AzerTag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Oct 1 2004
SHEIKH UL-ISLAM’S VISIT TO GEORGIA
[October 01, 2004, 19:44:44]
Chairman of the Clerical Office of the Caucasian Muslims Sheikh
ul-Islam Hajji Allahshukur Pashazadeh who is staying now in Georgia
have visited the Heydar Aliyev Park in Tbilisi and laid a wreath at
Heydar Aliyev’s monument.
Then, the Sheikh visited the graves of political figures of
Azerbaijan and then met with local Muslims in Juma Mosque.
***
Sheikh ul-Islam Hajji Allahshukur Pashazadeh met with Catholikos of
Georgia Patriarch Ilia II.
Patriarch stressed the importance of Sheikh’s participation in the
international forum ‘Globalization and Dialogue between
Civilizations’ and rated the present visit as the manifestation of
historical ties between two states.
Patriarch touched upon issues of terrorism and globalization and
future goals to preserve ancient history of national
religious-cultural relations values of Azerbaijani and Georgian
peoples.
Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazadeh conveyed President of
Azerbaijan Ilham Aihyev’s best wishes and expressed his concern over
religious terrorism. The Sheikh noted that Georgians show respect to
Azerbaijani people, nationwide leader Heydar Aliyev and expressed his
gratitude for invitation to participate in the international forum.
The religious leaders condemned terrorism, aggressive separatism and
extremism and stressed that these crimes aim at annihilating people.
The only way that leads Caucasus to happy future lies in the peace,
international and inter-religious cooperation, and protection of
territorial integrity. Only this may lead to fair resolution of
Nagorny Karabakh, Abkhaz and South-Ossetia conflicts.
In the course of the conversation, Sheikh ul-Islam brought the
problems of Azerbaijani residing in Georgia to Patriarch’s notice.
Chairman of the Clerical Office of Caucasian Muslims invited
Catholikos of Georgia to Azerbaijan.

U.N. Oil-for-Food Program Chief Got Lucrative Oil Rights, Iraq Says
The Wall Street Journal
6 October 2004
Page A1
By Steve Stecklow
A confidential Iraqi government report alleges that the head of the United
Nation’s oil-for-food program received rights from Saddam Hussein’s regime
to acquire 13.3 million barrels of oil over a five-year period. The rights
were valued at an estimated $1.2 million, according to the report.
The assertion that Benon Sevan received oil allocations from Mr. Hussein’s
government surfaced in January. That is when a “Mr. Sifan” appeared on a
long list of alleged oil-allocation recipients that was leaked to a Baghdad
newspaper. The list indicated the individual had received an allocation of
one million barrels.
But the lengthy Iraqi report, dated Feb. 19 and prepared by Iraq’s State
Oil Marketing Organization, or SOMO, goes much further, identifying “Mr.
Banun Sifan” as “the former director of the Iraq Program in the United
Nations” and providing far more detail about the alleged oil allocations.
The spelling discrepancy apparently is due to the way some names are
transliterated between Arabic into English.
Mr. Sevan ran the U.N. program, under which Iraq was allowed to sell oil
under U.N. auspices and use most of the revenue to purchase humanitarian
aid, from 1997 until it ended after the U.S. invasion last year. Under the
program, Iraq was given a lot of leeway in structuring oil sales, and Mr.
Hussein’s regime at times awarded oil allocations — the SOMO report terms
them “quotas” — to favored individuals, political parties and other
organizations. The allocations gave the holders the right to buy specific
quantities of Iraqi oil. Recipients were free to sell these rights to
oil traders.
The report estimates that “the financial profit earned” from Mr. Sevan’s
alleged allocations could have totaled $1.2 million. It offers no evidence
that Mr. Sevan received any money. But it says that more than half of the
oil allegedly allocated to Mr. Sevan was taken, all of it by a company
registered in Panama.
The SOMO report, which has been marked classified by the U.S. State
Department, was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Mr. Sevan didn’t respond to a phone message and an e-mail seeking comment.
He previously denied any wrongdoing.
The new allegations about Mr. Sevan come amid multiple probes of alleged
corruption in the oil-for-food program and are perhaps the most serious
charges leveled to date. At least five U.S. House and Senate congressional
committees are investigating the program, as well as a U.S. federal
criminal probe. The Central Intelligence Agency is expected to release a
report today listing hundreds of individuals and companies that allegedly
received oil allocations from the Hussein regime.
