Press
Published: October 6, 2006
ANKARA, Turkey Turkey on Friday warned that a French bill that would
make it a crime to deny that World War I-era killings of Armenians
amounted to genocide could severely hurt ties between the two
countries.
French lawmakers, who had caved to pressure from Turkey and put off
sensitive debate on the issue in the lower house in May, are
scheduled to debate the bill on Thursday.
“The Armenian issue has poisoned our relations in the past more than
enough. But this time, it is obvious that the mentioned draft bill
will inflict an irreparable heavy blow to our improving relations,”
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan told a news conference.
Tan said that the approval of the bill would be considered by the
Turkish public as “a hostile act.”
It is obvious that it would not be possible to control the reaction
of our public opinion,” he said.
Under the bill, people who contest that there was an Armenian
genocide would risk up to a year in prison and fines of up to ~@45,000
(US$57,000).
On Tuesday, Turkey said it was out of the question to accept a call
by French President Jacques Chirac who urged Turkey to acknowledge
the mass killings of Armenians in the early 20th century as genocide.
Armenians claim that as many as 1.5 million of their ancestors were
killed in 1915-1923 in an organized campaign to force them out of
eastern Turkey, and have pushed for recognition of the killings
around the world as genocide.
Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died, but says
the overall figure is inflated and that the deaths occurred in the
civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. But Ankara is
facing increasing pressure to fully acknowledge the killings,
particularly as it seeks membership in the European Union.
ANKARA, Turkey Turkey on Friday warned that a French bill that would
make it a crime to deny that World War I-era killings of Armenians
amounted to genocide could severely hurt ties between the two
countries.
French lawmakers, who had caved to pressure from Turkey and put off
sensitive debate on the issue in the lower house in May, are
scheduled to debate the bill on Thursday.
“The Armenian issue has poisoned our relations in the past more than
enough. But this time, it is obvious that the mentioned draft bill
will inflict an irreparable heavy blow to our improving relations,”
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan told a news conference.
Tan said that the approval of the bill would be considered by the
Turkish public as “a hostile act.”
It is obvious that it would not be possible to control the reaction
of our public opinion,” he said.
Under the bill, people who contest that there was an Armenian
genocide would risk up to a year in prison and fines of up to ~@45,000
(US$57,000).
On Tuesday, Turkey said it was out of the question to accept a call
by French President Jacques Chirac who urged Turkey to acknowledge
the mass killings of Armenians in the early 20th century as genocide.
Armenians claim that as many as 1.5 million of their ancestors were
killed in 1915-1923 in an organized campaign to force them out of
eastern Turkey, and have pushed for recognition of the killings
around the world as genocide.
Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died, but says
the overall figure is inflated and that the deaths occurred in the
civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. But Ankara is
facing increasing pressure to fully acknowledge the killings,
particularly as it seeks membership in the European Union.

ARMENIA INTERESTED IN DEVELOPMENT OF TRADE RELATIONS WITH EUROPE
THROUGH BLACK SEA PORTS OF ROMANIA
Arka News Agency, Armenia
Oct 6 2006
YEREVAN, October 6. /ARKA/. Armenia is highly interested in development
of trade relations with European countries through the Black Sea ports
of Romania, Armenian President Robert Kocharian reported Wednesday
at the joint press conference with Romanian President Traian Basescu.
“However, today there is not a developed system to operate these
Black Sea ports,” he said.
Kocharian pointed out that Armenia is interested in this direction of
development of relations with Romania before its accession to the EU.
“This is the direct trade route with European countries, and we are
highly interested in its effective development,” Kocharian said.
In his turn, the Romanian president said that Romania will always
support the improvement of political, economic, and social relations
with the countries of the Black Sea region, especially with Armenia.
R.O. –0–

VICE-PRESIDENT OF ALCATEL: ARMENIA HAS GREAT POTENTIAL IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
Arka News Agency, Armenia
Oct 6 2006
YEREVAN, October 6. /ARKA/. Vice-President of Alcatel company for
CIS countries and Mongolia Johan Vanderplaetse told journalists in
Tbilisi that Armenia had a great potential in software development.
“Recent visit of President of Alcatel Serge Churuka to Armenia
together with the delegation of President of France Jacques Chirac
was conditioned not only by the fact that the company is a supplier,
successfully selling its solutions at Armenian market, but also by
the circumstance that Armenia has a great potential in the sphere of
software development”, Vanderplaetse said.
He said that as early as a year ago after Churuka’s meeting with
President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan it became clear that Armenia
was highly interested in software development.
“We find it a very right decision, since Armenia does not have gas
or oil reserves, but it has a great advantage thanks to its human
resources and high system of education”, Vanderplaetse emphasized.
“We are satisfied that in Armenia on the highest levels people clearly
understand that the development of telecommunication and availability
of internet not only in Yerevan but also across Armenia is a key
target of the country”, he said.
“We have unique offers on ViMax, which we want to promote in Armenia”,
he pointed out, meantime adding that in the country the development
of the internet itself depended on the operators, engaged in
telecommunication software.
Answering to a question about the possibility of opening an enterprise
of ready production of Alcatel company in Armenia, Vanderplaetse
pointed out that at present the software was the main part of
telecommunication software, and “the iron is less and less important”.
“We have a choice – either to invest into production of “slow-witted”
iron, or use brains of Armenian engineers in the sphere of software.
I think that the second is worth counting on”, he said.S.P.-0–

Storytellers head for the road
Hexham Courant, United Kingdom
Oct 6 2006
IT’S the traditional season to curl up next to the fireside and listen
to a good yarn, and the North Pennines Storytelling Festival is booked
to arrive right on cue.
The 15th annual celebration of the myths and legends of this colourful
part of the UK lasts the whole of next weekend, from Friday, October
13 to Sunday, October 15.
The stories are being told at several venues, and visitors can take
circular bus tours enlivened by guides and musicians, as they are
carried to storytelling destinations.
For Tynedale locations, Hexham railway station is the place to start,
and the route ends just over the Cumbrian border at Alston.
The Tynedale part of the festival programme starts at 6pm on Friday
evening, with tales at Whitfield Church in the Allen Valley.
The village is famed for its field sports and associations with the
Earl of Derwentwater and the Jacobites, and Malcolm Green – a member
of the North-East based A Bit Crack storytelling trio – promises to
breathe new life into old sagas helped by local school children.
On Saturday, the storybus leaves for an all-day trip from Hexham
station calling at Stanhope in Weardale, the Station Yard Hub in
Alston, and Allendale library, with musician Mike Bettison and a
local guide aboard.
At the library in Allendale, expect an abundance of short stories
from Michael Harvey and Chris Bostock, with a tea-time spread of
Northumbrian fayre included in the ticket price.
On Sunday, make tracks after lunch to the Garden Station at Langley to
join Malcolm Green, Michael Harvey and a small cast of giant puppets
for stories, followed by teatime refreshments.
Other storytellers taking part in the festival include Pascale Konyn,
Pat Renton, Nick Hennesey and Vergine Gulbenkian from Turkish Armenia.
Tickets can be bought on the door for most events, but weekend
tickets and bus reservations can be bought in advance by calling
01229 861355. Check the website www.npenninestorytelling. org.uk for
the latest information.

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 6 2006
Employee of Azeri Ombudsman Office in OSCE Annual Meeting for Human
Measurements
Source: Trend
Author: S.Agayeva
06.10.2006
The annual report meeting of OSCE for human measurement will take
place in Warsaw from 8 to 13 October. The representative of the
Azerbaijani Ombudsman Office Aydin Safikhanli will also attend the
gathering, Trend reports quoting the Ombudsman Office.
The agenda of the meeting include discussing the questions such as
democratic elections, citizenship and political rights, humanitarian
problems, information freedom, pre-eminence of law, ensuring the
rights of national minorities, etc.
The representative of the Azerbaijani Ombudsman Office will make a
report at the meeting regarding human rights, results of the measures
taken in the local prisons and military units. In addition, he will
inform the guests about the Armenian aggression and the hard results
of this aggression.

Turkish economy may become growth engine of Europe
FreshPlaza, Netherlands
Oct 6 2006
Turkish Industrialists & Businessmen Association (TUSÝAD) Chairman Omer
Sabancý has stated that Turkey could not be a member of the European
Union without convincing the European public opinion, and added “Truths
about Turkey should be told. A fair evaluation should be made. Turkey’s
membership in EU is an additional value for all. Turkish economy may
become growth engine of Europe. ” TUSÝAD Chairman delivered a speech
in Paris, France at a panel titled ‘Global Challenges of Europe and
Turkey’ within the scope of Turkish Week.
Reminding that the TUSÝAD demanded the abolition of article 301 of the
Turkish Penal Code within the context of freedom of expression, Sabancý
went on to say, “When we make steps toward more freedom of expression,
I cannot comprehend the attitude on freedom of expression in France”,
referring to recent attempts in France to legislate a prohibition on
any speech against alleged Armenian Genocide issue. Sabancý added
he thinks such an attitude befitted a country fearing the truths.
–Boundary_(ID_WRRHv8aPhRO4BctAvft1pA)–