I. EUROPEANVOICE - Talks called off as Turkey's EU bid loses momentum
Turkey's bid to join the European Union has stalled and talks scheduled for 22 December have been cancelled. Belgium, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of Ministers, had hoped to maintain momentum by opening a new chapter in the accession talks. But Steven Vanackere, Belgium's foreign minister, told European Voice that Turkey's implementation of new competition rules was “a bit too slow”. The Belgian presidency will be the first since Turkey began membership talks with the EU in 2005 that fails to open a single negotiating chapter. More than half of the 35 policy areas into which the talks are divided have been blocked by France, Cyprus or the EU as a whole, primarily over Turkey's occupation of the northern third of Cyprus. The foreign or Europe ministers of the EU's member states will next week chide Turkey for failing to open up its ports and airports to traffic from Cyprus but are unlikely to threaten sanctions, according to diplomats. In their annual review of Turkey's compliance with its obligations towards the EU, the ministers will note on Tuesday (14 December) that no progress has been made on the issue since last year. It is unclear whether the government of Cyprus, which represents the island's ethnic Greeks in the south, will use the review to seek a halt to Turkey's talks on joining the EU, but such a bid would be resisted by other member states. The ministerial conclusions on Turkey are expected to be endorsed by EU leaders at their summit on 16-17 December.
II. WASHINGTONPOST - NATO: Ties with Russia on track, despite WikiLeaks
NATO says its ties with Russia are improving, despite strains created by the release of confidential U.S. cables regarding the Baltics. The cables released by WikiLeaks disclosed that NATO secretly decided in January to expand a defense plan to cover NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which border Russia. Russia reacted in anger and questioned whether NATO really wants closer ties. But NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday that Russia and NATO don't see each other as a threat. Fogh Rasmussen says they agreed Wednesday to initiate a previously agreed combined missile defense system. He also said an earlier agreement to expand NATO's overland supply route to Afghanistan via Russia has gone into effect.
III. GLOBALNATION - Spain proposes international anti-piracy tribunal
Spain said Wednesday it has proposed setting up an international tribunal to try Somali pirates attacking shipping in the Indian Ocean, and has the backing of NATO, China, India, and Russia. Defense Minister Carme Chacon told Spain's radio Cadena Ser that she plans to raise the issue with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon when she travels to the United States on Friday. Pirates off the coast of lawless Somalia have been bagging millions of dollars in ransoms for ships seized in the Indian Ocean in recent years. Stepped-up patrols by foreign warships as part of the EU's Operation Atalanta mission have led to a rise in arrests of suspected pirates. But they are often released back to Somalia because of the legal limbo surrounding their detention. Chacon said pirate attacks this year "have dropped from 170 to 120, we have doubled the number of groups held, but we have a legal problem. We need to close the matter with an international tribunal in the area capable of punishing these pirates, relocate a Somali court or use some of the international cooperation agencies," she told Cadena Ser. "It is a Spanish proposal with approval of Operation Atalanta, with NATO and with countries like China, India, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. "We are all aware of the need for such a court. We can only try them in Spain when Spanish ships are attacked, (but) we need to try them over there." Last year Kenya began accepting pirates detained by European and U.S. navies for trial but in March the government said it would have to limit prosecutions to prevent the legal system becoming overburdened by the complex cases.
IV. RIANOVOSTI - Armenian parliament rejects Karabakh independence bill
Armenia's parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly rejected an opposition bill to recognize Nagorn[o] Karabakh. Only 13 opposition deputies voted in favor, while the pro-government parliamentary majority abstained. The bill was submitted by the opposition party Naslediye (Legacy). Armenia has been involved in a bitter dispute with neighboring Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh since 1988, when the ethnic Armenian region broke away from Azerbaijan and sought support from Armenia. Esperts say today's vote indicates that Yerevan is unwilling to increase tensions with Baku. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan told a summit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Astana last week that Armenia would have to recognize Nagorn[o] Karabakh if Azerbaijan attacked it.
V. THETELEGRAPH - China stands with North Korea, criticises U.S. threats
The message came as China's most senior diplomat, Dai Bingguo, met with Kim Jong-il in a sign of Beijing's deep and continuing support for North Korea. In the first meeting between the two allies since North Korea shelled a South Korean island at the end of last month, Mr Dai was reported to have presented Kim with presents and a greeting from Hu Jintao, the Chinese president. North Korea, which has barely any other allies, depends heavily on China for aid and diplomatic support. Mr Dai had previously delayed his visit, in the light of the ongoing tension on the Korean peninsula, and his decision to visit Pyongyang was a strong gesture of support. China's ties with North Korea have drawn increasing criticism from the United States, and Admiral Mike Mullen, the head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, remarked on Wednesday that he wished the Chinese would be more helpful. In response, the Chinese Foreign ministry questioned on Thursday what Mr Mullen had ever done "for peace and stability in the region". Adm Mullen said that Robert Gates, the US defence secretary, would visit China next month. A team of US diplomats, led by Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, plans to visit China next week, in part to convey a message of concern to Beijing.
A local cooperative of winemakers in northern Greece on Wednesday announced that it will file a lawsuit in Germany against distributors and super market retailers offering wines from the neighbouring former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) under the indication "Macedonia". The president of the Association of Winemakers & Viticulturalists of Northern Greece (ENOABE), Yiannis Voyiatzis, noted that several retailers in Germany have already complied with European law and removed the wines from their shelves. The term "Macedonia" enjoys a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status for wines produced in the Greek province of Macedonia, which dominates northern Greece. "This specific geographic designation is only allowed for wines emanating from the geographic province of Macedonia in Greece," Voyiatzis. Along those lines, he noted that the circulation of wines from fYRoM bearing the stand-alone name "Macedonia" or "Macedonian" was recently banned in Slovenia, as well. According to the ENOABE president, his association has been in contact with the Greek embassies in all EU member-states in order to ascertain whether similar instances of illegal wine branding has occurred.
