The truth about Syria

[Yervant1]

Erdogan waves finger at Obama during heated White House talk

Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
Pulitzer-prize winning American journalist Seymour Hersh, in a sensational article “The Red Line and the Rat Line,” published in the London Review of Books, discloses that the Turkish government had secretly orchestrated the August 21, 2013 sarin gas attack in Syria, killing hundreds of civilians. Prime Minister Recep Erdogan had hoped that the Syrian regime would be blamed for that chemical attack, leading to a retaliatory US strike on Syria, since Pres. Obama had warned Syrian leaders that using chemical weapons against rebel fighters would cross a ‘red line.’
Erdogan’s plot almost worked! In the aftermath of the sarin attack, Pres. Obama began planning a massive US strike on dozens of Syrian targets, even though British intelligence had informed the US joint chiefs of staff that samples of the sarin gas obtained from the site of the attack did not match the chemical weapons in Syria’s possession. A former US intelligence official told Hersh that “Erdogan was known to be supporting the al-Nusra Front, a jihadist faction among the rebel opposition, as well as other Islamist rebel groups.” Hirsh revealed that the US Defense Intelligence Agency had issued “a highly classified” document on June 20, 2013, confirming that “Turkey and Saudi-based chemical facilitators were attempting to obtain sarin precursors in bulk, tens of kilograms, likely for the anticipated large scale production effort in Syria.”
Last May, several members of the al-Nusra Front were arrested in Turkey with two kilograms of sarin. A Turkish court accused the group of planning to acquire other related materials to launch a chemical attack in Syria. Five of the arrestees were freed shortly, while the rest were released pending trial. They were not seen again!
After a special UN mission went to Syria to investigate two earlier chemical attacks in Spring 2013, a person with close knowledge of UN’s activity told Hersh that “there was evidence linking the Syrian opposition to the first gas attack, on March 19 in Khan al-Assal, a village near Aleppo…. It was clear that the rebels used the gas.”
Just before launching the joint US, British, and French attack on Syria in September 2013, Pres. Obama suddenly decided to postpone the strike, using the excuse that he needed congressional approval. The real reason for the delay was the President’s discovery that he was being set up by Turkey for an ‘unjustified’ attack on Syria, but did not want to publicly acknowledge his near blunder with potentially catastrophic consequences for the entire Middle East. Ironically, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was the one who rescued Pres. Obama from embarrassment by securing Syria’s agreement to hand over its chemical stockpile, thus providing the President a cover for canceling his threatened attack.
Investigative journalist Hersh further revealed that the chemical weapons had reached the Syrian rebels through a CIA operation code named ‘rat line’ — a secret Turkish-US agreement in 2012 to funnel weapons and ammunition from Libya to Syria through Turkey. After the terrorist attack on its consulate in Benghazi, Libya, the hub of this clandestine activity, the US pulled out of this covert arrangement, yet Turkey continued to supply Libyan weapons to the Syrian rebels.
By the end of 2012, as the rebels were losing the battle against the Assad regime, a former US intelligence official told Hersh that “Erdogan was pissed,” leading him to concoct a scheme to have the rebels use sarin gas and falsely blame the Syrian government, thus instigating an attack by the United States on Syria.
To personally plead his case for a US attack on Syria to save the rebels from defeat, Turkey’s Prime Minister flew to Washington. On May 16, 2013, Erdogan, along with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and head of intelligence Hakan Fidan, had a working dinner at the White House, with Pres. Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, and National Security Advisor Tom Donilon. Infuriated by Obama’s unwillingness to take military action against Syria, Erdogan “***ing waved his finger at the president inside the White House,” Donilon recounted the shocking episode to a foreign policy expert who reported it to Hersh. “The American decision to end CIA support of the weapons shipments into Syria left Erdogan exposed politically and militarily,” Hersh explained. “Without US military support for the rebels, the former intelligence official said, ‘Erdogan’s dream of having a client state in Syria is evaporating and he thinks we’re the reason why. When Syria wins the war, he knows the rebels are just as likely to turn on him — where else can they go? So now he will have thousands of radicals in his backyard.’”
After the August 2013 sarin attack near Damascus, a former intelligence official told Hersh: “We now know it was a covert action planned by Erdogan’s people to push Obama over the red line…. The deal was to do something spectacular…. The sarin was supplied through Turkey.” Another indication of Turkish officials’ complicity was Hersh’s report that phone calls intercepted by the US revealed their joy with the success of their orchestrated chemical attack!
Hersh concludes his exposé by relaying a most worrisome observation from a former US intelligence official: “I asked my colleagues if there was any way to stop Erdogan’s continued support for the rebels, especially now that it’s going so wrong, the answer was: ‘We’re screwed.’ We could go public if it was somebody other than Erdogan, but Turkey is a special case. They are a NATO ally. The Turks don’t trust the West. They can’t live with us if we take any active role against Turkish interests. If we went public with what we know about Erdogan’s role with the gas, it’d be disastrous. The Turks would say: ‘We hate you for telling us what we can and can’t do.’”
For almost a century, successive US governments have failed to understand a fundamental geostrategic truth — Turkey needs the US much more than the United States will ever need Turkey. There is indeed something terribly wrong when the tail wags the dog!

[Yervant1]

REPORTS ABOUT KILLING OF YOUNG KESSAB ARMENIAN CONFIRMED

18:32 15/04/2014 Â" SOCIETY

The reports about the killing of 23-year-old Kessab Armenian Kevork
Jourian by rebels have been confirmed.

Deputy chairman of the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party (SDHP) Armenia
office, Syrian Armenian Vazgen Mesropyan told Panorama.am that he
was informed about it by a source in Vakif village of Turkey. Kevork
Jourian's father is in Vakif along with other elderly Armenians from
Kessab, he said.

According to Mesropyan, the rebels took him for a Syrian army soldier
and killed him.

19 Kessab Armenians and 2 Aleppo Armenians are being held in the
Armenian church of Vakif. Negotiations are underway to take them out
of Turkey's territory, he said.

"The Turkish government said that they will not allow to take them
out until after April 24. Their goal is to show the world that they
assist Armenians," Mesropyan said.

He also said that of 7 missing Armenians of Kessab, 3 have been found.

Their names are Tsovig Manjigian, Sam Poladian and Luder Trtrian.

These elderly people did not want to leave their homes.

Source: Panorama.am

[Yervant1]

CYPRUS HOUSE SPEAKER ADDRESSES INT'L COMMUNITY OVER KESSAB

April 16, 2014 - 14:36 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The President of the House of Representatives of
Cyprus, Yiannakis Omirou sent a message to the Presidents of European
Parliament, Inter-Parliamentary Union, Parliamentary Assembly of the
Mediterranean, Euro - Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly and to the
President and Secretary General of the Interparliamentary Assembly on
Orthodoxy regarding recent events in Kessab region on the northwestern
borderline of Syria with Turkey.

