I. DEUTSCHEWELLE - Greece and Turkey try to bury the hatchet
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in Athens for talks on Friday with perhaps the highest profile entourage he could muster. Turkey's cabinet ministers for the economy, foreign trade, the interior, foreign affairs, transport, energy, education, tourism, the environment and European affairs are all part of the delegation, not to mention around 100 business leaders. Greece's and Turkey's historical differences have brought them to the brink of war on several occasions, and the two countries are looking for ways to normalize their ties. The visit is being hailed as historic in Turkey. While that may not yet be true, many analysts believe that now is the perfect time for the neighbors to put their past behind them. Greece and Turkey still dispute the territorial waters of the Aegean Sea, and their air forces still fight mock dog-fights on a regular basis. Both countries have sizeable military budgets, primarily because of these bilateral tensions. The divided island of Cyprus will also be an unavoidable issue during the talks. Cyprus was split between primarily Greek and Turkish communities in 1974, when Turkey invaded the northern segment of the island [which] changed the political landscape there. The Greek part of Cyprus is an EU member, which has vetoed several of Turkey's EU accession chapters. Ankara is keen to join the European Union, but without some kind of settlement in Cyprus, this seems unlikely. UN-sponsored talks aimed at reaching a settlement for the island are underway, but in April, Turkish Cypriots elected a new hard-line leader who is critical of the process. Insiders in Ankara say Prime Minister Erdogan will push his Greek counterpart, George Papandreou, to agree to expanding the UN Cyprus talks, including Greece and Turkey more directly in the negotiations.
II. PEOPLESDAILY - Better Greek-Turkish ties depend on Cyprus solution
A real improvement in relations between Greece and Turkey depends on a successful outcome of efforts to reach a solution to the Cyprus problem, Cyprus President Demetris Christofias said Friday. Christofias was commenting on a historic two-day visit to Athens by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that started Friday and was aimed at resolving issues that have soured relations between Greece and Turkey. Christofias said that despite continuous efforts to improve relations between the two Aegean neighbors, significant differences still exist. "I wish the visit will open the road to a real improvement in relations, always on the condition set out by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou that there will be a solution of the Cyprus problem," Christofias said. Papandreou, in an interview with the Turkish daily "Zaman" ahead of Erdogan's visit, said "Greece and Turkey will never be able to normalize their relations as long as there are ... occupation forces in Cyprus." Christofias, echoing Papandreou's statement, said that "as long as there are Turkish troops and an occupation of Cyprus, this will be an obstacle to a full and real improvement in the relations of the two countries." He said he wished that there will be a good outcome to Erdogan's visit, "which will have a positive effect on the Turkish Cypriot leadership as regards the Cyprus problem and on Turkey's effort to join the European Union."
III. B92 - No Kosovo negotiations before ICJ decision
President of the Foreign Ministry’s Policy Council, Sonja Liht, said that there would be no talks between Belgrade and Priština before the ICJ decision. She told B92 that it is “clear that these talks are more needed” and hoped that there would be "some kind of dialogue" initiated after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) gives its opinion on the legality of the Kosovo Albanian unilaterally declared independence. Liht said that Serbia needs to participate in conferences such as the coming regional summit in Sarajevo in order to avoid isolation, “which it has already experienced”. Regarding the criticism of the opposition that Belgrade is indirectly recognizing Kosovo independence by participating in the Sarajevo conference along with Kosovo Albaniana officials from Priština, Liht said that they would be accompanied by UNMIK representatives, and that the participants in the conference would not be represented by the country name". Liht said that the “European Union, but also other important players, do not want Kosovo to remain a frozen conflict forever” but added that there were differing opinions on how to get out of the current situation. She pointed to the problem in Cyprus as an example, stating that anyone who's interest is for Europe to be politically and economically powerful and peaceful, would search for "some kind of solution" for Kosovo as well.
President Barack Obama will ask Congress to provide $205 million to Israel to spur production and deployment of a new short-range rocket defense system, administration officials said Thursday. "The president recognizes the threat missiles and rockets fired by Hamas and Hezbollah pose to Israelis, and has therefore decided to seek funding from Congress to support the production of Israel's short range rocket defense system called Iron Dome," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said. Two Iron Dome batteries are under construction, an Israeli defense official said in February. Designed to be towed by vehicle, they will be available for any Israeli front at a few hours' notice. The money comes on top of annual US assistance to Israel. According to the State Department, US military aid to Israel in 2009 totaled $2.55 billion. This will increase to $3 billion in 2012, and will total $3.15 billion a year from 2013 to 2018.
