Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Gibrahayer - September 3, 2004

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Gibrahayer - September 3, 2004

    GIBRAHAYER
    e-newsletter
    [email protected]
    http: //gibrahayer.cyprusnewsletter.com

    BOMBS AND PRAYERS IN OCCUPIED ST. MAMMAS CHURCH

    Friday September 3, 2004, Gibrahayer - The Holy Church of Ayios Mammas
    became the center of religion and politics during the course of last
    week, as one week after it was bombed and burned by "Grey Wolves"
    extremists in the Turkish occupied north, it welcomed thousands
    of Greek Cypriot pilgrims who crossed to the north for the first
    religious ceremony in thirty years.

    During the celebrations, Turkish and Greek Cypriots gathered not far
    from the Church to voice their desire for peace and reunification
    in a peace rally. Earlier in the week, Turkish extremists had held
    demonstrations against the opening of the Church saying that "they
    did not want to hear the bells of the Church ever again".

    Greek Cypriots are still in search for a unified political line in
    post-referendum and post-EU Cyprus where regional real politic and
    European democratic norms clash against the reality of 40,000 Turkish
    troops, a Turkish pseudo-state seeking recognition, 200,000 refugees
    and more than 1,000 people missing in action since the Turkish invasion
    of 1974.



    MELKONIAN ALUMNI HIRE CALIFORNIA LAWYERS TO FIGHT SCHOOL'S CLOSURE

    Wednesday September 1: Cyprus Mail- THE worldwide alumni of the
    Melkonian Educational Institute (MEI) have hired a group of California
    lawyers to challenge the closure of the Nicosia-based secondary school,
    they said yesterday.

    Under their recently established umbrella body, the Melkonian Alumni
    and Friends, a non-profit US foundation, the alumni have hired legal
    counsel MacCarley & Rosen of Los Angeles to oppose the planned closure
    of the 78-year old Armenian school in June 2005.

    This alumni is working in parallel with the local Melkonian Alumni
    Associations in Cyprus, Greece, the UK, Canada, the US, Armenia,
    Lebanon, Australia and elsewhere.

    Similar legal actions are also expected to be filed in Cyprus, as
    well as other jurisdictions, a statement issued yesterday said.

    The loss making MEI, which is sitting on 40 acres of prime real
    estate worth around £40 million in the capital's commercial district,
    has been slated to close next year by the New York based Armenian
    General Benevolent Union (AGBU), which administers 22 Armenian
    schools worldwide.

    The AGBU said last November that the school was not for sale but then
    changed tack and announced the closure three months later.

    Teachers at the Melkonian have said that last year the school's
    population was reduced from 260 to 210 after the AGBU unilaterally
    decided to reduce scholarships to underprivileged children from the
    Armenian Diaspora.

    By claiming that standards are not up so scratch, staff say the AGBU
    is trying to use the them as a scapegoat for their decision to close
    the school in order to sell the land and that they are using devious
    methods to reduce the student population of the school in order to
    turn it into a non-viable school and ultimately to close it.

    "The MEI has educated and nurtured more than three generations
    of Armenian professionals and leaders and is a unique educational
    institution in the Armenian Diaspora," the alumni statement said
    yesterday.

    "It provides superior academic training with Western standards to
    a diverse group of Armenian boys and girls from different countries
    and social backgrounds."


    NO MEDALS FOR ARMENIAN OLYMPIC TEAM

    Armenia This Week [email protected] - Armenia's 18-person team won
    no medals, as the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece concluded over the
    weekend. Diaspora Armenians fared better winning at least one gold,
    one silver and several bronze medals.

    Armen Ghazaryan placed fourth in weightlifting, shy of a medal by only
    about a pound of his own weight, and Norair Bakhtamyan also placed
    fourth in shooting. Four wrestlers, two weightlifters and one boxer
    from the Armenia team finished in the top ten of their respective
    competitions. Armenia won one gold and one silver medal in 1996 and
    one bronze in the 2000 Olympics. 

