Israel's prime minister has called on the international community to band together against enemies calling for the destruction of the Jewish state, in comment direct towards Iran. Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Monday at a ceremony at Israel's National Holocaust Memorialwhere the blueprints of the notorious Auschwitz death camp were unveiled. Netanyahu said the lesson of the Holocaust is to "stop bad things when they are small." "There is new Jew-hatred in our midst. There are new calls for the extermination of the Jewish state," Netanyahu said. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly questioned the Holocaust and once called for Israel to be "wiped off the map." Israel also fears Iran is developing nuclear weapons.
II. FINANCIALMIRROR - Second round of intensive talks in Cyprus begins today
Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat will begin today the second round of intensive talks in the context of the ongoing UN-led negotiations for the solution of the Cyprus problem. The intensive round is being held at the official residence of UNFICYP Chief of Mission in the UN Protected Area. The first round of meetings took place 11, 12 and 13 January. The second phase will take place 25th, 26th and 27th of January. In statements to the press on his return to the Presidential Palace after the conclusion of the first round of intensive talks, during which the leaders discussed the chapter of governance and power sharing, President Christofias had said he was very cautious to speak about convergences. Speaking to the press on the same day, UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus Alexander Downer, had noted that the first round of intensive talks was held in a very positive atmosphere and urged everyone to wait until the conclusion of the second round in order to be able to say if there has been any progress. President Christofias and Mehmet Ali Talat have been engaged in direct negotiations since September 2008 with a view to solve the problem of Cyprus, divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion.
III. KATHIMERINI - Turkish military chief insists coups are a "thing of the past"
Turkey’s chief of general staff said yesterday the army was committed to democracy, stressing that military coups were now a “thing of the past.” General Ilker Basbug’s remarks followed fresh allegations last week that army members planned political chaos to discredit the ruling Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) and pave the way for a military coup. “The Turkish army’s patience also has limits... We are extremely disturbed by these allegations,” an angry Basbug told reporters. “The Turkish army’s position is clear... Those [coups] are now a thing of the past,” he said. “We believe that the most important aspect of democracy is that power should change hands through elections and democratic means.” The daily Taraf, which routinely targets the military, reported last week that army members planned to bomb two Istanbul mosques and escalate tensions with Greece in a bid to force Greek jets to down a Turkish plane over the Aegean. The general staff denied the report, saying “it is impossible for anyone with reason and conscience to accept the allegations.” Basbug said the army would soon make a detailed statement on the issue.
IV. PEOPLE'SDAILY - Macedonia mulls concession to Greece in name dispute
Skopje would give up the so-called double name formula if Athens stops disputing Macedonian identity and asking for constitutional changes to verify that, it is reported Tuesday. This will be the message that Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki will convey to his Greek counterpart, Dimitris Droutsas, if they meet as planned on Thursday in London, the Vreme daily reported. The Greek Foreign Ministry has said it has yet to respond to Skopje's invitation to such a meeting. But Skopje was reassured by Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor and Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger, who are trying to mediate in the 19-year-long name dispute, that the meeting will happen. The current gridlock in the name talks lingers on as neither side is unwilling to make concessions. While Skopje holds on to a double name formula, which envisages Macedonia changing its name only in correspondence with Greece, Athens insists on a one composite Macedonia name that would be used by all countries. Athens and Skopje are locked in a 19-year-long name dispute. Athens claims that Macedonia's constitutional name -- the Republic of Macedonia -- implies territorial claims against Greece's own northern province, also called Macedonia. In December last year, the European Union (EU) postponed a decision on opening accession talks with Macedonia due to the name dispute. Greece also vetoed Macedonia's NATO aspirations over the row in 2008. NATO says it will accept Macedonia as soon as the issue is out of the way while the EU has pledged to reassess the question of issuing a start date during the first six month of this year.
V. CANADIANPRESS - NATO, Russia formally resume military ties
Russia and NATO formally resumed military ties Tuesday in the latest sign of improving relations between the Cold War rivals as they move to boost co-operation in the fight against insurgents in Afghanistan. It was the first meeting between NATO and Russia military officials since relations broke down in the wake of Russia's war with Georgia in August 2008. Russian Chief of Staff Gen. Nikolai Makarov held talks with NATO's top officer, Italian Adm. Giampaolo Di Paola, before a formal meeting with the defence chiefs of NATO's 27 member states, said Col. Massimo Panizzi, spokesman for NATO's military committee. Officials said that meeting was expected to focus on furthering co-operation in areas of common interest such as Afghanistan, and anti-piracy and counterterrorism operations. No specific decisions were expected Tuesday, but the talks were expected to pave the way for closer technical co-operation. Foreign ministers met in June on the Greek island of Corfu, and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen held talks in Moscow last month with President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Moscow has repeatedly expressed its willingness to help the war effort in Afghanistan because of fears that any return to power by Taliban extremists would destabilize Central Asia and endanger Russia's own security. It has allowed NATO nations to use its territory and air corridors for the transport of supplies to Afghanistan as routes through Pakistan have come under repeated Taliban attack. Russia also has trained hundreds of Afghan government anti-narcotics officers. But Fogh Rasmussen and NATO's military commander, U.S. Adm. James Stavridis, have indicated they would like co-operation to be expanded to include items such as Russian military help in maintaining the large fleet of Soviet-built military helicopters being used by both the alliance and the Afghan army and police.