Investigators already have identified numerous ways Mr. Hussein’s regime
manipulated the program, including receiving hundreds of millions of
dollars in cash kickbacks from oil sales and humanitarian contracts.
Investigators also are probing the U.N.’s monitoring of the program,
including the awarding of a lucrative inspection contract to a company that
employed the son of Secretary-General Kofi Annan. An internal U.N. review
of the awarding of that contract, which found no conflict of interest,
lasted less than a day.
A U.N. spokesman said that an independent panel appointed by the U.N. and
headed by Paul Volcker, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, has been
“tasked with looking into, among other issues, allegations that Benon Sevan
may have personally profited from oil purchases while he was running the
oil-for-food program. Mr. Sevan is fully cooperating with this ongoing
inquiry, and until it is completed, and made public, we will not comment
further.”
Mr. Sevan, who currently holds no official title, remains with the U.N. in
New York on a $1-a-year salary to provide information as needed to the
Volcker inquiry, according to the U.N. spokesman.
Shamkhi Faraj, an Iraqi oil official who wrote the SOMO report in his
former job as SOMO’s director-general, said he is “absolutely confident”
that the report’s findings are based on authentic oil records, though he
declined to comment specifically on Mr. Sevan. “There is no doubt about it
whatsoever,” said Mr. Faraj, who still works at Iraq’s oil ministry. “It is
records, it is actual transactions.”
SOMO, Iraq’s marketing arm, has been the international face of the Iraqi
oil industry for years, and has continued that role in the post-Saddam era.
The report was intended to offer concrete evidence on the former regime’s
alleged manipulation of the oil-for-food program. Investigators have been
relying on SOMO documents in their various probes.
The SOMO report lists nine separate oil allocations that it says Mr. Sevan
received between 1998 and 2003, totaling 13.3 million barrels. Of the nine,
the report says, five were executed, with a total of 7.291 million barrels
actually loaded onto ships.
All 7.291 million barrels were taken by a company called African Middle
East Petroleum Co., the report states. The owner of the company has been
identified in South African government documents as Fakhry Abdelnour, a
Geneva-based oil trader. Reached by telephone yesterday, Mr. Abdelnour
declined to comment.
The SOMO report’s introduction says that between July 1997 and February
2000, the Iraqi regime gave away oil allocations to scores of people,
including politically connected individuals and media figures, who
“cooperated with it in one way or another.” The introduction makes no
specific reference to Mr. Sevan. His name appears in a lengthy list of oil
contracts and in a section on “estimates of the financial profits earned by
the beneficiaries.” Each time Mr. Sevan’s name appears on the list of
contracts, the letters “UN,” in parentheses, appear next to it.
A longtime U.N. employee, Mr. Sevan, 66 years old and a native of Cyprus,
first joined the U.N. in its department of public information in 1965.
Among his many assignments, in 1988 he was posted in Afghanistan, where he
monitored the withdrawal of Soviet troops. He also has served as a special
envoy for issues related to missing persons in the Middle East.
The report states that Mr. Sevan allegedly received his first oil
allocation of 1.8 million barrels during the oil-for-food program’s fourth
phase, which lasted from May 30, 1998, to Nov. 25, 1998. According to the
report, African Middle East Petroleum used the allocation to take the oil,
as well as an extra 36,000 barrels.
Mr. Sevan allegedly provided the Iraqi regime with some kind of
introduction to African Middle East Petroleum, according to a letter that
was found in SOMO records, says one person who is familiar with the
document. The letter, dated Aug. 10, 1998, and addressed to Iraq’s then-oil
minister, states that African Middle East Petroleum had asked to buy Iraqi
oil and that “Mr. Muwafaq Ayoub of the Iraqi Mission in New York informed
us by telephone that the abovementioned company is the company that Mr.
Sevan cited to you during his last trip to Baghdad.”
SOMO records indicate that African Middle East Petroleum received the oil
from Mr. Sevan’s first alleged oil allocation in November 1998, according
to a person familiar with the documents. Mr. Ayoub, who now works in
Baghdad, declined to comment. The former Iraqi oil minister, General Amer
Mohammed Rasheed, was captured last year by coalition forces in Iraq.
Asset Allocation
Iraq oil allocations allegedly given to Benon Sevan, former head of the
United Nation’s Oil-for-Food Program, and amount loaded onto ships, or
lifted, by African Middle East Petroleum Co.
