Author: Badalian Vardan

St Albans observer
22 Sept 2004
Christmas charity appeal for Eastern Europe
A CHARITY is appealing for people in the St Albans area to donate toys send
to disadvantaged children in Eastern Europe this Christmas.
Christian relief project Operation Christmas Child delivered more than one
million shoeboxes filled with toys to the children last year, over 4,000 of
which came from the St Albans and WelwynGarden City and Hatfield areas.
The shoeboxes are distributed to underprivileged children in countries
including Armenia, Poland, Romania and Kyrgysztan. This year the charity
will also deliver the toys to children in Mozambique.
Area organiser Sheila Heaton said: “Many people in this area did a fantastic
job contributing last year, and our aim is to do better if we possibly can.
The tremendous impact that a shoebox containing some simple gifts has upon a
child with nothing – and their family – cannot be over-emphasised.”
The charity running the project, Samaritan’s Purse, issues guidelines on
what gifts to send, and asks for a £2 donation with each box to assist with
the cost of transport and distribution. To find out how to participate in
Operation Christmas Child telephone 0870 0112002 or visit

WEST-EUROPEAN ASSEMBLY WISHES ESTABLISHMENT OF SAFETY ON CAUCASUS
AzerTag
September 22, 2004
On September 21, Chairman of Milli Majlis Murtuz Alaskarov has
received the vice-president of Assembly of the West-European Union,
the rapporteur of the Organization on questions of stability and
safety in the Caucasian region, the deputy of Italian Parliament Marko
Zakkera.
As provided by AzerTAj, M. Alaskarov, having noted, that as a result
of purposeful policy carried out by the national leader of Azerbaijan
people Heydar Aliyev in 1996, between our country and the European
Union has been established cooperation, the contract was signed, has
emphasized, that our relations and would develop
henceforth. Delegations of the European Union repeatedly have visited
Baku and negotiated on various questions. We hope, that this visit
will play important role in expansion of cooperation.
Then, Chairman of Parliament has in detail informed on reforms
conducted in the country, on the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh
conflict.
Marko Zakkera, having expressed gratitude for cordial welcome, has
transferred to Murtuz Alaskarov greetings of the Chairman of the
Italian Parliament. He has told, that the purpose of his visit is
gathering detailed information on situation in the region, carrying
out of negotiations about ways of solution of the conflict and
preparation of the report. You know, that as against the Council of
Europe, the West-European Union is engaged in questions of defense,
stability and safety. The Assembly of the West-European Union pays
special attention to the countries of Southern Caucasus, including
Azerbaijan. Therefore, it cannot remain indifferent to resolution to
the conflicts.
Marko Zakkera, having noted, that after Azerbaijan, he will visit
Georgia and Armenia, has emphasized, that the report will be
objective, and the document reflect realities.
The parties had comprehensive exchange of views on other questions
representing mutual interest.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Sept 13 2004
RUSSIA INTERESTED IN PEACE IN THE CAUCASUS
[September 13, 2004, 14:58:35]
It was told by the first deputy chief of the Staff on Coordination of
Military Cooperation of the CIS Ivan Babichev in his interview to
correspondent of AzerTAj, speaking on the military cooperation of the
member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, which is
carried out both on bilateral, and on multilateral basis. As he said,
the states of Commonwealth make a decision in what format to
cooperate with other countries of CIS, while the Staff on
coordination of military cooperation of the CIS states coordinates
the efforts of the states in this field.
I. Babichev also informed that Azerbaijan is not the participant of
the Organization of the Agreement on Collective Safety however, there
are common problems for all space of the CIS from which it is
impossible to remain aside. In particular, it is a common system of
air defense, which interests all states, and this is creation of
common system of communications, system of radiating chemical safety
for settlement of environmental problems and a number of others,
concerning all state of Commonwealth. “Though Azerbaijan also does
not enter this Agreement, nevertheless, and it participates in work
of development of common systems”, Ivan Babichev has told.
Answering the question on the position of Azerbaijan on non-alignment
to this Agreement and how is estimated it in the Staff on
Coordination of Military Cooperation of the CIS, that this military
block includes Armenia, the state conflicting with Azerbaijan
occupying a part of the Azerbaijan territories, I. Babichev has
stated that Russia stands on the position that any conflicts on space
of Commonwealth were not, and does very much that two fraternal
people were friends, found contacts points for this friendship.
