Harut Sassounian for president!

[wh00t]

Harut Sassounian is the man. Does anyone else look forward to reading his columns in the California Courier Online every Tuesday? His commentary is always right on the mark and he is feared by the Turks. The pen is mightier than the sword, so it seems. Check out his latest, which perfectly expresses why the "reconciliation commision" must be stopped:

 

In an earlier column, I expressed the concern that while the recently

formed Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission may have had the

intention of starting a dialogue with the Turks, it could end up

inadvertently pitting the Armenians against each other.

I had specifically expressed the fear that the formation of this commission

would sour relations between the Armenian Assembly and the Armenian

National Committee and disrupt their joint lobbying efforts in Washington.

Van Krikorian, the Assembly's Chairman of the Board Directors, is one of

the four Armenian members of this commission. Furthermore, the Assembly

issued a statement supporting the commission, while the ANC's parent body,

the ARF, strongly condemned its establishment.

I also expressed the concern that this controversy could force the ARF to

reconsider its support for Pres. Kocharian's legislative agenda in the

Armenian Parliament. A presidential spokesman said last week that

while the President was aware of the discussions leading to the

commission's formation, he had no hand in its creation. The ARF, on the

other had, expressed its displeasure at reports that Foreign Minister

Vartan Oskanian had more than just a passing knowledge about the

establishment of the commission.

In order to clear the atmosphere of unhealthy mutual recriminations, I had

suggested that the leaders of the Armenian Assembly and the ANC get

together as soon as possible in Washington to see if they can come

up with a common position on the critical issue of dealing with the Turks.

Mr. Alexander Arzoumanian, the former foreign minister of Armenia and a

member of this commission, in an interview published in Armenia last week,

dismissed my concerns by describing them as "very inflammatory statements."

He asserted that the Assembly and the ANC always had the best of relations

and that there was no reason for concern. He boldly predicted that neither

the Diaspora nor the people of Armenia would be split over this issue.

Mr. Arzoumanian's comments indicate that despite his former high office and

his current chairmanship of the Armenian National Movement, he has no clue

whatsoever about developments in either Armenia or the Diaspora. Those who

have worked with him in the past attest that he was also clueless about

Armenian and international issues alike when he served as Ambassador to the

United Nations and as Foreign Minister. It does not appear that his

learning curve has improved very much despite his years of on the job

training. This gentleman's ignorance of the issues is particularly alarming

since, as Foreign Minister, he had been conducting negotiations with

Turkish and Azeri officials about Karabagh and other issues of critical

importance to Armenia. It is very disconcerting that he is now selected to

be one of the four Armenians to sit across the table from highly

experienced Turks to discuss sensitive Armenian issues. The organizers of

the commission could not have made a better choice to discredit their own

initiative.

For the elucidation of Mr. Arzoumanian and others, I regret to report that

the fears that I had expressed in my earlier column have materialized much

sooner than anticipated.

Last week, the two Armenian lobbying organizations in Washington were in

disagreement over the mechanism and timing of introducing a new genocide

resolution in the House of Representatives. While such differences of

opinion have occurred in the past, the creation of the "Turkish-Armenian

Reconciliation Commission" does cause the raising of unnecessary and unfair

questions since one of the groups has been

involved in a confidential "dialogue with the Turks." To dispel such

suspicions, the leadership of the Armenian Assembly may now have to take a

more aggressive approach in its long-standing efforts to secure the

affirmation of the Armenian Genocide.

There were similar disputes in Armenia also, last week. A high-ranking ARF

delegation met with Foreign Minister Oskanian and issued a strongly-worded

statement urging him to clarify the government's stand

vis-a vis the commission. It was obvious that the ARF was not satisfied

with the Minister's explanations. Coincidentally, the ARF faction in the

Parliament, in a rare occurrence, voted against a key bill--the

privatization of the electricity distribution network--that Pres. Kocharian

desperately wanted to be adopted.

The above examples indicate that the "Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation

Commission" has had a disruptive effect on intra-Armenian solidarity in

both Washington and Yerevan. The Turks have already accomplished

their objective!

Before Armenian interests are further damaged by the addition of two more

Armenians to the commission and holding its next meeting in Istanbul, I

suggest that Pres. Kocharian immediately invite the Armenian

members of the commission and representatives of major Armenian

organizations to a consultative meeting in Yerevan.

The four Armenian members have to realize that, despite their individual

status, they are not negotiating on a personal matter. Rightly or wrongly,

they will be viewed by the Turks and others, as the representatives of all

Armenians. Hence, they carry the heavy burden of responsibility in front of

the entire Armenian nation.

[Harut]

inch ek asum, chbrnem nakhagah darnam???

 

ha ha, havata kdarnam.

[MosJan]

» Harut Sassounian for president ???

thats a good one i love Sassounian family , Levon HArout Hambik , but i do not think that Harout is the man to be »president of Armenia.

 

 

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