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08/14/2006
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1. ANCA Urges Administration to Oppose Deployment of Turkish Forces to Lebanon-Israel Border 2. Baku Will Not Allow Two Armenian Governments, Says Aliyev 3. Senate Democratic Leader "Extremely Concerned" Over Hoagland's Reluctance To Acknowledge Genocide 4. Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline Faces Corrosion Threat 5. ANCA Telethon Donations Hit $3 Million 1. ANCA Urges Administration to Oppose Deployment of Turkish Forces to Lebanon-Israel Border WASHINGTON--In the interest of preventing further regional unrest--and mindful of Turkey's violent legacy in the Middle East--the Armenian National Committee of America this week expressed the Armenian American community's opposition to the prospect of Turkish armed forces being deployed between Lebanon and Israel as part of a future peacekeeping operation. In an August 9 letter to President George W. Bush, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian called upon the Administration to oppose any proposal to include Turkish troops in such a deployment, noting that, "Turkey's presence on Lebanese soil will only make the current situation even worse." He added that, "as Armenian Americans--the sons and daughters of a people who endured genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish government--we are especially mindful of raising the legacy of Turkey's brutal Ottoman rule over the Middle East and unnecessarily introducing a nation with history of destabilizing behavior into an already complex and highly sensitive region." Stressing that, "Turkey's record of persecution and genocide has left deep scars in the collective memory of the Lebanese people," Hachikian explained that, "it would be immensely insensitive on the part of the United States to promote Turkish participation in an international peacekeeping force that will need every ounce of credibility and goodwill that it can muster in order to succeed in such a highly delicate and challenging mission." The opposition of the Greek American community on this matter was communicated to the President last week in a letter from the American Hellenic Institute. The complete text of the ANCA's letter to President Bush is provided below. Dear Mr. President: We are writing to share with you the Armenian American community's opposition to any deployment by Turkey of its armed forces to serve as part of peacekeeping force between Lebanon and Israel. We learned of this possibility from news reports of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent discussions in the region. The presence of Turkish troops would undermine United States' interests in a lasting and durable peace. As Armenian Americans--the sons and daughters of a people who endured genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish government--we are especially mindful of raising the legacy of Turkey's brutal Ottoman rule over the Middle East and unnecessarily introducing a nation with history of destabilizing behavior into an already complex and highly sensitive region. Turkey's record of persecution and genocide has left deep scars in the collective memory of the Lebanese people. The famous Martyrs' Monument in Central Beirut is a vivid reminder of the record of mass brutality that Turkey has left behind in this tortured land. It would be immensely insensitive on the part of the United States to promote Turkish participation in an international peacekeeping force that will need every ounce of credibility and goodwill that it can muster in order to succeed in such a highly delicate and challenging mission. Turkey's presence on Lebanese soil will only make the current situation even worse. As Armenian Americans, we are, as you know, profoundly troubled that, more than eight decades after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Republic of Turkey continues to deny this atrocity. The Turkish government has compounded their ongoing attempts to escape responsibility for this crime, effectively seeking to complete the evil campaign launched in 1915, by, even today, blockading and seeking to isolate Armenia. In addition, Turkey maintains its military occupation of Cyprus, more than thirty years after its illegal 1974 invasion. Within its own borders, Turkey is regularly cited as among the worst abusers of human rights. In only the past few days, the Turkish military has, against the advice of US officials, threatened to launch cross border attacks into Iraq, a move that has the potential of severely destabilizing US-led coalition efforts to bring peace to this troubled nation. As you know, Turkey has, in recent years, proven itself an unreliable US ally on a number of occasions. First and foremost among these was its refusal, in March of 2003, to allow Coalition forces to open a northern front in the Iraq War. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has said that the strength of the current Iraqi insurgency is due, in large part, to Turkey's rejection of our request for cooperation in this crucial aspect of the war. Mr. President, we respectfully call upon you to consider our reservations, and those already expressed to you by our friends in the Greek American community, on this matter of profound importance to our nation's interests in the Middle East. Sincerely yours, Kenneth V. Hachikian Chairman 2. Baku Will Not Allow Two Armenian Governments, Says Aliyev BAKU (Noyan Tapan)--Azeri President Ilham Aliyev announced Monday that Baku will not allow a second Armenian government to exist within it territory. "We are well aware that minorities exist in several countries. We also know of those minorities living under self rule. However, those minorities cannot secede from a government like 'separatists' and create a new government," referring to the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Aliyev told a group of Azeri diplomats during a meeting. A senior aide to President Ilham Aliyev has warned that Azerbaijan could turn to the United Nations if France, Russia and the United States continue to "ignore" its internationally recognized sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh. In televised remarks cited by the BBC on Friday, Novruz Mammadov, head of the foreign relations department of the Azeri presidential administration, again indicated Baku's unhappiness with a peaceful settlement favored by the three co-chairs of the Minsk Group. "Unfortunately, we have never heard anything about Azerbaijan's territorial integrity from them," Mammadov was quoted as telling an Azeri TV channel. "Azerbaijan's territorial integrity should have been the mediators' main principle... but they are forgetting about that. Just like the whole world, the mediators are thinking only about their own countries' interests." Another top Azeri official, Deputy Prime Minister Ali Hasanov, claimed for his part that the mediators are increasingly indifferent to the plight of hundreds of thousands of Azeris that were displaced during the 1991-1994 war for Karabakh. He complained that they no longer visit rundown refugee camps where a large part of them continue to reside. "This posture by the co-chairs must be regarded as pressure on the leadership of Azerbaijan," Hasanov said, according to the Interfax news agency. The Minsk Group's existing peace plan calls for a gradual resolution of the conflict that would enable Karabakh's predominantly Armenian population to determine the disputed territory's status in a referendum. The vote would almost certainly formalize Karabakh's secession from Azerbaijan. Armenia has said that the peace plan is largely acceptable to it. Azerbaijan's attitude to the proposed deal is less clear, with Aliyev having repeatedly ruled out any solution that would not put Karabakh back under Azeri control. "Azerbaijan will never--neither today, nor tomorrow and under no circumstances--agree to Nagorno-Karabakh's secession from Azerbaijan," Aliyev told his cabinet on July 31. While saying that Baku does not object to the referendum option, Mammadov accused the mediators of being biased against the Azeris. "They are thinking about the 100,000 ethnic Armenians of Karabakh, but what about the 50,000 Azeris of Karabakh?" he said. 3. Senate Democratic Leader "Extremely Concerned" Over Hoagland's Reluctance To Acknowledge Genocide WASHINGTON--Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), in a letter to the Armenian National Committee of Nevada, reported that he is "extremely concerned" by the reluctance of Richard Hoagland, the Administration's nominee to serve as the next ambassador to Armenia, to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. Senator Reid's public stand follows the August 2nd announcement by Senator Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) that he will vote against the Hoagland nomination because of the nominee's refusal to properly recognize the Armenian Genocide as a "genocide." Sen. Coleman serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "The opposition of Senator Norm Coleman and concerns raised by Harry Reid--the Senate's Democratic Leader--reflect the growing bipartisan opposition to the approval of a US envoy to Yerevan who refuses to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We continue to work in communities around the nation to explain to Senators the damage to US-Armenia relations--and, more broadly, to America's standing on genocide prevention efforts worldwide--that will be done by approving a nominee that has actually denied the genocidal intent of the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide." Responding to grassroots concerns raised by Nevada's growing and increasingly active Armenian American community, Senator Reid noted that this refusal is "particularly troubling in light of the State Department's dismissal of the last Ambassador to Armenia, John M. Evans following comments he made during a February 2005 tour of Armenian-American communities in which he recognized the Armenian Genocide. As you may know, the State Department has offered no explanation for Evans' dismissal." As reported by the Associated Press, Senator Coleman has explained, "As someone of the Jewish faith, I bring a heightened sensitivity to the reality of genocide and mass murder, and the importance of recognizing it for what it is. I was brought up believing you never forget the Holocaust, never forget what happened. And I could not imagine how our ambassador to Israel could have any effectiveness if he couldn't recognize the Holocaust." On August 1, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee delayed consideration of Ambassador Hoagland's nomination, following a request by the Committee's Ranking Democrat Joseph Biden (D-Del.) and Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.). Also voicing support for the delay were Senators George Allen (R-Va.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). The Committee is set to consider the matter during its regular business meeting on September 7. To date, more than half of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including Senators George Allen, Joseph Biden, Barbara Boxer, Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Norm Coleman, Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), Russell Feingold (D-Wisc.), John Kerry and Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) have contacted Secretary Rice or questioned Ambassador-designate Hoagland directly regarding the Armenian Genocide. Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Jack Reed (D-RI), along with over sixty members of the US House have also expressed serious concerns to the State Department on this matter. 4. Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline Faces Corrosion Threat By Stephen Foley in New York The INDEPENDENT Environmental groups have warned that corrosion inside a controversial new oil pipeline controlled by the British company BP could trigger a massive oil spill into some of the most environmentally-sensitive areas of the former Soviet Union. As BP battles with a crisis in Alaska, where it had to shut down the biggest oil field in the US, campaigners say that safety flaws discovered there extend also to a 1,000-mile pipeline from the Caspian Sea to Turkey. And the company stands accused of a management culture where whistleblowers are ignored or, worse, hounded out. BP is accused of ignoring warnings about the effectiveness of a coating it uses to slow corrosion. Critics say the coating will fail, and corrosion will quickly cause the pipeline to break open, spilling oil into the wilds of Azerbaijan and Georgia. The criticisms come as politicians in Washington plan to bring senior BP executives before Congressional hearings to face questions on a string of safety lapses. Corroded pipelines in Alaska caused a 200,000 gallon oilspill--the region's worst ever on land--and BP is shutting down the entire oilfield to conduct repairs. The field represents eight per cent of all oil produced in the US, and its closure sent oil prices soaring this week. The debacle comes barely a year after 15 people died in an explosion at a BP refinery in Texas, for which the company faces a legal bill of more than $1 billion. It is nicknamed "Big Problems" in the US. Platform, an oil industry monitoring group, says it is only a matter of time before the pipeline through the Caucasus--from Baku in Azerbaijan to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan--also triggers a disaster. The pipeline cuts through national parkland and mineral springs in Georgia, and triggered environmental protests when it was still at the planning stage. Mika Minio Paluello, of Platform, said: "The public in Alaska is much more important to BP than the public in the Caucasus, so if the standards are not even met in the US then there is not much reason to believe that they will be met there." Platform says BP ignored warnings from one of its engineering consultants about the coating used to prevent corrosion. Test results show it is already cracking at some points, although BP says this is not serious. The project has been dogged by criticism, and earlier this year The Independent revealed a string of blunders. Builders cut off villages' water supplies, flooded farmland and allowed oil leaks; there were insufficient checks for pipes buckling in earthquake zones; welding work failed inspections; and those who complained were sacked or made to leave. But in May, oil began flowing through the pipeline and it will carry a million barrels a day from the newly-developed oilfields off the Azeri coast. The industry is desperate for new sources as existing fields mature and as demand for oil rises. BP dismissed the idea that it cuts corners and compromises safety. A spokes-man said: "The pipeline was constructed, and will be operated and maintained, to a high standard. It is protected against both internal and external corrosion." The danger of corrosion in Alaska was brought to the attention of the BP board two years ago by a former consultant, who had become a conduit for concerns from internal whistleblowers. BP is conducting a review of safety and ethics procedures--including protections for whistleblowers--throughout its US operations. The company is facing a criminal investigation in Alaska, as well as tough fines from regulators. Nick Hildyard, of another environmental monitoring group, The Corner House, said: "A management culture that treats credible concerns over safety as something to be resisted serves neither the public nor shareholders. Alaska shows only too clearly the long-term costs." 5. ANCA Telethon Donations Hit $3 Million WASHINGTON--Donations to the first ever ANCA Telethon topped the three million dollar mark, with over 7,500 individual donations coming in from across the country to expand the level of Armenian American participation in the civic life of the United States, reported the ANCA Endowment Fund, Inc. "We are deeply gratified by this broad-based, grassroots investment in our energetic pursuit of the Armenian Cause," said ANCA Endowment Fund President Ken Hachikian. "The success of the Telethon--both financially and as a means of recruiting thousands of new activists--represents both a reflection of our community's enduring faith in the Armenian Cause and an important milestone in the growth of our power, respect, and influence in the nation's capital. It is a clear expression of our community's confidence in the success of the ANCA's grassroots efforts." The ANCA Telethon, a six-hour May 21 broadcast, was seen in hundreds of thousands of homes across the United States. The program featured hosts from across the country, remarks by US elected officials and Armenian American community leaders, performances by leading Armenian entertainers, and a variety of documentaries featuring different aspects of the Armenian Cause. Donations to the Telethon--during the broadcast and in the weeks that followed came from all elements of the Armenian American community. The success of the Telethon is unprecedented for an Armenian American community grassroots organization. The program kicked off the ANCA Capital Campaign, designed to raise $5 million in support of ANCA educational programs and the newly purchased ANCA headquarters in the nation's capital. The ANCA has been expanding its operations in Washington to meet the increasing portfolio of work needed to pursue vital issues of concern to the Armenian American community. This year the ANCA moved into its new headquarters building that was purchased in February, and has been expanding its broad based community outreach programs including the ANCA Capital Gateway Program. Funds raised will primarily become part of a permanent capital fund for the organization. Since the success of the Telethon, the ANCA has embarked on a number of national, regional and local initiatives, recently completing its 21st annual Leo Sarkisian Internship program in Washington, DC, as well as various regional and local internship programs. Chapters and activists nationwide are gearing for the November Congressional elections, with the ANCA "Hye Voter Turnout" program expanding to educate Congressional candidates across the country about Armenian American concerns. In September, the ANCA will be hosting a national conference, geared to bring together activists from across the US to share their experiences and learn how to strengthen the ANCA grassroots network. Titled "Grassroots Makes the Difference," the conference, will be held September 14 to 17 at the Embassy Suites Conference Center in Washington. For more information, or to register, visit: On-line donations are still being accepted for the ANCA Telethon at 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) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.