Michael's Morning 7 - 1 June

I. SECURITY COUNCIL AUTHORIZES SIX-MONTH EXTENSION OF UNITED NATIONS, PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN CYPRUS AS TURKEY CASTS NEGATIVE VOTE

Strongly urging the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders to increase the momentum in the United Nations-backed talks aimed at reunifying the divided island nation, the Security Council today extended through mid-December the world body’s long-running peacekeeping operation in Cyprus. By a vote of 14 in favour to 1 against (Turkey), the Council adopted resolution 1873 (2009), which stressed that there now existed a “rare opportunity to make decisive progress”, and reaffirmed the primary role of the United Nations in assisting the parties to bring the Cyprus conflict and the division of the island nation to a comprehensive and durable settlement. By the resolution adopted today, the Council welcomed the progress made so far in the fully fledged negotiations and the prospect of further progress in the near future, urging “full exploitation of this opportunity, including by intensifying the momentum of negotiations, improving the current atmosphere of trust and goodwill, and engaging in the process in a constructive and open manner”. Welcoming the Secretary-General’s intention to keep all peacekeeping operations, including those of UNFICYP, under close review, the Security Council requested him to submit a report on implementation of the current resolution, including on contingency planning in relation to the settlement, by 1 December 2009, and to keep the Council updated on events as necessary.

II. Europeans to elect parliament in lengthy, complex process

375 million people are eligible to vote for the EU Parliament this week, but only one half of them is expected to hit the polls - in an electoral system which is as intricate as the 27-member block is widespread. Each EU country continues to exercise its own voting procedures and has its own nominating process for choosing candidates. The only common aspect they share is proportional representation, which is mandatory in all member states. Differences, on the other hand, begin with the legal voting age. In Austria, for example, young people, who turn 16 years of age by election day, are entitled to vote. In all the other states, the minimum age is 18 years. Candidates in all but two countries must also be at least 18 years old, except in Cyprus and Italy, where the minimum age to be a parliamentarian is 25. All the eligible voters of EU countries can vote in any country they choose, regardless of whether they are a citizen of that country or not. That means a Dane can vote in Ireland, a German in the Netherlands, or a Greek in Spain. The EU member states could also not agree on a common election day. So, instead, they introduced an "election week," which, according to EU law, extends this year from Thursday, June 4 to Sunday, June 7. Essentially, there are 27 separate election campaigns going on for the European Parliament because of the different election systems and the lack of any pan-European list of candidates.

III. Greek PM Lashes out at PASOK

Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis will address Sunday an open election rally in the central Greek city of Lamia. While touring Igoumenitsa, NW Greece, on Saturday, he unleashed a fierce attack on the Socialist party (PASOK), blaming it for the blackmailing dilemmas it has posed. Karamanlis stressed that there is no room for blackmails and lambasted the main opposition party for being irresponsible. The Greek Premier accused PASOK of not joining the campaign against the financial crisis, saying that it is vying to take advantage of it to serve petty party expediencies. He also slammed the Socialist leader, George Papandreou deliberately distorting the truth and insulting the citizens, since his blackmailing dilemma dismissed the overwhelming majority of the Greek people as barbarians. Karamanlis stressed that PASOK is trying to convert its domestic worries into national ones, saying, "either they change or they sink," are indifferent to the nation's major problems, aiming to coming to power. "Their greed is known, their bombast is granted. However, the society and the people will not succumb to their blackmail," concluded Karamanlis.

IV. Russia voices support over Kosovo once again

The Russian ambassador has repeated that his country will continue to support Serbia's struggle to keep Kosovo in her fold. "This is because we respect principles of international law, and because Serbia is a close friend of Russia." The ambassador said an attempt was ongoing to forcibly take away Serbian territory, and described this as illegal and contrary to international law and UN Charter. "In the past period there was a systematic policy to take Kosovo away from Serbia. Just as in 1939 Czechoslovakia was stripped of a part of her territory, so the same states that participated in that arrangement are taking part in the snatching of Serbia's territory."

V. U.S. wants stability in region

The United States is aware that Serbia will never recognize Kosovo and wants stability in the region. "for now" the U.S. and EU do not expect "Serbia to recognize Kosovo's independence", but added that it was "very difficult to say what will happen in the future. I think that message was about this moment. In the future, it is very hard to say what will happen. I think they know it's impossible for President Tadić to recognize an independent Kosovo." In fact, what's behind this message is, "Ok, you won't recognize Kosovo, but please, don't deepen the problem. All they want is to maintain stability in the region, they don’t wish to pile up problems any more, they want to secure peaceful coexistence of those people there. Therefore, when Serbia reaches the EU door, and perhaps Kosovo as well, things might change."

VI. Zoo leopards find new home

A CYPRIOT official says a leopard family at one of the Mediterranean island's zoos have moved to a South African game reserve. Limassol Mayor Andreas Christou says 19-year-old Leda and her 11-year-old offspring Roxanne and Rea were taken to the Shamwari Game Reserve by Born Free wildlife charity founder Virginia McKenna. Leda had lived at the Limassol zoo on Cyprus' south coast since arriving in 1994 from an Israeli zoo in Tel Aviv. She gave birth to Roxanne and Rea in 1998. Mr Christou said on Sunday that Cypriots were happy the leopards would enjoy the rest of their lives in a larger and more natural environment.

VII. Christians down to 2% of capital's population

In a diminishing demographic trend, Christians make up only 2 percent of the total population of Jerusalem, according to the annual city statistics. The official number of Christians living in the city has remained relatively steady over the last decade, but the figure is substantially lower than half a century ago, due to increased emigration and low growth rates. Some 15,000 Christians live in Jerusalem, compared to 31,000 who lived in the city before the establishment of the state in 1948, the figures issued by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (JIIS) show. "The main fear of the church leadership is that local Christian communities will disappear. Even if the Christian population holds steady, their population rate in relative terms will continue to drop, due to low natural growth rates." The  Christian community in Jerusalem includes 4,500 Catholics, 3,500 Greek Orthodox, 1,500 Armenians and 850 Protestants, the figures show. In addition, about 2,600 Christian foreigners - mainly monks and clergymen - live in the city. In all, 150,000 Christians live in Israel. About two-thirds of the city's 760,000 residents are Jews, and a third are Arabs, with the Jewish growth rate 1.8 percent, compared to 3% for the Arabs last year. Based on current trends, Jerusalem will lose its Jewish majority by 2035.

Michael's Afternoon 7 - 29 May

I. Cyprus official: US firm Noble Energy to start offshore search for oil and gas by year end

Cyprus has authorized U.S. firm Noble Energy to start searching for oil and gas deposits off the island's southern coast by the end of the year, a top energy official said Friday, in a move that could stoke tensions with regional rival Turkey. the government granted a license to the Houston, Texas-based company last year to explore one of 11 blocks inside the island's exclusive economic zone. The block is close to a large undersea gas deposit that Noble located off Israel, which according to the company's Web site is estimated at 5 trillion cubic feet. "Turkey has some fundamental rights and interests acknowledged by the United Nations in (those) marine areas. Turkey will naturally protect its rights," Turkey's semiofficial Anatolia News Agency quoted Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin as saying on Friday. Cyprus government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said the island adheres to international law and would defend its rights "calmly, but with much determination and vigor." "It's others [Turkey] who are violating the law," he said.

II. Lebanese TV Confuses Voters

There is no country in the Middle East as fragmented and full of contradictions as Lebanon, yet it is perhaps the most pluralistic society in the Arab world. With a few days left before the parliamentary election due to be held on June 7th, Lebanese emotions have been running high. At stake are 128 parliamentary seats. Competing parties have been fighting for them more fiercely on satellite television networks than in the crowded streets of Beirut. To understand politics in Lebanon is to understand the Lebanese satellite television landscape in a small country of approximately 4,000 square miles and 4 million people with more than a dozen satellite television networks divided, as is the case with the population and government, across sectarian lines. Future TV (Al Mustaqbal), sometimes referred to as Hariri television, is the outlet of the Sunni community, and part of the media empire owned by the late Sunni Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri. The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC) projects the perspective of the Maronite Christian community, and is run by Sheikh Pierre Daher and owned by a group of Lebanese-Saudi investors. Al Manar television is known as the Hezbollah channel. The National Broadcasting Network (NBN) is known on the street as the Nabih Berry television, after the Speaker of the Parliament. Then you have the newly resurrected Murr TV a.k.a MTV named after Gabrial al-Murr, a Greek Orthodox opposition figure. OTV is affiliated with the Free Patriotic Movement headed by General Awn. New TV claims no political affiliation but is owned by a man with strong ties to Qatar and vehemently opposed to the Saudi-backed Hariri clan. The list goes on.

