Michael's Daily 7 - 30 October

I. President of Cyprus likens EU-Turkey relations to Nazi appeasement

The president of Cyprus today urged Europe to get tough with Turkey, likening the EU's concessions to Ankara to the appeasement of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s, and playing down expectations of any breakthrough in the quest for a settlement of 35 years of partition in Cyprus. Christofias warned that any European concessions to Ankara to keep Turkey on a pro-European path could backfire. "I don't compare Turkey with Nazi Germany," he said. "But it is not reasonable to say don't challenge Turkey because it will get angry. There are rules and unfortunately Turkey does not respect those rules ... This reminds me of the situation before the second world war, appeasing Hitler so he doesn't become more aggressive. The substance of fascism was the substance of fascism. Hitler was Hitler." Demetris Christofias, the Greek Cypriot leader and Cypriot president, said that more than a year of negotiations with his Turkish Cypriot friend and counterpart, Mehmet Ali Talat, were in trouble. "Unfortunately, my expectations have not been justified," he said in an interview. "We have differences and divergences, deep, deep differences." Both leaders, personal friends who are both on the left, have been conducting negotiations for more than a year. Talat, however, is widely tipped to lose power in presidential elections in Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus next April to nationalist hardliners, so the duo may have only months to strike a deal. Cyprus has been divided since a Turkish military invasion in 1974. Christofias rejected talk of a deadline as artificial and suggested the Turkish side was exploiting Talat's electoral problems to blackmail him. If the talks fail, warned Hans Van Den Broek, the former Dutch foreign minister who sits on the Independent Commission on Turkey, "the island will certainly head towards partition. Tensions will rise in the eastern Mediterranean and EU-Turkey tension will deepen."

II. FYROMacedonia battles antiquity theft

The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) has vowed to put a halt to illegal excavations at the country’s wealth of archaeological sites, many of which have already been ransacked by savvy smugglers digging up the rich treasures. “The criminals are always a step ahead, they follow our activities and know exactly when to move away,” an official from the special department in charge of archaeological crime, who requested anonymity, told AFP. When archaeologists arrived at Isar Marvinci in southern FYROM, a seat of power in ancient times, they had hoped to begin excavations but instead faced an unpleasant surprise. “They found more than 1,000 open pits, but all the finds were gone, mostly sold to our southern neighbor” Greece, said Pasko Kuzman, head of the state institute for the protection of cultural heritage. Ancient graves were believed to be full of “gold jewelry, silver, bronze and amber pieces, all very light and easy to transport,” Kuzman said. Kuzman noted a case when 230 archaeological findings – hidden in bags full of beans – were discovered by customs officials at the Croatian-Slovenian border in 2006. “Slovenian officials established that the finds were from the territory of Macedonia and returned them to us,” he said. Over the past two years, police have reported 21 cases of cultural heritage theft, with 16 of them solved, Interior Ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski said. Thieves are mostly interested in smaller pieces like money, silver, copper or ceramic pots and stone figures, he said. According to various estimations, most of FYROM’s territory hides archaeological treasures due to the Balkan state’s central position in ancient times. So far, 10,000 different sites have been registered but at least several more thousand still need to be examined.

III. Klaus wins Lisbon Treaty concession for Czech Republic

Vaclav Klaus, the Czech Republic President, who felt the Lisbon Treaty would infringe on EU member states’ sovereignty, has won the concession he demanded before he would put his crowning signature on the deed. All the other 26 EU countries had finished their ratification. Even after both houses of parliament in Prague approved Lisbon, under pressure from several sides, Klaus held out for an opt-out from the treaty’s Fundamental Rights Charter. He said ethnic Germans might use it to reclaim land they lost in Czechoslovakia after World War II. The Benes Decrees that covered this were a kind of settling of accounts, after the calamity of the war and the country’s desertion by its allies. The Czech government, not very stable lately, under Prime Minister Jan Fisher, had to negotiate with current EU presidency Sweden to try to get Klaus’s presidential demand accommodated. Klaus also has held back signing the Lisbon Treaty until yet another complaint – this one brought by a group of Czech senators – was reviewed by their country’s constitutional court. Its deliberations continue; its next public session is a week away.

IV. Israel firm in refusing to recognize Kosovo

Israel remains firm in refusing to support the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo. This was confirmed on Tuesday at a meeting between Israeli and Serbian Interior Ministers Eliyahu Yishai and Ivica Dačić in Jerusalem. Pointing to the high level of mutual political understanding, Dačić said he thanked Israel for the country's principled stand on Kosovo and Metohija. "Israeli officials have confirmed that Israel will remain firm in its stand," he told Tanjug. During Dačić's visit to Israel, an agreement was signed between the two governments on cooperation in the fight against crime, illegal trade and abuse of narcotics and psychoactive substances, terrorism and other serious criminal acts. The Serbian delegation also conferred with Israeli Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen and Minister of Public Security Yitzhak Aharonovitch. The delegation also visited the Israeli police which is carrying out difficult tasks, Dačić said. Israeli and Serbian police forces have stood the test of time over the years and have great experience in fighting terrorism, he added. Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem also expressed support at the meeting with Dačić to Serbia's just endeavors to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The meeting with Patriarch Theophilos was the last on the program of the Serbian delegation's two-day visit to Israel. While in the Israeli capital, Dačić and Serbian police (MUP) Director Milorad Veljović also visited the Western Wall.

V. Moscow Patriarchate dignitary in Kosovo

Head of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Archbishop Ilarion of Volokolamsk is in Gračanica, reports said. The Russian Orthodox Church dignitary said that he had come to pay tribute to one of the oldest cradles of the Orthodox Christianity, where big historic events took place. Ilarion, who is on a several-day visit to the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) Eparchy of Raška and Prizren, said that the Russian Church has always stood and always will stand together with the SPC in all its times of troubles. He called on the Gračanica monastery monks and nuns not leave this land and temples, because, as he explained, for as long as they are there, the Orthodox religion will be preserved. The guest from Russia was welcomed in the province by Bishop Artemije. Artemije stated that the visit is evidence of Archbishop Ilarion's "love and care for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija", and that they will "try to inform him about the true state of affairs in the field, in order for him to be able to inform the Russian patriarch".

VI. Orthodox Christians in U.S. face obstacles before unifying

As Orthodox Christians in the United States seek a new unity out of ethnic fragmentation, they must grapple with the fact that many who say they cherish the faith nevertheless ignore its teachings and practices. "They see the Orthodox Church in an unorthodox way," said Alexei Krindatch, research director of the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute at the University of California-Berkeley, who conducted an in-depth study of Orthodox Christians in the United States. Orthodox Christians have a high sense of identification with their faith, Mr. Krindatch said. Eighty-seven percent said they couldn't imagine being anything but Orthodox, compared to 70 percent of Catholics who felt the same way about their church. But although more than 70 percent of Orthodox identify themselves as conservative or traditional -- wanting no or slow change -- many also consider key teachings of the faith optional. Another study found that 62 percent of Orthodox Christians believed abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Metropolitan Jonah, national leader of the Russian-rooted Orthodox Church in America, reacted strongly to the abortion findings, telling the assembly, "If 60 percent of our people support abortion, then we have failed miserably in our teaching." But he praised a panel of speakers who he said were laying the practical groundwork for unity by bringing people from all jurisdictions together to aid women in crisis pregnancies, assist the poor and start schools. Sister Sarah Elizabeth Oftedel, co-founder of Martha and Mary House in Escondido, Calif., a small home for women who choose adoption over abortion, said her board has members from the Serbian, Antiochian, and Greek jurisdictions and is incorporated in the Orthodox Church in America. "As a convert, I'm blind to the differences. But I do think it would be wonderful if we were all together because it would be a much more powerful witness," she said. The Rev. Justin Mathews, director of FOCUS North America, a pan-Orthodox ministry to aid poor Americans with food, shelter and employment, said global Orthodoxy has a long tradition of social service, but it has been neglected in America. Ministry to the poor "is the responsibility of our church and perhaps the beginning of the tangible fabric of unity," he said. Paying homage to food festivals, he said Orthodox churches in America are ideally suited for soup kitchens because "our churches are full of these commercial kitchens that are used primarily to serve ourselves." Achieving administrative unity would benefit social service ministries because they wouldn't have to approach a half-dozen ethnic bishops for permission each time they wanted to start a project in a given city, he said. Right now "it's just difficult to access the faithful. I can't get the names of everybody. They don't all subscribe to the same magazines. So just in the area of being able to reach people with a vital message, there would be an economy of communication that would be greatly effective," he said.

