Israel’s chief rabbi meets Christian leaders to ease tensions
By LAURIE COPANS
AP Worldstream
Oct 26, 2004
An Israeli chief rabbi held an unprecedented meeting Tuesday with
Christian clergy in Jerusalem in an effort to ease tensions after
an Orthodox Jew spat at an Armenian bishop near a holy site in the
Old City.
Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, who sat at the head of a table surrounded
by clerics with gold crosses, black robes and silver staffs, denounced
any attacks on religious clergy in Israel.
“As sons of Abraham, we are brothers,” Metzger said. “We denounce
any act that is meant to degrade religious people.”
The meeting was called after the Oct. 10 incident in which a Jewish
seminary student spit on an Armenian archbishop carrying a cross in
Jerusalem, sparking a fist fight that damaged the cleric’s medallion.
Many of the 14 church representatives at the meeting Tuesday complained
that the incident was just one of dozens of similar attacks every year.
“Unfortunately this incident was not an isolated incident,” Armenian
Bishop Aris Shirvanian said. “Quite frequently we suffer some kind
of indignity … at least once a week.”
Shirvanian said Israeli rabbis needed to do a better job of educating
their followers not to participate in such attacks.
Metzger promised to ask rabbis in the Old City to give sermons on
religious tolerance. An Interior Ministry official said Jerusalem
police understood the importance of cracking down on anti-Christian
behavior among Orthodox Jews.
Although officially relations between Jewish and Christian clergy
are good in Jerusalem, tensions sometimes escalate over what church
leaders say are a disregard by Israel for their interests.
In a sign of the seriousness of the spitting incident, Tuesday’s
meeting was the first time in years a chief rabbi had met with so
many Christian clergy, said Efrat Orbach, a spokeswoman for Metzger.
In a sign of their excitement over the meeting, many church
representatives took pictures throughout. The gathering was initiated
by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, which was
founded by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, who moved to Israel from Chicago
in 2001.

UN helps Armenian women have say in politics
Noyan Tapan news agency
25 Oct 04
Yerevan, 22 October: The involvement of women in political affairs,
the issue of trafficking and other issues were discussed at a two-day
international conference entitled “To assist women’s progress: the
national programme in action” which started in Yerevan on 22 October.
A nationwide programme for 2004-10 of improving the life of women
and increasing their role in society was presented at the conference.
Armenian Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Security Karine
Akopyan noted that the programme will ensure that men and women have
equal rights and possibilities which is a condition for building
a democratic, legal, and social state. The programme, the deputy
minister said, will help to tackle socioeconomic problems that women
face and to overcome poverty in the country.
According to data cited by the national programme, the republic’s
rate of population growth reduced by a factor of eight and the rate
of birth dropped by a factor of two in the last 10 years.
One of the main reasons for that is infertility which constitutes 31.9
per cent in the republic today. According to the Armenian police,
correspondingly 52, 51 and 55 women apparently became victims of
violence in the republic in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
The conference is being held within the framework of the programme
“Gender policy in the South Caucasus”. The latter is being implemented
in Armenia by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the UN
Development Programme [UNDP].

Russia’s former Karabakh mediator stands for “multi-stage” solution – agency
MPA news agency
26 Oct 04
Baku, 26 October: Ambassador Vladimir Kazimirov, the former Russian
co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, is surprised at the “time-out”
taken in the Nagornyy Karabakh negotiations, because he believes that
the pace of the talks does not reflect the importance Azerbaijani and
Armenian attach to the solution of the conflict, MPA quoted Kazimirov
as telling the Regnum news agency.
“The time-out must be particularly alarming for Azerbaijan because it
has lost something in the military action. Baku insists that Karabakh
continues to be problem number one but when it comes to action,
it becomes passive,” Kazimirov said.
He has identified five possible scenarios for further developments:
the resumption of hostilities, the preservation of the status quo,
a package solution and two stage-by-stage solution alternatives.
The Russian diplomat believes the first three are hopeless and
perilous. Kazimirov described as attractive the “multi-stage” solution
which envisages the discussion on the whole range of issues “without
confining the talks to two key issues – the status for Nagornyy
Karabakh and the liberation of the territories outside it”. In the
meantime, the parties to the conflict could gradually attend to a
number of small but important issues which are currently blocked by
the dispute over the status and territories, he said.
The multi-stage alternative, Kazimirov says, envisages regular and
intense negotiations in four directions. The most important issue
is to strengthen the cease-fire and make it impossible to resume
hostilities even in five-10 years from now. The second direction is
the status. Kazimirov thinks that a compromise decision might be taken
on this issue. For example, all the parties involved could regard the
regime in Nagornyy Karabakh as temporary. “Then they could continue the
talks for the status, but a final agreement will not quick,” he said.
Kazimirov vigorously opposes the Armenian definition of the “liberated
territories”. The Russian diplomat thinks that “even if the Armenians
were historically right in some respects, modern issues must not be
resolved with the use of old maps. Then, for example, the Crimea
would have to be returned to the Greek – not to the Ukrainians,
Russians or Turks – but to the Greek”.

Turkish TV: Kurdish officials tell EU “systematic torture exists”
NTV television, Istanbul
26 Oct 04
The European Parliament [EP] Human Rights Subcommittee has discussed
Turkey. [Kurdish] DEHAP [Democratic People’s Party] Chairman Tuncer
Bakirhan and IHD [Human Rights Association] Diyarbakir leader
Selahattin Demirtas maintained that there exists systematic torture
in Turkey. Demirtas and Bakirhan called on the EU to decide on 17
December to start accession talks with Turkey, but maintained that
systematic torture continues in Turkey. Bakirhan accused the [ruling]
AKP [Justice and Development Party] government of not taking any
action regarding the clashes in the southeast.
Leylekyan who was invited to the meeting as the representative of
European Armenians stressed that the recognition of the Armenian
genocide by Ankara should be a condition for the start of Turkey’s
accession talks.
A report on Turkey drawn up by Dutch MEP Eurlings will be discussed
at the EP Foreign Relations Committee. The report recommends many
conditions and an open-ended negotiation process for Turkey.

Paper criticizes Azeri Foreign Ministry’s stance on British MPs’ Karabakh visit
Zerkalo, Baku
23 Oct 04
Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov has refused to attend
a conference entitled “Armenia – the South Caucasus and foreign
policy challenges” because of provocative actions of its organizers,
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Matin Mirza told journalists on
22 October. He said that Azimov had refused to attend the conference in
the University of Michigan on 21-23 October because a representative
of the separatist regime of the so-called Nagornyy Karabakh Republic
was attending it.
Mirza said that representatives of the Karabakh separatists had not
been included in the list of the conference participants attached
to an invitation sent to Azimov. When it became known that they will
attend the conference after all, Azimov demanded that an invitation be
sent to Nizami Bahmanov, the leader of Nagornyy Karabakh’s Azerbaijani
community. The organizers, however, did not accept this proposal and
Azimov refused to attend the conference.
Mirza said that this position of the organizers testified to their
pro-Armenian stance. Their aim was to bring a representative of
official Baku and Karabakh separatists together at the aforesaid
conference and then make use of this event with all its political
consequences. [Passage omitted: other issues reported at the press
briefing]
At the press briefing Mirza also spoke about a British parliamentary
delegation’s visit to Nagornyy Karabakh on 20 October. The delegation
was led by Deputy Speaker of the British House of Lords Baroness
Caroline Cox, who is known for her pro-Armenian stance. [Passage
omitted: Britain says this was a private visit]
One should pay attention to some aspects of Mirza’s remarks which have
a direct link with the situation around Nagornyy Karabakh, to be more
precise, with the weakness of our position. Let us start with the
visit of the British parliamentary delegation to Nagornyy Karabakh
which is, in fact, a minor, but not less painful fact. It appears
that if Baroness Cox and Co. visited Nagornyy Karabakh at their own
initiative and this visit does not reflect London’s official position,
everything is normal and there is no problem here. Well, gentlemen,
what a careless or, to be more precise, criminally careless attitude
to your own sovereignty over the country’s territory?
[Passage omitted: Azerbaijan has visa-free regime only with CIS
countries]
But this is very simple issue. Instead of expressing satisfaction with
the explanations from the British side, there was a need for informing
the British Foreign Office that Baroness Cox committed a crime under
the Azerbaijani Criminal Code with all ensuing consequences. No
matter in this case whether the positions of Baroness Cox and of
official London on the Karabakh settlement coincide or not. How one
could trust our decisiveness to thwart illegal activities on the
territories occupied by Armenia, if the aforesaid is our attitude to
observing Azerbaijan’s sovereignty?
[Passage omitted: more criticism on the Foreign Ministry’s activity]

Azerbaijan not planning to increase troop numbers in Iraq
AP Worldstream
Oct 26, 2004
Azerbaijan does not intend to increase the number of its troops
currently serving in Iraq as part of the U.S.-led coalition, Foreign
Minsiter Elmar Mammadyarov said Tuesday.
“We don’t have the technical abilities to expand the contingent,
that is people who have received the corresponding preparations,”
Mammadyarov told reporters in Baku.
Azerbaijan has 150 troops deployed in Iraq, where they are serving
mainly as sentries and on patrols. The Caucasus nation and former
Soviet republic is the only predominantly Muslim country that has
contributed troops to the U.S.-led coalition.
Azerbaijan, which also has 22 troops in Afghanstian, is seeking
U.S. support in modernizing its military and resolving a territorial
dispute with neighboring Armenia.

Bulgarian, Slovenian presidents hold news conference, view cooperation, EU
BTA web site, Sofia
26 Oct 04
Ljubljana, 26 October: Bulgaria should not wait for another country or
group of countries in joining the European Union, Slovenian President
Janez Drnovsek told a joint news conference with his Bulgarian
counterpart Georgi Purvanov after their meeting in the Brdo Castle,
near Ljubljana, on Tuesday [26 October].
Drnovsek said this taking a question on how Slovenia would help
Bulgaria along the road to the EU. Slovenia joined the EU on 1 May
this year. Purvanov opened a two-day official visit to Slovenia on
Tuesday. Slovenia believes that the process of Bulgaria’s accession
should continue as planned, within the set time frames, Drnovsek
said, adding that his country would defend this stand. The Slovenian
president said he expects Slovenia to become a member of the Schengen
Agreement by 2007 and to meet all Schengen standards as an external
border of the EU.
Taking a question, Purvanov said that on the whole Bulgaria had no
problems in closing the negotiation chapters with the exception of
the traditionally difficult ones on competition and agriculture. He
pointed out that Bulgaria still has to work on the reform of its
judiciary and administration and with its minorities.
At their one-to-one meeting the two presidents discussed the work of
the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), whose
rotating chairmanship-in-office Bulgaria currently holds. Slovenia
is expected to take over next year. Purvanov said that as holder of
the OSCE chairmanship-in-office Bulgaria prioritized on the fight
against terrorism and against the trafficking of arms and drugs and
other new challenges. The two presidents discussed the hotbeds of
potential tension Kosovo, Transdniestrian region, Georgia, Armenia
and Azerbaijan. These problems cannot be solved within the term of
one chairmanship, Purvanov said, adding that Bulgaria will assist
Slovenia in their solution as former chairman-in-office and member
of the Troika.
Purvanov made a high assessment of the results of political dialogue
between Bulgaria and Slovenia and pointed out that this dialogue
has a positive influence on economic relations. He explained that
this year two-way trade is expected to reach the record high 100m US
dollars. Last year saw a record in investment, Purvanov said. There
are untapped opportunities for bilateral cooperation in tourism,
transport, telecommunications, social security and in promoting direct
contacts between economic agents and the chambers of commerce of the
two countries. Bulgaria was one of the first countries to support
Slovenia’s initiative for a Slavic cultural forum, the Bulgarian
president said. Purvanov also stressed the good relations between
higher educational establishments of the two countries, above all
between Sofia University and Ljubljana University. He thanked for
the support of his idea for cultural corridors in Southeastern Europe.
The Bulgarian president also met with Slovenian parliament Speaker
France Cukjati who was elected to this post on 22 October. Purvanov
is the first foreign head of state whom the new Slovenian parliament
Speaker meets.

PRESS RELEASE
ARMENIAN PATRIARCHATE
JERUSALEM
Office of the Ecumenical and Foreign Relations
Contact person: Bishop Aris Shirvanian
Tel: 972-2-628-2331
Fax: 972-2-626-4861
E-mail: [email protected]
COMMUNIQUÉ
ORDINATIONS AT ST. JAMES CATHEDRAL
Last weekend were days of spiritual joy for St. James Brotherhood and the
Armenian Community of Jerusalem. On the occasion of the Feast of the Holy
Translators (by Julian Calendar) graduate students of the Armenian Seminary
and the Theological Faculty received the grace of ordination by the
Patriarch of our Holy See, His Beatitude Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, at
St. James Cathedral. The Presenter was the Grand Sacristan His Eminence
Archbishop Nourhan Manougian who along with Very Rev. Father Baret
Yeretzian, the Dean of the Seminary, and Rev. Fathers Theodoros Zakarian and
Pakrad Bourjekian led the ordinands to the ordaining Patriarch.
On Thursday, 21 October 2004, during the Evening Service, His Beatitude
bestowed stoles upon four seminarians of the Class IV, Nareg
Megerdichian, Bavel Garabedian, Sahag Hovagimian and Samuel Safarian. At the
same time he ordained subdeacons the stole-bearers of the Class I of the
Theological Faculty, Ardag Hagopian, Hovhannes Kevorkian, Bavel Tavtian, as
well as the stole-bearer of the St. Yeghia Church of Haifa, Avedis
Shahinian.
On Friday, 22 October, His Beatitude ordained the subdeacons Ardak
Hagopian, Hovhannes Kevorkian,, Pavel Tavtian and Avedis Shahinian as
deacons during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.
In the afternoon, during the celebration of the Eve of the Feast of the Holy
Translators, the Service of the Call to Priesthood of Deacon Haroutiun
Yeghiayan, who graduated from the Theological Faculty, was conducted.
On Saturday, 23 October, on the Feast of the Holy Translators, His Beatitude
the Patriarch ordained Deacon Haroutiun Yeghiayan as celibate priest in a
moving ceremony during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and re-named
him Father Haygazoun. Then in the same afternoon during the Evening Service
he donned the newly ordained priest the traditional hood(Veghar) , the
symbol of celibacy.
A formal dinner in honor of the newly ordained priest Father Haygazoun, the
deacons and the stole-bearers was served at the refectory of the Brotherhood
where His Beatitude and Members of the clergy made toasts and congratulated
them all.
Father Haygazoun will spend his traditional forty days of fasting period and
of preparation for his new spiritual career at our Convent of Nativity in
Bethlehem.
On this happy occasion we would like to announce that presently there are 43
students studying at our Seminary and the Theological Faculty, one of them
is a special student from the USA, another from Bulgaria and all the rest
are from Armenia. The Seminary consists of five classes and the Theological
Faculty of three classes.
The Dean announces that candidates who would like to study at our Seminary
and the Theological Faculty may submit their applications for the academic
year 2005-2006 during the current year. Applicants will be accepted from
Armenia and from different Armenian communities in the Diaspora. Applicants
should be 14 years of age and over. Special students may also be admitted.
For further information inquiries should be addressed to the Dean Very
Reverend Father Baret Yeretzian at the following address:
Armenian Seminary, P.O.Box 14001,
Old City Jerusalem 91141, Israel.
Tel: (972-2)628-2331.
Jerusalem, 25 October 2004 DIVAN OF THE ARMENIAN PATRIARCHATE
–Boundary_(ID_cofXCDJjtYjknRVtUNeN/Q)–

Bulgarian deputy premier, Azeri defence minister discuss relations, Iraq
BGNES web site
26 Oct 04
Sofia, 26 October: On 26 October Deputy Prime Minister Plamen Panayotov
received Col-Gen Safar Abiyev, defence minister of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, who is visiting Bulgaria in connection with the signing
of a cooperation plan for 2005 between the two defence ministries.
At the meeting, the sides stressed the positive development of
bilateral relations and pointed out that the cooperation between the
two defence ministry testifies to this, the Bulgarian deputy prime
minister’s office has announced. At the request of the Azerbaijani
side, Panayotov thoroughly described Bulgaria’s preparations for
joining NATO and the actual act of joining, as well as the talks on
Bulgaria’s forthcoming EU membership. On the basis of the Bulgarian
experience, the deputy prime minister pointed out that the goals of
integration into the EU and NATO could only be successfully implemented
if they were accompanied by policies consistent with the values and
criteria of democracy, law and order, observance of human rights,
creating possibilities for free entrepreneurship and a market economy
and maintaining peaceful relations with the neighbours.
Panayotov especially stressed the necessity of not only accepting the
EU and NATO standards, but also strictly applying them. He expressed
Bulgaria’s readiness to share its experience in this realm with
Azerbaijan.
A significant part of the talks was devoted to expanding economic
cooperation and trade between the two countries. The dynamic growth
of the two countries’ economies could serve as a foundation for this
cooperation. It was agreed to intensify business contacts between
the two countries with the goal of identifying the possibilities of
achieving a more adequate volume of bilateral trade.
The Azerbaijani side expressed support for Bulgaria’s striving
to implement the work on constructing a modern power generation
infrastructure, including implementing projects on transporting
oil and natural gas from the Caucasus region to Europe through
Bulgaria’s territory and utilizing the EU’s Transport Corridor
Europe-Caucasus-Asia and Inogate programmes.
The situation in Iraq, where both countries have contingents within
the stabilization force framework, was reviewed. At the request of
the Azerbaijani side, opinions were exchanged on relations between
Azerbaijan and Armenia. It was pointed out that with the cooperation
of the Bulgarian chairmanship-in-office of the OSCE in 2004 efforts
have been made within the framework of the negations to find a peaceful
solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The Bulgarian side again confirmed support for the OSCE’s Minsk Group
efforts and its cochairmen in this context.

Karabakh minister, US mediator discuss Karabakh in Washington
Mediamax news agency
26 Oct 04
Yerevan, 26 October: The foreign minister of the Nagornyy Karabakh
Republic (NKR), Ashot Gulyan, has met the US co-chairman of the OSCE
Minsk Group, Steven Mann, in Washington.
The NKR Foreign Ministry has reported that the meeting, which took
place on 25 October, discussed prospects for the Karabakh settlement
in the context of the latest developments.
The meeting focused on the factors hindering a peaceful settlement
to the problem. “In particular, they discussed Azerbaijan’s bellicose
statements, this country’s official propaganda inciting hatred towards
the Armenians,” the Foreign Ministry reported.
Ashot Gulyan noted the importance of using the potential of societies
involved in the conflict, which he said was not being used today due
to the non-constructive position of the Azerbaijani side.
In turn, Steven Mann stressed that the political will of the sides and
a favourable public opinion were a necessary condition for establishing
a lasting peace.