III. Four Caribbean nations allowed visa-free travel to EU

Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, the Bahamas and St Kitts and Nevis are now able to travel to 25 countries in the European Union (EU) without a visa. The four Caribbean nations were among six countries that yesterday signed a short-stay visa waiver agreement with the European Community (EC). The agreement, which took immediate effect, allows persons from those Caribbean states, as well as Mauritius and Seychelles, to visit countries in the EU's Schengen area - Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Greece, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Malta, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria - for up to three months in any six-month period without a visa.

IV. Serbians no longer need Russian visa to visit for 30 days

The Serbian government has signed an agreement to allow their nationals to enter Russian without a Russian visa for up to 30 days, reports the Balkan Insight. The Russian visa agreement is a reciprocal negotiation between the two countries so that nationals can easily move between the borders for short-term visits. "The agreement signed on February 20 in Moscow will make travel from one country to the other easier for citizens with valid passports. They will be able to enter and remain on the territory of the other country for up to 30 days without a visa," the ministry said in a statement.

V. Czech military wants to continue Kosovo mission

Czech Defence Minister Martin Bartak said today the Czech military "is well established in Kosovo and it wants to be further active" in the area.  the Czech Republic will only react to a plan to gradually decrease the number of KFOR units in Kosovo which NATO defence ministers should discuss within two weeks. "It is most important now to create the best possible conditions not only for Serbs, but also for all other minorities to understand that they should shoulder responsibility on the basis of local self-rule bodies within (administration) decentralisation." Three quarters of the Czech KFOR soldiers' work rest in patrolling the border with Serbia, the rest is devoted to certain Serb-populated areas. The Czechs are responsible for an area of about 700 square kilometres and 85 kilometres of the border.

VI. Medvedev blames Japan for slow talks

Russia will continue negotiations with Japan over the South Kuril islands, President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday. The four islands, which have been in Russian hands since the end of World War II, have been a stumbling block to a formal peace treaty for the past 64 years. Medvedev said Japan has impeded progress recently by suggesting the islands, former Japanese territory, do not belong to Russia. The Soviet Union declared war on Japan in 1945 just before the Japanese government surrendered to the United States. "We will proceed with dialogue to find a mutually acceptable solution to the peace treaty problem, however we cannot but notice attempts by our Japanese partners to doubt Russia's sovereignty of the Kuril Islands," Medvedev said. He called cooperation between the two countries "an important factor in maintaining stability and security in the Asia-Pacific region."

VII. Immigrants to rally in Athens over defaced Quran

Muslim immigrants and rights advocates gathered in central Athens for a demonstration to protest a police officer’s alleged defacement of an extract of the Quran during an identity check on an Iraqi man. Immigrant groups and human rights organizations scheduled the rally in central Omonia Square for Friday evening, a week after a similar demonstration degenerated into clashes with police, leaving 14 people injured, dozens of cars smashed and 46 people arrested. Illegal immigration is a pressing problem for the Greek government. In 2008, authorities arrested 146,337 illegal immigrants, a 30 percent increase from the previous year and a 54 percent jump from 2006, Interior Ministry figures show.  Dozens of police deployed to prevent possible clashes with far-right protesters gathering nearby for a separate demonstration to mark the May 29, 1453, fall of Constantinople — modern-day Istanbul and then the capital of the Byzantine Empire — to the Ottomans.

Michael's Morning 7 - 29 May

I. US bid for Cyprus oil irks Turks

The announcement by the US ambassador in Nicosia this week regarding the launch of oil and gas exploration off the coast of Cyprus by an American firm has sparked an angry response from Turkish officials and, in turn, stern words from authorities in Nicosia. Responding to comments by Ambassador to Cyprus Frank Urbancic on Tuesday, Turkish officials were quoted in Turkey’s daily Hurriyet yesterday as saying, “Our fleet is there – we cannot allow this to happen even if it is a US company.” The comments came after Urbancic revealed that an American company was preparing to prospect for oil off the divided island. “US investments in Cyprus amount to more than $379 million. This figure will soon increase substantially as an American energy firm begins exploring for oil and gas off Cyprus’s southwest coast.” Officials in Nicosia yesterday sought to put the Turks in their place. “The mineral wealth belongs to the Republic of Cyprus and no one else. If the Cyprus problem was solved tomorrow, the Turkish Cypriots would also be in a position to benefit.”

II. Athens, Skopje to find solution to the name dispute; US to help

According to U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg there are lots of creative solutions to the name dispute between Macedonia and Greece. "We believe this is very important. It gives an opportunity to Skopje and the leadership to take a deserved place in the European integration and become part of NATO. We hope there will be a real, intensified focus - both in Athens and in Skopje - to come to a creative solution to the problem to ensure that integration process continues." In his words US will work hard with both countries so to see what their national interest is because both Greece and Macedonia want this problem to be solved.

III. Medvedev: Russia still seeking Kosovo solution

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says Moscow will continue to coordinate with Serbia’s foreign policy approach and search for a lasting solution for Kosovo. “We plan to continue coordinating our foreign policy approaches, including the search for a just solution for the Kosovo question, based on international law,” Medvedev told a reception for letters of accreditation for 12 new ambassadors to Russia. “Active political dialogue is underpinned by joint implementation of large-scale projects in the fuel and gas sector, which increase the energy security of the Balkans and Europe as a whole.” 

IV. Iran begins construction for natural gas pipeline

Construction has been started on a 1,740 kilometre pipeline from Iran through Turkey and on to consumers in Europe to carry Iranian gas. Turkey, which has announced plans to produce an annual 20.4 billion cubic metres of gas in Iran's South Pars gas field and export it over its territory, already has one gas pipeline through which it imports 28 million cubic metres of gas daily. The Pars Pipeline will go from Turkey to Greece, through Italy and on to other European countries. Another route could go through Iraq and Syria and then go through the Mediterranean to Greece and Italy. Several natural gas pipeline projects are being planned to meet rising European consumption, among them the Nabucco pipeline project, conceived to decrease Europe's dependence on Russian gas, which makes up a quarter of its consumption.

V. Advocacy groups: Israel still making cluster bombs

A coalition of advocacy groups reported on Friday that cluster bombs were still being manufactured in 17 nations, including countries such as the United States, Russia, and Israel. The Cluster Munitions Coalition said that 96 countries had agreed to ban such weapons since last year because they frequently kill and maim civilians. But some of the biggest manufacturers, like the US, Russia and China, have refused to stop.

Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Brazil, Poland, Singapore, North Korea, Pakistan, Romania, Slovakia, South Korea and Turkey were also listed as producers in the report published Friday.

VI. Poland Posted Second-Fastest EU Growth in 1st Quarter

Poland posted the European Union’s second-fastest economic growth for the first quarter so far as investments in buildings and machinery and household spending kept the nation from slipping into eastern Europe’s recession. Eastern Europe as a whole has suffered as western trading partners curb demand for their products and investment plans were canceled or postponed as credit sources dried up. All other eastern nations that reported first-quarter results have shown contractions. The Baltics region of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are faring the worst in the 27-nation EU, with Latvia’s economy sinking 18 percent in the first three months. Cyprus, a Mediterranean island that joined the EU with Poland, post growth of 1.4 percent in the first quarter, making it the fastest growing in the EU so far.

VII. Orthodox Priest Says Faith is not dead in Russia

The Moscow Patriarchate's secretary for ecumenical relations is affirming that relations between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church in Russia are progressing, and that it is an important step for evangelizing the world. The priest affirmed a shared responsibility of Orthodox and Catholics to "renew the Christian roots of Europe" and to preach the message of Christ to the world. He explained the challenges of the Orthodox Church in the task of evangelization, faced to Russia's history of enforced atheism. Nonetheless, Father Vyzhanov said, "the Russian people did not lose their faith," although the communist regime tried to take it away. He added that in the communist era, "the faith was hidden, not dead, and after the changes in our country many people converted to the faith."

Michael's Afternoon 7 - 28 May

I. Russia accuses US of exaggerating Iran missile threat

A senior Russian official today accused the US of grossly exaggerating the missile threat posed by hostile powers such as Iran, predicting there would be no menace from the Middle East "for at least a decade to come". A senior diplomat at Russia's London embassy, made his comments in the course of a blistering attack on America's plans to site missile interceptors in Poland and a large radar in the Czech Republic. "For the first time it will add a strategic component for US forward forces close to Russia's borders," he said. If the US took up Moscow's offer to use a radar base in Azerbaijan instead, there would be a "tectonic shift" in their relations, he added. Plans to base 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a powerful radar in the Czech Republic are particularly controversial because there is no international consensus about when Iran – whose missiles the Polish and Czech bases are aimed at – could be a potential threat.

