ARMENIA WILL RAISE TERRITORIAL CLAIM AGAINST TURKEY IF “GENOCIDE”
IS RECOGNIZED, PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
July 12 2006
“Armenia raises false, imaginary, unreal and faked accusations
against Turkey, and try the notorious “genocide” to be approved in
Europe. That is, it shows that they are in a hostile position,” said
President Ilham Aliyev in an interview to Turkey’s Cumhuriyet newspaper
The Head of State then stressed, “First, there was not any genocide.
Instead, in all periods they have killed the Turks, Azerbaijanis,
and massacred them. Secondly, let us have a look at the new history.
There were countries that battled with each other for ten times,
twenty times. The European countries. Have a look at the World War
II. In this war, carried out by Germany, the Soviet Union, England,
France and America, 30 million and may be more people were killed.
Wars occurred in world, and earlier in Europe. But after 20 years,
the Soviet Union and Western Germany established relations. And today
they are allies, France and Germany play leading role in the European
Union and all see their alliance. These nations, these countries have
closed the history for future, for progress. But look at Armenia;
they educate their youth in spirit of hostility”.
Saying that Armenians they will demand compensation, raise territorial
claim against Turkey after they achieve the recognition of “genocide”,
the Head of State added, “Turkey and Azerbaijan should have stronger
position. We should not defend, but on the contrary, we should attack
>From the point of view of policy and propaganda. Here, in Azerbaijan
we set up the affairs in high level. It is necessary to unmask the
Armenian propaganda, and smash up their false propaganda and bring
to the notice of world community”.

Sweet success: Life in a chocolate factory
By RITA DEMONTIS, TORONTO SUN
Toronto Sun, Canada
July 12 2006
There’s a real-life Willy Wonka in our midst. Her name is Stella
Zhamkochian and she’s at the helm of Gourmet Square, a manufacturer,
wholesaler and distributor of chocolates.
We think her middle initial is C for chocolate — or it should be,
as this Markham mother of two’s life is one of recreating this sweet
treat on all levels.
Her company creates an array of sweets prepared in the most innovative
ways. Everything from blueberry-inspired bon-bons to chocolate pizzas
to chocolate-drizzled popcorn, Zhamkochian admits her mind is always
on the go to find a new winner, a new flavour, a new idea.
IN CANADA’S FINEST HOTELS
Her goods are recognizable in some of Canada’s finest hotels and
shops, and she prepares for dozens of companies under their own
private labels.
She even has a tiny retail shop open to the public when she’s not too
busy on the wholesale side of life — “just phone and see if we’re
open that day,” she offers.
A recent visit to her plant in the city’s north end sees Zhamkochian
— “I was born in Armenia and came to Canada at the age of 12” —
multi-tasking at an alarming rate, hairnet sternly in place, white
smock neatly pressed, sending out rapid-fire directions to her tiny
staff and making sure her chocolate operation flows as smoothly as
the decadent product she works with.
Her company’s considered one of the tiniest players in the
confectionary field, yet her volume of work is large, and the plant
is a beehive of activity — add to that the constant, heavenly aroma
that permeates the place, and you might as well be in chocolate heaven.
“Here try this!” she says as she pops a small, pink-flecked
bon-bon into a visitor’s mouth. The explosion of flavour is instant
and incredible — velvety smooth, it’s an exquisite bite of the
most perfect strawberry cheesecake. “Whadya think of that!,” says
Zhamkochian triumphantly, as she lobs a second bon-bon — this one
a deep, rich red — again into the visitor’s mouth.
It tastes like the ripest, most intense bing cherry, bathed in a
delicate chocolate chaser.
Zhamkochian pores a pile of brilliant-hued treats, in different shapes
and flavours, on a spotless table. She points out the blueberry
and banana treats, and offers up a raspberry and cherry, and that
surreal cheesecake.
Truth be told, Zhamkochian’s ” bon-bons” are more reminiscent of
magnificent jewels — baubles for the taste buds, so to speak.
“I’m always thinking of a different flavour, or taking a standard
flavour to a new level,” says Zhamkochian, who, although the middle of
summer, has Christmas carols playing in her heard, as she’s currently
working on a Yuletide line that includes a delicate eggnog-inspired
treat, a mincemeat-laced chocolate, as well as a killer orange
creme brulee.
” I find inspiration in everything, and at the weirdest hours,
including the middle of the night,” says Zhamkochian, while keeping a
critical eye on a line of hand-finished chocolate pears being prepared
for a wedding.
