In the footsteps of the prophets
By Nick Wyke

The Times, UK
Nov 20 2004

Our correspondent follows the pilgrims discovering a part of the Holy
Land rich in biblical sites

THE wealth of biblical sites in the Muslim kingdom of Jordan is
attracting growing numbers of Christian pilgrims who are deterred by
the violent conflict from visiting Israel.

Even a recent visit by the pop star Madonna to kabbalist sites in
Israel failed to boost the country’s tourism, and a wider picture
shows that pilgrimages – once the lifeblood of its tourist industry –
have slumped. Compared to the relatively peaceful few years before
the intifada – the Palestinian grassroots uprising of September 2000 –
American and British tour groups are staying away.

This makes neighbouring Jordan seem an increasingly popular
alternative. Its three most important biblical sites are: Bethany,
where Christ is said to have been baptised by John the Baptist;
Mount Nebo, from which Moses is said to have seen the Promised Land;
and Machaerus, the hilltop village where John the Baptist was beheaded
by Herod Antipas, the successor to Herod the Great.

Jordan is also where Jacob wrestled with the angel of God, Job suffered
and was rewarded for his faith, and Elijah ascended to heaven. These
stories are critical not only to the development of Christianity, but
in the evolution of the monotheistic religions of Judaism and Islam.

“In the past the Christian market has been an optional add-on to
tours of Israel, but now it is holding its own,” says David Symes,
sales and marketing manager of the Jordan Tourism Board in London.

Two years ago Symes joined a pioneering interfaith pilgrimage,
organised by Saga Holidays, that brought British Christians and Muslims
together on a tour of the sites of prophets in Jordan. Each day’s
coach trip would begin with a reading from the Bible and one from
the Koran. “Given what was going on in the world post-9/11, you had
to pinch yourself to believe this was really happening,” says Symes.

Although the tours are no longer run, they reflect a certain
peacefulness and potential for interfaith dialogue in Jordan that is
not always possible elsewhere in the Middle East. This is one of the
factors that makes a trip there, whether as a pilgrim or otherwise,
so fascinating.

“You set out to see Christian sites and deepen your relationship with
God and the Bible and you do that, but you also get to learn so much
about the Muslim world,” says the Rev Rupert Lazar, of West Croydon
Baptist Church, one of a group of Baptist leaders that recently
toured Jordan.

“To witness the behaviour and values of practising Muslims first-hand
was enlightening. To hear how Christians and Muslims live in peace
with respect for each other was heartening, when back home we just
hear that they are at loggerheads,” says Mr Lazar.

A good starting point to any pilgrimage in Jordan is the Byzantine-era
mosaic map at St George’s church in Madaba, the most important
Christian centre in Jordan. The original map contained more than
two million pieces and showed all the biblical sites from Lebanon to
Egypt. Only one third of the whole now survives – identifying Karak,
home to a crusaders’ castle, and Lot’s cave and monastery in Jordan.

One of the most significant finds of recent times is the baptism site
at Bethany, which has just opened a visitors’ centre. About ten years
ago the Jordanian Antiquities Ministry received news that shepherds had
unearthed ancient pots and coins in the military zone at the northern
end of the Dead Sea. After scrutinising the finds and the Bible the
ministry believed this to be the site where Jesus was baptised by
John and anointed by God. Landmines were cleared and excavations began.

Proof, the Jordanians argue, is based on biblical references (John 1,
28, for example), archaeological finds – the remains of three churches
and baptism pools – and journals of pilgrims from the 4th century AD.

“It’s the lowest point on Earth but the closest to Heaven,” says
Rustain Mkhjian, an Armenian Christian responsible for the restoration
of the site.

The sage-green river flanked with bulrushes conjures a scene from a
children’s Bible. It is so close to the West Bank that you can see
Israeli army lookout posts, and a message on my mobile phone reads:
“Welcome to Israel”. Russians are baptised here in bikinis and fill
bottles with river water to take home.

“When Christians pray here, I can feel how touched they are,” says
Kamel al-Jaysui, a Jordanian tour guide.

Glendale telethon to fund Armenian highway
By Naush Boghossian, Staff Writer

Los Angeles Daily News
November 19, 2004

Friday, November 19, 2004 – GLENDALE — Rush-hour traffic on the
freeway, blaring horns, rude drivers — those are the stuff of dreams
for people in Armenia, who have 52 miles remaining to complete a
major north-south “backbone” highway in the country.

