Author: Nalchajian Markos

Peterborough Evening Telegraph
July 28, 2004

POLICE: New crack murder squad

A TEAM of detectives is being pulled together to form a crack
homicide squad.

Policemen with a track record in murder investigations will have
instant access to the latest scientific sleuthing technology, and the
ability to tackle major cases without delay.

The team will be led by Detective Superintendent David Hankins,
currently head of Peterborough CID, and will deal with unlawful
killings across the county.

The formation of the American-sounding squad comes after criticism of
Cambridgeshire Police Force’s handling of the murders by Ian Huntley
of 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham.

The force was criticised by the Metropolitan police and Sir Michael
Bichard, for failing to request a vetting check on Huntley, losing
focus during the investigation, and because Cambridgeshire Chief
Constable Tom Lloyd remained on holiday in the early stages of the
inquiry.

Hywel Jarman, police spokesman, said: “We are looking to bolster
crime investigations, and part of our review has taken into account
things that have arisen out of Soham.

“But it is also about aligning our crime strategy with best practice
from other forces.”

Today, Det Supt Hankins promised: “We will be using the best
procedures from this country and from all over the world. But the
real benefit of the homicide unit to residents will be the degree of
expertise we will be able to build up in a relatively small team.

“That will help us investigate the most serious of crimes – murder.

“There are scientific advancements being made in crime detection
almost by the day. The things that can be now be done with DNA are
awe-inspiring.”

The homicide squad, to be launched in the autumn, will deal with all
unlawful killings, including murder and manslaughter.

During quiet times in the county it will deal with other major
crimes, but recent years suggest they will be kept busy.

In 2002 to 2003, there were nine murders, 23 attempted murders, and
11 manslaughter cases. In the last financial year, there were eight
murders, 21 attempted murders and 15 manslaughter investigations.

Officer already in charge of murder investigation

Det Supt Hankins is already leading the Farcet murder investigation
into the stabbing of Robert Bogle, on Tuesday, June 8, at 8.30pm.

Neither that team, nor the one investigating the murder of Armenian
Hovhannes Armirian, in Upton, in December 2002, which is being led by
Detective Chief Inspector Bert Deane, will be broken up.

But all new murders will be in the hands of the homicide unit.

Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
July 28

Russia: Meskhetians Setting Off Into New Exile But Vow To Continue
Fighting
By Jean-Christophe Peuch

Earlier this year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM)
launched a U.S.-sponsored resettlement program designed to help
Meskhetians from Russia’s Krasnodar region emigrate. The first group
of 84 Meskhetians arrived in the United States in mid-July with the
hope of obtaining permanent resident status and, eventually, U.S.
citizenship. For these Meskhetians, this might well be the end of
their journey. But the plight of those thousands who remain in the
Krasnodar region is likely to continue until they, too, finally
depart, after clearing last-minute hurdles set up by local
authorities.

Prague, 28 July 2004 — For the third time in 60 years, Russia’s
stateless Meskhetian community is setting off into exile.

Last week, 84 Meskhetians bid farewell to Russia’s southern Krasnodar
region and arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under a U.S.
resettlement program. These few families are the first of a 9,000- to
10,000-strong contingent expected to emigrate to the United States
within the next few months.

Arrangements for their initial accommodation are being made by the
Lutheran Children and Family Services, a private voluntary agency
that is providing them with resettlement services, such as housing,
food, clothing, and other basic necessities.

Sarvar Tedorov is the local chief representative of Vatan
(Fatherland), a Moscow-based nongovernmental group that campaigns for
Meskhetian rights throughout the former Soviet Union.

Speaking to RFE/RL from Krasnodar, Tedorov said he and many other
Meskhetians have decided to accept the U.S. resettlement offer for
want of viable alternatives: “Just imagine a man locked in a room and
thrashed [by his captors]. Windows are closed, armed people and wild
dogs are guarding, but the fanlight has been left open. If this man
wants to escape, then he has to use this fanlight. Thanks to the
U.S., [we] are offered an opportunity to escape all possible forms of
harassment — including physical — by local authorities. [We] simply
have no other way out. We must save our children and our future.”

Of all Meskhetians, those who live in Krasnodar have probably
suffered the most in recent years.

Also known as Meskhis, the Meskhetians are the survivors or
descendants of a rural Muslim population of southern Georgia that
Soviet leader Josef Stalin ordered deported to Central Asia in
November 1944 for reasons that remain unclear.”We must save our
children and our future.” — Sarvar Tedorov, the local chief
representative of Vatan (Fatherland), a Moscow-based nongovernmental
group that campaigns for Meskhetian rights

In 1989, following bloody pogroms that claimed dozens of lives in
Uzbekistan’s Ferghana Valley, tens of thousands of Meskhetians were
forcibly evacuated by the Soviet army and resettled in other areas,
mainly in Azerbaijan and Russia’s Krasnodar region.

Although Meskhetians themselves disagree on whether they descend from
ethnic Turks sent to colonize Georgia, or Christian Georgians who
forcibly converted to Islam under Ottoman rule, they are generally
described as “Turks” and perceived as such throughout most of the
former Soviet Union.