    Baku-born Karina Aznavourian won a team fencing gold for Russia,
    her second in as many Olympics. Three Gyumri natives, Ara Abrahamian,
    Artiom Kiureghian and Mkhitar Manukian, won silver and bronze medals
    in wrestling for Sweden, Greece and Kazakhstan, respectively. Another
    wrestler, Masis-born Armen Nazarian secured a bronze medal for
    Bulgaria.


    ARMENIAN AND CYPRIOT PLAYERS HAVING AN IMPRESSIVE RUN AT THE U.S. OPEN TENNIS
    CHAMPIONSHIPS

    LATEST RESULTS FROM THE US OPEN

    Sargis Sargsian beat Alex Corretja 2-6, 6-4, 6-0, 6-1
    David Nalbandian Dennis Ven Scheppingen 6-4, 7-6, 6-3
    Andre Agassi beat Robby Ginepri 7-6, 6-4, 6-2

    Ex-world number 1 Junior Champion Marcos Baghdatis fought bravely in
    the second round against world number 1 Roger Federer but lost 6-2,
    6-7, 6-3, 6-1, after defeating in round one the 2004 French Open
    quarter finalist Olivier Mutis 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 7-5.


    POKHAN KHMPAKRAGANI
    Dear friends,

    I enclose herewith my latest copyrighted article entitled Dreaming
    West & Moving East? that focuses on the European Union & Turkey as it
    tackles the problems of accession. This three-page article has been
    submitted to the Spectator magazine in London, and will also be posted
    on the customary hyperlinks. Fyi, and as from mid-September 2004,
    I shall have my own website too. dr harry bv hagopian, LL.D, KOG-KSL
    In calm water, every ship has a good captain!  (Swedish proverb)

    Gibrahayer is posting Dr.Harry Hagopian's conclusions, pokhan
    khmpakragani ! You can read the complete article by clicking here

      There are those who profess that Turkey's membership to the EU would
    put a stop to its rampant nationalism and curb the stranglehold of
    the military establishment on democracy, human rights and fundamental
    freedoms. Others also use the 'religious card' as an argument in
    favour of accession. Turkey must be admitted to the EU, they say, to
    prove that Europe is not a Christian club. From a more subjective
    perspective, some Armenians also add that such a step would force
    Turkey to remove its blockade of Armenia and that EU citizenship
    would provide Armenian Turks with freedom of movement.

    Notwithstanding those arguments, which could ostensibly be either right
    or wrong, the trenchant fact remains that Turkey has not fulfilled
    the criteria that would allow its admission into the EU club. I am
    not yet convinced that a credible argument could be made today for
    Turkey's EU accession. Moreover, I reject the expedient religious
    card since it is tantamount to stating that Israel must be admitted
    into the Arab League to prove that it is not a Muslim club.

    Four months shy of the cut-off date of December 2004, I recognise that
    the political and socio-economic stakes are high, and therefore the
    bars must correspondingly be high too. However, I do not live in a
    political dreamland either, and I realise that the ultimate decision
    for or against accession will be made in the uncompromisingly
    introverted political corridors of power - not at the European
    Parliament or in the intellectual corridors of a think tank.

    Might I therefore suggest two litmus tests? The burden of proof
    should rest on Turkey to prove unequivocally that it meets all
    the Copenhagen criteria in order to ensure that its accession would
    enhance rather than impede the EU. Turkey should also lift the fog of
    untruth that surrounds its denial to the Armenian Genocide by assuming
    responsibility for the aggregate crimes perpetrated against Armenian
    Turks by its predecessor regime.

    If this were to happen in a transparent and verifiable way, and
    reciprocity establishes its relevance in Armenian-Turkish relations,
    I re-iterate a promise I made to a Turkish journalist friend last
    week that I would personally welcome Turkey into the EU. But Merhaba
    is a sign of welcome that comes with trust and definition. It is not
    a giveaway greeting ..! © hbv-H @ 28 August 2004


    JUNIOR EUROVISION 2004
    Cyprus is choosing its Junior team to represent us in Junior Eurovision 2004.
    The contest which will decide our young music ambassadors, will take place on
    Tuesday September 7, 2004 from CyBC.
    Anna Loizou from Pyla and Rafael Georgiou (Somakian) will be singing "Dosde
    ta kheria".
    The winners will be decided by an island-wide televote.
    You can vote for Anna and Rafael by participating in the televote and calling
    for number 7.
    Hachoghoutiun !


