Turkish Islamic soft power strategies

Flag of Turkey. (credit: Wikipedia)

By Ioannis Michaletos
rimse

The Turkish foreign policy, as it has been dictated over the past few years, relies heavily in the so-called “Islamic soft-power” strategies that aim to push forward foreign policy interests via the use of Islam-based virtues of charity work and the Islamic ethics in general.

This approach has accelerated since 2007 when AKP political party in Turkey managed to establish firmly itself within the state by winning overwhelmingly its second general elections and since then it has effectively been able to disband numerous Kemalist networks of political and state influence. In terms of foreign policy, AKP places great importance into projecting Turkish interests abroad and especially in the regions of the Balkans, Middle East and Africa through the use of state-sponsored NGO’s, charity foundations and religious organizations.

For example, the original goal behind The Union of NGOs of the Islamic World (UNIW) organization was to perform a new kind of soft-power based foreign policy by the Erdogan’s Administration that aims to enchase Turkey’s role in the globe, by boosting Turkey’s profile as a major Sunni country. In short it plays the card of Sunni Islam, but in contrast to Saudi Arabia in a more moderate fashion, so as to be able to be accepted more easily by the “West” (NATO, EU). In a second level this particular NGO, acts as a hub and forum for the creation of interpersonal relations between a diverse crowd of figures that are involved in politics, business, charity and arts. Thus Turkish diplomacy, as directed by the pro-Erdogan elements- finds itself of new avenues to expand the diplomatic support this country may need for its state purposes. In simple terms, the Turkish foreign policy can “muscle” more supporters for Turkish aims and at the same time being able to grasp in a broader sense the tunes of societal changes in the contemporary globalized world. By having a reach in local societies as far as Seychelles, Indonesia and other countries, Ankara acquires a “global outlook”. In the case of the Balkans this particular organization has considerable reach in Kosovo, FYROM and Albania.

Continuing, there are many advantages of such strategies that blend Islam with foreign policy goals for Turkey. First of all the building of a “good name” abroad is an expensive process that takes years to be achieved, but once it happens, it provides the country with advantages in issues such as the direction of developmental aid, peace-keeping operations and of course a greater diplomatic clout in the United Nations. The case of Norway is illustrative. A small country of 4.5 million people has managed since the early 70′s to establish a good name for itself in regions such as Africa and South East Asia by providing financing, humanitarian aid and know-how. Thus Oslo has managed to have a reliable international voice and garner diplomatic and political support in international forums, disproportional to its small size as a state. In case of Turkey, a 70 million people country, that connects the Middle East with Southeastern Europe and with obvious ambitions of becoming a regional power; the policy benefits of charity work can be tremendous and as far as the business opportunities are concerned, quite substantial.

However, it should be noted that this use of a “soft-power approach” is not unique in international affairs, and actually it has been a well-established tool for diplomatic services for decades now. There are different sets of powers using soft power approaches. First we have the former colonial powers such as France and UK and to a lesser extent Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Portugal. The aims of these countries stem from their bonds with their former colonies, their commercial interest and their will to have a global voice by cultivating linguistic and political ties with these countries.

Then we have the Scandinavian group (Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Denmark) that are interested traditionally in keeping up a stern image of peace-loving nations and supporters of economic development. Scandinavian countries, due to their highly industrialized and technologically advanced societies, who happen to be small in numbers and in the periphery of the Northern Hemisphere, the main manner under which they can have a political impact is by providing charities to the so-called “Third world”. Also these societies have always yearned to be heard globally due to their historical isolation.

Another category is the countries of Germany and Japan. Due to the WW2 effects and the peculiar state of affairs since, their aim has been traditionally to escape from the past and emerge as nations aiming for global security and peace, through charity work amongst other. USA, Russia and China, is another group that performs charities mostly for the sake of political interests, since they all have global ambitions and are keen and cynic players in the world stage.

Lastly we have the category where Turkey is located along with Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Iran, Gulf States, Brazil, India, and Indonesia. These are all emerging market countries with ambitions of acquiring a regional role or a wider global role based mostly on the religious factor, in the case of Turkey, Sunni Islam of the so-called moderate fashion, along with the “Neo -Ottoman” tendency which is frequently being exported as a role model in the Balkan region.

Somalia is the African country where Turkey seems to have the most high-profile role nowadays. Aside from establishing several aid centers, schools, mosques and other facilities in the country, Turkey has given full scholarships to more than 1,000 Somali students to study at Turkish high schools and universities. There have been quite a few developments in Africa in general since 2007, with Turkish delegations having visited and participated in conference, forums and events in almost all Sub-Saharan African states. Nevertheless, the ambitions of Turkey in that Continent are counterbalanced by the ambitions of global players such as USA, China or the well-established presence of former European colonial powers. Somalia is a country devastated by wars, famines and dissolution of the social fabric, therefore the direction of the Turkish foreign policy it seems was to take advantage of the dire straits the Somalia society is in, so as to be able to gain a “soft-power” base rather easily. Estimations point out those similar moves by Turkey to Africa will be directed in the coming period in Sudan, Angola and Nigeria.

Turkey in Africa a rather new presence in the region and the most important countries involved in similar charity or business projects, have a achieved a long-lasting presence by either investing heavily, as is the case of China, or have committed substantial security guarantees, as is the case with USA which has a military Command for Africa (AFRICOM), that is actually very much involved in “Soft-Power” projects. The interesting fact around Turkey is the pace of activity its diplomatic efforts have been for Africa under Erdogan’s Administration, especially after his second electoral victory in 2007. Before that little attention was paid to Africa by Turkey.

It is assumed that Turkey will continue to pay attention to Somalia in particular, due to the piracy issue, since it offers diplomatic capabilities for Turkey to be involved in international culminations in such an important global security issue.

Almost all countries with either global ambitions of some sort (Political, economic), are all involved in establishing their soft power infrastructure into Africa. In the case of China for instance, this has resulted in bringing Africa closer to Beijing in diplomatic terms and has provided ample business opportunities for both sides. In the case of USA, it has resulted in a virtual political control of a significant area of Africa. In the case of European countries and the EU as a supranational organization, soft power has achieved the notion that Europe is a world mediator and a good-will actor, something that often translates into fruitful corporate and commercial arrangements and occasional diplomatic support in the UN, IMF and World Bank through the votes of the African countries.

In other regions the situation is similar, although fluctuations occur. In Latin America China is creating soft power webs of influence in Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru and increasingly Argentina that result often to business deals. In Southeastern Europe, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states have invested billions of Dollars into boosting the presence of Wahhabis, with negative results for the local societies, including terrorism incidents. In June 2012 a lecturer in the Police Academy of FYROM relayed to the local press that Al Qaeda-like training camps exist in his country and further attacks against Christians should be expected.

In Central Asia, Turkey tried in the 90′s especially to reach out to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, with no success due to the opposition by Russia and by the local elites that viewed any external influence as a danger for their survival. Attempts were intensified in these countries also after 2007, but the local governments reacted fiercely by confiscating assets of Turkish NGO’s and companies or prosecuting Turkish citizens involved.

Soft-power strategies in order to be successful needs a lot of available capital, a sophisticated state and non-state mechanism, political will, strategic global outlook, intercultural knowledge and sensitivity by the actors involved and integration of it, to the long-term visions that the prospective country has in mind. Moreover they need a solid cultural and historical base upon which they can reflect to other cultures. Thus, the tendency to use Ottoman Empire as a historical example by the modern Turkish state since it is viewed as the pinnaculum of cultural achievement by Ankara that could be exported as a “cultural best-practice” abroad.