II. Run-up to Swedish EU presidency: Turkey-EU blame game

‘Let me be clear: the United States strongly supports Turkey’s bid to become a member of the European Union.’ President Barack Obama, visiting Ankara in April, could not have been clearer – unlike his European counterparts. Since Obama’s speech, both German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Nicolas Sarkozy have spoken out in preference of a privileged partnership with Turkey, rather than full EU membership. French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner, formerly a supporter, now opposes Turkey’s accession after the fuss they made over appointing Danish premier Anders Fogh Rasmussen as Nato chief in the same month. Indignation in Turkey at this shifting of goalposts then prompted hasty reassurances from the European commission of the EU’s commitments to Turkey. The responsibility does not lie entirely with politicians. Most European governments are in favour of Turkey joining the EU – rather, it is their citizens who are not. A 2008 Eurobarometer survey found that only 31% of EU citizens were in favour of Turkey joining. Aside from the value-based argument – Turkey not being ‘European’ enough.

III. Cypriot Foreign Minister met with a delegation of US Congress officials

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Markos Kyprianou had a meeting yesterday at the Foreign Ministry with a delegation of US Congress officials, who are visiting Cyprus. During the meeting, Mr Kyprianou briefed the delegation on the latest developments in the Cyprus problem. Issues, which fall within the competence of the Foreign Ministry with an emphasis on the bilateral relations between the Republic of Cyprus and the USA, were also discussed.

IV. Serbia Stands Firm on EU, Kosovo

Belgrade would stand firm against recognition of Kosovo as an independent nation, regardless of any preconditions laid down by the EU on Serbia’s EU integration process. Following a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Wednesday, Tadic told Serbian state television that Sarkozy had assured him that France did not expect Serbia to recognise Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence in February 2008. The two countries also discussed a strategic partnership in the areas of culture, science, education and economy. 

V. Asylum seekers to be extradited back to Greece

The Netherlands will resume the extradition of asylum seekers who entered the European Union via Greece. In the coming months 1,100 people will be returned to Greece, following a Council of State decision that doing so is legal, Deputy Justice Minister Nebahat Albayrak told Dutch reporters in Rome. Earlier this week, Ms Albayrak was on a visit to Athens where she said that the Netherlands will be helping Greece with its refugee problem. The deputy minister says that helping countries on Europe's southern border cope with the influx of refugees is a prerequisite for solving the Netherlands' own migration issues. Refugees from Northern Africa regularly cross the Mediterranean on rickety vessels to land in European coastal countries like Italy and Greece. Because of the EU's open border policies, refugees can travel on from their landing spot to other EU member states.

VI. POLITICS-LEBANON: Family History Counts for Women in Race to Parliament

In Lebanon’s Jun. 7 parliamentary poll, women represent only two percent of the candidates, many of them with family names that have been appearing on ballots for generations. Names like Geagea, Hariri, Zwein and Tueni are as recognisable in Lebanon as Gandhi in India or Kennedy in the United States. One female candidate expected to win the lone Greek Orthodox seat in Beirut’s predominantly Christian district is Nayla Tueni. Tueni’s father Gebran was assassinated six months after being elected in 2005 to the seat she now seeks. Nayla is deputy manager of An-Nahar, Beirut’s leading newspaper founded by her great grandfather and formerly edited and published by her father, and is supported by the Western-backed March 14 Coalition. Even with the competitive edge afforded by her family name, securing a seat in Parliament the first time around is far from guaranteed. 

VII. Christian group claims progress on a common Easter

Christianity's largest ecumenical movement expressed hope Thursday that churches were moving closer to a common Easter for the world's Christians, despite a historical debate nearly as old as the religion. Catholic and Protestant congregations will celebrate their belief in Jesus' resurrection on the same day as Orthodox churches in 2010 and 2011 because of a coincidence in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The common holiday has happened three times this decade. But the World Council of Churches says consensus is emerging that these should not just be occasional occurrences. At a recent meeting in Lviv, Ukraine, theologians representing nearly the breadth of Christianity agreed in principle on a strategy for all the faithful to continue observing their feast together. The confusion over Easter's historical date arose in the early days of Christianity as the faith spread and different groups interpreted the four Gospels in different ways. According to Matthew, Mark and Luke's Gospels, the last meal Jesus shared with his disciples was the Jewish Passover meal, while John's Gospel says that Jesus died on the feast of Passover itself. Orthodox churches use March 21 in the Julian calendar, but since the 16th century the Western date has been derived in the Gregorian calendar. The resulting difference can be up to five weeks apart. Some Orthodox representatives at the meeting appeared to back the plan. French Orthodox theologian Antoine Arjakovsky acknowledged that the astronomy was closer to the Gregorian calendar, but noted that Catholic and Protestant churches were also compromising by "accepting that the date of Easter should be established on the basis of a cosmic calendar rather than by a fixed date."

Michael's Morning 7 - 28 May

I. Europe wants US to take ex-Guantanamo inmates: diplomats

European officials sought Wednesday to pressure the US into accepting Guantanamo Bay detainees on its own territory amid negotiations over rules governing their release overseas, diplomats said. Ambassadors from the 27 European Union nations discussed for the first time what they want to see included in a joint EU-US declaration being drawn up. The Czech EU presidency was scheduled to discuss the text with US officials at a video conference in the evening ahead of EU interior ministers addressing the issue at a meeting in Luxembourg next week. A draft of the EU-US declaration presented by the Czech EU presidency to its fellow member states stresses that "the EU and the US share fundamental values of freedom, democracy, respect for human right and the rule of law. In general, while European nations back the Obama administration's plan to close down Guantanamo few are willing to take in those freed from the camp. Certainly the European Union is offering no overall figure. Six countries have said they are willing to accept former detainees: Britain, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain and, recently, Belgium. Obama's plans to shutter the controversial prison camp by January 22, 2010, have faced criticism from both Republicans and his Democratic allies.

II. Kosovo minorities leave, claiming discrimination

The refusal of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leadership to ensure minority rights is driving out many non-Serb minorities, a new human rights report says. The London-based Minority Rights Group International (MRG) says exclusion from political and social life and discrimination are forcing ethnic Bosniaks, Turks, Roma, Croats, Gorani, Ashkali Egyptians and even some Serbs out of Kosovo. Since declaring independence, ethnic divisions have worsened between the enclave's two million Albanians, 120,000 Serbs, and 80,000 others from smaller ethnic groups, despite the presence of 14,000 NATO peacekeepers and a 2,000-strong European Union mission overseeing a fragile peace. Serbia still regards Kosovo as part of its historic heartland and has asked the International Court of Justice in The Hague to rule on the legality of its secession. Serb President Boris Tadic, ahead of a visit to France on Wednesday, told the French daily Le Figaro that Serbia would "never recognize" the unilateral independence of Kosovo. Kosovo's independence has only been recognized by 60 of the world's 200 countries.

III. NATO, Russia want foreign ministers meeting

Political ties between NATO and Russia are gradually improving following the break caused by the Russo-Georgian war, but a ministerial meeting is needed to pave the way for military cooperation. Ambassadors from NATO's 28 nations and Russia's envoy to the alliance were determined to hold a meeting of foreign ministers "as soon as logistically possible." The ambassadors met on Wednesday within the framework of the NATO-Russia Council, a panel set up to improve cooperation between the former Cold War foes. A meeting of foreign ministers had been scheduled in April, but tensions soared again over the expulsion of two Russian diplomats for alleged spying and the retaliatory move by Moscow which expelled two NATO officials. Moscow also strongly objected to a NATO military exercise in Georgia, and the planned ministerial talks were called off. Russia has allowed NATO nations to use its road and rail networks to transport military supplies to Afghanistan, after the alliance's main supply chain through Pakistan came under repeated attack by pro-Taliban guerrillas.

IV. Miliband in Turkey for talks on EU bid

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband met with officials in Ankara to discuss Turkish accession to the European Union. Miliband met Wednesday with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu as well as Egemen Bagis, the chief negotiator for Turkey's bid to join the EU. Miliband arrived from Turkey after a stopover in Greece to meet with government officials to discuss bilateral cooperation in the foreign policy arena. Miliband on his Web site says Greek foreign policy is frustrated by "a forward position on Turkish accession to the EU, and an important role in Cyprus talks."

V. Bulgarian Soldiers to Participate in a Naval Mission in Somalia

Bulgaria intends to send soldiers who will hunt down hijackers in Somalia. Today Bulgaria's Council of Ministers will discuss the proposal Bulgaria to take part in the EU naval mission 'Atlanta'. If the proposal is approved, two servicemen will leave for Somalia to join the EU forces in the Gulf of Aden. The objective of the mission is to stop the hijacking attacks on ships and to protect the humanitarian aid for Somalia's citizens. So far Atlanta naval mission includes Greece, France, Spain and Italy. Three more countries will participate with ships and another three will send in man force.  

