SERIOUS STAFF CHANGES TO BE EXPECTED IN ARMENIA'S STATE ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM IN NEXT 10 DAYS


YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 6. ARMINFO. One should expect serious chances in Armenia's state administration system in the next 10 days - the Friday dismissal of the chief of the National Security Service Karlos Petrossyan was the first swallow, says the leader of the New Times party Aram Karapetyan.

Karapetyan says that the president started the staff changes from the wrong end. The situation at the justice, transport, ecology and education ministries is much worse. As for Petrossyan he was hardly forced to resign - he must have got tired of fruitless efforts to push through some reforms in his department. Now the question is who will replace him.

I got a couple of text message on my cell phone from Karabakh Telecom, the first on 04 Nov 2004 at 19:56:13, which read: “Hayastani Hanrapetutyunum Karabakh Teleconin tramadrvel e bjjayin kapi carayutyunneri matucman licenza. Harganqnerov, Tnorinutjun.” and then at 20:12:04 I got the second message which read: “Karabagh Telecom official got a license to operate the second GSM Network in the Republic of Armenia. Best Regards, The management.”

When you read the following story, keep in mind that Karabakh Telecom (KT) rolled into Karabagh 3 years ago and before they had a signed agreement, they were already installing a cellular phone network. A few months later, they were give the telecommunication network to operate. The Artsakh president announced KT’s presents in the country, stating that he has not allowed the same mistake to take place as they did in Armenia, with a monopoly, but in fact the “licenza” (license) that they were given by the Prime Minister, gave them what equates to a 30 year monopoly on all communication in Artsakh.

For KT to be awarded a lucrative agreement to operate the second cellular phone system in Armenia without any competition, does not surprise me and I would go so far as to say that high ranking government officials had much to profit from this deal going as it has.


RFE/RL Armenia Report - 11/05/2004

Government Tight-Lipped On Choice Of New Mobile Operator

By Ruzanna Stepanian

The government declined on Friday to provide a clear explanation of its controversial decision to choose Armenia's second mobile phone operator without a transparent and competitive bidding.

Transport and Communications Minister Andranik Manukian, normally accessible for reporters, refused to comment, referring all inquiries to the press service of his ministry. The ministry spokeswoman, Tamar Ghalechian, told RFE/RL that the hitherto unknown firm K-Telecom was granted the lucrative license because of its Lebanese owners' positive' track record in Nagorno-Karabakh. They have run the Armenian-controlled region's telephone network for the last three years.

Ghalechian confirmed that K-Telecom was the only bidder in a `tender' formally called and administered by the government at its weekly session on Thursday. He could not say why it was arranged so hastily and why the government did not hold a genuine bidding that might have resulted in more attractive bids.

The decision came less than one day after ministers approved a compromise agreement to settle their long-running disputes with ArmenTel, Armenia's dominant telecom operator. Under the terms of the deal negotiated by Justice Minister David Harutiunian, ArmenTel will abandon its legal monopoly on mobile telephony in exchange for a string of other government concessions. One of them stipulates that only one alternative wireless operator will be allowed to operate in Armenia until 2009.

The Communications Ministry spokeswoman said K-Telecom has pledged to put in place a wireless network covering Yerevan and surrounding areas by the end of 2005 and extend it to the rest of Armenia within the next two years. She said the company hopes to attract 50,000 subscribers during the first year of its operations.

As of mid-August there were only 140,000 cellular phone users in Armenia. The figure pales in comparison with similar statistics in the two other South Caucasus states. Azerbaijan boasted 870,000 such users in 2002, while Georgia had 522,300 of them as of last year.

Since there has been so much talk about deployment of troops to Iraq, I decided to surf the web in search of where various countries have deployed troops, soon loosing interest and coming across some letters to sites that support persons in the military.

On one site there was a letter which stated “…I'm particularly pleased to know that there are many people who appreciate what our fine men and women have done (and continue to do) to protect our way of life.”

It really made me wonder about what the function of a military is and why we need them?

