Total Pageviews

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Michael's Daily 7 - 30 June



Absent a change of circumstances, soon there will be another war in the Caucasus, perhaps as soon as this summer. It will start with Russian backed South Ossetia or Abkhazia militias attacking Georgia. Defending the lives of innocent civilians, Georgia will respond. Then, condemning Georgia aggression, an aggressive Russia army will pour over the borders and pounce on poor Georgia with overwhelming force. If this sounds a little like last summer’s Caucasus war, there is a reason. It is a reprise of it, except this time Russian troops will destroy even more of Georgia, perhaps even its democracy. The US was caught flat-footed by last summer’s war. For some reason, the US had no idea that it was coming, even though the Russians announced in it in a press release. There is no excuse for the US to be caught flat-footed again. The stakes involved are just too great. Squeezed in the Southern Caucasus between Russia and Turkey, Georgia projects eastward toward the oil rich Caspian Sea. On its east lays Azerbaijan. Along its southeast border lays Armenia. The Caspian Sea contains one of the world’s largest deposits of oil and gas. However, strange as it may sound, the Caspian Sea is landlocked. As a result, the only way to export Caspian Sea oil and gas is overland, , either through Russia, Iran, or Georgia. Georgia’s Southern Caucasus neighbor, Armenia, was the former Soviet Union’s southern most outpost. It juts south out like a finger from the Georgian border along Turkey’s eastern flank, all the way to Iran. There are approximately 4,000 to 5,000 Russian troops garrisoned in Armenia. Russia wants to expand its presence. However, to do so, it requires a supply route for heavy equipment. In other words, Georgia is now not only the key transit route for Caspian Sea energy, but also the transit route for Russia to supply its forces in Armenia. It is not in our best interest to allow Russia to expand its military presence in Armenia. First, it places significant Russian forces deep along Turkey’s eastern flank, and opposite of our strategically important base in Incirlik. Second, it expands the Russian’s capacity to disrupt or control all Caspian Sea oil and gas. Third, it strengthens Russia’s military ties to neighboring Iran and expands its influence within the volatile Middle East. Little known to most of us who drive around the 405 Freeway in large SUVs, but little Armenia has a big nuclear power plant. It supplies approximately 40% of the country’s electricity. And the Russians own it. What’s more, Armenia has uranium, which Russia, in a joint project with Armenia, is extracting. Armenia and Iran are in the process of expanding trade. Recently, the two countries agreed build a new rail line between them. Eminently justified for purposes of much need trade, but this new choo choo gives rise to the suspicion that there is a military purpose to this train too. Russia is already deeply involved in developing Iranian nuclear power.


Matt Bryza, the US deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, has said one of the reasons why Turkey matters so much to the United States is because of its democratic system. According to Bryza, Turkey has proven repeatedly that it can move through tough issues, like the Ergenekon investigation, constitutional challenges, challenges to the electoral system and memoranda that generate much tension in society. “There are very serious allegations that need to be worked through. And the truth needs to come out,” he said. Asked if a military coup would threaten US-Turkish relations, he said: “You can imagine, were there a military coup in Turkey, that would be quite disruptive for many people and for many relationships that Turkey's officials have of course with the US. Why Turkey matters so much strategically, one of the reasons, is because of its democratic system.” In regard to Turkey's relations with the European Union, in which Turkey aspires to be a member, he said there are a few important months ahead and referred to the support given to Turkey's EU accession by US President Barack Obama on his historic visit to Europe and Turkey. “A lot of the future prospect of Turkey's EU accession depends on the Cyprus question,” he said, apparently commenting on the upcoming European Council report due in December evaluating Turkey's progress in fulfilling its obligations. “Turkey has to make an obligation to open its ports, its airports to Greek Cypriot vessels. We also understand that Turkey wants to make sure that all of these issues are dealt with in the context of a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue. And we have some reason to hope that Cyprus settlement discussions brokered by the UN are making progress,” he said. Bryza said they hope breakthroughs will begin to come in late September, adding that the Cyprus question is continuing on a positive track with help from all: the international community, the US and the EU, but essentially the parties themselves. In response to a question on the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia as well as the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, Bryza said the processes are separate. “They re moving in parallel but at different speeds. One process will make progress one day or one week faster than the other one. And the other one catches up and moves ahead of it. We know that as one process makes progress, the mood generally improves in the region, and it's easier to make progress on the other one,” he said and added that Azerbaijanis sometimes don't necessarily agree that normalization of Turkey-Armenia relations and opening of the border is a positive element because they believe Armenia will grow less flexible on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process if Armenia knows its border with Turkey is about to open. “I have a different view. I tend to believe that as the Armenian side senses the possibility that it could have a normal relationship with Turkey and its border could open, it actually does become more flexible or has become more flexible,” he said. He also said that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was constructive during the last two meetings he has had with Armenian President Serzh Sarksyan on May 7 in Prague and on June 4 in St. Petersburg. “Opening the border is one stage in the normalization process. It's not an immediate step. It happens as other things fall into place and as the Turkey-Armenia normalization process moves forward, which gives us time to get the breakthrough on Nagorno-Karabakh that we need. And hopefully if we are successful in forging that breakthrough in Nagorno-Karabakh, then we don't have to deal with this very difficult question,” he explained. In addition, Bryza referred to the Russian role in the process as “constructive.” “As difficult as our relationship has been with Russia and Georgia, they have been equally positive on Nagorno-Karabakh,” he said and added that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has twice been involved in a helpful way.


In an audio message from a hide-out in South Asia this month, an Al Qaeda chief did something new: He sang the praises of an ethnic group that once barely registered in the network. "We consider the Muslims in Turkey our brothers," said Mustafa Abu Yazid, the network's operations chief. Lauding Turkish suicide bombers killed in recent attacks near the Afghan-Pakistani border, he declared, "This is a pride and honor to the nation of Islam in Turkey, and we ask Allah to accept them amongst the martyrs." The message is the latest sign of the changing composition of Islamic extremism, anti-terrorism officials and experts say. The number of Turks in Al Qaeda, long dominated by Arabs, has increased notably, officials say. And militant groups dominated by Turks and Central Asians, many of whom share Turkic culture and speak a Turkic language, have emerged as allies of and alternatives to Al Qaeda in northwestern Pakistan. "We are aware of an increasing number of Turks going to train in Pakistan," said a senior European anti-terrorism official who asked to remain anonymous because the subject is sensitive. "This increase has taken place in the past couple of years." "We are seeing almost as much propaganda material from these Turkic groups as we are from Al Qaeda," said Evan Kohlmann, a U.S. private consultant who works with anti-terrorism agencies around the world. "Turks were perceived as moderate with few connections to Al Qaeda central. Now Germany is dealing with this threat in a community that could be a sleeping giant." Germany is especially vulnerable because it has troops in Afghanistan. The threat could also intensify in other countries with Turkish populations, such as France, Belgium and the Netherlands, whose anti-terrorism agencies focus on entrenched extremism in large North African communities. As Al Qaeda's multiethnic ranks burgeoned in the 1990s, Turks trained in Afghanistan and fought in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Russian republic of Chechnya. In 2003, Al Qaeda suicide bombers killed 70 people in attacks on synagogues and British targets in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city.


As leading EU countries are advocating alternatives to full EU membership for Turkey, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week that Ankara should speed up reform instead of breeding unrealistic expectations during its accession process. "No one should be mistaken: There is no cruise control in the accession negotiations. Each step forward requires hard work and intense preparations by the candidates for EU membership," Rehn said. The enlargement commissioner acknowledged progress made by Turkey in the accession process, but stressed that no such advance was visible in the last six months. He stressed the "pressing need" to reform the legal and constitutional framework governing the closure of political parties, as well of guaranteeing freedom of expression and the independence and pluralism of the media. Recent reports by the European Commission and the Parliament have warned of a continuous slowdown in the reform process in Turkey. In his speech, Rehn had called for drawing inspiration from the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, for another "historic opportunity" to end the division of Cyprus. But the Turkish prime minister said that the EU view of a "2009 final rendez-vous" for completing the talks was "wrong". He made it clear that his country did not accept blame for the stalemate in Cyprus, and called for a greater EU involvement in ongoing reunification talks, under the watch of Alexander Downer, the UN's special advisor on Cyprus and a former Australian foreign minister.


On 20 July 2009,35 years are supplemented since the illegal Turkish invasion in Cyprus (20/7/1974). QUESTION: Do you believe that, the United Nations, the European Union and the International Community in general, with the lack of pressure on Turkey on behalf of them in order to collaborate, do have a great share of responsibility for the fact that 35 years afterwards, the enormous humanitarian problem of the Fallen,Missing and Undeclared Captives of Cypriot Tragedy remains unsolvable? ANSWER: YES, International Community has a serious responsibility - or - NO, International Community has no responsibility. Vote!


When Adm. James G. Stavridis took over the military’s Southern Command in late 2006, his French was excellent but he spoke no Spanish. Not content to rely on interpreters, he put himself on a crash course to learn the language. Over the next three years, his fluency was measured not only in the high-level meetings he conducted in the native tongue of his military hosts. He also read the novels of Gabriel García Márquez, the Nobel laureate from Colombia, in the original rich and lyrical Spanish. Now Admiral Stavridis’s boss, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, has given him a new assignment, which starts Tuesday. “Jim must also learn to speak NATO,” Mr. Gates said. As the new American and NATO commander in Europe, Admiral Stavridis, 54, becomes the first naval officer appointed to a position previously held by famed ground-warfare generals. It is two jobs in one, as he oversees all American forces under the United States European Command and — far more important today — serves as the supreme allied commander, Europe, NATO’s top military position. He takes the NATO command as the future viability of the alliance is tested by whether he can rally members to make good on their promises to the mission in Afghanistan. Admiral Stavridis’s background may mean he is well-suited for reading NATO’s complex and often-conflicting geography of national priorities. His grandfather was an ethnic Greek born and raised in Turkey, Greece’s historical rival, who immigrated to the United States in 1910. Admiral Stavridis was born in 1955 in West Palm Beach, Fla., to a military family, and he lived in Greece as a young child while his father, an officer in the Marines, was assigned to the United States Embassy in Athens. Mr. Gates complimented the admiral for turning the Southern Command into “the embodiment of what is now called ‘smart power,’ drawing on the full strength of our nation and our partners to enhance security, freedom and prosperity in this part of the world.”