VI. FACTBOX: Proliferation Security Initiative mission, members

South Korea on Wednesday became the 95th member of the Proliferation Security Initiative, an ad hoc alliance of states working to stop shipments of weapons of mass destruction. Following are key facts about the PSI, touted by many experts as a possible tool to rein in North Korea's nuclear weapons ambitions and proliferation of missiles and other illicit weapons. HISTORY - Launched by U.S. President George W. Bush on May 31, 2003, based on U.S. National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction issued in December 2002 as part of a U.S. response to threats highlighted by the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001. PROMINENT MEMBERS - Argentina, Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mongolia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United States, Yemen.

VII. Turkey Under Increasing Pressure to Reopen Greek Orthodox Church

When U.S. President Barrack Obama visited Turkey last month, he raised the plight of a small religious school of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Halki seminary was closed by the government in 1971, and despite intense pressure by the church and diplomats the school has remained shut. But pressure is growing on Ankara to reopen the school. The school was closed in 1971, as part of legislation to close independent university institutions. But observers say the closure was as much to do with the then high tensions between Turkey and Greece over the island of Cyprus. Ecumenical Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church, says the school's specialized role of training priests does not fit the country's university structure. "We would like have our school as it was before. It is not a medical school or school for engineers. It is school which is not just to train priests for our community here in Istanbul, but also other Orthodox churches around the world. And I think this is our right, to have our schools like our churches. And everything that is related to this community, which did not came from outside but is part of this land. They were born here. They are Turkish citizens. They serve in the army. They are loyal to society and as a Turkish citizens they have also their own rights."

Michael's Afternoon 7 - 27 May

I. Turkey to take over UN Security Council Presidency in June

UN Security Council presidency is conducted for one month according to the alphabetical order. Turkey will take over the presidency from Russia in June. Member states need to comply with the decision of the Security Council. During its term, the Security Council's agenda will be formed by Turkey. These rights will be used by finding a compromise. As the Security Council President, Turkey will make the press releases and inform the members. In this framework, Turkey will have the opportunity to bring issues that it considers important to forefront. UN Security Council has 15 members. The United Kingdom, China, Russia, America and France are permanent members, 10 countries including Turkey are temporary members for 2-years. All members have the veto power. Turkey's temporary membership of the UN National Security Council is to expire on 31 December 2010.

II. Cyprus Government Opposes Downgrading Of UN Peacekeeping Force

The Cyprus government said Wednesday it is opposed to any downgrading of the U.N. peacekeeping force - known as UNFICYP - that patrols the divided islands ceasefire line. Newspapers have reported that the government has protested to the U.N. against U.K.-U.S. moves to link UNFICYP's presence on the island with progress in peace talks. The implication has been that either the force will pull out or be transformed into a smaller police presence than its 860-strong soldiers.

III. Pentagon: Some released detainees return to battle

"What this tells us is, at the end of the day, there are individuals, that if released, will again return to terrorist activities." Five percent of Guantanamo Bay detainees have participated in terrorist activities since their release from the U.S. Navy prison, the Pentagon said Tuesday. An additional 9 percent are believed to have joined — or rejoined — the fight against the U.S. and its allies, according to Defense Department data released amid a simmering political battle over where to send the detainees if the prison closes in January as planned. The Pentagon did not release the list of all 74 detainees, citing security concerns about classified information.

Others on the partially released list included: Said Mohammed Alim Shah, who was sent to Afghanistan in March 2004, where he was released. The U.S. says it has linked him to the kidnapping of two Chinese engineers, an Islamabad hotel bombing and an April 2007 suicide attack that killed 31 people. Mohammed bin Ahmad Mizouz and Ibrahim bin Shakaran, both released in Morocco in July 2004. They are accused of recruiting for al-Qaida in Iraq.

IV. EU, Iraq expect partnership to cement energy ties

The European Union and Iraq expect to clinch a broad trade and political pact by the end of the year that will forge deeper energy ties between the two. The 27-nation bloc wants to wean itself off its dependence on Russian oil and gas, and sees Iraq as a long-term alternative energy supplier. An EU source at the negotiations said only technical issues remained to be resolved before the EU and Iraq could sign the PCA, setting out what will be the first contractual agreement between the two. "It will certainly lead to a significant improvement in trade between the EU and Iraq. Certainly oil and gas are areas for future development of the relationship." Earlier this month, the EU signed pacts with Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia towards creating a central EU gas-buying consortium and setting new terms for transporting Caspian gas.

V. Lebanon's Christians play election kingmakers

Lebanon's divided Christians represent the swing vote in a legislative election in which the Hezbollah is vying to oust the faction which currently dominates parliament. Lebanon's Christians are a minority made up mainly of Catholics, Maronites, Orthodox and Armenians. 

Today, Christians is claimed to make up almost 35 percent of Lebanon's four million inhabitants and their political loyalty is deeply divided between the two camps facing off in the June 7 vote. One side, ironically identified in Lebanese circles as the "Shiite Christians," backs the Hezbollah alliance while the so-called "Sunni Christians" favour the current majority led by Saad Hariri, son of slain ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.

VI. Flighty Bride Runs off with driver

A cold-footed Italian bride made it through the ceremony and the traditional family photos but ran off with the driver of the wedding car before her reception in this north-eastern city. Her new husband and 30 guests were left waiting in vain at a restaurant for the bride who had made her escape after saying she wanted to change her clothes before the reception. She was accompanied by a friend of the couple with whom Andrea played football, and who had been tasked with driving the wedding car. After an hour and a half the chauffeur answered and passed his phone to the bride-on-the-run, who told her new husband she had ''made a mistake'', was ''sorry'', but that her ''heart belongs to someone else''. The bride and driver fled Italy for their 'honeymoon' in Greece.

VII. A Russian Renaissance seen in icon exhibit

He gazes at the world from an exalted place, much as earlier believers might have envisioned the Olympian gods looking upon human affairs. Yet he is in outward appearances a very human figure– albeit with a regal bearing and trappings, and at once peaceful, just and omnipotent. The image is of Christ as Byzantine artists imagined him – first, on the ceilings of hidden places of worship carved in caves, and later, adorning magnificent churches such as the Hagia Sophia of Emperor Justinian. Yet this depiction is about a millennium removed from Justinian’s time, the symbol of faith and ofa vibrant school of art that paralleled the western European Renaissance. He is “Christ in Majesty,” a 16th century icon symbolizing an effort to preserve the glory of Byzantine art, and his image is among more than 20 new icons included in a temporary exhibit at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton, Massachusetts.

Michael's Morning 7 - 27 May

I. UK Seeks "Urgent" Cyprus Solution, Backs Turkey's EU Bid

U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Wednesday the Cyprus conflict requires an "urgent" settlement as he reassured Turkey that Britain stands firm by its bid to join the European Union. "We want to see a Cyprus settlement as soon as possible. The need is urgent for the people of Cyprus and it's also urgently important in geopolitical terms," he said. The Cyprus conflict remains a stumbling block for Turkey's bid to join the E.U. and Davutoglu said that "2009 is a great opportunity for a comprehensive settlement." Asked about French and German objections, Miliband said: "The decision of the 27 (E.U. member states) was to launch an accession process with responsibilities for Turkey but also responsibilities for the E.U. We must make sure that they are being carried out with real boldness and drive."

II. Serbia and Kosovo welcome OIC resolution

It is rare for a resolution by an international body to satisfy both sides in any dispute in South Eastern Europe, but a resolution on Kosovo by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) appears to have achieved just that. After lobbying, the resolution – initiated by Albania and formally tabled by Saudi Arabia – did not call for further recognitions. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008. Belgrade, which strenuously objects to the declaration, has won United Nations General Assembly backing to refer the matter to the World Court for an opinion on the validity of the independence declaration. Radio Srbija reported the political director of the Serbian foreign ministry, Borislav Stefanovic, as saying that the final form of the resolution meant that a new surge of recognition of Kosovo had been prevented. "He told the press that Serbia had prepared well and managed to stop another attempt at curbing its territorial integrity," Radio Srbija said.

III. North Korea threatens action

International anxiety about North Korea's nuclear weapons programme has intensified overnight with three pieces of bad news from the Korean peninsula: first, another short-range missile was fired late on Tuesday, the sixth in two days; second, the regime appears to have restarted the plutonium reactor where it produces fuel for nuclear warheads; and, third, Kim Jong-il's regime has threatened military action against South Korea, claiming it is no longer bound by the armistice which ended the Korean war in 1953. The ground-to-ship missile was fired late on Tuesday, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency, which also claims there are signs of imminent further launches of missiles.