V. FOXNEWS - Libya Wins Seat on UN Human Rights Council
Libya - a country with well documented ties to terrorist organizations and an abysmal human rights record has been elected by a majority of its fellow U.N. members to serve on the United Nations' Human Rights Council. In a secret ballot Libya received 155 votes and will serve a three year term. To get elected each country needed to get 97 votes to assure itself a place on the U.N. body. There are a total of 192 countries that make up the United Nations. Before the vote was announced, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice acknowledged that the Human Rights Council had not lived up to its potential and "remains flawed." She would not reveal how the U.S. voted but said " it's fair to say that this year, there is a small number of countries whose human rights records is problematic that are likely to be elected and we regret that. I'm not going to sit here and name names. I don't think it's particularly constructive at this point. But it's obvious which countries that are on the ballot have more problematic human rights records than others." Rice told reporters that since the U.S. joined the council there had been some progress - notably Iran's attempt to get on the council which was withdrawn in April and the U.S. led effort to pass a unanimous resolution on the freedom of expression. Anne Bayefsky, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and Touro College feels that the U.S. could have done a lot more to stop Libya and other human rights abusers from getting on the council. She says "at the very least they could have spoken out against it as bringing the Council into serious disrepute. Bayefsky says "the President is invested on propping up the U.N. as a serious place to protect rights and deal with Iran. The fiction suits his foreign policy so he decided the U.S. should join the Council last year and make U.S. taxpayers pay for it - regardless of the fact that its main priority is to demonize Israel and keep the spotlight off abominations around the world." According to Freedom House, an independent watchdog organization that "supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights" only five of the fourteen countries that were up for the vote today are considered "qualified" the other countries are categorized as either "not qualified" or "questionable" for their human rights and freedom records. The other countries elected to serve on the Human Rights Council are Angola, Mauritania, Qatar, Malaysia, Uganda, Thailand, Ecuador, Moldova, Spain, Switzerland, Poland, Maldives and Guatemala.
Russia is ready to help settle the conflict between China and the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday. Lavrov said that Moscow supports the development of interreligious and interconfessional ties, but is against aspects of religion that have been distorted into politics. "We are following carefully what is happening between the leadership of China and the Dalai Lama and we know that the Chinese leadership is deeply committed to the Dalai Lama dissociating himself from any kind of political activity and separatist tendencies in regard to one or another territory in China," Lavrov said during a speech at the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament. The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959, has repeatedly said he seeks autonomy for Tibet rather than independence from China. Beijing accused the Nobel Peace Prize winner of orchestrating the March 2008 unrest in Tibet, which left 19 people dead and 623 injured, according to official Chinese reports. The Dalai Lama has denied the allegations. Lavrov said that occasional attempts to politicize the Dalai Lama's role as a spiritual leader do not bring any desired results, including the development of ties between the Dalai Lama and Buddhists in Russia. "If all the parties make attempts to separate clearly pastoral contacts from political associations, this would be a solution to the problem. We are ready to assist in this," Lavrov said. There are some 700,000 followers of Buddhism in the Russian Federation, or about 0.5% of the total population. China is repeatedly infuriated when world leaders meet with the Dalai Lama as China accuses him of heading a separatist group seeking independence for Tibet. China has always claimed Tibet as its territory and says it has autonomy. In February, U.S. President Barack Obama received the Dalai Lama at the White House, which led to a souring of relations between Washington and Beijing. Ma Zhaoxu, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, urged the United States to seriously take into account China's stance and stop "supporting anti-Chinese separatist forces." Last October, the Dalai Lama received an award from the U.S. Congress in honor of his human rights work.
VII. PRAVMIR - Homily on the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord
And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy (Lk. 24:50–52). Thus ended our Lord and Savior’s time of earthly labor! He suffered much, and was greatly glorified. There have never been such sorrows as His sorrows, and there has never been such glory as His glory. He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:8-11). Shall we ever behold this glory of our Lord? We shall behold it, for in His last, great prayer, the Lord prayed about this to His Father: I will, He prayed, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me (Jn. 17:24). The angels appeared to the Apostles after the Lord’s Ascension, witnessing that the Lord will come to all of us on the last day in the same appearance as the Apostles beheld Him ascending into Heaven (cf. Act. 1:2). We shall even participate in the glory of the Ascended Lord, if only we do not make ourselves unworthy, for He ascended into Heaven in order to prepare it to receive all His true followers. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also (Jn. 14:2–3). The Apostle Paul testifies that this merciful accommodation on our behalf has not changed at all even after the Ascension, when he says that on the last Day of the Lord’s Coming, the faithful shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:17). This means something will happen to the faithful which is similar even in appearance to what happened to the Lord Himself on the Mount of Olives. One path, brothers, by which we, too, can attain the heights of holy glory, is the same path by which our Lord ascended in glory; that is, the way of the cross, the way of purification, self-denial, the way of exterior and interior sufferings. Will we remember this? And in remembering it, will we travel Christ’s path to Heaven? If the Mount Tabor of earthly happiness uplifts you, brothers, over everything earthly, and brings you closer to Heaven, then remain upon it! The ascended Lord blesses your heights. Only take care not to fall into slumber on that Mount Tabor; and when Moses and Elias speak of the cross on which you must crucify your “old man,” don’t start muttering about building not one, but three tabernacles for that man. Remember, that the way to Heaven is not from Tabor, but from Olivet; and to get to Olivet you have to go through Gethsemane and Golgotha. The Lord’s path should be the path of each and every one of us. The Lord suffered for all of us equally; the Heavens are opened also to all of us equally. Thus, I ask each and every one of you: can we point to very many things in our lives and say that they were done, or not done, by us because we are predestined for Heaven; because, some day, we should be with our Lord in Heaven? Have we abstained at least once from sin, have we done even one good deed with the thought that the Lord sees us from the Heavens? However small this question may seem, there could scarcely be found amongst us people who answer it in the affirmative. What is the meaning of our faith in the Ascended Lord? Do we believe in Him, or not? If we believe in Him, then where are our works? If we do not believe in Him, then why do we bear His Name? Whoever truly believes in his heavenly calling cannot be earthly: if he has this conviction it will of necessity be the source which inspires all his thoughts and feelings, his whole life, and all his relationships. In all the circumstances of his life, and in every situation, the true Christian remembers that he is an heir to Heaven, the co-inheritor of Christ, and he acts in accordance with his calling. In looking at his life, any such person can see that he does not live so much for the present and temporal as for the future and eternal; that his heart is somewhere far away, not in this world, and that his life is hidden in the heights, in God. This is how Christians once seemed to the pagans. But is there very much of this in us, brothers? Is there at least something unearthly, Heavenly, and Christ-like in us? If there is, then we are like the Apostles, and can return to our own homes from the Mount of Olives with joy. The blessing of the ascended Lord belongs to us in this case, just as does the promise of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit descends, it will not pass by those who belong to Christ. Otherwise, the angels’ reproach against the Apostles at the Lord’s Ascension applies to us with even greater force. I say, with greater force, for to them was said, Why stand ye gazing up into heaven? (Acts 1:11) only because they, out of their love and zeal, gazed for long time at the heavens which received their Lord and Teacher. Something else needs to be said to us: Sons of men, why stand ye gazing not at heaven, but at the earth? Turn your eyes to Heaven, and behold our Savior, who has long been looking at you. Enter upon the path to Heaven which long lay before you; cast off the crushing weight of sin that you may travel it lightly, receive the cross into your hands and go to your Savior while He blesses you for this path, before the doors of Heaven close. Meanwhile the Angels, both Heavenly and earthly, invite you to the habitations of the Heavenly Father. We hear your voice, ye blessed dwellers of Heaven, and want to step upon the path of the Lord; only strengthen us and accompany us with your help. Ever more so—Thou Thyself, O Merciful Savior and Lord, do not abandon us orphans in spirit and infirm. Look down from the Heavens upon our good intentions and upon our infirmity, watch over us and bless us for Thy path; clothe us with power from on high, and make firm our wavering steps, until we come to Thy holy mountain, and unite with Thee. Amen.