According to an official press release the message was sent following
relevant consultation with the Parliamentary Representative of the
Armenian community in Cyprus, Vartkes Mahdessian, Famagusta Gazette
reports.

In his message, Omitou refers to the attacks against civilians of
Armenian origin in Kessab and destruction of religious sites and
monuments, as well as property looting by extremist groups based
in Turkey.

Omirou underlines that such attacks against civilians and ethnic
and religious groups undermine international efforts to end ongoing
violence and achieve a peaceful settlement in Syria and calls on the
recipients of his message to exercise their influence on Turkey in
order to put an end to such kind of attacks from its territory.

He also underlines that all sides should make every effort so that
the Armenians of Kessab return as soon as possible to their homes in
conditions of stability and security, according to the report.

[Yervant1]

SUFFERING BRUTAL CAMPAIGN BUT HISTORY OFFERS GLIMMER OF HOPE

The Western Mail, Wales, UK
April 15, 2014 Tuesday

by David.Williamson

EASTER celebrations focus on matters of life and death.

For 20 centuries people have paused during this festival to meditate
on both the suffering of the innocent and the hope of new life,
resurrection and the victory over forces of darkness.

For the Armenian community from the Syrian town of Kesab, Easter will
have a special poignancy this year.

Located on the Turkish border, this town and nearby villages is home
to spectacular churches of different denominations and, until recently,
2,500 Armenians and Arab Alawites.

At the end of March rebel fighters stormed into the area as part of a
campaign to gain access to the sea. For many of the local population,
this was the moment to flee.

One refugee who made it to Lebanon told the Los Angeles Times:
"We knew we would be butchered if we stayed."

Around the world, Easter icons depict a violent death as an innocent
man is killed by state forces. The people of Syria know exactly what
this looks like in the present day as a result of the brutal campaign
by Bashar al-Assad's regime.

For the people of Kesab, there is also the fear of rebel forces linked
to groups such as Al-Qaeda. A community that had dwelled in this corner
of Syria since Ottoman times is now in its own Good Friday moment,
when causes for hope seem to have vanished and signs of carnage and
uncertainty are found throughout the country.

Western Easter celebrations are often focused on the joys of life,
as symbolised by giant rabbits and colourful eggs. But the Armenians
have confronted the realities of suffering, loss and dislocation
for decades.

On April 24, the global Armenian community will mark the 99th
anniversary of a cataclysmic chapter in their story.

Writing in the New York Times, John Kifner described a devastating
period in the life of an ancient people: "On the eve of World War I,
there were two million Armenians in the declining Ottoman Empire. By
1922, there were fewer than 400,000. The others - some 1.5 million -
were killed in what historians consider a genocide."

The use of the term "genocide" to describe the massacres and
starvation is fiercely disputed by Turkish nationalists. In 2007,
when a memorial was unveiled in the grounds of the Temple of Peace
in the Welsh capital, about 150 angry protesters attempted to drown
out the ceremony, denouncing those involved as "liars".

Events in Kesab are now the focus of a propaganda war and political
controversy. The Armenian National Committee of America has lobbied
Congress to investigate whether Turkey played a role in facilitating
the rebel advance.

Last month the Turkish military shot down a Syrian jet, claiming it
had violated its airspace; Turkey has denied allowing Syrian opposition
forces to use its territory and insists its doors are open to refugees.

If the Armenian population vanishes from Syria the country will be
culturally impoverished and a link with a rich tradition stretching
back millennia will be severed.

Armenians adopted Christianity as their national religion in 301AD,
and this strand of the faith, Oriental Orthodoxy, clings on in Egypt
and regions of East Africa and the Middle East.

The people of Kesab will hope and pray that neither it nor the other
branches of their faith will be extinguished in their tiny corner
of Syria. The West has spectacularly failed to end this horrific
conflict and while we cannot promise to resurrect their community, when
politicians return from the Easter recess they could pledge to work
to give all the people of Syria a reason to keep embers of hope alive.

Rwanda has just marked the 20th anniversary of its genocide. Despite
concerns about alleged authoritarian leanings of the Government and the
silencing of opposition voices, the country's economic transformation
is extraordinary and improvements in education and communications
have won it a reputation as a trailblazer in development.

This transformation demonstrates that a society that has endured
brutal conflict is not destined to be locked into cycles of violence.

In two decades' time, is it possible that Syria will be renowned for
reconciliation, reconstruction, and economic and social renewal?

History supplies horror stories but there are also amazing tales that
should inspire hope.

In 1987, Northern Ireland was a battlefield between competing
terrorist groups but in 2007 former IRA leader Martin McGuinness
went into Government with the DUP's Ian Paisley. The peace which now
exists may be ethically imperfect but the end of the conflict remains
a wonder that once seemed an impossibility.

The hope of forgiveness and a new world that is celebrated each
Easter is not a denial of the injustice and suffering in our midst
but an acknowledgement that the bewildering forces of cruelty and
destruction that have scarred humanity's history are not stronger
than love, courage and mercy.

Armenians in different nations have survived the rule of empires and
the oppression of Stalin and other dictators. For those in Syria,
once again their world swirls with fear.

Their plight should not be forgotten, and Britain should grasp every
opportunity to bring comfort, security and justice; we have the chance
to be a force for good.

[Yervant1]

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CONDEMNS ATTACK ON KESSAB AND OTHER VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES

21:15 17.04.2014

European Parliament, Kessab, Syria

Today, the European Parliament in its last plenary session before
the May 2014 elections, adopted a resolution on Syria, expressing
its concern on the latest developments in the country, especially
with the situation in Kessab, and vulnerable communities who find
themselves in the middle of the war.

The resolution specifically condemns the attack against the Armenian
town of Kessab, and takes note that "the fights between regime forces
and rebel fighters, including elements linked to Al-Qaeda, at the
end of March 2014 led to the evacuation of the vast majority of the
population of Kassab, an Armenian town on the Syrian-Turkish border".

The resolution also takes note of the rich diversity of ethnic and
religious communities, stressing that these communities have always
been part of Syrian society, and have an important role to play in the
democratization of Syria and need to be represented in any consultation
on the country's future and in any reconciliation process; and that
these communities had tried to avoid taking sides in the conflict,
and as many may recognize the need for a change of regime in Syria,
but also fear that, if the government is overthrown, they will be
targeted by Sunni jihadist rebels calling for the establishment of
an Islamic state. The European Parliament is also worried with the
Al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front capturing a number of Christian and
Kurdish villages on the Turkish border.

