Hezbollah: Phoenix From the Ashes?
Middle East Online, UK
Aug 1, 2006
There is a chance that Hezbollah, far from being destroyed by Israel’s
current attacks, may emerge as an even more powerful political force
in Lebanon by the next elections. Popular Lebanese (and wider Arab)
attitudes have changed sharply in the past two weeks from being opposed
to Hezbollah as a Syrian ally, to praising Hezbollah for standing up
to Israel’s aggression, notes Richard W. Bulliet.
The rules are clear: Sovereign states can use all the military force
they can get away with, but violence by non-state organizations is
usually labeled “terrorism.” But what if, in Lebanon, Hezbollah and
its well-wishers end up controlling the Lebanese government? Israel
and the United States may come to deeply regret Israel’s reaction to
the Hezbollah capture of two soldiers.
How might Hezbollah pull this off? Today they are winning the worldwide
sympathy war by a large margin. While Hezbollah stands up to the
Israeli air force, navy and ground forces as it rains missiles on
Israeli civilians far from the border, regional television coverage
brings the horrors of Israel’s attacks on Lebanese civilians and the
destruction of the Lebanese economy into every Arab home.
Israel’s relentless pounding of the civilian infrastructure —
and heartless declarations that Hezbollah alone is responsible when
civilians get in the way of Israeli bombs — has blunted internal
Lebanese criticism of Hezbollah for provoking the attack. Prolonging
the bloodshed is unlikely to change this. Is there a single Arab,
Iranian, Turkish, or Muslim heart (and many a non-Muslim heart) that
is not bleeding for the Lebanese dead and seething with anger toward
Israel and the United States? Even the Arab leaders who initially
curried American favor by condemning Hezbollah are scampering to
reverse their positions.
The Bush-Blair axis proposes an international intervention force for
south Lebanon. Its mission: Separate the warring parties, disarm and
dismember Hezbollah, and guarantee Israel’s border security. There
is every reason for Hezbollah to accept this opportunity to exit the
field of battle with honour. It could legitimately claim that its
brave few had fought Israel to a standstill, and has now relented to
save Lebanon from further punishment. Many Lebanese Christians and
Sunnis would still distrust Hezbollah’s motives. But most Lebanese,
starting with the 40% of the population that is Shi’ite, would hail
them as heroes. And so would millions of Arabs and Muslims elsewhere.
What, then, might happen in the next Lebanese election? The 1989 Taif
Agreement that ended the Lebanese civil war set the number of seats
in the National Assembly at 128, half assigned to Christian sects
and half to Muslim. District lines were drawn according to where the
various sects predominated.
In an earlier format, only members of a given sect could vote for
candidates belonging to that sect. But in an effort to make national
interests as important as sectarian ones, the Taif agreement specified
that all the voters should have a say in who was elected from their
district. Thus the Armenian candidates vying for the one Armenian
Catholic seat in the assembly had to campaign for the votes of all
Christians and Muslims in their district. The winner would presumably
be the one with the strongest appeal across sectarian lines.
The Cedar Revolution of 2005 indicated that the Taif formula succeeds
in making Lebanon’s election turn on national interests. The Rafiq
Hariri Martyr List, a coalition opposed to Syrian domination,
won 72 seats. Winning candidates included Christians, Sunnis, and
Druze. The Resistance and Development Bloc, a pro-Syrian coalition,
won 35 seats. The winners were mostly Shi’ite – 14 from Hezbollah
and 15 from Amal, the party run by National Assembly Speaker Nabih
Berri – but two seats went to the Syrian Social Nationalist Party,
a non-Shi’ite group.
Rage over the Hariri assassination galvanized the formation of the
anti-Syrian coalition. Could rage at Israel, pride in Hezbollah’s
resistance, and admiration of its leader, Sheikh Nasrallah, create
an equally potent coalition? Such an alignment would have to be
inter-sectarian because no one wishes to change the Taif formula for
the sectarian allocation of assembly seats. But Israel’s attacks have
affected all Lebanese.
If an anti-Israel alignment controlled the National Assembly,
Hezbollah’s militiamen would probably be incorporated into the
Lebanese army. Syria would be rewarded for sticking by its proteges.
And Iran would increase its prestige as Israel’s foe and become the
legitimate weapons supplier for an anti-Israeli Lebanese army. As
for the West’s hopes for the Cedar Revolution, these would die in
the smouldering wreckage of the Israeli bombardment.
When an international force deploys in south Lebanon, Israel and the
United States will probably claim victory. But it will be a hollow
victory indeed if an angry and democratic Lebanon with a new militant
leadership takes the place of “terrorist” Hezbollah.
This scenario may not play out: Lebanon’s next elections are slated
for 2010. So the passions of Lebanese who now rage against Israel
and cheer for Hezbollah will have time to cool. Whether they do cool
will depend on Israel. If Israel continues to punish Lebanon – or in
Israeli terminology, “to defend itself” – and the international force
fails to fulfill the vain dream of totally eradicating Hezbollah,
Lebanon may become a nightmare for Tel Aviv and Washington.
Israel’s best hope is not to ferret out every Hezbollah missile,
but to grab the earliest opportunity to withdraw – the Qana tragedy
may be that opportunity – and then keep their fingers crossed, and
their bombers on the ground, until 2010. Maybe the normally sensible
and pragmatic Lebanese will forgive and forget… again.
Richard W. Bulliet is Professor of History at Columbia University and
author of Islam: A View from the Edge and The Case for Islamo-Christian
Civilization
ast-online.com/english/?id=17151

Immigrant from Armenia Becomes Turkish Armed Forces Staff Chief
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.08.2006 13:59 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Erdoghan’s government has appointed Ground Forces
Commander, Army General Yashar Boyukanit Armed Forces General Staff
Chief on 31 July without waiting for the meeting of the Supreme
Military Council held on 1-4 August annually. Yashar Boyukanit was
born in 1940. His family is Azerbaijani Turks, who moved to Turkey
from Amasiya region in Armenia in early 1920s. Boyukanit was promoted
Army General in 2000, held the post of the 1st Army Commander and then
Ground Forces Commander. He was secretary general in the Armed Forces
Staff in 1992. Prior to this, he was the chief of counter-intelligence
office during the Cyprus Truce Movement, reports APA.

IN 2050 POPULATION OF ARMENIA WILL COUNT 2.334 MILLION
Lragir.am
01 Aug 06
Hranush Kharatyan, the head of the agency of ethnic minorities and
religion of the government of Armenia, made important comments in an
interview with the official website of the Republican Party.
For instance, Ms. Kharatyan announced with regard to the demographic
pattern of Armenia and its possible changes that “Armenia is presently
unfavorable for the population of our country”. According to
Hranush Kharatyan, this unfavorable state is the reason why “the
young, the educated, workers, specialists” leave Armenia, and in
a country, which sheltered refugees, “there is no growth of the
population. Armenia remains a labor-exporting country and will remain
for a long time.” Hence, it is at least a surprise to hear from Hranush
Kharatyan that “Armenia is becoming a real Republic with the dominant
ideology of Republicanism. A citizen is protected and safe, citizens
have genuinely equal and protected possibilities, a law-abiding and
hard-working person is a respectable citizen of our country and the
key guarantees of his protection are the same qualities. The Armenians
not only stay in Armenia but also give birth to children.” Hence, it
appears that non-Armenians leave Armenia. However, Hranush Kharatyan
declines to say who the non-Armenian “the young, the educated,
workers, specialists” are who leave Armenia and are an attractive
resource for the countries which encourage immigration.
Hranush Kharatyan presents figures as well. In 2050 the population of
Armenia will count 2.334 million. If presently 63.1 percent are not
able to work, in 2050 it will be 48.9 percent, “which is the lowest
rate in the OSCE countries”. In Turkey 58 percent of the population,
57.3 percent in Azerbaijan will not work. In the upcoming 45-50 years
the population aged 15 to 59 will grow by 37.9 percent in Turkey, 37.9
percent in Azerbaijan, and will go down by 41.9 percent in Armenia.
There is one more thing that Hranush Kharatyan unfortunately and
consciously keeps silent about, namely “the influence of qualitative
and quantitative changes in the demographic patterns of the countries
in the region”. Whereas, Hranush Kharatyan should not keep silent, for
due to a demographic change no Armenians were not left in Nakhidjevan
where the Azerbaijanis demolish Armenian khachkars.
After cracking down on the sustainable two-digit economic growth of
the Armenian government for the upcoming 50 years Hranush Kharatyan
takes up Robert Kocharyan’s principle of the genetic incompatibility
of Armenians and Turks. According to Hranush Kharatyan, “peaceful
coexistence of the Armenian and Turkish ethnicities was possible
and will be possible in the future too. Ethnicities do not bring
about conflicts. Conflicts are sparked by planners and implementers
of politics.”
ARAM ZAKARYAN
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Indian imprint on Armenia
Frontline, India
Aug 1, 2006
TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROMESH BHATTACHARJI
The remote village of Odzun reveals an Indian connection.
THE road from Yerevan, Armenia, to Tiblisi, Georgia, goes through
impressive terrain. The twin summits of Armenia’s Bible Mountain,
Mt. Great Ararat and Mt. Little Ararat (5,165 metres and 3,925 m
respectively), loom mesmerisingly to the south. From the shoulder
of Mt. Aragats (4,090 m) after Pushkin Pass, the steep walls of the
hills gradually move closer to the road. The space at the base of
the narrow and deep Debed Gorge is shared between a railway line
and a road that are marvels of scientific daring. Throughout this
route are strewn many relics of the Soviet past. Huge factories
that once employed thousands in these remote mountains are smokeless
and silent. Now there are only some signs of optimism checking the
otherwise all-pervasive decrepitude evident in the rows of attendant
apartment blocks that surround the many industries along the way.
High above Debed Gorge, is a surprising plateau. The zig-zag road from
the lowest point in Armenia (380 m above sea level) suddenly becomes
straight, lined with fields, and bordered with huge trees. Shepherds
with their flock hold up traffic and smile at the impatience of car
drivers. This is the lovely village of Odzun, once known an Awjun.
A 7th century Armenian church is perched on a shoulder dramatically
overlooking the deep Debed Gorge. The Armenian Orthodox Church
celebrates mass differently from the way churches do in the West.
There is no written order of service. There are no chairs. There is a
spacious domed hall in which people stand. There is usually at least
one high-vaulted porch for entrance. The focus is the altar, which,
except in the more important churches, is very simply dressed. The
service continues for hours and worshippers enter and leave at will.
This kind of freedom is much like the informality of worship in
eastern temples. The Odzun church was from A.D. 717 to A.D. 728, the
seat of the Armenian Pope Hovhan Odzntsi, better known as Catholicos
Yovhan Awjnec. This church was built before his time. He, however,
shifted to Echmiadzin near Yerevan and since then that has been the
seat of all Armenian Popes.
Photo: THE CHURCH OF Odzun and, to the left, two roughly hewn
rectangular rock obelisks encased in huge blocks of stone. The
structure is believed to be a gift an Indian king gave an Armenian
general for his help.
The Odzun church is cavernous, gloomy especially in winter, and
spartan. It is surrounded by three aisles, which have now collapsed.
It has lasted the depredations of the Persians and the Arabs, albeit
not without repair. Like most buildings in the area, it is built in
pink felsite stone. It does not appear to have windows at waist-level,
which is typical of the period. Instead, they are close to the roof,
perhaps to intensify the no-hope melancholy air. There are graves
of prominent persons from several hundred years ago to the present
in the surrounding graveyard. There is also a memorial commemorating
people from Odzun who died fighting in the Second World War; it has a
fresco of Stalin decorating one small corner of it. Stalin was born
in Gori in nearby Georgia.
Opposite the north wall of the church is an unusual monument. The
priest taking us around the ancient three-aisled Basilica said that
that structure of two roughly hewn rectangular rock obelisks encased
in huge blocks of stone was a tribute given by an Indian king for
the help given him by an Armenian general from Odzun. Local legend
has it that it is a fertility symbol. No more of this legend could
I get out of this priest. Interestingly however, on either side of a
sunrise-facing window (symbolism to be marked) stand sculpted angels
holding snakes. The two snakes entwine to decorate a bust of Christ,
a design extremely uncommon in Christian art. Veeshap is the Armenian
name for a snake, which could well have its roots in the Sanskrit
word, vish that is poison, and the Hindi word for snake, saamp. It
is said that the descendents of two Hindu princes founded a village
named Veeshap in nearby Turkey. This influence, strange and foreign,
can be seen today only in Odzun in the entire region.
I subsequently found that Armenia’s Indian connection was a fact,
though little is known about this particular bit of history. In the
appendix to an informative book published in 1937 called Armenians
in India – from the earliest times to the present by Jacob Seth,
an Armenian in Kolkata, I found an interesting story.
Photo: THE VIEW FROM the Cascades, a gigantic artificial waterfall
built in the Soviet era. This is the highest point in the capital
Yerevan.The twin peaks of Mount Ararat, now in Turkey, can be seen
in the distance.
In 149 B.C., Gissaneh and Demeter, two princes of Kannauj, Uttar
Pradesh, tried to plot against their father, Dinaks Pall. These
names are from Armenian sources and thus only vaguely resemble Indian
names, and the imagination has to be exercised somewhat to detect the
linkage. According to Seth, Gissaneh could be Krishna and Demeter,
Juganath. Dinaks Pall could be Dinesh Pal.
The conspiracy was detected and the princes fled to the sub-Caucasus
kingdom of Armenia. At that time the country was not landlocked as it
is now; it had access to the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and had
merchant ships that used to go to India and China. The two princes
and their families, courtiers and a small army most probably travelled
by ship and did not cross the difficult overland route to Armenia.
Photo: THE OBELISKS OF Odzun a close view.
They were welcomed hospitably by King Valarsaces, the brother of
Arsaces the Great. Sixteen years earlier the latter had lost some
territory to the Persian king Selucus, and his brother may have thought
that this could be a useful alliance. Within 15 years these two princes
were put to death for plotting against the king. However, their three
sons, Kuars, Meghtes and Horean, were allowed to rule over Taron (now
in Turkey’s province of Van) and established cities known by their
names. They later founded the city of Kharkh, high in the mountains
of north-west Armenia, and set up two temples in the names of their
fathers. These cities prospered and expanded unhindered until A.D. 301.
By then Christianity, which entered Armenia in A.D. 66, had spread
all over the kingdom. But small pockets still stuck to their old
beliefs. These were mainly Hindus who had settled there for 450
years. Any person who was not with the majority was considered to be
against it and so in A.D. 301 a fierce battle broke out between the
Armenians led by the prince of Angegh and the Hindus led by Demeter
and a soldier priest called Artzan or Arjun. A detailed description
of what followed is given by Zenob, a Syrian follower of St. Gregory,
The Illuminator, who spread Christianity in Armenia. Zenob describes
how the Hindus were eventually defeated after a prolonged conflict
in which some of Armenian troops, who were converted Hindus, joined
their former brethren. Artzan, Demeter, and a popular Armenian prince
were killed in battle. Zenob records that 1,038 Hindus were buried.
Seeing so much blood shed, a truce was called. A structure to celebrate
the Armenian triumph was built – perhaps the strange two-arched
monument holding obelisks that we see in the Odzun church today. The
obelisks could be remnants of phallic symbols from the Hindu temples
that are thought to have existed once on the site. The inscription
on the monument mentions the last of the conversions to Christianity.
Photo: THE FIRST ARMENIAN JOURNAL, printed in Madras in the 17 century.
Armenia and India have had commercial links for centuries. There
have been colonies of Armenians in India’s coastal cities for four
centuries. In Yerevan’s ancient manuscripts library, Matenadaran, is
a 17th century copy of the first journal published in Armenian, which
was printed in Madras (now Chennai). Many armies of the feudal states
in India and also the British army had Armenian soldiers and officers.
Photo: A STATUE HONOURING Catholicos Yovan Awjunec (A.D. 717-728),
whose papal seat was in Odzun until he shifted to Echmiadzin.
Odzun’s cultural and religious link has thus far gone unrecorded.
Artzan means statue in Armenian. Odzun, also pronounced as Awjun,
sounds very much like Arjun. There is little doubt that this could
have been the scene of the struggle between the two communities and
that the strange monument remembers that trial of strength.
/20060811000106600.htm

Karabakh leader meets newly trained officers
Arminfo, Yerevan
1 Aug 06
Stepanakert], 1 August: The president of the Nagornyy Karabakh
Republic [NKR], Arkadiy Gukasyan, yesterday [31 July] met officers
of the defence army of the NKR who had received military education
outside the republic, the press service of the president has said.
The president congratulated the officers on completing their education
with good and excellent marks and expressed confidence that they
would serve their motherland with honour. Gukasyan stressed the role
of professional officers in establishing an army with combat ability
and ensuring peace for people. He added that the government increases
the volume of work every year to improve the conditions of military
service and resolve social and household problems.
The defence minister of the NKR, Lt-Gen Seyran Oganyan, also took
part in the meeting.

OSCE MG Co-Chairs to Meet in Paris August 2
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.08.2006 14:25 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ US Ambassador Matthew Bryza, the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chair, intends to inform in Paris his fellow co-chairs about the
results of the visit to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict region. Bryza
briefed about it in Baku on 1 August as a result of consultations
held at the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
The diplomat said that the talks with Azerbaijani authorities did
not concern the Azerbaijani-U.S. cooperation. “As a co-chair of the
OSCE Minsk Group I want to hear the opinions by President and Foreign
Minister on the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,”
Bryza stressed, reports Trend.

Turkish Writer Indicted for “Insulting Turkishness”
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.08.2006 14:46 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Arizona University professor, writer of Turkish
origin Elif Shafak is indicted for “insulting Turkishness”. Novel
Father and Illegitimate Son gave cause for criminal prosecution
on article 301 of the Turkish Criminal Code, which provides for
imprisonment up to 3 years. The novel of the 35-year-old writer tells
about the events in 1915 in the Ottoman Empire, reports United Press
International.
“Armenians and Turks live in different eras. If we want a genuine
dialogue between the two parties, we need to recognize this time
factor,” Shafrak writes. One of heroines of the novel is Armenian
Armanush, who tells about her ancestors, killed in the Armenian
Genocide and waits for repentance.

Kars Mayor Wants to Reopen Armenian Border
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.08.2006 15:11 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Kars Mayor Naif Alibeyoglu is waging an uphill
battle to overcome nationalist sentiments against Armenia to once
again get the Turkish-Armenian border reopened to civilian traffic
and trade since being shut down in 1993 due to the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. Alibeyoglu says that reopening the border crossing with
Armenia will not be simply a move that will boost the local economy of
the region but will also constitute a major breakthrough for Turkish
exporters who have been dreaming of acquiring cheap and secure land
and rail access to markets in Central Asia and beyond.
Being a prosperous, multinational city, where Turks, Kurds, Armenians,
Russians and Georgians lived, Kars is today one of the poorest regions
of the country. 70% of Kars population left the town lately. The
only income of the locals is cattle breeding. The opening of the
border will revive Kars, the Mayor believes. “Turkey’s future is
in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Turkey lost this market to Russia
and America,” Alibeyoglu says.
Kars Mayor Alibeyoglu is a devout believer that the city can regain
at least some of its past splendor. Alibeyoglu pictures Kars as the
Davos of the Caucasus. “If that was its status 80 years ago, then why
shouldn’t it be so now?” he asks. Kars will be home to the 3rd Festival
of Caucasus Cultures between Sept. 15-17, hosting groups from 30
countries including Armenia, Ukraine, Sudan and even Cuba. The festival
is just one attempt to earn Kars the recognition it deserves. Apart
from that, the municipality has a number of projects to preserve
the unique Tsarist-era architecture of the city, responsible for the
city’s decrepit charm. In addition, a large citadel and a crumbling
Armenian church-turned-mosque are some of the sights accounting for
Kars’ specialization in ruins, reported Turkish Daily news.

Karabakh denies Azeri report on crease-fire breach – agency
Mediamax news agency
1 Aug 06
Yerevan, 1 August: The press secretary of the defence ministry of the
Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR], Lt-Col Senor Asratyan, has denied
a report of the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry that “a soldier of the
Azerbaijani army was killed in another breach of the cease-fire by
the Armenians on 29 July”.
Asratyan told Mediamax that “Azerbaijan’s military leadership
normally attributes any fatal emergency in the Azerbaijani army to
the Karabakh side”.
He said that “by putting the blame on the Armenian side, the
Azerbaijani command always adds more fire to anti-Armenian feelings
in Azerbaijan and tries to salvage its reputation in the eyes of its
own nation”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SYRIAN ARMENIANS JOIN LEBANESE ARMENIANS FLEEING TO ARMENIA
Armenpress
YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, ARMENPRESS: About 136 Armenians were flown today
early in the morning to Yerevan from Aleppo. Eighty nine of them
were transported yesterday by buses from Beirut to Aleppo where 47
Armenians living in Syria joined them and flew to Yerevan.
Armenian deputy foreign minister Gegham Gharibjanian told Armenpress
that the number of Armenians who want to leave Lebanon decreases. He
said at present 30 Armenians, who are not in a hurry to leave the
country, are registered at the Armenian embassy in Lebanon.
Since the beginning of military actions 778 Armenians have been
transported to Armenia from Lebanon. The next regular flight from
Aleppo to Yerevan will be implemented August 3.
The Armenian borough in Lebanon is far from the war zone and has not
been destroyed. There are no victims among the Armenians.
Around 54 Armenians – 49 citizens of Israel and 5 citizens of Armenia –
have so far been transported to Armenia from Israel.