— BARRELS IN MILLIONS —
TIME PERIOD ALLOCATED LIFTED
May 30, ’98-Nov. 25, ’98 1.8 1.84
Nov. 26, ’98-May 24, ’99 1.0 none
May 25, ’99-Dec. 11, ’99 2.0 2.01
Dec. 12, ’99-June 8, ’00 1.5 1.49
June 9, ’00-Dec. 5, ’00 1.5 0.95
July 4, ’01-Nov. 30, ’01 1.0 1.00
Dec. 1, ’01-May 29, ’02 1.5 none
May 30, ’02-Dec. 4, ’02 1.5 none
Dec. 5, ’02-June 3, ’03 1.5 none
Total 13.3 7.29
Source: Iraqi State Oil Marketing Organization report

The Messenger
Oct 7, 2004
District head arrested for malfeasance
The gamgebeli of Ninotsminda in the Samtakhe-Javakheti region was arrested
on September 6 for abuse of his official duties. The main reason of the
arrest was the illegal building of a Ninotsminda electric transmission line
and also the illegal use of land in the region by the gamgebeli, Rafic
Arzumanian.
According to law enforcement, Arzumanian had two first vice-deputies, both
of whom had the same powers, which is a violation of the law.
Arzumanian’s lawyer Otar Kachkachishvili rejected the charges saying “he did
not make the decisions by himself and there was no violation of state
interests. He denies any connection to this.”

–Boundary_(ID_aUrV7CvJEXHfIWAEurLi9Q)
Content-typ e: message/rfc822
From: [email protected]
Subject: Gibrahayer 7 October, 2004
GIBRAHAYER
e-newsletter
[email protected]
snewsletter.com
TURKEY FORCED TO RECOGNISE THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS
Gibrahayer 7 October, 2004: Turkey has recognised the Republic of Cyprus by
complying to EU directives regarding customs union with all EU member states.
Until last week, Turkey had accepted customs union with nine of the ten new EU
members states, except Cyprus.
Government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides hailed the decision and called
it a “diplomatic victory”. Turkish newspaper Hurriyet called the
decision “historic” while maintaining that Turkey’s special relationship with
the “TRNC” would continue.
Mehmet Ali Talat the so-called Prime Minister of the Turkish occupied
pseudo-state declared “bitter at this eventuality, which is a blow to the TRNC”.
Circles close to the government of Cyprus expressed the opini on that this
is merely the first of many moves Turkey will have to embark on, in trying to
align itself to EU norms. Foreign Minister George Iacovou in a televised
interview on CyBC said that Turkey will be invited to do much more than simply
hide behind the Turkish Cypriot YES vote of the Anan Plan.
Cyprus celebrated its 44th anniversary with a military parade on October 1
and after the rejection of the notorious Anan Plan by a 76% on April 24, it
hopes for a European solution to the Cyprus problem.
ARMENIAN ROCK BAND “SYSTEM OF A DOWN” HELPS RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT SUDAN
GENOCIDE
LOS ANGELES- System Of A Down is contributing to a new CD to raise relief funds
for the victims of the ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. The CD,
Genocide in Sudan, hits stores on November 23, and features songs from System
Of A Down, Jill Scott, Jurassic 5, Yoko Ono, Danger Mouse, the Pretenders,
Angelique Kidjo, Thievery Corporation, and previously unreleased and rare
tracks from Tom Morello’s Nightwatchman Project.
All profits will go to the United Nations Refugee Agency and UNICEF to
help build awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
BLACK ANGEL IN LONDON – YEREVAN – TBILISI
Black Angel, The Double Life of Arshile Gorky will be featured in the
Programme of High Fest, the Armenian Experimental Theatre Festival from 2 – 9th
October in theatres across Yerevan.
Arshile Gorky’s Centenary will be marked by his biographer Nouritza
Matossian’s internationally acclaimed solo performance in Yerevan’s Youth
Theatre 6th October 6pm. Black Angel has recently had a run off Broadway, New
York last December, then went to Oxford and Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz.
Nouritza Matossian is to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the
Internatio nal Academy of Sciences and Society in Yerevan for her work. She
will give a lecture on Arshile Gorky and his Armenian Heritage (date to be
announced). She will continue to Tbilisi, Georgia to perform Black Angel at the
Atonely Theatre by special invitation on 20th October 8pm.
