RA MINISTER OF TERRITORIAL ADMINISTRATION RECEIVED THE AMBASSADOR OF KUWAIT
Pablic Radio of Armenia
Sept 22 2006
Today in RA Government Minister of Territorial Administration Hovik
Abrahamyan received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of Kuwait Majdi Aldafiri (seat in Tehran).
Government’s Information and PR Department told “Armenpress” that
the parties turned to a number of issues of further development of
relations between the two countries. The interlocutors discussed issues
of Kuwait’s assistance to reconstruction of rural infrastructures in
Armenia, particularly water supply systems and community roads.

NKR MINISTRY OF DEFENSE REFUTES THE REPORTS ON CEASE-FIRE VIOLATION
Pablic Radio of Armenia
Sept 22 2006
NKR Ministry of Defense refuted the reports of the Azeri side on the
violation of the cease-fire regime on September 21. Press Secretary
of NKR Ministry of Defense Senor Asratyan told “ArmInfo” that the
information does not correspond to reality and no breach of the
cease-fire was registered on the day specified.
According to APA agency the cease-fire was violated September 21
in the direction of Aghdam in the result of which serviceman of the
armed forces of Azerbaijan Vyusal Seidaliev was killed.

ARMENIAN CONSTITUTION PROVIDES FOR FREEDOM OF RELIGION, BUT…
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 22 2006
The Constitution of Armenia provides for the freedom of religion,
but the legislation puts some restrictions on the freedom of religion
of ethnic minorities, says the 2006 report of the US Department of
State on “Freedom of religion in the countries of the world.”
The web page of the US Department of State informs that some
restrictions exist in practice as well. “The Armenian Apostolic
Church, which has the legal status of the all-national Church, enjoys
a range of privileges, which adherents of other religions lack,”
the document notes.

RUSSIAN TV CHANNEL SCREENS A FILM DEDICATED TO COMPOSER ARNO BABAJANYAN
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 22 2006
On September 21 Russia’s “Rosia” TV Channel screened “Arno Babajanyan’s
Ferris Wheel” film dedicated to great Armenian composer of 21st
century.
In the film contemporaries of the composer retrieve episodes
from his life and creative work. Warm memories were presented by
composer Alexandra Pakhmutova, poet Yevgeni Yevtushenko, actor Armen
Jigarkhanyan, film producer Nerses Hovhannisyan, the composer’s son
Nerses Hovhannisyan and others.
The film tells about the serious disease of the composer, his great
success in foreign countries, his meetings in Yerevan and Moscow,
Aram Khachatryan’s role, etc.
In one year after Arno Babajanyan’s death poet Andrey Voznesenski
devoted a poem to him, which includes the following words: “I will
live as long as music exists.”
Once asked to name his favorite song, the composer had responded that
the best song is the one, which is still to be written.

ARMENIA’S INDEPENDENCE AS INTELLECTUALS SEE IT
Nvard Davtyan
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 21 2006
Prose writer Aghasi Arshakyan does not imagine a greater happiness
for the Armenian nation than independence. “We have a powerful Army
to defend this independence, what we lack is internal independence
and morality,” the writer says.
“In all times all peoples had only one desire – independence. But
independence does not come as manna from heaven, and 15 years ago we
learned how it can be achieved,” writer and publisher Zori Balayan
says. In his opinion, the independence was achieved by our Army,
which was formed in the war, an Army without which the maintenance of
independence would be a sole myth. We much to do and many problems
to solve, which is hard to imagine without the Army. I congratulate
all Armenians in Motherland and Diaspora, who have jointly built
this independence.”
