Dual citizenship folly
By Bruce Fein

Washington Times
March 1 2005

The United States should end its folly of tolerating dual citizenship
for persons who vote, serve in office, or otherwise demonstrate
allegiance to a foreign government.
As the New Testament sermonizes, “No man can serve two masters:
for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will
hold to one, and despise the other.” The United States Constitution
thus prohibits any federal officeholder, without the consent of
Congress, from accepting “any present, emolument, office, or title of
any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.

Most would be stunned to learn, however, that under U.S. law (8
U.S. Code, section 1481), a person may retain citizenship despite
enrolling in the armed forces of a foreign nation at war with the
United States, serving as president of a foreign state, or even
committing treason. Raffi Hovannisian on becoming Armenia’s foreign
minister, declared, “I certainly do not renounce my American
citizenship.” Muhamed Sacirbey, foreign minister of Bosnia in
1995-1996, did not lose his U.S. citizenship. The chief of the
Estonian army from 1991-1995, Aleksander Einseln, likewise enjoyed
dual citizenship. As Thomas M. Franck has chronicled, several
Americans have represented their other country of citizenship as
ambassadors to the United Nations.
Last month, the Mexican Chamber of Deputies passed legislation
endowing 10 million Mexican and Mexican-Americans with the
opportunity to cast absentee ballots from the United States in the
2006 Mexican presidential elections. The Central Mexican state of
Zacatecas embraces Mexican migrants as candidates for electoral
office. Andres Bermudez, a wealthy California grower christened the
“Tomato King,” captured a mayoralty. Two other immigrants garnered
seats in the state legislature. Mexican candidates routinely
motorcade in the U.S. seeking political support from
Mexican-Americans.
The magnitude of the dual citizenship-divided loyalty problem is
elusive. Approximately 60 countries permit expatriates or migrants to
vote via absentee ballots, including Venezuela, Columbia, Brazil and
Honduras. The number permitting dual citizenship has been variously
estimated at from 37 to 89. The U.S. government neither records nor
estimates the number of its dual citizens. But baseline figures and
trends are troublesome. The foreign-born population in the United
States probably approaches 30 million to 35 million, or approximately
10 percent. That percentage is climbing because of disproportionate
youth and high fertility.
And immigrants to the United States characteristically arrive
from nations that accept dual citizenship. In sum, the problem of
split allegiances cannot be swept under the rug as an inconsequential
crumb.
Patriotism is the alpha and omega of national strength, even if
occasionally misappropriated as the last refuge of a scoundrel.
Undivided devotion to the United States and embrace of its hallowed
ideals and heroes are what make the nation flourish. Single
citizenship finds expression in eagerness to enlist in the armed
forces or to support its soldiers; to participate in the nation’s
political affairs; to join voluntary private organizations, like the
Rotary Club, the League of Women Voters or the PTA; to cooperate with
law enforcement; to make donations to domestic charities; and, to
promote America’s signature culture by living and breathing social
equality, nondiscrimination, individual rights, the rule of law and
freedom of speech.
Dual citizens who demonstrate political attachments to a foreign
government, in contrast, will be less resolute in celebrating and
advancing the interests of the United States. They will be less
inclined to sacrifice to make the nation like a sparkling “city that
is set on an hill,” in the manner that Augustus Caesar “found Rome a
city of bricks and left it a city of marble.” Furthermore, if dual
citizenship is indulged with official nonchalance, the lofty ideals
associated with American citizenship will be dimmed.
Accordingly, Americans who vote in a foreign election, occupy any
office in a foreign state, enlist in a foreign army, attempt to
overthrow the U.S. government, or otherwise affirm allegiance to a
foreign nation should forfeit their citizenship. Accomplishing that
is clouded by the United States Supreme Court decision in Afroyim v.
Rusk (1967). There, a narrow 5-4 majority held unconstitutional a
statute that made voting in a political election in a foreign state a
justification for revoking citizenship acquired by naturalization.
Writing for the court, Justice Hugo Black broadly sermonized that
the 14th Amendment permits loss of citizenship only by voluntary
relinquishment. Obeying that edict, current federal law makes a
specific intent to relinquish United States nationality the
touchstone for its loss.
Congress should either propose a constitutional amendment to
overcome Afroyim; or, enact legislation that deletes the specific
intent requirement in the expectation that the high court will
reconsider the precedent. Dual allegiances do not imminently threaten
the fabric of the United States. But they fuel a yawning indifference
to American customs and civic spirit indispensable to national
vitality.

Bruce Fein is a constitutional lawyer and international
consultant with Bruce Fein & Associates and the Lichfield Group.

Travel Daily News International, Greece
March 1 2005

Cyprus: The Island for all seasons
Monday, February 28, 2005

Welcome to the island of legends that basks year-round in the light
of the warm Mediterranean sun. A storied past 10,000 years long has
seen civilizations come and go and the likes of everyone from
Alexander the Great to Cleopatra stake their claim here ~V but then,
people do tend to get possessive when faced with such beauty.
Aphrodite made her home on Cyprus and travelers throughout antiquity
came here just to pay her tribute.

The cultural heritage of a people is its most important asset, its
identity and a sense of continuation through time. Cyprus is the
third largest island in the Mediterranean and standing as it does at
the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa it has had a tumultuous
history.

History
The Mycenaeans Achaeans brought their civilisation here, establishing
the first Greek roots 3,000 years ago. Many others passed through,
including Phoenicians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, Romans,
Crusaders, Venetians, Ottomans and the British. The apostles of
Christ walked this land. The splendour of Byzantium, founded by
Constantine the Great at Constantinople, encompassed the island of
Cyprus. Here are prehistoric settlements, ancient Greek temples,
Roman theatres and villas, Early Christian Basilicas, Byzantine
churches and monasteries, Crusader castles, Gothic churches and
Venetian fortifications. In the villages, old customs and traditions
are still kept alive. Young girls still engage in lace making in the
beautiful village of Lefkara just as their grandmothers did before
them. Potters still create wondrous anthropomorphic shapes to
decorate their earthenware vessels at picturesque Foini and the sound
of handlooms can still be heard in Fyti, home of attractive
hand-woven materials, whilst, men in traditional baggy trousers
‘vraka’, still congregate at the coffee shop for a game of
backgammon.

In Cyprus the 21st century rubs shoulders with a civilisation 10,000
years old. There are festivals whose origins stretch back into
antiquity; like carnival and anthestiria organised in honour of God
Dionysos; at Kouklia, where the Temple of Aphrodite once stood, a
church was known until a few years ago as ‘the Church of the Virgin
Mary Aphroditissa’. The aura of the Great Goddess of Cyprus is still
present in Pafos, and all over ‘the Sweet land of Cyprus’ in the
beauty of the landscape, the mildness of the climate and the charm of
the people. The immortal words of Euripides and Sophocles ring out on
warm summer evenings at the Ancient Kourion Theatre and the Pafos
Odeon during performances of ancient Greek drama.

And in September wine flows free and the spirit of Dionysos, god of
wine and merriment, is present throughout the Wine Festival. The
Mediaeval folk songs are still sung in Cyprus keeping alive the
legends of Digenis, the unconquerable border guard of Byzantium, and
his beautiful Queen, Rigaina. In the narrow streets of the walled
city of Lefkosia the coppersmith works with the metal, as did his
ancestors 5,000 years ago. In the shade of old houses with their
overlooking balconies, the flavour of the past lingers among the old
typical stone houses.

In Cyprus the past lives side by side with the present in a unique
tapestry of living history.

Geography / climate / population
Cyprus is the third largest and the easternmost island in the
Mediterranean Sea, west of Syria, south of Turkey, north of Egypt and
in close proximity to the east of the Greek island of Rhodes.
Prominent geographic features include the Troodos massif that
occupies most of the southwestern part of the country, the
Pentadaktylos range in the north around Kyrenia and the Messaoria
Plain in between them. It is here that the capital city, Lefkosia is
located. The elongated Karpasia Peninsula occupies the northeastern
part of Cyprus, while the southeastern point terminates in Cape
Gkreco. The southern coast is where the major towns of Larnaka and
Lemesos are located. Pafos and the Akamas Peninsula are on the far
western edge.

Aphrodite’s island enjoys the ideal mild, typically Mediterranean
climate, with abundant sunshine and fine temperatures almost every
day.

Population: 802,500 (end 2002)

Language
Greek and Turkish are the official languages. English is widely
spoken. French and German are also spoken within the tourism
industry.

Religion
The country enjoys an exceedingly high level of freedom of worship.
While the majority of Cypriots are Greek Orthodox Christian (85%),
other religious faiths are represented on the island as well,
including Roman Catholics, Armenians, Maronites, Latins and Muslims.

Metrification
Speed limits and car speedometers are shown in kilometres

Currency
The Cyprus pound ~V C£, which is divided into 100 cents. The Cyprus
pound is not traded internationally. Commercial banks offer a wide
range of banking services and have correspondents in most major
cities around the world. Commercial banks are open to the public on
weekdays (Monday ~V Friday) 08:30 ~V 13:00 and from October ~V April
every Monday afternoon 15:15 ~V 16:45 and in some tourist resorts
afternoon exchange is available during the summer season. Banks at
Larnaka and Pafos International Airports provide exchange bureaux
services on a 24-hour basis. Similar facilities are also available at
Lemesos harbour. All major credit cards are accepted.

Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are available outside most branches
of banks in all towns. Credit cards and foreign currency are normally
accepted in hotels, large shops and restaurants. The rates of
exchange are published daily in the local press and are broadcast
through the media.

Further information on Cyprus banking system is available at the
Central Bank’s website; or at the websites of
Cypriot commercial banks.

Electricity
The standard electricity supply is 240 volts, a.c. 50Hz. Sockets are
usually 13 amp, square pin in most buildings.

Passports and visas
No visas are required for entry into Cyprus by nationals of most
European countries. National of other countries should contact the
nearest Consulate of the Republic of Cyprus, or if non, the nearest
British Consulate.

–Boundary_(ID_NGRW1SLROmqpwdj73NJwVg)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Los Angeles Daily News
March 1 2005

‘This is a very meaningful thing’

Settlement, checks part of genocide suit

By Alex Dobuzinskis, Staff Writer

Four Armenian charities, including one in Burbank and another in
Glendale, on Monday received more than $333,000 from New York Life as
part of a $20 million class action settlement with descendents of the
1915 Armenian genocide.
The settlements were distributed during a ceremony in Pasadena
attended by representatives from the four charities, New York Life
officials and several attorneys.

“This is a very meaningful thing, recognition of the genocide,” said
Richard Mushegain, chairman of the lay council for the Burbank-based
Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America. “And it’s
something we pursued against the obstructions of the Turkish
government and sometimes our own government.”

Officials from the Armenian Educational Foundation in Glendale, the
Los Angeles office of the Armenian Relief Society and the Western
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Los Angeles also received
checks.

All the charities received exactly $333,333.33. The Western Diocese
of the Armenian Church of North America plans to spend its share on
clergy education.

“During the genocide, a lot of the Armenian clergy were killed; in
fact, most of the Armenian clergy in the world were killed,”
Mushegain said. “It’s a fitting use of the money.”

The AEF has an annual budget of about $1 million, said Executive
Secretary Haigoush Keghinian-Kohler. But the money represents far
more than a boost to the group’s their budget.

“We have mixed emotions,” she said. “There is history attached to it.
There were lives that were wasted for no reason.”

The AEF’s board will decide later this month how to spend the money.
The charity runs after-school programs for Glendale students,
provides college scholarships and helps renovate and repair schools
in Armenia. The $20 million settlement, which New York Life agreed to
last year, ends a class action lawsuit on behalf of the descendents
of 2,400 policyholders, who were among the 1.5 million Armenians
killed in the Ottoman Empire 90 years ago. The charities and churches
receiving the money were chosen because they helped Armenians settle
in America after the genocide.

“The entire community will benefit as a result of this settlement,”
said state Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi.

Descendents covered under the settlement have until March 15 to make
a claim, Garamendi said.

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
March 1 2005

Local Armenian groups get settlement share

Armenian Educational Foundation is awarded more than $333,000 for
descendants of victims of Armenian genocide.
By Jackson Bell, News-Press and Leader

PASADENA — Two local charities received a sizable chunk of a
$20-million insurance settlement Monday for heirs of those slain in
the Armenian genocide.

Representatives from Glendale-based Armenian Educational Foundation
and Burbank-based Armenian Church of the North America Western Diocese
received checks for more than $333,000 each during a ceremony in
Pasadena on Monday.

New York Life last year agreed to settle the 1999 class-action lawsuit
filed by descendants of victims of the 1915 genocide. They accused the
insurance company of not paying out 2,300 policies purchased by their
relatives in the Ottoman Empire, officials said. The Turks are said
to have killed more than 1.5-million Armenians in what many consider
the first genocide of the 20th century.

“This is historic because it is the first case of its kind for
any money or resolution of the Armenian genocide,” said Brian S.
Kabateck, one of the attorneys who orchestrated the settlement and
whose grandparents survived the genocide. “And it’s probably the
oldest case in U.S. history since its inception 90 years ago.”

The money will benefit only the “poor and needy,” Kabateck said. It
cannot be used for administrative purposes by the organizations. The
groups have six months to determine how to spend the money, he said.

According to the settlement, nine U.S. charities that serve people
of Armenian descent will share $3 million. Individual relatives of
victims will receive the remaining $17 million.

The 55-year-old Armenian Educational Foundation provides scholarships
to needy students, funds after-school programs for as many as 1,400
Glendale and Burbank children and has helped rebuild schools in
Armenia, board member Haigoush Keghinian-Kohler said. The board will
meet this month to decide the best use for the money, Keghinian-Kohler
said.

The settlement will not only benefit the local community, but will
also help the healing process, she said.

“I am a child and grandchild of survivors,” Keghinian-Kohler said.
“Hopefully, my parents and grandparents will rest in peace, but not
completely until the U.S. and Turkish governments recognize that the
genocide did happen.”

Officials from the Armenian Church of North America Western Diocese
are planning to use the payment to help fund seminary school for
aspiring priests, Diocese Chairman Richard Mushegain said.

“Thousands of Armenian priests were killed during the genocide, and
there is a big shortage now in the United States,” Mushegain said.
“We want to honor the priests who died while benefiting those
coming up.”

Descendants of those who have outstanding New York Life
policies must file their claims by March 16 to receive their
share of the settlement. People can check their eligibility at

OSCE fact-finding mission presents report to MG co-chairs

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 1 2005

Baku, February 28, AssA-Irada

The OSCE fact-finding mission presented its final report on the
settlement of Armenians in the occupied regions of Azerbaijan to the
Minsk Group (MG) co-chairs in Prague on Monday. The content of the
document is not disclosed yet.

The report will be presented to Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign
ministers at their meeting in the Czech capital on Wednesday.
The OSCE mission held a week-long monitoring of the illegal
settlement of Armenians in seven occupied Azeri regions early in
February.*

Pressure group may launch protests outside US embassy

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 1 2005

Baku, February 28, AssA-Irada
The Garabagh Liberation Organization (GLO) appealed to the US
ambassador in Baku Reno Harnish saying that it is concerned over the
indifference of United States’ to the Upper Garabagh conflict, its
biased position and unfair policy of balancing, which fails to
differentiate between Azerbaijan and aggressor Armenia.
The GLO termed the above-mentioned statement by the US ambassador to
Armenia John Evans, who said that “Upper Garabagh can’t be returned
to Azerbaijan”, as outrageous, demanding to clarify it.
“We demand that you immediately clarify this statement. If what you
said is confirmed, the GLO will launch incessant protest actions in
front of the US embassy.”
In conclusion, the appeal says that “if the ambassador’s position
represents that of the US, there is no reason for your embassy to
continue working in Azerbaijan”.*

Today, Azerbaijan
March 1 2005

Radical opposition eager to rally before US embassy in Baku

01 March 2005 [15:27] – Today.Az

“A statement by John Evans, the US Ambassador to Armenia, that
“Karabakh cannot be given to Azerbaijan” is an unseen action.

We demand urgent reaction to the statement. If the US Ambassador in
Armenia demonstrates the official standpoint of the United States, then
there is no necessity for functioning of the US embassy in Azerbaijan,”
says an appeal by Akif Naghi, the chairman of the Karabakh Liberation
Organization (KLO), to Reno Harnish, the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan,
told Trend.

“We demand clarification on the issue. If the said confirmed, the KLO
will arrange continuing rallies in front of the US embassy in Baku,”
the letter reads.

Last week Evans said to a meeting that the presentation of Karabakh
to Azerbaijan might lead to larger tragedy. Commenting on the issue
some analysts stated that it was made under the influence of the
Armenian lobby.

URL:

The Journal of Turkish Weekly
2005-02-04 08:09:40

Dr. Laciner: “Turkish-Armenian Alliance is not Impossible”

Jan SOYKOK, ANKARA – Dr. Sedat Laciner told JTW that Turkey-Armenia alliance
is possible. Laciner said Armenian state cannot survive in a hostile region
and has to solve its problems with Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Laciner further continued:

“As a matter of fact that neither the Western States nor the Armenian
Diaspora radicals see Armenia’s national interests as their priority.
Armenia’s and Diaspora’s interests are not the same. As Dr. Nilgun Gulcan
pointed out Armenia and Diaspora has contrary interests. Diaspora needs more
dispute between Turks and Armenians, because many Diaspora Armenian enjoy
from the ‘genocide industry’. If Turkey and Armenia solve their problem they
could not abuse the past for their individual interests. Many diaspora
institutions are dependent on ‘genocide donations’. Many Armenian actors,
businessmen, politician etc. in Northern America and Europe see
Turkish-Armenian problems as source of power. When the both side put an end
to the historical misunderstandings many militants will lose their financial
and political power over the ordinary Armenians in diaspora. Similarly some
of the Diaspora institutions argue that the 1915 Legacy is the most
important thing uniting Armenians. According to this approach, Diaspora
Armenians need a uniting cause in order to resist assimilation. Otherwise,
they think, Armenian identity would be diminished in front of the strong
Western cultures.

However Armenian state needs Turkey and other Turkic peoples.

Armenia is surrounded by more than 100 million Turkish people (Turkey,
Azerbaijan and Iran Azerbaijan). Georgia is an ally of Turkey and has good
relations with the Western states though Armenia stayed the only Russian
ally in the region.

Armenia is a relatively small and poor country, it is land-locked. If
Armenia can solve its problems with Turkey the life would be easier for the
Armenians.

In my opinion Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan could establish an
economic regional integration in Caucasus. Turkey could be a European door
for the Armenian businessmen and people. Turkish universities can open their
doors to Armenian youth. Armenia cannot survive in a hostile region.
So-called Russian support or relations with Iran cannot substitute relations
with Turkey. A strong Turkish-Armenian regional ally would change a lot in
the region. If Turkey and Armenia can establish a strong friendship, foreign
direct investment would boom, security problems down, and the region would
become a trade centre for the Central Asia, Black Sea and the Middle East”.

JTW, 4 February 2005

Turkish – Armenian Relations
2005-02-04 08:09:40

Ambassador’s statement irresponsible – US Department of State

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 1 2005

Baku, February 28, AssA-Irada

The US ambassador to Armenia John Evans’s statement that “Upper
Garabagh can’t be returned to Azerbaijan”, made during his informal
meeting with the Armenian Diaspora representatives at a California
university on February 25, has sparked different responses from
Azerbaijan and the United States.

Steve Tike, a spokesman for the US Department of State, regarded
Evans’s utterance as ‘an irresponsible statement’, which reflects only
his personal views. “Evans’s statement doesn’t reflect Washington’s
position. The US stance on the Upper Garabagh remains unchanged”,
he said.

The United States has repeatedly stated that it does not recognize
Upper Garabagh as an independent state and supports Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity, the spokesman added.

The Azerbaijani ambassador to USA Hafiz Pashayev has discussed the
matter with US officials, including the US Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Laura Kennedy.

During the discussions, Pashayev said that Azerbaijani and American
officials are displeased with Evans’s statement. “Evans’s undiplomatic
and irresponsible statement on the eve of the next meeting of
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in Prague is unacceptable,”
Pashayev said.

Ambassador Evans told a Monday news conference in Yerevan that his
statement on Upper Garabagh was misinterpreted. “I stated in the
meeting that the United States recognizes the territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan and that the Upper Garabagh status issue may be resolved
by Armenia and Azerbaijan through talks,” he said.

Washginton continues its efforts at settling the conflict within the
OSCE Minsk Group and considers the meetings held so far by the two
countries’ foreign ministers reassuring, he added.*

KASHI FACTORY TO HAVE MODERN WASTE WATER PURIFYING STATION

ArmenPress
March 1 2005

YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS: Four Italian specialists will arrive
in Armenia to help install and test new Italian equipment for the
water purifying station of Kashi (Leather) company, located in the
Hrazdan River gorge. The project is the joint effort of USAID,
Comprehensive Water Resource Management and ARD Inc programs.
The equipment, manufactured by Italian Echo+ company, which meets
all international standards, is already in Armenia.
According to Dshkhuhi Sahakian, coordinator of the project,
several dozens of industrial enterprises, located in the gorge, lack
waste water purifying equipment and the waste water flows
uninterruptedly into the river since 1990.
Some $300,000 were spent to put into operation the new station. It
is supposed to start working in late April. The River of Hrazdan
holds 12 percent of Armenia’s surface water reserves. If runs across
four provinces and is polluted also by agricultural waste waters.