Turkey key to Western energy, security
Political developments in Turkey have the West concerned about the
country’s possible actions in northern Iraq and its role as an oil and
gas facilitator
ISN Security Watch (Zurich, Switzerland)
28 August 2006
By Federico Bordonaro
European observers and decision-makers are closely watching ongoing
political developments in Turkey and their implications for Ankara’s
foreign policy. Foremost among these concerns is the appointment in late
July of General Yasar Buyukanit as the new military chief of staff, not
to mention upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.
General Buyukanit will take over as the new military chief of staff on
30 August, replacing General Hilmi Ozkok. In a country where the
relationship between the civilian administration and the army is key to
the preservation of democracy and national unity, a change of leadership
on the military side of the equation is considered a delicate moment –
even more so as the country prepares for presidential and parliamentary
elections.
These domestic events come at a time when Ankara is experiencing
difficulties in finding a political and diplomatic convergence with the
US on how to deal with Kurdish rebel activities in northern Iraq, and
with the EU on the still complex Cyprus question.
Moreover, Turkey’s decision to take part in an enhanced United Nations
mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), as decided by UN Security Council
Resolution 1701, will bring Turkish military personnel into a former
Ottoman province for the first time since World War I, and the issue
already is causing heated debate at home. While Ankara’s latest
declarations signal Turkey’s willingness to play a role in the
humanitarian and reconstruction fields, they also show its refusal of
any task involving the disarmament of non-state actor Hizbollah in Lebanon.
Furthermore, since both Washington and the EU increasingly view Turkey
as a strategic partner for European and Mediterranean energy security,
Ankara’s democratic stability and foreign policy orientation are of
crucial importance for Western interests.
Buyukanit’s appointment: the heart of the matter
Turkish and international analysts alike point out that Buyukanit’s
political and cultural orientation is not exactly as pro-European and
pro-Western as that of his predecessor. More importantly, some fear that
the new chief of staff will promote a tougher policy towards Kurdish
activists and will be less likely to make concessions to the EU on the
Cyprus issue.
Should Ankara’s position on these two issues become more rigid, a
deterioration in European-Turkish relations may occur, further
complicating the already intricate matter of Turkey’s integration into
the EU.
An even more worrisome possibility would be a stronger anti-Western turn
that could signal the beginning of Turkish rapprochement with Iran and a
strengthening of Russo-Turkish relations at the expense of Ankara’s
traditional pro-US and pro-EU orientation.
However, this eventuality is a worst-case scenario only. Turkey’s
constitution, although it allows the military a key political role, is
nonetheless well-balanced and not wholly dependent on army
decision-making. In addition, the current administration leans towards a
cautious policy aimed at harmonizing Turkey’s more explicitly Islamic
cultural identity with a classical pro-European stance – though
parliamentary elections could change that.
In fact, although the Pan-Turkic nationalist movement Ulusalci recently
expressed its hopes that Buyukanit’s appointment would coincide with a
less pro-Western foreign policy, the ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP) does not seem to share such expectations.
According to Onder Aytac and Emre Uslu writing in the August issue of
Ankara’s English language daily The New Anatolian, Buyukanit’s inaugural
speech will tell volumes about his foreign policy orientations. The two
specialists maintained that `if he chooses not to use the word
‘democracy’; not to emphasize Turkey’s EU perspective; and not to
mention a democratic and broad solution to Turkey’s terrorism question,
it will be a signal that Turkey will move closer to the East, Russia and
Iran, and that Turkish democracy will face turbulence for a while.’
Some recent developments in northern Iraq also have fuelled the anxiety
of those in the West who hold a pessimistic view of Buyukanit’s
appointment. In Iraqi Kurdistan, the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) –
labeled a `terrorist organization’ by the US, Britain and the EU – has
raised the tempo of its armed operations, according to Turkish
officials. As a result, last May, both Ankara and Teheran launched
military operations on the border to counter the PKK’s activities.
This event has caused some significant concern in Washington. Turkish
military intervention in northern Iraq would disrupt the delicate
regional balance and plunge the area into chaos, complicating
Washington’s already difficult position in Iraq. Moreover, it could
further embolden Iran, the US’ main rival in the Middle East, in the
event of anti-Kurdish strategic cooperation developing between Ankara
and Teheran.
When Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan threatened to invade northern
Iraq on 17 July, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other top
officials immediately called their Turkish counterparts to reassure them
of Washington’s willingness to repress hostile PKK activity. However, as
Turkish media reported, Ankara’s officials cast doubts on Washington’s
real will to engage the PKK militarily.
The big question now is whether Buyukanit will accept Western calls for
restraint or will push for autonomous military action against the PKK.
Dr Seyfi Tashan, president of the Ankara-based Foreign Policy Institute,
holds a more optimistic view of the evolution of Turkey’s relations with
the West, and interprets Erdogan’s actions and declarations on the
Kurdish question in a different way.
He told ISN Security Watch last week that `Erdogan’s July statements
must be understood as a warning of last resort from Turkey, intended to
encourage the US to effectively intervene. He says Washington was
actually receptive of the encouragement.
However, “both the US and the EU have to understand that it is Turkey’s
right to defend itself, under UN Article 52, and that being sympathetic
to the West, just like entering the EU, cannot mean renouncing the right
to self-defense.’
With regards to Buyukanit’s appointment, he said `the general may have a
different style than Ozkok, but he won’t reverse the pro-Western
orientation of secular Turkey, nor he will be less committed to democracy.”
“Turkey is a solid secular republic and a free country with different
influential opinions. Some think the military shouldn’t have such an
important role, but in the end, the constitution has allowed for
democracy to flourish.’
Similarly, Dr Tashan maintained that `European media often misunderstand
Turkey’s intentions on Cyprus.’
Many indeed view Ankara’s stance on the presence of Turkish troops on
the Mediterranean island as far too rigid in relation to Greek Cypriot
expectations and EU reconciliation efforts.
`Turkey indeed wants a settlement, and it perfectly understands that no
EU membership will be possible without it, but at the same time, it
considers its duty to protect the safety of Turkish Cypriots,’ Tashan said.
`General Buyukanit’s appointment won’t prejudice the long but steady
process of settlement, and continuity will prevail.’
Energy security
While Turkey’s importance for the trans-Atlantic security structure in
the Cold War era was linked to its geostrategic role for NATO, the US
and the EU now see Ankara as a key ally in energy policy.
Turkey occupies an ideal geographic location for energy supplies, as a
gateway between the oil- and gas-rich former Soviet countries and
Southeastern Europe, and between the Black Sea region and the Middle East.
However, Turkey’s strategic significance in energy security has risen in
recent years also because of Russia’s assertive energy policy in the
context of US-Russian competition in Eastern Europe, the Caspian region
and Central Asia. This has become even more evident since the 15-17
August Eurasian Economic Community summit held in Sochi, on the Black
Sea, which gathered together Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Moscow agreed with Minsk and Astana to create
a customs union, while another project involves a common market.
As a result, Russia seems to have gained the upper hand in Central Asia,
and at the same time, Moscow’s recent gas deal with Algeria likely will
increase Europe’s dependence upon Russian gas.
Turkey’s independence from Russian-dominated energy markets is
consequently an important asset for Europe. London, together with
Washington, actively promoted the construction and commercial launch of
the recently inaugurated Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, whose
geopolitical significance has been often interpreted as basically
anti-Russian.
However, in recent years, Russia’s relationship with Turkey has featured
a complex combination of political competition (mainly in Central Asia)
and economic cooperation. Generally speaking, Moscow’s relations with
Ankara have become friendlier, and Russia has even been courting Turkey
to engage in more extensive collaboration in the energy field.
Hence, Condoleezza Rice recently warned Ankara to work with the US-EU
combine so as not to allow Russia to play a monopolist role in Europe’s
energy supplies. Moscow, however, maintains that energy cooperation with
Turkey is `inevitable,’ and that nobody can prevent the two players from
effectively coordinating their energy strategies.
Tashan told ISN Security Watch that `the US and EU should not think that
there will be an absolute alternative between Russia or Turkey: at a
time of globalization and economic interdependence, the answer to
Western energy needs is rather ‘Russia and Turkey’.’
According to Tashan, Ankara `favorably sees itself as a major energy hub
to Southern Europe.’
Turkey’s energy cooperation will not be limited to Russia. Azerbaijan
and Iran will also play a major role. British Petroleum (BP) will soon
complete the South Caucasus pipeline linking the Azeri offshore field of
Shah Deniz to Erzurum in Turkey; the Nabucco project, a planned pipeline
linking northern Iran to Europe through the Caspian and Turkey, also has
a good chance of being approved. Hence, Turkey will not only guarantee
its own energy security, but also will be able to redistribute gas to
Italy and even to Israel in the future.
As Tashan reminded: `Turkey and Greece are already building a
300-kilometer connector that will be finished by the end of the year and
will make it possible to deliver gas to Italy.’
Being well aware of its strategic role in energy security, Turkey seems
eager to take full advantage of it and does not appear overly concerned
by US and EU anxieties over Russia. Rather than a context marked by
rigid alternatives and fierce Turkish-Russian competition, the future is
most likely to bring a more complex game in which cooperation and
competition will coexist, with regional players opting for flexible
strategies to suit their political and economic needs.
Federico Bordonaro, based in Italy, is an analyst of international
relations and geopolitics with the Power and Interest News Report (PINR)
and Strategic-Road.com. He is an expert on the new structure of the
international system after the Cold War, the European integration
process, security and defense issues and political realism.
fm?id=16582

“YERKRAMAS” NEWSPAPER TO CELEBRATE ITS 10TH ANNIVERSARY IN SEPTEMBER
ArmRadio.am
29.08.2006 16:38
Krasnodar based “Yerkramas” newspapers of the Russian-Armenians will
celebrate its 10th anniversary in September. The editorial office of
the newspaper informs that on the occasion of the jubilee the paper
is receiving congratulations from different international, Russian
and Armenian organizations.
Particularly, the World Human Benevolent Fund has awarded “For the Sake
of Humanity ” medal to the newspaper. The medal is generally awarded
to individuals and organizations having considerable contribution to
civic life.

LEBANESE PRESIDENT, BRITISH MP GALLOWAY COMMENT ON WAR “VICTORY”
Lebanese National News Agency website
28 Aug 06
Lebanese National News Agency at 1348 gmt on 28 August carries a
report on several meetings held by Lebanese President Emile Lahhud
at the B’abda Palace on 28 August.
The report first details statements made by President Emile Lahhud
during a meeting with a Jordanian delegation as follows:
Statements by Lebanese president
“President Emile Lahhud hoped that the UN secretary-general, who is
visiting Lebanon, would not make Lebanon wait for days and weeks to
lift the blockade that Israel has been imposing on it since 12 July,
contrary to [UN] Security Council Resolution No 1701. The president
asked: Is it not the duty of the UN secretary-general to ensure the
implementation of Security Council resolutions? President Lahhud said
that a new Israeli military round is unlikely because the Israelis
will think a hundred times before committing any new aggression. The
president called on Arab countries to raise their voices and demand
their right and have national resistance, as we did in Lebanon and
achieved victory.”
The NNA report says that the Lebanese president made these
statements during his meeting today with a delegation of the Jordanian
professional associations, which came to Lebanon to express solidarity
with the Lebanese people and extend congratulations on “the victory
that has been achieved against the Israeli enemy”.
The report then notes that Dr Hashim Abu-Hassan, president of the
Doctors Association in Jordan, delivered a speech on behalf of
the delegation, voicing solidarity with Lebanon and praising its
“steadfastness”.
The NNA report says that Lahhud responded by noting that “Lebanon
achieved victory thanks to its national resistance, which fought
for the sake of all of Lebanon and the Arab nation and free people
in the world”. Lahhud adds: “This victory was not only over Israel,
but over all the countries that supplied it with the most sophisticated
weapons and most lethal and criminal hardware, which is internationally
prohibited. The world will speak about this victory which was achieved
by Lebanon. So far, the West and the USA have not understood how a
small country like Lebanon managed, through its resistance, which is
not great in terms of numbers, to achieve victory over Israel, whose
army is considered the fourth military power in the world. Regrettably,
they are still seeking to get through diplomacy what they lost in
the war. Some big countries support Israel at the Security Council,
led by the USA.”
The report further quotes Lahhud as saying: “On the occasion of the
visit of the UN secretary-general to Lebanon, we told him that Israel
is the one that started the war, and we want compensation for what it
committed against Lebanon. Also, we must reach a cease-fire and not
a cessation of hostilities because Israel uses this pretext to carry
out abortive attacks. We also demand lifting the blockade on Lebanon.”
Lahhud said that he had asked Annan to send a specialized team to
examine the destruction and the rubble to find out what type of weapons
had been used by Israel after “it became clear that the Israelis used
cluster bombs, phosphoric bombs and depleted uranium”.
Statement by British MP Galloway
The NNA report then adds that Lahhud held another meeting with British
MP George Galloway today. The report says that Galloway congratulated
Lahhud on the “victory” achieved by Lebanon in its war against
Israel. The report quotes Galloway as making the following statement:
“I had an excellent meeting with President Lahhud, whom I have met
several times previously and whom I hold in great esteem. In my
capacity as an MP in the British parliament and one of the leaders
of the anti-war British movement, I am here to extend my condolences
over the great human losses sustained by Lebanon during the Israeli
aggression. I also want to extend my congratulations to the Lebanese
people, especially the national resistance in Lebanon, for the great
victory it has achieved against the disproportionate attack carried
out by Israel, which sustained a historic and big defeat that will be
analysed for thousands of years. In this capacity, I wanted to tell
the Lebanese president and people that Tony Blair does not speak
for us. We are ashamed of the role he played during 34 days of the
aggression. He did everything he could to extend the duration of the
war and deepen the suffering of the Lebanese people in the service of
George Bush and the government of Israel. I wanted to explain that,
by doing this, he does not speak on behalf of our country because
the overwhelming majority in Britain is against Blair’s policy in the
Middle East and against the interest he focuses on in foreign policy to
please President Bush. It is important for him to know this because, of
course, on the official level, all countries, including Lebanon, have
to deal with the British prime minister. This is understandable. But
you should know that public opinion in Britain is with the Lebanese,
not with Israel, and not with the great suffering that occurred here
and that was allowed to occur by Britain and the USA and finally by
the international community.”
The NNA further quotes Galloway as saying:
“My feeling is that there is a chance today for a comprehensive
resolution concerning Middle East problems, which caused this war
and all previous wars.
If we fail to seize this opportunity, there will be other wars. The
time is now right, especially since Israel has realized that it can
no longer depend on its military superiority because the days of its
military control are almost over. This is the right time for Israel
and the whole world to decide that they should sit around the table
to reach a comprehensive settlement.”
Galloway adds that this means “Israel’s withdrawal from all the
occupied territories, including the Shab’a Farms and the Golan,
respecting the rights of Palestinian refugees, releasing political
prisoners and establishing a real Palestinian state, with Jerusalem
as its capital.” Galloway said he is optimistic about reaching this
settlement.
The NNA report says that Lahhud met with other people, including a
delegation from the Amal Movement, an Algerian delegation, former
minister Wi’am Wahhab and the patriarch of Orthodox Armenians in
Lebanon. The report provides details of these meetings.

ARMENIAN MINISTER URGES AZERIS TO TAKE “CONSTRUCTIVE APPROACH” IN KARABAKH TALKS
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
28 Aug 06
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan has met US co-chair of
the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza within the framework of Caspian
Outlook 2008 Strategic Forum in Slovenia’s Bled city.
Oskanyan today’s speech at the conference was devoted to Armenia-EU
relations within the European Neighbourhood Policy. Vardan Oskanyan
noted that the European Neighbourhood Policy conforms to Armenia’s
reforms programme.
He said that Azerbaijan’s policy to resolve the conflict in a military
way or to extend it is an obstacle for the Karabakh settlement process.
He said that today the [Karabakh] negotiations are at a critical
stage and the international community should do its best to persuade
Azerbaijan to take a realistic and constructive approach and start
a serious discussion of the principles which are on the negotiating
table.

Refugees At Jemaran School
Armenians and the Left
htm
Aug 24 2006
A Personal Essay by Armenian Volunteer at Refugee Center in Beirut
In mid July, the old Jemaran Armenian school complex in West Beirut
opened its doors to welcome over 90 families fleeing the fighting
in South Lebanon. The nearby Homenetmen Club was converted to a
medical clinic run by the Armenian Relief Society. Area activists took
turns helping the refugees cope with their new surroundings. Shaghig
Meguerditchian, an ARS activist and a high school French teacher by
profession, lives across the street from the Jemaran and volunteered
to help the refugees sheltered there on a regular basis. She sent us
this essay. It is entitled “Parev”.
In a single day, a magic wand changed my neighborhood just as it
had four weeks before. I watched it from my balcony: There was no
one left in the school which only two days ago was packed with women
and children. More than 600 people had managed to lead a precarious
existence there, using foam mattresses as beds, cardboard boxes and
nylon bags as closets, and windowsills as clotheslines.
My “students” have gone back to their homes, or what remains of them.
They waved to me as they left, smiled and made promises. Mohammed,
Ali, Hussain, Hassan, Abbas, Khaled, Haoura, Zeinab, Zahra, Asra,
Amani, Betoul…I must admit that I miss them.
I enter the school through the large gate. To my right are two big
water barrels, and to my left, around a low table, are the directors
of this so-called “campground.” A nod of the head and they say,
” Ejit al moualmeh “, or “the teacher is here.” As I approach them,
the children run towards me from every which way to say “Parev, parev!”
(an Armenian greeting that I taught them).
– Have you brought us storybooks?
= Yes, four of them.
– Are we going to draw afterwards?
= Certainly!
– And then play?
= Well yes, of course!
We all settle in the courtyard, around a table and two benches. They
push each other, some sitting on the table and some on pieces of
cardboard, while others stay standing. It doesn’t matter though,
since we are far from the war and the rumblings of war planes – the
only planes we’ve heard for a month – which have turned our beautiful
blue sky into something deafening and suffocating instead.
Max Velthuijs’s strange bird captivates the children. They adore this
bird that flies out from the painting sold to a rich man by a poor
painter and searches for its rightful place in this vast world.
They want to touch the book and take turns telling the story
themselves, again and again!
= Why can’t the bird find his family?
– Because he’s imaginary.
= Why is he so sad in the forest?
– Because he wants to return home!
This says it all.
I ask them to draw an imaginary bird, strange and never before seen.
Little Mohammad shows me his drawing.
-Excellent! Now go, color it!
He comes back, and his strange bird is now full of color. At the
top of his drawing, he’s written in black: “Samidoun” (“We will stay
strong.”) I tell him: -Your bird is very nice. I like it a lot…but
what does it have to do with what you have written here?
He looks at me, surprised, and walks away without saying a word. Had
he not understood? Yes, he had. He returns and hands me his paper,
from which he has erased the legend completely, so that you can’t see
a letter, not even the slightest hint of a letter! He had understood.
I had, too. The next day, when I ask them to draw using their own
imagination rather than an inspiration from a story, Lebanese and
Israeli flags appear on hilltops, as do fighters with machine guns
and a war plane dropping bombs, its tail proudly displaying the word
“Hezbollah.” Apparently, I had lost: it’s impossible to forget a war
when you’re stuck right in the middle of it.
So, let’s play this game honestly.
Today it’s Tomie de Paola’s Giant of Barletta. Life goes on as normal
in the beautiful city of Barletta, until, one day, an enemy army
invades and destroys everything along its path. “Israel!” exclaim
the children. I wanted to stay tough. “Not necessarily. Nothing shows
that; not all enemies are called ‘Israel.’ If you were in Israel now,
Lebanon would be your enemy. Besides, look at the soldiers wearing
the Roman uniform.” They look at me without really believing me. Just
then, a fight breaks out between Ali and Omar. “He pushed me!” “He
took my place!” I interfere: “So you are enemies now?” They both fall
silent. I had made my point. I continue and finish the story.
I reach into my bag and take out images I had printed from the
internet.
“Look! They are protesting for us in Boston, for peace in Lebanon,
look!” I show them young people waving Lebanese flags and holding
signs, and I explain the slogans. Here is a girl addressing the crowd.
Their little heads come closer.
– For us? An jadd ? (“Really?”) = Who are these people?
-They are Lebanese, Americans, Armenians, Jews.
= What? Jews? That’s impossible, says Rayan.
– Why not?
= The Jews hate us. They are with Israel, affirms Rana.
An impatient voice interjects: – You don’t understand! If they are
protesting for peace in Lebanon, then they are with Lebanon! Khalas
! (“End of story!”) Ibrahim’s flawless logic makes everyone
speechless. Thus, when reality refuses to move, one must play with
the words.
Now the courtyard is empty and quiet.
The children have returned to their homes. Will they grow up in
peace? They deserve it so much! As for me, I will surely never forget
them. I can still hear the joyful “parev” greeting me, and I still
smile at little Mohammed with his mischievous eyes who used to greet
me in his own special way: – Parev! Kilol khiar be elef ! (“One kilo
of cucumbers for a thousand Lebanese pounds!” Note: “parev” and “elef”
rhyme in Arabic.)
Shaghig Meguerditchian-Papazian Beirut, August 16, 2006 (Translated
from the original French by Alik and Nayiri)

ARTUR BROTHERS SHOULD BE ARRESTED IF THEY COME BACK, SAYS REPORT
Story by MUGUMO MUNENE
The Nation, Kenya
Aug. 30, 2006
If the bogus Armenian brothers return to the country, they should be
arrested and prosecuted for causing a security breach at Kenya’s main
airport, the Kiruki inquiry report suggests.
The list of offences they should be charged with includes assault,
creating disturbance in public, obstructing a customs officer on duty,
provoking members of the public by drawing guns and behaving in a
manner likely to cause a breach of peace.
Sources told the Nation yesterday that the commission believed that
there were other criminal offences that were possibly committed at
the Runda home of the Artur brothers.
These include robbery with violence, handling suspected stolen
property, possessing firearms without a certificate, forgery, holding
uncustomed goods, establishing radio communication without a licence
and fraudulent imitation of vehicle number plates.
According to government officials studying the document handed to
President Kibaki on Monday, the Kiruki commission also believed that
the brothers sought access to restricted areas in the airport to
enable them traffic in drugs.
The commission reportedly failed to unravel the identities of the
two brothers since they had been using stolen or fake travel documents.
The report falls in tandem with submissions by counsel assisting the
commission, Ms Dorcas Oduor, who said on the last day of the inquiry
that the brothers were international criminals who came to Kenya to
clean up illegal money.
According to investigations, Ms Oduor said, the Artur brothers engaged
only in cash transactions to disguise the suspect sources of their
money and to cloud possible investigations on their activities.
“We should not downplay the issues that have come out of the inquiry.
Tax evasion is a serious crime that is highly penalised in many
countries around the world. I can see a perfect case of money
laundering and the avoidance of Immigration laws. I can see a perfect
example of organised transnational crime,” said Ms Oduor.
Money laundering – taking money from crime and making it look clean
by putting it through a process that disguises its illegal origin – is
regarded as a serious crime in many countries but not under Kenyan law.
According to sources familiar with the report, Mr Artur Sargsyan –
the shorter and paler of the two brothers, the one who always wore
sunglasses, was a drug dealer who arrived in Kenya to find a safe
haven for his business. They were involved with a number of companies,
which were found to have engaged in a number of criminal activities.
The Kiruki team reportedly stated that it was difficult to establish
the exact business the Arturs were conducting in Kenya since they
had no offices, no bank accounts and no evidence of investment.
During the inquiry, the brothers were described as dubious
international criminals, undesirable characters and their criminal
activities during their nine-month stay in Kenya were exposed.
A shadowy identity, stolen cars, fake numbers plates, fake passports,
fake police identities, illicit firearms and ammunition, forgeries,
fraud, “outlandish and arrogant behaviour” described the character
and lifestyle of the Armenians as disclosed throughout the inquiry.
At one time, they even masqueraded as royalty, claiming that they were
from the monarchy in Armenia, a country which has not been ruled by
a queen or king for 1,500 years.
In her submissions, Ms Oduor said: “They had infiltrated many places
including the police and our security institutions. We should all
condemn their activities.”
However, the commission closed the public inquiry without taking
evidence from some business and social associates of the Artur brothers
and police officers who investigated them since March.
Police commissioner Hussein Ali who ordered the investigations in
March and suspended CID boss Joseph Kamau did not give evidence.
Neither did Nairobi CID boss Isaiah Osugo, detailed to investigate
the Arturs.

