The truth about Syria

[Yervant1]

TURKEY SHUTS OFF YOUTUBE AFTER 'SYRIA INVASION PLAN' LEAK

Published time: March 27, 2014 15:00
Edited time: March 27, 2014 17:40

Reuters / Eric Gaillard

Access to YouTube has been cut off in Turkey after an explosive leak
of audiotapes that appeared to show ministers talking about provoking
military intervention in Syria. Other social media have already been
blocked ahead of tumultuous local elections.

The latest leaked audio recording, which reportedly led to the ban,
appears to show top government officials discussing a potential attack
on the tomb of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of the founder of the
Ottoman Empire.

The tomb is in Syrian territory, but protected by Turkish soldiers.

On the tape, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is heard to
say that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sees any attack as an
"opportunity" to increase Turkish presence in Syria, where it has
staunchly supported the anti-Assad rebels. Security chief Hakan Fidan
then goes one step further, and suggests staging a fake attack to
give Turkey a casus belli to intervene in the conflict.

Turkish officials have recently vowed to protect the tomb as its
"national soil."

The Foreign Ministry in Ankara reacted to the tape by issuing a
statement, calling the leak a "wretched attack" on national security.

It also claims the tape was "partially manipulated."

"These treacherous gangs are the enemies of our state and people. The
perpetrators of this attack targeting the security of our state and
people will be uncovered in the shortest time and will be handed over
to justice to be given the heaviest penalty," the ministry said.

A source inside the office of President Abdullah Gul, who has taken
a softer line than Erdogan over the series of government leaks,
told Reuters that access to YouTube may be restored if the sensitive
content is removed, even though the original video has been deleted.

Invoking national security and privacy concerns has been the
government's tactic in fighting off a stream of leaks showing top
officials engaging in unsavory or downright illegal practices.

Erdogan has also repeatedly claimed that most of the audio recordings
are fakes. He labeled the latest audio revelation "villainous" during
a stump speech in Diyabakir.

Twitter, another popular source for leaks, has already been shut down
in Turkey since March 20, after a court order.

Since then, the California-based social network and organizations have
fought in several courts to have the decision reversed, calling it
"disproportionate and illegal."

A court ruling in Ankara on Wednesday supported the appeal, but
the country's regulator has a month to unblock Twitter, leading
to speculation that any such move would only take place after the
election.

The incumbent party also enjoys the benefit of robust privacy
legislation passed last month, which makes it easy to cut off any
website even before any violation has been legally proven.

The US has led the chorus of international condemnation, calling
the government's moves"censorship" tantamount to "21st century
book-burning."

http://rt.com/news/turkey-block-youtube-twitter-649/

[Yervant1]

Action is needed not just words!

EU AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA REGARDS UNACCEPTABLE ATTACKS AGAINST ARMENIANS IN KESAB

YEREVAN, MARCH 27, ARMENPRESS: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
the Republic of Armenia informed the European Union about the events
ongoing in town-village Kesab of Syria around which the EU will express
an official viewpoint. The Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia,
Ambassador Traian Hristea stated this in a conversation with the
journalists. "We have already conveyed our message to Brussels and
will follow up on how they will react on this issue. But our message
is one- attacks against Armenian citizens in Kesab are unacceptable,"
Traian Hristea said as reported by Armenpress.

A group of deputies of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
- Samvel Farmanyan, Arman Sahakyan, Naira Karapetyan, Tevan Poghosyan,
Edmon Marukyan and Levon Martirosyan - have left for Syria. The
deputies were to get acquainted with the problems and the conditions
of our compatriots in Syria in place. They will present information
on the current state of Kesab upon arrival.

Earlier it was reported that the Catholicos of the Great House of
Cilicia Aram I contacted the presidential palace of Syria appealing to
send army to Kesab to provide for the security of the local population.

In his turn the Syria's ambassador to Lebanon visited Catholicos
Aram I in Antelias on March 22, conveying to him Syrian president
Bashar al-Assad's assurances that peace will be restored in Kesab. The
Catholicos welcomed the Syrian President's initiative and noted for his
part that Kesab has a symbolic significance for the Armenian people.

According to the Armenian Weekly, the armed incursion began on Friday,
March 21, 2014 with rebels associated with Al-Qaeda's al-Nusra Front,
Sham al-Islam and Ansar al-Sham crossing the Turkish border and
attacking the Armenian civilian population of Kesab. The attackers
immediately seized two guard posts overlooking Kesab, including a
strategic hill known as Observatory 45 and later took over the border
crossing point with Turkey. Snipers targeted the civilian population
and launched mortar attacks on the town and the surrounding villages.

According to eyewitness accounts, the attackers crossed the Turkish
border with Syria openly passing through Turkish military barracks.

According to Turkish media reports, the attackers carried their
injured back to Turkey for treatment in the town of Yayladagi.

More than 700 Armenian families, the majority of the population of
Kesab, were evacuated by the local Armenian community leadership to
safer areas in neighboring Basit and Latakia. Ten to fifteen families
with relations too elderly to move were either unable to leave or
choseto stay in their homes. On Saturday, March 22, Syrian troops
launched a counteroffensive in an attempt to regain the border crossing
point, eye-witnesses and state media reported. However, on Sunday,
March 23, the extremist groups once again entered the town of Kesab,
took the remaining Armenian families hostage, desecrated the town's
three Armenian churches, pillaging local residences and occupying the
town and surrounding villages. Located in the northwestern corner of
Syria, near the border with Turkey, Kesab had, until very recently
evaded major battles in the Syrian conflict. The local Armenian
population had increased in recently years with the city serving as
safe-haven for those fleeing from the war-torn cities of Yacubiye,
Rakka and Aleppo.