To that end, Armenians living outside that country are gearing up
for the Armenia Fund’s 12-hour telethon on Thursday.

More than 600 volunteers — 200 of which will answer telephones —
will help conduct the event live from Glendale. It will feature
popular Armenian singers and government officials and will air in
45 million homes throughout the United States, Europe, South America
and the Middle East.

The goal of the 10th annual telethon: To raise the $12.5 million
needed to complete the $25 million, 105-mile highway that will link
150 towns and villages and help spur the country’s struggling economy.

“The importance of the road, half of which has already been built,
is that it created 1,000 jobs in very small villages in most need
of development,” said Maria Mehranian, chairperson of Armenia Fund
Western United States. “And strategically, the road still remains
the single most important project in the country.”

Currently, the transportation of goods from one part of the country
to another is clumsy at best.

Small trucks carry goods back and forth, without any expressways
or mass transit of any sort, making for a very slow and inefficient
exchange of goods.

“We have seen firsthand here what impacts a freeway has not only on the
community but on the economy,” said George L. Pla, chief executive
officer of Cordoba Corp., a civil engineering and construction
management company. He traveled to Armenia and surveyed the country
to explore the potential of infrastructure development.

“I think it’s even more crucial in Armenia because they don’t have
too many access points to moving goods and services, so in short,
this highway is just going to stimulate the economy and create jobs,”
he said.

Over the last 10 years, the nonprofit Armenia Fund has raised about
$90 million for projects in Armenia. Last year’s telethon generated
$6.5 million, but organizers are hoping that with a larger audience
this year, they will hit their target goal of $12.5 million.

“Armenia Fund started in Glendale, and because of the large community
of Armenians that live in the city of Glendale, this has become
a very successful event, a very worthwhile event, and it does help
build infrastructure for the country that needs the help from its
community,” said Mayor Bob Yousefian.

Each year, the international organization that’s headquartered in
the Armenian capital of Yerevan identifies a cause in Armenia it will
support, causes that in the past have included building roads, schools,
hospitals, water-related facilities and creating training programs.

When Armenia became an independent country in 1991, Armenia Fund raised
money for social programs, but when the country began to stabilize,
it started to exclusively dedicate money to the infrastructure and
economic development.

Mehranian said Armenian people — many of whom have never been to
Armenia — feel compelled to send money to a country with which they
feel an undeniable bond.

“There is a strong bond between Armenia and Armenians in the diaspora,”
Mehranian said. “After years of living in other countries, for the
first time there is an idea of homeland … and as more Armenians go
back to Armenia, these bonds become stronger, people want to do more
and to give more.”

Naush Boghossian, (818) 546-3306 [email protected]

HOW TO HELP

Armenia Fund’s 2004 Telethon will air in Los Angeles from 8 a.m. to
8 p.m. Thursday on KSCI (Channel 18). It will also be Webcast at

President Receives New Turkish Ambassador

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Nov 20 2004

President Ilham Aliyev, receiving credentials from the newly-appointed
Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan Turan Morali, said Turkey has
supported Azerbaijan on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

“Ankara has regularly supported Azerbaijan on the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict resolution.”

Aliyev said that Azerbaijan aspires for a settlement based on
international legal norms and principles.

Touching upon economic relations, the President said Turkey and
Azerbaijan are connected within regional cooperation projects. He added
that the two countries’ collaboration within the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum projects should serve as an example for
other states.