Growing up in America and learning about liberty and justice for all in school, while saying the pledge of allegiance. I always assumed that military forces were for protecting boarders so one is not invaded by another military force. I guess that is one function and most obvious one thinks of when your 7 years old. I even get the feeling that most American who are adults think this same way today.

Then I come to Armenia and see a military in action, functioning in a way at the age of 7 I though most suits a military, which is to protect our boarders and nothing more.

So when I hear a military having the function of “protect[ing] our way of life,” and then seeing what is going on in the world outside of the United States, it really gives me a whole new outlook on how things in this world really are and that the only liberty and justice is for those with the biggest and most aggressive military force, who can protect and secure a way of life for it’s people.

You know what is really sad for me? That people know these aggressive actions are wrong, but in the name of possible economic and political security, leaders of the world are ready to prostitute themselves and their people, forgetting about morality for the sake of staying on the good side of the winning team and in hopes getting something in the end.

In Armenia’s case, our leaders feel in debt to America for providing $1.5 billion in “aid” and want to continue to benefit from that friendship by kissing Americas ass.

The reality is that Armenia’s self-profiting leaders made some very bad decisions in the early days of independence and instead of looking to Armenia’s internal power for creating an economically stable and semi-self-sufficient country by means of tapping into its intellectual and industrial potential, it somehow tricked itself and followed its emotional side and elected to side with people who lead it down the path of dependency on foreign bodies. These are people who until today, beat the patriotic drum and use peoples emotions to stay in power.

I have heard my whole life that no one helps out if they don’t have something to gain from helping and sure as can be, for the most part, those that have helped Armenia up until now have proven to have only interests in their own well being and profit, not just Americans, but Armenians too.

Today America has re-elected George W. Bush, as did somehow Armenia “re-elect” Robert Kocharian. For me, the two of them are not all that different in terms of their ability to lead or being the only available leader to choose from. Only difference I see is that Bush has more the power behind him to rape foreign bodies to suck off of so his people’s way of life is protected, where Kocharian at this time only has the power to rape his own people (including the Diaspora) to suck off of so his and his clans way of life is protected. Anyway I look at it, they both suck and the next 4 years are going to be difficult, as well as the years to follow.

On a semi unrelated note, did anyone notice the vote count in Washington D.C.? Kerry got 90%. What does that tell you? Who are the registered voters in D.C.? Could they be those people who best know who and what Bush is?

EURASIA INSIGHT

ARMENIAN DEPLOYMENT IN IRAQ HAMPERED BY DOMESTIC OPPOSITION
Emil Danielyan 11/05/04

President Robert Kocharian’s administration in Armenia appears to have pushed back plans to dispatch a contingent of non-combat troops to Iraq. The planned deployment has generated determined domestic opposition, with critics of the proposal cautioning that joining the US-led coalition could endanger the small ethnic Armenian community in Iraq.

Yerevan made what looked like a formal commitment to join the Iraq mission during President Robert Kocharian’s official visit to Poland in early September. The Armenian military contingent would be largely symbolic -- comprising roughly 50 military personnel, including doctors, de-mining experts and truck drivers – and would serve under Polish command. Poland, a staunch US ally, leads a multinational division stationed in south-central Iraq.

Since the initial announcement, little progress has been made toward deployment. Government officials announced in September that military personnel would be dispatched before the end of the year. But observers in Yerevan now wonder whether the government can meet this deadline.

A prerequisite for deployment is an inspection visit to Iraq by an Armenian military delegation. The visit was originally slated for late September. However, Defense Ministry spokesman, Seyran Shahsuvarian, said on November 3 that such a mission has yet to take place. Shahsuvarian declined to specify a reason for the delay, and would not speculate on when the mission would occur.

Armenia’s parliament, meanwhile, has not received a formal request from the government to authorize the troop deployment -- something that is required under the Armenian constitution. The National Assembly ratified earlier this year an inter-governmental agreement with Kuwait that regulates the movements of Armenian military personnel through the Gulf state, which serves as the main logistical base for all foreign troops deploying to Iraq.