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/755692/eu-ambassador-to-armenia-regards-unacceptable-attacks-against-armenians-in-kesab.html

 

[Yervant1]

KASAB CROSSING ... ILLUSION OF VICTORY, LIBERATION

Ibrahim Aabdollah

After the consecutive victories of the resistance's axis in the
region, the elements of the international plot against Syria have
decided to move the battlefield from its southern to its northern
borders in order to secure 'Israel' and to involve Turkey.

The clashes in Kasab will not lead to a strategic victory for
the militant groups as the city of Kasab itself is not strategic,
political researcher Taleb Ibrahim told Al-Manar website.

Ibrahim added that the militant groups in Syria are trying to attain
a moral victory after the consecutive defeats that they have suffered
recently.

Strategic expert Dr. Hasan Hasan told Al-Manar website that the media
circulation of the "South's Battle" aimed at drawing the attentions
away from the plan of Kasab's battle.

The Turkish PM Recep Tayyeb Erdogan is clashing with the president
Abdollah Gul and other Turkish factions, including the secularists
and the army that started to regain a political influence in the
light of releasing General Alger Bashkorg who was accused of a case
of inversion.

Erdogan considers that he would be the scapegoat of the Syrian crisis
as he encounters internal political defeats.

Scandals of corruption have deteriorated Erdogan's political position
before the municipal elections. As a result, he wanted to involve the
Turkish army in a direct clash with the Syrian army in an attempt
to set an emergency case in his country so that he could cancel
the elections.

'Israel' is completely convinced that any insane aggression against
Syria will be fiercely encountered by the axis of resistance, Turkey is
trying to play the Israeli role by inflaming Latakia's Front instead
of the Southern one.

Ibrahim considered that the Russian military existence at the
Mediterranean will prevent Turkey from attaining any victory in Kasab.

Dr. Hasan also considered that Turkey is in complete coordination with
'Israel' in this step as launching this attack is considered as one
of the last plots that international war against Syria can set.

The conflict between Russia and the NATO has intensified, especially
in Crimea and Syria. Thus, the relation between the two files is
direct and clear.

The NATO aggression in Kasab comes in the context of the American
response to the Russian persistence on approving Crimea annexation.

Moscow considers that Syrian resistance in facing the international
plot has founded new international balances which along with the
Russian military deployment at the Syrian coast enhanced the recurrence
of Russia's strategic role in the world.

In a different context, Ibrahim pointed out that the city of Yabroud in
Qalamoun used to be a main Mossad stronghold before it was liberated
by the Syrian army and that Erdogan's direct intervention in the
Syrian war reflects his desire to fight in the behalf of the Israelis.

Dr. Hasan Hasan also noted that the Israelis utilized the strategic
position of Yabroud to be a the separation wall between the elements
of the resistance's axis from Iran to Palestine.

He added that Yabroud's liberation will enhance that of the entire
Qalamoun and the Golan Heights.

Translated by Mohamed Salami

Source: Al-Manar Website

27-03-2014 - 21:50 Last updated 27-03-2014 - 21:54 | 561 View
http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/main.php

[Yervant1]

TURKISH LIES: ANKARA DENIES ROLE IN KASSAB ATTACKS

http://asbarez.com/121212/turkish-lies-ankara-denies-role-in-kassab-attacks/
Thursday, March 27th, 2014

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu

Says Turkey ready to 'admit' and 'protect' Syrian Armenians--Kogh
Sirde Togh!

ANKARA--The Turkish foreign ministry on Wednesday issued an
announcement denying Ankara's role in the military incursion into
Kessab and added that Turkey was willing to "admit" and "protect"
Syrian-Armenians.

On Thursday, however, the Turkish government swiftly blocked access
to YouTube when leaked audio recording on the video sharing site
revealed a plot by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and others
to attack Syria.

On March 21, Al Qaeda militants stormed the Armenian-populated township
of Kessab in Syria forcing the evacuation of the population to nearby
Kessab. Eyewitnesses on the scene confirmed that the militants entered
Syria through the Turkish border.

"The allegations by some circles that Turkey is providing support to
the opposition forces by letting them use its territory or through
some other ways during the conflict which have intensified recently
in the Latakia/Kessab region are totally unfounded and untrue,"
said the Turkish foreign ministry announcement.

"We consider the efforts of such circles, moving from these claims, to
draw an analogy between the developments in the Kessab region and the
painful incidents of the past as a confrontational political propaganda
attempt and particularly condemn it," continued the statement.

"In accordance with its humanitarian and conscientious responsibility,
Turkey notified the relevant UN bodies that Syrian Armenians residing
in Kessab region could be admitted in Turkey too and protection
could be provided to them. Also, the representatives of the Armenian
community were informed of the matter through official channels.

Contacts on this issue are underway. Necessary steps will be taken
to meet the needs of Syrian Armenians as is the case for all other
Syrians," concluded the announcement.

Actions are Louder than Words While the foreign ministry was denying
Ankara's role in the Kessab incursion and, once again, blaming
"propaganda" for this latest Turkish aggression, audio recordings
were being leaked on YouTube revealing a plot, headed by Foreign
Minister Davutoglu, to attack Syria and ways to justify that breach
to the international community.

The foreign ministry's reaction to this latest embarrassment for
the Turkish government was not to immediately deny the accuracy of
the audio leaks, but to claim that portions of it--without actually
specifying--were allegedly manufactured.

Turkey's instinct to deny atrocities is second nature. So, when
Turkey is officially denying something, it is safe to assume that
the opposite is true.

[Yervant1]

http://www.algemeiner.com/wp-content/themes/tribune/images/logo.png Armenians Accuse Turkey of Aiding Al-Qaeda Rebels in Attack on Syrian Christian Village

 

http://www.algemeiner.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/al-Qaeda_flag-300x244.png

The flag of Al-Qaeda. Armenian leaders have accused Turkey of aiding al-Qaeda-affiliated rebel groups during their attack on a largely Armenian Christian village in northern Syria. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org - Armenian leaders have accused Turkey of aiding al-Qaeda-affiliated rebel groups during their attack on a largely Armenian Christian village in northern Syria.