IV. Russia takes security measures after N.Korea test

Russia is taking preventative measures, including military ones, after North Korea tested an atomic bomb, Interfax news agency quoted an unidentified official in Russia's security services as saying on Wednesday. The official said the measures -- which did not include troop movements -- were needed in case a nuclear war broke out on the Korean peninsula, Interfax reported.

V. Museum aims to bring back Parthenon relics

Greece will open a new Acropolis Museum in June, with the aim of bringing back historical monuments currently exhibited in the British Museum in London. Greece has campaigned for decades to retrieve the Parthenon sculptures, but the British Museum has refused to return the treasures. The museum, which expects around 2.5 million visitors a year.

VI. Vandals Attack Graves in West Bank 

Around 70 graves at two Palestinian Christian cemeteries in the West Bank village of Jiffna desecrated by vandals. Palestinian authorities have called it a "rare attack" on the occupied territory's Christian minority. A Greek Orthodox official said he believed the vandalism was a one-off incident: "When we arrived this morning to attend holy mass, we were surprised with the desecration of the graves of the Christian dead in this cemetery. Out of the 200 graves, about 70 were destroyed and their crosses broken. This is the first time Christian property has been attacked by trouble-makers attempting to create a bad mood in society here."

VII. America's Orthodox Christians unite in new St. Augustine center

About 300 Orthodox Christians gathered in a steady rain in St. Augustine last week to celebrate the opening of a facility designed to train missionaries for their assignments around the world. Clutching cameras and umbrellas, they beamed as archbishops, metropolitans and other spiritual leaders from across the Orthodox spectrum - Greek, Antiochian, Serbian, Carpatho Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Albanian and American - participated Thursday in a ritual opening and blessing of the new facility. But organizers said the event was also a celebration of an emerging unity among various Orthodox Christian traditions in the United States. "This is the first permanent facility of the combined Orthodox churches in America," said Clifford Argue, a Seattle resident and president of the board of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center. Here's a look at the facility, its mission and its importance to American Orthodox Christianity.

Michael's Afternoon 7 - 26 May

I. Prime Minister Erdogan admits Turkey’s ‘fascist’ past

Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has become his country’s first head of government to acknowledge publicly that his country displayed a “fascist approach” in dealing with its minorities in the past, when Christians and Jews fled abroad after coming under pressure. “For years, these things were done in this country,” Mr Erdogan told a meeting of his ruling Justice and Development Party in Duzce, north-western Turkey, last weekend. “People of other ethnicities were driven from the country. Did we win anything because of that? This was the result of a fascist approach.” Members of Turkey’s tiny non-Muslim minorities are regarded with suspicion by Turkish nationalists, who see them as agents of such foreign powers as Greece or Israel. With his comments, Mr Erdogan touched a delicate subject in Turkey. In several waves over the past several decades, thousands of Greeks, Armenians and Jews have left the country after riots or after pressure from the state in the form of punitive taxes. In one incident, Turkish nationalists destroyed hundreds of shops owned by Greeks and Armenians in Istanbul in one night on Sept 6 1955. The subject was taboo in Turkey for a long time and has been discussed openly only for a few years. 

II. Karadzic: Holbrooke promised immunity

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic says The Hague should drop charges against him as he was given a US indemnity. The former president, now awaiting the International Tribunal decision, told the court that United Stares' peace envoy to Bosnia, Richard Holbrooke, had assured him of immunity back in the 1990s provided that Karadzic kept a low profile. Karadzic's legal team has declared it possesses compelling evidence to prove its claims. His lawyer, Peter Robinson told reporters on Monday, "This agreement was made on the 18th and 19th July 1996 in Belgrade and we have 15 witnesses to this agreement, and that set forth in the motion of 139 pages with annexes that was filed today." Bosnian foreign minister and that country's first ambassador to the United Nations, Muhamad Sacirbey, has long affirmed that Holbrooke promised Karadzic immunity from prosecution for the crimes he committed in Bosnia, provided Karadzic stepped back from public life, which he complied with.

III. Obama officials gave Bilderberg briefings

The closed meeting of some of the most powerful business, media and political leaders in North America and Western Europe heard from top Obama diplomats James Steinberg and Richard Holbrooke, who detailed the administration’s foreign policy, while economic adviser Paul Volcker, chairman of President Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, also gave a presentation at the heavily guarded seaside resort in Greece that hosted the event. A meeting attendee tells POLITICO that Holbrooke, a State Department special envoy, briefed attendees on the Obama administration’s unified approach to dealing with Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Bilderberg group, which takes its name from the Dutch hotel where it held its first meeting in 1954, exists solely to bring together between 100 and 150 titans of politics, finance, military, industry, academia and media from North America and Western Europe once a year to discuss world affairs. 

IV. World Heritage Committee to meet in Seville to inscribe new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List

The World Heritage Committee will consider requests for the inscription of new sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List when it meets for its 33rd session in Seville, Spain, from 22 to 30 June. 35 States Parties to the World Heritage Convention will present properties for inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Thirty new properties in total were submitted for inscription on the World Heritage List this year: 4 natural, 23 cultural and 3 mixed (i.e. both natural and cultural) properties, including 4 transnational nominations. In addition, 7 extensions to properties already listed have been proposed. Please note that States Parties can withdraw a nomination request before the start of the Committee meeting. To date, the World Heritage List recognizes 878 properties of "outstanding universal value," including 679 cultural, 174 natural and 25 mixed properties in 145 States Parties.

V. In Turkey, hundreds of minors imprisoned on 'terrorism' charges

Few would peg Hebun Akkaya, a 17-year-old with a high, nasal voice and polite manner, as a criminal convicted of supporting a terrorist organization. But the criminal court here in Diyarbakir did. The crime: protesting the prison conditions of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed head of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Designated a terrorist organization by the European Union and United States, the PKK enjoys grass-roots support among citizens here in Turkey's predominately Kurdish southeast. Minors, some as young as 13, have been arrested and jailed in Turkey over the past few years under strict new antiterrorism laws that allow for juveniles to be tried as adults and even be accused of "committing crimes in the name of a terrorist organization" for participating in demonstrations. Critics and rights defenders say the amended antiterrorism laws are deeply flawed and also violate international conventions on the detention of children. "There is a lack of proportionality between the crime and the sentence," says Emma Sinclair-Webb, Turkey researcher for the New York-based watchdog group Human Rights Watch. "Counting what these children do, such as throwing stones or damaging property, as a terrorism offense is a problem. You are subject to a court system that doesn't see you as a child." Turkish Policy Conflicts with UN and EU.

VI. Focusing on Cyprus and Turkey’s EU Bid

The Cyprus row, Turkey's EU bid, as well as the situation in the Middle East topped the talks held in Athens between Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and her British counterpart David Miliband. "We want to see a European Turkey in our border. We believe that it is to the benefit of both countries, provided that Turkey will have met its obligations and EU standards," commented Bakoyannis. "It is up to Turkey to opt for radical reforms that will bring it closer to the European vision. Greece openly and clearly backs this choice, yet it will not allow any compromises that would threaten the Union's cohesion or harm Greece's national interests," she added. Touching on the Cyprus row, the Greek Foreign Minister said the negotiations have reached a turning point, further underlining, "It takes courage and good will. And the most important of all, it takes Turkey's constructive stance, if we want to see any progress." Also commenting on the efforts to resolve the Cyprus standoff, Miliband stressed the solution should be provided by the Cypriots, also claiming that Britain is determined to play a supportive role in the crucial negotiations.

VII. Why Christians Accepted Greek Natural Philosophy, But Muslims Did Not

Christianity was a Greco-Roman religion founded within this world, and gradually grew accustomed to Greco-Roman culture. This had a major long-term impact on how the adherents of these two religions treated the Greco-Roman legacy. Roman architectural achievements were impressive but purely functional. In their technical skill Roman architects far surpassed those of classical Greece: they introduced the arch, the dome, and the vault from the Near East, yet Roman art and architecture had a mass-produced character and often lacked some of the genuine beauty that you could find in earlier Greek works. Christianity gradually formed within a Greco-Roman political and cultural context had a huge impact on its development. In some cases it was clearly an extension of Judaism; for instance the Christians adopted the entire Hebrew Bible as their own, including the Ten Commandments. While many Jewish ethical ideas with no Greco-Roman precedent were continued and spread though the vehicle of Christianity, either directly or in an altered form, Christians added some new ideas of their own and adopted others from their Greco-Roman environment. The Christian emphasis on pictorial arts and sculpture as a means of worship, for instance, clearly owed vastly more to the Greco-Roman than to the Jewish tradition. As a young Jew, Jesus’ main language was probably Aramaic, but he may well have been familiar with Hebrew, the language of the Hebrew Bible and a Semitic tongue closely related to Aramaic. It is also possible that he was competent in Koine Greek, although the details of his linguistic skills are disputed among critical scholars. Nevertheless, it is conceivable that the founder of Christianity spoke Greek. In contrast, we know with absolute certainty that Paul, who shaped Christianity more than any other person other than Jesus himself, was proficient in Greek, as were many of the early Christian leaders.