Bastiaan Belder (Europe of Freedom and Democracy, the Netherlands)
stressed that the resolution will not be full, unless it mentions the
whole truth about Kessab, about Turkish involvement once again, after
the Armenian Genocide, in depopulating the Armenians of the region;
MEP Belder also noted, that there must be an investigation on Turkey's
role in the attack against Kessab, which is a continuation of Ankara's
disastrous Middle East policy. Veronique De Keyser (Progressive
Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, vice-chair, Belgium) condemned
the depopulation of Armenians from Kessab by terrorist groups.

Joaquin Almunia, Vice-president of the EU Commission, is troubled
with the jihadist attack on Kessab and the extremely violent civil
war in Syria, stressing that the EU will be helping the vulnerable
groups and those displaced in the three years of the Syrian conflict.

Kaspar Karampetian, President of the European Armenian Federation
for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) stressed that the resolution has
been soft on Turkey, which opened its borders with Kessab assisting
the jihadists to attack the region, but nevertheless, puts the blame
on Turkey for the border attacks on Christian and Kurdish cities
and hindering humanitarian aid. "Turkey is guilty of assisting the
extremists in driving out the peaceful population at the border with
Syria", said Kaspar Karampetian.

"Armenians are thankful to the Syrian people for sheltering us after
the Genocide committed by Turkey 99 years ago, and we sympathize
them for the terrible violence in the country these days. We hope for
an end soon, and that all communities are part of Syria and must be
included in re-building the country with no outside interference", said
Karampetian, and concluded that the EAFJD is committed in assisting
the Armenian community of Syria with humanitarian aid from Europe.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/04/17/european-parliament-condemns-attack-on-kessab-and-other-vulnerable-communities/

[MosJan]

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CONDEMNS ATTACK ON KESSAB AND OTHER VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES

 

 

isk sa inch e poxelu ?? inch ogut ??? yerku tari e arden irents SHAN@ ter chen kangnum .. tqats !!!

[Yervant1]

It's called political hypocrisy, just like the priest would say do as I say not as I do, shame on all of them.

[Yervant1]

THE BELEAGUERED ARMENIANS OF KESSAB: ONCE AGAIN, IT'S TURKEY

Al-Akhbar , Lebanon
April 16, 2014 Wednesday

by Paul Gadalla

Rebel fighters from the Ansar al-Sham brigade stand in front of an
Armenian church reportedly in the village of Kasab, in the northwestern
Syrian province of Latakia, on April 4, 2014. Rebels launched a
major offensive two weeks ago against several strategic positions
in the heartland of President Bashar al-Assad's clan and his Alawite
sect. (Photo: AFP-Hass News/Ali Nasser) Rebel fighters from the Ansar
al-Sham brigade stand in front of an Armenian church reportedly in the
village of Kasab, in the northwestern Syrian province of Latakia, on
April 4, 2014. Rebels launched a major offensive two weeks ago against
several strategic positions in the heartland of President Bashar
al-Assad's clan and his Alawite sect. (Photo: AFP-Hass News/Ali Nasser)

Latakia - "I did not fail my duty to protect Kessab. My conscience is
clear. Many others failed and were even perhaps complacent, because
they did not expect all this violence," says Johnny, an Armenian
fighter active with the militias assisting the Syrian army. "We
defended ourselves, each defending his home and his land," he adds.

Everyone here fears that Kessab may have been lost for good, like many
Armenian areas occupied by Turkey following the Ottoman-orchestrated
genocide of their Armenian forefathers in 1915. The road to the
old Armenian Church in Latakia passes through the historical city
center and its neighborhoods. Rita, an Armenian nurse sat on a church
pew explaining some of the events seen here since the start of the
anti-regime protests in 2011. As she enters the church, the elderly
women inside greet her with joyful smiles.

Everyone here fears that Kessab may have been lost for good, like many
Armenian areas occupied by Turkey following the Ottoman-orchestrated
genocide of their Armenian forefathers in 1915.

A number of automatic washing machines can be heard operating in
unison in the church's courtyard, not far from clothe lines holding
clothes belonging to children and the elderly. Life is difficult for
Marianna, one such elderly woman, and her neighbors, who left their
hometown with only the clothes on their backs.

Vartan, another pensioner, does not know for sure what happened to
the apple orchard he had planted with his own hands. He is nostalgic
for his orchard and his spacious hometown.

The church is clearly well looked after. The refugees are satisfied
with the kind of care they have received from charities, the church,
and the Red Crescent, as well as the Syrian government, though the
latter has been reproached for failing to properly care for other
non-Armenian refugees.

The enemy is beyond the border

Marianna recalls how she fled Kessab with her husband and son after
they heard intense gunfire. The shells that started falling down
on the town prompted the locals to run to the streets, where they
encountered a few members of the Popular Committees, who helped them
leave the town in cars that drove off at high speeds. Shortly after,
clashes broke out in Kassab's main square.

Marianna says that the stampede that ensued as people scrambled to
flee "was like judgment day." No more than 30 people stayed behind
in the town, because they were too old to run. Marianna says that
she had later learned that the militants took them to Turkey.

"They are treating them well, we are told," says Marianna. She then
starts crying as she recalls what happened to Kevork Gourian, her
22-year-old neighbor. "No one knows what happened to him. They dragged
him with the elderly because he was supposedly wearing old leather
boots. He was the only young person among them," she adds, in tears.

"Crying won't do any good," the elderly woman tells herself. She says
Kassab was paying the price for its stance, and adds, "We would take
the army into account when making food. In the winter, we would even
share with them our firewood. We would feel our spirits lifted when we
saw them pass, because we knew that the enemy was beyond the border,
and that we had no one else but the army."

In total, 450 families have left Kessab. Some rented apartments in
Latakia, while others went to Beirut, according to Georgette. The
forty-something woman along with her sister, brother, and sister-in-law
rent a home in the Owayneh district of Latakia.

She said, "For the past two years, they would send threats to our
young men. Some of them were our neighbors from nearby villages, who
had been displaced to camps in Turkey. Sometimes, they could call homes
in Kessab and say: We are coming, and we are going to take your home."

Georgette believes that the militants finally carried out their
threat. She bitterly wishes that Turkey would have a taste of the
terrible war that the Syrians are enduring.

Her uncle, who was sitting by her side, followed up by saying that the
Armenians were not happy with the detente in Syrian-Turkish relations
prior to the current conflict. Georgette and her family left Kessab
with a number of civilians in boats that travelled from the beach in
the village of al-Samra to al-Basseet, and from there they travelled
by car to Latakia.

