IRAQI ARMENIAN GEVORG URBANIAN DISCLOSED HIS SECRET
Azg/am
24 Sept 04
Mysterious Pages of Iraqi-Kuwaiti War
Gevorg Urbanian used to work for a Dutch company in Basra (well-known
these days) during the Iraqi-Kuwaiti war. Gevorg had to keep the
secret in the days of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship fearing revenge.
It was in 1990 when one of the Arab workers of the company died. The
president of the company asked Gevorg to transfer the worker’s bodyto
his hometown of Malgiv. But Gevorg failed transferring the body to
Malgiv, and he buried it in the graveyard of Basra. Here the workers
of the graveyard told him abouta mass burial that took place the other
day. “A bus, chock-full of dead Kuwaitis, arrived and they buried the
corpses”. Grave diggers indicated the vast area where the war
prisoners allegedly were buried.
Two years ago Gevorg left for Tehran (his father was a citizen of
Iran) and called the consulate of Kuwait in Tehran and tried to tell
them his secret but nobody listened to him, saying that the consul was
not in the country. Thenhe returned to Baghdad and learnt that the
Kuwaitis of Baghdad were looking for the relatives they lost during
the war. He attempted to inform the staff of Kuwaiti TV that was in
Baghdad to make a film. Bahe Obu Zakaria, of the staff, told him that
they shouldn’t take the relatives back to those days.
Gevorg Urbanian together with his family settled in Armenia this year
after the oppression of Iraq’s Christian population started. 15 days
ago he heard on TV that the Kuwaitis keep on looking for their lost
relatives and even are ready to reward those who may help with
information.
Gevorg Urbanian turned to Azg Daily hoping that his voice will be
heard and that the Kuwaitis will respond. Those who are interested may
contact Azg Daily’ s editorial staff.
By Karine Danielian