VI. MYSUBURBANLIFE - Russian Orthodox cathedral to become monastery
The doors aren’t closing at 103-year-old Holy Dormition Cathedral -- they’re opening to new possibilities, says the church’s pastor, the Rev. Paul Waters. Mindful of Holy Dormition’s rich history, Russian Orthodox officials have decided to convert the Macoupin County church and surrounding structures into a monastery. “Services will still be held at the church, but the property will be a monastery operated by the community of nuns,” Waters said. The monastery also could serve as a site for retreats, community outreach programs and other activities. Built by Russian and other Eastern European immigrants attracted to Benld-area mining jobs in the early 1900s, Holy Dormition is a Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. As Macoupin County officials look to increase tourism and economic development, they hope to generate a new awareness of local historic treasures such as Holy Dormition, according to Shari Albrecht, executive director of the Macoupin County Economic Development Partnership. In 2007, Holy Dormition received an Illinois Centennial Parish award from the Illinois State Historical Society. The award, which included a dinner at the Executive Mansion in Springfield, nationwide publicity and presentation of a plaque, recognizes 100-year-old churches. Exactly when the monastery will open is uncertain. Some, perhaps all, of the nuns could come from Russia, Israel or other countries. With the site being open for retreats and public activities, the monastery could be a boost to economic development. Orthodox belief holds that the Orthodox Church is Christianity’s true, holy and apostolic church, tracing its origin directly to the institution established by Jesus Christ. Orthodox beliefs are based on the Bible and on tradition as defined by seven ecumenical councils held by church authorities between A.D. 325 and 787. Orthodox teachings include the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the inseparable but distinguishable union of the two natures of Jesus Christ — one divine, the other human. Among saints, Mary has a special place as the Mother of God. Russian Orthodox services, noted for their pageantry, involve the congregation directly by using only the vernacular form of the liturgy. The liturgy itself includes elaborate symbols meant to convey the content of the faith to believers. Many liturgical forms remain from the earliest days of Orthodoxy. Icons, sacred images often illuminated by candles, adorn the churches as well as the homes of most Orthodox faithful. The church also places a heavy emphasis on monasticism. Many of the numerous monasteries that dotted the forests and remote regions of tsarist Russia are in the process of restoration. The Russian Orthodox Church, like other churches that make up Eastern Orthodoxy, is self-governing. The highest church official is the patriarch. Matters relating to faith are decided by ecumenical councils in which all member churches of Eastern Orthodoxy participate. Followers of the church regard the councils’ decisions as infallible.
VII. B92 - Patriarch to be enthroned in Kosovo
Serbian Patriarch Irinej said on Tuesday that his enthronement in the Patriarchate of Peć, in Kosovo, will be held on April 25. The newly-elected head of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) has the title of Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, Serbian Patriarch Irinej. “The enthronement will be on April 25, and that will also mark the beginning of work of the Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The assembly will start there, and continue in Belgrade. That will be a chance for our guests to attend, and I hope they will see for themselves the situation in Kosovo,” Irinej told reporters in Niš, southern Serbia. In an interview for the Frankfurt-based Serbian language daily Vesti, the patriarch said that “never in the history of Kosovo have the Serbs suffered like they do now”. “In Croatia the centuries-old problems of the Serb people continue, and in Montenegro an unjustifiable division has occurred,” said Irinej. “Unfortunately, with this new situation, Kosovo finds itself in the hardest position in its history. The Serbs who stayed in Kosovo have endured more pain, suffering and destruction than ever before,” said the Serbian Patriarch, pointing out that the “tragedy is that the great powers are aware of this but pretend not to see it”. The patriarch told the newspaper that the division that occurred between Serbia and Montenegro is “senseless and unreasonable” because, as he said, the Serbs and the Montenegrins are one people with common roots. Irinej said that he does not know if the Montenegrins will realize how “senseless and unreasonable” the division is, and that this probably depends on a few powerful people. The door of the SPC is open to “our Macedonian brothers” and to “true contact, primarily through liturgy,” the patriarch said. Noting that the problems with the Macedonian Church are now much graver than before, the Patriarch said that the door of the SPC is open for talks and that every problem can be solved as long as both sides are willing. Speaking of the suffering of the Serb people in Croatia, the patriarch assessed that it is “unfortunately continuing”. The head of SPC said that he believes that “the Republic of Srpska is led by intelligent people who will find the best path in these troubled times, both for our people and for the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina”. He also expressed his wish that the head of the Roman Catholic Church visits Niš, because, according to him, the Edict of Milan involves the Church and Christianity as a whole, and therefore all Christian countries, history and culture. The patriarch said he believed that Serbia will hold its central ceremony celebrating the anniversary of the Edict of Milan in 2013 in Niš, but he did not rule out the possibility that the town – the birthplace of Roman Emperor Constantine the Great – would also host the central ceremony for other European churches and countries. “Pope Bendict XVI's visit to Niš is up to the Roman Catholic Church, but it would be welcomed by the SPC,” Irinej said.