Militants aim to take Armenians hostage

Johnny, the Armenian fighter, has a lot to say. There were reports a
week before the attack about plans for an assault on Kessab, Kherbet
Solas, and the summit of al-Nabi Younis. But similar reports had been
received for over two years.

"People were sick of rumors. Some stopped believing them and taking
precautions," Johnny says. He reports that on the night before the
assault, there was a tip about 13 buses carrying 27 militants each
stationed in the Turkish-controlled village of Shinder nearby. "We
asked for help from the villages of Skouran and Sakhra, and managed
to control two out of the seven fronts they attacked us from," he adds.

Johnny's group consisted of 13 fighters that headed to the police
station on the summit of the mountain nearby. There, they were
caught off guard by 120 masked militants concentrated in an area
of no more than one kilometer, before the summit station. Johnny,
after describing the backpacks they were carrying, concludes that
they must have been Turkish special forces.

The driver and two people with him reversed and fled, as they saw
the impossible situation they were in. Ten fighters stayed behind,
facing certain death.

The fighters descended into a valley that was hard to move in. Johnny
and his comrades say they spent 7 hours there under siege, without
any reinforcements, but he says that their presence there delayed
Kessab's fall.

The plan, according to the Armenian fighter, was to take all the
Armenian population of Kessab hostages, with help from Turkey,
to bargain with the Syrian leadership."They took the hills and
posted an overwhelming number of snipers. Reinforcements from the
National Defense Forces (NDF) arrived hours later, and then further
reinforcements came afterwards," says Maurice, another fighter.

According to Maurice, as the battalion of Nabei al-Murr was routed,
confusion reigned, forcing the army to retreat to the town of Nabein
where a number of Syrian military commanders were trapped.

Firmly, the thirty-something man then says, "Were it not for Turkey,
they would never have been able to enter." Maurice stresses that
the Popular Committees, the NDF, and even the security services did
not have the experience and firepower of the Syrian army, especially
as the assault proceeded on 7 fronts simultaneously, scattering the
defending forces.

The plan, according to the Armenian fighter, was to take all the
Armenian population of Kessab hostages, with help from Turkey, to
bargain with the Syrian leadership. However, he says, the Armenian
fighters were able to foil this plot.

The militants who seized Kessab have plundered its homes and farms,
even taking the tractors. Some radical factions mentioned this openly
in their statements. Others criticized what happened, but most had
no qualms with it as "legitimate" spoils of war.

Maurice blames the looting of Kessab on the leader of an armed
opposition group active in the western countryside of Idlib and
northern countryside of Latakia. Meanwhile, Maurice believes that the
reason for the military setback in Kessab is that the 22-km border
needs more than 2,000 troops to protect it. He cites a previous
attempt by the militants, a year ago, to assault the area through
the village of Sakhra, but Syrian troops back then were still strong
enough to repel it.

The man often goes to the frontline in the hills surrounding Kessab,
he tells Al-Akhbar that the army would not need more than a few hours
to retake control of Mount Chalma. However, he says, retaking Mount
al-Nisr, which overlooks Kessab, would take more time, though not
too much time.

Follow Marah Mashi on Twitter @marah_mashi

This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.

Marah Mashi

[Yervant1]

22 Armenians from Kessab ask to be moved from Turkey

Saturday 19 April 2014 11:07
Photo: REUTERS

Kessab


Yerevan/Mediamax/. 22 elderly Armenians from Kessab who were
transfered in Vakifli village ask to be moved from Turkey to be with
their relatives.

Quoting `reliable information', Acting Minister of Diaspora Hranush
Hakobyan stated it at the meeting with Head of Delegation of the
International Committee of Red Cross in Armenia Sarah Epprecht on
April 18.

According to the news release of the Ministry of Diaspora, Hranush
Hakobyan asked the Head of ICRC Delegation in Armenia to use the ICRC
mandate to take measures for moving the elderly Kessab Armenians from
Vakifli.

Sarah Epprecht expressed willingness to inform her leadership about it.

http://www.mediamax.am/en/news/foreignpolicy/10004/

[Yervant1]

The Macomb Daily
April 18 2014

For April is the month of Genocide


Spring is a time of regeneration. It's an opportunity that nature has
selected to be reborn in all its splendor.

It's also a time to reflect. It gives us all a chance to evaluate the
past and make plans for the future.

At least that's the usual understanding of spring. However, there's
something else about spring and particular in April, that makes one
not only reflect but realize that our world is an entity
incomprehensible.

For April is the month of Genocide. I've noticed that the Armenian
Genocide, which commemorates its 99th anniversary this year, occurred
in April.

Along with the Cambodian Genocide of 1974 and the Rwandan Genocide of
2014, April was the beginning of these shameful episodes of man. It
has become an odd coincidence.

April isn't supposed to be an annual remembrance of collective
genocides. We're supposed to be getting ready for gardening, lawn care
and the usual preparation for the season that we all look forward to.

However, here we are again, remembering the genocides of the past. The
Armenian, Cambodian and Rwandan are man's contribution to remember
spring.

When does it end? When do we learn? Collectively we haven't learned
anything. Indeed genocide is likely again and is happening again this
April.

Kessab, a historic Armenian city in Syria, is now being prepared for a
genocide. Indigeneous for 1,000 years they have been literally chased
out of their homes recently.

Homes, schools, businesses and everything known to the inhabitants of
Kessab have been taken over. Within several days they evacuated this
area which they called home for a millenium.

Reports have come back that the residents of Kessab will call their
home phone numbers and an unfamiliar voice answers. The responder
sarcastically thanks them for the nice house they left, the
refrigerator full of food and the furniture which they now are sitting
on.

Adding insult to injury, they added in the conversation that the
furnishings brought a good price. Besides pillaging the home they sold
the contents.

Yes, it's April. Again the perpetrators of genocide and its
accompanying acts of destruction are active.

April is ideally a time of rebirth. It's to be a time of beginning.

Yet, for Armenians of 99 years ago, Cambodians of 40 years ago and
Rwandans of 20 years ago, April was the end for many.

April today for the Armenians of Kessab is an unknown. It's hoped that
it will result not in an end but in a beginning.

When will we ever learn? When does it end?

To quote a line from a song of long ago, "The Answer My Friend is
Blowing in the Wind". May April no longer be the month of genocide for
humanity can no longer afford it.

Lessons learned? It doesn't seem to be the case.

So while you plan where you'll be planting flowers, what shrubs you'll
be adding and the myriad of other thoughts spring brings, reflect
about Kessab in spring.

They'll not be thinking about gardening or anything remotely close to
that. They're thinking about survival!

We can't wrap our minds about being driven from a home that my
ancestors were in for scores of generations. For us it's beyond
belief.

However, for Armenians and indeed others it's "standard' procedure.
Genocide is part of an accepted "norm" in certain areas of the world.

"What can we do"? you ask. Kessab, Cambodia and Rwanda are so far away?

For now, just reflect and remember. If you want to help, there are
Armenian organizations in the area that can will direct you to proper
aid groups. They can be found on line, in the phone books and general
information outlets like your local libraries.

It would be remiss not to reminded that we're all part of humanity.
Holocaust, genocide and ethnic cleansing all emanate from the same
source.

Man's inhumanity to man is still part of "man's inhumanity to man".
When will it end?

The response isn't "blowing in the wind". It lies within each of us.

What's our collective reply? What's our individual response?

Happy Spring. By the way, remember those in Kessab.

Robert Kachadourian

http://www.macombdaily.com/opinion/20140418/for-april-is-the-month-of-genocide

[MosJan]

The Syria-Problem
Given Azerbaijan’s key role in NATO’s jihadi operations in the region, the increasing number of Azerbaijani terrorists in Syria is hardly surprising. By now, dozens of Azerbaijani fighters have sacrificed their lifes for the efforts of the NATO-GCC-Israel axis to topple the Syrian government and the Aliyev regime is totally fine with his as long as the jihadists do not come up with the idea of “liberating” their home country. One terrorist learned this the hard way when he returned to Baku a few days ago. But even if the jihadi mercenaries do as they are told and continue to fight in Syria, there might be an unpleasant surprise:
Armenia and Azerbaijan Share a Syria-Problem
The Syrian war is giving a headache to both Azerbaijan and Armenia, with jihadists heading into Syria from Azerbaijan and refugees heading out of Syria into Armenia. Most recently, Azerbaijani news outlets have reported that the leader of an Azerbaijani militant group has been captured by the rebel Al-Nusra Front, which recently took control of the ethnic Armenian town of Kessab, and allegedly sentenced to death.
…
It is unclear why the Azerbaijani terrorist leader was sentenced to death but the Al-Nusra Front usually does not need a good reason to kill somebody. Since joining “more moderate” terrorist groups can be dangerous, other Azerbaijani jihadists prefer to fight for one of the local al-Qaeda branches. Every other day media outlets in Azerbaijan report about a new video documenting the activities of Azerbaijanis in Syria. The presence of Central Asian terrorists in the Middle Eastern country was likewise first highlighted by online videos, which caused a great stir in their respective home countries. Although the local authorities have tried to contain terrorist recruitment in the ‘stans, many young men from the region continue to travel to Syria for jihad. Especially Kyrgyzstan struggles with this problem and so the grand mufti of Kyrgyzstan issued a statement this week calling on Kyrgyz youth to refrain from fighting in Syria. Moreover, two imams were removed from their posts and arrested:
Two imams banned from mosque service in Kyrgyzstan

Two members of extremist religious organizations banned in Kyrgyzstan worked as mosque imams in the Jalal-Abad Region in southern Kyrgyzstan.

The Kyrgyz State Committee for National Security confirmed the arrest: “Efforts are under way to check whether an imam from the Bazar-Korgon District and yet another one from the Suzak District in the Jalal-Abad Region have links to extremist religious organizations.”

Over the past few years Kyrgyz police have identified a number of cases where mosque imams were members of banned extremist religious organizations.
…
With members of extremist religious organizations such as Hizb ut-Tahrir working as mosque imams, the influx of Kyrgyz fighters into Syria comes as no real surprise. According to Kyrgyz officials, poor education of imams is one of the main reasons for the rise of Islamic extremism in the country. This has raised some concerns in neighboring Xinjiang, where the local authorities are facing a similar problem:
Xinjiang chairman vows to stop religious extremism

Nur Bekri, chairman of the government of west China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has vowed to stop religious extremism from spreading in the ethnic region.

In an article in Monday’s edition of the Xinjiang Daily newspaper, he said recent years have seen separatists, terrorists and religious extremists renew their efforts to sabotage Xinjiang’s prosperity and stability by perpetrating a slew of terrorist incidents.

He went on to say that religious extremism had misled people, particularly the youth, into terrorist activities, and that those deceived became chess pieces in a politically motivated plot.
- See more at: http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2014/04/20/the-new-great-game-round-up-april-20-2014/#sthash.ZZOFQa1k.dpuf

[MosJan]

Johanes jan shutvanist ban ches grum.. husov lav es

[Yervant1]

Armenians of Kessab have decided to return to Kessab

29/04/2014


We're not expecting miracles to happen and see the liberation of our
hometown of Kessab overnight, but after receiving the news, the people
are in a good mood and are waiting for more news. However, we have to
do everything possible to prevent the fourth deportation of the
Armenians of Kessab. Being optimistic is a good thing, but being
realistic is more correct.

This is what member of the Kessab executive body Garo Manjigian said
in an interview with GALA as he addressed the news according to which
Kessab has been liberated.

`We were told that the Syrian army has liberated the police
headquarters in Kessab and that the army is bombing and wiping the
city, but it's too early to speak about the liberation. It would be a
miracle, but in any case, we're waiting with hope.'

Manjigian also underlined the fact that they have news from the army
that Kessab will be liberated soon.

`The army is struggling, and it's too early to talk about liberation.
We can't expect it to happen overnight.'

GALA also asked about the Armenians taking shelter in Latakia and the
current situation. `The Armenians of Kessab in Latakia, regardless of
political affiliation and different views, are convinced that the best
decision is to return to Kessab, irrespective of everything. We have
hope and are reinforced, without any exaggeration and with logic. The
best policy is to have the people return to their residences.'

Zara Ghazaryan
GALA

http://hayernaysor.am/en/%D6%84%D5%A5%D5%BD%D5%A1%D5%BA%D5%A1%D5%B0%D5%A1%D5%B5%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%A8-%D5%A1%D5%BC%D5%A1%D5%B6%D6%81-%D5%AD%D5%BF%D6%80%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%A9%D5%B5%D5%A1%D5%B6-%D5%B4%D5%A5-2/

[Yervant1]

BATTLES IN SYRIA'S KESSAB CONTINUE

13:08 â~@¢ 29.04.14

The heated battles continue in Syria's Armenian populated town of
Kessab and its neighboring regions.

Tert.am's sources report that the government forces have managed to
liberate several key coastal districts though it is still early to
speak about retaking the entire city and ensure the local Armenians'
return.