For Perch Zeytuntsian independence is an absolute value, it is the
greatest happiness of a whole nation, the only guarantee of our future.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NA CHAIRMAN TIGRAN TOROSYAN’S ADDRESS ON THE OCCASION OF INDEPENDENCE DAY
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 21 2006
Chairman of RA National Assembly Tigran Torosyan issued an address on
the occasion of the 15th anniversary of Independence of the Republic
of Armenia. The message says, in particular, “One and half decades
of independence have been full of hardest trials and struggle, great
losses and hardship, at the same time being a period of great victories
and achievements, self-determination and revaluation of national
identity. Due to the endless firmness of our people we managed to
resist all the difficulties, and today we have two Armenian states,
a full-fledged National Army, which successfully defends our borders,
an economy with firm roots. On this extremely cherished holiday for
all of us we should state also there are still many challenges and
problems on the way towards the fulfillment of the dreams of the
numerous generations of our people – international recognition of
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, provision for the prosperous life of
the people, establishment of a social, legal and democratic state,
full integration into the international community.
Independence is an utmost happiness and a great responsibility.”

PM ANDRANIK MARGARYAN CONGRATULATES THE NATION ON INDEPENDENCE DAY
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 21 2006
RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan issued a congratulating message
on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of independence of the Republic
of Armenia.
“Dear compatriots, I congratulate you on the occasion of the
15th anniversary of independence of the Republic of Armenia. The
Independence Day is undoubtedly the brightest and most important
holiday for us. It is the day of nationwide pride and fulfillment
of the dearest national dreams that came true after a break of over
600 years.
15 years ago our people made its historic choice and when achieving
the right of living independently, it was realizing pretty well the
difficulties and obstacles on the way chosen, at the same time it
was confident that there was no alternative to independence.
Establishing an independent state on part of the Motherland, in 1991
the Armenian nation launched a process, which is no more preventable
or retrievable.
On this prominent day for all of us let’s congratulate each other,
wishing long-lasting peace to our state and well-being to our people.
I’m confident that we have enough will and potential to jointly
resist all the difficulties to steadily continue moving along the
path of Independence.”

SEMINAR: AL-ANFAL, HOLOCAUST AND ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Kurdish Media, UK
Sept 24 2006
London (KurdishMedi.com) 24 September 2006: Dr Burhan Yasin, a
Kurdish intellect and historian, in his coming seminar comparers and
analyses the similarities and dissimilarities between three campaigns
of genocide during the 20th century of three distinct people, Kurds,
Jewish and Armenians. Their genocides are respectively known as the
al-Anfal campaign against Kurds by the former Iraqi Arab state, the
Holocaust of Jewish by Nazi Germany and the Armenian genocide by Turks.
The Jews of Europe were the main victims of the Holocaust in what the
Nazis called the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question” (die Endlosung
der Judenfrage) or “the cleaning” (die Reinigung). The commonly
used figure for the number of Jewish victims is six million, though
estimates by historians using, among other sources, records from the
Nazi regime itself, range from five million to seven million. Millions
of other ethnic groups also perished in the Holocaust in addition to
this figure.
The Armenian Genocide also known as the Armenian Holocaust or the
Armenian Massacre – refers to the forced mass evacuation and related
deaths of hundreds of thousands or over a million Armenians, during the
government of the Young Turks from 1915 to 1917 in the Ottoman Empire.
The al-Anfal Campaign was an anti-Kurdish campaign led by the Iraqi
regime of Saddam Hussein in the second half of 1980s. The campaign
takes its name from Surat Al-Anfal in the Qur’an, which was used
as a code name by the former Iraqi Baathist regime for a series of
military campaigns against the Kurdish civilian population of southern
Kurdistan. An estimated 182,000 people, mainly members of the entire
community such as a village or a tribe, were parished.
Their reamins were found in mass graves in deserts of southern Iraq
after ousting of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Some of the women and young
girls were sold to Egypt and Gulf Arab Sheiks.
Speaker: Dr Burhan Yasin
Organiser: The centre of Halabja against genocide and Anfalization
of the Kurds – CHAK
When: 30 September 2006 >>From 14:30 to 17:30
Where: Nørre Alle 7 2200 København N Denmark.