His All Holiness, Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians, yesterday issued a request to the Iranian government to release Greek journalist Iason Athanasiadis, who was arrested last week as he was about to leave Tehran. The Ecumenical Patriarchate maintains good relations with Iran, having signed an agreement on cultural matters. Athanasiadis, who has written for the Athens News and Kathimerini in the past, had been covering Iran’s disputed presidential election for US newspaper The Washington Times. The 30-year-old also holds a British passport but, as his family has requested, the Greek Foreign Ministry is leading efforts to secure his release.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Michael's Daily 7 - 29 June



Culture Minister Ertugrul Gunay says Turkey plans to re-open the Greek Orthodox Seminary on the island of Heybeliada -- Halki in Greek -- off Istanbul, nearly four decades after it was shut down. He said on Sunday (June 28th) "The seminary does not currently fit into our university system, but another formula will be worked out. […] There is no political problem." The seminary, the only facility the Eastern Orthodox Church had to train clergy in Turkey, was closed in 1971 after legislation was adopted that brought higher education institutions under state control. Greece and the EU have long demanded Halki reopen, for Turkey to demonstrate it respects the rights of its Christian minority.


On Tuesday, EU and Turkish envoys restart talks in a process that sometimes seems hollow and adrift. The dry give-and-take in conference halls in Brussels masks bigger issues about Europe and diversity, Islam and democracy, and ties between modern and developing nations. Turkey's enthusiasm for European Union membership has eroded under internal tension, European skepticism and a dispute over divided Cyprus, an EU member. Key European leaders, in turn, fear an influx of migrants, worry about human rights and wonder about admitting a huge Muslim nation into a 27-nation bloc that has struggled to integrate its own Muslim minorities. Turkey still fumes over the EU's 2004 decision to bring Greek Cypriots into the EU, leaving Turkish Cypriots outside even though they — unlike the ethnic Greek side — voted for reunification. In all, the accession talks cover 35 different areas, or "chapters." Of these, only 10 have been opened in the last four years. Of the 25 that have yet to be opened, eight face a veto from EU member Greece because of the Turkish troops in north Cyprus.


Greeks may soon be able to travel to the United States without the inconvenience of applying for a visa. The country is now a step closer to joining the US Visa Waiver Programme (VWP), which currently includes most other EU countries. On Sunday (June 28th), Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg signed two accords that pave the way for inclusion. The agreements -- a Memorandum of Understanding and a co-operation agreement on tackling serious crime -- were signed on the sidelines of the OSCE ministerial conference in Corfu. The Greek Foreign Ministry and the US State Department drafted the two texts that envision the reciprocal protection of personal data and adherence to legal procedures. The agreements also serve as an essential step towards strengthening bilateral relations, Bakoyannis said. She added that Greece's VWP membership will have a positive effect on economic co-operation between the two countries. Currently all but five EU-member countries participate in the VWP. In addition to Greece, the other exceptions are Poland, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria.


Russian forces have begun their biggest military exercise in the Caucasus since a war with Georgia last year. More than 8000 troops are taking part in manoeuvres near the Georgian border, which Georgia has called "a pure provocation from Russia". Last month NATO angered Russia by staging exercises in Georgia itself. Analysts say the latest exercises are a clear warning from Moscow to the West. The BBC reports military experts in Moscow say the message is that the Caucasus is still part of Russia's sphere of influence. The exercises involve 8,500 military personnel, 200 tanks, 450 armoured vehicles and 250 pieces of artillery. They are due to end on the day US President Barack Obama arrives in Moscow for a summit with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Russia maintains heavy military presences in Georgia's two breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and has recognised them as independent. Meanwhile, 130 UN observers who have been monitoring the administrative boundary between Abkhazia and Georgia will leave in the next three months. The International Crisis Group last week warned that the pullout by the UN and OSCE would fuel tensions.


A Bosnian court Monday cleared a former Muslim soldier of charges that he was responsible for detaining and beating Serbs during the country's 1992-1995 war. The Court of Bosnia-Hercegovina said it wasn't presented with evidence that Ferid Hodzic ordered the unlawful detention and maltreatment of Serb civilians and prisoners of war near the eastern town of Vlasenica in 1992 and 1993. Hodzic had been accused of ordering the detention and beatings of six Serb PoWs and civilians, including a woman and a child, in an improvised prison set up in a stable at Rovasi village. The prisoners had frequently been beaten and insulted by Bosnian Muslim soldiers, but it was impossible to link the crimes with Hodzic, the court said in a statement. "The evidence about who, or what authority, was responsible for the detention of the prisoners was mixed and contradictory," it said. Bosnian authorities can try low-profile war crimes cases, while the U.N.'s International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia is tasked with hearing cases involving top wartime officials. The Balkan country's war triggered by the breakup of the former Yugoslavia claimed at least 100,000 lives and left homeless some 2.2 million people, more than a half of its population.


Alcohol consumption is linked to one in every 25 deaths worldwide, according to a study that concludes the effects of drinking are as harmful as smoking. In a series of articles published in The Lancet, alcohol is linked to behavioral deaths, like violent injuries, as well as medical conditions like cardiovascular disease, cancer and liver disorders like cirrhosis. The study found that 3.8 percent of deaths around the world in 2004 (the most recent year for data) were related to drinking - 6.3 percent for men, 1.8 percent for women. Globally, average weekly consumption was around a dozen 10-ml units of pure ethanol - each unit being the equivalent of a bottle of beer, medium glass of wine or shot of liquor. But consumption fluctuated regionally - Europeans imbibed 22 units a week; North Americans, 18. Figures were lowest in eastern Mediterranean countries, where consumption was just 1.3 units a week. Alcohol-related death rates were highest in Europe - 10 percent. Within Europe, Russia tallied the highest proportion - 15 percent of deaths were linked to alcohol. Risks are also increasing in developing economies, particularly Asian countries like China and Thailand, the report notes. Researchers said alerting the world to the real dangers of regular alcohol use is difficult because of its entrenchment in many cultures, it poses health risks comparable to smoking a decade ago. "The big message is treat alcohol like tobacco," not as a substance that is relatively benign except for "those bad alcoholics," Rehm said. "That is not true." "So we need to rethink alcohol completely as a risk factor. Of course, we will not prohibit alcohol, but we should make it more expensive so it's consumed in smaller quantities and in quantities which are actually not as detrimental for health."


The pope met June 27 with Orthodox Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, Bishop Athenagoras of Sinope, who serves as the assistant metropolitan of Belgium, and Deacon Ioakim Billis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The three Greek Orthodox represented Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople at the evening prayer service closing the year of St. Paul June 28 and at the pope's Mass for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul June 29. Meeting the delegation privately before the festivities began, the pope said the year of St. Paul was a year "of prayer, of reflection and of exchanging gestures of communion between Rome and Constantinople." The pope said the joint activities were the best way to honor St. Paul, who urged Christians "'to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace,' teaching us that there is 'only one body and one spirit.'" The participation of the Orthodox delegation in the late-June liturgies "reminds us of our common commitment to the search for full communion," Pope Benedict said.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Michael's Daily 7 - 26 June



The European Commission urged estranged Cypriots Thursday to seize a "historic chance" to reunite their island, split by a conflict spanning decades and troubling Turkey's bid to join the EU. "The time is now. Do not allow a situation where the younger generation will simply accept the status quo," EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said. "There is a historic chance now to end this conflict once and for all," he told journalists on a whistle-stop visit to the island, a member of the European Union since 2004. Cyprus, divided between its ethnic Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, is a key obstacle in Turkey's chances of joining the European Union. The Mediterranean island was effectively partitioned in a Turkish invasion in 1974 in response to a brief Greek-inspired coup. Its government-controlled south represents Cyprus in the EU, with the north a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state recognized only by Ankara. Cyprus's internationally recognized Greek Cypriots say they will never allow Turkey to join the bloc as long as the island is partitioned. Ankara's EU membership talks, which started in October 2005, have been partially frozen because of the situation on the island.


Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders agreed on Friday to open a new checkpoint linking the two sides of the divided island in a move expected to boost slow-moving peace talks. The crossing point, in a remote semi-mountainous region in the northwest of the island, had long been demanded by locals living on both sides. It was not immediately clear when the checkpoint would open. Cyprus was partitioned in a Turkish invasion in 1974 triggered by a brief Greek-inspired coup. The conflict is overshadowing Turkey's attempts to join the European Union. The checkpoint, known as Yesilirmak in Turkish and Limnitis in Greek, will be the seventh crossing linking the island's estranged Greek and Turkish Cypriots, separated by a U.N.-policed buffer zone splitting the island from east to west. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, on a fleeting visit to Cyprus on Thursday, said the EU would finance part of the cost of the new checkpoint. "This is very good news and an excellent response to the call I made yesterday to both leaders to agree on confidence-building measures and move forward in the negotiations to reunify the country," Barroso said in a statement. "This agreement shows that when there is a will there is a way."