Helping to explain the existing uncertainty is the fact that Kocharian’s deployment plans have faced strong domestic opposition. Kocharian critics maintain that the presences of an Armenian military force in Iraq could prompt Iraqi insurgents to target the country’s Armenian community, estimated at about 25,000, for reprisals. The insurgents have already captured and killed dozens of citizens of countries participating in the "coalition of the willing," or otherwise cooperating with it.

Among those opposed to the Iraq mission is Armenia’s biggest opposition group, the Justice alliance, along with at least two dozen non-governmental organizations. In late September, NGO representatives issued a joint statement, cautioning that the consequences of participation could be severe. "We risk turning a community of 25,000 people into hostages," one of its signatories and a prominent environmentalist, Karine Danielian, warned. Iraqi Armenians have themselves exhorted Yerevan not to send troops. Their spiritual leader, Archbishop Avak Asadurian, expressed their concerns in separate letters to President Robert Kocharian and the Armenian parliament leadership.

Significantly, two senior army generals have recently voiced opposition to deployment plans, marking a rare instance of public questioning of government policy by members of the Armenian army’s top brass. One of them, Deputy Army Chief-of-Staff Enrico Apriamov, implied that the US-led invasion of Iraq had been a mistake.

Concern for the security of the Armenian community was a major reason for the Kocharian government’s refusal to back the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq in early 2003. Armenia welcomed the ensuing overthrow of Saddam Hussein and publicly expressed a desire to "participate in Iraq’s post-war reconstruction" shortly afterward. An Armenian liaison officer was posted at the US Central Command in Florida in late 2003 – a move widely seen as a prelude to the troop dispatch.

The commitment to deployment among Kocharian allies appears to remain strong – at least publicly. In recent televised remarks Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian said that while shares the critics’ security concerns he believes that siding with the United States on Iraq is vital for Armenia’s national interests. Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, for his part, argues that the Armenian participation would be solely "humanitarian" in nature. Another Armenian leader, Parliament Speaker Artur Baghdasarian, noted on October 29 that the United States has provided more than $1.5 billion in economic assistance to Armenia since independence, hinting that Yerevan should somehow express appreciation for the American largesse.

Some pro-government media commentators say deployment should be considered by Armenians as a geopolitical necessity. They note that Armenia’s neighbors, Azerbaijan and Georgia, already have hundreds of troops on the ground in Iraq. Deployment could help Armenia complement its military alliance with Russia with closer security ties with the United States and the West in general. A cosmetic Armenian military presence in Iraq, they add, is important for ensuring US neutrality in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

Some are skeptical that a troop contribution will produce greater political and economic support from the United States. Alexander Arzumanian, Armenia’s former pro-Western foreign minister and an opponent of deployment, believes that risks far outweigh the possible geopolitical dividends. "I just don’t see anything tangible we can get now in return for putting at risk the lives of a large number of Armenians," Arzumanian told EurasiaNet.

Ultimately, it may turn out that decisions made in Poland will influence Armenia’s final decision on deployment. Polish leaders are pondering whether to scale down its 2,500-strong military force in Iraq, or even withdraw it altogether by the end of 2005. Polish Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski called for a complete troop pullout in a newspaper interview last month. Although other officials in Warsaw, notably President Aleksander Kwasniewski, were quick to disavow the statement, continued Polish military presence in Iraq is now in serious doubt.

Armenia’s Prime Minister Andranik Markarian had that in mind when he told reporters recently, "After clarifying some questions we may go ahead or not go ahead [with the deployment]. Everything will depend on the situation."

Editor’s Note: Emil Danielyan is a Yerevan-based journalist and political analyst.

Another message from Markar Melkonian in regards to the possible deployment of Armenian troops to Iraq.

Dear Friends,

Judging from reports we have received from Armenia, there is enormous opposition to the proposed deployment of Armenian troops to Iraq. If you were among the many people who sent an email opposing the deployment, you might have received the following message from the office of the foreign ministry of Armenia:

Dear _________,

Thank you for taking the time to write about your concerns regarding the issue of Armenians being sent to Iraq. It is indeed a complicated issue and your thoughts are useful and valuable.
Thank you.

Office of the Minister

Here is my response to that message:

Dear Madam/Sir:

Thank you for confirming receipt of my message.