–Boundary_(ID_IiCoih9ce6f3jEyTIGB0tQ)–

VICTIMS OF THE 1967 DETROIT RIOT
Frank Tridico
SooNews, Canada
Sept 24 2006
The Detroit Riot began after multiple arrests at a nightclub. After
the arrests, a small group of men began to vandalize adjacent
establishments. From this point, looting and fires spread through the
Northwest side of Detroit, then crossed over to the East Side. Within
48 hours, the National Guard was mobilized. On the fourth day of the
riot, the 82nd airborne had to be called in to quell the masses. As
police and military troops sought to regain control of the city,
violence escalated. Forty-three people died as a result of the
violence.
The Stories of the Victims
Below is a word by word account from a historical website detailing
the numerous victims who died in the Detroit Riot of 1967. It is
quoted directly (without editing) from the site. For brevity, I’ve
included one of the circumstances involving one of the persons who
died. Readers can read the rest of the accounts by clicking VICTIMS
Krikor Messerlian Victim One
“Armenian born, Krikor Messerlian had heard of auto plant jobs in
America, from native villagers sending back word to his country
from America. On July 10, 1920, the British High Commissioner in
Constantinople, signed documents that would allow then, twenty-year-old
Messerlian to travel to America.
Messerlian, was known by fellow factory employees as, George. He
was a small man, standing about 5 feet tall and weighing around 100
pounds. He disliked the factory work so much, that he quit working
there to become a shoe repair man. He lived a quiet bachelor life,
and spent long hours reading Armenian and Greek books at the library.
His first repair shop was located on Brush Street, in Detroit, and
Messerlian, had originally had no problems with his patrons. During
the 1940’s as the area became more run down and violent, Messerlian
was involved in a confrontation with an armed African-American youth,
who came into his shop, demanding money.
Messerlian tried to get to his .45 he kept behind the counter, but the
gunman interferred. He struck Messerlian in the head with his gunbutt,
and left him lying on the floor of the shop.
It was at this time, his relatives persuaded him to leave Brush Street,
and he took up shop on Linwood Avenue, only a few blocks from Twelfth
Street. At the time, this was a middle-class neighborhood, and many
times, Messerlian would leave his store, with his front door open.
But as the area around Linwood began to change, he was one of the
few merchants who intended to stay in the area. He had faced violence
before, and stated to his nephew, that he wasn’t afraid of anyone.
On Saturday, July 22, 1967, Messerlain remembered that his niece was
to be married the very next day. He had only $20 left of his Social
Security check and went to the dry cleaning shop next door to borrow
an additional $25.
By the next morning, trouble was already brewing in the area, on
Twelfth Street. The lady who had overseen the dry cleaners next
door to Messerlain, called to check on the store. He reported that
everything was fine. She called again at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m.,
and 2:00 p.m. Things were still quiet. Half of an hour later, a
gang of African-American youths came down Linwood and stopped at the
dry cleaners.
Messerlian, who hadn’t learned to back down from a hostile situation,
appeared with his 20-inch saber in hand. He was told to get out of
the way, but refused. The youths, broke windows, and began looting
the shop.
Messerlian began to swing his saber, and caught a boy across the
shoulder. The stunned youth, walked away from the shop, bleeding
perfusely.
>From across the street, people living in their homes, were watching
the distrubance from their porches. Then, suddenly, the shoeman
was lying on the sidewalk, and standing above him was a young man,
clubbing him with what they thought was a table leg. They yelled for
the boy to stop before he killed the old shoeman.
Some of the boy’s friends tore the club from his hands, and the group
ran down the street. Messerlian laid motionless on the sidewalk.
At the hospital, it was reported that he suffered from fractures of
the right leg, jaw, left arm, and skull. He had numerous abrasions and
damage to his abdomen and neck. He died 5 days later, on July 27, 1967.
(On August 14th police arrested a twenty-year-old man who had come
to Detroit from Alabama, only six weeks before.)
Throughout the afternoon of July 23rd, the Governor, George Romney
and Mayor Cavanagh watched in fear as the disturbabces continued.
At 4:20 p.m., the National Guard was called to Detroit. In less
than one hour news came, that the police were unable to contain the
looting and burning on Twelfth Street, the looting taking place on
Grand River, or crowds and looting that had been reported as “out of
control” at Joy Road and Grand River.