In Berlin
This week also sees the launch of a remarkable new book in
Germany “Portrat einer Hoffnung: Die Armenier” by Huberta von Voss (Verlag Hans
Schiler) “Portrait of a Hope: The Armenians”, 413 pages, with black and white
photos.
A colour portrait of Nouritza Matossian as Gorky’s mother Shushanig from
her performance Black Angel, A Double Life of Arshile Gorky is on the front
cover.
It is a collection of portraits of Armenian personalities such as Charles
Aznavour, Peter Balakian, Atom Egoyan and essays on history, art, music film,
politics, historic place s, written by a panel of authors such as Yehuda Bauer,
Vahakn Dadrian, Taner Akcam, edited by Huberta von Voss.
The book includes a portrait written by Huberta von Voss of Nouritza
Matossian entitled “Die Spurenleserin”, “The Tracker”, and a traveller’s
account in the past and present: “Endstation Wuste: Ruckkehr nach Deir-es-
Sor”, ”Destination Desert: Return to Deir Zor” by Matossian.
1st CONVENTION OF EUROPEAN ARMENIANS DRAWS NEAR
As the 21st century dawns, Armenia and the Armenians are confronted
with new expectations, new hopes but also with new dangers. A young republic
and an old nation, Armenia faces a changing international environment and
growing energetic and ecological challenges. What should be Armenias
strategies and what are its assets?
Can the European Diaspora help Armenia? And how? Or should the
European Diaspora give priority to its own development and durability by taking
on the challenges of language and culture preservation, the advent of
multicultural identities or the creation o f representative structures?
This first Convention of the European Armenians, which is open to all
associations, organizations and political, economical, cultural or religious
groups, will address these issues during numerous presentations spread out over
three sessions. Within the prestigious setting of the European parliament, the
European Armenians will be able, for the first time, to share their hopes and
concerns with the Unions political decision-makers.
The Convention begins its activities at the European Parliament in
Brussels on October 18, 2004. A delegation of Armenians from Cyprus is also
attending from ARS (HOM), Hamazkayin, Dashnaktsoutiun Committee of Cyprus, Mid
East – Near East Armenian Research and Ethnographic Center, The Armenian
National Committee of Cyprus, Artsaga ng Monthly and the AYF. His Grace
Archbishop Hergelian will also be attending.
MESSAGE OF PEACE FROM CATHOLICOS ARAM I
Gibrahayer:- 2001-2010 has been declared as “Decade to overcome violence” by
the World Council of Churches. On the ocassion of International Day of Prayer
for Peace Tuesday 21 September, Aram I Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic
Church See of Cilicia and WCC Central Committee moderator sends this message of
peace at the following link Aram I – High resolution
KIRK KERKORIAN SERVES UP WINNER OF A YEAR FOR BIG DEALS
By PAUL THARP
September 15, 2004 — At 87, wily investor Kirk Kerkorian still has his healthy
vigor and up to $20 billion to spread around.
His two mega-deals this year the sale of his fabled MGM studios for
$4.6 billion and the creation of a proposed $10 billion casino empire he
controls has nearly tripled his personal fortune in the most lucrative year
of his colorful life.
Kerkorian is celebrating his success by taking his tennis racquets in
hand this week to scramble against other players all over the age of 50 in
a remarkable tournament, the World Seniors Tennis Championship in
Philadelphia… more at
MY SON SHALL BE ARMENIAN
Directed by Hagop Goudsouzian
Between 1915 and 1923, one and a half million Armenians were massacred by the
Turkish Ottoman army. Since then, this people with a 3000-year history has
struggled against oblivion and for official recognition of what was the first
genocide of the 20th century. A reflection on Armenian identity, My Son Shall
Be Armenian follows filmmaker Hagop Goudsouzian and five Montrealers of
Armenian descent as they return to the land of the ir forebears in search of
survivors of the 1915 genocide. Goudsouzian weaves the moving accounts of these
centenarians and the touching, at times droll, reactions of the New World
travellers into a dignified and poignant film about the need to make peace with
the past in order to move into the future.
For more details you can go to :

”Armenia: The Dream of Complementarity and the Reality of Dependency”
;report_id=212&language_id=1
Arsen Stepanyan – Constituency Relations Specialist
Armenia Legislative Strengthening Program – 28 Zaroubyan Str., Yerevan, Armenia
Phone: 520505; 542608/09/10 – E-mail: [email protected]
NEWS IN BRIEF
“Africa” editor Ali Osman has revealed during an interview with a Turkish
Cypriot man that the invading Turkish army killed in cold blood 35 Greek
Cypriots on 23 July 1974 and that the same man is ready to give evidence in
front of a “court”. More than 1,600 Greek Cypriots are missing in action since
1974.