In overall “Soft power, is not just a show of good-will but rather a carefully planned path that leads to the increase of the diplomatic capability of the country in question. Therefore the states that are able to amass all these qualities and abilities, are the ones that eventually are going to see their soft power approaches bear fruits and remain as such for the long-term.

The question that arises is what may happen if all these actors step up from their soft-power antagonism into a harder approach? History has showed that Africa and other regions will pay the price in terms of social unrest, conflicts and destabilization as each actor will try to advance it interests as it is vying for influence and power. The difference between soft and hard power it’s in the means. The ends are the same and it is the acquisition of power, control and wealth. Of course this a cynic read of international relations, and as in ever social subject, it is only of subjective nature.

Turkish Soft Power in Albania

• - On mid-May 2012 the infamous Turkish Islamic NGO “Humanitarian Relief Foundation” (Turkish name: Insan Hak ve Hurriyetleri ve Insani Yardım Vakfı) organized a mass circumcision ceremony in Tirana-Albania for 500 local children. The organization was held with the assistance of the Municipality of Istanbul which is completely under the control of the AKP party. It was a first time since the 1930′s that such a ceremony was performed in Albania and was covered by Turkish media, although the Albanian ones kept a low profile on it. A delegation of Turkish Muftis and Islamic theologists travelled from Istanbul to attend and more than 3,000 locals viewed the ceremony and participated in the afterwards feast.
• - The same period in Tirana an international conference on Sufism in the Balkans was organized by the department of Islamic theology of the Turkish “Konya Necmettin Erbakan University”. A delegation also from Istanbul theologists participated and Albanian Sufi representatives attended and expressed their views on how to enlarge this religious Islamic sect in the Balkan region.
• - In early May the President of the Albanian Parliament Mrs. Topali during a visit of her Turkish counterpart Cemil Cicek in Tirana expressed her view that the Turkish nation “Has a lot of Albanian blood” and that “Turkey is a more than just a strategic ally to Albania and is a brotherly nation”. Cicek spoke along similar lines by hailing the “Turkish-Albanian brotherhood”.
• - During the visit of Cicek who has accompanied by a delegation of Turkish Members of Parliament, a special trip was organized in the city of Shkondra, where tribute was paid to the monument of Hasan Riza Pasha (1871 – 1913) who was a general in the Ottoman Army. He was the son of Namik Pasha, Vali of Baghdad, and he was born in Baghdad. He was one of the commanders during the Siege of Scutari. He was shot dead by Osman Bali and Mehmet Kavaja, two Albanians who were servants of Essad Pasha. In parallel Cicek visited the Turkish cultural center “Junis Emre” that was established there in early 2012.
• - This center is part of a wider “Soft-power” cultural centers network being established over the past few years by Turkey in several countries such as Albania, Iran, Jordan, Belgium, Georgia, UK, Japan, Kazakhstan, Cyprus (Occupied North), Kosovo, Lebanon, FYROM, Egypt, Romania, Syria. It is under the influence of the AKP government and can be considered as one of the basic elements of the “Turkish-Islamic soft power web of influence” presently.

SPECIAL REPORT - PATRIOTS Finally Claim First Victory Against Turkish Propaganda in Thrace

Greek patriots are cheering today following the voting of a controversial bill that will now allow Greek authorities to appoint imams in public schools and mosques in Western Thrace, just as it appoints clerics in the teaching of the Orthodox and Catholic, etc. religions. The bill, which was first initiated in 2007, failed to come into law due to strong resistance by some Muslim communities in the region which are negatively influenced by the Turkish Consulate in Komotini. The pleasant surprise was that some members of PASOK also supported this important law.

The bill was passed by a majority vote during the evening hours.

During the heated debates, Golden Dawn MP Panagotis Iliopulos slammed the Turkish deputy from the PASOK party, Ahmet Hacıosman, for having the audacity to be photographed in the presence of a provocative flag of a so-called autonomous Thrace while visiting a foundation in Turkey that claims to be dedicated to issues regarding this area. But he didn't stop there, he also flat out chracterized the PASOK MP of being a “Turkish agent” for the provocative Consulate in Komotini.

On his part, Golden Dawn MP Khirtos Papas, said that his party is going to work hard to prevent any Turkish deputy from being sworn into the Parliament. And Golden Dawn MP, Artemis Matthaiopoulos, said that if the government withdraws the amendment then the Prime Minister has to resign right away. "Golden Dawn says yes to the amendment because Turkey says no."

On his part Hacıosman might of said that visiting an association in the Turkish city of Bursa is not equal to being a “Turkish agent” and that he has always been loyal to and defended his country Greece, but he did not give any explanations as to why he was visting an association which endorses an autonomous Thrace.

During the debate he called on MPs not to listen to motions that lead to deadlock and then asked all not to support this amendment. "I wonder who wants to create tensions in the region ... as a representative of the minority they did not ask for my opinion .. I am ashamed of this amendment. Who took these decisions? It is going to do enormous damage. It is a heavy blow both at home and abroad ... If passed, it would hurt my homeland Greece and Thrace ... I will not put my signature. I urge the parties to vote against. To withdraw it."

His speech prompted veteran PASOK MP to literally explode in anger and he answered his colleague with some good old fashioned rhetoric whipping. Our colleague, said Kaklamanis, has to remember that that he does not speak for one minority, but rather for all the citizens in Rhodope where he is elected. "Maybe Hacıosman is upset but the proposal of PASOK is peace in Thrace."

Basically, Leftists were against the bill, because it goes against Turkish interests in the area of Thrace.

Now that the Bill has passed, the recruitment process will proceed as follows: (and not as the Turkish press has presented it).

The Ministry of Education will set up a five member committee to select the Imams. Its members will comprise of 1) a mufti, 2) an employee of the Ministry of Education, 3) a faculty member with expertise in Islamic studies, 4) a Muslim theologian who will be appointed by the Ministry of Education and 5) another Muslim theologian who be appointed by the mufti.

Those selected will sign a contract for nine of nine months with the Ministry of Education so that the phenomenon that was caused by Law 3536/2007, when the mufti of Komotini refused to sign the contracts of Imams - after pressure from the Turkish Consulate, is not repeated.

In their statements before the voting, Hacıosman and SYRIZA deputies Ayhan Karayusuf and Huseyin Zeybek had stated that they would unequivocally reject the bill if it comes to the agenda of the assembly.

Whether the Turkish Consulate in Komotini likes it or not, education has to be one, common and equal for all Hellenic citizens, whether they are Christian and/or Muslim.

Some may ask why are these issues only concentrated in Thrace? Well, the stories about the Turkish influence in Thrace are not out of story books, they are more than real, and very, very frightening. The truth is that the situation in Thrace is only getting worse. Turkey’s program of inciting the local Muslim population, whilst simultaneously raising minority concerns in bilateral relations with Greece is in full speed in the framework of gaining leverage on geopolitical issues. Many geo-strategists in Greece believe Turkey's long term designs are to create another Cyprus (or the threat of another Cyprus) and even perhaps another Kosovo whereby they use a false pretext, protecting a "threatened" Muslim minority, so that they can have a reason to invade another country.

In an article titled, “They are cultivating the climate for the minority” by Niko Meleti from the website, Infognomon, some of the strange developments that have been occurring amongst the Muslim community in Thrace guided by the support of Turkey were highlighted.

For example, in 2009, Mustafa Sarnits, Turkish Consul General in Komotini, during the attendance of a children’s graduation ceremony of “Koran Koursou”, one of the many Islamic denominational schools which have filled Thrace, went to a Pomak village of Kechros and gave this message:

    ... I see here a Turkish community in abnegation. Continue this struggle without succumbing and support Turkism, thanks to you Turkism will continue in Thrace and will continue to live ...

Sarnits, a few days later visited the Pomak village of Chloe, to participate in celebrations in which certain people are trying to re-introduce the “Forty Kourbania” (the forty sacrifices). The event is in memory of forty soldiers of Turk Suleiman Pasha, who fell in the struggle for the conquest of Thrace in the 14th century!

Many people who work together or on the part of the Turkish Consulate are also urging Muslims to send their children to minority-only schools (and not bilingual public schools), so as to further the reach of Islamic Turkish identity. In other words, so the process of Turkification can continue.

Obviously, these incidents have raised legitimate concerns about the methodical and systematic effort of the Turkish Consulate - surpassing its mission and terms of reference - to cultivate favorable grounds for the demands of Turkey to interfere directly and in a divisive manner in the internal affairs of Greece.

Of interest is also a classified document (No. 1044 / 12 September 2008) from the National Intelligence Service (EYP), and which was revealed by the magazine “Epikaira”, claiming that the intense involvement of the US Consulate in Thessaloniki in this region as well. According to the document the ultimate goal was the manipulation of the Greek Muslim minority and its subsequent exploitation to serve American interests in the region.

The Greek secret services highlighted the very strong interest shown by U.S. officials on issues related to minority education, going so far as to exert pressure even on a specific teacher working in a minority elementary school in the village Megalos Dereios in Evros. The teacher was the well-known Chara Nikopoulou, who, after having provoked the wrath of the Turkish consulate in Komotini, because she strongly argued that her students being Pomaks were not Turks, she was subsequently targeted by the Greek Ministry of Education, which swiftly transferred her, criticizing her for exercising foreign policy inside the school.

Speaking of the Pomak community, through lies and deceit, Turkophiles in Thrace are working towards creating the regime and pseudo state they have long been wishing for. Local Turkish-bred officials won't let Pomaks build homes of their own, yet they conveniently shift the blame on the Greek state. The intimidation of Greek Muslim Pomaks by hired stool pigeons of the Turkish Consulate in Komotini has been publicly denounced on more than one occasion, and the ways in which Ankara has been trying for years to embrace the Muslim population of Greek Thrace is well documented.

Admittedly, all too often, the practices employed by Consulate officials can be traced back to a series of fateful mishandling on the part of the Greek state in previous decades, such as its refusal to tear down any barrier that led to the Pomaks' isolation, which has since impacted on their lives in multiple ways. Thank heavens that was in the past, and things have now changed.

The most pervasive change perceived in the Pomak population is the restoration of trust in the Greek authorities, which has resulted in their feeling encouraged enough to invest funds -- small, yet effective -- in business start ups, new housing projects or attempts to rebuild already existing homes. This change-of-heart and newly experienced entrepreneurial drive among Greek Pomaks is the effect of the horrendous exploitation they suffered in the hands of a promised 'Turkish homeland'.

One only needs to consider the physical abuse and kidnappings of Pomaks by Turkish nationals, once the former attempted to claim part of their earnings from their investments, in order to begin to grasp the enormity of the collective crime perpetrated in the region. The Turks not only apparently abused the Pomaks, but also demanded ransom to allow them to return to their families, or so some reports say. Still, the Pomaks' willingness to invest in the land, i.e. in the construction of new homes and the rebuilding of ancestral ones turned out to be a pivotal issue that gave rise to a series of turbulent developments, masterfully orchestrated by Ankara and its agent provocateurs within the local government system of Thrace, i.e. councillors and mayors.

Interestingly enough, such interventionist practices of Turkish-bred officials could be observed in the municipalities of Selero and Myki, within the prefecture of Xanthi, where Turkophile sentiments run high and local government officials are in effect puppets of the self-proclaimed mufti Ahmed Mete, as well as of any appointed consul in Komotini.

As was expected, the 'boys' of the Turkish Consulate in Komotini took full advantage of the Greek administrative disorder and rigidity in order to convince the Pomaks that the Greek state is solely to blame and will do anything in its power to block the construction of new homes by the Pomak population, which, needless to say, is a preposterous lie. This lie was easily turned into a propaganda tool in the hands of the Turkish Consulate, now busy manufacturing slurs against the 'insensitive' Greek state, which has supposedly put a ban on the construction of Pomak homes, thus forcing the Pomak population to live in a 'cramped enclave', while their living standard keeps declining, as they have no choice but to live in deprivation. That, in short, is the crux of the masterfully manufactured Turkish propaganda in Thrace.

According to local administrative red tape that was typical of previous decades, the issuing of a permit for the construction of a house fell in the jurisdiction of the local Department of Urban Infrastructure operating in each prefecture. As a result of the changes brought about by the Kapodistrias project, initiated by the Greek government, it is now the local municipal authorities that have that jurisdiction. They are responsible for setting up a municipal urban infrastructure service, hire any necessary staff and allocate funds off the municipal budget for various purposes.

Sadly, the Turkish-bred local administration officials chose not to set up that service, despite the fact that they were well aware of the fact that their decision, or lack thereof, would impact on the lives of any Greek Muslim Pomaks wishing to apply for a permit in order to build a new home. When the Pomaks protested against the absence of a local permit-issuing service, a debate flared up. Eventually, the service was set up, but the Pomaks were now faced with another hurdle: no new houses could be built as there was no prior urban-planning study to enable a decision to expand the borders of the Pomak community. To make matters worse, there was no effort whatsoever on the part of Turkish-bred officials to obtain the approval necessary for the funding of such a study. That left the Pomaks of the tiny community of Glafki, in the municipality of Myki, with no other choice but, either to build on already existing property or, worse even, to give up trying and leave the area, since they were not even allowed to build a chicken coop outside the borders of their community.

Meanwhile, the problem that has emerged as a result of the local administration inertia is being used as a pretext for the launching of another round of anti-Greek propaganda by Ankara. "They won't let us build our homes," moan the Turkish-hired agents in the coffee houses, purposefully failing to name the actual perpetrators. What it all boils down to is a new impasse for the Pomak population, for which the local Turkish-bred officials are wholly to blame, and yet that blame is placed on the Greek state, since no one dares to inform the Pomaks -- for fear of undergoing what the Pomaks already have -- that it is now the local mayor and town councillors that are in charge of urban planning issues, including any decisions affecting the drafting and redefining of the borders of a community as well as the issuing of new construction permits.

In case anyone should wonder how the Greek state has reacted to yet another wave of slander against it, typically, it has done absolutely nothing to help the truth and hard facts to surface. For unspecified reasons, the government mechanism has gone into hibernation and does not seem capable of pointing to the true nature and roots of the problem, or intervening to facilitate the surmounting of obstacles mindfully or mindlessly set up and used as means of propaganda by the Consulate circles.

And there you have it. The vote, might be a minor step at solving some of our national issues but at least it is a step. Seriously, how can any patriot allow Thrace to become a field where any enemy can roam free, planting the seeds of Turkish propaganda? How can people who love this country and its rich history allow the spreading of negative impressions and doubts to loom as to the effectiveness of the Greek welfare state and the degree of equality and equity that all Greek citizens? Especially with Greek Muslims.

In such a framework, the State, and especially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs -- which, for some VERY ODD reason, happens to be in charge of a number of issues relating to Thrace (or was during the Papandreou era) -- ought to collaborate so that at least part of the "armory" of Turkish propaganda can be eliminated.

Some might say that is wishful thinking on our part, and we here at HellasFrappe would agree with them, but our hope is that the present government correct the wrongdoings of the past, (and especially those made during PASOK's rule) which were totally passive and always had an awkwardly silent stance on many issues in this region.

References

• Defencenet
• madata.gr
• newsbomb
• antifonitis
• infognomonpolitics
• proxeneio-stop
• HellasFrappe Archive - Classified documents reveal US energy coup & Papandreou's retreat on FYROM  
• HellasFrappe Archive - Yes Virginia: Modern Heroes Do Exist: The Story of Hara Nikopoulou

HF

Parliament Decides Single Vote With 4 Ballots On Probe Of "Lagarde list"

 The Greek Parliament in Athens (credit: Wikipedia)

The Greek parliament plenary decided that a single vote will be held with four ballot boxes - one for each of the four individuals on which motions have been tabled for investigation by a parliamentary preliminary investigation committee on accountability of political figures in the so-called 'Lagarde list' affair.  MPs decided that a single vote will be held, but with four ballot boxes, for each of the four individuals that political parties have proposed be investigated, in order to ensure that the secrecy of the vote is respected. Four ballots sheets will be handed out to the MPs for the vote, each containing the name of one of the four individuals and the specific wrongdoings that individual is being referred to the parliamentary probe committee for investigation.

Parliament later will be called on to decide whether the politicians that handled the 'Lagarde list' should face a criminal investigation over their failure to make use of the information this contained in order to uncover possible tax evasion or illegal income, and also in connection with the three names removed from the list that were family members of former PASOK finance minister George Papakonstantinou.

The ruling three-party coalition (New Democracy, PASOK, DIMAR) has proposed that there be a preliminary investigation only for Papakonstantinou, main opposition SYRIZA wants an investigation of both Papakonstantinou and his successor at the finance ministry, current PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos, while the Independent Greeks party has motioned that the investigation also include former premiers George Papandreou and Lucas Papademos.

The 'Lagarde list', sent roughly two years ago to the then Greek finance minister George Papakonstantinou by the then French finance minister Christine Lagarde (currently managing director of the IMF), contained the names of 1,991 Greek citizens with sizeable bank accounts at the Geneva branch of HSBC bank. The list had ended up in the hands of French authorities about four years ago when they seized digital evidence from the house of former HSBC employee Herve Falciani. (AMNA)

ZAGALISA: the newspaper of the Pomaks of Greece

"ZAGALISA" is the oldest newspaper of the forty-thousand Greek Thrace’s Pomaks. It was established in 1997. Today, this newspaper is re-published in order to:

a) reserve the Pomak language which is included in the catalogue of the less-speaking languages in Europe,

b) defend the cultural rights of the Pomaks

c) demand from the Greek government to stop treating legally and practically the Pomak population as a part of the Turkish-speaking Muslim minority with which the only bonds that exist are the religious ones.

d) invite the international organizations such as the European Union, the United Nations, human rights’ organizations and the common opinion, to protect the Pomaks from the genocide practices which the members of the Greek Thrace’s Turkish-speaking minority are carrying out (in cooperation with the Turkish government). At this point, we must mention that these members are denying to the Pomaks the right of self-determination, forcing them to declare that they are Turkish and not Pomaks in a racist way.

We declare that the fight which is being carried out by the Greek Thrace’s Turkish speaking people in order to protect their rights is hypocritical as it is being based on the racism and the psychological violence against the Pomaks. We do not want to be Pomak minority inside Turkish minority, we just want to be Pomaks in the name of the a free and democratic Greek society. zagalisa

Gov't Sends Condolences On Death of Greek American Journalist

Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos, government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou, New Democracy (ND) party Political Committee secretary Manolis Kefaloyiannis and ND's Overseas Hellenism secretary Takis Skandalakis  expressed their condolences over the death of Greek American journalist Dimitris Kastanas.Avramopoulos said that Kastanas "gave a voice to Hellenism of America and at the same time he brought the American public into contact with 'the image of a Greece that made us all proud with its history and its culture'."

Kedikoglou was quoted by the state news agency as saying that Kastanas "succeeded in winning the hearts of the millions of Greek American viewers, conveying the image of a Greece that made them proud for its history and its culture".Kefaloyiannis stressed that Kastanas devoted his life to the briefing of Overseas Hellenism, while Skandalakis said that the deceased "for many decades constituted one of the basic pylons of Hellenism of New York". 

Dutch Tourists Arrivals To Ionian Islands Expected To Rise in 2013

View from Spartochori, Meganisi, Ionian Islands(credit: Wikipedia)

The Ionian islands are not only a favorite holiday favorite for Greeks, but they are also very popular with the Dutch. At the recent Utrecht Travel and Tourism Fair that was held between January 8-13, the Ionian Islands Periphery took part with its own pavilion and according to reports it looks like our western Greek islands will probably see a 5-10 percent increase in Dutch tourist arrivals this year. Indeed, the general mood in the travel market about Greece has completely changed, and this is also very evident in The Netherlands.

New Commissioners Of Greek Systemic Banks

(credit: Wikipedia)

Grant Thornton, Mazar's and KPMG have been appointed as commissioners - independent accountants at the country's largest bank with the task of controlling credit policy decisions and having a say in the restructuring of troubled loans. The European Union has informed the country's four large, systemic, banks that Grant Thornton will take over as commissioner in National Bank and Eurobank - the two banks are in the process of merging -, Mazar's in Alpha Bank and KPMG in Piraeus Bank.

Their first job will be to evaluate the situation of each bank and setting - in cooperation with the banks' managements - the main business targets. The independent accountants will submit quarterly progress reports to the European Union. The four systemic banks have already submitted their business plans, while they are currently working on revised plans. Greek bankers said they were fully prepared to work together with commissioners and looked forward to a fruitful cooperation.

In other banking news, the National Bank of Greece (NBG) said it has not drafted any plan to withdraw from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) -where the bank trades its ADRs on its common and preferred shares. In an announcement to the Athens Stock Exchange -replying to press reports- the bank said, however, it was constantly examining all data and prospects of its share transaction in organized markets and was immediately informing investors over any developments.

And finally, Greece successfully auctioned a 13-week Treasury bill issue raising 1.625 billion euros from the market at a lower cost. The Public Debt Management Organization, in a statement, said that the yield of the issue was set at 4.07 pct, down from 4.11 pct in the previous auction of same T-bills in December 18, 2012. Bids submitted totaled 2.82 billion euros, or 1.75 times more than the asked sum. The organization also accepted non-competitive bids worth 375 million euros. Settlement date was set for Friday, 18 January.

(Combined reports, AMNA)

SAILING FEE - New Transit & Docking Tax for Yachts, Boats

The government on Tuesday said it plans to introduce a transit and residence tax for all privately owned leisure crafts (yachts, boats), irrespective of their flag, and underlines that there will be a trend for the return of craft of Greek waters and Greek marinas once it is introduced. According to an announcement from the finance ministry, the new measure aims to boost the economies of islands and coastal regions and create thousands of new jobs, as well as at the same time put an end to uncertainty over the taxation treatment of leisure crafts.

The ministry said that the new tax is to include a charge for docking at non-privately marinas, which are currently free. Parallel to this, the new tax will coincide with the abolition of 'luxury goods' taxes previously imposed on leisure boats that failed to generate the expected returns and actually caused public revenues to slump. It is going to be included in a draft bill on marine tourism that is due to be tabled in Parliament by the finance and shipping ministries in the near future.

The announcement notes that the previous tax on leisure boats led to a huge loss of jobs, VAT revenue and turnover for all related business activity, while the yield of the luxury tax on an annual basis was minute. It also had a disastrous effect on Greek companies importing leisure craft, whose sales literally collapsed since no Greek or foreign buyer imported to Greece due to the high VAT (23 percent) and the additional 10 percent 'luxury goods' tax that led to a cancellation of all planned imports.

Lawlessness Not Acceptable - Common Front Against Violence

The escalation of violence and the daily problems of the real economy occupied centre stage at the meeting on Tuesday of the three political leaders whose parties comprise the ruling coalition.

Coming out of the meeting at Prime Minister Antonis Samara's Maximos Mansion headquarters, PASOK party leader Evangelos Venizelos said society must unanimously condemn phenomena of violence. He called on democratic forces in parliament to present a common front before racism-based violence, indirectly hinting that the Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avgi) party should be excluded. In terms of the economy, Venizelos said the three discussed mostly the problems the market and families face on a daily basis. He also said they discussed issues of national strategy, but did not provide details because he said both economy and strategy issues would be discussed at their next meeting. Asked to comment on the so-called Lagarde list issue, he said that there was a crude political plot by political forces, abetted by specific individuals. "The facts have spoken," he added.

"The democratic forces must raise a fortified wall against those who attack democracy," Democratic Left (DI.MAR.) leader Fotis Kouvelis said after the meeting at the Maximos Mansion. The three leaders, whose parties comprise the ruling coalition, also discussed the need to develop a social protection network for lower-income classes being affected most by the crisis and measures to stem unemployment, Kouvelis said.

To a query on what procedure the Parliament will use to vote on the so-called 'Lagarde list', DI.MAR's leader said that was a matter of the parliamentary presidents and the plenary session. Asked about plans for the Hellenic PostBank (TT) and whether its restructuring will proceed, Kouvelis said he introduced the topic in the agenda to ensure that any decision does not harm the bank's employees.amna

Following a briefing he gave to the political leaders, Public Order Minister Nikos Dendias said that lawlessness will never be acceptable, whatever its source. Leaving the meeting, the minister said he briefed the leaders "about the latest incidents of violence and about the great effort being undertaken to strengthen public safety in the land." (AMNA)

Turkey Blocks Cyprus-Israel Affiliation in Int'l Agency for Renewable Energies

(Photo credit: Daikrieg)

Turkey is outraged over a much awaited Greece-Cyprus-Israeli EEZ unification and in retaliation blocked Cyprus and Israel's affiliation with the International Agency for Renewable Energies (IRENA) on Tuesday at its recent meeting in Abu Dhabi.

Greece, along with Cyprus and Israel have already forged strong a strong strategy against Turkish threats, in terms of aerial surveillance and protection of EEZs, while the next step will be to unite all three EEZs (those that have already been designated by Israel and Cyprus and that the other EEZ that Greece intends to declare). But Turkey, which wants to be the only dominant force in the region, is continuing to challenge this move by striking at two of the three partners in the area of renewable energies. This is apparently a very important sector for both countries since they are blessed with high levels of sunshine most of the year just as Greece is and exploit its possibilities.

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yildiz said that his country does not view Israeli and Cyprus memberships as being positive. "This is a permanent and assiduous policy of Turkey. No one can expect us to support an understanding which always tries to exclude us from Europe and from other environments, and, as a consequense we oppose Israel's and Cyprus' membership to the Council."

Nonetheless, its really not a big loss, after all the goal is to concentrate on natural gas development and a single huge, profitable EEZ, something that Turkey never thought would happen in its worse nightmares.

Strangely enough, since Israel turned their attention toward renewable energy, they've moved into the top tier for such things ... or they were almost two years ago. But under Prime Minister Erdogan, Turkey has been more concerned with spewing bile than effectiveness. And to be fair, he's very good at spewing bile.

The Minister said that voting on admission of new members to the IRENA was held in the UAE's capital Abu Dhabi. Given that Turkey is a member of the agency, the country was able to oppose the adoption of Cyprus and Israel to membership in IRENA.

The International Agency for Renewable Energies was established in January 2009 at its founding conference in Bonn. The event on Tuesday was apparently  attended by well over 120 countries. IRENA is the first organization on the intergovernmental level with the power to stimulate the development of renewable energy sources. The Agency aims to take its rightful place in the global energy sector, along with the IAEA and IEA. It's charter is signed by 141 States (47 African, 37 European, 33 Asian, 15 representing the American continents, 9 - Australia and Oceania), as well as the European Union, while its main activities include the provision of consulting services, the creation of framework conditions for the use of renewable energy sources, as well as the financing and provision of appropriate technology for their application.

References
defencenet
todayszaman

Goldman Sachs & Big Hedge Funds Pushing Leverage To Ridiculous Extremes

 (credit: Wikipedia)

As stocks have risen in recent years, the big hedge funds and the "too big to fail" banks have used borrowed money to make absolutely enormous profits.  But when you use debt to potentially multiply your profits, you also create the possibility that your losses will be multiplied if the markets turn against you. When the next stock market crash happens, and the gigantic pyramid of risk, debt and leverage on Wall Street comes tumbling down, will highly leveraged banks such as Goldman Sachs ask the federal government to bail them out?

Michael Snyder, Contributor
Activist Post

 The use of leverage is one of the greatest threats to our financial system, and yet most Americans do not even really understand what it is. The following is a basic definition of leverage from Investopedia:

    The use of various financial instruments or borrowed capital, such as margin, to increase the potential return of an investment. 

Leverage allows firms to make much larger bets in the financial markets than they otherwise would be able to, and at this point Goldman Sachs and the big hedge funds are pushing leverage to ridiculous extremes. When the financial markets go up and they win on those bets, they can win very big.  For example, revenues at Goldman Sachs increased by about 30 percent in 2012 and Goldman stock has soared by more than 40 percent over the past 12 months.  Those are eye-popping numbers.  But leverage is a double-edged sword. When the markets turn, Goldman Sachs and many of these large hedge funds could be facing astronomical losses.

Sadly, it appears that Wall Street did not learn any lessons from the financial crisis of 2008.  Hedge funds have ramped up leverage to levels not seen since before the last stock market crash. The following comes from a recent Bloomberg article entitled "Hedge-Fund Leverage Rises to Most Since 2004 in New Year"...

    Hedge funds are borrowing more to buy equities just as loans by New York Stock Exchange brokers reach the highest in four years, signs of increasing confidence after professional investors trailed the market since 2008.
    Leverage among managers who speculate on rising and falling shares climbed to the highest level to start any year since at least 2004, according to data compiled by Morgan Stanley. Margin debt at NYSE firms rose in November to the most since February 2008, data from NYSE Euronext show.

So why is this so important?

Well, as a recent Zero Hedge article explained, even a relatively small drop in stock prices could potentially absolutely devastate many hedge funds...

    What near record leverage means is that hedge funds have absolutely zero tolerance for even the smallest drop in prices, which are priced to absolute and endless central bank-intervention perfection - sorry, fundamentals in a time when global GDP growth is declining, when Europe and Japan are in a double dip recession, when the US is expected to report its first sub 1% GDP quarter in years, when corporate revenues and EPS are declining just don't lead to soaring stock prices.
    It also means that with virtually all hedge funds in such hedge fund hotel names as AAPL (the stock held by more hedge funds - over 230 - than any other), any major drop in the price would likely lead to a wipe out of the equity tranche at the bulk of AAPL 'investors', sending them scrambling to beg for either more LP generosity, or to have their prime broker repo desk offer them even more debt. And while the former is a non-starter, the latter has so far worked, which means that most hedge funds have been masking losses with more debt, which then suffers even more losses, and so on.

By the way, Apple (AAPL) just fell to an 11-month low. Apple stock has now declined by 26 percent since it hit a record high back in September.  That is a very bad sign for hedge funds. But hedge funds are not the only ones flirting with disaster. In a previous article about the derivatives bubble, I pointed out the ridiculous amount of derivatives exposure that some of these "too big to fail" banks have relative to their total assets...

    According to the Comptroller of the Currency, four of the largest U.S. banks are walking a tightrope of risk, leverage and debt when it comes to derivatives.  Just check out how exposed they are...

JPMorgan Chase
    Total Assets: $1,812,837,000,000 (just over 1.8 trillion dollars)
    Total Exposure To Derivatives: $69,238,349,000,000 (more than 69 trillion dollars)

Citibank
    Total Assets: $1,347,841,000,000 (a bit more than 1.3 trillion dollars)
    Total Exposure To Derivatives: $52,150,970,000,000 (more than 52 trillion dollars)

Bank Of America
    Total Assets: $1,445,093,000,000 (a bit more than 1.4 trillion dollars)
    Total Exposure To Derivatives: $44,405,372,000,000 (more than 44 trillion dollars)

Goldman Sachs
    Total Assets: $114,693,000,000 (a bit more than 114 billion dollars - yes, you read that correctly)
    Total Exposure To Derivatives: $41,580,395,000,000 (more than 41 trillion dollars)

Take another look at those figures for Goldman Sachs.  If you do the math, Goldman Sachs has total exposure to derivatives contracts that is more than 362 times greater than their total assets. That is utter insanity, but we haven't had a derivatives crash yet so everyone just keeps pretending that the emperor actually has clothes on.

When the derivatives crisis happens, things in the financial markets are going to fall apart at lightning speed.  A recent article posted on goldsilverworlds.com explained what a derivatives crash may look like...
Limited Edition - 1 Ounce Silver Medallion

    When one big bank faces some kind of trouble and fails, the banks with the largest exposure to derivatives (think JP Morgan, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs) will realize that the bank on the other side of the derivatives trade (the counterparty) is no longer good for their obligation. All of a sudden the hedged position becomes a naked position. The net position becomes a gross position. The risk explodes instantaneously. Markets realize that their hedged positions are in reality not hedged anymore, and all market participants start bailing almost simultaneously. The whole banking and financial system freezes up. It might start in Asia or Europe, in which case Americans will wake up in the morning to find out that their markets are  not functioning anymore; stock markets remain closed, money at the banks become inaccessible, etc.

But for now, the party continues. Goldman Sachs and many of the big hedge funds are making enormous piles of money. In fact, according to the Wall Street Journal, Goldman Sachs recently gave some of their top executives 65 million dollars worth of restricted stock...

    Goldman Sachs Group Inc. GS -0.76% handed insiders including Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein and his top lieutenants a total of $65 million in restricted stock just hours before this year's higher tax rates took effect.
    The New York securities firm gave 10 of its directors and executives early vesting on 508,104 shares previously awarded as part of prior years' compensation, according to a series of filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission late Monday.

And the bonuses that employees at Goldman receive are absolutely obscene.  A recent Daily Mail article explained that Goldman employees in the UK are expected to receive record-setting bonuses this year...

    Britain’s army of bankers will re-ignite public fury over lavish pay rewards as staff at Goldman Sachs are expected to reward themselves £8.3 billion in bonuses on Wednesday.
    The American investment bank, which employs 5,500 staff in the UK, will be the first to unveil its telephone number-sized rewards – an average of £250,000 a person – as part of the latest round of bonus updates.
    The increase, up from £230,000 last year, comes as British families are still struggling to make ends meet five years after banks brought the economy to the brink of meltdown.

Wouldn't you like to get a "bonus" like that? Life is good at these firms while the markets are going up. But what happens when the party ends? What happens if the markets crash in 2013?  When you bet big, you either win big or you lose big. For now, the gigantic bets that Wall Street firms are making with borrowed money are paying off very nicely. But a day of reckoning is coming.  The next stock market crash is going to rip through Wall Street like a chainsaw and the carnage is going to be unprecedented.

Are you sure that the people holding your money will be able to make it through what is ahead?  You might want to look into it while you still can.

This article first appeared here at the Economic Collapse Blog.  Michael Snyder is a writer, speaker and activist who writes and edits his own blogs The American Dream and Economic Collapse Blog. Follow him on Twitter

Albania Plays “Greater Albania” Card in Northern Kosovo

 (credit: Wikipedia)

The response of the Kosovo Albanians – who still want to win everything and reject any compromise over the north – to Serbia’s new “Kosovo Resolution” and the Platform is seeking to scare their international friends by raising the specter of Albanian irredentism.
   
By Gerard M. Gallucci
transconflict

Recently, it has become possible to believe that the main Western countries supporting Kosovo independence – the Quint – are now reconciled to being unable to resolve the issue of the north through force. The EU and NATO have stopped trying to impose Pristina’s rule on the northern Kosovo Serbs and have instead stood aside to encourage direct negotiations. The post-Tadic government in Belgrade appears to be moving more briskly toward accepting the practical independence of Kosovo by setting aside the question of sovereignty (leaving it to both sides to see it as they wish) and offering to “normalize” relations through practical solutions to practical issues. Its new “Kosovo Resolution” and the Platform behind it offer a way to resolve the north in such a practical manner with a degree of local autonomy that goes a bit further than the Ahtisaari Plan. The Quint may be ready to accept such an outcome to finally shake the Kosovo issue off its shoes. This would not please the Kosovo Albanians who still want to win everything and reject the merest hint of compromise over the north. Their response – the one used successfully in the past – is seeking to scare their international friends back into line by raising the specter of Albanian irredentism.

The Kosovo Albanian side has often hinted that any effort to recognize the uniqueness of the north would lead to regional instability in the form of pressure from Albanians in southern Serbia and Macedonia. Now in the face of possible compromise, the Albanians are again sharpening their regional instability spears:

    The Kosovo representative to the EU reportedly warned that with “Serb and Albanian enclaves in Bosnia, Macedonia and Serbia also aspiring to autonomy … any change to current borders in the region could threaten stability.”
    The Self-Determination movement raised directly the quest for a “Greater Albania” with a call for Albania and Kosovo to become a “federation.”
    The local Albanian majority government in Presevo erected a provocative monument to the “Liberation Army of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medveda” (UCPMB) – which fought for separation from Serbia – and dared the Serbian government to remove it while appealing for help to “internationalize” the issue as NATO did in Kosovo in 1999.
    The so-called Albanian National Army (ANA) in Kosovo threatened armed action reportedly saying that it would “mobilize its members to defend against Serb threats to secede a part of the Kosovo territory and threats to forcibly remove UCPMB monument in Presevo.

This may be mostly bluster to see if it’s possible to scare the Quint. Belgrade would be wise to allow the monument to remain and thus not contribute to it remaining an issue. But provocations and threats of violence should not be allowed to close the door to compromise over north Kosovo. The Serb majority there has made it clear it will not accept rule by Pristina. No Serbian government can yet agree to recognize Kosovo independence. This leaves nowhere to go to settle the Kosovo issue except by the formula now on the table: Set aside the issue of recognition, keep the north in Kosovo but with increased local autonomy, reach status-neutral approaches to issues such as customs, property, telecoms and electricity. Let both Serbia and Kosovo prepare for the EU.

Now, if the two sides should at some point agree on an exchange of territories, Presevo for north Kosovo, why stop them? If the Albanians of Albania and Kosovo then decide to come together, why not? It would be dishonest and counterproductive for the Europeans to oppose the consolidation of a nation state just because they consider themselves “post-modern” and beyond all that. But threats of instability if one side doesn’t get everything it wants, should be clearly beyond the pale.

Gerard M. Gallucci is a retired US diplomat and UN peacekeeper. He worked as part of US efforts to resolve the conflicts in Angola, South Africa and Sudan and as Director for Inter-American Affairs at the National Security Council. He served as UN Regional Representative in Mitrovica, Kosovo from July 2005 until October 2008 and as Chief of Staff for the UN mission in East Timor from November 2008 until June 2010.

To read TransConflict’s policy paper, written by Gerard and entitled ‘The Ahtisaari Plan and North Kosovo’, please click here.

US Condemns Recent Violence In Greece

 (credit: Wikipedia)

The government of the United States condemns the "recent violence in Greece," Department of State spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters during a regular briefing of the press. Responding to a question regarding "terrorist attacks" against journalists, last week, and New Democracy party headquarters on Monday, a report from the state news agency quoted her as saying that "we obviously condemn the recent violence in Greece." Nuland then called on Greek citizens to express their views by "protesting peacefully," adding that "resorting to violence is never justified."

British Airways Fined With 32,000 Euros For Sacking Woman Because She Wore Cross

 (credit: John H Wright Photo)

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that British Airways violated an employee’s right to freedom of religion by firing her for wearing a crucifix at work. The Strasbourg court awarded the Coptic Christian 32,000 euros in compensation. “The domestic authorities failed sufficiently to protect the first applicant’s right to manifest her religion, in breach of the positive obligation under article 9,” the ECHR said in a majority ruling, citing Article 9 of the European Convention of Human Rights, which guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

Nadia Eweida, a practicing Coptic Christian, was awarded €2,000 ($2,665) in compensation by the court after it ruled against an earlier decision by UK courts. A further €30,000 (almost $40,000) was awarded in legal costs. The British Airways check-in clerk was asked to leave her job in 2006 after refusing to remove her crucifix.

A UK employment tribunal ruled that Eweida had not been subjected to religious discrimination. However, by the time the court made its ruling, British Airways had already changed its uniform code on visible items of jewelry to allow symbols of faith to be worn. “The fact that the company was able to amend the uniform code to allow for the visible wearing of religious symbolic jewelry demonstrates that the earlier prohibition was not of crucial importance,” the judges said in a comment on British Airways’ police change.

The ECHR ruling said the British court had failed to balance the competing issues in Eweida’s case. While the employer wished to protect a certain corporate image, Eweida desired to display her religious beliefs. Though British Airways had a legitimate motive, “the domestic courts accorded it too much weight,” the ECHR’s judgment said.

With Eweida’s case as precedent, Strasbourg was not quite so benevolent to another complainant. Shirley Chaplain, a nurse from Exeter, was transferred to a desk job by the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust for refusing to remove a confirmation crucifix she had worn for 30 years. Though the case appears to be almost identical to Eweida’s, the judges ruled unanimously that the British courts had resolved Chaplain’s issue fairly.

The ECHR judges ruled that the request by the hospital authorities to remove the cross for reasons of health and safety to prevent the spread of infections “was inherently more important,” and that the hospital was “well placed to make decisions about clinical safety.”

UK Prime Minster David Cameron said he was “delighted” by the ECHR’s ruling, and that the “principle of wearing religious symbols at work has been upheld.” But Keith Porteous-Wood of the National Secular Society said the idea of a ban on wearing crosses was “absolutely risible,” because hundreds of thousands of people around the UK wear crosses “with no problem at all.”

Porteous-Wood said he was delighted with the ruling because “we don’t want to see a hierarchy of rights with religion at the top.” philotimo-leventia

Greece-FYROM Name Dispute - We Welcome The Republic of Vardar ... Only

Quoting reports in the Bulgarian magazine FOKOUS and the FYROManian newspaper NovaMakedonija, an article in the Sunday edition of "Dimokratia" said that during last week's visit by UN mediator Mathew Nimetz to FYROM two names were thrown on the negotiating table The "Republic of Northern Macedonia" "and" the "Republic of Vardar". As Greeks, we obviously ignore the first proposal, but the second proposal would put an end to this decades old conflict once and for all.

Nimetz’s push follows the conclusion of the EU Council, which said that any decision on opening accession talks for FYROM would be based on the report of the European Commission to be published in spring 2013. The report is expected to assess whether FYROM has made genuine steps forward towards reaching a deal with Greece on its name.

The proposal for the - Republic of "Vardar Macedonia"-  has actually been on the negotiating table since the talks first began, since the republic was known as Vardarska in the past anyway. Vardarska was a province of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between 1929 and 1941 and located where today's FYROM is today. It was named after the Vardar River and its administrative capital was the city of Skopje.

However, this latest proposal is different -or so the reports claim- for it does not contain the word "Macedonia", and if this is so then this is indeed a great development. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is playing a personal role in this issue, because he is determined to end this decades long dispute once and for all.

The news -if accepted by FYROM- should be viewed with great enthusiasm because Greece might be suffering economically, but it still has to operate as a nation state and as such it is indeed calming knowing that our national issues are once again a high priority on the government's agenda, unlike the Papandreou era.

If ,on the other, the name "Northern Macedonia" is accepted, then FYROM would go about its business globally using this name. And we bet our bottom euro that the international community would -in no time- be left with the impression that eventually the north and the south should unite.

This cannot happen for many reasons.

For one if we accept the term "Northern Macedonia" then we will open an EU and NATO door to FYROM and we kid you not that after a few months FYROM will shed itself of the term "Northern" and just keep the term "Macedonia", just like the Jordanians did after WWII when the British established the "Transjordan" Republic. If you read up on this Arab nation;s history you will see that when the "Transjordanian" parliament held its first anniversary -meaning only one year after this state was established-  it decided to eliminate the historically weak identification "Trans" and keep the name "Jordan".

Also, who will slap FYROM on the butt for making a corresponding move after they finally snatch our signature?

The UN?

How?

By sending an army so that they can force them to respect the terms of the agreement?

Obviously not because if this was so.. Then the UN would have banished "Attila" from the divided island of Cyprus ages ago!

For Greece, and people of Greek decent worldwide, the issue of the name is not only a national issue, but also a matter of dignity and pride. And as Greeks we must push for the second proposal at all costs. We cannot allow our leaders to make concessions of any sort because we have been weakened economically, not only for the reasons listed above but also because this will immediately be exploited by our "other" neighbors at the other side of the Aegean.

In fact we cannot back down, and we must push towards this direction with much determination . We have to finally show the world that as Greeks we respect, defend and especially honor this country and its rich history, its cultural diversity and its heritage.

That is why we believe that the second proposal by Nimetz is best. The "Republic of Vardar" is therefore welcomed by the Greek people... because quite simply Macedonia is, was and will always be Greek.

HF

ANNOUNCEMENT - HellasFrappe Needs Your Help Now More Than Ever

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This blog depends on readers to help offset the cost of maintaining a blog. Without it, we cannot continue operating.

We will give you an example. Over two thousand people a day log into HellasFrappe, but in the month of December only a hundred or so people clicked on our ads, and all we profited was a mere one euro and twenty cents. In other words, we worked a whole month for only 1.20 and are still here determined not to allow this blog to fade away. Thank heavens we received 250 euros in donations from two fans of the blog during the same month or else it would have been impossible to even continue doing this.

These are difficult times for Greece, and we really need this help. Please help us maintain this blog, we have worked so hard to watch it fall and fade away. Provide whatever you can $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, etc. It does not have to be a specific amount, the point is that you will do your part in allowing it to continue. And if you can't then that is ok but we ask that you post our articles so that we can increase our traffic and hopefully someone else will help us. Or at lease click on our ads, this also helps as well. Help us to continue this project which is vital for the free flow of information.

Make a donation by simply clicking on the donate button.

To all of those who have assisted in the past, the only thing we can say is Thank you for giving us the strength to continue, and most importantly for believing in us.

Your help is -and forever will be- greatly appreciated.

HF

Global Trends 2030: Vision of Future Threatens Everyone

(Photo credit: apbeatty)

By J. B. Gerald
Global Research

Aside from corporate, clandestine and criminal sources, in 2012 the U.S. Intelligence community received 75.4 billion dollars of government funding. At the pinnacle of this apparatus the U.S. Director of National Intelligence reports to the U.S. President, advises both the National Security Council and Homeland Security and directs the entire U.S. Intelligence community.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence recently released its predictions for 2030: Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds (National Intelligence Council, NIC 2012-001, December 2012).

Its vision of the future, available online threatens everyone. The programs and concerns of a U.S. Intelligence community are those of a group causing more suffering and death to more people than any group of wage earners in human history. Under the pretence of prediction its report simply affirms what’s happening now.

The propaganda basis for the document rests in presupposing the future of the world’s peoples as its domain. According to Global Trends 2030, the U.S. doesn’t plan to take over the world. The report doesn’t assume the U.S. will continue as the world order’s primary “systemic guardian and guarantor.” It does suggest that a sudden withdrawal from this role would result in global anarchy. To cope with declining U.S. power a number of alternatives are offered in a multiple choice of what future would you like.

What the report leaves out is overtly claiming a victory for its own ideology in 2030. It takes for granted the continuation of corporate enterprise. It carefully avoids imagining a global judicial system. Its stance as a reader-of-trends avoids moral interface. By not envisioning a system of international law, there’s to be no accountability for its crimes incurred in creating a new world order. Among laws to cope with these crimes the Convention on Genocide has no statute of limitations, so there are no predictions of a just world under law.

Predictably the report sees a harvesting of the benefits of science and research funding to universities.  For health, without actually mentioning eugenics it foresees diagnostic genetic testing of everyone. Health care expenses will increase. Its view of human biological augmentation (notably for those who can pay) suggests a deep economic divide of rich and poor. It foresees genetically modified as well as transgenic crops for food and fuel.

The very rich are discretely ignored as a force. The very poor barely exist, and in their absence poverty will decrease. What exactly happens to all who are currently disenfranchised, about fifteen years from now, is left to the imagination. Currently 25% of U.S. children are eating with the help of food stamps. The report sees the future as the rise of the middle class with education as its key. An international class of technocrats and the middle classes fill the scenarios as consumers.  India is valued above China since India’s middle class is growing more quickly to add millions of consumers to the world’s economy.

U.S. energy hopes are pinned on natural gas and fracking; solar energy is discounted. There’s absolutely no mention at all of nuclear power as an energy source.

The trend readers/trendsetters foresee less war as entire populations rise in age. Water will increasingly be the “source of contention.” Weaponry advances are expected for precision strike capabilities, cyber instruments, and biological warfare. Nuclear detonations are mentioned as factors of cyber-warfare, suggesting there are no serious plans for nuclear disarmament.  As in the energy sector there’s no mention of the U.S. nuclear weapons program,  nuclear contamination or nuclear waste, or the nuclear industry, or their effects. The word “radiation” doesn’t appear anywhere in the report.  Aside from a cautionary glance at the Brazilian rainforest, other factors in the terminal degradation of the environment simply don’t exist. Sharing no information on long term effects of contaminated food and water, the report entirely fails to inter-relate decrease in food production with habitat destruction; so there’s a lack in understanding of motivation for contemporary wars and resistance.

The “trend forecasters” foresee strengthened nationalism but hypothesize a world of city-states as easily as of nations or corporations; these are all oriented to consumerism. The report is entirely materialistic,  surreal in avoidance of  whether the water’s safe to drink. The role of religion is seen as increasing, but religion is also an embarrassing phenomenon, with possible sources of terrorism extending from Islam to Christianity and Hinduism,  though curiously not Judaism.  Culture itself is ignored. As a group, the Intelligence community may have developed a sense of the Arts in service to mind control and mass programming, but no sense at all of the cultural requirements necessary to sustain life. The report shows no concern for the individual or individual awareness.

Within its perspective a non-state world cedes to “universities” and business. No concern at all is shown for the fate of vulnerable groups or minorities and no respect for human differentiation.  The innate orientation to mass movements and trends makes all exceptions an inconvenience. For the trends of its concerns to evolve as predicted, may require massive mind control programs cohering the disparate cultural groups which make up humanity. The report takes this mechanism for granted. Under the Intelligence community’s increasingly control, a subservient news media adjusts the people’s perception of current events to its own agenda.

Specific insights to U.S. policy objectives are available in the listing of failed states and their future. The report’s definition of “state failures” relies less on ‘disintegration’ meaning the use of torture, persecution of its minorities, aggression against other nations, than the security of a nation’s middle class.  The listed state failures are states which are currently functioning but with domestic challenges to U.S. policy. These are African or Eastern nations, but include Haiti from the new world. The Office of the National Director of Intelligence expects little change for any of them in the future. For example the Democratic Republic of Congo, number 7 on the failed state list currently, is slated to remain number 7 in 2030, despite the ongoing genocide caused by corporate interests. Conclusion: absolutely nothing the U.S. elite plans will improve conditions for the people of  Somalia, Burundi, Yemen, Uganda, Afghanistan, Malawi, DRC, Kenya, Nigeria, Niger, Pakistan, Chad, Haiti, Ethiopia, Bangladesh.

Eleven of these countries destined for perpetual  servitude in the new world order have predominantly Black populations, suggesting the Intelligence community’s innate but increasing reliance on a global caste system, if not the overt racism established through the assassinations of the early Sixties.

Optimistically concerned with the economic results of tactical applications of power, Global Trends 2030  shows a startling, possibly terminal lack of concern for all human beings.

Woman's Body Found in Summer Home One Decade After Death

Tears (Photo credit: TimOve)

Authorities were shocked and dismayed when they uncovered the mummified body of a 43-year-old woman recently in her summer home on the island of Aigina more than ten years after her death! The body of Irini Xenou (born in 1959) was discovered when her neighbors decided to clean up the yard surrounding her home from the dead weeds and garbage that had accumulated there over the years.

The woman, who was single, and who had no siblings, had not been seen by her neighbors since 2002. Apparently she was an Athens resident and rented out her home in the Greek capital and moved to Aigina to live out the rest of her life.

After tiding up the yard, the neighbors decided to inspect the home and came upon a cement built door that was built in the house. When they finally broke the door with the assistance of police, the discovered the mummified corpse.

Apparently she was an Athens resident and rented out her home in the Greek capital and moved to Aigina to live out the rest of her life. The saddest part of the story is that no one ever wondered about her, asked about her, or even noticed that she was gone.

This is certainly a sad reality, and an example of a very apathetic, unfriendly and uncaring society.

What a pitiful world we have become.