Homeowners were forced to take up their own hunting rifles and guns
to stand guard as gangs of youths attempted to break into their homes.
They banded together to protect the firefighters, trying to control
the situation, however fires spread from stores to homes, and rows
of well-maintained homes on Pingree Street were destroyed.
The National Guardsmen began arriving about 7:00 p.m. and by 12:00
midnight, 4,000 of them covered the streets. Looting had spread along
every West Side main street. Stores were torched, as police rushed
from one looting scene to another.”
The Second Part of Jeanne Massey’s Interview
Jeanne Massey was pregnant when she was witness to one of the largest
riots in American history. She recalls going through visions of horror
as chaos ensued around her. In an exclusive interview, she gave a first
hand account of what it was like on the ground in the 5 days of rioting
that left 43 people dead, 1,189 injured and led to over 7,000 arrests.
The following is the second part of my full interview with Jeanne
Massey, who was 18 years old and pregnant at the time of the riots.
She gives a full account of what she witnessed.
How Detroit Changed After the Riot
I asked Jeanne Massey how the events of the civil unrest altered the
short and long-term identity of Detroit, Michigan.
“The most prominent change in Detroit was coined in a new term ‘white
flight’. The major supermarkets deserted Detroit, the neighborhood
Mom and Pop candy stores left, and dividing line was drawn at Eight
Mile Road. We bought out home on Mansfield Street in 1970. The day
we moved in the white family next door put a for sale by owner sign
up in the front yard.”
Vivid Recollection
I asked Massey to identify the one one instance that is embedded in
her memory that she experienced during the riot.
“The one image I will forever have embedded in my mind, is army tanks
with the National Guard turning east on Joy Road coming from Grand
River. Hundreds of people began running to take cover in our homes. I
remember praying and holding my fingers entwined under my stomach
for support as I as fast as I could since I was eight months pregnant.”
The Road to Equality
Massey was asked how the Detroit Riot of 1967 coincided (if at all)
with the Civil Rights Movement that shaped the course of American
history.
“The Detroit Riot of 1967 may have been an outcry of frustration at
the slow progress of the Civil Rights Movement. When we look back and
remember that Rosa Parks, the so-called mother of the Civil Rights
movement was arrest in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on a
bus and still 8 years later, the same struggles existed. The period
from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the murders of
Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy and Macolm X marked a dark period in
our history. There seemed to be no charismatic leader able to unite
the masses to move forward with human rights. The riot was perhaps
a facet of the movement.”
A Unique Identity
I asked Jeanne Massey if Detroit of that era was different than
other American cities. I also asked if Detroit is different today
than other American cities.
“Detroit is different from other American cities, in that the auto
industry provided an economic windfall to many middle class blacks
that were still limited as to the areas in which they were permitted to
live and go to school. Today, however, the economic base is beginning
to diversify and we are like more Midwestern cities.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IRAN AND TURKEY PREPARE FOR WAR IN IRAQI KURDISTAN
DEBKA file, Israel
Sept 24 2006
DEBKAfile Exclusive Military Report
A new Middle East war is in the offing. DEBKAfile’s exclusive military
sources in Iraq and sources in Iran reveal that Turkish and Iranian air
units as well as armored, paratroop, special operations and artillery
forces are poised for an imminent coordinated invasion of the northern
Iraqi autonomous province of Kurdistan.
Our sources pinpoint the target of the combined Iranian-Turkish
offensive as the Quandil Mountains (see picture), where some 5,000
Kurdish rebels from Turkey and Iran, members of the PKK and PJAK
respectively, are holed up. Iranian and Turkish assault troops are
already deployed 7-8 km deep inside Iraqi territory.
Turkey to the northwest and Iran to the east both have Kurdish
minorities which have been radicalized by the emergence of Iraqi
Kurdistan in the last three years. The three contiguous Kurdish
regions form a strategic world hub.