“Turkey’s facilitation of al-Qaeda affiliated foreign fighters and their attacks on innocent civilians in Syria undermines ongoing US and international efforts to bring peace to a country ravaged by violence for far too long,” Ken Hachikian, chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America, wrote in a letter to President Barack Obama.

Last weekend, rebel forces from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria took control of the small Armenian Christian village in northern Syria during fighting with the Syrian army, forcing most of the residents to flee.

According to the Armenian daily newspaper Panorama, Armenian President Sezh Sargsyan drew parallels between the current situation for Kessab’s Armenian Christians and the Armenian genocide in the early 20th century under the Ottoman Turks.

“The third deportation of Kessab Armenians today is a serious challenge to ethnic minority rights protection mechanisms of the 21st century,” Sargsyan said at the World Forum Convention Center in The Hague. “I think everyone should realize that these parallels should sober all the sides.”

[MosJan]

Johannes inchpes es ??

[Yervant1]

TURKEY'S LATEST JIHAD ON CHRISTIAN ARMENIANS

Raymond Ibrahim.com
March 27 2014

by Raymond Ibrahim on March 26, 2014 in Muslim Persecution of
Christians

Far from being repentant of the Armenian Genocide, Turkey, under the
leadership of Prime Minister Erdogan, is again, like its Ottoman
forbear, targeting Armenians; is again causing their death and
dislocation.

Turkey-sponsored jihadis pose with Islamic flag in conquered Christian
Armenian town of Kessab

In the early morning hours of March 21, al-Qaeda linked Islamic jihadis
crossed into Syrian territory from the Turkish border and launched
a jihad on the Christian/Armenian town of Kessab. Among other thing,
"Snipers targeted the civilian population and launched mortar attacks
on the town and the surrounding villages." Reportedly eighty people
were killed.

The jihadis later made avideo touring the devastated town. No
translation is needed, as the main phrase shouted throughout is Islam's
triumphant war cry, "Allahu Akbar" (or, according to Sen. John McCain's
translation, "thank God").

Eyewitnesses say the jihadis crossed the Turkish border into Syria,
"openly passing through Turkish military barracks. According to
Turkish media reports, the attackers carried their injured back to
Turkey for treatment in the town of Yayladagi."

About two-thousand Armenians were evacuated to safer areas in
neighboring Basit and Latakia. Several of these families are currently
living inside the churches of these towns. Ten to fifteen families
with members too elderly to flee remained in Kessab, their fate
currently unknown.

Syrian troops launched a counteroffensive, but al-Qaeda linked jihadis
"once again entered the town of Kessab, took the remaining Armenian
families hostage, desecrated the town's three Armenian churches,
pillaging local residences and occupying the town and surrounding
villages."

Reports further indicate that "the attacks of the al-Qaeda linked
al-Nusra organization and the Islamic Front was supported with
artillery fire from Turkish artillery units. A Syrian MIG-23 war
plane which attended to the operation towards the terror groups was
shot down by Turkish Air Forces on 23 March."

Bashar al-Assad naturally denounced before the United Nations
Turkey's support for terrorists--even as some European leaders, such
as Denmark's Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, were praising
Turkey for its supposedly increased democracy and human rights, and
supporting the Islamic nation's inclusion into the European Union,
indifferent to the fact that Erdogan banned Twitter in Turkey after
tweets exposed his government's corruptions.

Nor are Armenians and others missing the significance of
Turkey's role. In a written statement, the Armenian National
Committee-International condemned Turkey's active role in aiding and
abetting Christian persecuting jihadi groups:

For months, we have warned the international community of the imminent
threat posed by extremist foreign fighters against the Christian
minority population in Syria. These vicious and unprompted attacks
against the Armenian-populated town and villages of Kessab are the
latest examples of this violence, actively encouraged by neighboring
Turkey. We call upon all states with any influence in the Syrian
conflict to use all available means to stop these attacks against the
peaceful civilian population of Kessab, to allow them to return to
their homes in safety and security. In the last one hundred years,
this is the third time that the Armenians are being forced to leave
Kessab and in all three cases, Turkey is the aggressor or on the side
of the aggressors [emphasis added].

On March 24, Samvel Farmanyan, a member of the Armenian National
Assembly, traveled to Syria to meet with Kessab's dislocated Armenians:
"I should say the impression was shocking," he said. "The situation is
like the one we have read about in textbooks and literature about the
Armenian Genocide, in the memories of Genocide survivors.... These
are tragic events, which cannot but bring forth obvious parallels
with the events of 100 years ago--the Armenian Genocide."

Displaced Kessab Armenians crowd and seek shelter in neighboring
Latakia church

Video interviews with the recently dislocated Armenians of Syria
further document this sentiment. One elderly man says "We've been
here 97 years since they slaughtered us in Turkey. These al-Qaeda
'rebel' groups are the grandsons of Abdul Hamid" (the Ottoman sultan
who committed the first systematic genocide of Armenians).

Nor were these early massacres limited to Armenians but rather
targeted Christians in general. As one Syrian-American woman points
out in writing to me just now: "The Hamidian Massacres (1894-1896)
led to the mass exodus of Christians from the Levant to the USA. My
grandfather was one of those who fled persecution. His father was shot,
by an Ottoman Turk, in front of their ancestral home. Seven children
were left fatherless. My grandfather, the eldest son, left Syria,
and traveled as an indentured man, through Mexico, to find freedom
and safety in the USA. The entire family eventually joined him."

Such is the continuity and interconnectivity of history. A century ago,
Armenians, to avoid massacre, were displaced by the Ottomans and ended
up in places like Kessab. Today, their descendants, to avoid massacre,
are displaced from Kessab by jihadis supported by Turkey.

