Month: March 2007

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email [email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE
March 27, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

MEMBERS OF CONGRESS CALL FOR DECISIVE
ACTION TO END THE CYCLE OF GENOCIDE

— Urge Congressional Action on Armenian Genocide and Efforts
to Stop Darfur Genocide at Commemorative Event Hosted by
ANCA and Genocide Education Network

WASHINGTON, DC – With the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA) and Genocide Intervention Network (GI-Net) two-day anti-
genocide advocacy campaign as a backdrop, Members of Congress
called for decisive action to end the cycle of genocide during a
Capitol Hill Observance held on March 22nd.

Ten Members of Congress, including House Foreign Affairs
Subcommittee on Africa Chairman Donald Payne (D-NJ), Congressional
Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Armenian Genocide
Resolution author Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jim
Costa (D-CA), David Dreier (R-CA), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Sheila Jackson
Lee (D-TX), John Sarbanes (D-MD), and Jean Schmidt (R-OH), joined
together in urging continued grassroots advocacy to secure proper
acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide and targeted divestment of
firms aiding and abetting the ongoing Genocide in Sudan.

========================================== ========================
Rep. Payne: Calls for Vigilance to End Darfur Genocide
========================================= =========================
Throughout the evening, Members of Congress cited vigilance as the
key to stopping and preventing genocide. Rep. Payne, who led House
action to properly characterize the killings in Darfur as
"genocide" – the first time Congress has ever declared a genocide
when it was actually taking place – spoke to this point:

"So we were very pleased and very proud, and elated by the 422 to
zero vote, declaring genocide in Darfur. And you know, word went
around, and the Senate passed it, and the President even mentioned
it and [then Secretary of State] Colin Powell said it and people in
Darfur heard it and they were elated. They really felt that their
problem would be over because genocide had been declared. And I
felt that – now we are going to see the whole world take action,
because the 1948 Genocide Convention is supposed to compel
countries to act. And so I feel almost ashamed that we failed –
because people are still dying even though genocide has been
declared. What we thought was a victory is a failure."

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who will be traveling to Darfur in the
near future, along with Rep. Costa, urged those in attendance to
raise their voices against genocide. "You are involved in many
issues, but this is the one for which the voice of silence is
insufferable, and we cannot tolerate. So your song, your voice –
your resounding voice – is one that gets things done," noted Rep.
Jackson Lee.

============================================ ======================
Rep. Costa: Speaking Truth to Power in Turkey
=========================================== =======================
In poignant remarks about his roots in Central Valley, California,
growing up with families who had fled the Armenian Genocide, Rep.
Costa outlined the need to call on Turkey to speak honestly of its
past at every opportunity. He described a recent visit to Turkey,
where he had the opportunity to meet with Foreign Minister Gul and
Members of the Turkish Parliament.

"[In 2006], we stopped in Turkey and we had a meeting with the
Foreign Minister of Turkey and then later we had a luncheon the
U.S. Embassy hosted with members of the Turkish Parliament. And I
thought this would be a great opportunity to bring up the Armenian
Genocide. I told the Turkish Foreign Minister that there was
something I had to say… I said, you know, all countries have
histories of which we are proud of, and histories of which we are
not proud… We had a Civil War that brought our country at odds on
the issue, in large part because of slavery – and slavery was
wrong. And it took another hundred years in this country, after
the Civil War ended, to have to go through a civil rights movement
to finally acknowledge the injustice of slavery, which the Civil
War was fought over – but also the aftermath of the Jim Crow laws
and the ‘separate but equal’ doctrines that existed in our country
for so many decades. And even today, we are still making progress.
But we acknowledged as a great country our wrongs. And therefore,
I thought it was appropriate and important that in the 21st Century
Turkey recognize that even countries with histories such as it,
recognize mistakes that were made."

"Obviously, it will probably come as no surprise to you, that in
the discussion I received a response that I can only state was in
my view a bit of revisionist history – a revisionist history that I
don’t think holds up to the facts. But we went on with the lunch
and we met with our counterparts in the parliament. Once again I
brought up the issue. It was interesting because we had multi-
factions there representing the various parties. And the Genocide
was almost the one issue that I am hesitant to say brought some
consensus amongst the different delegations – although there was
one that did acknowledge there was an attempt to work on the issue.
Obviously, every time Americans meet with our Turkish counterparts,
we need to reiterate the issue and put it on the table and let them
know that, to the Americans and the American Congress, this is an
issue that will not go away."

