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10/13/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) ANCA Presents Armenian American Issues in Ethnic Roundtable with Ambassador Holbrooke 2) Armenian Archbishop Assaulted by Yeshiva Student 3) Armenian Caucus Protests Azeri Threats against Armenia 4) Iraqi Kurds Ready to Fight for Kirkuk 1) ANCA Presents Armenian American Issues in Ethnic Roundtable with Ambassador Holbrooke Leading advisor to Kerry-Edwards campaign welcomes dialogue with ethnic leadership WASHINGTON, DCANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian participated this past week, along with fifty of America's ethnic community leaders, in a policy roundtable featuring Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, a senior advisor to the Kerry-Edwards campaign and a leading candidate for Secretary of State in the event of a Democratic victory this November. The private policy discussion was held on Thursday, October 7 in Cleveland, Ohio. Topics ranged from a general review of ethnic priorities to specific issues of concern to individual communities. A consistent theme raised by each of the groups was that the Bush Administration has failed to meaningfully engage America's ethnic leadership or to seek out their special insights during the formulation and implementation of US foreign policy. Speaking to concerns raised by the ANCA delegation, Amb. Holbrooke stressed that Senator Kerry's "friendship for Armenia goes back a long way. It's well established. He understands the issues. He's taken a very strong stance on Nagorno-Karabagh, on aid, on recognition of the Genocide, ending the blockades of Armenia. There is a very clear cut difference between the two candidates." More broadly, the Ambassador noted that ethnic Americans "should make a determination as to which candidate cares more about the issues of Central Europe, including Macedonia, Armenia, and the other issues that we discussed today. Without exception, the Democrats are going to do more. All of you in this room know that... It's just not a close contest here." He added, "You can't represent the United States overseas if you don't listen to the people of the United States...John Kerry and anybody he appoints to senior jobsdon't know who he will appointbut he will listen to you all." "We welcomed this opportunity to represent the concerns of the Armenian American community in this roundtable meeting of the leaders of our nation's ethnic communities," said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. "Speaking to this group, Ambassador Holbrookea veteran foreign policy expert who has served at the highest levels of the State Departmenthighlighted Senator Kerry's strong support for Armenian issuesincluding the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. We were, of course, gratified by these remarks, as well as by his clearly articulated expectation that a Kerry-Edwards Administration would pro-actively seek the unique input and special insights of ethnic Americans on the often complex foreign policy issues facing our nation." Richard Holbrooke served as US Ambassador to the United Nations in the Clinton Administration. He was also an Assistant Secretary of State and a special envoy to Bosnia and Kosovo. In this latter capacity he helped negotiate the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. He was introduced at the roundtable by his wife, Kati Marton, who serves as the Chairwoman of the International Women's Health Coalition. In addition to the Armenian American delegation, which included ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian and two leaders of the Ohio Armenian community, were leaders from organizations representing Albanian Americans, Arab Americans, Byelorussian Americans, Croatian Americans, Czech Americans, Greek Americans, Hungarian Americans, Irish Americans, Italian Americans, Lithuanian Americans, Muslim Americans, Polish Americans, Portuguese Americans, Romanian Americans, Serbian Americans, Slovak Americans, Slovene Americans, Ukrainian Americans, and Vietnamese Americans. 2) Armenian Archbishop Assaulted by Yeshiva Student JERUSALEM (Combined Sources)An altercation that started when a yeshiva student spat at the cross being carried by Armenian Archbishop in Israel Nourhan Manougian during a procession near the Holy Sepulcher on Sunday, has exposed growing tensions between traditional Christian denominations and religious Jews in Jerusalem's Old City. The student, Zvi Rosenthal, not only spat at the cross but also at Manougian himself; Manougian reacted by slapping the yeshiva student. The incident developed into a brawl during which Manougian's ceremonial medallion, which has been used by Armenian archbishops since the 17th century, broke. Both Archbishop Manougian and the yeshiva student were detained for questioning. Police are now considering whether to initiate criminal proceedings against the Armenian archbishop and to charge him with assault. Meanwhile, the incident has sparked much anger among the clergy of the small Armenian community in Jerusalem. Religious Jews, among them yeshiva students, customarily spit on the ground as a sign of disgust on seeing the cross. The Armenians, who live adjacent to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, suffer from this phenomenon more than any of the other Christian sects in the Old City. Manougian says he and his colleagues have already learned to live with it. "I no longer get worked up by people who turn around and spit when I pass them by in the street; but to approach in the middle of a religious procession and to spit on the cross in front of all the priests of the sect is humiliation that we are not prepared to accept," he notes. A policeman is customarily posted to guard the Armenians' religious processions, but doesn't generally do anything to prevent the spitting. The Armenians took the matter up with Interior Minister Avraham Poraz some seven months ago, but nothing has been done about until now. "The Israeli government is anti-Christian," Manougian charges. "It cries out in the face of any harm done to Jews all over the world, but is simply not interested at all when we are humiliated on an almost daily basis." "Incidents like these aim at ridding Jerusalem of its Christian and Muslim populations in order to emphasize the city's Jewish character," emphasized Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia Aram I. Lawmaker Rabbi Michael Melchior (Labor Party) says the phenomenon should be tackled through educational means. "I would expect prominent figures among the religious and ultra-Orthodox sectors, such as the chief rabbis, to denounce this phenomenon," he says. Yassir Arafat, leader of the Palestinian National Authority, condemned the Israeli attack on Archbishop Manougian. Arafat held a telephone conversation with the Archbishop inquiring about his health following the unwarranted assault. 3) Armenian Caucus Protests Azeri Threats against Armenia WASHINGTON, DCSeventy members of the US House of Representatives joined last week with the Co-Chairmen of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), in calling on President George Bush to press Azerbaijan to back away from increasingly violent rhetoric aimed at Armenia and Mountainous Karabagh, reported the Armenian National Committee Of America (ANCA). "We share the concerns raised by this bipartisan group of US legislators regarding the growing danger to Armeniaand to American interestsposed by the increasingly angry threats coming from Azerbaijan's senior leadership," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "Armenian Americans appreciate the leadership of Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Joe Knollenberg and Frank Pallone on this issue, and look forward to learning of the Administrations response to Azerbaijan's irresponsible and dangerous behavior." In the letter, dated October 8th, Members of Congress specifically asked President Bush to publicly condemn Azerbaijan's war rhetoric and other increasingly bellicose remarks against the Republic of Armenia and Mountainous Karabagh. The letter, states, in part: "Efforts to reinforce stability and reduce the risk of conflict are in the best interests of the United States and the region. The Nagorno Karabagh peace process will achieve nothing if Azerbaijan is allowed to risk war and predict ethnic cleansing with impunity. To this end, we urge that you condemn these remarks and call upon the government of Azerbaijan to desist in making any further threats against Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh." Joining Reps. Knollenberg and Pallone were: Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Robert Andrews (D-NJ), Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Howard Berman (D-CA), Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), Jeb Bradley (R-NH), Michael Capuano (D-MA), Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), John Conyers (D-MI), Jerry Costello (D-IL), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Jim DeMint (R-SC), Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Tom Feeney (R-FL), Bob Filner (D-CA), Mark Foley (R-FL), Barney Frank (D-MA), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Michael Honda (D-CA), Steve Israel (D-NY), Jesse Jackson (D-IL), Sue Kelly (R-NY), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Gerald Kleczka (D-WI), James Langevin (D-RI), Sander Levin (D-MI), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Edward Markey (D-MA), Karen McCarthy (D-MO), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), James McGovern (D-MA), Michael McNulty (D-NY), Martin Meehan (D-MA), Candice Miller (R-MI), James Moran (D-VA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Devin Nunes (R-CA), Collin Peterson (D-MN), Jon Porter (R-NV), David Price (D-NC), George Radanovich (R-CA), Mike Rogers (R-MI), Steven Rothman (D-NJ), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), H. James Saxton (R-NJ), Adam Schiff (D-CA), E. Clay Shaw (R-FL), Christopher Shays (R-CT), Brad Sherman (D-CA), John Shimkus (R-IL), Mark Souder (R-IN), John Sweeney (R-NY), Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-OH), Fred Upton (R-MI), Christopher Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Visclosky (D-IN), Henry Waxman (D-CA), Anthony Weiner (D-NY), Joe Wilson (R-SC), and Albert Wynn (D-MD). The ANCA, in a September 28th note to Congressional offices in support of this letter, wrote: "If history is any guide, silence on our part will only embolden the leadership in Baku to escalate their rhetoric even further. Left unchecked, we run the risk that the Azerbaijani government will translate their angry remarks into aggressive actions that will create a humanitarian disaster and destabilize a region of great strategic importance to the United States." On September 28th, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) spoke on the House floor about the dangers posed by increasingly inflammatory Azerbaijani statements by President Ilham Aliyev and his Cabinet Members, calling for a military takeover of neighboring Armenia and the decimation of its population in the coming decades. In his remarks, Rep. Pallone cited statements "made by officials in the government of President Aliyev calling into question the very existence of Armenia. For example, as reported by Radio Free Europe, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesman called for Azerbaijan's takeover of the entire territory of Armenia and removal of the entire Armenian population from the Caucasus. He went so far as to say, and I quote, 'Within the next 25 years there will exist no state of Armenia in the South Caucasus.' Given Azerbaijan's history of aggression against Armenians, these remarks can't be dismissed as mere rhetoric." The text of the Congressional letter is provided below: Dear Mr. President, We are writing to strongly urge you to condemn the ongoing Azerbaijani war rhetoric and other increasingly bellicose remarks made against the Republic of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. These statements undermine US interests in the region. As you know, a cease-fire in the conflict over Nagorno Karabagh was established in 1994 and sensitive peace negotiations to achieve a final agreement are ongoing. However, the government of Azerbaijan continues to make dangerous claims and threaten war against Armenia. This war rhetoric has continued unabated and has intensified in recent months. In July, as reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesman called for Azerbaijan's takeover of Armenia and removing its entire population. He said, "In the next 25-30 years there will be no Armenian state in the South Caucasus. This nation has been a nuisance for its neighbors and has no right to live in this region. Present-day Armenia was built on historical Azerbaijani lands. I believe that in 25 to 30 years these territories will once again come under Azerbaijan's jurisdiction." Mr. President, this reprehensible call for ethnic cleansing and even genocide warrants the strongest possible reply from our country. The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has repeatedly declared that Azerbaijan could launch a new war in Karabagh. Just two months ago, he stated, "At any moment we must be able to liberate our territories by military means. To achieve this we have everything." Aliyev has directly linked Azerbaijan's economic progress to its military "superiority." "Under these circumstances we cannot react positively to those calling us to compromise," Aliyev stated. Last year, as reported by BBC Monitoring, Azerbaijani Defense Minister General Safar Abiyev said that occasional violations of the cease-fire were "natural" since Azerbaijan is still "at war." Statements like this not only undermine the peace process, but can also serve to actually encourage attacks against Armenia. Just this month, NATO canceled its Cooperative Best Effort (CBE) 2004 exercises in Baku, Azerbaijan after the government of Azerbaijan barred Armenia from participating. US General James Jones, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, expressed regret over Azerbaijan's refusal to honor its host obligations to accept delegates from all interested partners. As part of its commitment to international security in the Caucasus, Armenia welcomed both Azerbaijan and Turkey to participate in the NATO CBE 2003 exercises in Yerevan, Armenia. Efforts to reinforce stability and reduce the risk of conflict are in the best interests of the United States and the region. The Nagorno Karabagh peace process will achieve nothing if Azerbaijan is allowed to risk war and predict ethnic cleansing with impunity. To this end, we urge that you condemn these remarks and call upon the government of Azerbaijan to desist from making any further threats against Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. 4) Iraqi Kurds Ready to Fight for Kirkuk ANKARA (AFP)Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani said that the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq had a Kurdish "identity" and vowed to fight any force attempting to oppress its people, whether Kurds or other ethnic groups. Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), was speaking after talks in Ankara with Turkish leaders, who are worried that the Iraqi Kurds are plotting to take control of the city, which also has a large population of Turkmens, a community with Turkish roots. "If anyone, if any regime or system wants to continue the Arabization or oppression of the people of Kirkuk, we will defend their rights and we are ready to fight for them," Barzani told AFP through an interpreter. He said the Iraqi Kurds would defend not only the Kurdish people of Kirkuk but "any other group or minority" in the city. The Iraqi Kurds say Kirkuk was overwhelmingly Kurdish in the 1950s before Baghdad started a deliberate campaign of "Arabization," during which thousands of Arabs were encouraged to settle in the city. Many also demand that Kirkuk be made the capital of an independent Kurdish state. The Iraqi Kurdish leadership, however, says that city should be incorporated in an enlarged autonomous Kurdish region but reject the idea of independence, knowing it would be unacceptable to Turkey and other neighbors. Ankara has repeatedly warned the Iraqi Kurds against attempts to upset the demography of the region. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul reiterated the warning in their meetings with Barzani on Monday, Turkish diplomats said. In an apparent bid to placate Ankara, Barzani promised that Iraqi Kurds would work for peaceful co-existence between the ethnic groups of Kirkuk. "Our position is that the identity of Kirkuk is part of Kurdistan. But it is an Iraqi city," he said. "The promotion of co-existence and fraternity (in Kirkuk) has to be a priority for everybody. We are working in that direction." Ankara fears that Kurdish control of the area's oil resources could further strengthen the Iraqi Kurds whom it suspects of plotting to break away from Baghdad. Such a prospect, Ankara worries, could fan separatist sentiment among its own restive Kurds in southeast Turkey. "Kirkuk is a city where all ethnic elements can settle. It is not a place where a certain party can claim control," Erdogan told the Aksam daily in an interview published on Tuesday. "We are in favor of Iraq's territorial integrity. We are against any ethnic group establishing control over another," he said. The question of the Kurds' return to Kirkuk has fueled tensions in the city. The interim government in Baghdad has so far roundly rejected calls for the expulsion of the Arab settlers. Barzani said his talks in Ankara confirmed that Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds continued to differ on some issues on the future of Iraq even though they shared the same vision on many others. "But in general I can say very happily that it was a very positive atmosphere...We both agreed that there should be continuous contacts and consultations between us," he said. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. 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