A jittery Washington foresees a Kurdish-Iranian military thrust
quickly flaring into a comprehensive conflict and igniting flames
that would envelop the whole of Iraqi Kurdistan as well as southern
Turkey and Armenia.
Tehran is quite capable of using the opening for its expeditionary
force to grab extensive parts of Kurdistan and strike a strategic
foothold in northern Iraq.
Informed US officials would not be surprised if Turkey took the chance
of seizing northern Iraqi oil fields centered on the oil-rich town
of Kirkuk, the source of 40 percent of Iraq’s oil output.
When he met US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice in New York
Thursday, Sept. 21, Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul said:
“When we talk about Kirkuk, everybody supposes we want to bring the
Kurdish-Turkish issue to the foreground. However, we instead see the
uncertainty there as a general issue of Iraq. We are concerned that
instability and turmoil in Kirkuk could cause more troubles in Iraq.”
Referring to the recently appointed special US coordinator Gen. Joseph
Ralston, Gul expressed his hope that a resolution would be imminent.
The threat was implicit and impatient. Washington was given to infer
that Ankara is on the point of deciding whether or not to capture
Kirkuk, a step that would undermine a pivotal political and economic
base of the Baghdad government and harm US interests in Iraq.
This conversation, which was not nearly as amicable as it looked from
the press photos, was clouded by a disturbing incident: A semi-official
American military publication recently ran a new map showing parts
of Turkish and Armenian territory marked “Kurdistan.”
This map fueled suspicions in Ankara and the Armenian capital Yerevan
that the US high military command was in on a plan for Iraqi Kurdish
forces led by President Jalal Talabani and Masoud Barzani to help
themselves to territory in Turkey and Armenia in a counter-attack to
a potential Turkish-Iranian military move in Kurdistan.
This kind of mistrust has lent wings to Ankara’s resolve to go forward
against Kurdistan – the sooner the better.
To cool tempers and restrain the Turks, the US ambassador to Turkey,
Ross Wilson, stood up in Ankara on Sept 19 and promised: “Northern
Iraq won’t serve as a PKK base in the future.” In a speech at a
meeting entitled “Agenda 2006,” Wilson stated that the map published
in an unofficial U.S. military magazine showing parts of Turkish
and Armenian territory under the domination of a republic called
“Kurdistan” doesn’t reflect the official policy of the US.
The ambassador added that the recently stepped-up PKK violent attacks
in Turkey “would not be tolerated anymore.”
These words were hardly likely to allay Ankara’s fears, since the
ambassador addressed the PKK problem in the future tense, while the
Turkish government is troubled by the present.
The approaching conflict, according to DEBKAfile’s military sources,
has an Israeli dimension. Since July, Turkish leaders have been
impressing on the Bush administration that they have the right to
attack Kurdish rebels who mount terrorist attacks in Turkey and take
refuge across the border in Iraq’s Quandil Mountains – no less than
the Israelis, who with US backing struck back at the Hizballah in
Lebanon for its cross-border attacks into northern Israel.
Tehran is not bothering to justify its forthcoming operation in
Kurdistan. DEBKAfile’s sources in Tehran report that Iran’s rulers
are determined to go in without further ado and crush the Kurdish
insurgents carrying out hit-and-run attacks in Iran in recent months.
Vital American and Israeli regional security interests in the Middle
East are affected by three additional aspects of the potential
anti-Kurdish flare-up.
1. Washington is not convinced by Ankara’s protestations of the
absence of Turkish-Iranian military complicity. Turkey and Iran
happen to find themselves in the same boat at the same time as
targets of terrorists, say the Turks, and both have no choice but
to use force to stamp out the violence. But for the Americans, the
timing could not be more unfortunate. A possible US (and Israeli)
plan to attack Iran’s nuclear installations at this time would be
seriously hampered by the closure of Turkish and Kurdish air space
to American and Israeli warplanes heading for Iran.
The war plot thickened further this week.