Years, decades, and centuries go by; names, narratives and rhetoric
change; utopian ideals and materialistic rationalizations become
ubiquitous. Yet the same story, the same enmity--Turkish to Armenian,
or more distilled yet, Muslim to Christian--lives on, even if in
different contexts and formats.

http://www.raymondibrahim.com/muslim-persecution-of-christians/turkeys-latest-jihad-on-christian-armenians/
also in
http://www.christianpost.com/news/turkeys-new-jihad-on-christian-armenians-116957/

[Yervant1]

SYRIAN CHRISTIANS ACCUSE ISLAMIST REBELS OF DESTROYING CHURCH CROSSES, PILLAGING HOMES DURING TOWN SEIZURE

The Blaze
March 27 2014

Mar. 27, 2014 3:30pm Sharona Schwartz

Radical Islamist rebels have seized a predominantly Christian town
in northwest Syria in recent days and reportedly destroyed crosses
on churches, pillaged homes and beheaded at least one opponent in
a neighboring area, according to accounts conveyed from Syria on
social media.

According to various media accounts, rebels from the Al
Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front, Ahrah al Sham, the Islamic Front
and Chechen jihadists on Sunday gained control over Kassab, a town
of 1,700 residents who are mostly Armenian Christians who now fear
for their future there.

The Christian Broadcasting Network reported that 80 people have been
killed and at least three churches desecrated as Syrian Christians
have all but abandoned the town.

Syrian Armenian community activist Nerses Sarkissian told Armenian
Weekly that the rebels are desecrating churches, pillaging houses
and destroying government buildings.

While most have fled to neighboring Latakia, the community is concerned
about the Christians who have been unable to leave.

Other atrocities have been reported by Syria watcher Joshua Landis,
who directs the Center for Middle East Studies at the University
of Oklahoma and writes the Syria Comment blog. Landis retweeted
photos apparently taken in Kassab and the vicinity showing the
jihadi militants' actions now that they control the town, including
desecrating Christian churches, destroying bottles of alcohol and
even beheading an opponent.

Here is the photo Landis tweeted:

This photo posted on Twitter purports to show the destruction of
alcoholic beverage bottles:

Another Twitter user wrote "Jihadists broke the crosses of a church
in #Kassab, and promised to turn it into a mosque" and attached
this photo:

Another photo purported to show the head of a Syrian army soldier
fighting to defend President Bashar Assad's rule who was allegedly
decapitated outside Latakia near Kassab. The link to the photo can
be found (WARNING -- graphic image) here.

Landis told TheBlaze that the photo was accompanied by a warning in
Arabic to those who have "hurt the Muslims of Syria."

TheBlaze is unable to independently authenticate the photos; however,
Landis said in an email that the "torrent of social media, pictures,
maps and TV clips coming out of Kassab" and surrounding areas provide
"a clearer picture of what is going on."

Christian residents who have fled the village and the Armenian-American
community are accusing Turkey of aiding the rebels and allowing them
to cross the border from Turkey into Kassab. Turkey has repeatedly
denied that it provides support to the militants.

Armenian Weekly reported that almost all of the Christians have
emptied the town and fled to neighboring Latakia. They are now beset
with fear about their ability to return to their homes.

Their ancestors fled to this same town in Syria to escape the genocide
of the Armenians a century ago carried out by the Ottomans in the
land that today comprises Turkey.

"Almost all the Armenians of Kassab and neighboring towns have fled
to Latakia city, where they have been given refuge in the Armenian
churches there and are receiving food and aid from the Red Crescent,
WFP and church groups," Landis said.

The weekend offensive of the Christian town yet again "underlines
what a dominant role foreign jihadists and militant, Al Qaeda linked
groups are now playing in Syria," he added.

View photos at
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/03/27/syrian-christians-accuse-islamist-rebels-of-destroying-church-crosses-pillaging-homes-during-town-seizure/

[Yervant1]

A SYRIAN VILLAGE EMPTIED AS CHRISTIANS FLEE FIGHTING

The Observers / France 24
March 27 2014

Jihadist rebel factions launched an offensive against the village of
Kassab on Saturday, leading Christian Armenian and Alawite residents
to flee. Today, Kassab is empty. Most of its inhabitants have taken
refuge in Latakia, a regime stronghold.

Kassab, located in northwestern Syria at the border with Turkey, was
the only Armenian village in the region. Local Christian Armenian
families settled in the region in 1915 to escape genocide on the
part of the Ottoman empire. The village was also home to an Alawite
minority.

A rebel commander that participated in the fighting told FRANCE 24
that the residents "started packing their bags after hearing the
first gunshots" at dawn on Saturday, March 22, the first day of the
offensive. He added that "the Armenian population is not targeted
and their possessions will be safeguarded". Pro-opposition channels
have shared videos on social media that show rebel fighters helping
residents leave the village.

Abdallah Mhesne is a Saudi preacher that travels with rebel factions
in the Syrian north, and who is currently posted in the outskirts
of Kassab. He describes on his Twitter account (see below) how he
"entered a Christian home [in Kassab] with the brothers. They did
not touch anything ... but the crosses, wine bottles, and pig meat
were destroyed".

http://observers.france24.com/content/20140327-kassab-village-christians-flee-fighting

[Yervant1]

 

Armenians dismayed as Syrian rebels seize historic Kassab

 

Rebels seized control of Kassab on Sunday after launching an attack two days earlier in the coastal Syrian province of Latakia

http://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/world/2014/03/28/armenians_dismayed_as_syrian_rebels_seize_historic_kassab/kassab.jpg.size.xxlarge.letterbox.jpg

UNCREDITED / AP

Image taken from video obtained by the anti-government activist group Shaam News Network, shows Syrian fighters after they seized the predominantly Armenian Christian town of Kassab, Syria on Sunday, March 23, 2014.