VII. American Bible Society Commemorates U.S. Visit of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with Exhibition at Museum of Biblical Art

To commemorate the upcoming U.S. visit of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the American Bible Society will highlight an exhibition of sacred texts and icons celebrating the history of the Orthodox tradition that was organized by the Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA) opening on Oct. 30 and continuing through Jan. 24, 2010. For more than seven years, the American Bible Society has worked alongside the Orthodox Church, publishing Bible literature consistent with its faith and doctrine, including: The Orthodox Children's Bible Reader, a collection of Bible stories for children with Byzantine illustrations, which has been published in Greek, English and many other languages. Also, the first ever Military New Testament has been developed for the more than 25,000 active Orthodox personnel serving in the United States armed forces around the world. This New Testament includes: prayers and meditations, icons of Christ and the Virgin Mary, daily devotionals and prayers, and an Orthodox Bible reading guide. Honoring His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's concern for ecumenism and the environment, the exhibit will feature icons, volumes of sacred Scripture, a liturgical Psalter, maps and rare architectural portraits of Constantinople. The exhibit will also highlight the cultural legacy of the Orthodox Christian Church, as well as a photo and video display of the Ecumenical Patriarch's environmental work. Recognized by TIME magazine as one of "The 2008 Time 100," Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, also known as the "Green Patriarch," has expressed concern for the environment. He has led and organized seminars that convene both religious and scientific leaders to address environmental issues. The Ecumenical Patriarch is in the U.S. to convene the Eighth Religion, Science and the Environment Symposium, and to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the enthronement of Archbishop Demetrios of America as the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. To read more about the American Bible Society, click here. To read more about the Museum of Biblical Art (MOBIA), click here.

Michael's Daily 7 - 29 October

I. How the Greeks Helped End World War II

October 28, marks the anniversary of one of the most important days in the history of the world, yet few people remember it’s significance. But the Greeks do, and they celebrate OXI day, every year. The day was October 28, 1940. At dawn that morning (4:00am), after a party in the German embassy in Athens, Mussolini (through Emanuele Grazzi, the Italian ambassador in Greece) issued an ultimatum to Greek Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas to surrender, or face open war with Italy. Metaxas, a career military officer and more importantly a proud Greek, was not inclined to acquiesce to Mussolini’s demands (surprise!), thus touching off the beginning of the Greco-Italian War and a series of unbelievable events that would eventually neutralize Italy, cripple Germany, and cost 1,000,000 Greek lives. The Consequences of Resistance - Greece was eventually forced to confront four different armies: Albania, Bulgaria, Germany, and Italy. Greece resisted the Axis powers for over 185 days from Oct 28, 1940 – April 31, 1941. The Greek victory over the initial Italian offensive of October 1940 was the first Allied land victory of the Second World War, and helped raise morale in occupied Europe. The Greek resistance influenced the course of the entire war by forcing Germany to postpone the invasion of the Soviet Union in order to assist Italy. By one estimate 311,000 people, or 4.3% of the Greek population, were killed. Among them 140,000 died from starvation during occupation. Other estimates put the death toll much higher. For example claims that “over 300,000 civilians died from starvation, thousands more through reprisals”. The Greek Resistance, one of the most effective resistance movements in Occupied Europe, was formed. These resistance groups launched guerrilla attacks against the occupying powers and set up large espionage networks. Hundreds of villages were systematically torched and almost one million Greeks left homeless. Quotes About the Greeks in World War II - “For the sake of historical truth i must verify that only the Greeks, of all the adversaries who confronted us fought with bold courage and highest disregard of death.” - Adolph Hitler (From speech he delieverd to Reichstagon May 4th 1941); “I am sorry because I am getting old and I shall not live long to thank the Greek people whose resistance decided WW2.” – Joseph Stalin (From speech broadcast over radio after victory of Stalingrad January 31 1943); You fought unarmed and won, small against big. We owe you gratitude because you gave us time to defend ourselves. As Russians and as people we thank you. - Joseph Stalin; “The war with Greece proved that nothing is firm in the military and that surprises always await us.” - Benito Mussolini 10/5/1941; “Until now we used to say that Greeks fight like heroes. Now we shall say heroes fight like Greeks.” -Winston Churchill 1941.

II. Turkey warned over Cyprus reunification standstill

Cypriot Foreign Affairs Minister Markos Kyprianou warned today (29 October) that Ankara would negatively affect its EU accession bid if did not begin complying with its obligations to normalise relations with Nicosia in December this year. Kyprianou, who was speaking at the European Policy centre think-tank in Brussels, recalled that Turkey had committed under the 2004 Ankara Protocol to opening its ports and airports to Cyprus. These obligations were later incorporated into Turkey's negotiating framework for EU accession, the foreign minister stressed, making them an integral part of Ankara's EU bid. "The fact is that Turkey has failed to comply with these obligations – all of them," said Kyprianou, who left his position as EU health commissioner last year to return to national politics. Such "failed obligations" include the normalisation of relations with Cyprus, good neighbourly relations, the recognition of the Republic of Cyprus, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and the contribution to the peaceful solution of the Cyprus problem, Kyprianou said. Several chapters of Turkey's EU accession talks are currently blocked - five by France, three by Austria and Germany, and eight by the decision of the Council - due to Turkey's non-compliance with the Ankara Protocol. Recently, Turkish chief negotiator Egemen Bagiş told EurActiv that he hoped those negotiating chapters could be "unblocked". Regarding the reunification negotiations, which take place under UN watch, Kyprianou said that Turkey is not just an observer to these talks, but a "major player", and lamented that Ankara had "not been constructive" in this respect either. "Unfortunately, that is how far it goes," Kyprianou said. He insisted that there had not been any positive steps as regards the outcome of reunification negotiations, with Ankara insisting that they should result in "a new partnership of two states". He said this view runs contrary to UN Security Council resolutions and the positions of the EU and the entire international community, adding that Nicosia is seeking a solution in the form of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. As for Turkey's own EU negotiation process, he insisted that Istanbul had not been treated more strictly than other candidate countries, citing as an example the fact that it had been allowed to begin accession negotiations while occupying the territory of another member state. The view that Cyprus is blocking Turkey's EU accession negotiations is "a myth", the foreign minister said, adding that other countries in a similar situation would probably not agree to open negotiations with Turkey in the way Cyprus had done. He said Cyprus wanted "a European Turkey" and a clear EU membership perspective for Ankara, which he said is a powerful incentive to resolve the Cyprus problem. "Turkey will always be there, and will always be as big, and Cyprus will always be there, just as small. So it is in our interest to have a European Turkey. Not just Turkey in Europe – we want a Turkey that thinks, feels, acts and behaves as a member state of the European Union, not as a guest having a free ride," Cyprus' premier diplomat elaborated.

III. Push for new Kosovo talks, "regardless of ICJ"

President Boris Tadić says Belgrade will continue to insist on a resumption of talks on Kosovo and finding a compromising solution. This, the president told state broadcaster RTS late on Wednesday, regardless of the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) stand on the issue of the legality of the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo's ethnic Albanians. Tadić also underscored that the policy of peace "immunizes Serbia from attacks coming from international public". According to him, "there is no doubt that things regarding Kosovo and Metohija may change, either as a consequence of the economic crisis or as a result of the changes in relations on the international political scene". "In that sense, it is of major importance that Serbia has two influential states, China and Russia, on its side," he said. "As for the proceedings before the International Court of Justice, we will make a decision when the time comes. We are now analyzing every model, but we hope for a positive solution," said Tadić.

IV. Ahmadinejad says West now cooperating with Iran

The Iranian president says the West and Iran are now cooperating on the nuclear issue on the international scene. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the West has moved "from confrontation to interaction" with Iran over its controversial uranium enrichment, which he called the nation's "inalienable right." Speaking to a rally on Thursday in the northeastern city of Mashhad, Ahmadinejad said "ground has been paved for nuclear cooperation" and that Tehran is ready to work on nuclear fuel supplies and technical know-how with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. The speech came as Iran was to respond to a U.N.-drafted plan on shipping the country's low enriched uranium abroad for further enrichment. The plan curtails any covert nucelar arms making abilities by Iran.

