Demonstrations staged in Turkish cities against US military operations in Iraq
Anatolia news agency
19 Nov 04
Ankara, 19 November: Nongovernmental organizations have staged protests
against the US military operations in the Iraqi town of Al-Fallujah.
The Intellectual Hearths Kayseri Branch protested against the
occupation of Iraq at the Surp Kirkor Lusovoric Armenian Church in
Kayseri. Kayseri Intellectual Hearths Chairman Kemal Tekden issued
a statement there saying that the bullying carried out by the United
States against the civilian people in Iraq in the name of freedom and
democracy had turned into violence and barbarity in Al-Fallujah. Tekden
said that the killing of a wounded Iraqi in a mosque by American
soldiers would go down in history as the “most shameful episode in
the history of mankind”.
Noting that at no time in the history of the world had the holy
sites of any great and civilized state been violated Tekden said:
“Holy sites like mosques, churches and synagogues are inviolable
places. Even the primitive Aborigines respected holy sites. The
Ottoman State never showed the slightest disrespect to the holy sites
on the three continents it ruled over, which is why it is recalled as
a great state. Respect for holy sites is part of the glory of being
a great state. We invite the United States to stop being a powerful
and bullying state and become a state that respects humanity and
human rights.” [Passage omitted].
Adana
In a press statement issued by a group that had gathered outside the
Adana Sabanci Centre Mosque to protest the operations in Iraq it was
stated: “By pointing out that Muslim lands are being occupied one by
one the objections to bullying will grow with each passing day and
the voices will grow louder.”
Those in the group then held funeral prayers for the dead in
Al-Fallujah before dispersing.
Administrators of the Adana branch of the Human Rights Association
and a group of members held a protest in Inonu Park where they stated
that many civilians had died in the US army operation mounted in
Al-Fallujah. They said: “What is being killed is not just the people
of Iraq but all of mankind. Yet, the whole world is watching what is
going on as if it were a movie.” They called on workers and artisans
not to sell US goods and for the citizens to boycott them.
Bursa
Speaking at a press conference staged by the Confederation of
Turkish Public Sector Labour Unions (Kamu-Sen) Bursa Representation
the Provincial Representative Ramazan Karakoc said: “We strongly and
with hatred condemn this violence and wish that this bloody occupation
would end as soon as possible.”
Karakoc said that the US occupation of Iraq had gone on for a year
and a half and that during this time US President George W Bush was
“no better than” the Saddam regime.
Asserting that over 100,000 Iraqis had been murdered in Iraq
in one and a half years, Karakoc said: “What the US soldiers,
who exhibited monstrosity in murdering injured people in mosques,
did is no coincidence. The US authorities’ explanations are not
convincing. The real aim is to strike fear into the world.”
Izmir
Chairman of the Izmir Bar Association Nevzat Erdemir in a written
statement asked for an end to the inhumane and illegal coalition
forces’ attacks against the people of Iraq.
Erdemir said that for the UN and all of mankind and the world states
to remain silent and do nothing was “a huge disgrace to mankind” and
that those carrying out crimes against humanity ought to be brought
to justice.
Konya
The group that had set off from Sanliurfa on 22 October aiming to
get the headscarf ban lifted today arrived in Konya. After issuing a
statement in front of the Mevlana Museum they took part in a funeral
prayer for the dead of Al-Fallujah at the Serafettin Mosque.
Following the funeral prayer an anti-US protest was held. During the
protest anti-US slogans were chanted, and a US flag was doused in
gasoline and burn.
Trabzon
Ahmet Kilic, Trabzon provincial representative for Turk-Is [The
Confederation of Turkish Labour Unions], spoke at a press conference
held by the Trabzon Journalists Association on behalf of the Labour
Platform Trabzon Component. Asserting that the United States was
ignoring international law he said: “The United States and its allies
attacked Iraq before the eyes of the whole world ignoring international
law and international institutions. With these attacks they have
committed a crime against peace according to international law.”
Ahmet Kilic called on the Turkish government and public opinion to be
more aware of what was going on in Iraq and to act with more reaction.
Elazig
Elazig representatives of the Anadolu Youth Magazine together with
members of the Islamic Education and Solidarity Foundation held a
funeral prayer for the dead in Al-Fallujah.
After the funeral prayer, held at the Izzetpasa Mosque, Muhammet
Bakir issued a statement on behalf of the group at the mosque. He
said that the United States was murdering people regardless of women
and children in the Al-Fallujah operation, and that this situation
was an affront to humanity and to Islam.