VII. PRAVMIR - What is Expected of Me as an Orthodox Christian?
This is an ongoing question. From the earliest days of our Lord’s ministry He was asked to show people how to pray. He was asked to show people the Father. He was asked how is it that one may attain eternal life. He, who is perfect prayer, the image of the Father, Life Eternal. Strange that He would be asked these things, that “His own” did not recognize Him as the fulfillment of all heir questions and desires. And yet, the reason people asked is because they were not looking for the right thing, in the right place. So, when people today ask: “What is expected of me?” they first need to look into their own hearts to see if they are looking for the right things. Because without a proper desire and orientation there can be no convincing answers to the above question. I do not presume to have all the answers myself, but I will attempt to present a guide that may help us to hear the Word of the Lord and then to know His will. First step: repentance. By repentance I mean – in the literal sense – to change your mind; to decide to be committed to the Lord. Without true and real repentance, all of our efforts are useless, in vain. The Lord Himself said: “For where your heart is, there is your treasure, also” (Mat. 6:21). So, you must first orient your heart toward the Lord. You do that by making up your mind that your relationship with the Lord is foremost. Jesus said: “If you love your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, your husband or wife, son and daughter, more than Me, you are not worthy of Me” (Mat. 10:37). Do you love Him, or is your relationship with Him a casual one? This type of self-examination is the first step. Second step: confession. With the thought in mind that you have placed the Lord where He belongs in your life, the next step is to confess your sins and to receive the grace of Absolution. This being done, you must understand that mistakes will be made, backsliding will occur, and the temptation to return to the life with the Lord not in the forefront is expected. Not wanted, but expected. That is why the Lord established the sacrament of penance and the grace of forgiveness of sins, in the Church. He knows we will fall, but he provided for our return – we who are prodigals seeking the Lord. We can find Him, again and again. Third step: prayer. The only way we can make the will of the Lord alive in us is by prayer. An active prayer in our lives, more important than our wedding day, or even the birth of a child. That is how important the Liturgy is. Fourth step: Worship the Lord continually. Once you have come to this fourth step, you should be aware of the fact that there is never a time when we can put the Lord aside in our lives. So, with that in mind, we go on to what is expected of us, because we partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, shed for You and for many, for the remission of sins.” There is no free lunch, as the popular saying goes. And it is true, especially with the great gift of the Eucharist. We are responsible for this gift the minute we take it. Once taken with faith and with preparation, we are called to witness to this gift of life. And the best way to do this is by example. Just recently I heard a person who was searching for a church say: “Why do the Orthodox make so many excuses for not coming to church?” Good question. I do not have a clue. If it were up to me, I would be having a service every day. But since I cannot, I do the next best thing. I make sure that nothing interferes with my worship of God. We in our parishes are called to worship Him liturgically every Saturday, Sunday, Feast day, during the four Fasts and most especially during Holy Week, Bright Week, and more often, if possible. Fifth step: study. Everyone who considers Himself an Orthodox Christian must learn the Faith. Not just from parents and grandparents, but from the Scriptures, the hymns of the Orthodox liturgical life, the writing of the fathers of the Church, the Canons and decisions of the Ecumenical councils, and through all these things, ultimately from Christ Himself. This can only happen, though, when we make a sincere effort to study the faith, on our own and with the guidance of the Church. Sixth step: living a Christian life. The Lord tells us who will enter the Kingdom of Heaven and that we are going to be held accountable by Christ for our practice of love: are we helping our fellow brothers and sisters? (Mat. 25 – the Parable of the Judgment). Not just when we can afford to, but now, when we can lest afford to. Now is the time, not tomorrow, or when we feel like it. We are expected to live the Christian life at all times. Once we start, we cannot stop. The rewards are great, but for heaven’s sake, do not expect them here on earth. Rather live with the knowledge that they will come in abundance from the Lord when He returns in His glory. Seventh step: remember the youth. As Christian parents, we are expected to teach our children when they are young, and we are to pray for them all our lives. This can be easy when they are still babies. The challenge comes when they begin to develop on their own and are influenced by the world around them. That is the time when a parent needs most to set the example. See to it that Christian education is understood by the child to be “at least” of equal importance as secular education. Encourage your child to serve Christ. Love them as the Lord loves you. Eighth step: stewardship is a must. Be a Christian steward of all things that come to you. This means – give of your time, talents and money to Christ’s Church. Again, here it must be stressed, not when you are ready or can afford it, but now! Because, if you wait for the appropriate moment you will never be ready or able to afford to make an offering. You were given all that is necessary for salvation, without question. So, too, must you give without question, whenever the opportunity arises. that may mean helping out with a project, taking care of the beautification of the Lord’s house, or giving even beyond a tithe for a just and right cause, as may be needed by the local parish, the Diocese, or the National Church. Our being faithful stewards also means “giving cheerfully” (2 Cor. 9:7) and if possible in secret, not letting our left hand know what our right hand is doing (Mat. 6:3-4). Ninth step: call on the Lord! This final step can also be seen as the first. When all else fails and you feel as though you cannot see any progress in your Christian life, fall down on your knees and say: “Lord, I need help.” Then call your priest and pray with him. Remember the Lord loves you and has called you to salvation and is waiting for you. Are you coming? Concluding remarks: Please remember that this is meant as a guide, not an end in itself. Our faith is organic. It is alive and always there, in every generation, for those who reach out. You have been invited to reach out – will you?