By: Albert Aji And Diaa Hadid Associated Press, Published on Fri Mar 28 2014

BADROUSIEH, SYRIA—When hundreds of residents of the postcard-pretty coastalSyrian village of Kassab fled this week, it bore historic weight: it was the third time since 1900 that ethnic Armenians there felt compelled to run for their lives.

They left once at the hands of vengeful Turkish neighbours, and later because of Ottoman forces. This time it was Syrian rebels storming into town. It was a heavy blow for the minority community that sees the town as key to preserving the Armenians’ identity in Syria.

Kassab “is a symbol of Armenian history, language and continuity. It’s very symbolic,” said Ohannes Geukjian, a political science professor who writes on contemporary Armenian history and politics. “And so the fall of Kassab, I consider it the defeat of Armenian identity in that area.”

Rebels seized control of Kassab on Sunday after launching an attack two days earlier in the coastal Syrian province of Latakia. The fighters were from an array of conservative and Islamic groups, including the Al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front.

The province has an ancient Armenian presence, but is better known as a bastion of support for President Bashar Assad. It is his ancestral home and that of followers of the Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, that he belongs to.

The clashes led most of Kassab’s estimated 2,000 residents to flee some 57 kilometres to Latakia city, emptying out a village that boasted a Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant church.

“We had to flee only with our clothes. We couldn’t take anything, not even the most precious thing — a handful of soil from Kassab. We couldn’t take our memories,” said a woman to Syrian state television. She identified herself as Kassab resident, but didn’t give her name.

Kassab is surrounded by the villas of middle-class Syrians who built their homes amid green wooded hills overlooking the sea. The area got a boost from a popular 2008 Syrian telenovela, “Daya, Daya,” which was filmed in nearby village of Samra. Tourists flock to the area in the summer.

Kassab residents, speaking to Syrian television, said mortar shells and gunfire came from the Turkish border toward their village. A Syrian field commander on a government-organized trip told journalists near Kassab that gunmen began their attack “with clear support from the Turks.”

Turkish officials refuted the claims.

“The allegations by some circles that Turkey is providing support to the opposition forces by letting them use its territory or through some other ways during the conflict ... are totally unfounded,” the Turkish government said in a media statement on Wednesday.

The Turkish government was prepared to admit Syrian Armenian refugees and “protection could be provided to them,” the statement said.

Armenia’s President Serge Sarkisian said Kassab was attacked by Turkish militants in 1909, forcing local Armenians to flee for their lives. In 1915, as the 600-year-old Ottoman empire violently unraveled, the Armenian population was deported by the Turks, and thousands died as they marched across the desert.

A website created by Kassab descendants, “Kessabtsiner,” confirmed those events.

“This is the third expulsion of Armenians from Kassab and it represents a major challenge to modern mechanisms for the protection of ethnic minorities,” Sarkisian said in a statement this week.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey, however, denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest.

The forced flight from Kassab has deep meaning for many Armenians, because it is one of the last areas tracing back to the 11th-century from the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia, said professor Geukjian.

Other areas in modern-day Syria once had ancient Armenian villages, but residents left to join larger communities in cities like Aleppo, or assimilated into the wider Christian minority, or emigrated, said Geuikjian. Only Kassab “kept its identity and language,” he said.

“When you say Kassab, you understand you are referring to the Armenians,” said Arpi Mangassarian of Badguer, a Beirut-based Armenian cultural organization. “It symbolizes Armenian culture.”

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said ethnic Armenians accounted for about 70 per cent of Kassab’s population.

Before the Syrian uprising, there were some 70,000 ethnic Armenians in Syria, particularly concentrated in the northern city of Aleppo and the area around Kassab. They were already a tiny minority among 23 million citizens, but part of Syria’s rich mosaic of tiny, ancient Christian and Muslim sects.

As the war grinds on, Armenians have been leaving for Lebanon, Armenia, Canada and the U.S.

The war has grown increasingly sectarian, as hardline Sunni rebel groups play a prominent role in the uprising, and Syrian minorities huddle behind Assad, fearing for their fate should extremists come to power.

There are no statistics of how many Armenians remain, but Geukjian estimated some 15,000 Armenians remained of a pre-war population of 40,000 in Aleppo. Others had drifted toward Latakia and yet others had remained in Kassab, he said.

“What will happen to us? We don’t know,” said the woman from Kassab, speaking to Syrian television.

The ancient area’s loss to ultra-conservative Muslim rebels suggests an uncertain future.

“We are afraid, if you want the truth. Of what is happening now, the future. The future is not clear,” Geukjian said.

Hadid reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Avet Demourian in Yerevan, Yasmine Saker in Beirut and Suzan Fraser in Ankara contributed to this report.

[Yervant1]

** ACTION ALERT ** #SaveKessab ** ACTION ALERT **

http://img.youtube.com/vi/u1XopTYpkmw/hqdefault.jpg

Click here to send PM Harper an email to act on Kessab: http://www.ayfcanada.org/action-alerts/save-kessab/

Urge Prime Minister Harper to Stop Turkey’s Support for the Destruction of Kessab, Syria. Join the Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) and Armenian Youth Federation of Canada (AYF Canada) in voicing your solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Kessab, Syria.

The ANCC and AYF are calling upon ...all Canadians of good will to contact Prime Minister Harper to demand that Canada immediately call on the Republic of Turkey to halt its role in the ethnic cleansing of Kessab’s peaceful Armenian population.

Please send your email in solidarity with the Armenians of Kessab TODAY and be sure to share this ANCC Action Alert with your network.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1XopTYpkmw

[Yervant1]

14:45 29/03/2014 » SOCIETY

22 Armenians were kidnapped from Kessab and taken to Turkey

Of those Armenians who remained in Kessab, 22 were kidnapped and taken to Turkey, deputy chairman of the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party (SDHP) Armenia office, Syrian Armenian Vazgen Mesropyan told Panorama.am.
“We have exact information that those people who did not leave their homes in Kessab were kidnapped, with 11 people being unaccounted for,” he said.
Mr Mesropyan noted that more than 40 Armenians did not leave Kessab.
The Armenian populated villages of Kessab in Syria were the target of three days of brutal cross-border attacks from Turkey. Some 670 Armenian families, the majority of the population of Kessab, were evacuated by the local Armenian community leadership to safer areas in neighboring Basit and Latakia.