The name "Macedonia" was originally bestowed on the region buttressing Greece by the dictator Josip Broz Tito, who funded and armed a military campaign fighting for partition of our land and people. It was concocted primarily by the Comintern and carried out with the most callous disregard for the basic human and linguistic rights recognized in modern Europe. It remains one of the gravest political crimes of all time and continues to stain the history of Europe and the United States. Imagine cutting a living human being limb from limb. This is the legacy of the Greek Civil War, a war fueled by communist forces seeping in from the porous borders of northern Greece and Macedonia. The Macedonia of Alexander the Great was, and forever will be, Hellenic. Embracing the Hellenic origin of Alexander, one of Europe's greatest sons. Stop denying the past and dispense with false historical revisionism. It smacks of genocidal ideologies of a discredited era.


The State Department denies claims made by Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadžić regarding an alleged deal made with U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke. The State Department claims that the U.S. has on several occasions clearly stated that no such deal existed offering Karadžić immunity from criminal prosecution, according to Voice of America. Karadžić submitted a demand to the Hague Tribunal in May 25, 2009, asking for the indictment against him to be dropped, stating that Holbrooke, who was the American envoy for the Balkans then, promised him immunity in exchange for leaving the political scene and public spotlight. “Karadžić did sign a statement, the content of which was negotiated with Holbrooke and a team of senior officials from the American government and senior officials from Belgrade. The meeting was held on July 18, 1996, and Karadžić was not in attendance. In this statement, Karadžić promised that he would leave his position and pull out of public life, but there was no quip pro quo,” the statement adds. The statement also claims that the U.S. government gave Karadžić a number of documents, some of which are quoted in his most recent demand, adding that the State Department believes that the “information he received has been presented in a skewed way” in Karadzic's lastest demand. The statement adds that it can be seen in these documents related to Karadžić leaving public life, that it is stated several times that the U.S. government expects him to face justice before the Hague Tribunal.


Iason Athanasiadis a journalist working for the Washington Times has been taken captive by the Iranian authorities it was confirmed today. In a statement by his family issued today a plea was made to the Iranian authorities for his release: "Our son, Iason Athanasiadis, has been detained in Iran while working as a journalist, and the Greek foreign ministry has been making efforts to secure his release for which we are deeply grateful. Iason is a dedicated reporter, photographer and film-maker who grew up in Greece and regards himself as Greek. Both of us are permanent residents of Greece and indeed, practicing Greek Orthodox Christians. He is legally entitled to another passport but he has never seen himself as anything other than Greek. Iason has always maintained his integrity as an independent journalist who sells articles, photographs and film to outlets in many parts of the world. His work serves no purpose other than the fair and humane coverage of life in the many countries where he has worked. He has a particular love of Iran, and a deep respect for its cultural and religious traditions.” Greek journalists are calling for pressure from the international community to release Iason. The London Daily News calls on President Ahmadinejad to release Iason who is no enemy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.


The condition of 24 Ukrainian sailors on board the Ariana, a ship seized by Somali pirates on May 2, is satisfactory, and there is enough drinking water, food and fuel on board the vessel, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's press service reported on Friday. Ukraine's Embassy in Greece provided additional information about the situation on board the ship, the press service said. "The ship's operator said that a representative of the operator company talked by phone with the ship's captain, who said the physical and psychological condition of the crew continued to be satisfactory and that there adequate supplies of fuel, drinking water and food on board the ship. The company's representative said that he was doing all he could to make progress in the talks with the pirates," the press service said. Somali pirates seized the Ariana in the Gulf of Aden on May 2. The vessel was flying the Maltese flag and is operated by the Greek company Alloceans Shipping Co. LTD. All 24 of its crewmembers are citizens of Ukraine.


Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I will send a delegation to Rome to celebrate the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul with Benedict XVI, and to close the Year of St. Paul. The visit reciprocates the habitual exchange of delegations for the respective patronal feasts in which the patriarch of Constantinople sends a delegation to Rome on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and St. Paul, and the Pope sends a delegation to Istanbul, Turkey, on Nov. 30, the feast of St. Andrew. In November 2006, Benedict XVI led the delegation himself, and last June Bartholomew I led the Orthodox delegation to Rome, which coincided with the opening of the Pauline Jubilee Year. The patriarch's delegation will be let by Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, director of the Office of the Orthodox Church Before the European Union. The delegation will participate in vespers June 28, presided over by Benedict XVI at St. Paul Outside the Walls, which will also mark the end of the Year of St. Paul. On Monday, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the delegation will participate in the Mass celebrated by the Pope in St. Peter's, during which the Holy Father will bestow the pallium on the 34 archbishops who have been named this year. Also on the agenda are meetings with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and a private audience with Benedict XVI.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Michael's Daily 7 - 25 June



Iran’s street protests in the wake of a disputed presidential election spread from Tehran, the capital, to a string of big cities across the country, but then seemed to subside after the authorities cracked down, leaving at least 20 people dead... With American troops due to withdraw from all Iraqi towns at the end of the month, insurgents carried out a campaign of bombings... Somalia’s fragile government called in vain on its neighbours, Ethiopia and Kenya, to send troops to help it resist a growing jihadist insurgency bolstered by al-Qaeda-linked fighters from Pakistan and Afghanistan... Democrats working on America’s climate-change legislation in the House struck a deal that gives the Department of Agriculture the authority to supervise efforts to reduce carbon emissions by farmers... Mark Sanford, the Republican governor of South Carolina, caused a stir when he disappeared for five days... Antonio Villaraigosa ruled himself out of the running for governor of California... Two Metro trains collided in Washington, DC, killing nine people, the worst-ever accident on the city’s network... At least 80 people were killed in an attack by an unmanned American aircraft in the tribal areas of Pakistan... America reached an agreement with Kyrgyzstan that will allow American armed forces to continue using the Manas air base, their only base in Central Asia, to support operations in Afghanistan... An American journalist from the New York Times and an Afghan colleague were reported to have escaped after seven months as prisoners of the Taliban, who took them hostage in Afghanistan... Formal charges were announced against Liu Xiaobo, one of China’s most prominent dissidents, who was detained last December after the publication of a charter calling for political reform... An American navy ship continued to track a North Korean vessel believed to be carrying weapons to Myanmar in breach of UN sanctions... A conservation group reported that 30% of the world’s species of sharks are under threat of extinction because of overfishing... A battle between FARC rebels and security forces in Colombia’s Cauca province killed at least 25 rebels and seven police officers... The United States and Venezuela decided to reinstate their ambassadors... In a rare address to both houses of France’s parliament, President Nicolas Sarkozy lent weight to a possible ban on the Islamic burqa, saying that such garments were “not welcome on French territory”... Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, the president of Ingushetia, a Russian republic in the north Caucasus, was almost killed in an assassination attack by a suicide-bomber... Russia’s Supreme Court ordered a retrial of three men acquitted of being accomplices in the murder of Anna Politkovskaya... A former prime minister of Kosovo, Agim Ceku, was arrested in Bulgaria. He is wanted by Serbia on war-crimes charges... Sex scandals continued to swirl around Italy’s prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi... Two tonnes of rare whale meat were distributed in Greenland as part of celebrations to mark the start of an era of self-government. After nearly three centuries of rule by Denmark, Greenland’s 56,000 people will gradually take control of most domestic affairs, although defence and foreign policy remain in Danish hands. Greenlandic is now the official language.


During a visit to Brussels to revive Ankara's deadlocked EU accession talks, Turkish Premier Erdogan expressed frustration at his country’s lack of progress over meeting key EU demands to implement political reforms. Erdogan told journalists that plans to change the constitution, key to keeping Turkey's bid for EU membership on track, are a "waste of time" as long as opposition parties keep blocking all efforts in parliament. Erdogan's comments were the clearest sign yet that his government could ditch its long standing goal of joining the 27-nation bloc. Most Europeans oppose Turkey's entry bid because it is a Moslem country, poor, and situated mostly in Asia Erdogan promised after March local elections to renew efforts to revamp the 1982 constitution, drawn up under military rule, which would go a long way towards removing one of the major obstacles in Ankara's EU path. "All parties should be involved in efforts to reform the constitution, but the main opposition party rejects and blocks all efforts. So as long as we are faced with such an approach these efforts are nothing but a waste of time. We will have to continue with the present constitution," Erdogan said ahead of talks with EU officials in Brussels. The process has also been slowed by Ankara's refusal to recognize EU member Cyprus. On Thursday European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Cypriots should seize a “historic chance” to reunite the Mediterranean island. Cyprus was divided in a Turkish invasion in 1974. EU heavyweights Germany and France have been especially vocal in their opposition to full membership and instead have proposed a lesser alternative, which they have dubbed a "privileged partnership."


Bulgaria on Thursday released former Kosovo premier Agim Ceku, arrested on a warrant from Serbia, where he is wanted on war crimes charges. Ceku walked free after a prolonged hearing into whether or not Sofia should extend his detention. He was initially held in custody only for a period of 72 hours. Serbia's Justice Ministry official Slobodan Homen said the decision to release Ceku from detention was a "political one." "Once again, politics overcome international law," Homen told state-run Tanjug news agency. He added that Ceku would be "sooner or later available to Serbia's justice... Our ministry is still awaiting official information from our Bulgarian counterparts and an explanation why Ceku has been released," Homen said. Ceku was detained on an Interpol arrest warrant at the Gyueshevo border checkpoint near Kyustendil on Tuesday night, while he was entering Bulgaria from Macedonia. Kosovo's prime minister for the two years leading up to the disputed territory's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia in February 2008, Ceku is wanted by Serbia for war crimes allegedly committed during the 1998-1999 war in then Serbian-ruled Kosovo. Ceku's detention in Bulgaria was not the first time an Interpol warrant initiated from Serbia caught up with him. He was detained in Colombia last month, and in Slovenia and Hungary in 2003 and 2004 respectively. Serbia's claim to have him extradited was meanwhile backed Thursday by Amnesty International that "called upon the Bulgarian authorities to extradite promptly Agim Ceku to Serbia... to face trial on war crimes charges."