Michael's Morning 7 - 26 May

I. Members of Congress Express Support for Greek Issues

Thirty four key Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 10 key U.S. Senators participated and briefed the delegates of the 25th Annual Cyprus and Hellenic Leadership Conference. Most of the members of Congress expressed strong support to the communities concerns on Cyprus, the Macedonian issue and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The list of the speakers included some of the most powerful congressional figures, suck as, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) who is the Senate Assistant Majority Leader, House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA), Eurpean Subcommittee’s Chairman Congressman Robert Wexler, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chair, European Affairs Subcommittee, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and others.

II. In Lebanon’s Patchwork, a Focus on Armenians’ Political Might

Their political apparatus is a model of discipline. Their vast array of social services is a virtual state within a state. Their enemies accuse them of being pawns of Syria and Iran. They are the Armenian Christians of Lebanon, one of the Middle East’s most singular and least-understood communities. Last month, the main Armenian political bloc decided to support Hezbollah’s alliance in the coming parliamentary elections in Lebanon against the pro-American parliamentary majority. That fact has brought new attention to the Armenians, a distinct and borderless ethnic group that is spread throughout the region much as the Jews once were. In Lebanon, they have their own schools, hospitals and newspapers. They speak their own language, with its own alphabet. “We want candidates who represent our community... We are not with the opposition, and not with the majority.”

III. Jewish lobby attacks President Obama

Comparison of Barack Obama to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev before the November 2008 elections turned out to be true by at least one count. Although he has assumed office only four months ago, Obama already has many opponents who accuse him of weakness, pandering to the enemies, and betraying principles. These are the sins Gorbachev was accused of by the Communist Party’s conservatives. Obama’s opponents are criticizing his plans of major financial injections in the economy, expected to produce a “growth miracle.” However, many analysts fear that this will only spur inflation, which will boomerang at all dollar holders across the world. Their other targets are a record-high budget deficit and the bankruptcy of several companies that had seemed to be unsinkable. But Obama’s biggest sin, according to his opponents, is his neglect for the security of Israel, even though that neglect has so far been only verbal.

IV. Israeli Employee committees' boycott of Turkey continues

A new survey conducted last week found that 72% of Israel's employee committees' have decided to continue boycotting Turkey's vacation spots, following the tensions in diplomatic relations between Jerusalem and Ankara, noted in early 2009. Employee committees' are a significant part of the tourism industry, marketing special vacation deals, both in Israel and abroad, to their members. Among the organizations which will not include Turkey in their travel packages are industry staples the likes of the First International Bank of Israel, El-Al, Egged, the Agricultural Research Organization, ECI, Elektra, Israel Refineries LTD., The Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry, the Israeli Technological Institute, Haifa Port and the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), to name a few.

V. British 'naughty nuns' arrested in Crete 'will never forget' experience

The men, aged between 18 and 65, were on an annual trip with the Hanham Athletic Sunday league team, from Bristol, when they were detained by police in Malia, a resort known for rowdy and drunken behaviour during the summer. All current or former players with the football club, the men were accused of flashing their bottoms "and the rest" while wearing rudimentary nun costumes. Mick Underhill, the club's 59-year-old chairman, said he and his clubmates appeared in court in Heraklion, the capital of Crete, yesterday morning. They were still wearing nuns' outfits, lingerie and wimples after spending 40 hours in a "cramped" and "disgusting" prison cell. In previous years the men have dressed up as St Trinian's schoolgirls in Portugal and babies in Cyprus. They have never experienced any trouble before. They had not finished their first drink of the night when they were thrown into the back of a police van. "We don't think what happened was right or fair."

VI. Jeremic at two-day conference in Athens

Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic stated today in Athens that Serbia’s EU membership is the topmost national interest, adding that regardless of the circumstances in this time of crisis Serbia will remain on this road. We will also cooperate with non-EU countries such as Russia, with whom we have special relations, and by fully opening our market to the world we will create new partnerships for prosperity. Thus we will overcome the crisis and become even stronger, the Minister noted. Speaking about the unilaterally declared Kosovo independence, Jeremic stressed that we should respect the fact that the issue is now in the hands of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), adding that no one should prejudge the ICJ’s decision. Therefore no one should encourage further recognitions of Kosovo or exert pressure on multilateral organisations to grant membership to secessionist authorities in Pristina, Jeremic stressed.

VII. Assyrian Monastery in Turkey Wins First Legal Battle

The St. Gabriel Assyrian monastery, in Mardin, Turkey, won the first of three court cases today. The dispute centered over land owned by the monastery and three surrounding villages. The Turkish state brought the case against the monastery on behalf of the villagers, who claimed the monastery had illegally encroached on their lands. In today's ruling, the presiding judge decreed that 110 hectares (272 acres) of monastery land which was awarded to the villages by the Turkish land registry belongs to the monastery. A Turkish official at the Ministry of foreign affairs, who wished to remain anonymous, said that they also feel relieved about the verdict since the court cases "caused a lot of headaches for those that work on Turkey's European Union membership." Many European politicians were at the trial as observers. The Swedish-Assyrian parliamentarian Yilmaz Kerimo stated: "It is unbelievable that lawyers can behave like this, like if it was some kind of game," referring to the fact that lawyers for the state delayed the trial because they had to visit a Mosque and pray before coming to court.

Michael's Afternoon 7 - 22 May

I. Memorial Day - By: Edgar Albert Guest

The finest tribute we can pay Unto our hero dead to-day, Is not a rose wreath, white and red, In memory of the blood they shed; It is to stand beside each mound, Each couch of consecrated ground, And pledge ourselves as warriors true Unto the work they died to do. Into God's valleys where they lie At rest, beneath the open sky, Triumphant now o'er every foe, As living tributes let us go. No wreath of rose or immortelles Or spoken word or tolling bells Will do to-day, unless we give Our pledge that liberty shall live. Our hearts must be the roses red We place above our hero dead; To-day beside their graves we must Renew allegiance to their trust; Must bare our heads and humbly say We hold the Flag as dear as they, And stand, as once they stood, to die To keep the Stars and Stripes on high. The finest tribute we can pay Unto our hero dead to-day Is not of speech or roses red, But living, throbbing hearts instead, That shall renew the pledge they sealed With death upon the battlefield: That freedom's flag shall bear no stain And free men wear no tyrant's chain.

II. To honor fallen comrades, they wash the Wall

There are more than 58,000 names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. One of them belongs to Michael Najarian — but the Michael Najarian who served in Vietnam and now leans in to touch the engraving is still very much alive. What would you do if you found your own name on a list of the dead? “I just sort of sank on the ground,” Najarian says, shaking his head. “I couldn’t believe it.” This Najarian was an Air Force sergeant during the Vietnam War. The Najarian on the wall was in the Navy. They were born one year and one day apart. “Only a middle initial separates us.  He’s Michael A. I’m Michael G. Najarian.” “I read something the other day,” the older Najarian says, pausing to dip a brush into his bucket. “‘A veteran is a person who wrote a blank check to this country.” Our nation withdrew everything Michael A. Najarian had. “I use it as my Wailing Wall,” Bill Gray says quietly. The former Army lieutenant lost five men in his platoon. “I suffer from survivor’s guilt. Cleaning this wall is an opportunity to wash that away.” Gray stretches to reach the names of the dead in his platoon. “You realize there are so many families who have been affected by this.” He gazes at the army of names. “I try to see the thousands of people that they left behind, the wives, the parents, the kids, the unborn.” It is for them, too, that the old soldiers tend this peaceful place. It is not a job; it is an honor. Every day that they go down to that wall and pick up a brush is Memorial Day. After all, what does a soldier who survived war fear most? That people will forget.

III. Memorial Day: More than just a day off from work

The official function of Memorial Day is to honor the men and women of the United States who have died while serving our nation's military service. It is an American holiday, with obscure origins even though it is less than 150 years old, and claimed by many as their own patriotic invention. Officially proclaimed in 1868, Memorial Day became widespread by 1902, and was named a federal holiday in 1971. Originally known as Decoration Day, the holiday began as the organized honoring of the fallen from the Civil War by decorating their graves with flowers, candles and prayer. After World War I, the separate Union and Confederate Decoration Days combined as Memorial Day and recognized those who have died in military service during any war. During the years, traditional observances of Memorial Day diminished. Many Americans forgot the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day, and at many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are untended. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. Some people think the day is for honoring all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country. Memorial Day used to be a solemn day of mourning. With the memory of the lost still fresh, it was a sacred day of remembrance to honor those who paid the ultimate price for our freedoms. Businesses closed for the day, and towns held parades honoring the fallen, often ending at a local cemeteries. People took the day to clean and decorate graves of those who fell in service to their country with flowers and flags the graves. As the decades passed those observances faded.