Source: Panorama.am

[Yervant1]

11:29 29/03/2014 » SOCIETY

Petition initiated by Canadian MP Jim Karygiannis in support of Syrian Armenian community of Kessab

Canadian MP Jim Karygiannis has issued a letter to Canadian Prime Minister about the persecution of Christian Armenians and Alawites in the Syrian region of Kessab, Horizon Weekly reports. Below is the text of the letter.
Dear Prime Minister,
I am writing to ask for your immediate action in regards to the urgent consequences concerning the Syrian Armenian community of Kessab. The Armenian-populated region of Kessab has been the location of a recent attack in Syrian territory from Turkey by Al Qaeda linked fighters.
The region of Kessab is an ancient Armenian area of Cilicia. The area has been populated by Armenian population for over one thousand years. Although the region has been under disputes by various countries, the inhabitants have been persecuted through different regimes. The people of the area have lived there until this week’s evacuation. The Armenian Christian had to completely flee the region.
Al Qaeda has taken control of Kessab and the surrounding Christian and Alawite villages. They are threatening to kill all Christians and Alawites found in those communities.
Canada must take all possible measures in its power and act to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.
Canada must ask all sides to immediately respect the inhabitants of the region and allow them to return to their homes.
There are reports that the perpetrators entered from the Turkish border into the region. Canada should ask Turkey to secure its border and prevent any incursions into the area. Depriving Al Qaeda of its safe havens and removing the element of religious extremism and ethnic hatred from the conflict, this will allow the people of region to choose their destiny without fear that a change in government would lead to genocide of its Christian and Alawite population.
Canada should take a principal stand and assist the evacuated population of Kassab which is now living in difficult circumstances.
Canada must act now to prevent further complications in the region
Yours sincerely,
Regards,
Hon. Jim Karygiannis M.P
Scarborough-Agincourt

Source: Panorama.am

[Yervant1]

CANADA'S NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONDEMNS KESSAB ATTACKS

http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/03/28/canadas-new-democratic-party-condemns-kessab-attacks/
13:52 28.03.2014

Canada, Kessab, Syria

Canada's New Democratic Party (NDP) Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar
(Ottawa Centre) has issued the following statement regarding the
attacks in Kessab:

"New Democrats continue to be shocked by the terrible violence of the
conflict in Syria, which has killed over 120,000 people and displaced
millions of civilians. I am deeply saddened by the recent attacks by
extremist militants on the ancient and culturally significant Armenian
community of Kessab and the forced evacuation of its residents.

"Such attacks on civilians, and the targeting of ethnic or religious
minorities, are unacceptable and must be vigourously condemned by the
international community. The perpetrators should be brought to justice.

"The NDP has written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs to request
that Canada set aside a portion of its humanitarian assistance for
the conflict in Syria to specifically ensure that minority groups,
including ethnic and religious minorities such as Armenian and
Christian populations, receive the help they need. Canada should
show leadership in targeting its assistance to help those most at
risk from the devastating physical, social, and economic impacts of
the Syrian conflict.

"The Government of Canada must also work in concert with its
international partners to maximize civilian protections in Syria
and the surrounding region. Canada should also play a leading role
in pursuing a lasting political solution that includes security,
justice, and peace for all people in Syria."

[Yervant1]

UNION OF ARTSAKH WAR VETERANS CALLS ON ARMENIAN DIASPORA TO START MASS DEMONSTRATIONS TO SUPPORT KESSAB

by Nana Martirosyan

Friday, March 28, 15:27

The Union of Artsakh War Veterans calls on the Armenian Diaspora to
start mass demonstrations to support the Armenians of Kessab. In
particular, the veterans expressed their concern over the Turkish
aggression against Armenians and call on the international community
to condemn the situation in Kessab. "All measures should be taken
to evacuate the citizens and keep their property in Kessab", the
statement says.

The Armenian-populated town of Kessab has been attacked by Turks
since March 21. Nearly 700 Armenian families have been evacuated to
Lattakia. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Armenian political
parties have already made statements drawing the international
community's attention to the actions of Turkey. An Armenian
parliamentary delegation left for Syria and met with Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad.

http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=552F6D80-B674-11E3-873F0EB7C0D21663

[Yervant1]

Not only bizarre, but outright cowardly!

DAVUTOGLU'S CALLING KESSAB ARMENIANS TO TURKEY IS MOCKERY OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY - TURKOLOGIST

March 28, 2014 | 15:34

YEREVAN. - Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoglu's cynical statement is a mockery
of the international community.

Armenian turkologist Andranik Ispiryan stated the aforesaid at a
press conference on Friday.

"Turkey MFA's cynical call of inviting the Kessab Armenians to Turkey
is a mockery of the international community. Thus, Turkey is attempting
to pull the wool over the eyes of the international community.

"But with the video recording which already has appeared on the
Internet, it is proved that the terrorist groups freely entered the
Armenian-populated Kessab from Turkey, and with Turkey's assistance,"
Ispiryan noted.

He also stressed that the Armenian President's statement on what
occurred in Syria's predominantly Armenian-populated town of Kessab
was important, and that the Armenian MPs' visit to Syria was a moral
and a psychological support to the Syrian Armenians.

The turkologist also brought attention to the fact that the Kessab
Armenians, who now have found refuge in Latakia, are in desperate
need of food and clothing.

Andranik Ispiryan added that the West's silence on this matter
is bizarre.