I beg to differ with you, however: The issue at stake is no more complicated than many others. You might well be under a great of pressure from a foreign state, but this in no way mitigates the fact that, for the sake of Iraqi Armenians and for the sake of the Republic of Armenia, the conclusion is crystal clear: Do not send so much as one pair of Armenian boots to Iraqi soil. Any other decision will amount to incitement of violence against Iraqi Armenians and the voluntary political isolation of Armenia from its most valuable allies and neighbors.


Sincerely,

Markar Melkonian


When ministers use the phrase “complicated issue,” it often means that they are getting ready to make the wrong decision. In the wake of the U.S. election, we need to redouble our efforts to oppose the proposed deployment. If you have not yet sent a message expressing your opposition to the deployment, please take a moment to do so. Write to:

The Embassy of the Republic of Armenia, Washington DC:
amembusadm@msn.com

and

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia:
office@armeniaforeignministry.com
Attn: Mr. Vardan Oskanian

Explain that you oppose the proposed deployment of Armenian troops to Iraq. Remind them that such a deployment will adversely affect Armenia’s relations with its neighbors, especially Russia and Iran, and that it will isolate Armenia from its long-standing friends in the Arab countries. Remind them, too, that the deployment could precipitate bloodshed and a mass exodus of Armenians and other Christians from their country, Iraq.

Opposition to the deployment plan extends to Armenia’s own Defense and Foreign Ministries. We are indeed in a position to make a difference.



With much appreciation,

Markar Melkonian

After reading the response letter from ambassador Ghougassian, the response letter from Markar, then the response from the ambassador and then a Yahoo search of who the ambassador is, I felt compelled to write him to see if he could shed some light on the flip side of the deployment situation, since so far, he is really the only person I know that is in favor of sending Armenian troops to Iraq.

I have to admit I was a bit nervous writing to him, as here I am corresponding with a former US ambassador with a PhD and is a professor at San Diego University. On top of this he is old enough to be my father.

None the less, for the sake of my own curiosity I had to write to see what he thought of my views. I was also keeping in mind that the MFA felt that what I has written in the past, which was bordering on a threat towards Vartan O. and those in the Armenian government responsible for deployment if harm came to any Armenains of Iraq, was welcomed as “useful and valuable.” But now I was writing to a man who found the things that Markar wrote, which I agreed with and kind of fall in line with what I’m saying as “obstinate color blind judgement.” Anyway, enough said, here is my letter to the ambassador, I hope he does not deem me as being some radical communist or something worse:

From:ara_manoogian@yahoo.com
To:arabgulf@ix.netcom.com
Sent:Fri, 5 Nov 2004 02:43:29 -0800 (PST)
Subject:Re: Oppose Armenian Deployment to Iraq.


Dear Ambassador Ghougassian,

Thank you for writing back and advising me to use a search engine for answers to my question for you. Boy did it work. Did you know that you have a whopping 66 documents connected to your name, where mine has only 27, many of which seem to belong to someone other than me.

I skimmed over a few documents and your October 2nd interview with the NC Times. It clearly stated who you are and what work you have done in the past. Very impressive. You don’t by chance appear in a book of famous Armenians do you? If you don’t, you should.

Just a quick one line on who I am so you understand better who is writing you. My name is Ara Manoogian. I was born in Pasadena, California and have moved to Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh) a few years back, to partake in the development of the Armenian nation in terms of fairness and the rule of law. No, I am not an attorney, but a security consultant who did well for himself and went into early retirement at the age of 34.