Aleppo, Syria's former economic capital which has a big Armenian
community, has now resumed the electricity supply after a 12-day
outage.

Tert.am's sources in Aleppo say that the situation was relatively
calm on Monday.

The problem of the food shortage, which caused a major panic
especially in the Easter period, has also been resolved. The city
now has fuel supply, but cars still reportedly line up near gas
filling stations. The city is said to be facing a shortage of liquid
gas balloons.

Armenian News - Tert.am

[Yervant1]

HEAD OF THE ARMENIAN EVANGELIC COMMUNITY OF ALEPPO CONFIDENT THE SYRIAN ARMY WILL REGAIN CONTROL OF KESSAB

18:18 05.05.2014

Anna Nazaryan
Public Radio of Armenia

The developments in Ukraine seem to have overshadowed the events in
Syria. The attention of the international community is focused on
the developments in Slavyansk, Odessa and other cities of Ukraine.

Ukraine is going to hold presidential elections on May 25, which
means it will be relatively calm in Syria.

Head of the Armenian Evangelic Community of Aleppo Harutyun Selimyan
views the events in Ukraine and Syria as a whole and says that what's
happening is a third world war.

Speaking about the socio-economic conditions of Syrian Armenians, he
said there are only 20 thousand Armenians left in the country. They
are in a hard condition because of the lack of jobs.

More than 1,000 have moved to Armenia, many have settled in Lebanon,
he added.

Head of the Armenian Evangelic Community of Aleppo said some Syrian
Armenians have savings, therefore they feel well in the Motherland.

Others have reached Armenia empty-handed and need job.

Harutyun Selimyan is confident that the Syrian national army will
regain control of Kessab, but it's unclear in what condition the city
will be returned. He fears Armenians will refuse to return to Kessab
if it is destroyed.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/05/05/head-of-the-armenian-evangelic-community-of-aleppo-confident-the-syrian-army-will-regain-control-of-kessab/

[Yervant1]

ARMENIAN DIES IN ALEPPO

18:59, 26 May, 2014

YEREVAN, MAY 26, ARMENPRESS. An Armenian died in Hamidie neighborhood
in Aleppo on May 26 as a result of the falling bomb.

The died person is Avetis Kebabjian born in 1928. The Information
office of Aleppo informed Armenpress about it. The funeral of Avetis
Kebabjian will be held in St. Astvatsatsin Church on May 27 morning
at 11:00.

Earlier, on May 24 two rockets made of gas barrels fell in New Village
Armenian neighborhood of Aleppo. As a result, Karapet Piloyan received
injury. He moved into a hospital and now is under the control of
the doctors.

>From early May to now about three dozen Armenians received injury
in Aleppo

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/763328/armenian-dies-in-aleppo.html

[Yervant1]

ARMENIAN CHURCHES, SCHOOLS HIT IN ALEPPO BOMBINGS (PHOTOS)

15:36 * 02.06.14

Armenian churches, schools, residential houses and stores have come
under bomb attacks in Aleppo, Syria amid the growing violence and
tension in the city.

The Armenian-populated district of Nor-Kyugh has suffered the heaviest
damages, the local weeklyGandzasar says in a Facebook post.

Two ethnic Armenians, Stepan Arushyan and Zareh Ghazaryan, have
been wounded in the attacks, but their condition is reported to be
satisfactory after medical assistance.

Aleppo-Armenian sources had earlier told Tert.am that most of the
Armenians had found shelter in their buildings' cellars to avoid the
continuing attacks of makeshift missiles against the district.

Photos by Maria Gabrielyan

http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/06/02/aleppo-armenians-new/

[Arpa]

Resumption and the continuation of the unfinished BIG G

One of many such stories.

At the threshold of the Centennial of the Big G, mehmet-oghlu is in an overdrive mode to resume the cleansing and elimination all vestiges and traces of Armenians in the surrounding neighborhoods. Specifically their dogs targeting Armenian enclaves. They dare not mess around with the hard spots like the RA, hardened with the Armeno-Russian military defense alliance, so they attack such softened spots, Armenian enclaves of Syria-Aleppo-Kessab.**

**Also see how furkey has shut off the Euphrates water to Aleppo. A cause for an all out war?

See the rest here;

http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/TPV3/Voices.php/2014/06/02/turkey-cuts-water-supply-to-syria-euphra

http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/19970

 

Western hostilities toward Syria are reaching a new level of viciousness. Al-Akahbar English reports: "The Turkish government recently cut off the flow of the Euphrates River, threatening primarily Syria but also Iraq with a major water crisis. Al-Akahbar found out that the water level in Lake Assad has dropped by about six meters, leaving millions of Syrians without drinking water."

http://asbarez.com/123777/arf-bureau-condemns-attacks-on-aleppo/

===

ARF Bureau Condemns Attacks on Aleppo

YEREVANThe Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau issued an announcement Wednesday condemning the ongoing rocket attacks on the Syrian city of Aleppo and urging international action to end the attacks on the civilian population and the Armenian community in specific.

Below is the translated text of the announcement.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau condemns the continuing attack on Armenian neighborhoods in Aleppo during the past several days. There is already no doubt that the target of opposition forces to the Syrian regime has become Armenian neighborhoods.

There is evidence that the growing attacks on Armenian neighborhoods are being encouraged, especially by Turkey.

We call on all governments, especially Western nations, who are supporting the opposition forces to immediately use their leverage to halt the attacks on Armenian neighborhoods. Those governments which do not work to end the operations will be considered accomplices in the anti-Armenian attacks and all other crimes.

We call on the Syrian authorities to initiate immediate measures to secure the physical safety of unarmed Christian minorities.

We also call on the entire Armenian nation to, through all available means, support all efforts by Hai-Tahd committees and offices in an effort to end the anti-Armenian activities.

ARF Bureau

June 4, 2014

===

[Yervant1]

THE JIAHDISTS OF ISIL IN RAQQA CONFISCATE THE PROPERTY OF CHRISTIAN ARMENIANS

June 3, 2014
http://www.horizonweekly.ca/news/details/39768

Raqqa (Agenzia Fides) - The militiamen of the Islamic State of
Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a Sunni jiahdist formation acting on the
scenario of the Syrian conflict, confiscated houses and land belonging
to Christian families in the area of Ein al-Issa, the area in the
province of Raqqa inhabited mainly by Armenian Christians on Sunday,
June 1st. According to Kurdish sources consulted by Fides Agency,
the owners of the property confiscated by the Islamists were forced
to leave the area.