In the early morning on March 21, armed militants from the Jabhat
al-Nusra Islamic terrorist group infiltrated into northern Syria's
Latakia Governorate, which is predominantly inhabited by Armenians
and Alawites, from four directions. Two large groups of terrorists
had launched the attack from Turkey. About 600 Kessab-Armenian
families are currently sheltered in Latakia city. On March 23, Turkish
fighter planes downed a Syrian military aircraft that was conducting a
mission against the Islamic terrorists in Kessab. On Monday, a group
of Armenia parliament members headed to Syria to assess the situation
in the country.

http://news.am/eng/news/201395.html

 

[Yervant1]

AP: SYRIAN-ARMENIAN TOWN'S FATE MURKY AFTER REBEL GRAB

16:00 28.03.2014

When hundreds of residents of the postcard-pretty coastal Syrian
village of Kassab fled this week, it bore historic weight: it was the
third time since 1900 that ethnic Armenians there felt compelled to
run for their lives, the Associated Press writes.

They left once at the hands of vengeful Turkish neighbors, and later
because of Ottoman forces. This time it was Syrian rebels storming
into town. It was a heavy blow for the minority community that sees
the town as key to preserving the Armenians' identity in Syria.

Kassab "is a symbol of Armenian history, language and continuity. It's
very symbolic," said Ohannes Geukjian, a political science professor
who writes on contemporary Armenian history and politics. "And so
the fall of Kassab, I consider it the defeat of Armenian identity in
that area."

Rebels seized control of Kassab on Sunday after launching an attack
two days earlier in the coastal Syrian province of Latakia. The
clashes led most of Kassab's estimated 2,000 residents to flee some
57 kilometers to Latakia city, emptying out a village that boasted
a Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant church.

"We had to flee only with our clothes. We couldn't take anything,
not even the most precious thing -- a handful of soil from Kassab. We
couldn't take our memories," said a woman to Syrian state television.

Kassab residents, speaking to Syrian television, said mortar shells and
gunfire came from the Turkish border toward their village. A Syrian
field commander on a government-organized trip told journalists near
Kassab that gunmen began their attack "with clear support from the
Turks." Turkish officials refuted the claims.

The forced flight from Kassab has deep meaning for many
Armenians, because it is one of the last areas tracing back to the
eleventh-century from the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia, said professor
Geukjian.

Other areas in modern-day Syria once had ancient Armenian villages,
but residents left to join larger communities in cities like Aleppo,
or assimilated into the wider Christian minority, or emigrated,
said Geuikjian. Only Kassab "kept its identity and language," he said.

"When you say Kassab, you understand you are referring to the
Armenians," said Arpi Mangassarian of Badguer, a Beirut-based Armenian
cultural organization. "It symbolizes Armenian culture."

"We are afraid, if you want the truth. Of what is happening now,
the future. The future is not clear," Geukjian said.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/03/28/ap-syrian-armenian-towns-fate-murky-after-rebel-grab/

[Yervant1]

ARFD: ARMENIA CANNOT WATCH KESAB EVENTS FROM SIDELINES

Friday,March 28

In accordance with all international norms, Armenia has the right to
make the necessary efforts to defend the rights of Syrian Armenians,
Armenian parliamentary deputy, member of ARF-Dashnaktsutyun faction
Armen Rustamian told Aysor.am when speaking about the events in
Armenian-populated town of Kesab in Syria.

'We should take important steps in two directions: first, to start
joint actions with the Syrian authorities to strengthen the security
of Armenians in Syria, and secondly, to take measures on raising the
level of self-defense, especially in places densely populated by
Armenians," he said.

In his words, Armenia cannot watch from the sidelines, but it should
launch active diplomatic actions so that the protection of the Syrian
Armenians' rights will be on the international agenda.

http://www.aysor.am/en/news/2014/03/28/armen-rustamyan/

[Yervant1]

GROUP OF ARMENIA CITIZENS READY TO DEFEND SYRIA'S ARMENIAN-POPULATED AREAS (PHOTOS)

March 26, 2014 | 15:13

YEREVAN. - There are volunteers in Armenia who have expressed a wish
to set up a volunteer detachment and head to Syria to protect the
Armenian-populated areas (PHOTOS).

Several dozens of Armenian citizens, who on Wednesday staged
a demonstration in front of the UN Office in Armenia, told the
aforementioned to reporters.

"We want to form a 20-30 member detachment. We will inform the
[Armenian] government about this idea.

"[but] for the most part, this detachment can help the Syrian Armenians
emotionally, so they sense that their compatriots stand with them,
and they will be with them at the moment of need," initiative member
Arman Mkhitaryan told Armenian-NEWS.am.

In his words, however, the UN's silence on this matter is strange.

"We want to remind this organization the objectives it is called
to serve. We condemn the UN's silence; this is a crime, a silent
acquiescence to Turkey's actions," Mkhitaryan added.

Subsequently, the protestors handed a respective letter to the UN
Office in Armenia.

In the early morning on March 21, armed militants from the Jabhat
al-Nusra Islamic terrorist group infiltrated into northern Syria's
Latakia Governorate, which is predominantly inhabited by Armenians
and Alawites, from four directions. Two large groups of terrorists had
launched the attack fromTurkey. About 600 Kessab-Armenian families are
currently sheltered in Latakia city. On March 23, Turkish fighter
planes downed a Syrian military aircraft that was conducting a
mission against the Islamic terrorists in Kessab. On Monday, a group
of Armenian parliament members headed to Latakia.

Armenia citizens demand corresponding response from UN on Kessab
events http://news.am/eng/photos/

http://news.am/eng/news/200954.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7N276DO0to

[Yervant1]

"Deeply troubled"? I'm deeply ashamed of US policy, when will they react and do something to protect the innocent? When the last surviving Armenian dies!!!!!