IV. Honor Flights take World War Two veterans to Washington memorial

Fundraising is underway to send hundreds of World War Two veterans from central Iowa on a one-day chartered flight to Washington, D.C. to visit the World War Two Memorial honoring their bravery. There'll be no cost to the veterans. The trip includes visits to the World War Two Memorial, the Iwo Jima Monument and the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. "We're estimating it'll take about $450,000 to fly approximately 700 central Iowa veterans and their guardians and caretakers to Washington D.C. this summer. These men and women have paid such a price for our freedom and they still have that spirit in them." Several Iowa communities have already sent World War Two veterans to visit the memorial, with Honor Flights flying from Council Bluffs, Sioux City, Mason City and the Quad Cities.

V. A hero in Harwich Port

Thomas O’Toole played a critical role during World War 2. He didn’t drive a tank or oversee a battleship gun. He wasn’t aboard a bomber and he didn’t march with a battlefront infantry. He was assigned to the Navy’s communication office – the cryptology division – where he translated top-secret codes to and from the front lines. “It was fairly primitive but it worked – it was an impressive system,” said the Harwich Port resident, who served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946. O’Toole, now 86 and living in a modest Harwich Port home just up from Wychmere Harbor, was recently invited to participate in a unique program called American Warrior. Formed in 2005, the nonprofit group escorts veterans at no cost from the Northeast down to Washington, D.C. to see the National World War Two Memorial. Unveiled in 2004, the memorial honors the 400,000 soldiers who perished and 16 million who served.

VI. Flight 93 Memorial Site... where sacrifice and heroism are honored

Let’s roll! These are the last words Todd Beamer spoke as he and others tried to retake United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001. Those words will be forever tied to that dark day in American history. With their fate unknown, passengers and crew members on United Airlines Flight 93, which was headed to San Francisco from Newark, decided to fight back. They could have just sat there and let plans, by the planes terrorist / hijackers, unfold and play out. But they decided to act instead. They all perished, moments later, as the plane crashed into a field outside Shanksville, Somerset County, Pennsylvania just a little after 10:00 that morning. Their actions, sacrifice and bravery diverted what could have been an even larger national tragedy if the plane was allowed to continue on its route to Washington, D.C. The intended target was supposedly the White House or U.S. Capital Building. 

VII. Gates urges participation in Memorial Day moment of silence

"On May 5, 1868, General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, asked that America remember those lost in the Civil War by 'gather[ing] around their sacred remains' to 'garland the passionless mounds ... with choicest flowers' and 'raise above them the dear old flag they saved.' Since then, we have set aside one day each year to honor all those who have died in service to our country. Across the United States, military support groups, veterans associations, and patriots mount public tribute to those who served and sacrificed. By honoring our men and women in uniform with events like this, groups such as the American Veterans Center keep alive the memory of those who paid the ultimate price. At 3 p.m., your local time, on Monday, May 25, 2009, I would encourage you to join millions of your fellow Americans in a moment of silence to remember our fallen heroes. It is important to think of the fallen on this day, but we should also keep in mind all of our servicemen and women throughout the year. They and their families continue to sacrifice for our country and deserve our recognition and support. We should heed the advice of General Logan, who wrote: 'Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.'"

Michael's Morning 7 - 22 May

I. Life and death during the Armenian genocide

On April 24 Armenians and others around the world once again remembered the Armenian genocide. It has been 94 years since the beginning of that genocide which was to last from 1915 to 1920 and involved the destruction of almost every Armenian community living in what became Turkey. As many as 1.2 million people were killed. Grigoris Balakian was an unlikely witness of this mass slaughter. It was a fateful decision. On April 24, 1915, after Turkey had entered World War I on the side of Germany, at nightfall the Turkish police fanned out across Istanbul with orders to round up 250 Armenians activists, intellectuals, communal and church leaders. Balakian was roused from his bed and taken along with the others to the prison of Sirkedji. The genocide had begun. There were mass deportations, starvation and massacre, with some 400,000 Armenians dying in forced marches and another 400,000 dying in the desert wastes.

II. Caucasus jihad: Terror tactics back on the horizon?

On April 25, 2009, the leader of the Caucasus jihadist movement (Caucasus Emirate), Dokku Umarov, responded to recent claims by Moscow that the insurgency was defeated and that the war was over. In a video message posted on the Internet, Dokku claimed otherwise and stated that the resistance was “better than it was in 2006, in 2007, in 2008. Allah has helped us, in the meanwhile, to restore all Jamaats (groups) in Caucasus...I consider that the main victory is that we have restored Riyad-us-Saliheen, Jamaat of our dear brother Shamil [Basayev],” he continued. "If we are forbidden to kill those citizens [Russians], who are so called peaceful citizens, who provide for the army, for the FSB by their taxes, by their silence, who support that army by their approving silence, if those people are considered civilians, then I don't know, by what criteria it is judged,” Dokku continued. “Therefore, Insha’Allah, it is our great success that we have restored this Jamaat [Riyad-us-Saliheen], and that this Jamaat will carry out operations in the territory of Russia, and it will be our retaliatory attacks for those deeds [the elimination of Muslims and Muslim-helpers] which are committed in Caucasus." Until recently, it was thought that the Caucasus jihadist movement had outgrown these terror tactics. However, with Dokku's latest decrees mirroring the beliefs of the late Shamil Basayev; and a recent wave of attacks throughout Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingusetia; the seriousness of the situation could certainly pose a tough test for Moscow and Kadyrov in convincing the public that the counterterrorism campaign is indeed over.

III. Greece: Koran defacement claim

Police say they are investigating a complaint that an officer defaced an Iraqi migrant's Koran during an identity check. The alleged incident has triggered angry demonstrations by hundreds of Muslim immigrants, and human rights groups plan to organize migrants in a protest march on Friday. Police have arrested an Afghan man on suspicion of trying to firebomb an Athens police station in a protest attack Thursday that left him severely burned. Police say they will investigate the allegation that an officer tore up the migrant's copy of Islam's holy book while checking his identity papers in Athens on Wednesday.

IV. Obama Urged to End “Silliness” over Macedonia Name

Greek lobbyists have written to President Barack Obama claiming the United States has no business supporting Macedonia's “subversion of history” and should now withdraw its support for the formal name of the fledgling Balkan state. The letter, signed by around 200 lecturers of Graeco-Roman Antiquity from 11 countries, is a result of extensive lobbying by the Greek diaspora. The document was sent earlier this week and has now been posted on the website Macedonia Evidence. Its authors urge President Obama to reverse the policy of predecessor George W Bush, whose administration unilaterally recognized Macedonia’s formal name in 2004. Macedonia's name has so far been recognized by over two thirds of the UN member countries, including US, Russia and China. However the provisional reference, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, FYROM, is still in official use in the UN at Greek insistence.

V. Cyprus talks stumble on crossing

The latest round of United Nations-mediated talks aimed at reunifying Cyprus hit its first major hurdle yesterday as Cyprus President Dimitris Christofias and Turkish-Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat failed to agree on the opening of a new crossing point on the divided island and authorities in Nicosia expressed fears that Talat was being controlled by the Turkish military. Greek-Cypriot residents in the northwestern region of Tillyria have been pushing for the crossing to be opened at Limnitis, as this would reduce the travel time to Nicosia by half. Agreeing that the opening of additional crossings was also a method of building trust between the two communities, Christofias and Talat had agreed late last year to open the Limnitis border point. In a report submitted on Wednesday to the United Nations Security Council, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was “disappointed” at the lack of progress in building trust. “Other confidence-building measures, such as the creation of crossings, including Limnitis, would greatly contribute to an improvement in the atmosphere on the island,” he said.

VI. Is it Time to Bury Nabucco?

Latest developments during last weeks related the EU’s policy of diversifying Europes’s energy supplies give a clear indication that EU’s pipedream - Nabucco - is vanishing while the rival Russia’s South Stream gets a boost both on the ground and updated aims. European Commission has tried enhance Nabucco already some nine year with modest or even backward success. Now is maybe the right time to reconsider EU’s energy plans in new context. On May 15 South Stream project got a boost two step closer to reality. Italy’s ENI, Gazprom signed memoranda of understanding with Greek natural gas transmission company DESFA, Serbia’s Srbijagas and Bulgarian Energy Holding. The pipeline would cross the Black Sea at 2.000m depth and from there to the city of Barna, in Bulgaria and from there its north part will reach Austria after crossing Serbia while its south part will extend to Greece and Italy. Earlier Nabucco got its priority status in EU as the aim was to diversify supplies away from Russia. Now Gazprom is to make a presentation to the European Parliamentto promote South Stream later in 2009. The EU Energy Commission says Gazprom would have to prove South Stream represents “added value” for Europe to become a priority, earlier the EU has already accepted Gazprom’s Nord Stream as a priority project.

