The Episcopal Assembly of the canonical Orthodox bishops of North America will be convened in New York City May 26-27, 2010 and will conclude on May 28 with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. The convener of the Assembly is His Eminence, Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, acting as Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarch. Some sixty canonical Orthodox hierarchs are expected to attend the assembly. The bishops of the Orthodox Church in America, led by their Primate, His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah, will participate in the Episcopal Assembly, with a deep desire to make a good contribution to the fruitfulness of the gathering. Metropolitan Jonah issued the following statement: “The Orthodox Church in America has been and is now committed to Orthodox unity and mission in North America. In preparation for the Episcopal Assembly, special prayers have been offered in parishes of the Orthodox Church in America. May the gifts of the Holy Spirit showered on the Church of Christ at Holy Pentecost be fully manifested in the Episcopal Assembly and then multiplied for the glory of God in common mission and witness.”
The leader of Cyprus' Greek Orthodox Church is warning senior clerics opposed to Pope Benedict's visit here next month to either join in welcoming the pontiff or to keep quiet behind closed doors. It will be the pope's first visit to the east Mediterranean island. He is coming, at the invitation of Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias, to retrace the steps of the Apostle Paul, who preached here in the 1st century A.D. Influential Limassol Bishop Athanasios has said the Pope would do better not to come because it would provoke Orthodox Christians who view him as a heretic. But Archbishop Chrisostomos II admonished the Bishop, saying he and other like-minded clerics "can stay at home" if they don't like the pope's visit.
III. REUTERS - UN envoy says Cyprus deal within reach
The United Nations said on Tuesday a reunification deal on ethnically-split Cyprus was within reach, sounding an upbeat note on the eve of peace talks interrupted for Turkish Cypriot elections. Cypriot President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu start negotiations on Wednesday after a two-month hiatus for elections which saw Eroglu replace moderate leader Mehmet Ali Talat. A deal in the talks is crucial for Turkey to join the European Union. "There is no doubt that a Cyprus solution is doable," said Alexander Downer, the U.N. envoy for Cyprus who acts as a facilitator in negotiations held at a compound straddling a buffer zone separating Cyprus's Greek and Turkish populations. "It is certainly possible. It is not beyond their grasp, it is within their reach," Downer told reporters. Turkey invaded Cyprus's north in 1974. The conflict is a source of bitter dispute between long-time rivals Greece and Turkey, and its resolution is key to Turkey joining the European Union. Greek Cypriots represent Cyprus in the 27-member bloc and say Turkey cannot join until there is a reunification deal on the island. Turkey's EU membership negotiations have been partly frozen because of the stalemate on Cyprus. The objective of the peace talks is re-linking the island as a federation. Eroglu advocates greater independence for his community, which run a breakaway state in north Cyprus recognized only by Ankara. Greek Cypriots want one state with two self-administering areas.
IV. YNET - Israel: Iran deal deceptive
A recent deal that calls for Iran to enrich uranium abroad is "an obvious deception" by Tehran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says."It's an obvious Iranian deception aimed at diverting international public opinion away from sanctions against Iran in the Security Council," he said. "It's a phony proposal since Iran is keeping enough uranium for itself to produce nuclear weapons." Netanyahu praised the American Administration for its actions vis-à-vis Iran. "I welcome the fact that the United States has decided to move forward with sanctions. It’s an important step in the symbolic sense, but we are not distracted by the fact that these sanctions won't stop Iran," he said. "Tougher sanctions would stress the determination to prevent nuclear weapons armament, but I am not certain these too would stop it."US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Iran's letter of notification to the UN atomic watchdog on the nuclear fuel swap deal brokered by Turkey and Brazil had "a number of deficiencies." "There are a number of deficiencies which do not answer the concerns of the international community."
Gazprom will sing an agreement with the Greek gas operator DESFA for the construction of the Greek section of the South Stream pipeline, on June 7 in Moscow, Russian TV channel Vesti reports. According to the clauses in the contract, Gazprom and DESFA will establish, on a parity basis, a new company in Athens, which will be responsible for the construction and exploitation of the Greek section of the pipeline. The value of the section is estimated at EUR 1 billion. Greece joined the South Stream pipeline project in 2008. South Stream should transport gas from Novorossiysk, under the Black Sea, to the Varna port in Bulgaria, after which it will continue to Austria, Hungary, Greece, Serbia, Slovenia, and Croatia. It is supposed to start functioning in 2015, as its capacity will be up to 63 billion cubic metres a year.
VI. B92 - NATO announces decrease in KFOR troops
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that the security situation in Kosovo is steadily improving, according to reports. Rasmussen stated that even though the NATO mission in Kosovo (KFOR) would remain in the province, the number of troops in Kosovo would be decreased to 2,000. “The security situation is continuing to improve. Of course, there are political complications and scattered security incidents, but the general trend is stable and moving in the right direction,” Rasmussen said. “I must stress that when KFOR finishes its transition to the appropriate level of presence, we will still have 2,000 soldiers on the ground and many more in the reserves if needed,” he said. Rasmussen did not want to talk about deadlines for the final reduction of the number of KFOR troops, however. “We will stay as long as it is needed and finish the job. It is still early to set any deadlines. We have determined the direction. We told everyone that if the conditions allow it, we intend on gradually decreasing the presence of KFOR troops,” he said. He visited the Dečane monastery on Friday and met with Bishop Teodosije, who told him that Serbs and Serbian Orthodox Churches remain under difficult conditions in Kosovo. Teodosije said that the Church is concerned about the recent attacks on Serb returnees in the village of Žač, adding that the attacks show that “Serb returnees still do not have the minimum amount of freedom and guarantees for a normal and safe life in Kosovo.”
Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople hails the Russian leadership's dialogue with the Russian Orthodox Church. "We, as the Mother Church, welcome prospering cooperation between the Russian Orthodox Church and the State. The Russian leadership and the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church are writing a new chapter in history," Patriarch Bartholomew told President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow on Tuesday. Dialogue between the church and state will help Russian society assert itself on the basis of traditional moral values and Christian ideals. "It is the best guarantee of the nation's future," he said. Patriarch Bartholomew thanked President Medvedev for the invitation to visit the Kremlin. "We are happy to be here in Russia and we are glad that the visit coincides with the Days of Slavic Literature and Culture and with Patriarch Kirill's Name Day. We received Patriarch Kirill with great love and respect at our patriarchate last year," he said. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said in turn that Patriarch Bartholomew's arrival "is of great importance for bilateral relations." "We, local Orthodox Churches, are part of one Church. There is only one Orthodox Church, but Orthodox believers in each country have their specific problems. Therefore, their leaders must meet more often and exchange their pastoral experience", he said. "Also, there are common Orthodox problems, which we could not even start considering for decades. Bilateral relations between our Churches, exchanging visits, and good personal relationships between the Patriarchs, will help resolve these problems," Patriarch Kirill said. "Besides official speeches which convey our positions to the world, we remain in the dialogue of love each day, exchange knowledge and emotions, and most important, pray together and conduct the divine service together. God is with us in that. We believe that God is leading our two Churches and all Orthodox Churches along the path that is in His hands," the Patriarch added.