Cyprus stopped two boats planning to carry aid to the Gaza Strip in defiance of an Israeli blockade from leaving port on Thursday, officials said. The US-based Free Gaza Movement had been planning to take 33 activists to Gaza with medical supplies and cement, a material that Israel does not allow into the Palestinian territory devastated by a short war that ended early this year. The Free Gaza Movement started sending regular aid voyages from Cyprus to Gaza in August 2008, but one of its boats was involved in a collision with an Israeli vessel in December, and was turned back on another mission in January. Israel tightened a blockade on Gaza in 2007 after the Islamist group Hamas took control of the enclave, a tiny sliver of territory home to some 1.5 million people. Israel bans imports of cement, steel or other building supplies to Gaza, saying militants could use them for military purposes. One of the vessels was to carry 15 tons of cement.


U.S. President Barack Obama would do well to ditch the idea of Ukrainian admission to NATO — for the sake of NATO and, above all, Ukraine. It is also a major irritant in U.S.-Russian relations, which have gone seriously awry since the halcyon days of President Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. Ukrainian accession to the military alliance would signal America’s definitive rejection of the Reagan-Gorbachev quest for stability in the heart of Europe, based on a concert of the pan-European states, great and small. Instead, the United States appears intent on ringing down a new Iron Curtain across Europe in the form of a nuclear tripwire stretched between Russia and Ukraine. If it were to join NATO, Ukraine would be enlisting in a crusade to encircle a fraternal nation, a co-inheritor of Saint Vladimir, Grand Prince of Kyiv, with a view to its ultimate dismemberment (remember the fate of Serbia.) Ukraine seeks to bolster its sovereignty vis-a-vis Russia, and understandably so. But is it really in Ukraine’s interest to provoke Moscow in this way? Last August, Georgia and Russia went to war over South Ossetia. Had Ukraine and Georgia been NATO members at the time (as they and the U.S. had hoped), they might well have found themselves at war with Russia by virtue of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which holds an attack against one to be an attack against all. Rather than face off with a fraternal Orthodox state across a nuclear tripwire, Kyiv would be better advised to drop its NATO bid. A more attractive option would be membership in the European Union. If Obama would be willing to take advice from an old Reaganite and veteran of the climactic years of the Cold War, one eager to preserve Reagan’s greatest legacy— the overcoming of the division of Europe into hostile camps -- I would advise this: Mr. Obama, tear down this wall! Before it ever gets built.


is much to be said for moral clarity. Greece is insisting that the British Museum surrender the marble sculptures that Lord Elgin took down from the Parthenon and carted away in the early 1800s. Anything less, it says, would “condone the snatching of the marbles and the monument’s carving-up 207 years ago.” The Greek demand for ownership will arouse widespread sympathy, even among those who accept the British Museum’s claim to the marbles. With the opening of an impressive new museum in Athens (see article), the sculptures from the Parthenon now have good cause to be reunited, if only for artistic reasons. But sometimes clarity is self-defeating. A previous Greek administration was willing to finesse the question of ownership and co-operate with the British Museum over a joint display of the marbles. By hardening its position, the Greek government risks driving museums everywhere into clinging to their possessions for fear of losing them. If the aim is for the greatest number of people to see the greatest number of treasures, a better way must be found. The choice is between the free circulation of treasures and a stand-off in which each museum grimly clings to what it claims to own. Instead of grandstanding, the Greek culture minister should call the British Museum’s bluff and ask for a loan. The nervous British would then have to test the waters by, say, sending to Athens a single piece of the Parthenon frieze. If that piece were to be seized, then so be it. But if on the due date, the Greeks surprised everybody and returned the sculpture, then the lending programme would surely be expanded. By taking small steps, the Greeks may yet encourage the British to make the big leap.


The spiritual leader of the Orthodox Church in America offered to begin talks aimed at full communion with the new Anglican Church in North America, then named a series of obstacles whose removal could tear apart the hard-won unity among the 100,000 theological conservatives who broke from the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada. "What will it take for a true ecumenical reconciliation? Because that is what I am seeking by being here today," Metropolitan Jonah said. The Orthodox Church in America is a self-governing daughter of the Russian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Jonah, who was elected last year in Pittsburgh, is a convert who was raised as an Episcopalian. He spoke with humor about both traditions, warning, "I'm afraid my talk will have something to offend just about everybody." Although there is a global Anglican-Orthodox dialogue with participants from the Episcopal Church and the Orthodox Church in America, there is no dialogue or relationship between any Orthodox jurisdiction in the U.S. and the Episcopal Church itself. Metropolitan Jonah named several issues that he said the two churches needed to "face head on" and resolve before they can achieve full communion. Among the most volatile on his list were the Calvinist theology taught by many evangelical Anglicans and the ordination of women as priests, which the new church allows each of its dioceses to accept or reject. "Calvinism is a condemned heresy," he said, to a smattering of applause from some Anglo-Catholics in the new church. "For ... intercommunion of the Anglican Church and the Orthodox Church, the issue of ordination of women needs to be resolved," he said, again to applause from many of the same people. "I believe women have a critical role to play in the church, but I do not believe it is in the [priesthood or as bishops]," he said. "Forgive me if this offends you." He called for an effort to "creatively come together to find the right context for women's ministry in the church."

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Michael's Daily 7 - 24 June



Prosecutors said on Wednesday former Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku, wanted in Serbia on war crime charges, would stay in custody in Bulgaria for 72 hours while Sofia decided whether to extradite or release him. Bulgarian police arrested Ceku at the border with Macedonia on Tuesday night on an old Interpol arrest warrant issued by Serbia. Sofia was awaiting documents from Interpol and would decide how to proceed by Friday, Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev told reporters. Serbia indicted Ceku, a former top commander of Kosovo Albanian fighters during the 1998-1999 war, and some other Kosovo leaders, including current Prime Minister Hashim Thaci. Serbia's justice ministry said on Wednesday it filed a request to Sofia for extradition of Ceku. This is the fourth time Ceku has been arrested, but on earlier occasions authorities in Slovenia and Hungary did not hand him over to Belgrade. Last month, Ceku left Colombia following an expulsion order from the local security agency after Serbian authorities asked their Colombian counterparts to arrest him.


The struggle to tackle militant attacks in the Russian Caucuses regions of Chechnya and Ingushetia is continuing to plan, Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov told RIA Novosti on Wednesday. "We began a joint fight against militants over a month ago and created an operational headquarters to coordinate the Chechen and Ingush special forces," Kadyrov said, adding: "They have achieved results and I have reported this to [President Dmitry] Medvedev. He has asked me to intensify the fight and bring it to an end." Kadyrov said that special forces from both of the republics are operating in the border zone between the republics alongside Russian troops, who are experienced in tackling terrorism. Russia's North Caucasus republics have been swept by a wave of violence recently two months after the government formally ended its decade-long counterterrorism operation in Chechnya, which witnessed two brutal separatist wars in the 1990s and early 2000s. Ingushetia, which borders Chechnya, continues to see frequent militant attacks on officials and police. Kadyrov is convinced that their combined efforts will end the militant violence in both Ingushetia and Chechnya. "We will get results and we will destroy these devils wherever they are hiding," Kadyrov said.


Turkey hopes to receive a green light from the United States at the end of the year to buy two critical weapons systems that would be used against the Kurdistan Workers' Party's, or PKK, officials have said. The two systems are the AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters and the sophisticated Reaper drones. Turkey wants to buy a small number of these choppers presently in the U.S. Marines' inventory, and officials from both countries said they were looking for a solution. During a visit to Washington early this month, Chief of the Turkish General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ said the acquisition of these helicopters was a high priority for the Turkish Army, and that he was keeping his hopes high. U.S. Ambassador to Ankara James Jeffrey said that if the United States found a way to transfer some of the Super Cobras to the Turkish military without hurting the front-line firepower capabilities of the Marines, it would. A senior Turkish procurement official said there was presently a window of opportunity for the transfer and that he expected Washington to agree to the sale before the end of this year. The United States has alternatively offered the sale of some AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, used by the U.S. Army, but Ankara has rejected the proposal, saying that it had no infrastructure support for these gunships.


Turkish jets have stepped up sorties over inhabited Greek islands, increasing tensions between Aegean neighbours Greece and Turkey, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni said in an interview on Wednesday. Bakoyanni told Reuters she would raise the issue with her Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu when they meet for the first time at an informal meeting of OSCE foreign ministers on the island of Corfu this weekend. “The constant overflights by Turkish jets over inhabited Greek islands do not help improve the atmosphere between the two countries and I hope discussions with Mr. Davutoglu will help, to begin with, to change this atmosphere,” said Bakoyanni, whose country holds the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) presidency. The NATO allies came to the brink of war as recently as 1996 over a deserted Aegean islet but tensions had since eased. Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis’ visit to Turkey in January 2008 was seen as crowning 10 years of warming ties. But little progress has been made since and Greece has said Turkey had made no effort to defuse long-running territorial disputes and other differences. Their fighter jets still stage mock dog fights in disputed airspace. “These overflights over inhabited islands have increased in the last few months, and have caused concern in Greece and, I believe, among our EU partners,” Bakoyanni said. “It’s very important to have some progress and an improvement in the climate.” Greece supports Turkey’s bid to join the European Union, provided it resolves disputes and helps reunite Cyprus, divided since Turkey invaded the island in 1974. EU member Cyprus remains a main stumbling block for Ankara’s EU accession hopes and Bakoyanni said Ankara must realise how important the Cyprus issue is for its own future. “I hope Ankara realises that this is a very important issue for Turkey itself - resolving the Cyprus issue and proving to the international community that Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, Christians and Muslims, can live together harmoniously within the EU,” she said.