Answering the question on escalating of military – technical
cooperation between Russia and Armenia, the Russian military has told
that “Here, it is impossible to say that Russia and Armenia increase
military – technical cooperation as Russia is open for all states, we
welcome all sides”. As he said, it is simple for those states, which
have signed the contract about military – technical cooperation, and
there are some advantages in sphere of purchase of the Russian
military technical equipment. The states, which have signed the
mentioned Agreement, can get the Russian technical equipment on the
in-Russian prices, and it is very favorable to many states of
Commonwealth.
Concerning settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, the Russian officer has told, that Russia is interested
that there were peace on the Caucasus, and considers, that for the
settlement of the said problem, it is necessary to continue
negotiating process. “It is necessary to do everything to solve the
problem in a peace way”, has emphasized I. Babichev.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Foreign Minister sends protest note to Russia
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 13 2004
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has sent a note of protest to
Russia with regard to participation of Russian arts figures in
the event arranged in the self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh Republic,
Azerbaijan’s land under Armenian occupation.
Mammadyarov presented the note of protest at a reception party
organized on the occasion of completion of Russian Ambassador to
Azerbaijan Nikolay Ryabov’s diplomatic mission in the country.*

Khatami: Armenians have a great impact on human civilizations
IRNA, Iran
Sept 8 2004
Yerevan, Sept 8, IRNA — President Mohammad Khatami here Wednesday
said that Armenia`s long history as well as its talented, diligent
and self-confident people have had a great impact on the human
civilizations.
Speaking to reporters, he referred to Iran`s glorious civilization of
the past eras and the Armenians` pivotal role in its development and
said that even today the Iranian Armenians keep on attempting towards
Iran`s independence and progress along with their Muslim compatriots.
“We respect our neighbors and are keen to cooperate with them.
We place special focus on Iran-Armenia ties, which can serve as a
model for those countries intending to establish relations on the
basis of mutual respect.
“Given our commitment to collaborate with Armenia following its
independence, bilateral relations have been improving since 1991,”
he added.
The president referred to the agreements signed mutually on Wednesday
and said that they are beneficial to both sides and will serve to
further broaden cooperation.
The chief executive reiterated the need to promote security and
tranquility in Iran and Caucasus and said that security and stability
in the two sensitive regions will guarantee scientific and cultural
development.
President Khatami voiced Iran`s intention to broaden its economic
and technical cooperation with the world countries and expedite
the development trend by making use of the affordable facilities
and potentials.
He referred to the great number of commonalties between Iran and
the Caucasus and said that it can overshadow some of the differences
of opinion.
The president said that most of the inked documents focused on energy
and communications and their exchange.
“Given that Armenia is located along the North-South Corridor, the
closer the communication between the two countries, the better we
can serve the entire region and the global economy,” he added.
For his part, Armenian President Robert Kocharian referred to President
Khatami`s trip to Armenia as the first visit by an Iranian president
to the country and said that it is therefore a significant historical
event.
He noted that his talks in today`s meeting with his Iranian counterpart
mainly focused on economic matters including energy and added that
based on Armenia`s infrastructures and expertise in the field,
broader cooperation is possible.
President Kocharian expressed confidence that joint projects will
soon assume regional significance.

Detroit News
Sept 7 2004
GOP convention sees growth in minorities
Republicans claim count is up 70%
By Alison Bethel / News Washington Bureau Chief
NEW YORK — Minorities are more in evidence at the Republican National
Convention than ever before, showing that the party is making progress
— but still has miles to go — in reflecting America’s ethnic makeup.
Convention officials say the number of minorities in attendance is
up 70 percent from 2000, now representing about 17 percent of the
4,952 delegates. Of the 118 delegates from Michigan, 24 are listed
as minority members: 12 blacks, three Hispanics, two Chaldeans, two
Native Americans and one each of Lebanese, Native Hawaiian, Caribbean,
Asian and Armenian.
“The number of blacks — the number of first time blacks — I have seen
at the convention and at the hotel has just made me excited,” said
Mercedes Kinnee, a businesswoman and black delegate from Flint. “It
shows that Bush has really reached out.”
Thirty-year-old Andrew Wendt, a Hispanic candidate for state
representative in Saginaw and a delegate from that city, agreed.