The group later walked to PTT Square chanting slogans on the way. After
holding a prayer for the dead the group silently left the square.

WORLD BANK ALLOCATES FIRST THEME OF POVERTY REDUCTION SUPPORT CREDIT TO ARMENIA
YEREVAN, November 19 (Noyan Tapan). The World Bank will allocate the
first theme of a Poverty Reduction Support Credit (PRSC) for Armenia
worth $20 mln. Roger Robinson, the Director of the WB Yerevan Office,
and RA Minister of Finances and Economy Vardan Khachatrian signed
the credit agreement on it in Yerevan on November 19. Roger Robinson
said during the November 18 press conference which followed the
signing that the Board of Directors of the World Bank completely
approved this new credit program consisting of four themes. It
is directed at the implementation of the RA government’s Poverty
Reduction Strategy program. A total of 75 mln dollars (the whole
sum of PRSC) will be allocated to Armenia during four years. The
credit will be made to Armenia on standard IDA terms, including 40
years maturity and a 10-year grace period. It will be given at 0.75%
annual interest rate. According to R. Robinson, the credit will be
transfered to the state budget and will contribute to the government
in poverty reduction. The first theme recognizes that a continuation
of Armenia’s exemplary macroeconomic performance over the past five
years is necessary to underpin high rates of growth. Moreover it
is supposed that the governance reforms will improve the climate of
public sector investment. The second theme of sharpening competition
and entrenching property rights – sutting across trade, utilities
regulation, property and contract law, banking and capital markets
and rural sectors – adrresses the key weaknesses in the competition
environment. According to V. Khachatrian, it became possible to
approve the program owing to a number of complex arrangements carried
out by the RA government. In particular, business atmosphere improved,
and it is expected that the work directed at the regulation of the
finacial market and the development of rural infrastructures will
be carried out next year. The Minister expressed hope that the first
part of the credit will be given to Armenia this December. A grant of
4.3 mln euros allocated by the Netherlands government will be also
directed at the implementation of the program. Vardan Khachatrian
also mentioned that Armenia’s work with international organizations
was very effective this year. He assured that the RA government is a
hopeful partner for international organizations and donor countries:
they work with Armenia in quite an active way and without doubts. Since
joining the World Bank in 1992 and IDA in 1993, the commitments to
Armenia make total approximately US $841 million for 37 operations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MHER SHAHJELDIAN: VERY DIFFICULT PERIOD IN KARABAKH PROBLEM STARTS FOR ARMENIA
YEREVAN, November 20 (Noyan Tapan). During the recent session of
the MATO Parliamentary Assembly in Venice the report on the South
Caucasus was discussed. The RA NA deputies Mher Shahgeldian and Alexan
Karapetian who had participated in the session informed reporters about
this at the November 19 press conference. According to M. Shahgeldian,
the issue of opening Armenia’s borders with Turkey was also raised
during the NATO PA Political Committee session. The issue may become
a subject of discussion at a plenary session in the future. When
answering the reporters’ questions, M. Shahgeldian noted that in
the report at the NATO PA session the Nagorno Karabakh problem was
given as much attention as to other regional problems, and the matter
concerned only an informational report. At the same time the deputy
considered as worrying the fact that Azerbaijan’s efforts aimed at
discussing the Karabakh problem in various international organizations
have been crowned with success. He underlined that a difficult period
starts for Armenia in terms of the Karabakh problem.

EXPANSION OF RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE IN ARMENIA NOT PLANNED IN NEAR FUTURE
YEREVAN, November 20 (Noyan Tapan). The expansion of Russian
military base No 102 stationed in Armenia is not planned in the near
future. Colonel Mikhail Baranov, the RF Defence Ministry Press Center
Head, informed reporters about this on November 19 in Yerevan. He
underlined that such an expansion may take place only as a result
of a respective decision between Russia and Armenia. According to
Colonel Baranov, financing military base No102 is completely done
by the RF Ministry of Defence, as well as its provision. However,
while responding to NT correspondent’s question, the representative
of the Russian Defence Ministry stated that the closure of the
check point Verin Lars at the Russian-Georgian border did not affect
the vital activities of the base in any way. According to Baranov,
this route accounts for only 20% of total goods transportation to
Armenia. Colonel Baranov stated that the total personnel of military
base No102 makes about 4,000 people and is composed of servicemen on
a contractual basis, officers and non-commissioned officers. Persons –
Armenians by nationality who serve in the base are Russian citizens.