Thursday, November 18, 2004
****************************************
Politicians are adept at making you think you are thinking when in fact you are parroting slogans of their own contrivance.
*
The unspoken aim of an elite is the systematic moronization of the masses.
*
We are all victims of politicians, if not the enemy’s than our own. People of the world unite; you have nothing to lose but your charlatans.
*
According to the Turkish version of the story, it was Bulgarians, Greeks and Armenians who provoked Ottoman massacres by killing Turkish civilians. If true, the question we should ask is: “Why did law-abiding subjects of the Empire suddenly behave like bloodthirsty savages?”
It can be said of massacres, what Merleau-Ponty says of torture:
“It is said, and it is true, that torture is the answer to terrorism. This does not justify torture. We ought to have acted in such a way that terrorism would not have arisen.”
*
Democracy may also be defined as fascism modified by anti-fascist checks and balances, which sometimes fail to check and balance.
*
Thomas Mann: “The intellectual man is almost as much interested in painful truths as the fool is in those which flatter him.”
#
Friday, November 19, 2004
************************************
We cannot change history, but we can try to understand it, beginning with the fact that political decisions are not acts of God (like earthquakes and volcanoes) but acts of men, with their own set of prejudices, loyalties, interests, blind spots, limitations, idiosyncrasies, fears, doubts, and anxieties. In short, politicians are people like us, totally disqualified to assert infallibility.
*
History may be summed up as a slow-motion avalanche of blunders and miscalculations by men of power whose central concern is to either maintain or increase their powers.
*
Talleyrand is right: sometimes errors of judgment can be far worse than crimes.
*
It has been said, and it is true, that we see things not as they are, but as we are. Our understanding is therefore enhanced whenever we think against ourselves, or we view reality as a succession of traps and ambushes.
*
A version of the past that supports a specific political agenda cannot be right. Also, between a version that flatters our vanity and one that does not, the chances are the unflattering version will be closer to the truth.
*
A Sudanese general on the genocide in Darfur: “It is not genocide; it is war, and in war bad things happen.”
Sounds familiar?
*
We have many kinds of literary awards except a Freedom of Speech Award. Can you guess why?
*
Because I dare to question the judgment and wisdom of our political leadership, I am sometimes accused of “self-hatred.” Figure that one out, if you can.
#
Saturday, November 20, 2004
*********************************
It is a mistake to identify the people with the regime, especially if the regime is non-representative, and all regimes are to some extent non-representative, including democracies. Consider the case of the Bush Administration today. Roughly speaking it represents only the interests and values of only 25% of the people, since 50% don’t vote and the remaining 25% voted against him. And of the 25% that voted for him, one is justifying in wondering how many of them did so on the basis of deceptive slogans that exploited their prejudices and fears. For more on this subject, see GAG RULE: ON THE SUPPRESSION OF DISSENT AND THE STIFLING OF DEMOCRACY by Lewis H. Lapham (New York, Penguin Press, 2004).
*
Speaking of the unpopularity of democracies and the ease with which they slide into fascism, Lapham writes: “Nobody ever said that democratic government was easy, which is why, during the twenty years between the last century’s two world wars, it failed and was abandoned by the people of Italy, Turkey, Portugal, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Albania, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, and Germany.”
*
And finally, here is Spengler on the undemocratic nature of democracies: “A small number of superior heads, whose names are very likely not the best known, settle everything, while below them are the great mass of second-rate politicians selected through a provincially-conceived franchise to keep alive the illusion of popular self-determination.”
#

Armenian government approves agreement between telecom companies

Prime-TASS news agency, Moscow
19 Nov 04

Yerevan, 19 November: The Armenian government has approved an amicable
agreement between the Greek company Hellenic Telecommunications
Organization (OTE) and the Armenian national telecom company ArmenTel,
the press relations department of the government said on Friday
[19 November].

The government has also decided to make amendments to ArmenTel’s
licence, which deprives the company of the exclusive right to provide
GSM, mobile satellite and mobile radio communication services, the
press service said.

However, the company will keep its monopoly on IP telephony voice
transmission services, the press service added.

In 1997, the Greek company Hellenic Telecommunications Organization
paid 142.47m US dollars to gain control of a 90-per-cent stake in
ArmenTel. It bought a 41-per-cent stake from the Armenian government
and a 49-per-cent stake from Trans-World Telecom.

According to the agreement between OTE and the Armenian government,
ArmenTel was granted the right to its monopoly for 15 years, but in
September 2003 the government initiated a procedure to amend ArmenTel’s
licence due to the allegedly low-quality services it provided.

ARMENIAN PILOTS LIKELY TO FACE A 26-YEAR IMPRISONMENT

A1 Plus | 23:10:52 | 19-11-2004 | Social |

In Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, a lawsuit against those
accused of a coup attempt is still going on. Six Armenian pilots who
took flights to this country according to an agreement with a German
company are among those charged.

At the hearing on Nov 18 a verdict, according to which if convicted,
the pilots would face up to 26 years in jail, was read.

For the rest of the defendants the sentence is ranging from 42 to
102 years. The South African leader of the coup and his loyalists
will face death penalty.