VII. Biden visit to Kosovo monastery splits Serbian Orthodox Church

Biden visited the 14th century Decani monastery on Thursday afternoon to highlight the importance protecting the Serbian minority in Kosovo. Father Sava Janjic, warmly welcomed the vice president, who had first visited there in 2001. “This is his second visit to this monastery which is one of the most important Serbian Orthodox sites in Kosovo,” Fr. Sava said. “We sincerely believe his visit will help the preservation of Serbian Orthodox heritage in Kosovo and generally help the position of the Serbian people in Kosovo.” Security was tight. In addition to Italian soldiers who normally guard what is the biggest Serbian Orthodox monastic brotherhood worldwide, many secret service agents accompanied Biden inside the compound. Some heavily armed agents remained on guard as he went inside for talks, although a few took a tour of the church to admire its magnificent frescos. At the end of his three-day visit to Bosnia, Serbia and Kosovo, Biden said real integration among ethnic groups in the Balkans could prove even more difficult than it had been to end the 1990s wars in the former Yugoslavia. “What we are talking about now is real integration, not just the elimination of carnage and brutality, but there is where it really gets hard and it’s going to take time,” he said. “This is a process … it’s going to take a while.”

Michael's Afternoon 7 - 21 May

I. The US is talking tough in the Balkans, and the Europeans don't like it

The Americans, Biden said, "have earned the right to speak honestly, even bluntly... We are worried about the direction your country, your future, and your children's future are taking. For three years, we have seen a sharp and dangerous rise in nationalist rhetoric, state institutions openly challenged and deliberately undermined. We have heard voices speaking the language of maximalism and absolutism that destroys states, dangerous talk about the country's future. This must stop." Behind the tough talk, however, there's a bit of a policy vacuum. And a renewed transatlantic rift over how to fill it. The Europeans hope to heal Bosnia by encouraging the kind of reforms that will slowly qualify it for EU entry. Progress here, though, is less than visible. The Americans have basically left Bosnia to the Europeans for most of the past decade and are annoyed that the Europeans are not delivering. "The country is in real danger of collapse," they warned, excoriating "weak EU resolve" and the lack of a coherent EU strategy. Top people in Brussels were outraged.

II. Uphill road to the EU-Russia summit in Khabarovsk - what's next?

Judging by the agenda of the current Russia-EU summit in Khabarovsk on May 21-22, Russia and Europe lead a full and busy life. They discussed ways out of the world economic crisis, energy security, a new structure of European security, and protectionism. They also compared their approaches to major international problems - Iran, Afghanistan, the Middle East and Pakistan. Everything seemed to be quite functional, although the discussion was not entirely smooth. There is no unanimity in the attitude to Russia in Greater Europe, either. In the past ten years, it has been split into two in this regard. There exist an unofficial club of "Russia's friends" (with some reservations, of course), which includes Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and a club of "convinced skeptics," such as Britain, all Scandinavian countries, the Baltic nations and Poland. The latter club has more allies in the European Commission. The Brussels bureaucrats have always disapproved of Moscow. However, now another club is coming into being in the EU. It includes pragmatic skeptics. They are not too enthusiastic about Moscow, but they believe that they are going to have to do business with it because there will be no alternative to this in the foreseeable future. West European experts on the EU are listing Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria, and Romania in this category.

III. New Acropolis Museum opens June 20 with one euro admission

The Acropolis has always been an iconic symbol of the Golden Age of Civilization. To ensure it lives forever, the Acropolis Museum began construction in 2004. The new museum is slated to open June 20, 2009 and for the first six months will offer admission for only one euro.

The museum houses 4,000 artifacts from the Acropolis and is located at the base of Acropolis Hill within 300 meters of the Parthenon. The museum contains most of the finds from the Acropolis and the hope is that the Elgin Marbles currently in the British Museum will return to Greece now that there is a place to house them. British Museum officials are not inclined to give up one of their treasures. The museum was designed by American architect Bernard Tschumi and Greece’s Michalis Photiadis.

IV. Euro election country-by-country

National concerns appear to overshadow pan-European issues in the run-up to the 4-7 June European Parliament elections. In this guide the BBC's Laurence Peter looks at the issues country-by-country. The parliament is being reduced in size to 736 MEPs, from 785 in the outgoing parliament. The new number of seats per country is given here first, with the previous number in brackets. AUSTRIA - 17 seats (18); BELGIUM - 22 (24); BULGARIA - 17 (18); CYPRUS - 6 (6); CZECH REPUBLIC - 22 (24); DENMARK - 13 (14); ESTONIA - 6 (6); FINLAND - 13 (14); FRANCE - 72 (78); GERMANY - 99 (99); GREECE - 22 (24); HUNGARY - 22 (24); REPUBLIC OF IRELAND - 12 (13); ITALY - 72 (78); LATVIA - 8 (9); LITHUANIA - 12 (13); LUXEMBOURG - 6 (6); MALTA - 5 (5); THE NETHERLANDS - 25 (27); POLAND - 50 (54); PORTUGAL - 22 (24); ROMANIA - 33 (35); SLOVAKIA - 13 (14); SLOVENIA - 7 (7); SPAIN - 50 (54); SWEDEN - 18 (19); UK - 72 (78).

V. Wall overshadows Muslim- Christian relations in West Bank

The Palestinian issue has figured prominently over the past week in stories with a religion angle. Pope Benedict’s visit to Israel, which ended on Friday, was the most prominent. While visiting Bethlehem, he called Israel’s separation wall in the West Bank “one of the saddest sights” on his whole tour. Early this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met U.S. President Barack Obama for the first time. Netanyahu said the Palestinians must recognise Israel as a Jewish state as a precondition for peace talks while Obama said Jewish settlements in the West Bank “have to be stopped.” Husam al-Taweel, a Greek Orthodox member of the Palestinian Legislative Council from Gaza who was elected with support from the governing Islamist movement Hamas, told FaithWorld earlier this week: “I won’t say there are no problems and we are living in heaven. But there is no discrimination against Christians in particular. We don’t see ourselves as a minority, but as part of the Arab majority.” (Emigration) “is not a problem only for Christians. This is a problem for the Palestinian community in general. They’re all looking for a job, a better future.”

VI. Netanyahu Says All Jerusalem to Remain Israeli

Speaking today at a ceremony on “Ammunition Hill” in east Jerusalem - the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the 1967 war - Prime minister Netanyahu marked the 42nd anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem by firmly stating that all of Jerusalem will always remain under Israeli sovereignty. "United Jerusalem is Israel's capital," said Netanyahu. "Jerusalem was always ours and will always be ours. It will never again be partitioned and divided." The Orthodox Union has long opposed any redivision of Jerusalem, the Jewish people’s holy and eternal capital. On this Yom Yerushalayim, we commend Prime Minister Netanyahu’s unwavering and adamant stance to preserve, protect, and keep whole, Judaism’s more sacred city.

VII. Monastery Visoki Decani

US Vice-President Joseph Biden, who arrived in Pristina from Belgrade this morning, is also to visit the monastery of Visoki Dečani. The monastery of Visoki Dečani is a Serbian Orthodox monastery included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This monastery was built by Serbian king Stefan Dečanski between 1327 and 1335, who dedicated it to the Ascension of Christ. It was built by Friar Vito of Kotor, which can be seen on a wall inscription. Those who saw the monastery being built spoke with elation of masters working in marble. Friar Vito worked in the Western Romanesque-Gothic style, but the interior resembled earlier Serbian churches – it was built in the famous Raska style. For centuries, people of various religions, races and nations have come for pilgrimage to this monastery. Many miraculous healings have been recorded here. The monastery has been demolished several times throughout history, including the conflicts in Kosovo 1998-1999, when it was demolished by Kosmet Albanians, but the brethren still survives in this Serb enclave, surrounded by hostile Albanian Muslim locals. The monastery is being guarded by international forces, but nevertheless, it attracts numerous visitors, among international forces’ members, pilgrims from Serbia and rare tourists venturing to visit. The Holy Archbishops’ Assembly of the Serbian Orthodox Church issued an announcement assessing Biden’s visit as a gesture of good will and a clear message to everyone who wants to continue demolishing Serbian churches and monasteries in Kosovo – Metohija.