YOUTH NATIONAL COUNCIL OF ARMENIA TO RAISE ISSUE OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DURING
APRIL MEETING IN ISTANBUL IN 2005
YEREVAN, November 19 (Noyan Tapan). The preliminary arrangement on
the organization of a meeting in Istanbul in April 2005 was reached
between the representatives of Greece, Armenia, Israel, Turkey and
other countries-participants during the Youth Forum held in Madrid on
November 11-13. RA MP Vazgen Khachikian, the Chairman of the Youth
National Council of Armenia, said about it during the November 18
press conference. According to him, the Armenian side is going to
raise the issue of the condemnation of the Armenian Genocide and make
it the theme of discussion.

Kocharian not to Assert ‘Genocide Condition’
Zaman, Turkey
Nov 20 2004
Armenian President Robert Kocharian wants Turkey to end it’s isolation
of Armenia and open the border gates, which have been closed for 11
years. He did not see the Armenian genocide claims as a provision to
start bilateral negotiations.
In an interview with Die Welt, Kocharian said, “Turkey’s application
of blockade towards Armenia; this is called harassment.”
Turkey’s recognition of a so-called genocide is not a condition
to begin normalizing relations. Determining that “genocide”, which
allegedly took place in 1915, was a significant issue for Armenians,
Kocharian continued, “However this will never be a condition to
develop bilateral negotiations”. If Ankara recognizes this reality,
it will be another step toward a normalization of relations.
Kocharian, who is currently in Germany, disclosed in a seminar titled,
“The EU and CIS: Key of the New Economic Cooperation”, that the
opportunity had appeared for a reconciliation between Turkish and
Armenian relations. Turkey closed it’s border gates with Armenia in
1993 because of the Nagarno Karabagh conflict between Azerbaijan and
Armenia and the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories.
Although Turkey wants to normalize its relations with Armenia,
relations cannot be reconstructed yet because Armenia has made no
attempts toward solving its dispute with Azerbaijan. Armenia also
does not recognize the 1921 Kars Agreement, which determined the
Armenian-Turkish border.

REPORT ON AZERBAIJAN NOT DISCUSSED AT SESSION OF PACE COMMITTEE
[November 20, 2004, 12:46:53]
Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Nov 20 2004
As the correspondent of AzerTAj informs, the Legal Issues and Human
Rights Committee of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
has held regular sitting in Paris, on 19 November.
At the session, expected was discussion of the question connected
to Azerbaijan, member of delegation of parliament of Azerbaijan at
PACE Rafael Huseynov told AzerTAj correspondent. Because of absence
at session of the reporter, the deputy from England Malcolm Bruce,
to members of the Committee has been represented the message –
memorandum on the resolution (#1359) prepared by him. The given
document, within the framework of the report “Activity of democratic
institutes in Azerbaijan”, deals with the condition of the work done
in the Country in connection with problem of prisoners.
New and former variants of this document discussed at the autumn
session, have not undergone serious changes. M. Bruce has supplemented
the report with new data connected to events, occurred for last
period. In the report, the high estimation has been given to the
measures, which have been carried out in Azerbaijan in connection
with the solution of this problem, decrees of the President of the
country about the pardon, effective cooperation of Azerbaijan and the
Council of Europe in the cause of solution of the question separately.
During the sitting, dialogue between R. Huseynov and Secretariat
concerning the text of the report has taken place.
At the sitting of the Committee, the new document prepared by R.
Huseynov for the first time has been considered. Some members of
Committee have signed the document titled “On the responsibility of
the Armenian state connected to compensation of material and moral
damage, as a result of occupation of territories of Azerbaijan»,
and they have stated that approve substantive provisions of the text.
It is expected that at the forthcoming winter session the document
will be submitted in Secretariat of the Council of Europe, issued
and again discussed.
–Boundary_(ID_33AoDUpJTJUBMogph12DOw)–

Armenia Fails To Realize Claims In PACE
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Nov 20 2004
Armenia has again failed to realize their territorial claims as the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) supported
Azerbaijan’s fair position on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, head of
the Azerbaijani delegation at PACE Samad Seyidov said.
Seyidov returned home late on Thursday from the meeting of the PACE
Political Committee held in Strasbourg. He said that the Azerbaijani
delegation’s position at PACE substantiates that Azerbaijan is pursuing
a correct and fair policy.
“The developments in the Committee’s meeting were expectable as
a report on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, prepared by former
CE rapporteur Terry Davis, contained realities and was precise,”
Seyidov noted.
According to Seyidov, the Azeri parliament members were also ready
to prevent the Armenian MPs’ attempts to withdraw the report from
the meeting agenda.
The report is due to be discussed at the PACE session in January 2005.

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
Nov 20 2004
Giving help, a box at a time
Clark Magnet High School students gather dozens of boxes of toys,
books, clothes and shoes to be shipped to Iraqi children.
By Darleene Barrientos, News-Press and Leader
LA CRESCENTA — Having had the luxury of playing with Barbie dolls as
a young girl, the image of Iraqi girls making do with rocks hit home
for Clark Magnet High School student Jenny Lee.
“That kind of got to me,” the 17-year-old student said of a video she
saw. “We have so much here. The least you could do is buy something
for just $1 or $2. Just donating will make us happy and make them
happy.”
So Jenny, a member of her school’s student government, set out to
help her school gather dozens of boxes of toys, school supplies,
shoes and clothes to donate to the women and children of Iraq. The
boxes were handed over to Passions & Dreams Funding, an organization
accepting donations that will be sorted out and shipped to Iraq.
Clark Magnet’s student government mobilized the effort in October,
placing a container in each fourth-period classroom where students
could deposit their donations. The school made a competition of the
effort, in which each classroom could garner points for every type of
donation. Books and coloring books were the most valuable at 200
points, and shoes were worth 150 points. Clothes and toys got each
class 100 points, while school supplies, like pencils and crayons,
were 10 points each.
The school’s goal was to hit about 400,000 points, but the students
exceeded 500,000. Mary Mardirosian’s classroom alone acquired more
than 100,000 points, the most out of the whole school. The classroom
with the most points won an award pointing that out and thanking the
students.
Several of Mardirosian’s students recently moved here from other
countries, so that might have fueled their motivation to donate,
Mardirosian said.
When talking about the effort, Mardirosian talked to her students
about the earthquakes in Armenia and Mexico.
“I said, ‘Now it’s your chance to give,’ ” she said. “It doesn’t
matter your opinion of the war — just help the Iraqi children.”
The cardboard boxes of donations overflowed with a plush, red Elmo, a
Scooby Doo doll, and a SpongeBob Squarepants doll, while sparkly
pencil sets and baby’s clothes protruded from other boxes. A box
filled with worn baseballs and softballs elicited wows from the
students, while plastic bouncing balls nearly popped out of several
other boxes.
“I’m blown away,” said Silva Mirzoian, the founder of Passions &
Dreams. “I’m overwhelmed with their generosity. I had no idea they
would gather so much.
The organization will take this shipment to a warehouse so workers
can sort through the goods and make sure they are appropriate to the
country’s customs. Mirzoian said she hoped the toys, clothes, shoes
and books would be in the hands of the Iraqi children by
mid-December. For more information about Passions & Dreams or to
donate, call (310) 273-1019 or go to their website at
–Boundary_(ID_BNt11hilcyoZFx2dnsthjg)–

Los Angeles Times
Nov 20 2004
Living One’s Faith Among the Poor
An Azusa Pacific program places interns in service to the community
in L.A. Student Brendan Alley helps the homeless.
By K. Connie Kang, Times Staff Writer
Approaching a disheveled man lying on a sidewalk near Vine Street
in Hollywood, Brendan Alley crouched quietly beside him and gently
touched the homeless man’s shoulder.
“My name is Brendan. Do you want something to eat?” said the Azusa
Pacific University sophomore.
“Yah,” the man replied, pulling himself up slowly from his makeshift
bed of crushed cardboard boxes and peering from beneath a crumpled
cowboy hat at the juice and chips the stranger offered.
As the man took the snack, Alley asked him how he was doing, his name,
how long he had been on the street and whether he had heard of PATH
(People Assisting the Homeless). Alley also told him that a free lunch,
a shower, a haircut and various social services were available at
the PATH agency’s facilities between Koreatown and Silver Lake.
Alley, 19, who comes from Billericia, Mass., a town of 30,000 near
Boston, has spent many hours since September walking countless city
blocks — from Hollywood to Inglewood — to reach out to the homeless.
The experience, under the supervision of a PATH official, fulfills a
requirement for a bachelor’s degree in global studies at Azusa Pacific,
the largest evangelical Christian college on the West Coast.
Students have a choice of interning at any of more than two dozen
community groups involved in economic development, community health,
urban education, environmental justice, human rights, and moral and
spiritual renewal.
Alley, who plans to be a minister, is one of 10 students from around
the country enrolled this semester in an Azusa Pacific program known as
the Los Angeles Term. In addition to the internship, the students use
only public transportation, live with families in the city and take
classes at the school’s L.A. Regional Center on Wilshire Boulevard
in Koreatown for the semester.