The United States and the European Union rejected on Wednesday Russian accusations that Washington and Brussels were to blame for the collapse of Moscow's unilateral bid to join the World Trade Organization. "Let's be clear on this -- this is a Russia-created crisis and one they have to resolve," U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk told Reuters. Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said in an interview on Tuesday that the EU and the United States were responsible for Moscow's decision to ditch unilateral talks for a joint WTO bid with Kazakhstan and Belarus. "We reject this claim. We have been facilitating this process. We have been helpful and very supportive of Russia's bid," Lutz Guellner, spokesman for EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton, said. Russia, the biggest economy outside the 153-member global trade watchdog, is now negotiating entry with its former Soviet neighbors as part of a proposed new customs union. The move, announced by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, came just days after Russian officials had held talks with U.S. and EU trade representatives. It has left the WTO secretariat in confusion. Russia has been negotiating to join the WTO for 16 years but Moscow says the United States and European Union have made unreasonable demands for entry. Moscow's accession stalled after Washington put the issue on ice over its opposition to Russia's war with Georgia in 2008. A trade spat between Moscow and Washington over a Russian ban on some U.S. meat imports, on health concerns related to the recent outbreak of the H1N1 virus -- otherwise known as swine flu -- has also hampered Russia's WTO bid. Moves by Moscow to place duties on imports of timber and cars from the EU, and threats of further tariffs on other goods ranging from shoes to furniture, have also hurt the WTO talks.


Among the legion of today's most popular diet regimens, the Mediterranean diet has become a poster child for healthy eating, garnering praise from nutrition experts and home gourmets alike. But while few would dispute the health benefits of such a diet, what is it about the Mediterranean menu that makes it so healthy? A study released Tuesday in the online edition of the British Medical Journal took aim at this very question. Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and the University of Athens Medical School in Greece looked at more than 23,000 Greek men and women participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Over the course of about eight and a half years, the researchers led by Harvard's Dimitrios Trichopoulos and the University of Athens' Antonia Trichopoulou compared the health of the participants against their adherence to a Mediterranean diet. What they found was that certain foods in the diet, more than others, may offer the bulk of the nutritional benefits of the regimen. As the authors note, that the analysis "indicates that the dominant components of the Mediterranean diet score as a predictor of lower mortality are moderate consumption of [alcohol], low consumption of meat and meat products, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil, and legumes."


Recent exchanges of views about Orthodox Christianity in North America, the role of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, events in the Antiochian Archdiocese, debates in the Romanian Episcopate, and pan-Orthodox sessions that deliberated on the "diaspora" -- without American participation -- emphasize how vital it is to reflect upon events that have shaped the current situation and to regularize Orthodox Christianity in North America. To address this need, and in a summer which might be described as the most pivotal in American Orthodox history, Saint Vladimir's Seminary hosted a conference June 18 to 20, 2009, the theme of which was "The Council and The Tomos: 20th Century Landmarks Towards a 21st Century Church," that focused on three visions that have shaped Orthodox Christianity in America: the vision of Saint Tikhon; the vision of autocephaly; and a vision for the future, which will be offered by Metropolitan Jonah at the conclusion of the conference. The symposium on Church unity featured presentations by His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, Primate of the Orthodox Church in America; His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel of Detroit and the OCA's Romanian Episcopate; His Grace, Bishop Basil [Osborne] of Amphipolis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of the Russian Tradition in Europe; Mr. Charles Ajalat, Chancellor of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America; and others.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Michael's Daily 7 - 23 June



In 1999, the Clinton administration orchestrated a war against the sovereign nation of Serbia. Clinton justified his actions, by making claims of "genocide" and "mass graves" against the Serbian government. Those claims have since been proven to be unfounded. The Clinton administration claimed that the Serbs were engaged in ethnic cleansing and announced that Milosevic had murdered more than 100,000 innocent people. In reality, less than 3,000 bodies have been recovered since 1999. Around 500 of those are believed to be KLA fighters, and many of the rest were more than likely killed in the daily U.S. led bombing raids. In February 2007, the International Court of Justice formally cleared Serbia of any charges of genocide. Of course, the decision came a year too late for Milosevic. President Clinton actually placed our military side-by-side with terrorists. The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) was made up of mercenaries and foreign nationals mostly from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Afghanistan. In Feb. of 1999, Sen. Bob Smith (R-NH) said: "We are in essence becoming the Air Force for the KLA." Serbia did not pose any threat to the U.S. and the actions taken by Milosevic were an internal security matter. The Serbian military was fighting against Muslim the KLA. However, the liberal media never once questioned Clinton's motives nor do they to this day. Bill Clinton convinced NATO to join in the fight against the people of Serbia. In doing so, NATO actually violated the terms of their own charter. Not one NATO member nation had been attacked by Serbia, yet most of them sent troops to march on that country. The United States was attacked on 9/11, yet NATO is now nowhere to be found. The air-war which was directed by Gen. Wesley Clark, targeted civilians. Under Clark's orders, U.S. warplanes bombed schools, hospitals, churches, office buildings, and private homes. They even bombed a nature park! In Belgrade, all three bridges which spanned the Danube were destroyed. They knocked out power and water to the Serbs. The bombing went on for 79 days. While the U.S. was criticized for continuing operations in Iraq during the Muslim holy period of Ramadan...Not a word of dissent was heard, when Clinton bombed the Serbs on Easter Sunday! So what was accomplished by Clinton’s war crimes against the people of Serbia? Since 1999, the Muslim terrorists of the KLA have demolished 100 Serbian churches in Kosovo and displaced 250,000 Serbs. These atrocities could not have been accomplished without the help of Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright, and Gen. Wesley Clark. Because of their actions, Kosovo is now a haven for Muslim terrorists and the main distribution point for the world’s opium trade. The U.S. led was against the people of Serbia was a crime for which Bill Clinton, Madeleine Albright, and Gen. Wesley Clark should stand trial. However, do not expect the corrupt U.N. nor the left-wing press to ever hold them accountable. We now have a press more concerned with the sex lives of reality TV stars John and Kate Gosselin, than with the motivations behind an unprovoked was of aggression which left a sovereign nation in ruins, a head of state dead under mysterious circumstances, and that nation’s capital controlled by Muslim terrorists and international drug dealers.


What if Congress apologized for slavery and nobody cared? The Senate on Thursday followed the House in voting to apologize for slavery and the Jim Crow segregation that followed it. In other words, it only took almost 150 years and the election of an African-American who is not descended from slavery to move Congress to apologize for slavery. Thanks, senators, but you're a little late. As "senior black correspondent" Larry Wilmore quipped on "The Daily Show": "I thought [ Barack] Obama's election was our apology." He was joking, but not by much. After all, part of the appeal of Obama's White House victory was its symbolic message of post-racial optimism: We were ready as a diverse nation to stand together as Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed, put our ugly racial past behind us and look to a better future. By contrast, the slavery apology issue erupts at a convenient time for Congress but it's an inconvenient distraction, at best, for Obama. After all, talk of slavery apologies leads inevitably to the more volatile "dollars-and-sense" issue of reparations for the damage slavery left behind. Did somebody say "preferential treatment"? To ease its passage, the Senate resolution contains a significant escape clause: It is not to serve as a basis for any lawsuit against the United States. That means the measure did not have to address the racially divisive issue of whether we, the descendants of American slavery, are owed any financial reparations. The House passed a similar apology last July, but it did not contain a no-reparations clause like the Senate version. That's led to a talk of reconsideration of the measure in the House to conform to the Senate version. The House will address it this week. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus oppose the change. That could lead to an awkward situation of black members of Congress opposing a slavery apology. That's what you get, ladies and gentlemen, for trying to score good feelings on the cheap. But how do you put a price on that? The damage of slavery and segregation can best be undone by Americans keeping our promises to the next generations. We need to help every American child have access to decent schools, housing and nutrition -- regardless of race, creed or ancestral conditions of servitude.


The US military has cancelled an annual NATO-led military exercise in the Black Sea run for more than a decade. The exercises have been a constant irritation to Russia, and their reported cancellation would represent a victory for Ukraine's anti-NATO activists. They oppose the annual war-gaming exercise on the grounds that the NATO-led exercise undermines Ukraine's declared neutrality. The Sea Breeze air-sea-land maneuvers scheduled for July 13-26 off Ukraine's south coast and inland would not take place as planned, according to a formal message sent by the US naval command to Ukraine's government. The Ukrainian parliament's refusal in April to approve the maneuvers - a vote passed by the legislature in previous years without difficulty - made the presence of US and NATO forces in Ukraine and its territorial waters this July politically impossible. The US-sponsored exercise, which began in 1997 had included as many as two dozen NATO warships, augmented with combat vessels from Black Sea nations attempting to develop better relations with NATO including Ukraine, Georgia, and Bulgaria. The 2009 Sea Breeze was intended to be the biggest exercise of its kind yet, with 16 nations contributing warships. The Kremlin routinely rejected the claims, saying the exercises were the beginning of systematic NATO naval encroachment into the historically Russian-controlled Black Sea. NATO and Russian naval forces operating in the Black Sea tripled in size in August last year, during Russia's war with Georgia over South Ossetia, leading to a Cold War-style stand off between the two fleets until combat was over. Polls show Ukrainians generally opposed to NATO, seen by many Ukrainians as an offensive alliance for its air bombardment of Serbia, and ground operations in Afghanistan.