In the message you sent, I really can’t comment much in terms of your analysis of future developments in Iraq and if in fact 2 years from now it will be an economic powerhouse in the region. I can say that when I look to Iraq and their leaders, I also look to Chechnya. The reason I say this is that Chechnya’s leaders were basically appointed by Russia, as my understanding Iraq’s interim leadership has been appointed by the USG (the story I read in the NC Times stated that you also served in that government). For that reason, I’m not too sure who is going to remember in the end if Armenia’s sending troops was a good or bad thing. I do know that the president of Chechnya was assassinated a while back and probably the president that was just elected, who is once again Russia’s candidate will probably see the same fate. And I keep hearing news of persons from the Iraqi interim government being killed every now and then. What I’m trying to say is that I’m not convinced that the government of Iraq or Chechnya today will be the government of tomorrow. All I know is that I have relatives in Iraq (my father left Iraq in 1954 to study at Harvard and never returned), who I am very concerned for their safety and the safety of the Armenian community there. I only know that if we send Armenian troops to Iraq, the Armenians there could be put in harms way, as well as Armenia itself, which is surrounded with Muslim neighbors, could become a target of terrorist attacks.

As for your comment of if the Armenian government does not side with the USG in Iraq, it will loose out on economic and political benefits. I’m a bit confused to this comment, but also understand where you’re coming from at the same time.

Now please don’t get me wrong here. I didn’t vote in the election since I no longer live in the US. If I was to have voted, I would have probably voted for Kerry, only because of possible benefits for Armenia. If I was living in America and voted as an American, I would have been thinking in terms of who is best for America and the American people and I would have voted for Bush. Bush is the man who will take America forward politically and economically taking no prisoners and ridding the world of anyone or anything that is a terrorist threat to America. Bush is a great leader in terms of taking care of the American people only.

As for Armenia benefiting from America politically and economically, I have yet to see that happen and don’t expect to see it ever happen. My feeling from what I’ve seen so far in the last 12 years in Armenia is that American programs have not helped Armenia, but only hurt it. The same programs have been in place in other countries long before Armenia had them and so far they have from what I’ve read produced similar results. Don’t let those little hairs on the back of your neck stand up to long and please hear me out.

I’ve been studying the overall change in Armenia for the last 12+ years and have documented various policy changes in the country, many of which were implemented by directives from the IMF, WB, WTO, Department of State and USAID. Unfortunately, many of these programs have fed into corruption and caused a great deal of hardship for the people living on Armenian soil. Yes, the Armenian government has played along, but keep in mind that in a country that on the verge of being terminally corrupt, what the government does, rarely corresponds with the will of the people. In most of the cases I’ve documented, only USG programs and individuals in government have seen any benefit from these programs.

Now we go back to Iraq and the deployment of troops. It is the opinion of everyone other than yourself so far that it will not be beneficial to send Armenian troops to Iraq at this time. The risks involved, far outweigh the benefits.

I’m not sure when you made your way to the US from Cairo and where your family is originally from, but my family history and story of survival calls to me to make sure my people, the Armenian people, do not knowingly take unnecessary risks or sacrifice even one drop of blood for promises of economic and political stability. The terrible cost of past mistakes will count for nothing if we refuse to learn from them.

Have you ever been to Armenia? If you find yourself in this part of the world, I would be more than happy to show you the Armenia that many visitors rarely see. It just may give you a more rounded view of American foreign policy at work, its effects and also a better understanding how America has become the richest nation on Earth.

Sincerely,

Ara Manoogian
Artsakh, Martuni

I got a message from an Ambassador Joseph Ghougassian, which in response to Markar Melkonian’s original message he sent out in regards to the deployment of Armenian troops being sent out to Iraq. Though the message for me was a bit difficult to understand, I took the advice of the Ambassador when I asked for clarification and he said “You will find the answers if you asked your questions to Google or Yahoo search engines.” I did just as the Ambassador suggested and got the answer I was looking for. Oh and for those that think USG stands for Untied States Gypsum, it does not. Keep in mind when choosing which hits the search engine gives you, that Iraq has oil, sand and terrorist. BTW, for those of you who don’t feel like running a search for USG, it an abbreviation for US Department of State. Oh and for those that were a bit confused by "Arabian Gulf Consultants", and the “ian” at the end of the Ambassador’s name, he is not from some Gulf state, or an ambassador for some Middle-Eastern country, as I would guess, he is an ambassador for the USG (United States Government). For those of you that feel the need to write to the ambassador, do so, as he seems to be open to discussion on this issue. His e-mail address is arabgulf@ix.netcom.com.


Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2004 10:54:26 -0800
From: "Arabian Gulf Consultants" arabgulf@ix.netcom.com
Subject: Re: Oppose Armenian Deployment to Iraq.
To:ara_manoogian@yahoo.com
CC:amembusadm@msn.com, info@armeniaforeignministry.com



CC: VARTAN OSKANIAN (FONMIN. ARMENIA)

I DISAGREE WITH YOUR ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION, VIEWS AND POLITICAL POSITIONS ON THE MATTER OF THE DEPLOYMENT OF ARMANIAN TROOPS TO IRAQ.
I AM BACK FROM IRAQ WHERE I SPENT 18 MONTHS AS SES ADVISOR IN CPA/DOD IN THE MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
IF ARMENIA IS TO RECEIVE ALL SORTS OF BENEFITS FROM THE USG FROM POLITICAL TO ECONOMIC, MILITARY/STRATIGIC ASSISTANCE, IT BETTER SIDE WITH THE USG FOREIGN POLICY IN IRAQ AND THE MIDDLE EAST.
ALSO, I BELIEVE THAT IRAQ WILL BE UP AND RUNNING AS A POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC POWER HOUSE IN THE REGION IN THE SPACE OF 2 YEARS.
I WAS TOLD BY SEVERAL SENIOR IRAQI OFFICIALS: "WE WILL REMEMBER WHO WERE OUR FRIENDS DURING OUR TIMES OF DIFFICULTIES."
NOW THAT PRESIDENT BUSH HAS WON BOTH THE POPULAR AND LECTORAL VOTES OF THE AMERICANS, YOU CAN REST ASSURED THAT WITH THE JOINT PARTICIPATION OF THE IRAQIS, WE WILL CLEAN UP IRAQ OF FOREIGN INSURGENTS, TERRORISTS AND REMNANT SADDAM'S LOYALISTS.
A STRONG IRAQ IS GOOD FOR ARMENIA.
Ambassador Joseph Ghougassian

------------------------------------------

Markar wrote a response to Mr. Ghougassian:


From: MMelkoni@aol.com
To: arabgulf@ix.netcom.com
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2004 11:43 AM
Subject: Credibility problem.

Dear Mr. Ghougassian,

I recall very clearly my father returning from a visit to Vietnam in 1974 and repeating to me what an American general there had told him: America and its allies in Vietnam had won the war, and it was just a matter of time before the last remnants of the "terrorists" and "foreign fighters" were mopped up. A year later, a tank flying the flag of the National Liberation Front crashed through the gate of the American embassy. Your report reminds me of what that general told my father.

You wrote that "IRAQ WILL BE UP AND RUNNING AS A POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC POWER HOUSE IN THE REGION IN THE SPACE OF 2 YEARS." I'm going to go out on a limb here, sir: That will not happen. If this is what you were told, then I'm afraid I have even less confidence in your judgment.

Armenia most certainly must NOT side with U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. It is a policy that failed in Iran and failed in Lebanon, and it will fail in Iraq, too. (It is also a policy that is enormously unjust. But then as an ambassador, I suspect that the word "justice" and its cognates make you want to laugh.)

You wrote that "Senior Iraqi Officials" will remember who were their friends during times of difficulty. Well so will the Iraqi resistance.

Armenians have already given their lives in the war against terrorism. They gave their lives in the Soviet Army, fighting against the very same embryonic Taliban and Islamist fanatics whom George W. Bush's father had armed, trained, and coddled with my tax money. Back then, the Soviets called Osama Bin Laden and his followers "terrorists," but Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and the ambassadors were calling them "Freedom Fighters." You have a credibility problem here.

If Canada and Mexico can excuse themselves from the Coalition of the Willing, then
Armenia certainly can. (And by the way: I haven't seen Israel listed on any of the rosters of Coalition Partners. Why is that?)

More than anything--more than your logical incoherence, your far-fetched prognostications, and your poor judgment--what bothers me most about your message is how lightly you pass over the threats that Iraqi Armenians face, and the long-term threat of political isolation facing the Republic of Armenia. We don't need any more Americans crying for slaughtered Armenians. We've had more than our share of that already, thank you.