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY BELONGS IN SYRIA
By Gabe Huck
National Catholic Reporter
Aug. 30, 2006
Mideast refugees find a home and haven in an unexpected place
We came back from 10 months in Damascus in mid-June and plan to
return to Syria early in September. When we speak about Syria with
small groups in homes or churches here these days, my wife always
makes a suggestion: Let’s start a movement to tow the Statue of
Liberty from the harbor in New York City to Syria’s Mediterranean
seaport at Latakia. That’s where it belongs if there’s anything at
all to this business about giving over “your tired, your poor, your
huddled masses.”
Just in these weeks we’ve been here in the United States, Syria has
again been the only place of refuge for the Lebanese whose homes
and jobs have been destroyed and whose lives have been endangered by
Israel’s air strikes. Even though Israel bombed the roads and bridges
that connect Beirut and Damascus, killing many, still hundreds of
thousands of Lebanese have gotten to the border. Did Syria have a
homeland security department there to decide who got in and who did
not? Did the refugees pass through any metal detector? I would be
surprised if anyone even asked them to put their meager baggage on
an x-ray belt.
Instead they probably heard: “Ahlan ou sahalan!” You are welcome! It
comes naturally to the lips of Syrians.
We have heard from friends in Damascus that public schools and other
institutions are being used to house these refugees. We have heard that
President Bashar al-Assad has asked households to open their doors
and give sanctuary to the stranger. One U.S. journalist suggested
this was a public relations move on Syria’s part. Some move. The
United States should hire that PR firm.
Americans should know that Syrians are good at this work of receiving
refugees. They have been practicing. If we go back a whole century,
we’ll find that Armenians were taken in. In 1948 and the years
following, tens of thousands of Palestinians fleeing Israel’s seizure
of their homes and farms sought and received refuge in Syria. They and
their children and their children’s children are still there, unable
even to visit the land of their ancestors. The early Palestinian
camps in Damascus are now neighborhoods of four- and five-story
cinderblock apartments.
Then there are the Iraqis. As the U.S. occupation of Iraq grinds on
through its fourth year, more than half a million Iraqis have fled
to Syria and a like number to Jordan. Once again, Syria’s borders
were open. Iraqi children can enroll in Syrian schools. Iraqis
can seek work in an economy that already has much unemployment and
underemployment. Refugees do what refugees always do: find their
relatives, crowd into small apartments, find ways to earn enough
for dinner.
Syria and Jordan, two nations never mentioned among the big oil owners
of the Middle East, are the countries people go to for refuge.
Jordan, a U.S. ally, has grown stricter about who gets in and sends
some Iraqis back to Iraq. Syria has rules too, but the refugees seem
to stay on.
So who are these people who have been doing what the tall lady in
New York harbor used to do, opening that door? To start with, there
are only about 18 million Syrians. So go figure how many refugees the
United States would have to admit from Iraq to be in the same league
as Syria. The number comes to about 8 million, or a quarter of Iraq’s
population. But few of the refugees in Amman and in Damascus even
bother to apply for a visa of any kind to the United States. They
know the odds are overwhelmingly against their receiving even a
nonimmigrant visa, let alone an immigrant visa.
But wait, what about Iraqis still in Iraq? Don’t they apply at the
U.S. embassy there, now the largest embassy in the world we hear? No.
Iraqis are not allowed to apply for U.S. visas in Iraq. They must
make the dangerous journey to Amman or Damascus first. That in itself
determines that only a fraction of the Iraqis who take the Statue of
Liberty seriously ever get to apply for a U.S. visa.
And does the United States dare admit that Iraqis can be refugees at
all? What would that say about our invasion and occupation of Iraq?
But Syria, a nation somewhere near the bottom of the middle of the
heap — a Syrian uses in an average day about one-eighth the energy
allotted an American — still holds the gates open for Iraqis and
Lebanese. The United Nations gives some help too.
Americans today seem to have turned their back on the hospitality
they used to offer. They could do worse than to turn to Syria for
while a relatively poor country — and certainly an imperfect one in
many respects — Syria does a powerful amount of good to refugees in
desperate need.

DELEGATION OF INDIAN JEWELRY EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCIL TO TRAVEL TO YEREVAN
Arka News Agency, Armenia
Aug. 29, 2006
YEREVAN, August 29. /ARKA/. A delegation of Indian Council for
Precious Metals and Jewelry Export Promotion is to arrive in Yerevan
on Thursday. Armenian Trade and Economic Development Ministry’s press
office says Indian jewelry presentation will be held on August 31
in Yerevan.
A day later, on September 1, the delegation will meet Tigran Davtyan,
deputy minister, and Gagik Lazarian, the ministry official in charge
of precious stones and jewelry.
The ministry’s press report says the council is interested in
establishing business ties with former soviet republics.
The Indian delegation’s visit to Armenia is a part of its
South-Caucasian regional tour. The delegation is now in Azerbaijan
and on August 29 will head to Georgia and then to Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARF EXECUTIVE COUNCIL TO HOLD CONGRESS IN YEREVAN ON SEPT 7, 2006
Arka News Agency, Armenia
Aug. 29, 2006
YEREVAN, August 29. /ARKA/. The Executive Council of the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF) “Dashnaktsutyun” is to hold its
10th congress in Yerevan on September 7, 2006, the head of the ARF
parliamentary faction Hrair Karapetyan told reporters.
According to him, the ARF “Dashnaktsutyun” has always been a party
directed by a collective body.
“It is the Executive Council’s congress that will settle all the
principal issues facing the party as well as determine its expectations
and policy,” he said.
Karapetyan pointed out that the congress will determine the party’s
strategy during the preparations for the parliamentary elections
scheduled for spring 2007.
The ARF “Dashnakstutyun” is one of the oldest political parties on
Armenia. It was founded in Tiflis (Tbilisi), Georgia, in 1890.
The party has over 6,000 members in Armenia, exclusive of women’s
organizations and youth unions. The party has chapters in all
Armenians regions and in most Armenian communities. The ARF has 12
representatives to Armenia’s Parliament and four ministerial posts.
After the 2003 parliamentary elections the ARF Dashnaktsutyun,
Republican Party of Armenia and the Law-Governed Country Party formed
the ruling coalition. However, this May the Law-Governed Country
Party announced its secession from the coalition due to political
disagreements with the other coalition members.

ARMENIANS BID FAREWELL TO RENOWNED POETESS
By Gayane Danielian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Aug. 29, 2006
Thousands of people gathered near the Opera House in Yerevan on Tuesday
to attend the funeral of famous poetess and outstanding public figure
Silva Kaputikian.
Many of admirers of her poetry, among them thousands of ordinary
people, Diaspora Armenians, as well as politicians, came to bid
farewell to the women on the poetry of which generations of Armenians
were raised both in Armenia and abroad.
The funeral was organized by a government-appointed commission led
by Prime Minister Andranik Markarian.
“It is a great loss not only for our literature, but also for the
people. An intellectual who left us precepts about our fatherland,
language, about national values died,” Markarian said in his speech
at the funeral.
The poetess, who died last Friday, at the age of 87, is known for her
active civil position both in the communist times when she was in the
forefront of the Karabakh movement and also in the post-independence
years when, as her friends and colleagues say, she was not afraid
to raise a voice of protest against what she considered to be unjust
and unfair.
Kaputikian returned the Mesrop Mashtots Order she received from
the state for her merits as a poetess and public figure after the
authorities used violence against peaceful demonstrators in April 2004.
“When such people leave our lives, it is a loss for the entire
nation. And today I want to express my condolences to the whole
nation,” Culture Minister Hasmik Poghosian said about the poetess.
Head of the National Assembly’s Standing Commission on Science,
Education and Culture Affairs Hranush Hakobian said Kaputikian will
stay in the memory of Armenians as their national poetess. “She lived
a glorious life and the state and the nation is saying good-bye to
her in a solemn way,” she said.
His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II was also among
those who came to bid farewell to Kaputikian.
When the coffin with Kaputikian’s body was to be placed onto a
catafalque on Abovian Street, a group of people volunteered to carry
‘the great daughter of the nation’ to the cemetery on their shoulders,
and they led the procession for about two kilometers to the Komitas
Pantheon where Kaputikian was buried next to great Armenian composer
Aram Khachatrian.