A U.N. mediator orchestrated a new round of talks in the name dispute between Greece and Macedonia,a former Yugoslav republic. Mathew Nimetz, a special United Nations envoy held a new round of talks with ambassadors of Greece and Macedonia in Geneva Monday and announced he will visit Skopje July 6-7 and Athens July 7-9 for talks with leaders of the two neighboring countries, the Greek Kathimerini daily reported. Nimetz held his last meeting with Greek and Macedonian envoys on the 18-year-long name dispute in New York in February. In the meantime, Greece blocked Macedonia's admission to NATO in April. Greece objected to the Skopje government using the name of Macedonia when it seceded from the former six-republic Yugoslav federation in 1991. Athens argues the name of Macedonia could bear territorial claims involving the northern Greek province of the same name. Greece sticks to calling Macedonia the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or FYROM, the name under which it was admitted to the United Nations. Despite efforts by international mediators, the two countries have been unable to reach a compromise on the name dispute.


Somali pirates freed Dutch freighter the Marathon on Tuesday, however one of the Ukrainian crew was shot dead by the pirates, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said. The 2,575-tonne Marathon, with eight Ukrainian citizens aboard, was sailing through the Gulf of Aden when it was seized on May 7. On Monday pirates in Somalia said they had freed the seven crew members of a captured Seychelles research yacht, the Indian Ocean Explorer which was seized at the end of March near the Seychelles' island of Assumption. Here are details of some ships believed to be under pirate control and some facts about the increase in piracy: JAIKUR-I: Seized Oct. 2, 2008; MASINDRA 7: Seized on Dec. 16, 2008; SERENITY: The catamaran: Seized in March 2009; INDIAN OCEAN EXPLORER: Seized March 2009; HANSA STAVANGER: Seized April 4, 2009; WIN FAR 161: Taiwanese tuna boat, seized April 6, 2009; SHUGAA-AL-MADHI: Seized April 9, 2009; MOMTAZ 1: Seized April 10, 2009; BUCCANEER: Seized April 11, 2009; IRENE E.M.: Seized April 14, 2009; POMPEI: Seized April 18, 2009; ARIANA: Seized May 2, 2009; VICTORIA: Seized on May 5, 2009; CHARELLE: Seized on June 12, 2009; PIRACY KEY FACTS: -- In 2008 there were 293 incidents of piracy against ships worldwide, 11 percent up on the year before. Attacks off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden almost trebled. -- In 2008, there were 111 incidents including 42 vessels hijacked in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. So far in 2009, there have been 31 successful hijackings from 143 attempted attacks. -- Nearly 20,000 ships pass through the Gulf of Aden each year, heading to and from the Suez Canal.


When the congregation at St. Nicolay church in this northern Israeli town gathered on that quiet Friday morning of May 29, they never expected to be showered with stones. The Russian Orthodox worshipers, including many women, children and the elderly, had filled the small building to overflow with several outside when they were stunned by the rain of stones. Some were injured and received medical care. “The church was crawling with people – the worshipers stood not only inside the church, but also outside, as the building is very small, when suddenly a few young men started throwing stones at the direction of our courtyard.” The church had also been attacked earlier that week, during a wedding ceremony. Stones and rotten eggs were thrown from the street, hitting guests as they arrived. The same night, the Rev. Roman Radwan, priest of St. Nicolay church, filed a complaint at the police station. An officer issued a document to confirm that he had filed an official complaint and sent him home, promising that measures would be taken. But within 24 hours, the attackers again appeared at the church’s doorway and no police were present to deter them – although the police station is located a few dozen meters from the church. Established in 2005, the church building was constructed to meet the needs of Christians who do not belong to the Arab Christian minority, mostly Russians who came to Israel from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s. Besides the Christians, these immigrants included other non-Jews, as well as atheistic Jews and Jewish converts to Christianity. Most of the Russian and Russian-Jewish Christians in Israel belong to the Russian Orthodox Church and find it difficult to adjust to Greek or Arabic services common in the Greek Orthodox churches of Israel. Since St. Nicolay’s church opened its doors, hundreds of worshipers from across Israel have visited it. “Many people fear they might pass away without seeing a priest, or they dream of a Christian wedding service,” said Radwan, an Israeli-Arab whose family once owned the land on which the St. Nicolay church is located. “Here we can answer their needs. We do not want to harm anyone and wish that no one would harm us.”


Pope Benedict XVI will welcome U.S. President Barack Obama to the Vatican July 10 for an audience scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Obama will visit Italy July 8-10 to participate in the Group of Eight summit, a meeting of leaders of the world's wealthiest nations. The meeting will be held in L'Aquila, site of a devastating earthquake in April. After the G-8 summit, the president and his wife, Michelle, are scheduled to fly to Ghana, arriving late July 10. Although Pope Benedict usually meets heads of state and government in the morning, the Vatican agreed to host Obama's first visit to the papal palace the evening before he flies to Africa. It is not clear whether Miguel Diaz, a theology professor tapped by Obama to be the new U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, will be present for the meeting. As of June 23, the Senate hearing for the new ambassador's confirmation was not on the public schedule of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Discussions between popes and U.S. presidents usually focus on common concerns regarding world events and the church's concerns over issues or policies with special moral relevance. So in addition to discussing ongoing tensions in the Middle East, especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the situation in Iraq, Pope Benedict likely will bring up his concerns regarding abortion policy in the United States and renewed government permission for embryonic stem-cell research.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Michael's Daily 7 - 22 June



This week marks the 10th anniversary of NATO’s entry into the war-torn Balkan province of Kosovo. For 78 days the allied NATO air force — including Canadian aircraft — had pounded infrastructure targets throughout Kosovo and Serbia in a failed attempt to force the Serbs to capitulate and accept the terms U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright had proposed at the 1999 Rambouillet peace talks. What the nearly $13 billion worth of explosive ordnance dropped in that campaign failed to achieve was any substantial downgrading of the Serbian military forces; more importantly, it did not diminish the will of the Serbian people. After days of protracted negotiations, UN Resolution 1244 was ratified by both parties on June 10, 1999. Two days later the ceasefire went into effect. Despite NATO’s proclamations of a decisive victory, the terms of 1244 conceded to all the demands which had been put forward by the Serbs at Rambouillet. During the interim, Serbia would still control the checkpoints of Kosovo and a small number of Serb security forces would remain to protect the centuries-old orthodox churches and monasteries. The most important element of 1244 was the formal recognition that Kosovo was the sovereign territory of Serbia. When drafted and signed, Resolution 1244 rendered all the death and destruction inflicted during the 78-day bombardment absolutely unnecessary. The Serbian will to resist had forced the mightiest military alliance in history to concede to their demands. But NATO had no intention of abiding by the terms of Resolution 1244. The signing was just a ruse to get Serbian air defences out of Kosovo and NATO ground troops in without a fight. NATO planners had no intention of letting any Serbian troops remain in Kosovo, no intention to ever let them return and no intention of disarming the Kosovo Liberation Army. Incumbent in the ceasefire agreement, NATO was to provide a secure environment for both ethnic Serbs and ethnic Kosovar Albanians in the province when they assumed responsibility for security. Instead, as expected, NATO troops did little to curtail the wave of violence inflicted on Serbs by the emboldened Kosovar Albanians. Unable to protect themselves, some 200,000 Serbs fled Kosovo. Not surprisingly, over the past decade the continued presence of NATO troops in Kosovo has not prevented inter-ethnic violence. Rather than clarifying its future, the February 2008 unilateral declaration of independence by the Albanian Kosovars only complicated things further. For now, Kosovo remains in a diplomatic limbo, unable to join the United Nations, economically dependant on foreign aid and occupied by foreign troops for the foreseeable future. The irony is that the U.S. State Department considers the Kosovo intervention a "success" when compared to their subsequent fiascos in Iraq and Afghanistan.


French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the country’s National Assembly should debate a ban on the burqa, the Muslim garment that conceals a woman’s face and body, saying it was “not welcome” in France. “The burqa is not a religious sign, it’s a sign of servitude,” Sarkozy said today in a speech to both houses of parliament at the Versailles Palace on the outskirts of Paris. Calling it a violation of women’s “dignity and freedom,” Sarkozy said the burqa “will not be welcome on French soil.” A group of French lawmakers have called for a total burqa ban. The clothing rule would come five years after France outlawed head scarves and other “ostentatious” religious symbols, including large Christian crosses and Jewish skullcaps, in state offices and schools. The 2004 law prompted protests in France and criticism from some Muslim groups, including the second-in-command of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri.


Struggle against terrorism in Chechnya and Ingushetia will be intensified and continue until participants in illegal armed bands are completely exterminated, Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov has told journalists in Moscow. According to him, “criminals want to intimidate authorities, to demoralize them, to back people into the corner, to commit terrorist attacks against officials, heads of administrations, policemen, they don’t show any signs of dignity, honesty, morals... Chechen police search woods and mountains round the clock, tracing bandits and demolishing them. Militants are searched for everywhere. Wherever they hide, their end is near,” Kadyrov said. “State leaders support us, peoples of our republics are with us, we act in compliance with our religion that teaches us to exterminate them,” the President said.