Now in its fifth year, the program was born out of the 1992 Los
Angeles riots.
“When the city was burning from the uprising, APU realized there was
an experiential gap between Azusa and L.A., even though it’s only 25
to 30 miles from the center of the city,” said the Rev. Paul Hertig,
professor of global studies and director of the Los Angeles Term.
School officials decided to start an academic program to participate in
the healing of the city. The Los Angeles Term is a component of that.
“We are challenging the students to live out their faith in the
realities of urban life,” said Hertig, a specialist in inter-cultural
studies. “When they journey from their familiar territory to a more
multicultural setting of L.A., their monocultural faith gains a
multicultural dimension. Their faith begins to reflect the color of
the mosaic of L.A.”
For Alley, working with the homeless offers a challenge to live out
his faith. “It’s all about becoming more aware about people around
you,” he said, “Through that, you’re able to love people better.”
Alley grew up in a loving family active in the Baptist church. In
addition to having Alley and his older brother, the family adopted
five children. Alley said he was inspired to go into the ministry when
he was 12 and saw a church group renovating a former strip joint in
Cambridge, Mass., into a sanctuary and sports facilities for youths.
His Los Angeles internship, current classes and living with a Filipino
American family near Koreatown have been life-changing experiences.
“The biggest challenge for me is to absorb and interpret as much as
possible while not becoming overwhelmed,” he said.
Sometimes, he admits, he is tempted to ignore homeless people who
ask for money, especially when he is broke. But, even then, it’s
important to hear what they have to say, he said. “You can offer
them your attention, introduce yourself to them and listen, give them
certain respect,” he said.
He often has his meals at the Thai restaurant his host family runs,
Lynne’s Cuisine at 6th and Occidental streets. His host mother,
Alice Meyer, who has two sons in their early 20s, dotes on Alley,
making sure that the slender student has had enough to eat.
“He is such a sweetheart,” said Meyer, who has been a host to other
students in the Los Angeles Term. “We are a family; that’s the beauty
of it.”
Alley has a car he keeps at a friend’s house in San Diego. He is not
allowed to use it under the semester’s rules. So on a recent Thursday,
his day began before 7 a.m. when he took the No. 14 Beverly bus to
get to the PATH office on Madison Street and did not end until after
9 p.m., when he left the Zen Center of Los Angeles.
At 9 a.m., after reviewing files and conferring with Sam Colquitt —
his supervisor and a PATH project director — Alley was on a PATH van
headed for Hollywood.
With Colquitt and Veronica Johnson, PATH’s street outreach case
manager, Alley visited with 15 homeless people, including several
old-timers who tend to stay in the same place.
“I still find it amazing that you find the same people at the same,
exact spot,” he said after visiting with Bob, a Korean War veteran
whose home is a bench by a bus stop across from St. John Armenian
Apostolic Church on Vine Street near Sunset Boulevard.
As a vet, Bob qualifies for many benefits, but he tells them he wants
to stay where he is.
The only thing he would like is a driver’s license, he told Colquitt,
who keeps an eye out for him. Could he pick up an application form so
he could get a driver’s license, Bob asked. Colquitt told Bob that
he had to appear in person at a Department of Motor Vehicles office
to get a license. But Bob just nodded and talked about how his vision
is so bad that he can barely read.
After a short lunch, the team returned to PATH shortly before 2 p.m.
Alley made a brief stop at his home before heading for the Central
Library downtown to do research on Buddhism. After dinner at the
restaurant, he went the Zen Center in Koreatown, where he observed
and meditated with about 10 others, most of them Buddhists, for two
hours until shortly after 9 p.m. He took the subway, then a bus,
getting home after 10 p.m.
As part of the course “Urban Religious Movements,” Azusa Pacific
classes visit various religious settings including Eastern Orthodox
and Roman Catholic churches, a Jewish synagogue, a Buddhist meditation
center, an Islamic mosque and a Hindu temple. Later, students pick
one religious community to concentrate on and visit it often, as
Alley did with the Buddhists.
On Fridays, after attending Hertig’s class “Community Organizations
and Social Change,” Los Angeles Term students have lunch together
and talk about such issues as homelessness, sweatshops, pollution
and mass transit.
Alley says he is waiting for God’s direction on what to do after
graduating from Azusa Pacific: a seminary or graduate school first,
or whether to start working with Baptists to launch new churches.
“I want to be God’s friend and co-laborer and a tool to do his work,”
he said.
–Boundary_(ID_jq3h+Nl4FQN9Pj0h8kUl+A)–