Friday, Sept. 22, while Hizballah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah harangued
a million Lebanese spectators in Beirut, Iran’s ambassador to Turkey,
Firouz Dolatabadi, spoke in Ankara in ominous tones. He said: “Iran,
Turkey and Iraq are key points in the world’s geopolitics. Whoever
dominates this region can control the whole world.”
Regarding relations between Iran and Turkey, ambassador Dolatabadi
said: “History has it that whenever Iran and the Ottoman Emperor had
good relations, we would witness good developments in the region.”
Good for whom? asked worried officials in Washington.
2. An Iranian-Turkish victory in a Kurdish campaign would award
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps its second victory in less than
two months. The RG officers who commanded Hizballah forces in the
Lebanon war of July and August claim full credit for its gains. They
thwarted a key objective of the Israeli assault which was to cut Iran’s
assets down to size in Lebanon and the western Middle East at large,
and have left Iran’s military grip on the region firmer than ever.
3. Israel is concerned lest military action against Turkish PKK rebels
uproot its military and economic presence in Iraqi Kurdistan.
DEBKAfile’s military sources report that since 2004 Israeli military
instructors and intelligence officer have been helping the Kurds
build up their peshmerga army and anti-terrorist forces.
Iran and Turkey are convinced that Israel also maintains in north
Iraqi Kurdistan observation and early warning posts to forewarn
the Jewish state of a coming Iranian attack. If this is so, the two
invaders will make a point of destroying such posts. Israel would
then forfeit a key intelligence facility against the Islamic Republic.
Regarding Israel’s oft-reported, never officially-admitted, connection
with Kurdistan, the BBC’s Newsnight program of Sept 20 claimed to have
obtained the first pictures of Kurdish soldiers trained by Israelis
in N. Iraq, as well as an interview with an unnamed former trainer.
DEBKAfile’s sources conjecture that the photos were leaked by two
sources:
One, Turkish officials concerned to drum up a justifiable “context”
for their coming offensive by smearing the Talabani-Barzani leadership
as disloyal to Baghdad.
The Kurdish authorities have denied allowing any Israelis into northern
Iraq. The purported Israeli trainer told the BBC interviewer that
his team was told they would be disowned if discovered.
Two, Turkish or European elements who are anxious to abort an American
or Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear industry by exposing Kurdish
installations that might serve to expand Israel’s strategic options
against Iran. The BBC producers suggested that refueling stops at the
Irbil (Hawler) airport in Kurdistan would help the Israel air force
overcome the problem of distance to an air strike against Iran.
The British program quoted the trainer as describing the courses
given to Kurdish airport security people and army as diverse special
operations forces’ anti-terrorism tactics and weapons. DEBKAfile adds
that before Abu Musab al Zarqawi was taken out by American forces,
his men sought high and low for Israeli instructors to abduct as
hostages, but never found them.
The Bush administration recently appointed former NATO commander Gen.
Joseph Ralston as special US coordinator in Ankara for the PKK issue in
the hope of de-escalating the crisis caused by PKK attacks and delaying
Ankara’s war operation against Iraqi Kurdistan. In the second week of
September, he held a round of conferences with Turkish political and
military leaders. His essential argument was that military action is
the last option. But he made little headway. Many Turkish officials
found the Ralston initiative too late to hold back the inevitable
clash for a number of reasons.
They believe the delay he urged would play into the hands of the
Kurdish rebels and give them time to consolidate their preparations
to fight off an offensive.
Turkish intelligence reports that Talabani and Barzani are less
busy with Iraqi affairs than with transferring large quantities
of anti-tank and anti-air rockets to the anti-Turkish PKK and the
anti-Iranian PJAK in their hideouts.
Ankara is keen, furthermore, to get in its blow against Kurdistan
before an American action against Iran. The Turks buy Russian and
Iranian intelligence evaluations according which the US attack may
take place at any time between the last week of September and the end
of December, 2006. So they feel the ground is burning under their feet.
Iran, for its part, is waiting for Turkey to make the first move in
Iraqi Kurdistan. Its troops will go into action only after the first
Turkish soldier and tank are on the move.