The Russian army says it has killed five Chechen rebels including a
Turkish “mercenary” during clashes in the south east of Grozny on Sunday. The
army intercepted a radio conversation in Turkish between the separatists before
the Russian forces ambushed them.
US Congressman Mr Frank Pallone, urged the US State Department to strongly
condemn the new penal code, adopted by Turkey. In a letter to the Secretary of
State Colin Powell, Mr Pallone said that Turkeys action represents a dramatic
display of the Turkish Governments campaign to deny Armenian genocide and
further inhibit a resolution to the Turkish occupation of Northern Cyprus.
Hundreds of Armenian youth gathered in Little Armenia Saturday for AYF’s 2nd
Annual Little Armenia Cleanup. Volunteers helped remove thousands of pounds of
trash from major streets in L.A. Organized by the AYF and co-sponsored by
Councilmember Eric Garcetti’s Office, the cleanup attracted volunteers from the
public at large and community organizations such as the AYF, Homenetmen Los
Angeles Chapter, and the ARF Badanegan Organization.
g i b r a h a y c a l e n d a r
Traditional KERMES at AYMA. Saturday October 9, 2004. Armenian food, live
music, dancing, fun and games for children. All inclusive 5.00 entrance for
adults. Children under 12, 3:00
AYMA Chicco Football practices have began and are taking place every Friday
from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. for children starting from the age of 7. Contact Krikor
Mahdessian on 99650897.
Melkonian Cyprus Alumni Banquet.Sunday, November 7, 2004 – 1pm “Christiana”
Reception Hall, Alambra. Guest of Honour: Jack R. Melkonian, grand-nephew of
Garabed Melkonian. CYP 15.00 adults / CYP 5.00 students and children. Prizes
included on entrance ticket and raffle tickets. Contact names for reservations
to be announced.
Directions to “Christiana” and convoys will be arranged. All are welcome.
Armenian Relief Society “Sosse” Chapter Fund Raising Tea for the ARS Armenia
Projects on Sunday 28 November, 2004 at The Holiday Inn Hotel at 4:00 p.m.
Handicraft, Lebanese coo kies and home made delicacies on sale. Proceeds to
the “Sosse” Kindergarten of Stepanakert – Republic of Karabagh.
Armenian Radio Hour on The Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation can be heard via
real audio on . Broadcast times 17:00-18:00 local Cyprus time
(14:00-15:00 GMT) News bulletins at 17:15 local time on Sundays, Tuesdays,
Fridays. Armenian Cypriots can also tune in on the following radio frequencies
91.1 FM (Mount Olympus – for Nicosia listeners) 94.2 FM
(Paralimni/Protaras/Agia Napa) 92.4 FM (Larnaca) 96.5 FM (Paphos).
The Armenian Prelature announces that the next permit for the Armenian
Cemetery visitation at Ayios Dhometios on the Green line, is scheduled for
Sunday 10 October,2004
Every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. (Cyprus time +2 GMT) on CyBC’s Trito, Puzant
Nadjarian presents the “History of the Blues” together with Robert Camassa. You
can also hear it on Real Audio from the Internet edition of CyBC on
. A repeat programme can also be heard seven hours later at
2:00 a.m. local time.
The Hairenik Association, Inc. launched its online Armenian Radio Station.You
can now listen to a variety of Armenian music online, 24 hours a day, combined
with news and other interesting information about the Armenian community in the
US, Armenia, Artsakh, Javakhk and the Armenian Diaspora.
To listen to the Hairenik Online Radio go to the RADIO button then click on
your player of choice.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
HAIGAZIAN UNIVERSITY
Mrs. Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director
telefax: 9611353010/1/2
e-mail: [email protected]
and Mrs. Maria Bakalian
e-mail: [email protected]
mailing address:
Rue Mexique, Kantari
P.O.Box: 11-1748
Riad El Solh 1107 2090
Beirut, Lebanon
Haigazian University launches its 50th Anniversary calendar.
On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, Haigazian University organized a
press conference on October the 5th, 2004, at 12:00 noon, in the
University’s campus in Beirut.
The conference opened by a welcome speech by Mrs. Mira Yardemian, the new
Public Relations director. Mrs.Yardemian highlighted the ethical and social
values that Haigazian has promoted throughout the past 50 years.
Then, the President of the University, Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian, introduced
the audience with the historical background of the university. Haigazian
was established in the year 1955 by the Union of the Armenian Evangelical
Churches in the Near East, and the Armenian Missionary Association of
America. The university was named after a prominent leader and scholar in
Konya, Turkey, Dr. Armenag Haigazian, who had lost his life in 1921 as a
victim of the Armenian genocide.
Haidostian explained that in spite of being a relatively small-sized
university, Haigazian has capitalized on its strengths by giving priority
to service-oriented academic majors that enable the youth to become leaders
in their community and work environments. In today’s competitive world,
Haigazian has been experiencing growth in a number of aspects. Student
numbers have grown and physical expansion of the campus is being
planned. However, President Haidostian added, this expansion will not be
at the expense of the personalized and student-oriented service the
University has always offered. A physical expansion of 30% will allow for
even better academic service, in terms of research, administrative space,
libraries and sports facilities.
Last but not least, Haidostian assured that the university will always
value the building of the ethical person of tomorrow, achieving the highest
educational and moral values, and enhancing the cultural well-being of all,
thus capitalizing on dual riches of the Armenian heritage and the Lebanese
culture.
After noting that the 50th anniversary celebrations will also take place in
the USA, Syria and Armenia, Dr. Berj Traboulsi, a Faculty member at
Haigazian and a member of the jubilee committee, presented the agenda of
the events that will take place throughout the academic year 2004-2005.
For further info. pls. contact:
Mrs. Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director
telefax: 9611353010/1/2
e-mail: [email protected]
and Mrs. Maria Bakalian
e-mail: [email protected]
mailing address:
Rue Mexique, Kantari
P.O.Box: 11-1748
Riad El Solh 1107 2090
Beirut, Lebanon

Office for National and Ethnic Minorities
Budapest, Hungary
Solymosi Judit
Selection of news on
national and ethnic minorities in Hungary
July – September 2004
The register of forenames of national and ethnic minorities in Hungary
has been completed
With the involvement of experts, by January 2004, twelve out of the
thirteen national self-governments of minorities compiled their lists of
forenames based on their traditions. The Armenians, due to internal
dispute, failed to come to a consensus on the matter. As a consequence
of this, in August 2004, the book containing the complete list of
eligible minority forenames was published without the Armenian names.
Simultaneously, the Ministry of Interior has compiled the forms of
bilingual birth-certificates. A person declaring minority affiliation
may choose the forename of his or her child from the above mentioned
list. The decision whether he or she chooses the option of a Hungarian
certificate with the phonetically written version of the name, or rather
goes for the bilingual document, lies with him or her.

Compass Feature: Iraqi Christians Fleeing to Jordan, Syria
FEATURE NEWS from COMPASS DIRECT
Global News from the Frontlines
Summary:
AMMAN, Jordan, and DAMASCUS, Syria, October 6 (Compass) — Written threats,
kidnappings, bombings and murder by Muslim extremists are driving thousands
of Iraq’s minority Christian population out of their ancestral homeland,
fleeing for safety to neighboring Jordan and Syria. An Orthodox bishop in
Syria warns that if the emigration continues at the present rate, there
could be no more Christians in Iraq in 10 years’ time. But one Iraqi church
leader said he believes the Christian community would go underground first,
to avoid such a possibility. Iraqi Christian refugees interviewed in Amman
and Damascus admit that recent church bombings in August and September
helped to spark the recent exodus. But individual attacks carried out
against them by instigators of the local rising tide of Islamic
fundamentalism were also a factor. They said they are specifically targeted
because of their Christian faith and are viewed as collaborators with the
occupying U.S. forces because “they share the same religion.” Militants also
try to kidnap them because they believe Christians have Western connections
and therefore access to more money than other Iraqis. Although Iraq’s
2,000-year-old Christian community had expressed hope that a change in
government would usher in a new era of full religious freedom, they now
believe that the very existence of the church in Iraq is under threat.
**********
Iraqi Christians Fleeing to Jordan, Syria
Christian leaders say Iraqi church’s future threatened.
by Dale Gavlak
AMMAN, Jordan, and DAMASCUS, Syria, October 6 (Compass) — A quiet but
steady hemorrhaging of Iraq’s ancient Christian presence is underway and
little is being done to stem the flow.
Written threats, kidnappings, bombings and murder by Muslim extremists are
driving thousands of Iraq’s minority Christian population out of their
ancestral homeland, fleeing for safety to neighboring Jordan and Syria.
“The Christians are experiencing an absence of leadership,” explained Hala
Hikmat, a recent arrival from Baghdad who has joined thousands of her
countrymen in Syria. “We have no leaders who are communicating our urgent
needs to the authorities, so consequently each person has to take care of
themselves.” Their urgent needs, as expressed by Hikmat, are for protection
and for a stand to be taken on Christians’ behalf.
A string of church bombings in August and September sent anywhere from
30,000 to 40,000 Christians fleeing the country, according to estimates by
Iraqi government and church officials. And they admit that hundreds more
families out of Iraq’s 750,000 Christians are leaving each week.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) disputes these
figures, saying they are too high. But UNHCR offices in Amman and Damascus
admit that it is hard to know exactly how many Iraqi Christians are
currently in Jordan and Syria.
Of the 4,000 Iraqi families officially registered as refugees with the
agency in Damascus, more than half are Christians. It is believed that there
are larger numbers of Iraqis in Syria because it is cheaper to live there
than in Jordan. Iraqi Christians also said they have stronger cultural and
spiritual ties to Syria. Syrian authorities estimate there are about 300,000
Iraqis in the country.
“The Syrian government has been extremely generous to the Iraqis,” explained
Abdelhamed El Ouali, UNHCR head in Damascus. “It has kept the borders open
without political considerations. And it believes it has a sacred duty to
allow Iraqis who need safety to stay as long as necessary. But I am afraid
if the numbers continue to rise dramatically without any international
assistance, the situation here could change,” he warned.
A member of Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic community, who refused to give her name
for fear of reprisals against family members, said she lived near one of the
churches that was bombed in Baghdad last August. “I received a letter
threatening me. It also claimed that the church where I served would explode
while I was inside,” she said, “unless I paid $300,000.
“We are poor people and do not have such money, so I took my husband and my
son and we fled to Syria,” she said.
The synchronized bombings of five churches on August 1 and a car bombing at
a Baghdad church on September 10 sent shock waves through the Christian
community. Iraqi officials blamed al-Qaeda ally and Jordanian
terror-mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi for the attacks.
A university student visiting Syria from Baghdad said she wanted to attend
mass at the Chaldean Church of St. Terese of Little Jesus while she was in
Damascus because there was little opportunity now to worship back home
without fear. “We can’t attend services because all of the churches are
threatened with explosions,” she said. “No one knows what will happen now.”
Most of Iraq’s Christians are Chaldean eastern-rite Catholics who are
autonomous from Rome but who recognize the pope’s authority. Other Christian
denominations in Iraq include Roman and Syrian Catholics; Assyrians; Greek,
Syrian and Armenian Orthodox; Presbyterians; Anglicans; and evangelicals.
One Baptist woman from Baghdad who also refused to give her name said she
had taken to wearing a head-covering when going outside, simply to protect
herself and her children. “It is very risky now to go out on the streets in
Iraq without a scarf on your head,” she said. “When I dared to do it, people
shouted at me from a passing car that I had to respect Islamic traditions in
a country where Muslims are the majority.”
But the woman said that was not the main reason why her family fled Iraq.
Her husband is a university professor. She explained that because he is a
Christian and an educated professional, he was a double target for
militants. “They have been killing university professors. They want to rid
Iraq of intellectuals.
“We have received threats and letters saying they have not incurred enough
casualties. We were frightened and decided to leave.”
Although Iraq’s top Shiite Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani,
has condemned the assaults on churches as “hideous crimes,” Muslim leaders
have largely refused to criticize the killings of Christians who work for
the U.S. military or sell liquor. Beauty salons and shops selling music
cassettes run by Christians have also been targeted because they are deemed
offensive to strict Islamic practices.
Christian businessman Sawa Eissa said it was more than threats that forced
him and his family out of Baghdad and over the border to Jordan. He said
militants linked to renegade Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr recently
kidnapped and tortured him until his family paid ransom money.
“A gang came to my shop with machine guns and forced me into a car where I
remained for nine days,” he said. “They wanted $200,000 from me.
“They repeatedly hit me and poured boiling water all over my body. I was
held hostage until my family paid them $50,000 to finally get me released.”
Eissa, who is in his mid 50s, now walks with a cane and burn marks are
visible on his body. He said he and his family hope to find permanent refuge
in Australia because he cannot find legal work in Jordan.
An Iraqi church leader, Noel Farman, said other Iraqis have also become
victims of the escalating violence and militant clashes with U.S. and Iraqi
forces. But because Christians are much fewer in number, he argued, attacks
against them have a disproportionate impact.
“Christians in Iraq are becoming more and more of a minority, and they are
being sacrificed for the sake of the war against terrorism taking place on
the battlefield of Iraq,” he said. “We feel depressed, because we are
considered like a ‘playing card’ that outside forces can manipulate for
their own aims.
“We Iraqis of various religious and ethnic backgrounds are used to living
together and enjoying good relationships, but now these relations are being
exploited,” Farman explained, shaking his head.
The number of Christians in Iraq is expected to drop as long as hostilities
continue in the country, in line with their already steady decline over the
past 15 years. Before the 2003 war, Christians represented one million out
of Iraq’s 25 million inhabitants, while a 1987 census recorded their number
as 1.4 million.
A Syrian Orthodox bishop, preferring not to be named, said he feared Iraq’s
Christian population could totally disappear within a decade if emigration
continues at its current rate. But Farman was more hopeful. He said the
Iraqi church was resilient and would move underground if the circumstances
worsened.
Yet even in these troubled times, there are stalwart Christians who are
choosing not to leave their homeland. A small group of Pentecostal
Christians who visited Amman recently from Baghdad reported that their
church is growing, despite some outward pressure. In another instance, a
family returned to the Iraqi capital in order to start a Bible study with
women from one of the Catholic churches targeted in the August blasts.
Without a strong Christian presence in Iraq, or candidates in the upcoming
elections who insist on a separation between religion and the state, the
country could move precariously toward becoming a theocracy dominated by
Islamic parties and clerics. Iraqi Christians said they do not want to leave
their country, but without the needed recognition and support of their
rights, staying there is becoming a more difficult proposition.
END
**********
Copyright 2004 Compass Direct
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A NEW SAIL FOR “CILICIA”
Azg/am
7 Oct 04
On October 6 “Cilicia” left the harbor of Tiria in Athens for Venice. The
ship will reach Dubrovnik in 3-4 days, Alexander Margarian of “Ayas” Sea
Navigation Club informs.
The biggest sail of the ship got worn out. Serge Sargsian, minister of
defense of Armenia, handed a new sail to the crew on October 6.
Karen Danielian, member of the Club, who was aboard the ship till it reached
Rhodos, is now back in Armenia. We shall present his interview these days.
By Tamar Minasian

ARTIST AS NOBLE AS A VIOLIN
Azg/am
7 Oct 04
When seeing him in the street, each person becomes kinder and recites
the words he said in a film or in a theatre performance. Yervand
Manarian is such a person. His art makes people happy and gives them
joy. Recently, an arrangement dedicated to the 70-th anniversary of
Yervand Manarian was organized at RA Union of Theatre
Figures. Notwithstanding his age, he remained young and his spirit
sings the eternal song of light, kindness and youth.
Yervand Ghazanchian, Chairman of RA Union of Theatre Workers, pointed
out one of the sides of Yervand Manarian’s talent: “He has the talent
of remaining unnoticed. He does his work in silence without attracting
additional attention to it. As a result, everyone accepts his
works. His color, his kind differs from the one the others have.”
He performed in theatre and cinema. At present he has the theatre of
his own, “Agulis” puppet’s theatre. He thinks that his theatre will
educate “future authorities, future opposition”. But he knows well
that one can become a real artist in the stage and on the screen. “The
artist should work, the artist should play on the stage. How can
someone be an artist by appearing on the stage once a year,” Manarian
says. He is sure that there is much to do to improvethe theatre’s life
in Armenia.
One of our great artists is by our side and the only thing he wants is
to have the opportunity to perform as many beautiful plays as
possible.
By Sergey Galoyan

Armenia: Jehovah’s Witnesses apply for alternative military service
Iravunk web site, Yerevan
7 Oct 04
October
The law on alternative service in the Armenian Republic has been
effective since 1 September.
Twenty young men applied to the Armenian Defence Ministry by 1
October, saying they would like to perform alternative service. Most
of them are Jehovah’s Witnesses but there are also those who want to
evade military service for other motives.