The attorney of Armenian pilots Mbombo Nvo has denied all the
allegations considering them groundless and absurd and has declared
that in the case of an unjust decision he would fight till the very
end even appeal to international judicial institutions.

The final verdict will be delivered on Nov 26. The report from Armenian
foreign ministry says that Armenian pilots are in no way involved in
the activities against the authorities and have absolutely nothing
to do with Equatorial Guinea.

The trial was resumed at a short session on Nov 16. The key suspect
completely denied his previous testimonies saying they had been
extracted under threat of torture and death. He also denies his
complicity in the coup plot and said he hadn’t been involved in
any deals.

–Boundary_(ID_gmDl6SCAhcytw8gWh2iiMg)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SADOYAN URGES TO START LEGAL BATTLE AGAINST ARMENTEL

A1 Plus | 19:21:15 | 19-11-2004 | Social |

MP from the opposition Arhsak Sadoyan intends to send GRECO
international organization engaged in anticorruption activity a
30-point motion containing evidence of a shady deal between Armenian
government and ArmenTel company and bribery.

A group is already created for that.

The MP calls on the heads of almost 250 enterprises providing IP
telephony to file a suit against the government.

Sadoyan is convinced that as a result of the agreement reached
that dark way ArmenTel and the government will find themselves in
disadvantageous situation.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ROBERT KOCHARYAN, TIGRAN KARAPETYAN NAMED AS MOST PROMINENT PERSONS OF
YEAR IN ARMENIA

A1 Plus | 15:39:30 | 19-11-2004 | Social |

Vox Populi center conducted recently a telephone survey in Yerevan to
know the most important person and the most remarkable event in Armenia
and entire world of this year. As many as 964 Yerevan residents were
questioned about that.

64,8% of respondents found it difficult to answer the question about
the most remarkable event in Armenia, though following events were
mentioned:

Opposition-staged rallies – 7,7%

Peace maintenance – 6,7%

Jehovah Witnesses sect registration – 5,3%

Ongoing emigration – 4,6%

Samvel Babayan release from jail – 1,2%

Other answers – 9,6%

35% of respondents said the most important event in the world is
American presidential elections. The others mentioned war in Iraq,
terrorist act in Beslan and Yasser Arafat’s death.

24% said they saw not a single “person of the year” in Armenia while
12,9% named Tigran Karapetyan, 11,4% – said it was Armenian president
Robert Kocharyan.

PM Andranik Margaryan was mentioned by 10,9%, National Assembly
speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan by 9,4% and defense minister Serge
Sargssyan by 6,8%.

What about “the world person of the year”, 33% said it was the U.S.
president Bush, after him Vladimir Putin and then Yasser Arafat,
Mikhail Saakashvili and even Bin Laden.

–Boundary_(ID_KP9mwB8D2hi5hFstyZYf9Q)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EACH SECOND GENERATION DIASPORA ARMENIAN CONCERNED ABOUT ARTSAKH

Azg/arm
20 Nov 04

In 1999, on instruction of late Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsian,
Sevak Artsruni undertook drawing of a plan of re-inhabiting Armenia
and Nagorno Karabakh.

The plan today is being implemented in Karabakh.

In November of 2002 Yerkir organization of repatriation and settlement
was created uniting 5 NGOs from Armenia, Karabakh and Diaspora.

“Many Diaspora Armenians keep in their hearts this small piece of
their lost fatherland, and those ideas form their identity. Each
second generation Armenian feels pain for its fatherland. In order to
enable them to put their strivings in practice we need to form a solid
field for cooperation that will pursue no political or economic aims”,
Artsruni says.

Yerkir Union has implemented 10 programs with overall cost of $700
thousand during last two years. Artsruni points out to the foundation
of the village of Knaravan in the region of Nor Shahumian and calls
it a unique example of Diaspora-Armenia cooperation.

Artsruni thinks that re-inhabiting is a social science and puts:
“If it is carried out by non-professionals it may even harm the
state”. More than half of Armeniaâ~@~Ys and Karabakhâ~@~Ys population
is concentrated in Yerevan and in the regions of Ararat Valley which
cannot be justified militarily and from the aspect of stateâ~@~Ys
security. In fact, Armenia today has practically no back areas,
there are no inner territories.