The city and the area of Raqqa, in northern Syria, have long been
under the control of the jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq and
the Levant, that have already turned the main Armenian church in the
capital in an office for the management of Islamic Affairs and for
the promotion of the sharia.In the past ISIL also organized symbolic
actions, such as the burning of Bibles and Christian books. The
kidnapping of the Roman Jesuit Paolo Dall'Oglio, who has been missing
in Raqqa since early last August, has been attributed to members of
this faction. At the beginning of 2014 other armed groups clashed
militarily with the militiamen of ISIL, also accused by independent
sources of imposing an oppressive and violent regime to the entire
population of the area.

(Agenzia Fides 02/06/2014)

Agenzia Fides is the news agency of the Vatican
http://www.fides.org/en/news/35823-ASIA_SYRIA_The_jiahdists_of_ISIL_in_Raqqa_confiscate_the_property_of_Christians#.U48KO_ldVqU

[Yervant1]

EAFJD CONDEMNS THE CONTINUED ATTACKS ON ALEPPO

12:35 05.06.2014

The European Armenian for Justice and Democracy has issued a statement
condemning the continuing attacks against the Armenian population in
Syria and urging the European Union to exercise pressure on Turkey
to stop arming the rebel groups. The statement is provided below:

"From the very beginning of the civil war in Syria, the Armenian
Community in Aleppo has suffered, big losses in lives, injuries and
properties, being in the center of the battleground between the Army
and the opposition forces. The situation has been deteriorated the
last period, from the moment that in the area the main forces fighting
against the army, are the Al Qaeda affiliated forces.

There is no doubt that those extremist rebel forces, are armed by
Turkey and entering from there, do not fight against the armed forces,
but basically their attacks are aimed against the population in the
cities and villages. Recently, they attacked the Armenian populated
town of Kessab, entering from Turkey, forcing the entire population
to evacuate the town and find shelter in the city of Latakia. During
the last days those forces entering again from Turkey are attacking
Aleppo, targeting basically the Armenian populated neighborhoods and
especially Nor Kyough.

As reported by news agencies also, incessant rocket fire against
the Nor Kyough neighborhood, from the Al Qaeda affiliated forces,
are endangering the lives of the population and are causing massive
destruction. Armenian churches, schools, institutions, houses and
stores are in complete or partial destruction, making life unbearable
for the citizens of the town, thus causing a new wave of evacuation
towards Latakia, which is already overflowing with Armenian refugees
from the insurgence of the terrorist groups in Kessab early this spring

The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy condemns
these continuing attacks against the Armenian population in Syria.

There is no doubt that those Al Qaeda affiliated forces are considering
now their target the Armenian towns and neighborhoods and there is
evidence that these growing attacks are being encouraged by third
countries and especially Turkey, where those groups are armed and
circulate freely between the borders of Turkey and Syria, besides
all the fake assurances of Turkey for the contrary.

We call on the European Union, that it is time to stop acting as it
does until now and condemn strongly the above attacks and to exercise
pressure on Turkey to stop arming those rebel groups and sending
them to Syria to attack Armenian towns and neighborhoods. We call on
all governments, especially those who are supporting the opposition
forces to immediately use their leverage to halt the attacks on the
Armenian neighborhoods. These governments which do not work to end the
operation will be considered moral accomplices in the anti-Armenian
attacks and all the other crimes perpetrated by those extremist groups.

We call on the Syrian authorities to initiate immediate measures
to secure the physical safety of the unarmed civilians, aspiring to
leave in safety and peace in their towns and neighborhoods.

The Armenian nation who has suffered a genocide perpetrated by Turkey
and other terrible situations, has survived and will not tolerate
any new plans to mass attacks against our compatriots in Syria and
will respond accordingly all over the world to protect them."

http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/06/05/eafjd-condemns-the-continued-attacks-on-aleppo/

[Yervant1]

PETITION URGES AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT TO HELP STOP REBEL-LED BOMBINGS IN ALEPPO

16:11 05.06.2014

Aleppo, Australia

The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) has
called on its community to sign anOnline Petition demanding Australia
helps stop the rebel-led bombings of innocent civilians in the heavily
Armenian-populated Syrian city of Aleppo.

Attacks on the Armenian-populated regions of Aleppo - such as Nor
Kyugh - have escalated in recent days, leading local authorities to
designate the area a 'disaster zone'.

ANC Australia's petition is addressed to Prime Minister of Australia,
Tony Abbott, requesting:

Australia demands an end to Rebel-led bombings of innocent Christians
and all civilians in Aleppo; Australia pressures its allies, including
the United States of America and Turkey, demanding they stop funding
these Rebel forces destroying Christian homes in Syrian regions such
as Aleppo and Kessab; He and his Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop
provide an appropriate response to ANC Australia's last petition
asking Australia to condemn Turkey's role in the forced depopulation
of the historically Armenian populated city of Kessab, Syria.

All signatures will be sent daily to the Prime Minister's office
electronically and by Fax.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/06/05/petition-urges-australian-government-to-help-stop-rebel-led-bombings-in-aleppo/

[Yervant1]

ALEPPO PLIGHT: RECENT ATTACKS ON ARMENIANS IN SYRIAN CITY VIEWED AS CONTINUATION OF GENOCIDE

News | 06.06.14 | 15:10

Hakob Cholakian (left) and Gagik Harutyunyan

By Gohar Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

According to scholars in Yerevan, the recent events in Aleppo are
continuation of the Armenian genocide and the Armenian community in
Aleppo faces extermination.

Images showing vast destruction in Aleppo's Armenian neighborhoods
appeared on the internet in recent days, causing great concern in
Armenia where thousands of Syrian nationals of Armenian origin have
taken refuge since hostilities began in their country in 2011.

On Friday at a meeting with reporters scientist, ethnologist from
Kessab Hakob Cholakian spoke about the situation in Syria saying that
during the three years of war the Armenian community in Aleppo suffered
most, especially in the suburban districts, where wealthy Armenians,
owners of factories lived.

"Nowadays Armenians are concentrated in three districts outside
of which there are no other Armenians because of three years of
migration. During the last few days another such district, Nor Gyugh,
was ruined. The state of Armenians in Aleppo is critical in terms of
both safety and livelihood, and at this most dangerous moment we are
silent, it's time to act," Cholakian said.

Noravank foundation director Gagik Harutyunyan said that in all the
countries where the Arab spring took place Christian sections suffered
particularly much, a cultural genocide took place.

"The Syrian war endangers our national safety because Azerbaijani
mercenaries and Turks are very active on the level of regular army
special services, we must be very careful about them," Harutyunyan
said adding that actions realized in the Middle East and in Syria
particularly are a direct threat to Armenian security.

