AZERI EMBASSY TO BE OPENED IN SWEDEN BY END OF THIS YEAR
Author: A.Mammadova
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Aug. 9, 2006
The Azerbaijani embassy will be opened in Sweden by the end of this
year. This question was discussed by Azerbaijani foreign minister
Elmar Mammadyarov during his official visit to Stockholm and meeting
with his Swedish colleague Yan Eliasson,Trend reports quoting the
press-center of Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
The Swedish minister was submitted the order of Azerbaijani president
on establishment of an embassy in this country. The sides exchanged
views on the role of the international organizations in the settlement
of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Eliasson, who played a role of no small
importance in achieving the cease-fire regime between
Azerbaijan and Armenia in 1994, mentioned the significance of the
peaceful solution of the conflict. Besides, he voiced his concerns
over the fires in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories and said that
this issue will be on the focus of attention.
The ministers discussed the development of the economic cooperation,
especially involvement of Swedish businessmen and investments into
Azerbaijan, conducting of joint business-forum with the participation
of Azerbaijani head. Besides, discuss
Ions were held on the establishment of joint intergovernmental
economic commission.
Mammadyarov held several meetings with Swedish senior officials and
the representatives of Azerbaijani diaspora during his official visit
to Stockholm. The visit was completed on August 9.

ARAM SARKISYAN: ANY DOCUMENT SIGNED BY KOCHARYAN ON NK CONFLICT SETTLEMENT WILL BE ILLEGITIMATE
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug. 9, 2006
“If security strip around Nagorno Garabagh is given to Azerbaijan,
we will get the people to rebel,” said Armenian Democratic Party
leader & former aide to President Aram Sarkisyan.
As he said, any document on the settlement of Nagorno Garabagh conflict
signed by Kocharyan will be illegitimate.
“‘Kocharyan does not represent Nagorno Garabagh. Besides, Armenia
has not recognized Nagorno Garabagh as an independent state. Finally,
if Armenia takes this step, Nagorno Garabagh will have to reconsider
its position,” he underlined.

AGHAYEV: AZERBAIJAN MUST ACQUIRE BIG FRIENDS AND DO AWAY WITH SMALL ENEMIES
Author: J. Shakhverdiyev
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Aug. 9, 2006
Azerbaijan cannot jeopardize its independence because of not so closer
states that also do not defense the Azerbaijani people`s interests,
the leader of the Party of national Movement of Azerbaijan Nasir
Aghayev told Trend commenting the Israeli-Lebanese conflict.
He underlined that some countries` geostrategical interests are
behind this conflict. “No doubt, shedding Lebanon thousand sitizens`
blood, Israel does not avenge its two captured soldiers. The logic
is in other thing. The happening developments show that the UN double
standards towards the world events trigger little countries` involving
in conflicts. Here they pursue their own ends”, he told.
He expressed his regret that some forces in Azerbaijan supports
Lebanon on the religious principle. “We should not forget that in
hostilities for Karabakh many Lebanese citizens Armenians got to take
part in the conflict shed the blood of thousands of Azerbaijanis.
That is why we can not express our attitude on the religious or other
principles. We could approach to these or those events from the point
of justice,” he underlined.
N. Aghayev also pointed out that the silence of the European Union, the
Council of Europe, the Parliament of Europe on the Israeli-Lebanese
conflict developments let us know about skeptical aspects.” The
Parliament of Europe which is considered to be the cradle of democracy
on June 27 1987 proposed to mark the anniversary of the so-called
Armenian Genocide in Armenia,” he told.
According to him, both Hesbollah and Asalah signed an agreement to act
jointly. “When the Azerbaijan Democratic Republicwas fallen in 1920,
we hoped that the Turkish Republic would be kept. That is why we
sacrificed our independence. Now Azerbaijan cannot jeopardize t its
independence because of not so closer countries that do not support
our interests either. Azerbaijan must acquire big friends and do away
with small enemies”, he underlined.
Political experts note that the leader of Asalah hold systematical
consultations with the Armenian leadership. The members of
this organization also represented in the force bodies of the
self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Many Armenians from
Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Armenia, and France are got to take
part in Asalah trainings in Beirut. During the Karabakh war Asalah
and Dashnaktsutun announced mobilization of Armenian young people
from all around the world to take part in the hostilities. If the
hostilities are resumed, the most of Asalah members will be directed
to Karabakh. Near the airport located in the Gorge of Beka Asalah
organizes field trainings. Armenians also grow there drugs and send
them to Europe. Despite the fact that bearing of arm was prohibited
in Lebanon, Lebanese Armenians organize small firms and get Asalah
members as security guards to freely bear arms.

INTERVIEW: SCOTT TAYLOR ON THE RISE OF AZERBAIJAN
Balkanalysis.com, AZ
Aug. 9, 2006
In another exclusive interview with Balkanalysis.com director
Christopher Deliso, Canadian journalist and publisher Scott Taylor
shares his insights on the current situation in the strategic Caucasus
republic of Azerbaijan, from where he recently reported.
Christopher Deliso: We understand that you have just returned from
your first trip to Azerbaijan. So, how is it that you went there? How
long did you stay?
Scott Taylor: The trip came about as the result of an invitation from
the Azeri embassy in Ottawa. They were aware of my extensive coverage
of the Middle East -Iraq in particular, and they felt I might wish
to broaden my scope a little. By happenstance I had some previous
business arrangements lined up in Turkey at that juncture, so I was
‘in the neighborhood’ anyway so to speak. I was able to spend a week
in Azerbaijan, met a lot of senior officials and generals and managed
to get outside of Baku on one field trip into the south.
CD: Did you have some older, pre-existing idea about visiting the
Caucasus? Or was this something out of the blue? How do you see
Azerbaijan as fitting into the general network of places which you
more regularly cover?
ST: To be honest, before going I had no real in-depth appreciation
for the complex strategic, economic and political issues that envelop
this former Soviet Republic. However, the Azeris are actually a
Turkic people, and therefore historically connected to my old friends
-the Turkmen of Iraq. So in reality, this was a natural extension
of my journalistic ‘trap-line’ as opposed to a leap into a totally
unrelated theatre.
CD: For readers to get some background on your trip, we add the link
to your long article that appeared last week in the Canadian press,
but we would still like to get any extra stories you may have left
out of this piece here. Azerbaijan today is, like some of the Balkan
countries you have covered in the past, not a war zone but a site
of a frozen conflict. You spoke with refugees and regular people-
so to what degree did you get the sense that the conflict is still
close to the surface?
ST: Our field trip included visits to the refugee camps, and we were
able to see firsthand a tiny fraction of the nearly 800,000 Azeris who
were displaced during the Armenian offensives into Nagorno-Karabakh
from 1992-1994. As long as there is no effort made to permanently
resettle these people, they are being used as political pawns to
keep international pressure on the Armenians to withdraw from the
occupied territories.
However, as it has been over a dozen years and no one has made any
real attempt to enforce the UN Resolutions (which call upon Armenia
to pull out their troops), the Azeris have upped the ante.
Azerbaijan’s army has sat in trenches surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh
all this time, but now, as the oil boom kicks in and the economy
starts to explode, the Azeris are starting to pump money into military
hardware. I’m not sure how close the army is to mounting an offensive,
but given the huge disparity in relative economies and population,
this military buildup is bound to alarm the Armenians. As of next
year, the Azeris will be spending as much simply on defense as the
entire Armenian national budget!
CD: In your article, you spoke about the latest peace proposals from
the Minsk Group about Nagorno-Karabakh. There have been many peace
proposals over the years, so many that one gets the sense that few
believe in even the possibility of a breakthrough plan anymore. What
about this time? Did you sense any popularity or expectations among
the people?
ST: After 12 years of ceasefire and zero progress towards a settlement,
the expectation of a negotiated agreement is about zilch.
The Nagorno-Karabakh issue was a tremendous blow to Azeri nationalist
pride, and now that their country is expanding their economy so
quickly, the young people want to see some results militarily. It
is a dangerous combination when you fuel injured pride with huge oil
profits being used to bolster a one-sided regional arms race.
CD: How important is an initial Armenian troop pullout for the Azeri
side, as a show of good faith in advance of any final solution?
ST: I think the very first step to any resolution is the pullout
of Armenian troops from at least the seven occupied Azeri provinces
which surround the Nagorno-Karabakh region. After Armenian troops had
secured the disputed territory in 1992 and expelled the 40,000 ethnic
Azeris, they continued to clear a large buffer zone. In the process
of establishing this occupied defensive perimeter, approximately
800,000 Azeris were ethnically cleansed out of areas in which they
constituted the overwhelming majority. So even if a final resolution
on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh remains elusive, the Azeris want
those seven occupied provinces returned immediately.
CD: From the people you spoke with in, specifically, the government,
what was their sense that a real breakthrough on the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue might be in the offing? What would it take?
ST: I think that a military option is something which the Azeri
government is trying desperately to add to the bargaining equation.
Their military commanders warn of losing their patience and top
politicians brag about their huge new defence budget. Foreign diplomats
based in Baku are not alarmed at this stage as they see the Azeri
arms buildup as mostly bluff. “When they start buying helicopter
gunships we’ll know they [the Azeris] are getting serious” is what
one US spokesman explained to me.
However, now that the government has signed that huge ‘Deal of
the Century’ oil contract with British Petroleum, and opened the
strategically important Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, I think the
political worm is turning in favour of the Azeris. It may be the
hollow threat of renewed military action which causes Azerbaijan’s
new found strategic ‘friends’ to exert the necessary pressure on
Armenia to begin a withdrawal.
CD: You mention the cult of personality of the former leader,
Haydar Aliyev. Is this something that could be compared with, say,
Tito in Yugoslavia? To what extent do you think that it is something
spontaneously sustained, from the hearts of the people, or to what
extent do you see it as a ploy of Aliyev’s son (the current ruler)
to retain power? Or is it none of the above?
ST: I think it is more in the Azeris’ desire to create a Kemal Ataturk
figure as a national symbol, who would stand above day-to-day politics
and corruption. Once such individuals are immortalized in such a
mythical manner, their legend only continues to grow. For Ilham
Aliyev it is both a blessing and a curse, as he will always rule in
his father’s ‘larger-than-life’ shadow.
CD: There is also a tight bond between the Azeris and their “big
brothers” in Turkey. To what extent did you notice this? Turkey
has not opened the border with Armenia because of the unresolved
Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Would Turkey come to the direct military
assistance of Baku in case of new fighting?
ST: During the heavy fighting in 1992-1994 there were Turkish
advisors on the ground assisting the Azeris. In the early stages of
that fighting, Azerbaijan got thumped pretty good by a Russian-backed
Armenian defence force. However, by 1994 the regrouped Azeris (with
Turkish help) had begun to turn the tide.
Azerbaijan’s army is rapidly trying to bring itself up to NATO
standard, and the Turks have been instrumental in overseeing this
transition. I think the only time that Turkey would intervene directly
against Armenia would be if the isolated Azeri province of Netchevan
was threatened. This tiny region is administered by Baku, is populated
entirely by ethnic Azeris, borders on Turkey but sits surrounded
by Armenian-controlled territory. In 1992-1994, the Turks made it
clear to Armenia that this was a no-go zone- or else ‘big brother’
Turkey would jump into the fray with both feet.
CD: One of the things that comes across in your article is
the whole ‘Star Wars’ nature of the lifestyle for expatriate oil
workers/mercenaries/etc. Share with us some colorful stories about the
characters you encountered. Who are these people? I imagine that most
of those men must have had some form of previous military training?
ST: Chris, I don’t scare easily, but some of these characters were
downright frightening. Most of the oil workers are former British
soldiers…. mostly special forces or paras, and invariably they
had seen real combat in either the Falklands, Northern Ireland or in
either of the last two rounds of the Gulf Wars.
There were also a number of serving SAS types frequenting the Baku
bars, and one quickly knows enough not to ask them why they’re in
town. Although I suppose that some of them are also keenly interested
in keeping an eye on Azerbaijan’s southern neighbor, Iran.
Such individuals naturally attract the attentions of certain classes
of women anxious to, er, milk their own share of the oil boom. In
some of the ex-pat bars you could find a bizarre collection of these
‘ladies’ from all over the former Soviet Republics of Central Asia.
Alcohol is a huge part of the oil workers’ routine, and between that
and the hard living they’ve endured, these guys age fast. Some of
them in their mid-forties looked at least 70….but still frightening,
mind you.
CD: Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Kosovo
independence for the Albanians would mean universal principles for
self-determination across the board- including in places like the
Caucasus. Did you get any sense of Russian involvement or potential
involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue on behalf of Armenia,
if Kosovo becomes independent and they are able to push the precedent?
ST: The Russians are not too pleased with Azerbaijan for selling
off shared Caspian Sea oil rights to BP, and for opening the BTC
pipeline. This now constitutes a conduit whereby the Central Asian
petroleum resources do not have to transit to Europe via Russia.
Consequently, Russia’s support for Armenia is not entirely selfless.
Furthermore, as the US-allied Georgians continue to push local Russian
military bases out, Armenia offers a solution to Moscow for maintaining
a military footprint on this strategic fault-line.
CD: That said, in a world where sudden new challenges in the Middle
East are now manifesting, has the danger of future conflict in
Azerbaijan (or around it) now been heightened or lessened? Is it a
case of the country wanting to be on its best behavior to keep the
West happy, or is it perhaps an ‘anything goes’ situation, now that
everyone is so preoccupied with Iran and Lebanon?
ST: The Iran issue is the most pressing one, in that approximately 17
million ethnic Azeris live inside the Iranian border. The territory of
Azerbaijan was originally divided by Tsarist Russia and Persia back
in 1828. The 8.5 million Azeris residing in the independent former
Soviet Republic are just the tip of a big iceberg. I have been told
that the CIA is hoping to use Azerbaijan’s newfound prosperity and
freedoms to incite Azeri nationalism south of their border.
Constituting one-third of Iran’s population, any separatist movement
on the part of the Azeris would deeply destabilize the Tehran regime.
Not that America ever plays such games, of course…
CD: Finally, considering that you were visiting Azerbaijan as part
of a press junket, do you feel that you were presented with the real
situation completely? Are there aspects of the Armenian issue that
may have been overlooked, or that you might like to put caveats around
until you can see the situation from their point of view?
ST: It is never possible to see a ‘complete’ picture from only one
vantage point. Unlike many of our media colleagues who thump their
chests and claim to ‘know’ an issue, I always present my findings as
what they are…..one piece of the puzzle. I look forward to getting
more acquainted with the Armenian side of the conflict, and I can’t
wait to actually visit the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh to
see things for myself in the near future.
terview-scott-taylor-on-the-rise-of-azerbaijan/

NO APPEALS FROM NAGORNO-KARABAKH TO ERMITAJ
Author: A. Ismayilova
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Aug. 9, 2006
No appeals from Nagorno-Karabakh concerning the displays put in the
Russian State Museum of Ermitaj have not been received, the Chief of
the Press Centre of Ermitaj Larisa Karabelnikova told Trend.
According to her, the museum which has collected more than 3 million of
exhibits does not have any separate exhibitions devoted to Azerbaijan,
particularly to Nagorno-Karabakh.
“These are ancient exhibits, and they belong to the Department
of East. The period they belong to there were neither exhibits of
Nagorno-Karabakh nor other countries “, she stressed. She also pointed
out that if Armenians decide to dispute these exhibits, then experts`
and arts critics` involving to this process will be needed.
It should be noted that according to the Informational Agency of
REGNUM, the Director of the so-called Artsakh Historic Museum of
Local Lore Melanya Balayan told that in the Depertment of Azerbaijan
of X-VII Centuries BC of Ermitaj, a golden seal found on the territory
of the Village of Arachadzor of Mardakert District of Nagorno-Karabakh
was put. Nagorno-Karabak was marked as the place where this seal was
found, and in this connection the Armenian party corresponds with
the Ermitaj Board.
In his turn, the Director of the Department of Policy and Culture
of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan Republic Fikret
Babayev told Trend that such an appeals are not of significance. F.
Babayev thinks that everybody including a natural person has a right
to apply to Ermitaj. On F. Babayev`s opinion, such an appeals cannot
be the cause of disputing of ancient exhibits.

RAFAEL HAMBARSUMYAN: RUSSIA IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug. 9, 2006
Turkey and Russia are equally responsible for 1915-1923 Armenian
genocide,” said Armenian historian Rafael Hambarsumyan, APA reports.
He said Russia always used Armenians in its invasion policy, made
them victims of its interests.
“During the World War I, Russia helped Turkey to pursue a genocide
policy against Armenia mobilizing 200 Armenians to the front against
Germany. According to the 1921 agreement between Turkey and Russia,
eastern parts of Armenia was invaded and shared between Turkey,
Georgia and Azerbaijan. The agreement aimed to wipe out Armenia
completely. Finally, there is hardly any writer from east Armenia who
Russia has not ever exerted physical pressure on,” he concluded.

EMBATTLED JOURNALIST SAYS LOCKED OUT OF YEREVAN HOME
By Anna Saghabalian
Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Aug. 10, 2006
An independent journalist facing the possibility of imprisonment said
Wednesday that his rented apartment in Yerevan has been sealed off
by police as part of a controversial criminal investigation stemming
from his dispute with an influential local government chief.
Gagik Shamshian, a freelance correspondent and photographer, claimed
to have been locked out of his home in the city’s southern Nubarashen
suburb since it was searched by police officers last Friday. “They
broke the door, went in and found that the furniture is not damaged,”
he told RFE/RL. “They took away my passport, tape recorder with
cassettes, computer diskettes and back issues of the newspapers
‘Chorrord Ishkhanutyun,’ ‘Aravot’ and ‘168 Zham.'”
“I am scared of returning to my apartment and engaging in my
professional activities,” he said.
A top police general, Hovannes Hunanian, confirmed on Monday that that
the Nubarashen police opened a criminal case against the journalist
on the basis of “complaints” filed by local residents. He said they
accuse Shamshian of defrauding and insulting them.
Shamshian rejects the accusations, saying that the case was brought
in retaliation for his refusal to retract incriminating testimony
against the brother of Nubarashen Mayor Mher Hovannisian who was
charged with assaulting the journalist last month. Ruben Hovannisian
spent several days in police custody before being released a week ago.
Hovannisian’s lawyer, Robert Grigorian, denied his client’s involvement
in the July 12 attack on Shamshian by a large group of men allegedly
linked to the head of the local government. “My client did not organize
the assault,” said Grigorian. “There is no evidence to support these
allegations.”
A spokesman for the Armenian Police Service confirmed that Shamshian’s
apartment was search but could not elaborate on accusations that may
be formally leveled against him.
According to Shamshian, the most important of those accusations is
that he damaged the furniture owned by his landlord. He said he has
spent the past few nights in a friend’s apartment and does not know
when he will be able to return home.

INTERNET BLOCKADE OF ARMENIA: GEORGIA DELIBERATELY OBSTRUCTS TRAFFIC TRANSIT?
Regnum, Russia
Aug. 9, 2006
The Georgian side, to all appearances, just switched off hardware
maintaining Armenia’s access to the internet, ArmenTel national
monopolist internet provider press secretary Hasmik Chutilyan said
in an interview to REGNUM. She says “the connection has just been
interrupted on the Georgian territory, which is hard to interpret at
the moment.”
Chutilyan stated recently that the internet connection was completely
restored after the cable failure on the Black Sea seabed, for which
“satellite connection and reserve sources had been used.” She also
said that the recovery of the Black Sea cable was underway and to be
completed in 10 days.
As it was reported earlier, population of Armenia twice for the last
week had been cut off the internet. The reason of the failure in
the work of Armenian internet providers became the cable breakage
on the Georgian territory. According to ArmenTel information, the
cable was damaged on August 4 in the Kutaisi region resulting in
Armenia’s having no internet connection for 6 hours. On August 5,
the cable was damaged on the Black Sea seabed.
The data transfer is performed through the only cable connecting
Armenia and Ukraine via Georgia on the Black Sea seabed. In the south,
the cable is connected to the analogous Iranian communications. Lately
it has been a third large-scale internet cable failure on the Georgian
territory.

MOST ARMENIANS ‘NOT DEPENDENT ON REMITTANCES’
By Shakeh Avoyan
Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Aug. 10, 2006
The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) cited on Wednesday the findings of
new research to substantiate its assertion that most Armenians do not
live off external cash remittances and are therefore not suffering
from the dollar’s continuing dramatic depreciation.
Karine Karapetian, head of the bank’s statistics department, said a
household survey commissioned by the CBA has found that only 37 percent
of Armenian families regularly receive and rely on hard currency sent
by their members working abroad. She said most of those families are
part of the middle case, contrary to the widely held belief that the
beneficiaries of remittances are mainly low-income people.
However, this claim seems to be in conflict with the survey’s finding
that the incoming financial assistance is enough to meet only the
basic consumption needs of 76 percent of its recipients. Only one
percent of them can afford to save some of that cash.
CBA Chairman Tigran Sarkisian and other officials have consistently
insisted that poor households have been largely unaffected by a more
than 40 percent plunge in the dollar’s value against the Armenian
dram that has been registered since January 2004. They say a strong
dram has meant low inflation, which is far more important for the poor.
Government critics claim, however, that the Armenian authorities have
been “artificially” bolstering the dram to siphon off a large part
of the hard currency flowing into Armenia and benefit a small circle
of government-connected importers. The CBA has repeatedly dismissed
the claims, blaming the dram’s appreciation on recent years’ sizable
increase in the volume of the remittances.
According to Karapetian, they totaled at least $940 million last
year and are projected to rise by 17 percent this year. The dram has
already gained 13 percent in value against the dollar since January,
reaching a new high this week.

PAPER REPORTS ON GREEK PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS SERVING OVERSEAS
Ta Nea, Athens
5 Aug 06
Text of report by Loukas Dhimakas, “Greek military expeditions to
the unknown”, published by Greek newspaper Ta Nea on 5 August
Greece is preparing to embark on yet another uncertain “peacekeeping”
mission, with an unknown – and unpredictable – exit time. The
possibility of Greek participation in a military mission to Lebanon
was mooted by the government itself and, irrespective of official
statements, the Pentagon [Greek National Defence Ministry] has already
begun to draft various plans concerning our country’s participation.
As staff officers have pointed out: “The issue is not a simple
one and it is being carefully examined from the military point of
view.” Beyond the grave operational dangers facing any mission
operating in an unknown environment, the staff officers have to
face another major headache – the sheer numbers involved. There are
currently 1,221 members of the Greek armed forces – men and women –
serving in “peacekeeping operations” under the auspices of NATO, the
EU or the UN, in 15 hot spots around the world. The cost to Greece
is nearly 200m euros per year.