    NEWS IN BRIEF
    - The Azerbaijani Football Federation has sent letters to the UEFA and FIFA,
    protesting against holding a football championship in Nagorno Karabakh.

    - A court in Azerbaijan sentenced six protesters - who had stormed a
    conference of NATO officials in Baku - to terms ranging from three to five
    years. They
    were demonstrating against the presence of two Armenian officers in the
    conference.

    - The AGBU, responding to the request of the Karabakh government, has agreed
    to sponsor a Chamber Orchestra in Karabakh.

    - Hungarian defense ministry deputy state secretary Vanperne Balok Agnesh,
    participated in the ceremonial opening of a monument honoring Hungarian war
    prisoners who died in Armenia and Armenian soldiers killed in Hungary during
    World
    War II.

    - AGBU leaders, members and friends worldwide will come together this October
    in their ancestral homeland on the occasion of AGBU's 83rd Biennial General
    Assembly to review current programs, exchange ideas and discuss new
    initiatives.



    g i b r a h a y    c a l e n d a r

    * The Annual General Meeting of The Hamazkayin Cultural and Educational
    Association "Oshakan" Cyprus Chapter will take place on Tuesday September 14,
    2004
    at 8:00 p.m. at A.Y.M.A.

    * BACK TO SCHOOL PARTY AT AYMA - Saturday September 11, 2004 at 9:00 p.m.
    Entrance 5:00 including two drinks. Music dancing and a lot of fun, just in
    time
    before the schools begin!
    * Armenian Radio Hour on The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation can be heard via
    real audio on www.cybc.com.cy . Broadcast times 17:00-18:00 local Cyprus time
    (14:00-15:00 GMT) News bulletins at 17:15 local time on Sundays, Tuesdays,
    Fridays. Armenian Cypriots can also tune in on the following radio frequencies
    91.1 FM (Mount Olympus - for Nicosia listeners) 94.2 FM
    (Paralimni/Protaras/Agia Napa) 92.4 FM (Larnaca) 96.5 FM (Paphos).

    * Every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. (Cyprus time +2 GMT) on CyBC's Trito, Puzant
    Nadjarian presents the "History of the Blues" together with Robert Camassa.
    The programme which is now in its second year can also be heard on Real Audio
    from the Internet edition of CyBC on www.cybc.com.cy . A repeat programme can
    also be heard seven hours later at 2:00 a.m. local time.

    * AYMA announces that the weekly practices of the football team begin in the
    second week of September. Contact the AYMA Sports Committee for more details.

    * The Armenian Prelature announces that the next permit for the Armenian
    Cemetery visitation at Ayios Dhometios on the Green line, is scheduled for
    Sunday
    5 September, 2004.



    Gibrahayer is an independent electronic environment, now in
    its fifth year, disseminating news & posting upcoming events
    about the Armenian community of Cyprus, Armenia, Artsakh and the
    Diaspora. The list also promotes the discussion of issues brought
    forward by its members. The subscription to this service is free. To
    subscribe to Gibrahayer e-newsletter, follow the instructions at
    http://gibrahayer.cyprusnewsletter.com. To contact the listmaster
    send an email to [email protected] This service to Gibrahayer is
    provided by GAP Vassilopoulos E-Media Ltd (www.cyprusnewsletter.com)
    GAP Vassilopoulos E-Media Ltd is not responsible for the database and
    newsletter contenet of its customers but has a stict Opt-in/Opt-out
    policy, this protects the subscriber and enforces the policy to which
    the newsletter publisher has agreed to abide. If this newsletter
    has no unsubscribe link, or the link does not work. please report it
    and it will be dealt immediately. Include this code in your report
    LATROBA123 (GIBRAYER7).
Working...
X