"Descendants of Armenian genocide survivors live in the Middle East
and they are the bearers of Western Armenian culture and civilization
and in case of dissipation not only the physical safety of Armenians
but their civilization will be endangered."

Armenia has strongly condemned the bombardment of Aleppo and, in
particular, the city's Armenian-populated district of Nor Gyugh over
the past days, which has caused the loss of lives and destruction.

"We are convinced that the main precondition for progress in the
resolution of the Syrian crisis lies in immediate cessation of
violence," Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Tigran Balayan said
on Thursday, according to the Ministry's official website.

Earlier, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun),
a traditional Armenian party operating both in Armenia and its
far-flung Diaspora, also issued a statement condemning the rocket
attacks on the civilian population in the Syrian city that is home
to a sizable Armenian community.

http://armenianow.com/news/55025/armenia_syria_aleppo_armenian_neighborhoods_bombings

[Arpa]

See who Hakob Cholakian is. Among many;

 

http://hyeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=15913

[Yervant1]

AL-Monitor
June 7 2014


Turkey finally designates al-Nusra a terrorist group

Author: Tulin DalogluPosted June 6, 2014

The timing was interesting. Turkey's Council of Ministers decided on
June 3 -- the day war-torn Syria held a dubious election in
regime-controlled areas -- to designate Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda
affiliate fighting the Bashar al-Assad regime, a terrorist
organization.

Since the May 2013 Reyhanli bombing -- the worst terrorist attack in
Turkey, which killed 52 and wounded more than a hundred -- the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) has held the Syrian regime
responsible. Yet, the country's main opposition Republican People's
Party (CHP) has submitted multiple requests to the Turkish parliament
for a thorough investigation into the matter. The CHP has frequently
demanded the formation of a parliamentary investigation commission in
an attempt to come clean on Turkey's alleged support for al-Qaeda's
franchise groups in Syria. Their proposals have not produced any
outcome.

However, in March 2014, Tacan Ildem, Turkey's ambassador to the
Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE), became the first high-level Turkish official to claim
that Reyhanli was actually an al-Qaeda attack. Ildem's statement only
came after Turkey shot down a Syrian fighter jet on March 23, claiming
it violated Turkish airspace. This was just a day before Armenians
marked the anniversary of their fallen ancestors in 1915.

Ildem could have been acting on his own personal initiative to save
Turkey's image from a fierce Armenian attack, which held Turkey
responsible for atrocities committed in Syria at the hands of radical
Islamists. On March 25, the Armenian Bar Association complained to US
President Barack Obama in a letter that Turkey's shooting down of the
Syrian jet only helped the radicals take over the majority Armenian
city of Kassab in Syria, close to the Turkish border. Although Turkey
has been under the spotlight since the early stages of the uprising in
Syria for its alleged support of these radical groups, Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has constantly fired back, questioning
whether those raising such criticisms are vying for the survival of
the Assad regime.

The Council of Ministers stated that its decision to brand Jabhat
al-Nusra a terrorist organization is based on UN decisions. This same
Erdogan government, however, never adopted US or UN decisions
regarding Yasin al-Qadi, the Saudi businessman who was listed in 2001
as a "specially designated global terrorist" for his role as
al-Qaeda's financier. At the time, Erdogan said he knew al-Qadi
personally. He would later repeat this assertion -- that al-Qadi is a
"family friend" -- after the surfacing of several audio recordings in
the December graft probe, which publicized a talk between al-Qadi and
Erdogan's son Bilal.

This is just one example of Turkey not complying with UN decisions,
but since then, Turkey has come under international inquiry for its
support of these radical groups fighting in Syria. "Moreover, Turkey
chose to stay silent about many developments in the Kurdish-held parts
of Syria. The Turkish side perceived the PYD's [Democratic Union
Party] political and military establishment adjacent to its border as
a threat to its domestic security," Yasin Atlioglu of Nigde
University, an expert on Syria, told Al-Monitor. "The armed wing of
the PYD, the YPG's [People's Protection Units] joint declaration with
the Islamic Front -- and therefore al-Nusra -- that they bring their
forces together to fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and
al-Sham, led to serious shifts on the alliances in the field."

Although Turkey does not admit that its Syria policy and its vision of
having zero problems with neighbors failed, there is no end in sight
to the radicalization of the Syrian theater. It's like a free-for-all
jihadist camp.

The shift is clear with regard to the Erdogan government's perception
that it knows the Middle East well. It is not that Assad should stay
or go -- it is a fact of life that Turkey's calculation of Assad's
staying power did not match the reality. Although the United States
and Europe were equally dismal in their strategic and tactical
approach to the Syrian war, Turkey stuck its neck out due to its
geography and Erdogan's public statements that made the toppling of
Assad a state policy.

With the Council of Ministers' recent decision, Turkey could be
signaling a shift in its Syria policy. After all, Ersan Sen, a law
professor in Istanbul, told Al-Monitor that the council does not have
the right to designate a group a terrorist organization. "[O]nly the
court of cassation has the authority to designate a group a terror
organization. Unless the Council of Ministers is applying a specific
international agreement to its decision, this decision is not
binding," he said.

It is not clear how Turkey is going to act upon this decision. "There
are so many Islamic civil movements in Turkey recruiting people for
jihad. If Turkish authorities carry an operation against them, or if
they freeze the assets and bank accounts of those who are affiliated
with al-Nusra in Turkey, carry out arrests and take some serious
measures on border security, then this decision will mean something,"
Atlioglu said. "Without it, it only looks like an effort to better
Turkey's image in the international arena."

http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/06/turkey-al-nusra-terrorist-organization-syria-al-qaeda.html#

[Yervant1]

TURKEY'S STEPS TOWARDS ARMENIANS IN SYRIA IS ASSESSED AS CONTINUATION OF GENOCIDE: KAREKIN II

12:12, 11 June, 2014

YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Apostolic Church supports
all the efforts aimed at the peaceful regulation of conflicts and
condemns each act of violence carried out in the name of God and for
faith. His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos
of All Armenians, stated this at the course of the conference titled
"Crisis in Syria:

Challenges for Faith Communities".

Among other things, His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch
and Catholicos of All Armenians, underscored: "The radical groups
seized Syria's Kessab by the help of Turkey and direct participation
of its army. The peaceful residents of Kessab were exiled.

Currently Turkey keeps supporting the Syrian opposition, which ruins
the Armenian districts of Aleppo and Damascus. Our people rightfully
assesses these steps of Turkey as a continuation of the Genocide
policy."

http://armenpress.am/eng/news/765328/turkeys-steps-towards-armenians-in-syria-is-assessed-as-continuation-of-genocide-karekin-ii.html