===================================== =============================
Rep. Schiff: Speaking Truth to Power in the U.S.
============================================= =====================
During remarks, Armenian Genocide Resolution author Adam Schiff (D-
CA) described his recent exchange with Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on
Foreign Operations hearing held on March 21st. Rep. Schiff
questioned Secretary Rice regarding a recent letter, cosigned by
the Secretaries of Defense and State, urging Congressional leaders
not to adopt the Armenian Genocide resolution
(H.Res.106/S.Res.106).

"I thought that it was important to call her [Secretary Rice] to
answer for the views that were stated in that letter and not simply
to allow the Administration in the dead of night or otherwise to
send a letter without having to defend it. And something really
struck me during the course of this dialogue. I began by asking if
she had any question, if she had any doubt, that the death of a
million and a half Armenians constituted ‘genocide’ – did she have
any personal doubt about that.’ Well she would not answer that
question.’"

"And I said, ‘are you aware of any reputable historian outside of
Turkey who has any question about the Armenian Genocide’ and she
wouldn’t answer that."

"And I said ‘you come out of academia’ — because she said, ‘well,
this is for the historians to decide and it’s not in Turkey’s
interest to have us pushing them and we ought to pushing the
parties together’, etc. — was she aware of any reputable
historians. She came out of academia, she was the president’s
advisor during his campaign when he said he would recognize the
Armenian Genocide — was she aware of anyone on academia, and she
said ‘I was in academia before, but now I am the secretary of
State.’ So I guess that means to imply that you have a different
standard of historical integrity when you are a diplomat than when
you have academic freedom."

"But what really struck me in this little debate that we had was
that what the Secretary was really asking of us is that we apply
Turkish law in America — that we apply Article 301 right here at
home. That it should be a violation of our policy, to insult
Turkishness. The irony was so striking to me that here the Foreign
Minister of Turkey is encouraging the repeal of Article 301, but
let us make sure that we apply it here at home."

"I don’t know how we have the credibility to call on Turkey to come
clean on is past, if we are not willing to. I don’t know how we
can have the moral standing that we need to have on the genocide
going in Darfur, if the Sudanese government can say ‘sure, you’re
calling this genocide because we are not powerful, we are not your
ally, – but when it comes to your allies, we won’t call the murder
of a million and a half people genocide.’"

================================ ==================================
Rep. Pallone: Ending the Cycle of Genocide
========================================= =========================
Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone lamented the
ongoing cycle of genocide and praised efforts to break the pattern.
He explained that:

"When the whole series of incidents began in Darfur a few years
ago, it really pained me a great deal, because I thought to myself,
‘here we go again.’"

"I was born in 1951 and there have been several genocides that have
occurred around the world since that time. And it is really sad to
think that we had the Armenian Genocide, we had the Nazi Holocaust
against the Jews, and yet these types of genocides continue. Once
again the situation in Darfur is very classic because there wasn’t
early intervention, there really isn’t any serious intervention now
and the Western powers, the developed nations, if you will, really
aren’t taking action to do something about it."

Rep. Dreier noted that, "the poster out front says ‘end the cycle
of genocide’ and that clearly is the message. I am so proud to be
a cosponsor, along with my colleague, who really represents all of
Glendale, Adam Schiff, who led the charge in this effort. I am
convinced that we have a great opportunity for success this year."

In speaking with some 200 New Jersey high school students earlier
in the day, Rep. Rush Holt the top question posed to Congressman
was: "What is it that you in Congress don’t understand about
Genocide?" Rep. Holt explained:

"We talked about Darfur, we talked about Genocides past and present
with the strong message that you had to start by telling the truth
– acknowledging the truth and that goes for the United States and
that also goes for Turkey. I had to say to these students that we
don’t have a very good record. Actually we have a good record at
recognizing genocide retrospectively – but not good enough. Here
in Congress, a majority now says that we recognize the Armenian
Genocide – but we have not taken it to heart. We haven’t applied
the lesson more broadly to the world today. So we should listen to
the students more and listen to you more."