However, this is not the only issue. A number of missions have
already existed for over 15 years, with the most difficult of them
being Afghanistan. In the case of that country, the official view
expressed two days ago was that another 15 years would be required
before this mission could be successfully concluded. It should be
remembered that when, in 2003, the first Greek Army engineers left
for distant Kabul, it was generally believed that the situation there
would have been settled within two or three years. Today, the Taleban
attacks are becoming even more fierce, with 1,700 persons killed this
year alone. In the meantime, a few days ago the Americans handed over
responsibility of the south Afghanistan hotbed to a NATO-led force,
while they are preparing for their gradual withdrawal.
The current situation causes serious concerns to many of the European
countries participating in the multinational mission there and
vindicates the German analyst of “Die Zeit,” Mr Matthias Geis, who
recently wrote. Either today in Kosovo and in the Congo or tomorrow
in the Middle East, peacekeeping missions follow less and less a
well-planned strategy and more and more the necessities created by
the UN, the USA and… [ellipses as published] CNN!
In the countries of the former Yugoslavia, the foreign military
presence – including that of Greece – continues to be necessary for
over 12 years now, while there is no visible time for an exit. As
an experienced staff officer commented recently, “an exit strategy”
is rarely drafted. His comment was mainly directed at the Americans
who are, more or less, “directing” all peacekeeping operations during
the past 15 years. The same staff officer admits that “this can be
clearly seen in Iraq” and states that Washington is “applying pressure”
on its allies to join the countries willing to contribute troops.
However, he also points out that in certain cases, such as in the
Balkans, the Greek presence is necessary for geopolitical, economic
and diplomatic reasons. As he is quick to stress, “there exists a
new form of diplomacy – that of peacekeeping operations”.
The commander of the Greek battalion serving in Afghanistan is a man
of a few words. He is Stavros Varounas, a lt-col in the commandos and,
as he explains: “Our mission is very difficult. There are dangers
every single day.”
“Nevertheless,” he adds quickly, “we are professionals, well-trained,
well-armed and, naturally, we take all precautionary measures”.
These measures, however, did not prove sufficient to prevent a bomb
attack against a Greek convoy on the outskirts of Kabul a few months
ago. Nor did it prevent a rocket attack – fortunately without any
casualties – a few days ago against the headquarters of the ISAF
[International Stabilization Force] where 29 Greeks are billeted
temporarily.
“It was painful, but fortunately we suffered only two lightly-injured
soldiers,” says a Special Forces non-commissioned officer that was
travelling on the convoy attacked. He believes that “we were mistaken
for others”, since the “Yunan” (Greeks) are looked upon in a different
light from the other allies. A now retired general, however, takes a
more realistic view and says that the attack amounted to a “warning”
to the Greeks so that they, as well as the other Europeans, will not
consent to the handing over of responsibilities from the United States
to NATO.
The Greek mission, in addition to the security measures it is taking,
has another “shield”. This is the humanitarian work it is carrying
out. This applies mainly to the Kosovo, where certain local leaders
and a number of Albanian-speaking extremist elements do not look
favourably upon the Greek presence.
As Lt-Col Nikos Mekras, commanding officer of the 501st Battalion
deployed in Urosevac told Ta Nea: “The Greek Force in Kosovo is a
factor for security and stability in the region.” The battalion has
under its command one platoon from Armenia. As he explains, there
is constant collaboration with the local authorities, while the
main work of the ELDIKO [Greek Force in Kosovo] is the distribution
of humanitarian help, public works construction and the offer of
medical care.
Last year, a 15-member strong unit of Greek soldiers came very near
to a general shootout with an extremist mob that was probably directed
against them.
The incident took place in the northern Kosovo village of Urosevac. The
Greeks were guarding a Serbian Orthodox church when they were attacked
and endured an hours-long siege by Albanian-speaking extremists that
wounded one lieutenant. A non-commissioned officer who was a member of
the unit describes the incident as follows: “I lived through a mini,
but nevertheless real, ‘Black Hawk Down’ experience. Fortunately, the
armoured vehicles arrived on time, followed by US helicopters that
started firing, throwing tear gas and flares and were thus able to
save us.” He stresses that it was a difficult night, with everybody
risking their lives.