How did she decide on a career in chocolate — especially as she’s
a florist by nature? “I worked in retail fashion for many years,
and then I quit to have my son,” says Zamkochian, mother of Matthew,
12 and Grace 7, who incidentally are named after her Grace- Matthews
Collection, a new packaging line. “When Matthew was three, I opened
a florist shop and it was quite a success. I started dabbling in
chocolate to offer as an extra, and when that proved to be more
successful, my husband Mario and I took a gamble and went into the
chocolate business full-time seven years ago.”
It was a gamble, but one on her terms. She wanted to offer chocolates
“with a new twist. Sure, we have your basic chocolate-covered
almonds. But we also offer cinnamon-dusted, toffee covered almonds in
our chocolate. Our centres, like raspberry, orange, lemon, banana,
even coconut-dusted pineapple, can sometimes fool you into thinking
your eating a fresh fruit.”
Zhamkochian knows she’s playing with the big boys — and holding
her own. What started as a one-person operation has expanded into
full and part-time staff. And she’s looking to expand next year,
into larger headquarters.
On any given week, she’s using more than 2,500 lbs. of chocolate,
sometimes as much as 4,500 lbs.
And what started out as a small venture has skyrocketed to where her
wholesale operation has gone national, yet “I still do local orders
for everything from weddings to special events. Plus we’re kosher
under the supervision of KSA, and we offer diebetic-friendly options.”
HUMIDITY AFFECTS CHEMISTRY
If there’s a downside to her business, “it’s the weather. Just the
smallest change in the humidity can change the chemistry in the
chocolate, making it that much more difficult to work with.”
One more thing — how does she stay so slim?
“You work your butt off!” she grins. “Plus — all you really need is
just a taste.”
Sure — as we pop another treat in our mouth!
—
A FEW PLACES THAT CARRY GOURMET SQUARE PRODUCTS
– Any Sugar Mountain shop
– Fisher Distributing, in Concord, exclusive wholesaler for hotel
mini bar industry.
– GiftPak in Mississauga
– Fielding Group Ltd, in Mississauga
– Sunnybrook Restaurant, 660 Eglinton Ave. E. (416) 489-4303
—
CALL 905-475-7532 OR [email protected] FOR MORE INFO.
—
ABOUT CHOCOLATE
According to Peter Higgins, a food scientist and GM of Purdy’s,
chocolate is good for you, and here’s why:
– It makes you feel great! A substance in chocolate called theobromine
triggers the release of endorphins, chemicals produced by the
brain, which act like natural anti-depressants, improving moods and
temporarily relieving the “blues.”
– Chocolate boasts essential vitamins and minerals including vitamins
A, B1, C, D, and E, as well as calcium, fluorine, iron, magnesium,
potassium, and sodium.
– Chocolate is a great source of antioxidants, ranking with the top
fruits and vegetables for antioxidant content. In fact, chocolate has
four times the antioxidant level to that of tea. Antioxidants in the
blood stream may have the ability to neutralize cancer-causing free
radicals and help prevent heart disease along with other degenerative
diseases.
– Chocolate is rich in flavonoids, which are said to possess potent
antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-enhancing properties.
– Chocolate does not raise blood cholesterol levels. Stearic acid, the
predominant saturated fat in chocolate, is a unique saturated fatty
acid. It has a neutral effect on blood cholesterol levels and unlike
other saturated fats, it simply doesn’t increase cholesterol levels.
– Chocolate eaters live longer than those who abstain. Moderate
consumption of chocolate — as well as other sweets –added almost
a year to life expectancy. Plus chocolate is lower in caffeine than
is most commonly believed.
– Chocolate does not cause tooth decay.
– Chocolate does not cause acne. In fact, many dermatologists,
including the American Academy of Dermatology, doubt that diet plays
any significant role in acne.
“Plus, there’s a real trend towards dark chocolate, specifically
chocolate with a higher cocoa content,” says Higgins. “The health
benefits in this alone are extraordinary. The trends are changing,
and people are finally coming to terms that chocolate is not only
tasty, but good for you on a variety of levels.”
—
RASPBERRY TRUFFLES
Here’s a sweet and simple recipe Stella says is a favourite in
her family!
22 oz. quality semi or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam
2 tbsp. raspberry brandy
1. In a 1-quart glass measure, combine 10oz chocolate and butter
and heat in microwave on High for one to 11/2 minutes, until melted
and smooth when stirred. Stir in jam and liqueur until well blended.
Cover and refrigerate until firm, about four hours or overnight.
2. Using a melon baller or small ice cream scoop, scrape mixture into
2.5 cm balls. (If mixture is too hard, let stand at room temperature
1/2 hour before shaping). Place truffles on wax paper-lined baking
pan and freeze firm one hour or longer.
3. In a small glass dish, place remaining 12 oz chocolate. Heat in
microwave on Medium three to 31/2 minutes, stirring often, until
chocolate is melted, smooth and warm. Using a fork, dip truffles
quickly, one at a time, into chocolate, tapping fork on edge of dish
to shake off excess.
4. Place on wax paper lined baking pan. Repeat dipping process,
stirring chocolate often and scraping down sides of dish, if necessary,
to prevent chocolate from hardening. Refrigerate until chocolates
are set, about 1/2 hour. Wrap in an air-tight container and store in
refrigerator for two weeks or in freezer for one month.
—
CHOCOLATE’S RICH PAST
Here are some sweet and satisfying facts about chocolate courtesy of
the good folks of Purdy’s chocolates, (purdys.com), a Canadian-owned
and family-operated company headquartered in Vancouver, B.C.,
considered the largest chocolate retailer in Western Canada and
the second largest in Canada. (they’ll be celebrating their 100th
anniversary next year!)
– 1502: Christopher Columbus’ fourth voyage and he discovers cocoa
in Guaanaja, off Honduras.
– 1519 : Hernando Cortes stops off at San Juan de Ulloa, tastes a cocoa
based drink and realizes how good it is. He creates a plantation and
triggers off the start of the Spanish cocoa monopoly which was to
last two centuries.
– 1641 : Cocoa is introduced to Germany via the Spanish court and a
scholar named Johann George Voldkammer.
– 1659 : Louis XIV hands over the chocolate monopolies of the Paris
chocolate drink trade and the French Royal Court to David Chaillou.
– 1847 : Invention of the chocolate bar by the English firm Fry and
Sons. Before this chocolate had only ever been consumed in liquid form.
– 1875 : Invention of milk chocolate by Daniel Peter de Vevey
in Switzerland which spelt the beginning of the Swiss’ hegemonic
relationship with chocolate.
– 1879 : Rudolph Lindt founds his chocolate factory as well as
inventing coating, conching and plain chocolate.
– 1868 : The Tobler firm is founded and starts to produce its own
chocolate in 1899, the year the Toblerone nougat, almond and honey
chocolate was born.
– 1900 : In the U.S., Milton Snavely Hershey created a town called
Hersheyville dedicated to the production of chocolate. The specialty
called the “Hershey Kiss” is still being produced today at a rate of
1500 products a minute.
– 1907: Purdy’s Chocolates was founded by Richard Carmon Purdy,
who is now a household name across Western Canada. There most famous
chocolate is the “Hedgehog” a hazelnut truffle.
– 1932 : Forrest Mars, the son of the creator of the Milky Way,
also created a leading product. No less than 2 million Mars bars
are produced every day. Next story: Indulge yourself with chocolate
delights

NKR PRESIDENT, ARMENIAN BANKERS DISCUSS DEVELOPMENT OF NKR BANKING SYSTEM
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 12 2006
STEPANAKERT, July 12. /ARKA/. President of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic (NKR) Arkady Ghukasyan and representatives of Armenia’s
banking sector discussed issues of comprehensive development of the
NKR’s banking system.
The NKR presidential press service reports that participating in the
meeting were Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan
and Chairman of the Union of Banks of Armenia Stepan Ghyshyan.
The sides discussed issues of expanding the NKR banking sector’s
cooperation with Armenian and foreign partners and of increasing the
country’s credit resources.
Among other promising spheres of cooperation President Ghukasyan
proposed the involvement of Armenia’s banking sector in renovating
the health resort infrastructure in Shushi.
Attending the meeting were also NKR Minister of Territorial
Administration and Infrastructure Development Armo Tsatryan, Board
Chairman, Artsakhbank, Kamo Nersisyan, and Head of the Shuhsi regional
administration Vladik Kasyan. P.T. -0–

KHOSROV HARUTYUNYAN: NAGORNO-KARABAKH SETTLEMENT CANNOT CAUSE SERIOUS
POLITICAL PROCESSES IN ARMENIA
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 12 2006
YEREVAN, July 12. /ARKA/. The Nagorno-Karabakh settlement cannot
cause any serious political processes in Armenia, Chairman of the
Christian-Democratic Union of Armenia (CDUA) Khosrov Harutyunyan
told reporters.
“We are far from thinking that the 2007 parliamentary elections and
the Nagorno-Karabakh problem may be the principal factor that would
cause social excitement in Armenia,” Harutyunyan said.
Since the public is sensitive to the Karabakh problem, the
declassification of the negotiating process might seem to cause
political unrest in Armenia.
“To the credit of Armenia’s political forces, we must state that both
the opposition and the political majority prove to be up to the mark
and treated the problem with understanding,” Harutyunyan said.
According to him, drawing parallels with 1998 (when power changed
in Armenia as a result of disagreements over the Karabakh problem)
would be irrelevant.
Harutyunyan believes that the current situation is different. He
pointed out that both Azerbaijan and Armenia’s authorities agreed to
the terms contained in the document on settlement proposed in 1998,
whereas Nagorno-Karabakh and some of Armenia’s political forces were
against it.
“Today Azerbaijan is against the framework agreement, while Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh state that this is a sufficient basis for further
negotiations. Therefore, those thinking of a change of power in
Armenia now must realize that, after coming to power, they will have
to agree to Azerbaijan’s proposals, which is principally impossible,”
Harutyunyan said.
On June 23, American Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew
Bryza stated that the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were
discussing a framework agreement under which Armenia forces were to
leave Azerbaijan’s territories under their control.
The agreement also envisages the stationing of peace-making forces in
the conflict zone, international assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh and
the region’s economic development. The final stage is a referendum
on the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR). P.T. -0–

PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV: ARMENIA IS NOW ISOLATED FROM
ALL THE INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
July 12 2006
“Despite all Armenians’ efforts to hamper realization of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, I am convinced that we will realize this
project. Indeed, the Armenian lobby is striving for some organizations,
international structures not to support this project”, said President
Ilham Aliyev in an interview to Turkey’s Cumhuriyet newspaper.
The President said “our current situation allows us to be independent
of other organizations. We have possibilities, and we have funds.
Azerbaijan is prepared to fulfill its financial obligation”.
“Therefore, this Armenian policy will fail to succeed; Azerbaijan
will become stronger, and take stronger position in the region.
Armenia is now isolated from all the international projects, and
their situation will further worsen,” President added.

“Zerkalo”: “Ovanesyan Wanted to be a Hero in Armenia”
Ïðaâî Âûaîða, Azerbaijan
Democratic Azerbaijan
July 12 2006
Milli Mejlis Deputy, Rabiyat Aslanova, cannot give another explanation
to the conduct of Armenian vice-speaker Recently summer session of
OSCE Parliament was finished in Brussels.
As members of Azerbaijan delegation say, session was successful
enough. Particularly, member of Azerbaijan delegation, head of
standing commission of Milli Mejlis on human rights, Rabiyat
Aslanova, informed “Zerkalo”, 25 amendments to OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly resolution were proposed on their part. “Some of them were
supported by European parliament members, and they were accepted”,
deputy stated. Unlike Armenian delegation, as R. Aslanova holds,
Azerbaijani side was very active and its activity was positive. “In
the course of discussions of the project resolution on human rights,
35 amendments were made, 6 out of them belong to Azerbaijani side,
whereas Armenians proposed just one amendment. And how do you think,
what was their amendment…Ovanesyan just added 4 words to the
one of items concerning development of diplomatic relations among
states, namely, development should be realized via “non-governmental,
political, administrative structures”. And it was all he wanted to
say”, R. Aslanova underlined.
Armenians always said that Armenia didn’t partake in regional projects,
at the same time pointing to “economic development of Azerbaijan”,
she added. “But they fail to tell who can be blamed for it. They
have no courage to confess that they are in isolation due to their
own fault”, deputy emphasized.
Armenian delegation holds that Armenia is the winner of this session,
as Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey were defeated. This view belongs
to vice speaker of Armenian parliament, head of delegation to OSCE
Parliamentary Assembly, Vaan Ovanesyan. It is clearly seen in the
interview of Ovanesyan for “Regnum” agency. “In the course of the
meeting of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Georgia and Azerbaijan
proposed two resolutions. First resolution concerns the fact that
conflict should be regulated by return of disputable territories.
Three states – Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey – out of all OSCE
member-states supported this proposal. This time, our cooperation
with USA, Russia, Canada and France was very effective” he continued.
Accordingly to him, in second resolution, Azerbaijan, Georgia and
Turkey underlined that regardless of the status of Kosovo, it won’t
be precedent. “With the help of Russia we managed to succeed: no
state but the mentioned ones voted for adoption of this resolution.
Thus, future status of Kosovo can be precedent, and disputable matters
can be solved”, vice speaker stated. V. Ovanesyan also informed that
for the first time the issue on self-determination of nations basing
on Montenegro’s referendum entered on OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
resolutions. “It is good example for finding right balance between
frontiers issue and rights of nation to sell-determination. Voting
showed that solving of matters on this basis is acceptable”, he
underlined. At the same time, Commission on Human Rights, humanitarian
issues and democratic reforms of OSCE PA started dispute connected
with national minorities, including Armenian populated region
Zamzkhe-Javakheti (Georgia). “Head of Belgian senate proposed very
important document, but she didn’t explain mechanisms of solving such
issues. We added that national minorities should have possibilities to
show themselves in policy, administrative authorities and NGOs. Canada,
Russia and Monaco supported us. Resolution was adopted by majority of
votes. In turn, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey proposed to enter on
following idea – national minorities are obliged to respect territorial
integrity of country, moreover, no one can justify terrorism. I
prepared the report on this theme, but I couldn’t take floor. Spanish
delegation attacked them. Accordingly to Spanish delegation members,
if country where they live doesn’t respect their rights, national
minorities have right not to respect its territorial integrity”,
Ovanesyan said.
Having denied the words of Armenian vice speaker, R. Aslanova
stressed that he attempted to mislead journalists and society. In
fact, in our amendments to OSCE PA resolution there are many items
that would serve interests of Azerbaijan. “I’m reading what documents
states. Frozen conflicts and numerous negative phenomena connected
with them undermine stability, preventing stable development and
impede process of general influence on integration”, deputy concluded.
J. Bayramova
–Boundary_(ID_Ck+UolWzPqd/gsDoKjsO0g)- –

>From Orhan Pamuk to Oriana Fallaci
Brussels Journal, Belgium
July 12 2006
>From the desk of James McConalogue on Tue, 2006-07-11 23:56
In Turkey, Orhan Pamuk has recently taken to defending a controversial
female columnist – Perihan Magden – after the Turkish Armed Forces
pursued a case against the author for objecting and denigrating
military service. Since the defendant, Magden, is a female supporting
Mehmet Tarhan, a homosexual citizen, it has become a case not simply
considering the place of women and homosexuals in Turkish culture, but
more importantly, a case highlighting the right that all individuals
have to express themselves, given the intrusive status of religion in
public life. The cases of these authors demonstrate the very reason(s)
why it continues to be necessary to defend the freedom of expression
on religious matters in Europe’s transitional democracies.
In Late December 2005, Pamuk found himself embroiled in a case
of defending his right to free expression. His homeland of Turkey
brought charges against him for “insulting Turkishness” after he had
claimed in a Swiss newspaper, Tages Anzeiger, that 30,000 Kurds and
one million Ottoman Armenians were killed in Turkey yet nobody would
dare to talk about it. He attended a court in Istanbul for his trial.
The case was dropped on 22 January 2006 after the Ministry of Justice
held that it was not legally viable for the country to intervene. For
a country desperate for EU entry, and confident on proving basic
liberal credentials, it was a sensible move. More recently, Elif
Shafak – author of The Bastard of Istanbul – also faces charges of
“insulting Turkishness” under the notorious Article 301 of the Turkish
Criminal Code.
However, Pamuk’s case clearly demonstrates the religious boundaries
that have to be challenged in order to attain free expression in
transitional democratic countries. The trial of Pamuk was (rightfully)
thrown out in January this year. The trial of his Italian counterpart,
Oriana Fallaci, was due to begin on 12th June this year but has been
delayed. Italy has encountered similar problems. While Italy, like
Turkey, is attempting to run a nation by its demos, it still remains –
in law, electoral politics and political culture – a variant democracy
in transition.
A modern Italian journalist whose writing on Islam has tended to cause
insult is Oriana Fallaci. Perhaps unlike other writers, such as Salman
Rushdie in Britain and Michel Houellebecq in France, Fallaci’s case
is slightly tainted. It is tainted because the case does not appear
to offer critique through fiction – rather the essays themselves
are political essays directly opposing Islam in fairly biting and
vehement criticisms.
The Oriana Fallaci controversy
It seems important to retrace the steps of how, in particular,
Fallaci’s case developed; it is a valuable contemporary lesson on
how Europe’s transitional democratic states ought not to have acted
following a literary controversy. On 11th September 2001, just under
three thousand people were horrifically killed, following the intended
crashing of four aircraft into the central and densely populated
urban areas within New York City, Virginia and Pennsylvania. It was
alleged by the American government and accepted by Islamic leader,
Osama bin Laden – and remains accepted within most ranks of society –
that a collective of Islamic organizations which operate under the
name al-Qaeda were the perpetrators of the atrocity.
Radically different analyses of the situation – most hot-headed
and intolerant reports by either Western-centric reporters or
Islamic commentators – have been offered across the world, based
within a variety of political spectra. The immediate conflict has
been posed as one of the West versus the Islamic faith, the Western
value of toleration versus Islamic intolerance, or liberalism versus
multiculturalism. One popular and vehement critic was the journalist,
Oriana Fallaci. Her opinion essay, La Rabbia e l’Orgoglio (The Rage
and the Pride) had been published in Italy, just eighteen days after
the attacks of September 11 occurred. Two years later, in 2003,
a brief follow-up book entitled The Force of Reason, formulated a
similar critique of Islam operating in Europe.
What it seems important to question is this: what is Islam’s opposition
to Fallaci’s essays and books on Muslims? More to the point, how did
the author ever manage to offend Islam? These questions are important
since they enable us to then address the impossible sanctions that
Muslims appear to be imposing upon individuals who seek to express
themselves on issues relating to Islam.
Fallaci’s book, The Rage and the Pride, heavily criticizes many
aspects of Islam and is vulgar, to say the least, in the manner
in which it achieves its degrading criticism. Unlike Houellebecq’s
and Rushdie’s novels, the text is a critique of Muslims in America
and Europe. Her intolerance at the presence of Muslims in Italy,
following the terrorist attacks in America, is immediately apparent.
She writes: “I’m telling you that we have no room for muezzins,
for minarets, for false teetotalers, for their fucking Middle Ages,
for their fucking chador.”
The grounds and basis of its critique can be found in its hot-headed
reactionary journalism, populist armchair philosophy, obsessive
patriotism, ill-considered “atheism” with a large residual respect
for Christian values, and a religious separatist outlook towards
individuals in Muslim and non-Muslim cultures. Fallaci confesses her
extreme Italian and American patriotism – the two countries in which
she has lived. Of course, she finds that eternally divided Italy has
no such modern patriotic blessing and the country has surrendered
itself to what she refers to as Islam and its “sons of Allah”. The
mere “presence” of Muslims in the world is too much for Fallaci, and
as for the presence of Muslims in Italy, it “was not an immigration,
it was more of an invasion conducted under an emblem of secrecy.” The
“war of religion”, we are warned, “is in progress.” Consequently, “if
we don’t oppose them, if we don’t defend ourselves, if we don’t fight,
the Jihad will win.” (Interestingly, many well-respected academics,
particularly in the United States, had already begun to pit Islam
against the West in their accounts of global political conflicts,
such as Sam Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations, 1993).
For Fallaci, those who did not see the subsequent war in Iraq
approaching are those who allowed Muslims, “the sons of Allah get
away with a little too much.” The essay quite clearly labels Muslims,
“birdbrains”, “scoundrels”, “terrorists”, inherently lazy people,
welfarists and “idiots”. As with the Theo van Gogh controversy in
Holland, the criticisms were not of a wildly intellectual nature. The
author often confesses her ignorance at the understanding of the
Islamic faith, in addition to claiming the West to have the hold on
rationalism, and Islam (and its associated states) to have the claim
on arbitrary womanizing and countless murdering and wars.
The Italian courts are still embroiled in the Fallaci controversy
and the case is far from resolved. The courts have recently decided
to pursue the trial of Fallaci, by trying her case on the Italian
defamation laws. It is claimed that Fallaci defamed Islam. If this
case were to win, it would challenge a largely common response of
Western liberal states: to not intervene in cases of free expression,
especially when those cases relate to religion. A state can be brought
to its knees through intervention in the sphere of free speech.
Why free expression?
A basic tenet of a modern European society is that each individual is
free to enjoy certain basic and personal freedoms, including that of
expressing oneself freely. In its history, that sense of expressing
oneself freely is often felt to be most sincerely represented when
it comes to defending free expression with respect to religion.
In the doctrine of John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty, published in 1859,
the right to freedom of expression and its conditions are stated
clearly. The most fundamental principle of a freely operating liberal
society is the right to the “freedom of opinion”. This “independence
is, of right, absolute.” The only exception in which Mill conceived
such freedom to be limited was if it were to impose severe harm onto
others – he declared this to be a rare thing. The intervention in
a literary controversy is no longer an option for a modern European
government.
In the Fallaci controversy, the right to freedom of expression
currently prevails. Despite the fact that Fallaci had written a
derogatory essay claiming that Italian Muslims are “birdbrains”
and “idiots”, it still remains important to proceed to defend the
freedom of expression – publishing it freely and imposing no ban. The
statements expressed here, by themselves, are decontextualised from
the remainder of the text. Therefore, pithy extracts offer us little
insight into the argument – just as the pamphleteering of Rushdie’s
extracts by Muslims on the streets of Pakistan meant very little,
since they are not merely name-calling texts.
Within the confines of the law, Fallaci’s essay itself does not
harm others. The harm or offence caused by the text could only,
at the very most, be understood as a breach of racial and religious
hatred or the blasphemy laws. In modern society, the breach of those
principles should rarely qualify for harm or strong offence-related
arguments in cases of free expression. It is certain that we live in
a multicultural society and that the notion of multicultural society,
and Muslims within that society, are constantly changing. However,
it is just as certain that we live within a liberal society – in
which its basic architecture requires that we do not remove or alter
certain fundamental freedoms, including that of free expression.
The harm done to others, in cases where it is felt the text will
incite mass religious hatred – with the preconditions of tyrannical
governments and a homogenous citizenry – should only be executed
on rare occasions, since it does little justice to the cultural
diversity and critical discussion said to underpin free expression
itself. That is to argue that a ban, based on harms incurred, assumes
the individual to be unreflective, lacking in spontaneity and often,
incapable of reason. If that is to be every Muslim’s subject of
defence, then it might be asked if it is a subject worth defending.
In fact, the texts themselves rarely represent harm, or offence, and
the calls for bans based on offence are often premature reactions
of the unnervingly dogmatic representatives of Islam, clearly set
against the West in politics, economy and individual values.
It is certain that free expression on matters pertaining to Islam
will prevail. It is through recourse to dated Catholic-centric
Italian laws that Muslims have sought to legitimize their claims to
offensiveness. This legally enables the right to intervene in the
publications of Fallaci’s anti-Islamic writings. However, since the
harm done to others did not signify a physical injury, or anything of
that magnitude, to any individual or group, there were few grounds for
rightful interference. The most coherent legal route to preventing
the offence was through the prosecution of Fallaci, with reference
to the defamation laws.
In Italy, a unique history, embroiled in changes under the Italian
constitution during Mussolini’s regime, meant that Catholicism occupied
a primary place in considerations of the state. It is certain that
the Italian constitution, in its first three articles sets out to
protect all citizens and accord them the freedom to speech until it
sacrifices “public morality”. The third article of The Constitution
of the Italian Republic of 1947 states that “All citizens have equal
social dignity and are equal before the law, without distinction
of sex, race, language, religion, political opinions, personal
and social conditions.” Yet, only in the past twenty years, have
significant changes in Italian society brought about toleration of
free expression towards religion. The Constitution also states that
“Religious confessions other than Catholic have the right to organize
in accordance with their own statutes, in so far as they are not in
conflict with Italian laws.” Therefore, there are cases in which
the law does impinge upon the freedom to organise and express oneself
on religious matters, when it contravenes Italian law; a law already
heavily skewed by the solidarity of Catholicism.
As elsewhere in Europe, in Italy it is clearly illegal to incite
discrimination on religious grounds. However, rather than argue for
offence through incitement to religious hatred laws – which Fallaci’s
Muslim prosecution still remain eager to pursue – the most successful
and quickest way of suppressing free expression in Italy is through
claims to defamation. This is the current claim that has been made in
the Muslim prosecution against Fallaci. It is claimed that her writings
“defame” Islam. Italy’s own government often use the defamation
laws to bring critics of ministers, and antagonists of the state,
to justice, and it has been claimed that it is rare (and possibly the
first case in Italy) for free expression to be challenged by Muslims
through recourse to the defamation laws. At the time of writing,
the case for Fallaci has not finished. One would, however, hope for
Italy that what has happened in the rest of Europe for many centuries,
will continue to happen and that free expression on matters pertaining
to Islam will prevail. That is to say, Fallaci should be acquitted.
The only imaginable case in which this would no longer hold would be
as follows. Since Fallaci offers perhaps the strongest and prejudiced
“hate” article against Muslims – against a national (Italian) and
global community – there is a possibility that it could be proven to
incite religious hatred. The case for incitement to religious hatred
would have to prove that there was a threat to physical existence, or
harm done to others, of such significance that this piece of literature
should no longer be available in society, and the author sentenced
accordingly. Her trial has yet to begin this month in Bergamo.
Europe could well do with laying down a red carpet for authors such as
Fallaci rather than trying them – after all, it is freely speaking and
writing individuals that make European society such a vibrant platform
for the free exchange of ideas. If you remove the artistic and literary
freedom to express, through the bizarre invention of corrupt laws,
then there is very little left in the essence of modern society –
constitutional or cultural – that is still worth defending.
74
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Georgian journalists left for Samtskhe-Javakheti region
The Messenger, Georgia
July 12 2006
As reported in Svobodnaya Gruzia, a group of Georgian journalists
>From leading national and regional newspapers left for the
Samtskhe-Javakheti region (Eastern Georgia) July 10. During the
five-day visit, journalists will become familiar with the political
and social problems of the local population. They will hold meetings
with representatives of local self-governance bodies, public and
non-governmental organizations and colleagues from the local media
in Akhaltsikhe, Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda.
This visit is part of the programme “Overcoming the information vacuum
in Samtskhe-Javakheti,” which is being implemented under the aegis of
the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) with the financial
support of the OSCE. According to the coordinator of the project,
Shorena Ratiani, taking part in the project will help journalists get
information regarding the real situation in the region, and lead to
objective coverage of the issues.
“The Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda districts of Samtskhe-Javakheti are
over 90 percent populated by Armenians who do not know the Georgian
language. In terms of access to information they are in isolation
compared to other regions because they cannot read the Georgian
press. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the Georgian media
does not have representatives in the region, and they know almost
nothing about the problems of the local population,” stated Ratiani.
Ratiani also said that this project is mainly directed to helping
journalists find out the cause of the processes which have been
taking place in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region. “All this will help
destroy the stereotypes which exist concerning Armenian areas, and
the integration of the region into the country,” Ratiani noted.
Newspapers 24 Saati, Rezonansi, Akhali Versia, Akhali 7 Dghe,
Khvalindeli Dghe, Batumelebi, Akhali Gazeti, Samkhretis Karipche and
Panorama took part in this project.
The paper notes that the first visit took place in 2005 within
the framework of the same project. During that journey to
Samtskhe-Javakheti journalists met with representatives of local
government structures and the NGO sector, a first step toward
overcoming the information vacuum in the region. After the visit,
over 30 articles were published regarding the life and problems of
this region.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

No need for Aliyev-Kocharian meeting now, Armenian minister says
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 12 2006
Baku, July 11, AssA-Irada — Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian
has said there is currently no rapprochement in the positions of Baku
and Yerevan in talks on settling the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict.
“The two countries maintain no ties. But the US co-chair of the
[mediating] OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza’s planned visit to the
region could forge ties between the sides and revive the peace process
in general,” he told a recent news conference held jointly with his
Lebanese counterpart Fawzi Sallukh.
Armenian parliament speaker Tigran Torosian said Armenia does not
support holding talks between the two presidents in the immediate
future.
“There is no need for such meeting, as there is nothing new in the
negotiating process,” he said in a meeting with a visiting OSCE
representative.
The latest rounds of talks between Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Robert
Kocharian in Rambouillet and Bucharest turned out fruitless.
Torosian accused Azerbaijan of pursuing hostile propaganda and stirring
tension over the Garabagh conflict. He also charged the Azeri side
with speculations concerning the arsons “committed in the territories
included in the security zone”.
The fire set by Armenians across the occupied Azerbaijani territories
over the past month has swept through vast areas, destroying
cemeteries, arable land, flora and fauna.*

Lebanon offers aid on Garabagh
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 12 2006
Baku, July 11, AssA-Irada — Lebanon could use its experience on
conflict resolution to facilitate settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan
Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh dispute upon request of the sides, its
foreign minister visiting Armenia has said.
Fawzi Sallukh said military action would not bring victory to
either side. “Azerbaijan and Armenia should make efforts to solve
the conflict in peace considering their national interests.” The
Lebanese official invited Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian
to his country to attend a meeting of the joint commission on economic
cooperation.
“The relations between the two countries are on a high level. During
a recent meeting with Oskanian, we held discussions on regional,
international and energy issues,” Sallukh said.*