The threat of a Chechnya-style insurgency in Russia's volatile North Caucasus is looming after a leading ally of President Dmitry Medvedev was badly wounded in a suicide bombing. Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, the president of Ingushetia, was fighting for his life following an attack on his convoy that killed at least two of his bodyguards. Mr Medvedev denounced the assassination attempt as an "act of terrorism" by anti-Kremlin insurgents in Ingushetia, a tiny quasi-autonomous republic on Chechnya's western border. Although there was no official claim of responsibility, analysts said the attack appeared to represent a major escalation in an increasingly intense campaign by Ingushetia's Islamist rebels. The upsurge in violence, which threatens to undermine prime minister Vladimir Putin's boasts of having pacified the North Caucasus, is likely to trigger a swift military response from the Kremlin. Mr Yevkurov, who is seen as a moderating influence in the most unstable of the North Caucasian republics, was flown to Moscow last night after undergoing emergency surgery. His spokesman described the president's condition as "critical but stable". While summer traditionally sees an upsurge in rebel attacks, the escalation this year has demonstrated the growing boldness and cohesion of Ingushetia's main rebel group, the Ingush Jamaat. A decade ago, Mr Putin launched a brutal campaign against rebels in Chechnya that killed up to 100,000 people. Although he largely succeed in pacifying the republic, the weakened rebel movement expanded its campaign into neighbouring republics. Ingushetia has gradually inherited Chechnya's mantle as Russia's most dangerous province.


Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that European hostility towards Turkey's European Union bid has caused a "serious erosion" in the country's enthusiasm in the accession process. "Turkey's [reform] efforts have not diminished at all...But certain attitudes on the E.U. side have laid the ground for a serious erosion in public enthusiasm and public consensus" on joining the E.U., Erdogan told a gathering of ambassadors of E.U. countries in Ankara. "No country will gain anything from making Turkey's membership issue a matter of domestic politics...It must be seen that this will harm Turkish-E.U. relations in the mid- and long-term," he said. The leaders of E.U. heavyweights France and Germany have been particularly vocal in their opposition to Turkey's full membership, arguing that the country should be offered a lesser alternative such as "privileged partnership." Turkey began membership talks in 2005 but it has so far opened negotiations in only 10 of the 35 policy areas that candidates must complete. The process has been slowed down also by Turkey's refusal to recognize E.U. member Cyprus and by its sluggish pace of reform.


Greece retains only 36 of the 115 original panels from the Parthenon frieze, which depicts a procession in honor of the goddess Athena. Britain has long asserted that when (British Ambassador) Lord Elgin chiseled off the sculptures some 200 years ago, he was acting legally, since he had permission from Greece’s Ottoman rulers. Ottoman law has also been invoked in defense of a very different sort of theft: namely Israel’s nationalization of Palestinian land in the Occupied Territories. From a 2005 B’tselem report: The declaration of the territory as state land was grounded on a manipulative use of the Ottoman Land Law of 1858, which was absorbed in the British mandatory legislation, and later in Jordanian law. According to the 1858 law, the state may take possession of land that is not worked for three consecutive years. In accordance with the military legislation, through which the Ottoman Law was applied, the burden of proof was on the person contending that his parcel of land is not state land.


Don Maclean, who hosted Good Morning Sunday for 16 years, claimed that the corporation is biased against Christianity and had embarked on a movement to "secularise the country... They're keen on Islam, they're keen on programmes that attack the Christian church," he said. "I know there are things that need to be brought forward, but you don't see any programmes on Anglicanism that don't talk about homosexual clergy and you don't see anything on Roman Catholicism that don't talk about paedophiles. They seem to take the negative angle every time. They don't do that if they're doing programmes on Islam. Programmes on Islam are always supportive." He expressed concerns that the BBC had appointed Aaqil Ahmed as its new head of religious programmes. A document published on Monday said that the appointment of a Muslim in the role was a "worrying" development that could undermine corporation's coverage of Christianity. The document accompanies a proposed motion to the General Synod of the Church of England. Members will have an opportunity to sign up to the motion in July. A BBC spokesman said: "As the majority UK faith Christians remain central to the BBC's religious programming. Songs of Praise celebrates Christianity every Sunday, we're showing a major series on the history of Christianity later this year and Good Morning Sunday, Worship, the Daily Service and Choral Evensong are among our most popular regular religious programmes on our radio networks."

Friday, June 12, 2009

Michael's Afternoon 7 - 12 June


I. Macedonia's great Alexander statue vexes Greece

Astride his rearing horse, Alexander the Great will soon raise his hand high above the main square in Macedonia 's capital on a giant statue that has enraged Greece . Shrouded in secrecy, the ambitious but deeply controversial project has seen few details emerge other than that it will cost this impoverished Balkan state more than 10 million dollars (seven million euros). Both Macedonia and Greece claim the famed warrior-king as their own. Born in Pella in modern-day Greece , Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire and much of the world known to ancient Greeks before dying in Babylon in 323 BC at the age of 32. Athens has refused to recognise its neighbour under its constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia , because that is also the name of a northern Greek province. UN-led negotiations on the 18-year-old row have proved fruitless, with Athens vetoing Macedonian membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and threatening to derail its European Union integration. Greece has also heaped scorn on the plans to erect the statue, a structure that will dwarf most buildings around Makedonija Square . Others like philosophy professor Nada Proeva of Skopje University see it as a misguided attempt to assert a national identity, after challenges from nearly all its neighbors since Macedonia proclaimed independence in 1991. Bulgarians reject the notion of a Macedonian language, while the Serbian Orthodox Church protests against the autonomy of its Macedonian counterpart. Amidst such pressure, the nationalist-led government has pumped up its claim to Alexander's heritage on grounds that his country was once part of ancient Macedonia . Such initiatives were "unnecessary, counter-productive, and even out of fashion," said Proeva who feels the country's identity is sound.

II. Greece prepares EU-style smoking ban

Greece's health minister is urging his compatriots, considered the most passionate smokers in the European Union, to strictly obey a bill restricting smoking. Greek Health Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos said the authorities will enforce without exception the smoking restrictions in public places, offices, restaurants and bars as of July 1, the Kathimerini daily reported Friday. Avramopoulos said violators will be severely fined as the government is determined to enforce the restrictions to comply with the EU standards and to contain risks of so-called passive smoking. The Health Ministry will take care that a blanket ban on smoking is respected in public places and offices. Restaurants and cafes whose owners do not designate smoking areas will be treated as non-smoking facilities as of July 1.

III. NATO to Send Six-Ship Force to Fight Somali Piracy

NATO will send more naval firepower to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia , agreeing to dispatch six ships to protect sea lanes that handle a tenth of the world’s trade. A "short gap" may ensue between the departure of the current five-ship fleet on June 28 and the arrival of the new task force in July, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said after defense ministers endorsed the deployment today.Patrolling a swathe of water about four times the size of France, warships from NATO, the European Union and countries including Russia and China have battled 114 pirate attacks so far this year, more than in all of 2008.Warships from the U.S., Portugal, Canada, the Netherlands and Spain make up the current task force, cobbled together from a group that is normally used for routine exercises and port visits. The follow-up force consists of ships from the U.S. , U.K. , Greece , Italy and Spain . Germany plans to join. Russia , its ties with NATO improving after strains due to last year’s war with Georgia , may also take part, a NATO official said. The fleet will patrol for an undetermined period, while the 28-nation alliance wrestles over legal questions such as the treatment of captive pirates before conducting a "longer-term" mission, spokesman NATO is also looking at the EU’s extradition deal with Kenya as a possible model for the handling of captured pirates. Current NATO rules require captives to be treated according to the laws of the country of the ship that seized them. Under that legal authority, Dutch- and Canadian-flagged warships were forced to set captive pirates free.

IV. Cyprus Destroys Anti-aircraft Missiles Stockpile

Cyprus said it has successfully destroyed 324 out-of-service Soviet-made surface-to-air missiles to ensure they don't fall into the hands of terrorists. A ceremony to destroy the last batch of 20 SAM missiles took place Friday at a military firing range in Larnaca on the south coast in the presence of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe officials and foreign diplomats. "The Cyprus Republic had promised to withdraw these missiles as soon as possible, acknowledging the threat of the uncontrolled use and production" of the arms, said Defense Minister Costas Papacostas. "In the hands of terrorists, they can be used to wreak havoc and destruction," he added. The portable shoulder-fired SA-7 Strela 2 reached their expiry date in 1992, and Cyprus agreed to dispose of them with the OSCE's help and support. In 2002, the Greek Cypriot-run government of the divided island destroyed a 4,500 small arms cache, and in 2007 it completed the destruction of 48,475 stockpiled anti-personnel mines. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish mainland troops invaded the northern third.

V. USA not to stop anti-missile project

The USA will finish an analysis of the technological and financial aspects of the plans to build an anti-missile radar base the Czech Republic by the end of the year and Prague does not expect the project to be halted, Defence Minister Martin Bartak told journalists today after meeting his U.S. counterpart Robert Gates. President Barack Obama has launched a thorough analysis of the plans within which the radar base is to be built in the Czech Republic and ten interceptor missiles are to be stationed in Poland . "They expect the results at the end of the year," Bartak said, adding that the conclusions will show how to continue with the talks. The radar base, stationed 90km southwest of Prague , along with a base with interceptor missiles in Poland is to be part of the U.S. missile defence shield to protect the United States and its allies in Europe against missiles that states like Iran and North Korea might launch. The treaties on the base were signed by the Czech government and former U.S. president George Bush's administration in 2008. However, the previous center-right government withdrew them from parliamentary agenda for fear they would be rejected. The leftist parties and a majority of Czechs oppose the idea of a radar base on Czech soil. The project is strongly criticised by Russia . "The Americans will say how to continue with the anti-missile defence, what the partners' role will be, what the role of the alliance (NATO) will be and what the role of Russia may be," Bartak said. "Nevertheless, we do not think the project will be halted," he added.

