Armenians uneasy at proposed Iraq deployment

ISN
4 Oct 04
Critics say that the Armenian government’s decision to send non-combat
personnel to Iraq could turn Iraq’s entire Armenian community into
hostages.

By Liz Fuller for RFE/RL

The Armenian government’s decision to send non-ombat personnel to
serve with the international peacekeeping force in Iraq has met with
resistance from civic groups, opposition parties, one member of the
three-party ruling coalition, and some senior military
officers. Acknowledging that unease, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
told parliament on 22 September that the Armenian contingent, which
numbers some 50-60 medics, US-trained sappers, and drivers, will be
sent to Iraq only after the legislature has approved the planned
deploymentthat he stressed is of a “humanitarian” nature. Deputy
Defense Minister Artur Aghabekian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on 3
September that the Armenian contingent would serve in central-southern
Iraq as part of a Polish-led international peacekeeping force. On 6
September, Armenian President Robert Kocharian and his Polish
counterpart Aleksander Kwasniewski signed a protocol formalizingthe
Armenian commitment. John Evans, the new US ambassador to Yerevan,
hailed Armenia’s announced intention to send noncombat troops to Iraq,
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reported on 16 September. But some senior
military officers were less than enthusiastic. Deputy Defense Minister
Lieutenant General Yuri Khachaturov told journalists on 7 September he
is “not delighted” at the prospect. He expressed concern that the
deployment could create future problems both forthe Armenian community
in Iraq and for Armenians in general.

Fear for Iraq’s Armenian communityArmenians across the political
spectrum appear to share those misgivings. Parliament deputy Grigor
Harutiunian of the opposition Artarutiun faction warned on 14
September of the potential danger to Armenian communities throughout
the Middle East, Noyan Tapan reported. One week later, a second
Artarutiun parliamentarian, Viktor Dallakian, argued that the threat
could extend to Armenia, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reported. He told
parliament that “sending a medical, humanitarian or any other Armenian
contingent to Iraq is dangerous for the security of the Republic of
Armeniaas well as for the Armenian population of Iraq”. That minority
is estimated to number some 20’000 – 25’000 people. Armenian civic
groups issued astatement on 24 September appealing to the Armenian
parliament not to approve the planned deployment. One signatory told
RFE/RL that the deployment risks turning theentire Armenian minority
in Iraq into hostages; a second argued that “60 people cannot cause a
breakthrough in the Iraq war.” In a 25 September press release, the
extraparliamentary Hayrenik front argued that the dispatch of an
Armenian contingent to Iraq “will destroy the mutual trust and
friendship between the Armenian and Arab peoples”, Noyan Tapan
reported. The press release suggested that the entire Armenian diapora
could suffer “human, cultural, and economic losses” as a result.

`Friendly’ Armenia to help `occupiers’ – The planned deployment may
even exacerbate perceived tensions within the governing three-party
coalition. On 24 September, Vahan Hovannisian, a leading member of the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutiun, one of the two
junior coalition partners, told parliament that as a signatory to the
CIS Collective Security Treaty, Armenia should consult with Russia
before sending its contingent to Iraq, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service
reported. He added that as a member of the Council of Europe, Armenia
should similarly take into account the opinion of those European
states – he mentioned specifically France and Germany – that opposed
the US intervention in Iraq. But Hovannisian too stressed that the
primary consideration should be the safety of the large Armenian
communities throughout the Arab world. Finally, members of the
Armenian community in Iraq have themselves signaled their opposition
to the planned deployment. Archbishop Avak Asadurian told RFE/RL’s
Armenian Service on 28 September that he has written to both President
Kocharian and the Armenian parliament asking that Yerevan not send
troops to Iraq lest the Armenian community there become “a target for
terrorists”. The wife of the priest at Baghdad’s sole Armenian church
said that the Arab population has already learned from media reports
of the imminent Armenian deployment, andis displeased that “even
friendly Armenia […] is going to help the occupiers”. But during
talks in Yerevan on 28 September with Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister
Ruben Shugarian, Tariq Muhammad Yahya, an official from the interim
Iraqi government, praised what he termed Armenia’s “balanced” policy
towards Iraqand called for the restoration of bilateral economic ties,
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service reported.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress