TOMORROW MAY BE TOO LATE! AN INTERVIEW WITH HARUT SASSOUNIAN
by Khatchig Mouradian
November 15, 2012
Armenian Weekly editor Khatchig Mouradian conducted the following
brief interview with Weekly columnist Harut Sassounian last week.
Sassounian: While it is true that some efforts are being made by
Armenia and the diaspora to assist Syrian-Armenians, I believe that
those efforts are too little and too late. Much more must be done
immediately and urgently!
Sassounian is the publisher of the California Courier, a weekly
newspaper based in Glendale, Calif. He is the president of the
United Armenian Fund, a coalition of five major Armenian-American
organizations. For 10 years, he was a non-governmental delegate on
human rights at the United Nations, playing a leading role in the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the UN in 1985. He has a
master~Rs degree in international affairs from Columbia University
and an MBA from Pepperdine University. Sassounian has been decorated
by the president and prime minister of the Republic of Armenia, and
the heads of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches. He is also
the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Below is the full text of the interview.
Armenian Weekly~WYou titled one of your recent columns ~SAleppo Burns
while We Fiddle: A Wake-up Call to All Armenians.~T Talk about the
circumstances that prompted you to make that statement.
Harut Sassounian~WI was terribly frustrated and upset that given
the magnitude of the tragedy faced by Syrian-Armenians, I was not
seeing a commensurate degree of concern and assistance by the Armenian
government and Armenians worldwide. And when I learned that the Armenia
Fund had decided to allocate just 10 percent of this year~Rs telethon
to Syrian-Armenians, despite personal assurances I was given by the
highest officials during my recent trip to Armenia, I decided to go
public with my displeasure. While it is true that some efforts are
being made by Armenia and the diaspora to assist Syrian-Armenians,
I believe that those efforts are too little and too late. Much more
must be done immediately and urgently!
A.W.~WThe Armenian community in Aleppo seems to be at the center of the
relief efforts currently under way. Yet, there are several thousand
Syrian-Armenians who have sought refuge in Armenia, Lebanon, and
elsewhere, and are in dire need of assistance. They are~Wto state the
obvious~Wno less Syrian-Armenian than the ones who have stayed behind.
How can this challenge be overcome?
H.S.~WIf we raise dozens of millions of dollars, I believe that we
can then have sufficient funds to assist all Syrian-Armenians~Wthose
in Syria, as well those who have fled to Armenia and elsewhere.
A.W.~WThe efforts of the diaspora and Armenia are focused, primarily,
on humanitarian assistance. What political initiatives can and have
been taken?
H.S.~WPolitical initiatives are just as important as humanitarian
assistance. I believe our political organizations in the U.S., France,
Russia, and elsewhere should pressure all warring sides in Syria,
and particularly Turkey, to refrain from causing civilian casualties,
including Armenian. I believe such efforts are underway by the ANCA,
the Armenian government, and others.
A.W.~WAn Armenian church was recently desecrated and burned by rebels.
The incident was not reported in the U.S. media, and no voices of
condemnation were heard from U.S. officials. What role should the U.S.
play in this regard?
H.S.~WWe need to pressure our members of Congress and the Obama
Administration to be more vocal in their condemnation of such
unacceptable behavior by fighters armed and supported by the U.S. and
its allies. They should be even tougher in private conversations with
those causing such crimes.
A.W.~WTalk about your connections with the Syrian-Armenian community.
H.S.~WI was born in Aleppo, Syria. Before these recent troubles,
I had an opportunity to visit both Aleppo and Damascus. We have a
wonderful Armenian community in that country. Syrian-Armenians have
tenaciously preserved their language, religion, and traditions. Many
Syrian-Armenians today serve as high-ranking clergymen, teachers, and
principals of Armenian schools, editors of newspapers, and community
leaders throughout the diaspora. We should do everything possible to
support and assist our brothers and sisters in Syria. Tomorrow may
be too late!
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/11/15/tomorrow-may-be-too-late-an-interview-with-harut-sassounian/