V. U.S. assures Russia at nuclear talks

US National Security Adviser James Jones stressed the White House's desire for friendly relations with Moscow as he met Russian officials on Thursday for nuclear disarmament talks. Jones, a retired US general, told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that President Barack Obama remained committed to mending ties with Moscow after they were badly strained in recent years. "I would like to... on behalf of President Obama, reassure you and your colleagues that the path that US and Russian relations are on right now is one that's full of promise and potential," Jones said. "We want to do everything we can to bring that good state of an affairs to a conclusion," Jones added, at a meeting that also included the top US and Russian negotiators working on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). Washington and Moscow have been seeking to agree a replacement for START, a landmark 1991 treaty that led to steep cuts in the US and Russian nuclear arsenals, before it expires on December 5. "We believe that only the most intense work will allow us to fulfill the agreement by our presidents to do everything possible to reach a new agreement on strategic arms reductions before the current treaty expires," Lavrov said.

VI. Leader of radical Islam group killed in raid

Federal authorities on Wednesday arrested several members of a radical Sunni Islam group in the U.S., killing one of its leaders at a shootout in a Michigan warehouse, the U.S. attorney's office said. Agents were trying to arrest Luqman Ameen Abdullah, 53, at a Dearborn warehouse on charges that included conspiracy to sell stolen goods and illegal possession and sale of firearms. Authorities also conducted raids elsewhere to try to round up 10 followers named in a federal complaint. Abdullah refused to surrender, fired a weapon and was killed by gunfire from agents, FBI spokeswoman Sandra Berchtold said. In the 43-paged complaint unsealed Wednesday, the FBI said Abdullah, also known as Christopher Thomas, was an imam, or prayer leader, of a radical group named Ummah whose primary mission is to establish an Islamic state within the United States. No one was charged with terrorism. But Abdullah was "advocating and encouraging his followers to commit violent acts against the United States," FBI agent Gary Leone said in an affidavit. He told them it was their "duty to oppose the FBI and the government and it does not matter if they die," Leone said. Abdullah regularly preached anti-government rhetoric and was trained, along with his followers, in the use of firearms, martial arts and swords, the agent said. "Abdullah preaches that every Muslim should have a weapon, and should not be scared to use their weapon when needed," Leone wrote. Seven of the 10 people charged with Abdullah were in custody, including a state prison inmate, the U.S. attorney's office said. Three were still at large. Another man not named in the complaint also was arrested. The group believes that a separate Islamic state in the U.S. would be controlled by Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, formerly known as H. Rap Brown, who is serving a life sentence in a federal prison in Colorado for shooting two police officers in Georgia in 2000, Leone said. "They're not taking their cues from overseas," said Jimmy Jones, a professor of world religions at Manhattanville College and a longtime Muslim prison chaplain. "This group is very much American born and bred."

VII. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew meets with the Orthodox Primates of the USA

His All Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gave an audience yesterday Tuesday, Oct. 27, to the Orthodox Primates of the USA, most of whom were present the previous evening for the Ninth Annual Orthodox Prayer Service for the United Nations Community. Present at the audience were Archbishop Demetrios of America (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese); Metropolitan Philip (Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese); Metropolitan Christopher (Serbian Orthodox Archdiocese); Metropolitan Nicholas (Carpatho- Russian Diocese); Archbishop Nicolae (Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese); Metropolitan Jonah (Orthodox Church in America), Metropolitan Constantine (Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA); Bishop Ilia (Albanian Orthodox Diocese) and Archpriest Alexander Abramov (Representation of the Moscow Patriarchate in the USA). Archbishop Demetrios welcomed His All Holiness on behalf of the Primates. Following the remarks of His All Holiness, there was an exchange of gifts, including a presentation by Metropolitan Philip of an “engolpion” (Episcopal medallion) with the icon of Sts. Peter and Paul. The Ecumenical Patriarch presented gifts to all the Members, and departed the meeting. Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, accompanying the Ecumenical Patriarch throughout America and who is the Chairman of the already functioning Episcopal Assembly of France (Inter-Episcopal Committee from 1967 and full Episcopal Assembly since 1997), remained to engage in a brief dialogue with the Members. Immediately following the Patriarchal Audience, Archbishop Demetrios hosted a luncheon in honor of His All Holiness for fifty Ecumenical and Interfaith leaders from New York and around America. More information about His All Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the environmental work of the Church and the Apostolic Visit to the United States may be found here and here.

Michael's Daily 7 - 28 October

I. Chicagoans conspire to attack cartoonist over Mohammed caricature

When FBI agents at O'Hare arrested David Headley en route to Pakistan earlier this month on charges he plotted to kill a newspaper cartoonist in Denmark, authorities say he held an additional airline reservation -- to Copenhagen. He was to depart Thursday. Headley's friend, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who shared an extreme hatred for cartoons that depicted the prophet Mohammed, arranged for the flight, authorities said. The Chicago men, who knew each other from a military school in Pakistan, on Tuesday were accused of an international plot dubbed "The Mickey Mouse Project" that since late 2008 included scheming with others to "commit terrorist acts against overseas targets," according to federal criminal complaints made public in Chicago. The North Side men are accused of plotting to target employees of the Danish newspaper Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, which published cartoons of the prophet Mohammed in 2005, sparking violent riots across the Muslim world. The most controversial of the 12 cartoons depicted Mohammed wearing a bomb with a lit fuse as a turban. That cartoon was drawn by Kurt Westergaard, 78 -- who was targeted for assassination, authorities said. "I feel confident and safe in my private life," Westergaard said. "I'm angry because I have to live with threats, just because I have done my job. PET [police intelligence] has advised me to keep a low profile and don't give statements. I will follow that, but I'm allowed to say that I'm angry."

II. Greek FM opposes deadline for Cyprus peace, accuses Turkey of side dealings

New Greek FM on Wednesday opposed a deadline to reach Cyprus peace and accused Turkey of pressuring sides for a deal. Dimitris Droutsas, who shares the foreign policy portfolio with Prime Minister George Papandreou, said Greece wanted to mend relations with neighbour and EU-candidate Turkey, but saw "Turkish pressure" in Cyprus talks. Greek and Turkish Cypriots need to negotiate a peace settlement with "no interference from Turkey or threats" that now is the last opportunity, he said. "It is no secret that the influence that Ankara is exercising on the Turkish Cypriots and also on (Turkish Cypriot leader) Mr (Mehmet Ali) Talat is sometimes not as constructive as it should be," Droutsas told Reuters. Droutsas also opposed a deadline as Greek and Turkish Cypriots engage in peace talks to reunite the island. Using "artificial" deadlines to exercise pressure is not helpful, he said. Droutsas represents Greece in EU foreign ministers' meetings, while Prime Minister Papandreou is the principal foreign minister. Whereas, widely credited with fostering closer ties with Ankara as foreign minister in the late 1990s, Papandreou's first visit after the election was to Turkey, and then to Cyprus. However, Turkish President Abdullah Gul and EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso are among those calling for a deal this year.

III. Turkish exposes nuclear rift in Nato

The Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has exposed divisions in Nato by accusing the west of treating Iran unfairly over its nuclear programme and describing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, its vehemently anti-western president, as a friend. In a Guardian interview, Erdogan down-played western fears that Iran wants to build an atomic bomb as "gossip" and said a military strike against Iranian nuclear installations would be "crazy". He also strongly implied that those countries which were pressuring Iran to clarify its goals were guilty of hypocrisy because they all had nuclear weapons themselves. "There is a style of approach which is not very fair because those [who accuse Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons] have very strong nuclear infrastructures and they don't deny that," Erdogan said. "The permanent members of the UN security council all have nuclear arsenals and then there are countries which are not members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which also have nuclear weapons. So although Iran doesn't have a weapon, those who say Iran shouldn't have them are those countries which do." His comments are likely to further sour Turkey's relations with Israel, which have nose-dived dramatically following the war in Gaza last January. Erdogan indicated he accepted Iranian protestations that the programme was peaceful and said he was more concerned about threats – mainly from Israel – to "devastate" Iran. "Those who are criticising Iran do not present their arguments very well," he said. "Sometimes threats are made. If the idea is to devastate Iran or somehow erase it altogether I don't think that would be right. Erdogan is to visit Iran, Turkey's neighbour, for talks with Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader. Erdogan's presence will coincide with that of IAEA inspectors, who arrived in Iran yesterday to inspect a uranium enrichment facility near Qom.

IV. Iran to respond to UN nuke plan Thursday

An Iranian lawmaker says Iran will formally respond on Thursday to a U.N.-drafted plan to ship much of its uranium abroad for enrichment. Iran has been considering the deal — which Western leaders hope will ease concerns over Tehran's controversial nuclear program — for a week now. Lawmaker Mohammad Karamirad did not provide details, but Tehran's response is expected to be handed in at the U.N. nuclear agency in Vienna. Karamirad's remark was reported by the semiofficial ISNA news agency. Another lawmaker, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, says Iran's top security body will make a final decision on the proposal later Wednesday. Iran's state media have said the country will agree to the plan's general framework but will demand important changes.

V. Somali pirates holding British couple

Somali pirates said on Tuesday they had seized a yacht in the Indian Ocean with a British couple aboard and were taking the vessel to the Horn of Africa nation. "The British couple are in our hands now. We captured them as they were touring in the Indian Ocean," a pirate called Hassan told Reuters. He said the two captives were healthy and ransom demands would follow. A Seychelles government source said an emergency distress signal was picked up by the British coastguard after Paul and Rachel Chandler headed out into waters where pirate attacks are known to have taken place on October 22. "We are currently in touch with the family in the UK and the Seychelles coastguard who continues to monitor the situation and has conducted a search of the area," Matthew Forbes, British High Commissioner to the Seychelles, told Reuters. The kidnapped British couple were sailing to the east African country of Tanzania when they were seized. A final message on the couple's blog posted at dawn on Friday morning read: "Please ring Sarah". There has been no communication with the 38-foot yacht, Lynn Rival, since then.

VI. Russia supports Serbia's EU bid

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Konuzin says that his country supportes Serbia’s road towards EU. “Russia supports Serbia on its way towards European Union, but Serbia’s cooperation with the EU must not be at the expense of Serbia’s cooperation with Russia." "The cooperation has to be such that Serbia, Russia and EU all benefit from it. Both sides must benefit equally from the cooperation between Serbian and Russian businessmen,” Konuzin told a news conference in the town of Jagodina on Tuesday. He also met with Jagodina Mayor Dragan Marković Palma and with the members of a business-political delegation of Jagodina, which will travel to Moscow on November 1. The ambassador said that he had been present during the conversation of the Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Marković in Belgrade last week, and that the Russian side was "very well informed about the arrival of the delegation from Jagodina". Marković stated that the main goal of their visit to Moscow "will be to establish business contacts between Serbia and Russia".

VII. U.S. Congress - H.RES.838 - Welcoming to the United States and to Washington, DC, His All Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch

RESOLUTION: Welcoming to the United States and to Washington, DC, His All Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch on his upcoming trip on October 20, 2009, through November 6, 2009.

Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the spiritual leader of nearly 300,000,000 Orthodox Christians around the world and millions of Orthodox Christians in the United States;

Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is head of the largest Christian church headquartered in the Muslim world and convener of an ecumenical meeting which produced the first condemnation by Muslim leaders of the 9/11 attack on the United States as an anti-religious act;

Whereas the Ecumenical Patriarchate is the spiritual home of the world's oldest and second largest Christian church located in Istanbul, Turkey;

Whereas within the 2,000-year-old Sacred See of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the New Testament was codified and the Nicene Creed was created;

Whereas the disappearance of the See would mean the end of a crucial link between the Christian and the Muslim world since the continuing presence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey is a living testimony of religious co-existence since 1453;

Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received on his first official visit to the United States in 1997, a gold medal, presented by the United States on behalf of the Congress in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to religious understanding and peace, and was recognized by the United States in a manner reserved for a very small number of world leaders;

Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's gold medal legislation received the highest number of members of the United States House of Representatives cosponsoring as any on record in the Congress or at the Library of Congress;

Whereas His All Holiness was the second living person in United States history allowed to be honored in the United States Capitol Rotunda as a recipient of the Congressional gold medal, the highest Congressional honor given to individuals like George Washington, Pope John Paul IV, and Winston Churchill, among others;

Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is recognized in the United States and abroad as a leader in the quest for world peace, greater religious understanding, and respect for the Earth's environment;

Whereas Ecumenical Patriarchate Bartholomew was selected by Time Magazine as number 11 among 2008's 100 most influential people in the world;

Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew enhanced greater religious understanding by initiating a joint declaration that it is man's duty to protect the earth, signed by himself and Pope John Paul IV, the spiritual leaders of nearly 1 out of every 5 people in the world;

Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is called `the Green Patriarch' by leaders of the international environmental community;

Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received the prestigious Sophie Prize of Norway for his environmental work and also the internationally recognized Binding Institute of Liechtenstein;

Whereas the prize money was donated by His All Holiness to UNICEF's fund for destitute children and for environmental projects;

Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has led symposiums of international environmental leaders on the Adriatic, Aegean, Arctic, Baltic, and Black Seas, as well as the Amazon, Danube, and Mississippi Rivers, and His All Holiness was honored in New York through the Scenic Hudson River Initiative;

Whereas the Religious, Science, and Environmental (RSE) symposia are organized under the auspices of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the pioneer of this movement;

Whereas patrons of past symposia have included Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Jacques Santer and Romano Prodi, Presidents of the European Commission, and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan;

Whereas the symposia have also reached out across different faiths and denominations, revealing the wisdom of diverse theological traditions, as well as a common imperative to protect the natural world;

Whereas during the 2002 Adriatic Sea Symposium, Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Bartholomew signed a joint declaration underlining the spiritual duty of caring for God's creation in the interest of future generations; and

Whereas the outstanding accomplishments of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew have been formally recognized and honored by numerous governmental, academic, and other institutions around the world:

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) welcomes to the United States and to Washington, DC, His All Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch, and recognizes the importance to the United States and the world of the Ecumenical Patriarch's recent environmental seminar conducted on the Mississippi River with some of the world's leading environment experts;

(2) recognizes the importance to the United States and to the world of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's leadership on matters of environment, peace, and religion, and encourages United States foreign policy makers to continue to urge Turkey to grant religious freedom and property rights to the Ecumenical Patriarchate as well as to reopen the theological school at Halki; and

(3) offers whatever support the United States can give to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's noble efforts for the betterment of human kind.

Michael's Daily 7 - 27 October

I. Turkey: Hopes for 2009 disappointed

Hopes for improvements in the rights of religious communities in Turkey in 2009 have once more come to nothing. Alevi Muslims broke off formal talks with the government over denial of their rights. A high-profile lunch with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in August 2009, attended by five religious minority leaders, including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, was followed by a visit to two Greek Orthodox sites. But no concrete improvements ensued. Intolerance promoted by Turkey's mainstream media has markedly reduced, but local and ultranationalist newspapers and websites still promote such intolerance. No verdict was reached in 2009 in the long-running trial over the 2007 murder of three Protestants in Malatya, or over the long-running attempts to prosecute two Protestants accused of "defaming Islam". One of the main signs of this has been the lack of progress in resolving long-standing problems, including the ability of communities to acquire genuine legal status and have their leaders fully recognised, and continuing ultra-nationalist attacks on the full equality of citizens who are not either ethnically Turkish, or secular or Sunni Muslim. Equally unresolved are property problems faced by religious communities as diverse as Alevi Muslims, Catholics, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Greek Orthodox, Protestants, and the Syrian Orthodox Church. Other systemic restrictions on freedom of religion or belief remained untouched in 2009, including: the need for fair teaching about religions and beliefs in schools; the need for the right to train clergy; and the non-recognition of conscientious objection to military service. Some have seen as a positive development the inclusion at a lunch hosted by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on 15 August of five religious minority leaders – four Christian and one Jewish. However, a lunch for more than 150 guests was hardly a venue where serious discussions of the issues that concerned them could take place. One of the five who were there, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, was sitting close to the Prime Minister and was able to declare afterwards that it was good to meet and talk. It is important to note also that some leaders were not invited, including the Chief Rabbi, while several of those who were received their invitations only a day or two before. Accompanied not only by his own entourage but by Patriarch Bartholomew, Prime Minister Erdogan afterwards visited the Buyukada orphanage, which a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgment had ruled should be returned to the Orthodox Patriarchate. They also visited the Aiya Yorgi pilgrimage site on the island. But there have been no moves from the state side to initiate a dialogue leading to results, for example on the reopening of the Halki Seminary, despite repeated invitations from the Patriarchate. While high level engagement with certain minority religious communities may be encouraging, one should note that the format of the dialogues perpetuates the long held position of Turkey that only the ethnic/religious minority groups which it considers were recognised by the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne – notably the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Jews – are recognised. The Treaty spoke vaguely of religious minority rights without naming the minorities, but the Turkish authorities interpret this to exclude communities such as the Roman Catholics, Syriac Orthodox and Lutherans, even though these communities have found ways to function. Because they did not exist or were not recognised in Turkey in 1923, other groups - such as the Baha'is, many (but not all) Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other even smaller groups such as atheists - still languish with no recognition at all. A more holistic and all-embracing approach, to develop and implement policies that safeguard freedom of religion or belief for all, is essential if the state wishes to overcome the precarious legal position of the various religions or beliefs that exist in today's Turkey.

II. Putin praises agreement between Cyprus, Russia

Underlining the traditionally very good relations between Cyprus and Russia, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, addressing House President Marios Garoyian and the parliamentary delegation, which is visiting Russia said that the agreement to avoid double taxation will make the economic relations of the two countries more transparent. Referring to the cooperation agreement that will be signed on Tuesday between the Democratic Party and United Russia Party, he said that it will constitute a supplement of the agreement. Garoyian repeated Cyprus’ gratitude to Russia for the support it has granted when other countries had abandoned it. Addressing Garoyian, Putin said that the signing of the agreement between the President of the Democratic Party Garoyian and the United Russia Party, Boris Gryzlov is an important supplement in the cooperation on a state and parliamentary level between the two countries. Referring to the good historically relations between Russia and Cyprus, he said they are developing very well, adding that his government has ratified the agreement for the avoidance of double taxation, adding that this agreement will make the cooperation between the two countries more transparent on the economic level. “Our cooperation is developing well, however cooperation with other partners, just as with Cyprus, is exhibiting a slight decrease due to the world recession”, said Putin, adding that the commercial exchange between the two countries is on a good level. Replying, Garoyian said that his meeting with the Russian Prime Minister is a privilege. He repeated the gratitude of the people of Cyprus towards the government of the Russian federation, the Russian people and the State Duma for the policy of principles and values that the Russian federation has adopted and continues to adopt on Cyprus. He said that during the hard times of the modern history of the Republic of Cyprus, the Russian Federation, the government, the Duma and the Russian people supported the people of Cyprus at a time when others abandoned Cyprus. Garoyian expressed the hope that the small Republic of Cyprus, will be able to contribute in its own way, in promoting the vital interests of the Russian federation and at the same time, “continue to be the best friend of Russia within the EU”.

III. Kosovo Albanians launch promo campaign

The Kosovo Albanian government in Priština has set aside EUR 5.7mn to promote Kosovo on some of the world’s leading TV stations. CNN, BBC World News, Euronews, CNN Turk, Bloomberg and Eurosport will start broadcasting a TV commercial today, prepared "with the goal of creating a new image of Kosovo in the world". The media campaign was put together by consortium BBR Saatchi & Saatchi. The 60-second video will be first aired tonight. The 60-second clip will be first aired tonight, with Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci announcing the start of the campaign. Paid adds will later also be published in international magazines, such as The Economist and Newsweek. BBR Saatchi & Saatchi won a tender worth EUR 5.7mn to promote "the state of Kosovo" a few months ago, and they expect that the campaign will last for two years.

IV. “Obama can’t stand up to Pentagon”

The political situation in the US is such that the president isn’t strong enough to stand against the Pentagon, said political commentator and author Pat Buchanan who spoke to RT on the situation in Afghanistan. “The generals are jamming the president, saying ‘We need the troops, we need them now, if we don’t get them it’s mission failure, and in this case it will be your responsibility’,” Buchanan noted. He believes they’re trying to force an early decision on Obama. “And I think in some degree they are succeeding: they got the president to say ‘I’m not drawing down troops, I’m going to provide more’,” he continued. The former presidential candidate thinks a victory in Afghanistan will cost the US blood and treasure for years to come. Patrick Joseph “Pat” Buchanan is an American conservative political commentator, author, syndicated columnist, politician and broadcaster.

V. No guarantees on Senate health bill's public plan

The focus of the health overhaul debate now shifts to whether Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid can persuade a handful of moderate senators to get behind his new proposal for a government-sponsored insurance plan. That's no sure bet. Even Reid, D-Nev., didn't claim to have the 60 votes needed to pass his proposal when he ended weeks of speculation by announcing that the Senate version of sweeping health care legislation would include a provision for the government to sell health insurance in competition with private insurers. The issue has been the biggest flash point in the health care debate, and government-sponsored insurance had been seen as unlikely to be included in Senate legislation because of opposition from moderates. The House's health care bill, expected to be released as early as this week, is certain to contain a strong provision for a so-called public insurance option, though details aren't final. "I think it's the fairest way to go," Reid told reporters Monday. Individual states would have the choice of opting out of the government plan under Reid's proposal. It still amounted to a victory for liberal lawmakers who have pushed for a public insurance option they contend would create needed competition for private industry and provide affordable choices to consumers. The reaction from moderate Democrats - they fear a public plan could drive insurers out of business and take over the marketplace - ranged from muted to skeptical. The one Republican who has so far lent her support to Democratic health overhaul proposals, Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, said she was "deeply disappointed" by Reid's decision. "We hope that Olympia will come back. She's worked hard. She's a very good legislator. I'm disappointed that the one issue, the public option, has been something that's frightened her," Reid said. If Snowe doesn't come back, the fate of Reid's public option could rest in the hands of a few key moderate Democrats including Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana. Landrieu said in a statement that she's still "very skeptical" about a government plan run from Washington but would keep working with Reid to find a "principled compromise." Nelson "is not committing how we will vote regarding any proposal Sen. Reid is advancing," said spokesman Jake Thompson. Lincoln, who's up for re-election in 2010, said through a spokesman she intends to study the details and decide how to vote based on the impact on her home state. The White House released a statement saying Obama was "pleased that the Senate has decided to include a public option for health coverage, in this case with an allowance for states to opt out."

VI. White Out shirts spark controversy

The 2009 White Out T-shirt's cross-like design has spurred complaints from organizations and alumni, including requests that the shirt be taken off of store shelves. The university received complaints and requests earlier in the season from organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League -- a group that fights anti-Semitism -- concerning the shirt's design, Penn State President Graham Spanier wrote in an e-mail Thursday. Spanier wrote that the university did not feel it was appropriate to intervene with the sale of the shirts. Associate Athletic Director Greg Myford said the athletic department also received a complaint about the shirts but did not consider pulling the shirts off of shelves. The white shirts feature a vertical blue line down the center of their front and back and resemble the Penn State football helmet. The words "Penn State White Out" are written horizontally across the top two-thirds of the line on the front, and "Don't be intimidated ... It's just me and 110,000 of my friends" is written across the majority of the back. The shirt was designed by student Emily Sabolsky -- who could not be reached for comment by press time -- in a contest sponsored by the Collegian's business division. Penn State students voted for Sabolksy's design from a slate of other proposals. Sabolsky's resume, posted on her personal Penn State Web page, lists her as a senior majoring in public relations and minoring in Jewish studies. Many students noticed the design's resemblance to a cross. Greg Plumb (junior-neuroscience), when asked if he had seen the 2009 White Out shirt, replied, "The giant cross?" "I thought it was a little bizarre," he said. "I think it's certainly something to consider for future White Out T-shirts, but what's done is done." John Shoemaker (senior-information science and technology) said his mother originally pointed out the cross shape on the T-shirt. He said he did not feel the image was worth complaining about. "There are plenty of things that look like crosses when you look at them," he said. The shirt is not currently in stock at the Penn State Bookstore. Myford said the shirt sold extremely well and that student participation in last year's T-shirt design contest was at an all-time high. But some students refused to buy the shirt on the premise of religious connotations. Michal Berns, Hillel president, said she did not purchase the shirt because of the design. "I know I wasn't the only one," Berns (junior-media law and policy) said. "As Hillel, we're not going to complain. I don't think we have a right to say what [the university] should or shouldn't be doing, but in my personal opinion I think it looks like a cross."

VII. Orthodox leader's New Orleans visit highlights environmental challenge

The Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, has made a return visit to the Lower Ninth Ward District of New Orleans, US, to survey the recovery and restoration efforts of the wetland area in Bayou Bienvenue. In January 2006, the Ecumenical Patriarch travelled to New Orleans to witness the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and to pray with the people of New Orleans. The Orthodox leader’s visit this week has been part of his continuing advocacy for the protection of the environment – a commitment which is being highlighted among many faith leaders at the Eighth Religion, Science and Environment Symposium, entitled ‘Restoring Balance: The Great Mississippi River,’ convened in New Orleans. Upon his arrival in the area, the Patriarch walked up a platform overlooking the wetlands and was briefed by local officials on the work of the coastal restoration of the bayou and the re-building of the levees, which would prevent storm waves, allowing trees and other vegetation to flourish again in the area. “We are here again to pray for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and their families and to express our solidarity with the people of New Orleans. We shall also continue to pray and work for the protection of the natural environment,” the Orthodox leader declared to local officials, conservationists and residents of the area. “God compelled you to come and stand with us in our fight to restore the natural environment in this area, which is part of God’s creation,” responded City of New Orleans councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis as she thanked Bartholemew for his visit and his prayers. The Ecumenical Patriarch then went near the waters of the bayou and with other clergy chanted the hymn of the Epiphany. He also toured the area where the levees had broken in the hurricane and met with local residents who have only recently moved back. Earlier in the day on 21 October, Bartholemew had conducted a memorial service at the St Louis Cemetery Number Three, for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and also in memory of the late Archbishop Iakovos of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North & South America, whose patron saint’s day coincided with the occasion, according to the Orthodox Christian liturgical calendar.

Michael's Daily 7 - 26 October

I. Muslims Call for Sharia in Britain

Britons learned last week that thousands of the nation’s Muslims will descend upon London to publicly protest for the implementation of Sharia or Islamic law. The Islamic dervish, according to the Daily Express, is called the March 4 Islam and will take place later this month. Its sponsor is a radical outfit called Islam 4 UK, which is led by a friend of terrorism, Muslim imam Anjem Choudary. For Islam 4 UK, Britain must change to suit Muslims; Muslims must not change to suit Britain. The group calls the House of Commons, where the parade will start, the “very place where the lives of millions of people in the UK are changed and it is from here where unjust wars are launched.” Next, the Muslims will head for 10 Downing Street, the home of the British Prime Minister, to “call for the removal of the tyrant Gordon Brown from power.” Finally, the paper reports, Londoners will see this army of Allah at Trafalgar Square to show “in the heart of London the need for Shari’ah in society.” “We hereby request all Muslims in the United Kingdom …,” the group says, “to join us and collectively declare that as submitters to Almighty Allah, we have had enough of democracy and man-made law and the depravity of the British culture. On this day we will call for a complete upheaval of the British ruling system its members and legislature, and demand the full implementation of Shari’ah in Britain.” Choudary is a familiar face in Britain. In March, he and his group disrupted a homecoming parade in Luton, just outside London, for British soldiers returning from duty in Afghanistan. He has called upon Muslims to hide evidence of terrorism, and Choudary called the British GIs cowards and a “vile parade of brutal murderers.” He also believes that it is permissible to hate and murder non-Muslims because they are non-believers sinning against Allah. The cleric also has called for the execution of Pope Benedict XVI.

II. Kosovo: Serbs find mine at cemetery

An AP mine was removed from a village cemetery, after local Serbs from Staro Gracko in Kosovo reported finding in on Saturday. Kosovo police, KPS, told Tanjug news agency that KFOR's teams disarmed the device found at the Orthodox cemetery. Serbs from Staro Gracko were prohibited from visiting the graves of their loved ones for several years because of "danger and suspicion" that there were explosive devices there, reports said.

III. Russian parliament passes bill on using troops abroad

The lower house of the Russian parliament passed on Friday amendments to a law on defense which expands the use of the Russian Armed Forces abroad in certain situations. President Dmitry Medvedev submitted the amendments to parliament in August, just after the first anniversary of Russia's five-day war with Georgia. The amendments stipulate that Russian troops can be used abroad to repel an attack on Russian military units or other troops deployed outside the country, to repel or prevent an armed attack on another state asking Russia for military assistance, to defend Russian citizens abroad from an armed attack, to combat sea piracy and to ensure safety of commercial shipping. Russia's current 2006 legislation only allows the president to send troops to fight terrorism on foreign soil. Experts have said the law lacks clearly defined terms of "wartime" and a "combat situation," which complicates the deployment of army units outside the country. Russia sent in troops last summer to repel Georgia's offensive on South Ossetia, where Moscow had maintained peacekeepers since a bloody post-Soviet conflict in the early 1990s. Russia was condemned internationally over its "excessive" use of force and subsequent recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. In line with the new document, the Russian president will be entitled to make a decision on using armed forces abroad based on a prior approval by the upper house of the Russian parliament. The president would also be able to determine the strength of the troops to be used abroad and their deployment areas, to set the goals facing them and determine the timeframe of their deployment.

IV. Churchill: “Heroes Fight Like Greeks”

The Foreign Ministry’s Diplomatic and Historical Archive is presenting a photography exhibition entitled “Heroes fight like Greeks” to mark the anniversary of Greece’s historic “No!” of 28 October 1940. The exhibition covers the period from 28 October 1940 to the country’s Liberation and the raising of the Greek flag on the Sacred Rock of the Acropolis on 18 October 1944, and will take place on the ground floor of the Foreign Ministry’s building at 1 Akadimias St., from 27 October to 20 November. At the opening of the exhibition on Tuesday, 27 October 2009, following the customary address at 13:00, a 20-minute film of the same title – “Heroes fight like Greeks” – will be shown at the Yiannos Kranidiotis Amphitheatre.

V. Conservatives Maintain Edge as Top Ideological Group

Conservatives continue to outnumber moderates and liberals in the American populace in 2009, confirming a finding that Gallup first noted in June. Forty percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. This marks a shift from 2005 through 2008, when moderates were tied with conservatives as the most prevalent group.The 2009 data are based on 16 separate Gallup surveys conducted from January through September, encompassing more than 5,000 national adults per quarter. Conservatives have been the dominant ideological group each quarter, with between 39% and 41% of Americans identifying themselves as either "very conservative" or "conservative." Between 35% and 37% of Americans call themselves "moderate," while the percentage calling themselves "very liberal" or "liberal" has consistently registered between 20% and 21% -- making liberals the smallest of the three groups. In addition to the increase in conservatism on this general ideology measure, Gallup finds higher percentages of Americans expressing conservative views on several specific issues in 2009 than in 2008. Americans are more likely to consider themselves conservative this year than they were in 2008, resulting in conservatives -- now 40% of the American public -- outnumbering moderates for the first time since 2004.

VI. Hopes rising for unifying Orthodoxy's U.S. churches

America's Orthodox Christians, divided for decades among about 10 churches based on Greek or Serb or other ancestry, soon may be moving toward the formation of a united American Orthodox church. Many of them have dreamed of that for decades, especially as conversions to Orthodoxy have skyrocketed. But most church patriarchs have squelched such talk. Now it appears that the patriarchs are not only supporting but demanding some sort of unity. But the ecumenical patriarch in Constantinople -- the spiritual head of global Orthodoxy -- denounced it as a rebellion against the ancient church and replaced the Greek archbishop who had led it. The unity movement lay dormant for 15 years. Then, in June, the 14 Old World patriarchs gathered in Chambesy, Switzerland, and declared that all Orthodox bishops outside of traditional Orthodox lands -- including North America -- will begin meeting to address their own issues in their own lands. The keynote speaker will be Metropolitan Jonah, leader of the Orthodox Church in America, a self-governing offshoot of the Russian Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy is the Eastern wing of an ancient church that split into the Orthodox and Catholic churches in 1054 in a dispute over papal authority. Its ecumenical patriarch in Constantinople -- modern-day Istanbul, Turkey -- has no authority over the other patriarchs, but is "first among equals."

VII. Our Indivisible Environment

Last week, 200 leaders in the environmental movement gathered in New Orleans for the eighth ecological symposium organized by the Orthodox Christian Church. Participants included leading scientists and theologians, politicians and policy makers, business leaders and NGOs, environmentalists and journalists. Similar conferences have taken place on the Adriatic, Aegean, Baltic, and Black Seas, the Danube and Amazon Rivers, and the Arctic Ocean. This time we sailed the mighty Mississippi to consider its profound impact on the U.S. and its fate within the global environment. It may seem out of character for a sacred institution to convene a conference on so secular an issue. After all, Jesus counseled us to "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" (Mark 12:17). Climate change, pollution and the exploitation of our natural resources are commonly seen as the domain not of priests but rather of politicians, scientists, technocrats or interest groups organized by concerned citizens. What does preserving the planet have to do with saving the soul? A lot, as it turns out. For if life is sacred, so is the entire web that sustains it. Some of those connections—the effects of overharvesting on the fish populations of the North Atlantic, for example—we understand very well. Others, such as the long-term health impacts of industrialization, we understand less well. But no one doubts that there is a connection and balance among all things animate and inanimate on this third planet from the Sun, and that there is a cost or benefit whenever we tamper with that balance. Moreover, just as God is indivisible, so too is our global environment. This is why we call upon leaders of all faiths to involve themselves and their communities in one of the great issues of our time. Ours is a powerful voice. And our belief in the unity and interconnectedness of all things constitutes a strong argument for immediate action. Is this an issue for Caesar or for God? We believe it must be approached in both its political and spiritual dimensions. Climate change will only be overcome when all of us—scientists and politicians, theologians and economists, specialists and lay citizens—cooperate for the common good.