===================================== =============================
Rep. Sherman: Spotlight on Genocide Denial
=========================================== =======================
Highlighting the disturbing increase in Genocide denial – starting
with the Armenian Genocide and extending to recent Japanese denials
of the Rape of Nanking – Rep. Sherman explained the key
relationship between genocide acknowledgment and genocide
prevention: According to Rep. Sherman:

"The last act of genocide is genocide denial. First a people is
extinguished and then the memory of them and their extinguishment
is extinguished. The first act of preventing genocides in the 21st
century is to recognize the first genocide of the 20th Century.
And that is why what we are doing today is relevant for tomorrow.
We are told that we should deny history to improve our situation,
our relationship with countries today. What if tomorrow Germany
should have an unfortunate change in government and we get a note
from Berlin saying ‘you want those Mercedes? Well you better tear
down that Holocaust Museum down the street.’ How do you think
America should respond to that? Whatever misguided government may
or may not be from time to time in the capital of one of our
allies, the truth remains unchanged no matter the attitude of this
or that government. We would not tear down the Holocaust Museum in
this city and we will not deny the Armenian Genocide any longer."

"It is only Turkey that demands, for reasons I do not understand,
that we fail to acknowledge history. And they do so not only to
the detriment of people in this room and the survivors of the
genocide — who are now in their 90’s and who hope that Congress
and ultimately Turkey will acknowledge the truth while they are
still with us – but the real harm is to the Turkish soul."

"Where would America be if we said, ‘slavery – it didn’t really
happen.’ Where would be if we said ‘there was no effort to destroy
particular Native American tribes during the 1700 and 1800s.’
Where would America be if we failed to acknowledge our own history?
Where would Germany be if it failed to acknowledge its history?
Why does Turkey think it can reach the modern world if it still
anchors itself to an Ottoman mentality? It cannot do that. The
future of Turkey is in acknowledging the history of its own
people."

=============================== ===================================
ANCA and GI-NET Call for Concrete Action
=========================================== =======================
Throughout the course of the evening, ANCA and GI-Net
representatives called on the Congress and the Administration to
end the double-talk and take concrete action to end complicity in
Genocide denial – whether it is lack of acknowledgment of the
Armenian Genocide or inaction in stopping the genocide in Darfur.

Mark Hanis, GI-Net Executive Director noted:

"So why, why do we continue to fail at preventing and stopping
genocide? Samantha [Power] clearly shows it is because there is
zero political cost for the action of our public officials."

"Unfortunately no public official will ever lose a vote or a
campaign dollar if they do nothing in the face of genocide. And I
am proud to see that today and tomorrow all of us are trying to
change that cost-benefit analysis. We are trying to raise the
political cost and raise the political benefit to create the
political will needed to prevent and stop genocide. So I often
tell people that they should be excited that they themselves can be
an Oscar Schindler, they can be a Paul Rusesabagina, and have a
hand in stopping genocide."

"We want to pass the Armenian Genocide Resolution
(H.Res.106/S.Res.106) and the Sudan Divestment Authorization Act
(S.831). These are key critical bills that we need to help
remember the genocides of the past and ensure that we stop the
genocides of the present and prevent those of the future."

Ken Hachikian, ANCA Chairman, noted:

"In 1896, the former U.S. minister to the Ottoman Empire, Oscar
Strauss, convinced then President Grover Cleveland to ignore a
House and Senate resolution, calling on the Ottoman Sultan to stop
his killing of Armenians. Even then, in 1896, our State Department
was making apologies for Turkey."

"Yet today, another genocide is taking place in the world – in the
Darfur region of Western Sudan. Since the campaign of state-
sponsored violence began, hundreds of thousands have died and 2.5
million people have been displaced. An undermanned and under-
resourced African Union peacekeeping force has faced immense
challenges in Darfur, waiting for an already authorized UN force to
deploy. When will the world learn? When will we stop making
excuses? And when will we not come to the point where we are all
standing here saying that the final act of genocide is in fact the
denial?"

"I am going to be harsher on our country right now than many of the
speakers before me have been. I believe that in failing to
acknowledge and take action – acknowledge in the case of the
Armenian Genocide and take action in the case of Sudan – that the
U.S. is complicit in genocide denial. In allowing Turkey to not
face up to its history, and allowing the government of Sudan to go
scott-free the U.S. is not doing the right thing. And it is our
obligation collectively to call our government on the carpet."

Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National
Committee, served as master of ceremonies of the End the Cycle of
Genocide Capitol Hill Observance, noted that:

"Too often, when we talk about national interests, it has a very
sterile definition. And it is counted in terms of dollars, or
barrels of oil, or military bases. It’s not understood in terms of
human lives, in terms of suffering alleviated, in terms of hope
restored. Those things are also within our reach and they are
closely tied to our national security as any calculation dealing
with our military security."

"We can’t live securely in a world in which genocide persists. It
is simply not possible. We need to push. We need to press. We
need to work hard. It has been said many times, I will say it
again, you may not get everything you work for, but you have to
work for everything you get. And what we want to get is a world
without genocide. It is going to take a lot of work. It is going
to take a lot of work to get decisive action to stop the Darfur
Genocide, ending the pre-eminent example of genocide denial in the
world – the Ottoman Turkish Government and now the Republic of
Turkey’s over nine-decade long campaign to deny the genocide. The
world will be a safer place after that denial has ended. The
precedent that Turkey set in committing and then denying the
genocide is that Genocide can be committed with impunity."

Rev. Father Sarkis Aktavoukian of the Holy Cross Armenian Church in
Bethesda, MD gave the invocation at the beginning of the
Commemorative program. In his prayer, Aktavoukian noted:

"Reveal your infinite spirit to the members of this august body so
that they may be inspired to a greatness of purpose and be ennobled
in the quest for justice, freedom and peace. We thank you in the
name of the Armenian people for your eternal wisdom and divine
mercy in providing them a safe refuge in the U.S. from the ravage
and inhumanity of their enemies in the Genocide of 1915. Today we
beseech you to spare others from tyranny and persecution,
especially in Darfur today, where death and suffering are prevalent
through man’s inhumanity to man."

ALEXANDR GRIGORIAN: STATE OF THEATRE WOULD BE IDEAL IN CASE OF GOOD
STATE FINANCING ADDED TO CREATIVE FREEDOM

YEREVAN, MARCH 27, NOYAN TAPAN. During the March 26 meeting at the
Tesaket Club, Vladimir Msrian, actor of the H. Ghaplanian Dramatic
Theatre, and Alexandr Grigorian, artistic director of the
K. Stanislavski Russian Dramatic Theatre, shared their ideas on the
modern Armenian theatre with reporters.

In the opinion of V. Msrian, cultural policy is above all other
policies in the world. "I can’s just imagine the existence of the
Armenian nation without the theatre. All rumors that the Armenian
theatre is now in a crisis are invented. The theatre is fully
functioning today," the famous actor stated.

In his words, every artist, be he an actor or director, cannot stay
outside politics: "We with our roles and plays are in politics."

Addressing the subject of the Artsakh war, V. Msrian noted that
people of the theatre "have a duty with respect to soldiers who died
for freedom of their homeland. Yet so far no valuable theatrical work
on this subject has been created."

According to A. Grigorian, in the Soviet time theatres were in the
slavery of repertoire plays, while now they are in an economic
slavery. "Today theatres are free. This freedom is wonderful from the
creative point of view. However, if we received good state financing
in addition to this freedom, our state would be ideal," he underlined.

He also spoke about mass and cheap shows which bring large
revenues. "In this sense the theatre has receded into the
background. We cannot betray our principles and stage such
performances. Our duty is to propagandize universal values by
presenting classic works of playwrights," he said.

According to the artists, it seems that the problem of generation
shift has been solved: both theatres have actors who will replace the
old generation in the future.

OBSERVERS OF 8 LOCAL AND 4 INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS ACCREDITED AT
RA CEC

YEREVAN, MARCH 27, NOYAN TAPAN. As of March 27, 4 pm, 8 local and 4
international organizations were accredited at the RA Central
Electoral Commission (CEC) with the aim of implementing observer
mission at the parliamentary elections on May 12. CEC Secretary
Tsovinar Khachatrian told NT correspondent about it.

In addition to 5 local and 2 international organizations accredited
previously, 1,405 observers of the "Free Society Institute" NGO, 18
observers of the "Unison NGO for Assistance to People with Special
Needs", 13 observers of the "Areg" scientific and cultural youth
assiciation, 42 observers of the OSCE Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights, as well as the observer mission of the
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly were accredited at the RA CEC on March
27. The composition of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s observer
mission has not yet been presented to the RA CEC.

To recap, previously the RA CEC had accredited 2,292 observers of the
"Choice is Yours" NGO, 10 observers of the "Center of Electoral
Systems" NGO, 12 observers of the Armenian Center of Perspective
Programs, 60 observers of the "Apaven" NGO, 17 observers of the
F. Nansen Armenian Center of Human Rights Protection, 12 observers of
the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly Council, and 8 observers of the
CIS Executive Committee.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1+

INOCULATION AGAINST TULAREMIA
[07:52 pm] 26 March, 2007

A case of tularemia was found in the village of
Jradzor; 11-year-old Hayk Aghababyan went down with
the illness.

Hygienic and epidemic board of Shirak Marz took
corresponding epidemic measures to prevent the further
expansion of the disease.

On the same day 265 village residents above 7 were
inoculated.

RA CEC REFUSES TO ACCREDIT OBSERVERS OF "GRAFT" UNION OF GIFTED WOMEN"
CHARITY NGO

YEREVAN, MARCH 27, NOYAN TAPAN. At the March 27 sitting of the RA
Central Electoral Commission (CEC), participants observed a one-minute
silence in memory of the Armenian prime minister Andranik Margarian
who died suddently two days ago.

By the unanimous decision of the commission, the application for
accreditation of observers of the "Graft" Union of Gifted Women"
Charity NGO was rejected due to the absence of democracy and human
rights protection issues in the charter goals.

The CEC also approved the forms of certificates of candidates for
deputacy by the majoritarian and propotional electoral systems.

FOR THE TIME PRESENT VYMPELKOM INTENDS TO ACQUIRE NEITHER VAVACEll’S
SHARES NOR ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT’S STAKE OF ARMENTEL

YEREVAN, MARCH 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The information that Vympelkom company
(Russia) – the owner of ArmenTel is conducting negotiations with
VicaCell company, the second mobile phone communication operator in
Armenia, with the aim of acquiring VivaCell’s shares does not
correspond to reality. Hasmik Chutilian, Head of ArmenTel’s PR
Department, told this to NT correspondent. As regards the recent
decision of the Armenian government on privatization of 10% of
ArmenTel shares to Vympelkom, H. Chutilian noted that although
Vympelkom announced its intention to acquire these shares, it has not
yet made a final decision about it. To recap, Vymplekom company
purchased 90% of ArmenTel shares – the property of the Greek company
OTE for 342 million euros. The Armenian government has decided to sell
10% stake representing its property for 1.9th of this sum. As for
ArmenTel’s monopoly in the telecommunication sector, Vympelkom is
going to renounce this monopoly gradually in accordance with a
schedule announced beforehand.

Armenian daily says party leader to be used as "Trojan horse" in May polls

Haykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
17 Mar 07

Text of Ruzan Azizyan’s report by Armenian newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak
on 17 March entitled "Gagik Tsarukyan is a Trojan horse"

1As a rule, vote rigging during Armenian elections begins from the
public themselves rigging their votes.

The public rig their own votes under the impression of advocacy. The
best example of this is the 1998 presidential election. The targeted
advocacy resulted in the "imposed" public opinion that there were
allegedly two candidates, Robert Kocharyan [currently Armenian
President] and Karen Demirchyan, and that others had no opportunity to
win. The result was that a huge part of Armenians voted for the worst
instead of the best. These people in fact voted against, and not for,
they made a choice between the bad and the worse. Those who were, for
example, on [leader of the National Self-Determination Association]
Paruyr Hayrikyan’s side voted "against Demirchyan" and in favour of
Kocharyan. In the same manner other people voted for Demirchyan "so
that Kocharyan does not win". These people would otherwise have voted
for David Shahnazaryan [of the former ruling Armenian Pan-National
Movement], [leader of the dissolved Liberal Democratic Party, Ramgavar
Azadagan] Vigen Khachatryan, [New Path Party leader Ashot] Bleyan,
[National Democratic Union leader Vazgen] Manukyan, and [late
Communist Party leader] Sergey Badalyan.