VI. British Museum to attend Greek launch despite marbles spat

British Museum officials will attend the inauguration of Greece 's New Acropolis Museum next week, it said Friday but insisted its stance on the long-disputed Parthenon Marbles remains unchanged. A spokeswoman for the museum also stressed that it had not made an offer nor received a request for those sculptures held in London to be loaned to Athens , following comments by a Greek minister this week. A new museum for the remaining parts of the frieze and other sculptures from the Acropolis is scheduled to open in the Greek capital on June 20, reviving the debate over the significant portions held by the British Museum . Greek Culture Minister Antonis Samaras said this week that Athens would turn down any loan offer as it would "legalise the snatching of the Marbles". The British Museum reiterated its lending pre-condition that any borrowing institutions must acknowledge the museum's ownership of the objects in question. "You can't lend something if they don't recognise your ownership," the spokeswoman said. Greece has long pursued a campaign for the return of the priceless friezes. They were removed in 1806 by British ambassador Lord Elgin, when Greece was occupied by the Ottoman Empire, and later sold to the British Museum . Elgin 's acquisition of the sculptures -- with the permission of the Ottoman authorities -- was deemed legal in an 1816 British parliamentary investigation.

VII. Israeli Christians: Oil-streaked icon 'miracle'

Christians have been flocking to this dusty Israeli town to see what locals are calling a miracle: streaks of what looks like oil mysteriously dripping down an icon of St. George at a Greek Orthodox church named for the legendary third century dragon slayer. Worshippers said Tuesday that the more than two dozen streaks might represent God's tears or the Christian rite of baptism. Worshippers said Tuesday that the more than two dozen streaks might represent God's tears or the Christian rite of baptism. The church priest, Father Nifon, first saw the streaks while preparing for Sunday morning services, they said. "He kissed all the icons, and when he reached that one, he took down the picture and he cleaned it," said Aida Abu el-Edam, an English teacher and longtime church member. "After 20 or 25 minutes, he looked again and he saw the oil again and said, 'This is a miracle."' The icon hangs near the front of the church, hidden from most pews by a small gold chandelier. A nun dressed in black was rubbing the bottom of the icon with cotton balls, which she handed to the faithful who sometimes smelled them before clutching them to their chests. "People these days, they've forgot God and this is a sign to tell them, 'I'm still here,' said Edith Fanous.

Michael's Morning 7 - 12 June



A US District Court has dismissed a case initiated at the prompting of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) that would have compelled the inclusion of alleged Armenian genocide denial materials in the Massachusetts education curriculum, the Armenian media reported. US District Court Chief Judge Mark Wolf on Wednesday ruled in favor of the Massachusetts Department of Education, allowing it to continue teaching “the facts of the Armenian genocide, and other crimes against humanity, in public schools across the Commonwealth as constitutionally protected government speech,” the Armenian Assembly of America said. “The Armenian Assembly appreciates the court's ruling in this matter. It sends a clear message to Turkey and its revisionist allies that history cannot be rewritten to further Ankara's state-sponsored denial campaign,” Assembly Board of Trustees Chairperson Hirair Hovnanian said. “The court's ruling preserves the teaching of accurate history, which is part of the official ‘Massachusetts Guide to Choosing and Using Curricular Materials on Genocide and Human Rights,' prepared in 1999. In 2005 the ATAA filed the suit against the Department of Education arguing that the commonwealth violated the plaintiffs' First Amendment rights by removing materials from the curriculum that deny the events of 1915,” the Public Radio of Armenia reported Thursday on its Web site.


Responding to remarks by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, a top Russian diplomat said Thursday that Russia would not collaborate with the United States on missile defense unless Washington scrapped plans to deploy elements of the shield in Poland and the Czech Republic. “We cannot partner in the creation of objects whose goal is to oppose the strategic deterrent forces of the Russian Federation,” said the Foreign Ministry spokesman, Andrei A. Nesterenko. “No one will do something that harms himself.” “Only the United States’ rejection of plans to base in Europe the so-called third position area of the missile-defense shield could mark the beginning of a full-fledged dialogue on the question of cooperation and reaction to likely missile risk,” Mr. Nesterenko said. He added that Russia expected “it will be possible to find a common denominator.” In Senate testimony on Tuesday, Mr. Gates said that Russia might “partner with us and Poland and the Czech Republic in going forward with missile defense.” American policymakers have long sought common ground with Russia on missile defense, but Mr. Gates’s remarks were unusually specific, suggesting that one option might be a jointly operated facility on Russian territory. The remarks passed without notice in the United States but were picked up by major Russian newspapers like the daily Kommersant, which described the “sensational statement” in a front-page article in Thursday’s edition.


A Kremlin official says Russia is ready to expand cooperation with the United States in combating international terrorism. After the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S., Moscow and Washington traded information on al-Qaida and other terrorist groups and worked jointly to prevent terrorists from obtaining weapons of mass destruction. Much of that cooperation ceased as Russia-U.S. ties worsened amid disputes over the Iraq war, missile defense and other issues. Anatoly Safonov, the Kremlin's envoy on the issue, said U.S.-Russian anti-terror cooperation has been hampered by what he called “double standards,” a reference to the Bush administration reluctance to call militants in Chechnya terrorists. He told a Thursday briefing that he hopes that President Barack Obama's visit in early July will boost joint anti-terror efforts. Obama has been trying to “reset” relations with Russia.


With NATO defense ministers having agreed to reduce the alliance's military presence in Kosovo from 14,000 to 10,000 troops by the year's end, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today urged that the reduction take place as an organized process. On the first day of an alliance defense ministers conference here, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer announced the force reduction today, noting that Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe, has proposed moving toward a deterrent presence in Kosovo that will require fewer troops in the country. Gates said that any NATO drawdown in the country should be accomplished in an organized and coherent alliance process, and not by countries leaving unilaterally. "The irony is [that] two years ago, everybody was worried about us pulling out, and I came to these meetings and said our policy will be, 'In together, out together,'" the secretary said in an interview with reporters traveling with him. "Now I'm in the position of worrying that some of them will leave prematurely. So the same phrase still applies: In together, out together." Unilateral withdrawal leaves other nations exposed if there is too little time to plan, Gates said. "Just unilaterally just pulling up stakes is not the way you behave as a part of an alliance," he said. De Hoop Scheffer said NATO will remain in Kosovo and is committed to a safe and secure country. "We will remain for the security of the majority and minority alike," he said during a NATO news conference. NATO's North Atlantic Council must approve the proposal. There are further plans to draw the numbers down to 6,500 and then to 2,500, but this will happen only if conditions warrant it and only after the North Atlantic Council approves, NATO officials said.


Talks between Greece and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are slated for later this month to continue discussions on the latter’s name, the United Nations announced today. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Personal Envoy Matthew Nimetz initiated the meeting, which will be hosted by the UN in Geneva on 22 June, after which Mr. Nimetz will travel to the capitals, Skopje and Athens, in early July to meet with government officials. When the countries met in October, Mr. Nimetz presented a set of ideas to both sides for their consideration. The Envoy had previously proposed several alternatives, but the Governments remained far apart on reaching a satisfactory compromise name for the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The Interim Accord of 13 September 1995, which was brokered by the UN, details the difference between the two countries on the issue. It also obliges the two sides to continue negotiations under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General to try to reach agreement.


New York City plans to trap and kill up to 2,000 Canada Geese this summer in an attempt to avoid the type of collision that caused an airliner to ditch in the Hudson River last winter. The hunt will take place on dozens of city properties located within five miles of Kennedy and LaGuardia airports. Aviation officials have culled the bird flocks on airport property for years, but this will mark a major expansion of the effort into other parts of the city, including about 40 public parks. The roundup is being timed with the molting season, when the geese can't fly. It is scheduled to begin within a week. Airplane collisions with birds have more than doubled at 13 major U.S. airports since 2000, and New York's Kennedy airport and Sacramento International report the most incidents with serious damage, according to Federal Aviation Administration data released for the first time Friday. The FAA list of wildlife strikes, published on the Internet, details more than 89,000 incidents since 1990, including 28 cases since 2000 when a collision with a bird or other animal such as a deer on a runway was so severe that the aircraft was considered destroyed.


A high-ranking government official has said the opening of the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary in İstanbul is not possible without a change in the Constitution because the opening of private religious schools has been banned in Turkey. State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Çiçek told Today's Zaman that the Turkish Constitution does prohibit the establishment of private religious schools. “The Turkish Constitution and related regulations do not make the opening of private religious schools possible. If you are going to introduce new rules regarding human rights and freedoms, you need to do it for all groups equally. How are you going to process the demands of the other groups if you open the Greek seminary?” Çiçek asked. Established in 1844 on the island of Heybeliada, Halki Seminary was closed in 1971 under a law that put religious and military training under state control. It was the only school where Turkey's Greek minority educated clergy. The theological school once trained generations of Greek Orthodox leaders, including the current Patriarch Bartholomew, who is one of its 900 graduates. Regarding external pressures for a settlement to the issue, Turkey's chief negotiator for accession talks with the European Union, Egemen Bağış, had said that this is an internal matter, not a foreign policy issue. Bağış had reacted to a statement of the European Union's Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, who tied the issue to the long-standing Cyprus problem. Evaluating the matter as a human rights issue, Bağış said they are looking for formulas to reopen the school and said the Cabinet will discuss it. During his historic visit to Turkey in April, US President Barack Obama also talked about the steps Turkey can take – such as reopening Halki Seminary -- to send a message to the world regarding Turkey's further steps forward in freedom of religion and expression issues. On the other hand, the Patriarchate rejected the government's formulas of putting the seminary under either the Ministry of Education or YÖK because the Patriarchate is an institution under the assurance of international law, as Article 40 of the Treaty of Lausanne states. The Patriarchate argued that Halki Seminary has never been a college or university, but only a minority school or religious institution as defined under the Treaty of Lausanne. The main request of the Greek Patriarchate is to open the seminary as a private school affiliated with the Ministry of Education, which would oversee its administration.