Sincerely,
Markar Melkonian

-------------------------------

Mr. Ghougassian “responded” with:


From: "Arabian Gulf Consultants"
To: MMelkoni@aol.com
Sent: Thu, 4 Nov 2004 14:10:39 -0800
Subject: Re: Credibility problem.

Thank you for your response.
Now I understand your true color.
You must be a Kerry supporter.
No matter what facts you are told, you will continue with your obstinate color blind judgement.
Amb. Joseph Ghougassian

I got a response to my letter to the MFA in regards to the Iraq deployment. I’m guessing that this is one of those cut and paste responses, since my name should have been “Mr. Manoogian” and not “Manoogian”. I sent a response to make sure that Vartan O. better understands the importance of why we should NOT send troops and hope that the MFA are in fact reading and understanding each letter which they stated in their e-mail are “useful and valuable.” Keeping that in mind, I wrote them some more “useful and valuable” information so they could make the right decision of opposing the deployment.

------------

Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2004 16:58:32 +0400
From: “MFA”
Subject: RE: Iraq
To: "Ara Manoogian"

Dear Manoogian,

Thank you for taking the time to write about your concerns regarding the issue of Armenians being sent to Iraq. It is indeed a complicated issue and your thoughts are useful and valuable.

Thank you.


Office of the Minister

------------------------

Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2004 23:57:27 -0800 (PST)
From:"Ara Manoogian"
Subject: RE: Iraq
To: “MFA”
CC:amembusadm@msn.com

Dear Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

Thank you for writing back to me to confirm you have received my message.

You state in your message “It is indeed a complicated issue”. Mr. Foreign Minster, I can’t disagree with you more. If you read my original message (copy attached), you would see that there is nothing complicated about this issue. The whole thing is very simple: Increasingly numerous and effective Iraqi resistance fighters have retaliated against ethnic groups (including Turks and Kurds) that they view as having collaborated with the occupiers. If we send even one person to represent Armenia (even--or especially--in the name of "humanitarian assistance"), then Armenians will also be viewed as collaborators. As a result, even Armenians who have been living in Iraq for decades will be in danger of death.

In the past, Armenian leaders have made mistakes that have caused the loss of Armenian lives. From September 16 to 18, 1918, for example, thousands of Armenians in Baku fell victim to massacres that could have been prevented if Armenian leaders had taken a different approach. (I would be happy to provide you with a copy of Shahan Natalie’s book “The Turks and Us,” which describes this case.) The terrible cost of past mistakes will count for nothing if we refuse to learn from them.

I once again ask that the MFA take a public stance opposing the deployment of any troops to Iraq. The Armenian nation has nothing to gain from it--and much to lose.

Sincerely,

Ara Manoogian
Artsakh, Martuni

Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

1 November 2004

Man Charged With Double Murder In Central Yerevan

By Ruzanna Stepanian

Armenian law-enforcement authorities have arrested a person who believe gunned down two other men in broad daylight in downtown Yerevan on Friday.

A senior police source told RFE/RL on Monday that the suspect, Stepan Sukasian, is an ethnic Armenian resident of the town of Akhaltsikhe in southern Georgia. He said investigators believe that the murder resulted from a two-year business dispute between Sukasian and one of the victims, Grigor Podosian.

Podosian, also an Akhaltsikhe resident, and his cousin Stepan Alikhanian were shot dead on a busy street corner in the city center. The Armenian police, the National Security Service and the Prosecutor-General’s Office launched a joint inquiry immediately after the shooting, underscoring its extraordinary character and public resonance.

The source said the investigators have found out that Sukasian and Podosian had underworld connections and first clashed over control of a lucrative bus service between Akhaltsikhe and Yerevan two years ago. Podosian is said to have stabbed and seriously wounded the arrested suspect in Moscow shortly afterward before fleeing to his hometown. Podosian was forced to leave Georgia’s Armenian-populated Javakheti region by Sukasian’s friends and found refuge in Yerevan, according to the police.

A statement released by the police later in the day said the two Georgian Armenians used to be "childhood friends" and that Sukasian was accompanied by three individuals "at the site of the incident." "Two of them have been tracked down and their participation in what happened is being clarified," the statement said without elaborating.

The police would not say if the suspect has admitted to the accusations.

Today I attended a funeral for a friend that died of cancer. Abo was only 47 years old.

Though I only knew Abo for only 2 years, he was what I would call a true friend. Someone who helps out, standing by ones side and does not expect anything in return.

Abo and his family moved to Armenia in the 1960’s from Iran. He graduated from the polytechnic institute and at the start of perestroika, he and his father started a shoe factory. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the blockade and mass migration, they hit economic hard times. Abo ended up becoming a driver for A1+ news, later working for a friend of mine on an as needed basis.

My friend spoke today at the meal after the funeral and spoke of how Abo knew everything about everything, not just in a talkative way, but in an action way, helping my friend with projects my friend was doing in Lachin, contributing to their success.

Though I have only seen Abo probably in all a dozen times, half of those when he and my friend came to stay at my house in Martuni, the one encounter that stood out in my memory would have to be when my car was impounded in Yerevan due to my car having window film and me not having a valid drivers license.

It was back in November 2002 and after a long day of running around, on the way home, I was pulled over and ended up at police impound, being told that I would have to come back the following Monday to make arrangements to liberate my car.

I knew that if I could just call the Artsakh chief of traffic police in Stepanagert, I would have my car out in a matter of minutes, but there was no phone available to me (there was no such thing as Roaming in those days).

I called a close friend of mine from a phone that could only make local calls, knowing that this friend had a cell phone that I could contact Stepanagert on. When my friend answered, my friend said that they had guest from the US and were going some place in a half hour and would see if they could stop by to help out and I should call them back in a few minutes.

When I called back the friend, my friend told me that they could not come by as they would be late to their engagement, but they will check in with me later to see how I faired.

I then called a closer friend that didn’t have a cell phone, but knew people who he could maybe call on to help me out. He told me to wait and he would call me back. I got a call back a couple of minutes later, telling me that he was sending Abo down to the impound yard to help me out.

Not 10 minutes later, Abo pulled up in his white older model Volga 24. He got out of the car with a smile on his face, giving me a firm handshake and reassured me that everything would be okay.

Abo asked me what I propose we do? I told him I had a need to contact the chief of traffic police in Stepanagert, to which he pulled out his cell phone. I called a friend who gave me the phone number and then called the chief.

The chief told me to call him back in a few minutes, at which time, Abo’s cell phone which had an ez-card in it ran out of talk time. Abo and I drove off to my friend’s house, where I went to call the chief. While I was at my friend’s house, Abo went off to load his phone up with more talk time, of which he refused to take any money from me, even though I insisted, to which he told me that I’ve suffered enough already.

I understood from a call that Abo made while we were at my friend’s house that Abo had left some other work he was in the middle of to come help me out and had no intentions to return until after my issue was resolved.

We returned to the impound yard following the instructions of the chief and after being forced to peal off the window film from my car and paying a fine for the window film violation, we retrieved my car. Abo made sure I was on my way, following me in his car all the way to my friend’s house.

I guess the reason this encounter stuck in my mind was that before this, I had only seen Abo one time and I would not have called him a close friend, but he was the one that came to my aid in a real time of need, which the whole time I have been in Armenia and Artsakh, this was the only time that I really felt helpless and in need. So after a friend that I thought I was close to, who I would have dropped whatever I was doing to come to that friend’s aid, decided that the social engagement was more important, it was Abo that dropped everything he was doing and came to help me out, expecting nothing in return, showed that though we only knew each other in passing, he was what I would call a good, close friend.

At Abo’s funeral, I cried. I guess I was crying for me and my loss of a good and loyal friend. I guess I also cried because Abo’s mother and father attended the funeral and I know that this has to be the hardest thing for a parent to do. His 3 daughters ages 13 to 19 attended and knowing what I know of Abo, he must have been a great father, creating a stable loving environment for his family.

Anyway, today we laid to rest a good friend of mine, who I will miss dearly and I’m sure I will remember for a long time to come.

Rest in peace Abo.