In accordance with the program of inhabiting Armenia and Artsakh,
population of Artsakh should reach 300 thousand by 2012. But
the pace of the program shows that it is losing its meaning and
falling apart. Artsruni thinks that politics must be kept out of
the process. “Re-inhabiting is a service to the fatherland, and not
a chance to get political dividends. But we take this rivalry very
easy because we understand the Diaspora stands aloof from intrigues
and truly cares for Armenia”, he says.

“Yerkir is not simply rising money but trying to turn interested
organizations into partners”, he says and adds that implementation
of every program is posted on the web page enabling a donor to watch
how his money is distributed.

Yerkir Union implemented re-inhabitation of Norashen village in
the region of Hadrut with the support of French offshoot of the
AGBU. Recently a delegation headed by initiators and supporters
of the program Levon Kebabjian and Ara Aharonian visited Norashen
to see what is done there. Success of the program encouraged them,
and they decided to support in inhabiting processes.

“I am very glad for AGBUâ~@~Ys decision. First programs of the AGBU
implemented in Soviet Armenia including drying of swamps, building
settlements and bridges. AGBU may put into action the plans of Poghos
Nubar”, Artsruni says.

President of Yerkir Union thinks that the Diaspora should be directly
involved in Armenia and Karabakh and implement its goals through
NGOs. That would be a good way of keeping any project concerning
re-settlement far from political speculations. “We want AGBU to keep
to our strategic policy of 2000”.

Besides inhabiting Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, Yerkir Union watches
over the economic state of the population. For that purpose we have
launched a new program of Yerkir Fund which is looking for donors in
Diaspora and the donor provides the family with credit for purchasing
livestock, provides with fruit-trees and seed. The debtor returns the
credit not to the creditor but to Yerkir thus filling up the gaps. “We
will also use this money for inhabiting purposes. For instance, there
are families in Qashatakh who are unable to stay there any longer and
we use the money to support them instead of bringing new families”
Artsruni says.

By Tatoul Hakobian

–Boundary_(ID_7nUbS3zT6Ht+DqfXJpGyvA)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE ULP OPPOSES POLICY CONDUCTED BY COALITION

Azg/arm
20 Nov 04

The United Labor Party is no radical opposition and doesnâ~@~Yt accept
the policy conducted by the radical opposition. The ULP opposes the
policy of the coalition. At the same time, the party is very consistent
in its activities and will never give up its commitments. Thus, the
ULP has no oppositional attitude and status regarding RA President
Robert Kocharian, as in 2003, the party considered the program of
Robert Kocharian the closest to its ideas among the other candidates
in the presidential elections.

Criticizing the coalition, it will try to avert any slight violation
of the program, as in case Robert Kocharian fails to carry out its
program, the ULP will have to share responsibility for that. At
present, the ULP is studying the activities of the executive power
during 2004 and makes a final conclusion about the bill on “RA State
Budget in 2005.” This conclusion will be represented at the parliament
soon. Gourgen Arsenian, leader of the ULP faction, emphasized the
importance of managing the expenses and not the results. Thus, the
executive power should know the benefits gained from each allocation.

Arsenian promised to represent data concerning the activities of
all spheres in RA, i.e. they will point out concrete spheres where
resources were wasted.

Gourgen Arsenian, the guest of the National Press Club, answering the
questions of journalists, touched upon the discussion of important
issues with RA President in various formats. He said that they resemble
clashes of the views and they can be decisive very frequently. For
example, the fate of the law “On Higher and Post-Graduate Education”
was decided during the discussion with RA President, instead of being
considered at the Parliament.

Arsenian evaluated “the people suffering from revolutionary nonsense”
as “agents of the foreign special services” and emphasized that
at present, in Armenia the political power and the responsibility
the political parties share is growing. The aim of the process is to
maintain the political power and to secure its consistency by political
elections only. According to Gourgen Arsenian, the ULP doesnâ~@~Yt
strive for any executive power, including the post of RA President,
as it is carrying out the duty of the publicâ~@~Ys service. According
to the ULP, the most acceptable candidate for RA President will be
the person accepted by the people who carry the power.

According to him, the struggle for power carried out otherwise
resembles a childish way like “Let me play a bit,” that is a quite
dangerous phenomenon for Armenia.

By Nana Petrosian

–Boundary_(ID_TfAN+TiYxO8ahniMlARucQ)–