If such an attitude had not been present, Demirchyan may not have
reached the second round. The same could happen to Kocharyan. Why did
such extremity of votes occur? What kind of an issue was being solved?
We think that Karen Demirchyan’s candidacy was put forward especially
to ensure Robert Kocharyan’s victory in the 1998 election. The
calculation was precise. In reality, Kocharyan would not have won. The
winners would have been either [MP] Vazgen Manukyan or Sergey Badalyan
who would have fought for their victories, if we remember those
days. Demirchyan was brought into the game only in order to become the
real winner and be silent when the Central Electoral Commission
declared Kocharyan as the winner. What could the 12 per cent for
Manukyan and the 11 per cent for Badalyan do after that?

We do not state that Karen Demirchyan took this role consciously. On
the contrary, the ones who pushed him towards the election struggle
had considered his way of thinking and had calculated what his
reaction would be.

Similar developments have taken place during all elections. While such
advocacy was possible in 1998 when there was one [TV] channel that was
not controlled by the president, today it is simple. We think that
[Prosperous Armenia party leader] Gagik Tsarukyan will be the Trojan
horse on which [Defence Minister] Serzh Sargsyan will take the post of
Armenian president. Tsarukyan himself is not aware of having such a
mission. Today his role consists of stealing votes from the
opposition, which he has been coping with so far. The most objective
surveys of public opinion prove that many people who want to get rid
of the current authorities are ready to vote for Tsarukyan. What is
the logic? It takes a slight look at the proportional list of the
Prosperous Armenia party to know whom the party belongs to. The list
includes heads of departments of the president’s Cabinet, the
president’s personal assistant, the father of the president’s press
secretary, Shamiram Aghabekyan. Thus, some think that Serzh Sargsyan’s
path to power can be blocked only with the help of Tsarukyan. That
manner of thinking is naive. Kocharyan awards Serzh Sargsyan and his
team medals and titles. If he is to make a decision when there is a
conflict between the Prosperous Armenia Party and the Republican Party
of Armenia he favours the Republican Party.

It is another issue that Tsarukyan has been allowed to think that he
is entitled to take over the government. There will be a moment when
he will be told to remain in his place. It is unimaginable for Ishkhan
Zaqaryan [of the Prosperous Armenia party] or any other Prosperous
Armenia Party member in the National Assembly to speak against Serzh
Sargsyan. They are the type of people who are afraid of Sargsyan’s
loud voice. It would be nice if each person voted according to his own
conscience and without deciding ahead of time who has a chance and who
does not.

PS. There is a theoretical version that in case of the realization of
a plan by the government, Serzh Sargsyan might not become Armenian
president. This is possible in case Robert Kocharyan decides to remain
the number one person after 2008, too. I am not sure whether Kocharyan
can take this step. I also know what consequence such assumptions may
bring forth. I will either be charged under the criminal code’s
"ribaldry" article or will be invited to the prosecutor’s office to
present documents. I have no documents and no mood either for this.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Service of mourning for Armenian premier starts

Arminfo
27 Mar 07

Yerevan, 27 March: A service of mourning for Armenian Prime Minister
Andranik Margaryan started in his flat in Avan community at 1800 [1300 gmt].

A number of those who want to say farewell to the prime minister grows, our
correspondent reports.

All members of the government, members of the Republican Party [of Armenia]
and all MPs are attending the service. President Robert Kocharyan, Speaker and
deputy chairman of the Republican Party Tigran Torosyan, Defence Minister
and chairman of the board of the Republican Party Serzh Sargsyan, as well as
the leader of the Union of the Armenians in Russia, Ara Abrahamyan, also
arrived to say farewell to the prime minister.

Wreaths have been laid almost on the entire Sayat-Nova Street where the
prime minister used to live.

[Passage omitted: foreign delegations will arrive in Yerevan to attend the
funeral ceremony on 28 March]

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Canada NewsWire (press release), Canada
March 27 2007

Turkey – Call for action against suspected masterminds of
journalist’s murder

MONTREAL, March 27 /CNW Telbec/ – Reporters Without Borders today
appealed to the government to act against those who ordered the 19
January killing of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink as five
people, some of them extreme rightists, were arrested on suspicion of
involvement in the murder.

"We are alarmed at the possible political implications of the case,
whose outcome is very important for Turkey’s future," the worldwide
press freedom organisation said. "Those who carried out the murder
must not be the only ones to be punished. Many things point to them
being supported by various prominent groups and figures. The
authorities must put a stop to these machinations," it
said.

Five people were arrested yesterday in Trabzon and taken to Istanbul
for questioning, including the head of the Trabzon branch of the
extreme-rightwing Great Unity Party (BBP), Yasar Cihan, and a member
of the branch committee, Halis Egemen. Cihan was picked up after a
photo was found of him with the BBP leader and Erhan Tuncel, one of
the suspected masterminds of the killing and an police informer.

An interior ministry report on the murder investigation by national
security chiefs which was leaked to the media accuses Istanbul police
chief Celalettin Cerrah of failing to protect editor Dink, who was
shot dead outside the offices of his weekly newspaper Agos, even
though Trabzon police has warned their Istanbul colleagues of a plot
to kill Dink. The all-news TV station NTV said Tuncel had warned
Trabzon police 17 times about the plot before they passed the message
on to Istanbul. The record of the interrogation of one of the
suspects, Tuncay Uzundal, was also reportedly forged by Trabzon
police.

For further information: Emily Jacquard, Canadian office
representative,
Reporters Without Borders, (514) 521-4111, Cell: (514) 258-4208, Fax:
(514)
521-7771, [email protected]

Executive Intelligence Review (EIR), VA
March 27 2007

Iraq’s Other Tragedy: 2 Million Refugees

by Muriel Mirak-Wiessbach

Four years into the war, it is impossible to say how many Iraqis have
died. The occupying forces do not keep such statistics, and the local
authorities are so swamped at the morgues and hospitals, that they
cannot guarantee accurate figures.

Now, there is another category of Iraq War statistics, and it is
somber: the number of Iraqis driven from their homes, and either
displaced internally, or scrambling for refuge in some neighboring
country. Here, too, the statistics are unreliable, since many flee
clandestinely, and do not register in their exile land; but the
dimensions are daunting. According to the United Nations, 727,000
Iraqis have been displaced internally since the February 2006 bombing
of a Shi’ite shrine. About 470,000 have registered with the Ministry
of Displacement and Migration, since the beginning of the war. About
160,000 have sought refuge in the Kurdish region. It is estimated
that the exodus of Iraqis since 2003, is the largest such refugee
stream since the Palestinians were driven off their land in 1948: an
estimated 2 million have fled, and, by the end of this year, that
will rise to 10% of the entire population (today, about 27 million).

The consequences, for both Iraq and the countries to which refugees
have fled, are devastating. For Iraq, it means a further brain drain,
as the most highly qualified members of the workforce flee. For the
host countries, it means enormous economic strains, social tensions,
and, in some cases, religious/ethnic strife.

Syria Under Pressure
The country which has been most overwhelmed by the number of Iraqi
refugees is Syria, followed by Egypt, Jordan, and Iran, then Europe,
and faraway lands like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Jordan, with 800,000 Iraqis, has halted the inflow. When rumors
spread, in mid-February, that Syria would curb the influx, refugees
organized a demonstration in front of the United Nations High
Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Damascus. The Syrian
government estimated in mid-March that there are already 1.5 million
Iraqis in the country. According to Laurens Jolles, the
representative of the UNHCR in Damascus, somewhere between 10,000 and
40,000 refugees cross the border each month. Other estimates put it
at 50,000 per month.

The crisis there has become so grave that even the Bush
Administration has had to violate its own ban on contacts with Syria,
by sending a State Department representative to talk to government
and UN officials there. After that visit, during which the U.S.
representative also met with the UNHCR personnel, led by António
Guterres, the number of Iraqis to be granted asylum in the U.S. was
raised to 7,000, from 435.

The reasons for the mass exodus should be obvious: First is the
well-grounded fear of being killed randomly, by suicide or car bombs.
Then, there are fears of sectarian violence: Sunnis, particularly
those in any way associated with the Ba’ath Party or former
administration, are political and sectarian targets, just as Shi’ites
are, from the opposite side. Particularly targetted are Christians,
who are mainly Chaldeans, but also the gnostic Mandaens. Of the
original 30,000 who lived in Iraq, there are now only 13,000. One
Mandaer interviewed by the Neue Züricher Zeitung explained: "Our
women are without veils, our men are traditionally goldsmiths, and we
have our own language. All this creates bad blood."

Iraqis with money are profiled for kidnappings; numerous exiles have
reported that they had had family members kidnapped, often children,
and had been forced to pay high ransoms. In more cases than not, even
after the ransom had been paid, the abducted family member was found
dead. One Iraqi refugee told the Neue Züricher Zeitung that she had
paid $40,000 to free her kidnapped husband, only to discover soon
after that he had been beheaded. Another woman reported that her
daughter had been kidnapped; when her husband left to sell his
grocery store, to raise the ransom, he didn’t return. A phone call
informed her that the store and her husband’s car were burning. She
fled with a son, without news of her daughter.

Iraqi Arabs who flee to Syria have a three-month sojourn permit, with
the possibility of a three-month extension. Following the permit’s
expiration, the refugee usually returns briefly to Iraq, and starts
all over again.

The strain on Syria’s economy is profound. The UNHCR estimates that
it needs $60 million to deal with the refugee flow, $15 million of
which is for Syria. Thus far, according to varied reports, Japan has
pledged $3 million, and Jordan, $1 million. But this comes nowhere
near the sum required. Syria’s health system is totally unable to
cope with the new demands, and cannot cover the costs of health care
for such a huge number of people. The UNHCR and the Red Crescent (the
Islamic counterpart to the Red Cross) have set up two new clinics.
According to Caritas, many doctors reportedly provide free care, or
give discounts for X-rays and other treatment. Although Iraqi
children are allowed to attend Syrian schools, the schools too are
totally overwhelmed.

Some refugees are so poor, that they are forced into prostitution or
other criminal activities. A prostitute can earn $60 a night, whereas
a seamstress earns $50 a month. According to Sister N., director of a
Christian order interviewed by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung: "Children
are up until 3:00 a.m. in the winter, wearing flip-flops, and
cleaning houses. Former professors are begging for a kilo of rice."
And the rich? They are not so few in number. Some can afford to buy
million-dollar villas, or apartments costing a few hundred thousand
dollars. The massive influx of refugees has placed such pressures on
the housing market, that an unprecedented speculative construction
boom has resulted, driving prices of existing homes for sale and
apartments for rent, into the stratosphere. Rents have gone up in
some areas by 300%. The poor, including Syrians who had made ends
meet prior to the refugee crisis, have found their rents raised, and
cannot any longer cope.

Ethnic-Religious Destabilization
One of the most insidious features of the refugee crisis is the
impact on the delicate social balance in Syria. To appreciate the
nature of this phenomenon, one has to first consider the
ethnic/religious makeup of Syria. According to an in-depth study
published in the German weekly Die Zeit on Feb. 22, out of a
population of 18 million, 70% are Sunnis, 16% Shi’ites (Alawites),
and 10% Christians. In addition, there are an estimated 150,000
Kurds, largely unregistered. Within each religious denomination,
there are further subdivisions. Among the Christians, there are 11
confessions: five Orthodox groups, five Catholic and one Protestant.
And there may be religious differences among the same ethnic
community: For example, there are Armenian Orthodox as well as
Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Catholic communities. In addition,
the Muslims are also divided into five sects. Religious tolerance in
Syria has been a trademark in the country’s 6,000-year history. The
condition of Christians, according to church representatives,
continues to be very good under the Bashar al-Assad government.

Now, with the refugee stream from Iraq, this complex religious/ethnic
mosaic is being affected. According to Pater Metri Hadji-Athanasiou,
a Greek Catholic priest, who studied at the Sorbonne in Paris and in
Belgium, it is not to be excluded that the Bush regime may aim
deliberately to destabilize Syria along ethnic/religious lines,
through the refugee crisis. If the feared event of a total
disintegration of Iraq along ethnic/sectarian lines takes place, this
crisis could explode overnight.

Given this grave situation, it is not only absurd but criminal for
the Bush Administration to exclude Syria from direct talks, aimed at
stabilizing the Iraq situation. As mentioned above, Washington was
forced recently at least to send an envoy to talk about the refugee
crisis. But managing the crisis, is no solution. The only solution,
four years after the dreadful war began, is to put an end to the
conflict, with a carefully planned, phased troop withdrawal, within
the context of a regional security arrangement, supported by the
United States. Syria’s role in this process, along with Iran’s, is
vital, not only because of the refugee plight which the war has
created, but because of the political, as well as ethnic/religious
experience Damascus could contribute.

This article appears in the March 30, 2007 issue of Executive
Intelligence Review.

efugees.html