STATE DEPT. 'DEEPLY TROUBLED' ABOUT THREATS TO KESSAB ARMENIANS

http://asbarez.com/121306/state-dept-%E2%80%98deeply-troubled%E2%80%99-about-threats-to-kessab-armenians/
Friday, March 28th, 2014

The U.S. Department of State building in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON--The US State Department on Friday said it was "deeply
troubled" by the violence in Syria that is endangering the Armenian
community in Syria.

"We are deeply troubled by recent fighting and violence that is
endangering the Armenian community in Kessab, Syria, and has forced
many to flee," said State Department spokesperson Marie Harf during
a press briefing on Friday.

The press conference came one day after a meeting between a delegation
of Armenian community representatives led by the Armenian National
Committee of America and Department of State officials, during which
the State Department was urged to act immediately to end the vicious
onslaught on the historically Armenian town of Kessab by al-Qaeda
affiliated extremists and to confront Turkey about its complicity in
aiding the extremists' attack on Kessab. Among the participants at
the meeting were Dr. Viken Hovsepian and Western Prelate Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian.

"The United States will continue its steadfast support to those
affected by violence in Syria and throughout the region, including
Syrian Armenians," Harf said in her press briefing. "We have long
had concerns about the threat posed by violent extremists and this
latest threat to the Armenian community in Syria only underscores
this further."

Harf acknowledged the role of the ISL, al Nusra, and other al-Qaeda
linked terrorist groups in the attacks and that they have targeted
Armenians and other minority groups, saying, "we're particularly
concerned about these minority communities and want to make sure that
their rights are protected."

Harf made no mention, however, of the State Department's stance on
Turkey's involvement in the attack on Kessab or their support of the
belligerent extremists.

Asked about the recent leaked phone conversations between Turkish
leaders, in which high level Turkish officials - including Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu - are heard planning military intervention
in Syria via a false flag, Harf said, "I don't have anything for you
on alleged calls or conversations that are out there among Turkish
officials."

Moreover, Harf echoed statements made by Syrian rebels that they will
respect minorities.

"We have seen some statements by groups fighting in Kasab [sic.]
saying they will not target civilians and will respect minorities
and holy places. We expect those commitments to be upheld," Harf said.

 

[Yervant1]

SYRIA IN LAST 24 HOURS: ARMY KILLS 500 MILITANTS NEAR TURKISH BORDER

Fars New Agency, Iran
March 27 2014

TEHRAN (FNA)- The Syrian army killed hundreds of foreign-backed
militants in the Northern parts of the war-hit country.

The army units killed 500 terrorists who were trying to enter Syria
from neighboring Turkey.

Also in the past 24 hours, the Syrian army killed a senior militant
commander in the Damascus countryside.

The army units killed head of the Opposition Military Council in
Al-Qalamoun region in Damascus countryside on Thursday.

Also, the Syrian army killed a notorious terrorist ringleader in
Felita region.

The army killed Ahmad Navaf, commander of Seif Al-Haq battalions,
in heavy clashes in Felita region.

Meantime, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned of the dangers
of terrorism and extremism backed by the West and some countries in
the region.

President al-Assad cautioned, during a meeting Thursday with an
Armenian parliamentary delegation, that this extremist ideology
poses a threat of fragmenting the region that has been historically
characterized by cultural and social diversity, Syrian Arab News
Agency reported.

Elsewhere, Turkey's main opposition party criticized Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his policy on neighboring Syria.

"The world's most immoral man is currently occupying the Turkish prime
minister's seat. He wants to drag Turkey into a war against Syria,"
said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the Republican People's Party
(CHP), in an interview with al-Monitor on Thursday.

Kilicdaroglu also noted that Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development
Party (AKP) is playing good-cop, bad-cop with the foreign-backed
militants fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad.

The opposition leader went on to say that the current conflict in
Syria is not a threat to Turkey.

Elsewhere, a car bomb blast rocked al-Arman neighborhood in the city
of Homs, claiming the life of a civilian and injuring 11 others.

A source in Homs province said that the Thursday bombing took place
in the main street in the neighborhood where militants had earlier
parked the car.

The source said most of the injured are women and children, adding
that the terrorist attack also caused great material damage to a
number of houses, cars and shops.

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13930108000225

[Yervant1]

http://www.armradio.am/en/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/logo_up_en.png

Australian politician speaks in support of Kessab Armenians

18:25 28.03.2014

 

http://www.armradio.am/en/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Jonathan-Odea-1-620x300.jpg

Australian politican Jonathan O’Dea , a member of the New South Wales (NSW) Legislative Assembly representing Davidson has raised the plight of Syrian-Armenians in the Kessab region in the NSW Parliament, the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) reports.

On the floor of the Parliament, O’Dea stated: “I recognise the substantial number of Armenians in the Davidson electorate who contribute positively and constructively to our society. Some of my constituents have recently raised concerns about reported various ongoing attacks by Al-Qaeda affiliated foreign fighters targeting the civilian population in the predominantly Armenian region of Kessab in Syria. Churches, homes and livelihoods have reportedly been destroyed and people have been taken hostage, forcing the population to flee to neighbouring towns. Common among the innocent civilians targeted are the descendants of Armenians who settled in the local towns after escaping from the Ottoman Turkish authorities between 1915 and 1923. I recognise and endorse the view of people in my electorate that the international community should assist to cease any human rights violations in Syria.”

ANC Australia Executive Director, Vache Kahramanian, remarked: “On behalf of the Armenian-Australian I thank the Mr. O’Dea for his firm stance on the Kessab issue.”

“The international community has a moral obligation to condemn Turkey for its aggression against the Armenian community of Kessab, who are direct survivors of the Armenian genocide of 1915,” Kahramanian added.

ANC Australia has pressed the Australian Foreign Minister to condemn Turkey’s attack on Kessab and is still waiting for a formal response.

[MosJan]

03-28-2014

 

LA

[MosJan]

LA

[MosJan]