On Tuesday, September 22, 2009, Members of the US Congress, Members of European Parliament and a Member of the Canadian Parliament signed an historic document condemning Iran’s continued human rights abuses. This document was signed at the second Trans-Atlantic Group on Counter Terrorism, or TAG, summit hosted by TAG co-chairs US Representative Sue Myrick (NC-09) and Member of European Parliament Jaime Mayor Oreja (EU-Spain). This is historic because it is the first document signed by a group of international lawmakers addressing the Iranian regime’s human rights atrocities against the Iranian people,” said US Representative Sue Myrick (NC-09), who is also the Co-Chair of the US Bipartisan House Caucus on Counter Terrorism. “We are keeping a close watch on the Iran nuclear weapons situation, but this will not cause us to forget the human rights atrocities committed by the Iranian regime. We say to the Iranian people who continue their fight for freedom, ‘We have not forgotten you. We stand with you". At the signing session which took place inside the US Congress, MEP Jaime Mayor Oreja, who serves as the Vice President for the EPP at the European Parliament, said "it is the first time that legislators from both sides of the Atlantic are coming together to address the threats of Jihadi terror. We are pleased to have accomplished this first step and other important steps will follow." Oreja oversees the European Ideas Network (EIN), the Policy Think Tank of the EPP. Members of Congress who signed this declaration include: Sue Myrick (NC), Kay Granger (TX), Paul Broun (GA), Bill Shuster (PA), Ed Royce (CA), and former Congressman Bud Cramer (AL). Members of the European Parliament who signed this declaration include: Mr. Jaime Mayor Oreja (Spain), a former Minister of Interior, Mrs. Corien Worthmann-Kool (Netherlands), Mr. Timothy Kirkhope MEP (UK), Mr. Othmar Karas (Austria), Mr. Marian Jean Marinescu (Romania), and Mr. Ioannis Kasoulides (Cyprus), a former Foreign Minister. Canadian MP Irwin Cotler, a former Minister of Justice, also joined the delegations and signed the declaration.
House President Marios Garoyian has warned those who still advocate a return to a failed UN solution plan – the Annan plan – that they will fail in their effort to help find a negotiated settlement in Cyprus. “We tell those who wish to reintroduce the Annan plan, impose strict timeframes and arbitration on the ongoing UN-led process of direct negotiations, that they will fail yet again and the UN responsibilities, in such a case, would be great”, he stressed. “If the ask us to make further concessions and more compromises than those we have made since 1974, I would like to send them the message that they are making a mistake and they will fail as they have failed in similar cases in the past, the most recent case is the Annan plan in 2004”, he said. The House President also pointed out that the Greek Cypriot side wishes to solve the Cyprus problem as soon as possible. “Of course, the most important thing is the type of the solution, and it is for that reason that we insist and say that in order to reach a settlement the soonest, Turkey should abandon a policy, a mentality and a behavior which contradict international law and EU principles and values”, he added. “It is Turkey that violates international law, it is Turkey that retains troops in Cyprus, it is Turkey that violates human rights and political freedoms and it is Turkey that occupies European territory since 1974”, he stressed.
Greece's military general staff on Tuesday reported yet another instance of radar interference over the eastern Aegean islet of Farmakonissi, the apparent "modus operandi" of a specific Turkish radar unit on the opposite Asia Minor coast that has attempted to ward off aircraft by claiming they are flying within Turkish airspace. The latest instance, following similar radar warnings conveyed by radio to Frontex border security patrols recently, was recorded by three Hellenic Air Force F-16s on a routine training flight over the Greek isle. The message was transmitted at 13.32, according to the general staff, while the pilots continued their training flight at 3,000 feet before returning to a base on Crete after the exercise's conclusion.
The presence of a Kosovo delegation at the United Nations General Assembly violates the world organization's code of ethics, Serbia's foreign minister says. Vuk Jeremic told the Serbian news Web site B92 Tuesday that entry by Kosovo's Fatmir Sejdiu into the U.N. building, which the General Secretariat said most likely was facilitated by Albania, violated U.N. rules. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Brenden Varma told Serbian officials who protested Sejdiu's presence that "the United Nations did not issue passes to the Kosovo representatives to enter the General Assembly hall," and an investigation had concluded that the Albanian delegation had a number of passes that they could "give to whomever they want, allowing them to observe the session from a special room."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will pay an official visit to Abkhazia on October 2-3, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. Andrei Nesterenko said Lavrov is scheduled to hold talks with Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh and Sergei Shamba, the foreign minister of the former Georgian republic. "The sides will discuss issues of further development of friendly relations between our countries, the establishment of full-format intergovernmental interaction, provision of assistance to Abkhazia in the spheres of security, cooperation in international affairs, and training of diplomats for the republic," Nesterenko said. Russia recognized the independence of the former Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia last August after a five-day war with Georgia over the latter, which was attacked by Tbilisi in an attempt to bring it back under central control. Nesterenko said that the sides would also discuss issues concerning international recognition of Abkhazia. "Besides Russia and Nicaragua the independence of Abkhazia has been also recognized recently by Venezuela. Obviously expanding the process of international recognition of Abkhazia will help further establish the sovereignty of the republic," the spokesman said. Under mutual assistance treaties signed last November, Russia pledged to help South Ossetia and Abkhazia protect their borders, and Moscow pledged significant financial support to rebuild the republics, which had been de facto independent since the early 1990s.
The Christian Orthodox Church’s most senior leader has issued a statement urging world leaders to join him and his more than 200 million followers in pushing for a strong and fair climate deal in Copenhagen this December. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, nicknamed the ‘Green Patriarch’ for his longtime support of environmental issues, is calling on political leaders participating in climate change talks this week in Bangkok to agree on strong and fair measures to mitigate climate change in advance of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen this December. “The accomplishment of a good agreement within the framework of the international negotiations in Copenhagen does not solely constitute a moral imperative for the conservation of God’s creation,” Patriarch Bartholomew said in a statement issued this week. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is the highest office of the Orthodox Church and is based in Istanbul, Turkey. Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew serves as the spiritual leader to approximately 300 million Orthodox Christian faithful across the globe. Since his election in October 1991, Bartholomew has often spoken publicly about the moral imperative to protect the environment, according to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Fordham University will present an honorary degree to His All Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, in a ceremony on Oct. 27. The Ecumenical Patriarch, the 270th successor of the 2,000-year-old Christian Church founded by St. Andrew, will receive a doctorate of laws, honoris causa, at a ceremony to be held at the University Church on Fordham’s Rose Hill campus. "We are honored, of course, to receive the Ecumenical Patriarch here at Fordham," said Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham. "His All Holiness instructs us in ecumenism and tolerance, in stewardship of the Earth and in fearless defense of faith. Therefore, we welcome Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and look forward to ever-stronger ties between the Orthodox Christian and Catholic churches." Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew will be visiting the United States between Oct. 17 and Nov. 5, beginning in Memphis, Tenn., leading his Eighth International Environmental Symposium, this time addressing the needs of the Mississippi River. He then will travel to New York City, where he will celebrate several liturgies before receiving an honorary doctorate from Fordham. The Ecumenical Patriarch has occupied the First Throne of the Orthodox Christian Church since 1991. He is the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians throughout the world, and has worked in close and brotherly association with two Popes, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. A citizen of Turkey, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s personal experience provides him a unique perspective on the continuing dialogue among the Christian, Islamic and Jewish worlds. He works to advance reconciliation among Catholic, Muslim and Orthodox communities and is supportive of peace building measures to diffuse global conflict in the region. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew co-sponsored the 1994 Peace and Tolerance Conference in Istanbul. His efforts in environmental awareness, including the organizing of several environmental seminars, are highly noted, earning him the title "Green Patriarch."