“Today we were at the Michigan delegation breakfast and walking in was
(former black Republican congressman) J.C. Watts,” he said. “We see
it on television and everyone says, ‘The Republican Party should be
reaching out,’ and it has been reaching out. Seeing all these African
Americans and Hispanics running for office and being at this convention
is inspiring.”
Some have criticized the party for listing Lebanese and Chaldeans as
minority groups, But Michigan Republican Party spokesman Matt Davis
shoots back that the calculation of minorities is no different than
presidential candidate John Kerry’s Mozambique-born wife, Teresa
Heinz Kerry, referring to herself as African-American.
“Talk about a stretch,” he said, turning his attention back to
Michigan’s delegation. “It’s not just more diverse than it was, it’s
getting more diverse and that’s a testament to the way Republicans
are addressing the concerns of minorities.”
The non-partisan Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
in Washington reported this month that the 167 black delegates at
this year’s GOP convention represent a record 96.5 percent increase,
with the largest number of blacks coming from Michigan, Louisiana,
Maryland and New York. Hispanics represent the largest minority group
at the convention with 297 delegates this year.
But while those attending the convention tow the party line about
Bush’s impact on the lives of minorities, others wonder how meaningful
the increase really is, particularly when whites make up most of the
convention’s officers and speakers.
“A: Have they increased their numbers? Yeah. However, this is a top
down increase in the numbers. There has been no increase in black
support for the Republicans nor has there been any increase in the
number of African Americans in the primary process or the delegate
process,” said David Bositis, senior research associate at the
Joint Center.
“The leadership and the Bush campaign, for their own reasons mostly
having to do with appealing to white swing voters, have determined it
is more beneficial to have more minority voters,” Bositis added. The
Republican Party, he contends, increased the overall number of
delegates by 450 people this year. “This isn’t like they had to turn
away white people. They have as many, if not more, white people …
They purposely picked African Americans for reasons that are a
political calculation. But is the party any more diverse? No. It’s
no more diverse than last time.”
In the early decades of the 20th century, blacks voted overwhelmingly
for Republicans, the party of Lincoln. “The big change came (in 1968)
with Barry Goldwater and he effectively transformed the party,” said
Bositis. “He very much brought the South into the Republican party,
really for the first time, and the nature of the relationship between
African Americans and the Republican party changed. When it became
a white southern party it meant that African Americans were going to
have quite a different relationship with the party.”
Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, who spoke during prime time
Tuesday from the convention floor, said the Republican Party is making
efforts to bring its message to the minority community. The visibility
might not be there, he said, but the numbers are growing.
“You haven’t lived until you’ve walked into a room and people say,
‘Who are you and what are you doing here?’ The Republican Party has
to state the issue of why the party works for blacks. And it’s a
tough case to make because we’ve allowed another group (Democrats)
to define us for 40 years,” said Steele.
Adds Bishop Keith Butler, of Word of Faith Christian Center in
Southfield: “The GOP is going to the black community … This is the
first time really that I have seen it happen like this. There is an
old saying, ‘If you want to catch fish, you have to go to where the
fish are.’ “

CIS leaders condemn terrorist act in N Ossetia
ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 3, 2004 Friday
MOSCOW, September 4 – Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich
condemned the hostage-taking in Beslan, North Ossetia, and said it was
“an inhuman example of terrorism”.
“This is one of the examples of terrorism, unfortunately a terrible
one not only for Russia but for the whole world,” he said on Friday.
Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko sent condolences to Russian
President Vladimir Putin and all Russian people in connection with
the tragedy in Beslan.
“Please convey our sympathies to the families who lost their beloved
ones,” he said.
Earlier, Lukashenko offered support to Putin and the people of Russia
in connection with the “inhuman actions of terrorists”.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said “Georgians have taken
the events in Beslan as their own anguish and tragedy”.
“I have sent a letter to the president of Russia and expressed
condolences in connection with the tragedy in Beslan. No one is insured
against such phenomena. Terrorism has no borders or nationality. This
is a problem for the whole world,” he said in his message.
In his words, Georgian authorities “have done much in the last few
months to prevent terrorists from entering the country” and will
“continue efforts in this direction”.
Armenia has begun collecting donor blood for the former hostages.
In his appeal to the Russian people and the leadership of the country,
Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and all Russia said, “Everyone holding
the reins of ower, every person in this country has a duty of doing
everything he or she can do to alleviate the suffering of the innocent
people, who have gone through the terrorist captivity.”
“The news of the unprecedented cruelty of the bandits who captured
peaceful citizens, women and children in a school in Beslan shocked
the international community. Having shed all masks, terrorism showed
its satanic face by having trampled upon all sacred things,” the
document said.
“With no fear of God and shame the so-called ‘freedom fighters’
raised their blood-stained hands at children. There is no and can be
no justification for their insane actions,” the patriarch said.
The patriarch instructed all Orthodox churches to hold religious
services on Sunday for the victim.
“Prayers will be offered for those killed as well as those who are
in hospital, who are wounded, and who need support,” the patriarch
said in his decree.
“While mourning for those killed in this tragedy, the Russian Orthodox
Church offers prayers for the repose of their souls. At the same time,
we are praying for the recovery of those wounded. May God help them
go through this ordeal with dignity,” Alexy II said.
The Russian Jewish Congress has expressed condolences to the people
of North Ossetia in connection with the loss of life in Beslan.
The head of the Russian Jewish Congress, Yevgeny Satanovsky, sent a
message of condolences to North Ossetian President Alexander Dzasokhov
on Friday.
“The events in North Ossetia show once again that terrorism has become
the main threat of the new century,” he said in the message.
“Unfortunately, experience shows that no country in the world has a
universal means for fighting this evil. It has already become clear
that only jointly can all progressive-minded forces resist this common
enemy,” he said.
“There can be no justification for the terror against peaceful
citizens, even if some try to motivate it by noble goals, and there
must be no mercy for terrorists,” Satanovsky said.
Russia’s chief rabbi Berl Lazar asked Moslems to pray on Saturday for
the recovery of those wounded in Beslan. “The killing of children is
an atrocity. The actions of the militants once again show the degree
to which these people have lost their human face, the ability to take
the situation adequately and reasonably,” he said.

MARATHON MAN
By BRIAN LEWIS
New York Post, NY
Sept 3 2004
September 3, 2004 — Sargis Sargsian dropped to his knees and
covered his moist eyes, overcome with a mixture of exhaustion and
emotion. He draped an Armenian flag over his shoulders and celebrated
the second-longest win in U.S. Open history — and the most dramatic
of this summer’s classic.
He had just upset two-time Olympic gold medallist Nicolas Massu 6-7
(8), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4 in a marathon that lasted five hours and
nine minutes, a tilt that saw the 10th-seeded Chilean lose first his
poise, then the hotly-contested match on Court 11.
“I lost the match and I’m so [peeved] about it,” Massu said. “I can’t
believe they…what happened on the court is too much. It’s too much
for five hours to believe in everything, to fight…to accept that
you lost the match. It’s difficult.”
It was the second-longest match ever at the U.S. Open, behind only
Stefan Edberg’s 6-7, 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4 win over Michael Chang that
lasted five hours and 26 minutes in 1992.
Sargsian kept his cool, with his serve getting better and better as the
match went on. Meanwhile, Massu showed precious little sportsmanship or
Olympic spirit with an on-court tantrum. “I was too tired to notice,”
Sargsian said. “My legs were [going to give out], so I was just trying
to hold on.”
After spraying a return shot long, Massu dropped his racquet to the
court and yelled at it, as if it were to blame. He battered the U.S.
Open sign with his racquet and got warnings in the first two sets,
and lost a point, dropping the second set 6-4. In the fourth set, he
argued a call with chair umpire Carlos Ramos. He slammed his racquet
down so hard, it bounced up over his head.
Destroying a racquet is an automatic penalty, so Sargsian was awarded
the first game of the fifth set. Massu appealed to famed Wimbledon ref
Alan Mills — serving as Grand Slam ref — but his backhand deserted
him in the fifth set, and Sargsian went on earn a third-round date
with Paul Henri-Mathieu, who beat Taylor Dent.
“I didn’t lose the match because of that, but it’s hard to believe
this guy didn’t use his head. All the players throw the racquet,”
said Massu, who spent close to an hour after the match griping to
Open officials. “I play for five hours, I fight, and this guy comes
and gives me three warnings.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Coup Trial in African State Mirrors Novel
By ELLEN KNICKMEYER
.c The Associated Press
MALABO, Equatorial Guinea (AP) – Frederick Forsyth wrote it up as
“The Dogs of War,” and set it here: A ragtag band of mercenaries,
recruited by a British elite, tries to seize control of a
mineral-rich, African backwater.
Forsyth – writing during a Cold War stay three decades ago on this
palm-lashed volcanic island capital – rechristened Equatorial Guinea
as “Zangoro” for the thriller, and put his soldiers of fortune in
quest of platinum, not oil.
Despite those broad variations, the basic plot is playing out again
here as a trial unfolds for 19 South Africans, Armenians and others
accused of a failed plot to overthrow the government of Equatorial
Guinea, Africa’s No. 3 oil producer.
Equatorial Guinea insists this time it is fact, not pulp fiction. The
country has been emboldened by the arrest in recent days of Mark
Thatcher in South Africa, and the Zimbabwe conviction of famed
Eton-educated mercenary Simon Mann in connection with the alleged coup
plot. It accuses Thatcher, son of the former British prime minister,
and his London friends of scheming to replace President Teodoro
Obiang’s 25-year-old regime with a puppet government.
Star witness Nick du Toit, a South African arms dealer, appears to be
“an intermediary between the mercenaries and the financiers,”
Attorney General Jose Olo Obono, who is leading the prosecution, told
reporters. Du Toit, who faces the death penalty for his role in the
plot, has cooperated with prosecutors.
For the elites in the novel, a coup has an allure beyond any
run-of-the-mill robbery.
“Knocking off a bank or an armored truck is merely crude. Knocking
off an entire republic has, I feel, a certain style,” Forsyth’s
coup-plotter, Sir James Mason, observes in the fictional version.
Prosecutors say the real coup plot fell apart in March, when security
forces in Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea, tipped off by South Africa’s
intelligence service, arrested 90 suspected mercenaries as they were
allegedly moving into position to seize power.
So far, prosecutors have built their entire case on the testimony of
du Toit – and skepticism that the Cold War- and apartheid-era veterans
he recruited came to this oil-rich nation for the fishing and
agriculture opportunities, as they claim.
Equatorial Guinea says du Toit was the advance man for Mann, the
plot’s alleged mastermind, and Mann’s alleged British associates –
including Thatcher, financier Eli Calil, and businessman Greg
Wales. Equatorial Guinea reportedly has filed a civil case against
alleged British backers in London, and says it is pursuing its own
international warrants against them.
Other evidence cited by Equatorial Guinea out of court – such as a
note sent out of prison by Mann, allegedly seeking help from Thatcher,
Calil and others – has yet to be introduced at the trial.
Some of the suspects say their confessions were obtained under
torture, which the U.S. State Department and others say is routine
here. One of the original 90 defendants, a German, died in his first
days of custody after what Amnesty International said was torture.
In court on Monday, South African Jose Cardoso testified that he was
physically abused – or “shocked” – and that interrogators invented
his confession. “Is it normal for statements to be taken as you’re
being taken to the torture room, to be tortured, as I was?” Cardoso
said, gesturing with chained hands.
Du Toit’s wife, Belinda, who is attending the trial, also claims he
was tortured. She shows a photo of her husband before he left South
Africa for Equatorial Guinea, looking trim, prosperous and
relaxed. The Nick du Toit testifying in chains is 60 pounds thinner,
his face gaunt, hair and beard shaggy, clothes hanging off him.
President Obiang, whose tiny nation of 500,000 pumps roughly $15
million in oil daily, has engaged European public-relations firms and
lawyers to advise him on the conduct of the trial. The British and
French lawyers, who refuse to be identified, are the ones who
intervened to let journalists watch the proceedings.
Obiang’s government faces deep suspicions over the impartiality of the
eventual verdicts in his country, which the International Bar
Association and others say is essentially an enterprise of Obiang’s
tribe, with a suppressed opposition and no independent radio or press.
Forsyth’s thriller, and its coincidentally overlapping plot, hangs
over the courtroom at times. Obono referred to du Toit as a “dog of
war” not only in the courtroom but in the criminal charges
themselves. In a 1988 coup attempt, mere possession of Forsyth’s book
was enough to net one soldier’s conviction here.
Diplomats and rights groups monitoring the trial daily cite the
suspected torture and shortcomings of the trial, which is being
translated from Spanish – the official language – for the Afrikaners,
Armenians and other foreigners on trial. Local defense lawyers,
compelled by the government to represent the 19, met their clients
only the day before the trial and complain of intimidation.
Du Toit is the only defendant facing the death penalty, and the
government has raised the prospect of a possible presidential pardon
for him. A member of Equatorial Guinea’s security services suggested a
different fate, however, approaching Belinda du Toit in court one day
and drawing a hand across his throat, she said.
In fiction, “The Dogs of War” ends disastrously for the mercenaries,
with their plot collapsed and mercenaries dead. Ultimately, Nick du
Toit believes the real-life end will be different.
“He believes he’s coming home,” his wife said.
08/30/04 13:53 EDT

Boston Globe, MA
Aug 27 2004
American Jews and dual loyalty
By H.D.S. Greenway
CONSERVATIVE WRITERS David Frum and Richard Perle, in their book “An
End To Evil, How To Win The War On Terror,” spend the better part of
four pages confronting the charges that their agenda seems to many
like a “Zionist cabal.” They say that in interviews around the world
this question always comes up — “with beguiling directness” in the
Far East, “with excruciating awkwardness among Germans,” and with
“elegant sinuosity” from the British. Is there among neoconservatives,
many of whom are Jewish, a hidden motivation to make sure that
American foreign policy is good for Israel? The authors find such
suggestions insulting and anti-Semitic. But Tom Powers, in The New
York Review of Books, suggested: Why not admit openly that of course
the fate of Israel is much on their minds? “Anglophiles of yesteryear
did not apologize for arguing that it was in America’s best interest
to come to the aid of Britain in 1940, and Polish Americans did not
worry in silence about the fate of Lech Walesa. Complex loyalties are
a big part of the American style.”
Powers has a point. “Bundles for Britain” drives were big in American
East Coast cities in the early ’40s, while some Irish-Americans —
one remembers Colonel Robert McCormick’s Chicago Tribune — felt just
as strongly that the British did not deserve our bundles. No one
questions that Polish-Americans feel strongly about the old country,
and none complain about Irish-Americans today involving themselves in
the fate of Northern Ireland. Cuban-American passion for what happens
on their island is legendary, and could dramatically affect yet
another presidential election.
Lawrence Lowenthal of the American Jewish Committee told me that for
“decades and decades American Jews have been apprehensive about
charges of dual loyalty. The Pollard case made us very nervous.”
Jonathan Pollard was an American Jew caught spying for Israel and is
now serving a life sentence. “Pollard stepped over the line,”
Lowenthal said, but then so did Americans who ran guns for Irish
Republican Army.
When his family first came to America from Europe, Lowenthal said,
they wanted to put their past behind them. “Good riddance.” But all
that has changed; today’s Americans are no longer ashamed of ethnic
ties. Many Mexican-Americans are insisting on keeping their language
and culture. French-Canadians in the United States who once turned
their back on their French heritage are picking it up again.
Greek-Americans have a strong political lobby, so do Armenians,
although neither is as powerful as the pro-Israel lobby. The
congressional black caucus made its influence felt in sending the
Marines to Haiti in 1994, and black-Americans had a role in the
anti-apartheid cause in South Africa.
Duel citizenship is on the rise. Israel allows anyone Jewish to
become an Israeli. Ireland allows anyone who can prove he has an
Irish grandparent to apply for Irish citizenship, and “we certainly
experienced an enormous increase in applications over the last 10
years or so, ” says Isolde Moylan, the Irish consul in Boston.
In Perle’s case, much has been made of a paper that he and others,
including the Pentagon’s Douglas Feith, wrote some years ago for
Israel’s right-wing politician, Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for a
“New Strategy For Securing The Realm.” Their advice included getting
the United States to overthrow Saddam Hussein as well as other moves
in the Middle East to increase Israel’s strategic position. But
Americans have written constitutions for foreign countries, soldiered
in foreign armies, and even served in foreign governments. Americans
who identify with a foreign country are not, and should not, be held
suspect. There is nothing un-American about wanting to link this
country’s foreign policy to that of Israel. Nor is it anti-Semitic to
disagree.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress