IT’S SHAMEFUL TO KEEP IGNORING GENOCIDE

Arizona Daily Star, AZ
March 8 2006

advertisementFor more than two years, the world has pretty much
ignored the genocide unfolding in the Darfur region of Sudan, just
as it turned away from the slaughter of Armenians, Jews, Cambodians
and Rwandans in earlier decades.

And now, apparently encouraged by the world’s acquiescence, Sudan is
sending its proxy forces to invade neighboring Chad and kill and rape
members of the same African tribes that have already been ethnically
cleansed in Darfur itself.

I’ve spent the last three days along the Chad-Sudan border, where this
brutal war is unfolding. But “war” doesn’t feel like the right term,
for that implies combat between armies.

What is happening here is more like what happens in a stockyard.

Militias backed by Sudan race on camels and pickup trucks into Chadian
villages and use machine guns to mow down farming families, whose only
offense is that they belong to the wrong tribes and have black skin.

I found it eerie to drive on the dirt track along the border because
countless villages have been torched or abandoned. Many tens of
thousands of peasants have fled their villages, and you can drive for
mile after mile and see no sign of life – except for the smoke of the
villages or fields being burned by the Sudan-armed janjaweed militia.

In some places the janjaweed, made up of nomadic Arab tribes that
persecute several black African tribes, have turned villages into
grazing lands for the livestock they have stolen. At one point,
my vehicle got stuck in the sand, and a group of janjaweed children
materialized and helped push me out. The children were watching a
huge herd of cattle with many different brands. Their fathers were
presumably off killing people.

This is my sixth trip to the Darfur region, and I’ve often seen burned
villages within Darfur itself, but now the cancer has spread to Chad.

One young man, Haroun Ismael, returned with me – very nervously – to
the edge of his village of Karmadodo, between the towns of Adre and
Ade. Eleven days earlier, Sudanese military aircraft and a force of
several hundred janjaweed had suddenly attacked the village. Haroun
and his wife had run for their lives, with his wife carrying their
3-month-old baby, Ahmed.

The janjaweed raiders overtook Haroun’s wife and beat her so badly
that she is still unconscious. They also grabbed Ahmed from her arms.

“They looked at the baby,” Haroun added, “and since he was a boy,
they shot him.”

Sudan is also arming and equipping a proxy army of Chadian rebels under
a commander named Muhammad Nour. The rebels were repulsed when they
tried to invade Chad in late December, and now they are regrouping
for another attempt.

Sudan’s aim seems to be to overthrow Chad’s president and install a
pawn in his place, in part because this would allow Sudan’s army to
attack rebels in Darfur from both directions.

Regardless of whether the rebels succeed in overthrowing Chad’s
government, they could ignite a new civil war in Chad. Much will
depend on whether the French will use their military base in Chad to
fight any Sudanese-sponsored invasion.

Chad’s army is too small to defend its border, so it tries to
defend potential invasion routes. That leaves villages in other
areas defenseless.

These areas are too insecure for the United Nations and most
international aid workers, who are already doing a heroic and dangerous
job in Darfur and Chad.

In the last few weeks, President Bush has shown an increased
willingness to address the slaughter in Darfur. He should now encourage
the French to use their forces to defend Chad from proxy invasions,
make a presidential speech to spotlight the issue, attend a donor
conference for Darfur, encourage the use of a NATO bridging force
until U.N. peacekeepers can arrive, enforce a no-fly zone and open
a new initiative for talks among the sheiks of Darfur.

It’s shameful to pretend not to notice the terrified villagers here,
huddling with their children each night and wondering when they are
going to be massacred.

My opinion Nicholas D. Kristof Nicholas D. Kristof is a columnist
for The New York Times.

CONGRESSMAN MILLER TAKES STRUGGLE IN DARFUR TO UN

California Chronicle, CA
March 8 2006

California Political Desk
March 7, 2006

Miller Follows Up on Trip to Sudan with Pleas for International
Assistance.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman George Miller, House Democratic Leader
Nancy Pelosi, and several other members of Congress met today with
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in New York City to
express their sense of urgency about the need for more forces and
humanitarian assistance in the Darfur region of the Sudan to address
the serious crisis there.

“We wanted to make sure that the United Nations heard our message
loud and clear: that we cannot let the Sudanese government continue
to victimize its own citizens,” said Miller. “We need to make sure
that the U.N. remains committed to increasing the number of United
African troops in the region to protect the people there.”

According to the Congressional Research Service, an estimated 1.9
million people have been displaced because of the political crises and
more that 213,000 people have been forced away from their homes and
into neighboring Chad. While there are no reliable estimates of the
number of people killed as a result of the conflict, some observers
project that up to 300,000 people have been killed over the past 24
months. In July 2004, the House and Senate declared the atrocities
in Darfur “genocide,” and the Bush Administration reached the same
conclusion in September 2004.

“Despite the passage of time, the situation in Darfur is getting
worse, not better,” Miller said. “The world community must respond
immediately. The current African Union Forces need to be strengthened
and given greater support. President Bush has declared this crisis
to be genocide, and it will continue to be genocide unless there is
a stronger reaction from the world community, including the United
States.”

Miller noted that on April 30 in Washington, D.C. and in other cities
thousands of people are expected to hold protests calling for stronger
actions on Darfur. Prominent political figures, faith leaders, human
rights activists, entertainers, journalists and thousands of others
who support a stronger multi-national force to protect the civilians
of Darfur are expected to participate.

“During the past genocides of Armenia, the Holocaust, and Rwanda, the
world community failed to speak up and act with diligence in a timely
manner,” Miller added. “Now we look back at the tens of millions of
lost and destroyed lives and ask how this happened. Today we have the
opportunity to learn from history rather than repeat it. Already too
much damage has occurred but if we act with diligence now, perhaps
we can stop this catastrophe that is occurring in Darfur.”

POTENTIAL FOR PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT NOT EXHAUSTED

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 8 2006

Yerevan, March 8. /ARKA/. The potential for a peaceful settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has not been exhausted, Speaker
of the Ra Parliament Artur Baghdasaryan stated at his meeting with
Bryza Matthew, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and
Eurasian Affairs. Speraker Baghdasaryan stated that positive changes
in this process are possible for the negotiations to prove a success.

In his turn, Bryza Matthew emphasized the importance of settling the
conflict for the entire region.

The sides also discussed the EU New Neighborhood program and the
possibilities of developing Euroatlantic cooperation.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MURDERER OF ARMENIAN OFFICER TO GET SENTENCE ON APR 13, 2006

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 8 2006

YEREVAN, March 8. /ARKA/. On April 13, 2006, the Budapest court is to
pass a sentence on the Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov, who killed
the Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan, the lawyer Nazeni Vardanyan,
who represents the Armenian side, told the RA Public Television.

She reported that the next court sitting is scheduled for April 4,
2006. Vardanyan pointed out that the Azerbaijani side is trying to
delay the trial by submitting numerous petitions to the court.

Specifically, the Azerbaijani side petitioned for a witness to be
summoned and for another psychiatric examination to be made. The court
rejected both the petitions, the reason being that the Azerbaijani side
might have invited the witness during the whole year of court hearings.

According to the results of the latest psychiatric examination, the
murderer is criminally sane, does not suffer from any serious disease,
including mental diseases, and was not in a state of affect at the
moment of murder.

On February 19, 2006, Lieutenant of the RA Armed Forces Gurgen
Margaryan, which was attending English language courses in Budapest
under the Partnership for Peace program, was brutally killed with an
ax while asleep by the Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov. In Baku,
Ramil Safarov was declared a man of the year.

SPEAKER OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT THANKS USA FOR AID TO ARMENIA

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 8 2006

YEREVAN, March 8. /ARKA/. At his meeting with Matthew Bryza, Durputy
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs,
Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Artur Baghdasaryan expressed his
gratitude to the USA for its aid to Armenia.

Speaker Baghdasaryan pointed out that the USA’s economic support
to Armenia is accompanied by support in democratic reforms in the
country. The sides discussed Armenian-American relations, pointing
out the importance of democratic development in Armenia. Bryza pointed
out that democratic reforms are a way to the settlement of conflicts,
energy security and economic development.

He emphasized the importance of struggle against corruption in the
context of investments in the country.

The sides also stressed the importance of the Millennium Challenges
program.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES ARMENIAN WOMEN ON HOLIDAY OF MARCH 8

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 8 2006

YEREVAN, March 8. /ARKA/. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
congratulated Armenian women on the holiday of March 8, the RA
President’s Press Service reported.

“It is difficult to number all those spheres where your participation
is traditionally great. Women have always made a considerable
contribution to the development of Armenia. No one but you can
understand and appreciate the importance of peaceful and sustainable
development,” the message says.

“I want to congratulate especially all our mothers. You are the basis
of the family, and thanks to you centuries-old traditions preserve,
and the upbringing given by you form future generations. I wish you
happiness to be proud of this future,” the message says.

“By congratulating you on this nice spring holiday of March 8, I wish
that you stay beautiful and charming, and let love and warmth always
hover over your houses,” the President message says.

NO PLANS TO RECALL US AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA: STATE DEPARTMENT REP

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 8 2006

YEREVAN, March 8. /ARKA/. There are no plans to recall the US
Ambassador to Armenia, Deputy Assistant of State for European and
Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza told reporters.

“He is a bright ambassador, and he serves to the US President as well
as all we do,” Bryza stated and pointed out that “Ambassador Evans
gathered an excellent team, and we are glad that he is here”.

He pointed out that he does not want to comment possible decisions
of the President, as well as concerning human resources In his turn,
US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans pointed out that he had not sent
in his resignation.

“One cannot expect that the post of the ambassador is everlasting. I
do not know when my authorities will expire, but I will remain the
leader of this mission until the day I leave this country,” Evans said.

“I hope that this occurs as late as possible,” he said.

The day before, some Armenian mass media outlets disseminated the
information, referring to the publication of “The California Courier”,
that the US Ambassador was recalled to Washington. The reason for
the recall, according to the press, was his declaration about the
Armenian Genocide.

MAKING RUSSIA A BETTER NEIGHBOR
By Mark Brezezinski

The Boston Globe
March 08, 2006 Wednesday
Third Edition

LAST SUMMER, the Council of Europe issued a report urging Russia to
cease treating “neighboring and other countries in the region as zones
of special influence.” The report urges Russia to “constructively
contribute to resolution of open issues and cease with activities
. . . which undermine the countries’ sovereignty and territorial
integrity.”

A key message from President Bush to President Vladimir Putin should
be that Russia’s own integration into the world, a highly desirable
objective, is jeopardized if at the same time the Kremlin has a policy
of undercutting democratic development along its borders.

It’s unlikely that there’s a Kremlin master plan guiding Russia’s
actions toward her neighbors. Instead, Russia’s actions are driven
variably by ambition and nostalgia, confusion or misinterpretation,
irritation or resentment.

And Russia’s policy toward the former Soviet republics varies it’s
manifested in different ways and it produces different results. The
Baltic States today are confident of their independence and
sovereignty, but they remain afraid of Russia. Baltic leaders and
Ukraine claim that Russia uses energy to assert leverage, by having
Russian concerns acquire key elements of their energy sectors.

Ukraine and Belarus are themselves contrasts between striving for
independence and extreme dependency. Ukrainian President Viktor
Yuschenko has been clear about the goal of Ukraine’s membership in the
European Union. But he realizes the vital importance of not estranging
Russia and has taken steps to develop dialogue with the Kremlin, even
after Russia shut off gas supplies on Jan. 1. By contrast, Belarus
remains a dependency where democracy demonstrations in the lead-up
to the March 19 presidential election have been brutally crushed.

In the Caucasus and Moldova, Russia has tried to readjust the
orientation of her neighbors, with little success. In 2002, Russia
told Georgia to end its political and security relationship with
NATO, and urged Georgia to accept Russian bases for the long-term. In
Central Asia, dictators who previously resisted closer cooperation with
Moscow have been encouraged by the Kremlin’s urging to be heavy-handed
with any signs of religious revival. Only Russia and China endorsed
the Uzbekistan government’s killing of hundreds of demonstrators in
Andijon last summer.

There are signs that Russia is adjusting to new realities. In Georgia,
Russia accommodated itself to Georgian central control over Ajaria
and helped with the removal from Georgia of separatist leader Aslan
Abashidze. In 2005, Russian and Georgian authorities agreed to troop
withdrawal with a timetable and benchmarks, and ended their demand
for financial compensation. But there are potential loopholes through
follow-on pacts, and Russian troops and arsenals in Georgia may be
redeployed to Armenia alarming Azerbaijan.

It’s in Russia’s interest, and in America’s, for there to be greater
trust and cooperation between Russia and her neighbors. The United
States should strive to get Russia to understand that it is not
pursuing a policy to transform the region into a zone of American
control through “color revolutions.” Instead, what’s been happening
there is part of a process of what’s been happening in Europe for
more than 50 years.

At the same time, countries in Russia’s neighborhood need reassurance
that the United States is committed to their independence, integrity,
and stability. The lack of Western reaction to Russian meddling
made some new democracies worry that their sovereignty is entirely
subordinate to other key US interests with Russia.

In the near-term, the upcoming Belarus presidential election provides
an important test. Today Belarus is one of the most repressive former
Soviet republics. Last week, police beat and detained Alexander
Kozulin, an opposition presidential candidate. A new law pushed
through Parliament last year makes organizing a public protest or
making statements that discredit the state punishable by three to
five years in prison.

Symbolizing solidarity with the opposition, Bush met recently with
the widows of two Belarusan leaders who were murdered by Alexander
Lukashenko’s government. But as Western governments develop a strategy
in the event that international monitors report electoral fraud on
March 19, it must be remembered that Lukashenko’s major financial
and political sponsor is Putin.

In the long term, the West might consider a more dynamic vision of
its relationship with a democratic Russia. As the Russia task force
of the Council on Foreign Relations recommends: “Western leaders
should also diversify their political contacts within Russia. It’s
not enough to meet with representatives of `civil society.’ Open and
routine contact with opposition political figures and organizations
carry a more potent message.” Doing so would give credibility and
consistency to Bush’s freedom agenda.

NOTES: MARK BRZEZINSKI Mark Brzezinski, a Washington attorney, was
director of Russian and Eurasian affairs on the National Security
Council in the Clinton administration.

WORDS OF WISDOM

The Statesman (India)
March 8, 2006 Wednesday

Mathures Paul “There is something about Kolkata and India that
gets into your blood! J Chloe Braun has been writing articles and
short stories most of her life. Having spent 12 years working with
underprivileged women and children, her journals and memories gave
birth to Hurdy Gurdy, a fictional account of one brave womans escape
from spousal abuse.

Raised in the small Armenian community, one of her aunts by marriage
was an Anglo Indian. Along with my parents she had a tremendous
influence on me encouraging me to read by buying me books, to be
always willing to read my work, to study music and to think! Kolkata
was a great place to grow up in with its rich culture and hospitable
people. Most of my teachers were Anglo Indians my English teacher
was tremendous. She not only taught us to speak proper English but
to love the language as well. The seeds for Hurdy Gurdy was sowed
at a writing competition. The topic (of the competition) was Unusual
customs or practices, or something like that. And I decided to write
about bride burning because I thought it would be a very unusual
entry. A woman in India confided in me that her in-laws had tried to
burn her because the amount of her dowry was not enough. There were
also articles in newspapers and journals about such cruelty. As I
continued my research and began recalling some of the experiences I
had heard from women I had worked with, the story took a different
path. The contest deadline came and went but I was so engrossed in
continuing, it seemed the novel wrote itself. I had not meant it to
be so poignant and dark. I developed one main character and used
her to tell the many stories I had heard from women in situations
of domestic violence. Since the story unfolds in the first person,
many consider Hurdy Gurdy to be autobiographical. But this is not true.

Besides Hurdy Gurdy, she has written another mystery novel set
in Kolkata and the Himalayas. Its about a group of bumbling jewel
thieves who go after some famous emeralds. I co-authored it with
Lynne Rebeiro, who is involved with the Anglo Indian community in
Canada. Lynne helped me to answer some of these questions since she
is more knowledgeable than I am. Our book is called Blind Spot and is
being published by Amazon.com later this year. All profits will go to
help the Tiljallah Project (CTR Calcutta Tiljallah Relief fund) with
which Lynne is very much involved. The Anglo Indian community in the
United States is steadily growing. But there is no active association
or organisation to bring the community together. Canada, however,
has a thriving Anglo Indian community. The Anglo Indian Association
of Canada is the 2007 host city for the World Anglo Indian Reunion.

Living in the Midwest with her husband and two children, Braun works
with the chancellors office at the local University. Of the shrinking
Anglo Indian community in India, especially Kolkata, she says,
After Partition, as the Anglo Indian diaspora immigrated to various
western venues, the remaining members endeavoured to maintain their
unique culture and at the same time embrace their Indian heritage
in a whole-hearted manner. In so doing, they adopted the language,
the Indian dress and most importantly, married outside the community.

Away from her former home, Braun is always ready to return. I would
love to just pack up my bags and take a long sentimental journey back
to India, especially Kolkata where my dearest friend resides. I would
love to take a year off and trek all over that wonderful land. It would
be wonderful to tour the Nilgiris with our daughter who was born there.

ARMENIA, US DISCUSS COOPERATION
by Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
March 8, 2006 Wednesday 10:24 AM EST

Armenian parliament speaker Artur Bagdasaryan met with a U.S. deputy
assistance secretary of state on Wednesday to discus prospects for
cooperation between the two countries.

The speaker thanked the United States for assistance to Armenia and
praised support to democratic reforms in the country.

Speaking about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Bagdasaryan said there
is still chance to resolve it and reach progress at the talks in 2006.

The U.S. diplomat called for the deepening of democracy in Armenia
and emphasised the importance of resolving conflicts, addressing
energy security issues, and developing economic potential.

In his view, the fight against corruption becomes increasingly
important as a condition for stable investments in the Armenian
economy.

Having noted the importance of the Millennium Challenges programme,
under which Armenia will receive a grant of 235 million U.S. dollars,
the two sides said the use of this money through NGOs must be
transparent and public.