Michael's Daily 7 - 23 October

I. Latest UN-backed talks on Cyprus

Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders have discussed property rights and external relations during the latest two days of United Nations-backed talks aimed at reunifying the Mediterranean island. Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat held a tête-à-tête for two hours today in the UN Protected Area in Nicosia, focusing largely on property rights. Yesterday they held several hours of discussion on the issue of external relations, the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser Alexander Downer told journalists. Mr. Downer said the two leaders have agreed to meet again next Tuesday to talk about the competencies of a federal government and also continue their discussions on external relations. He characterized this week’s talks as useful. Last year Mr. Christofias and Mr. Talat committed themselves to working towards “a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as defined by relevant Security Council resolutions.” That partnership would comprise a Federal Government with a single international personality, along with a Turkish Cypriot Constituent State and a Greek Cypriot Constituent State, which would be of equal status. A UN peacekeeping force known as UNFICYP has been in place on the island of Cyprus since 1964, following the outbreak of inter-communal violence.

II. FYROM:Name issue to be settled Dec. 7?

FYROMacedonia to immediately step up talks with Greece aiming at settling the name issue prior a Council of EU meeting, where a decision should be reached on start of accession talks, EU Ambassador Erwan Fouere and Lars Fredén - the Ambassador of Sweden, the current holder of EU presidency - urged Thursday at a session of the National EU Integration Council. There's a window of possibilities for the Government to solve the name dispute once and for all. We have waited for so long and there's no reason for an outcome to be further delayed. I call on the Government to take advantage of the moment and to immediately step up negotiations with the Greek government in the frameworks of the process led by UN mediator Matthew Nimetz in order a compromise to be found, which will be in both countries' interest and will push the EU integration process, said EU Ambassador Fouere. He urged the forthcoming six weeks and one day till a meeting of the Council of EU to be used in the best possible way. Asked whether there was a real possibility for the name issue to be settled until Dec. 7, Fouere reiterated that the issue was on the table for so long and good atmosphere was created. - December 7th is a good opportunity that will not happen for a long time, urged Fredén.

III. Rehn: Serbia-Russia relations “useful”

European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn says that good political and economic relations between Serbia and Russia can only benefit everyone in Europe. Rehn said that by strengthening cooperation with Serbia, Russia was strengthening its strategic interests in the Balkans and in Europe. He added that “when Serbia and its place in Europe are concerned, relations between the EU, NATO and the Russian Federation are not without use.” “And that goes for other countries as well, such as Ukraine,” he added. The European commissioner said that “it is entirely possible that for the best interests of Serbia and everyone, Serbia be integrated further into the European Union, politically and economically, while, at the same time, maintaining friendly trade, economic and political ties to the Russian Federation.” Rehn said that such relations already existed in the European Union. He said that Finland, which is completely integrated into the EU and is a member of the Eurozone and the Schengen zone, “contributes significantly to the EU and UN peace operations, and has very good trade, economic and other ties to Russia.” Rehn said that “such a situation is of general benefit” and “for everyone’s wellbeing.”

IV. Change of Tactics Needed in Afghanistan War

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said nations waging the war in Afghanistan must change their tactics and promote successes or risk losing public support there and at home. “Reaching our goal in Afghanistan is not guaranteed,” Rasmussen told an audience at the Atlantic Council policy group in Washington yesterday. More troops will be needed at least to train the Afghan National Security Forces, Rasmussen said, while cautioning that a revised strategy must be agreed upon before decisions are made about the additional resources. “We cannot continue to do exactly what we’re doing now,” Rasmussen said, calling for more focus on civilian reconstruction to accompany the military campaign. “Things are going to have to change.” The North Atlantic Treaty Organization leads the 41-nation military campaign in Afghanistan, where the Taliban regime shielded al-Qaeda before being ousted by the U.S. after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The U.S. has 65,000 troops in the country, with the remainder of the 103,000-strong foreign force contributed by NATO members and other allies. The top commander in the war, U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal, recently submitted an assessment of the security situation in the country that recommends even more emphasis on protecting the population to make room for the country’s development. He concluded he would need more forces to carry out the strategy than the 68,000 the U.S. expects to have in Afghanistan by the end of the year. President Barack Obama is reviewing whether to continue with a strategy in Afghanistan that focuses on protecting and supporting the population against al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgents. Rasmussen, 56, a former prime minister of Denmark, met with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates yesterday and is scheduled to meet today with Obama at the White House.

V. Liberal Protests Await Obama in Mass.

President Obama continues campaigning for embattled Democrats – this time in Boston for Gov. Deval Patrick, D-Mass., and in Stamford, Conn., for Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., who are in tough 2010 re-election battles. Mr. Obama will also make remarks at MIT on clean energy before the fund-raiser for Gov. Patrick. If slow ticket sales for an Obama-led fund-raiser in a blue state are an indication of how hard things are for a candidate, then Patrick is truly having some issues. On top of that, liberal protesters promise to picket as well. "President Obama blows into the bluest state tomorrow facing a cold shoulder from once true-blue admirers, as gay rights activists, anti-war protesters and vexed environmentalists vow to picket a fund-raiser he’s headlining for Gov. Deval Patrick - a marquee event that hasn’t even sold out," report the Boston Herald's Edward Mason and Hillary Chabot. "As of last night, liberals who once braved frigid temperatures to behold Obama were shunning tickets to the fund-raiser at the posh Westin Copley Place featuring the president, sources told the Herald. And despite campaign denials, Patrick operatives reportedly were pushing the ducats - between $500 and $6,000 - by e-mail up to the last minute... "Among the groups planning to dog Obama during his scheduled afternoon swing through Cambridge and Boston: Anti-war activists CODEPINK ... Environmental coalition 350.org ... gay marriage advocate Join the Impact-MA ."

VI. House Republicans Defend Conservative Commentators

House Republican leaders rushed to the defense of conservative commentators Thursday after President Obama dismissed Fox News as "talk radio" -- part of the White House campaign to marginalize opposing viewpoints. Rep. Mike Pence, chairman of the House Republican Conference, said the hundreds of thousands who filled town hall meetings this summer to protest Obama's sweeping health care reform legislation and marched in Washington in September prove there is widespread worry "about liberal social policies and runaway federal spending, deficit and debt." "So to my friends in the so-called 'mainstream media,' I say, 'conservative talk show shots may not speak for everybody, but they speak for more Americans than you do." House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, derided White House criticism of Fox News as "Chicago-style politics. The White House and congressional Democrats know that their liberal special interest agenda is unpopular," he said at a news conference. "And now they are following a familiar pattern: when you can't win an argument based on facts, launch vicious political attacks. House Minority Whip Eric Cantor called the White House criticism "nothing more than a distraction." "Under fire for its management of a wave of problems, the Obama administration has reached into its bag of tricks and pulled out a new bogeyman: Fox News," he said. "This episode is about much more than just Fox News," he added. "Today the administration's target is Fox; tomorrow it could be someone else. The administration apparently feels entitled to receive friendly (or what it subjectively deems 'balanced') news coverage at a time when it is making monumental decisions that will have sweeping consequences for years to come. "Its heavy-handed treatment of Fox is unseemly in a democracy that depends on the free flow of information," he said.

VII. Patriarch says people of faith have role in caring for environment

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople opened a symposium on the environmental challenges in the Mississippi River region Oct. 21 by reasserting the role people of faith play in caring for the earth’s resources. Dubbed the “green patriarch,” the spiritual leader of the world’s 300 million Greek Orthodox has sponsored an annual symposium on the environment for the last eight years in different parts of the world. His interest in holding this year’s gathering in New Orleans was sparked in part by the damage inflicted on the city by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “As we look at this great river and explore the challenges faced by local communities, let us search for solutions from the perspective of faith, mindful that we are all in the same fragile boat of life,” Patriarch Bartholomew said, his black robes fluttering against the wind as he spoke from a podium set up at a hotel on the banks of the Mississippi. “We are living defining moments in history, and we are living them together in truth, in love, in hope and, above all, in responsibility,” he said. Patriarch Bartholomew said the eighth annual symposium, titled “The Great Mississippi River: Restoring Balance,” was historic and unique. “The river comprises a microcosm of our planet,” he said. “In its waters we observe many of the world’s ecological issues. We are humbled in its presence. We have come to listen to its story, to learn from its history.”

Michael's Daily 7 - 22 October

I. 2010 Olympic flame lit

The Olympic flame was lit Thursday in Greece, marking the beginning of the flame's journey to Vancouver to open the 2010 Olympic Games. At exactly 12:39 p.m. local time, a strong sun showed up, allowing high priestess Maria Napfliotou to light the flame in the Temple of Hera, and kick off the start of the longest national torch relay in Olympic history. In a ceremony that was without incident, but watched under a heavy police presence, Napfliotou lit the Vancouver torch, carried by Vassilis Dimitriadis, a Greek giant-slalom skier, who then carried it out of the ancient stadium where more than 2,700 years ago the Olympic Games were born. The lighting kicks off a week-long relay through Greece until Oct. 29, when it will be flown to Victoria for the start of a 106-day, 45,000-kilometre run across Canada. The lighting took place as several thousand people sat on the edge of the stadium. Many were tourists who happened to be in Olympia on excursions. But there was a small corps of Canadians who had made the pilgrimage to Olympia just to see the lighting.

II. Dire Consequences if Afghanistan Abandoned

Afghanistan is the most complex challenge that NATO has ever undertaken, but the alliance must remain engaged there to prevent the country turning back into an Al Qaeda training ground, the organization's top official said Thursday. Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said some critics are starting to say that the cost of engagement in the 8-year-old war is too high, but he countered that "the cost of inaction would be far higher. Leaving Afghanistan behind would once again turn the country into a training ground for Al Qaeda. The pressure on nuclear-armed Pakistan would be tremendous. Instability would spread throughout central Asia and it would only be a matter of time until we here in Europe would feel the consequences of all of this," Fogh Rasmussen said in a speech at a security conference in Bratislava ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers. The NATO chief is pushing for greater cooperation between NATO and Russia. He said he hopes to convince Moscow to become more engaged in Afghanistan, where a resurgent Taliban has been making gains and forcing a U.S. review of its strategy there. Fogh Rasmussen's warning about the dangers of disengaging from Afghanistan were echoed Thursday by French Defense Minister Herve Morin, who said on RTL radio that "if the Taliban take power tomorrow, terrorism can prosper and one day or another will strike all western democracies." U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to brief allies in Bratislava about progress in a review of recommendations by American Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan. McChrystal has called for more troops, and Fogh Rasmussen hopes NATO members can endorse that recommendation.

III. Iran lawmaker rejects nuke deal to ship uranium

Iran's deputy parliament speaker on Thursday dismissed an internationally backed draft plan to have Tehran ship its uranium abroad for enrichment. The remarks by Mohammad Reza Bahonar were the first reaction in Tehran on the proposal, presented Wednesday after three days of talks between Iran and world powers in the Austrian capital, Vienna. The plan is seen by international community as a way to curb Iran's ability to build a nuclear weapon. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. Tehran is expected to decide by Friday on whether to approve the plan that calls for shipping Iran's uranium to Russia for enrichment to a level that renders it suitable as nuclear fuel for energy production — not for nuclear weapons. There has been no response so far to the offer from Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, or President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The proposal may meet resistance by some Iranian leaders because it weakens Iran's control over its stockpiles of nuclear fuel and could be perceived as a concession to the United States, which took part in the Vienna talks with France and Russia. Under the Vienna-brokered draft, Iran is required to send 1.2 tons of low-enriched uranium to Russia in one batch by the end of this year, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said Thursday. After further enrichment in Russia, the uranium will be converted into fuel rods that would be returned to Iran. Valero said France would be the one making that conversion. In Washington, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the draft agreement was "a very positive step."

IV. Russian missile contract with Iran frozen

The standing contract between Moscow and Tehran on delivery of the long-range air defense system “S-300” has been frozen, according to a source in the Russian arms trade. Experts are split over the damage this may cause. Implementation of the S-300 deal was frozen for an unspecified period of time, over a number of political issues, right after it was signed, the source told Interfax news agency. At the moment the delivery is on hold, although Moscow does not intend to cancel it altogether. “A lot depends on the political environment, since the contract has long ceased to be a merely commercial deal,” the source is cited as saying. The deal to deliver several S-300 divisions to Iran was signed several years ago, but was not executed. It came under the spotlight in December 2008, when Iranian media reported on the upcoming delivery of the advanced system. The news came amid tension between Iran and several other countries, including Israel and the United States, over Tehran’s nuclear advances. Iran’s opponents voiced their concerns over the deal, since deployment of S-300 would have greatly impeded their ability to deliver air strikes on Iranian territory. If the deal is broken in the end, this may close the Iranian market for Russian arms suppliers. In addition to losing an estimated $1 billion from the deal itself, and paying $300-400 million for canceling the contract, Russia may lose customers in the Iranian Republic to Chinese competitors. S-300 is a long-range air defense system capable of shooting down aircraft and missiles at a range of up to 150 kilometers. It’s meant to be used with a closer-range system like the Tor-M1.

V. Russian police to buy two Israeli drones next year

The Russian Interior Ministry will buy two Israeli-built unmanned aerial vehicles in 2010, a senior police official said on Thursday. Maj. Gen. Vladimir Lukyanov, head of the Interior Ministry Logistics Directorate, said the Israeli UAVs would be used for "special operations." He said the ministry would buy certain other types of weapons and equipment abroad, but only in limited amounts. The general added that "in literally one year," Russia would start the production of its own unmanned planes, on a par with Israeli versions. The Russian Defense Ministry has already bought 12 Israeli UAVs in a deal worth $53 million. The Russian military has stressed the need to provide its Armed Forces with advanced theater reconnaissance systems in the wake of a brief military conflict with Georgia last August, when the effectiveness of Russian military operations was severely hampered by the lack of reliable intelligence. According to various estimates, the Russian military needs up to 100 UAVs and at least 10 guidance systems to ensure effective battlefield reconnaissance.

VI. Bosnian solution through dialogue

Serbia favors a solution in Bosnia-Herzegovina which can only be reached through dialogue, says Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić ahead of his visit there today. Jeremić will visit Bosnia-Herzegovina just a day after negotiations between domestic political leaders and U.S. and EU representatives over reforms necessary for further Euro-Atlantic integration ended without agreement. Ahead of his visit he said that Serbia wanted “the best possible relations with Bosnia-Herzegovina” and added that stability there was of key importance for peace and stability in the entire region. “It is in Serbia’s interests that a compromise be found which will make Bosnia-Herzegovina function more efficiently and speed up the European integration process,” said Jeremić. During his visit he will talk to officials in Sarajevo and Banja Luka.

VII. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Officially Opens Eighth Environmental Symposium in New Orleans

His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew officially opened today the Eighth Religion, Science and the Environment (RSE) Symposium, entitled “Restoring Balance: The Great Mississippi River,” which takes place here for the next five days under his high patronage and includes a large and diverse group of theologians, scientists, policymakers, environmentalists, representatives of business and NGOs, and media. Roman Catholic Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans welcomed the Ecumenical Patriarch and read a cordial, prayerful and personal message from Pope Benedict XVI in which he conveyed his support and solidarity in the effort of caring and protecting the environment and “the safeguarding of God’s creation.” Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in his very significant opening address said that “we have reached a defining moment in our history…the point where absolute limits to our survival are being reached,” and we “instead of living on income, or the available surplus of the earth, we are consuming environmental capital and destroying its resources as if there is no tomorrow.” Following the Patriarchal Address, retired US Senator Paul Sarbanes, who is a participant in the symposium read a message from former Vice President Al Gore, in which he expressed his esteem and respect for the Ecumenical Patriarch’s perseverance demonstrated by this Eighth Environmental Symposium. Al Gore was the first to address Patriarch Bartholomew as the “Green Patriarch” in 1997 when welcoming him to Washington D.C. Finally, Archbishop Demetrios, as the Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, offered an official welcome to the Ecumenical Patriarch both to the United States and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, which is an eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. “We are in this wounded city, New Orleans, and in an equally wounded River, the mighty Mississippi. And we are here to contribute, as much as it is possible, to the healing of both,” said Archbishop Demetrios and added that His All Holiness is “the Healer Patriarch who laboriously, incessantly, and deliberately serves in an extraordinary way the ecological healing process and tends to the wounds inflicted upon nature by human beings.” Information on the Ecumenical Patriarch and his visit to the U.S. can also be found online here or here and on the Mississippi symposium site, by clicking here.