This has created particular problems for Krasnodar Meskhetians,
confronted with the nationalist, pan-Orthodox policy of Governor
Aleksandr Tkachev and his predecessor.

Most of Krasnodar Territory’s 13,500 Meskhetians are denied basic
civil rights — including access to work — and suffer from various
forms of harassment.

Only 4,000 of them have been granted Russian citizenship. As for the
rest, they have no legal status and continue to live in judicial and
administrative limbo 15 years after their enforced evacuation from
Uzbekistan.

The U.S. Refugee Program was launched in mid-February with an initial
16 August deadline. It is open to all Krasnodar Meskhetians who
either have no legal status or are married to stateless individuals.

The Russian authorities have welcomed the U.S. initiative, saying it
will help close the Meskhetian issue and defuse ethnic tensions in
the Krasnodar area.

Yet rights groups and community elders accuse the Russian leadership
of hypocrisy.

Tedorov said local authorities have so far failed to deliver on a
written pledge to help Meskhetians organize their departure.

Vadim Karastelev runs the School of Peace, a Novorossiisk-based
nongovernmental group that campaigns for interethnic dialogue in the
Krasnodar area. He says that, despite official denials, regional
officials are creating last-minute hurdles for Meskhetians seeking
U.S. refugee status.

“Tkachev and the heads of administrative districts where Meskhetians
live have promised to help those who want to leave. But, in fact,
they are creating many obstacles,” Karastelev said. “The main problem
concerns real estate. Citing various pretexts, local authorities are
refusing to help Meskhetians sell their houses and other property.
This is why those who left [last week] had to give relatives a
power-of-attorney so that they can sell their houses on their
behalf.”

Despite these obstacles, Karastelev said he expects the next group of
emigrants to leave for the United States in September.

Community leader Tedorov said his family and others decided to apply
for U.S. refugee status after hearing Russian President Vladimir
Putin lend support to Governor Tkachev in a televised address.

“I [decided to apply] on 24 March,” Tedorov said. “Rather, it’s my
wife who applied on our behalf after she watched television. What she
heard [Putin say] made her cry. As the rest of my people, I have to
leave [for the United States]. But I will continue to fight for my
civic rights from there and make demands to both Russia and Georgia.”

Unlike other peoples deported during World War II, the Meskhetians
were not rehabilitated after Stalin’s death. In addition to being
denied the right to collectively return to their home region, they
are still awaiting an official pronouncement that their deportation
was unjustified.

When joining the Council of Europe five years ago, Georgia made a
commitment to provide a legal basis for the return of Meskhetians
with a view to organizing their collective repatriation.

Yet, citing potential troubles with its large Armenian community,
Georgia has done little so far. A few Meskhetians have returned
individually, but their number does not exceed a few dozen.

“Russia and Georgia are responsible for the fact that we’ve been
deported twice,” Tedorov said.

“Those of us who still have faith in the future will continue — from
the U.S. — to press these countries to recognize our rights.”
Tedorov added. “We must be rehabilitated.”

Caucasus Reporting Service

Karabakh Election Battle

Unexpectedly strong contest in mountainous territory too close to call.
By Ashot Beglarian in Stepanakert (CRS No. 244, 28-Jul-04)

Nagorny Karabakh is experiencing an unusually lively election campaign for
the mayor of its main city, Stepanakert.
Five candidates are fighting for the post, employing Karabakhi television
and a new independent newspaper to advertise themselves to voters, in the
most important contest in the region’s August 8 municipal elections.
As always, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry in Baku has issued a protest at
the conduct of elections in the republic, which is internationally
recognised as being part of Azerbaijan. And, as always, the Armenian
authorities in Karabakh have rejected the accusations.
In a statement the Nagorny Karabakh foreign ministry declared, “We proceed
from the understanding that only legitimately elected authorities possess
the necessary powers and bear responsibility for the fate of the people who
live on the territory entrusted to them.”
The election marks something new for Karabakh because three of the
candidates are in different ways connected to officialdom and there is no
clear favourite in a territory where one contestant usually wins a
resounding victory.
Originally, there were ten candidates, but the field has now narrowed to
five, after two were denied registration and three pulled out. Most
observers are agreed that the ballot comes down to a fight between two men,
Pavel Najarian, a former deputy mayor of Stepanakert, and Eduard Agabekian,
chairman of the committee on social issues in the Karabakh parliament.
Najarian was one of the participants in the 1988 movement for secession from
Azerbaijan and has a reputation of being an experienced business
professional, having managed the local buildings material plant, one of the
most successful factories in Karabakh in recent times.
He is also the favourite because he is generally believed to have the
support of the local authorities.
Agabekian is a popular politician with the reputation of being a brave
member of parliament who speaks out for the democratisation of society. He
is one of the founders of a recently-formed political organisation,
Movement-88, whose aim is to “revive the spirit and national consciousness
of 1988, the beginning of the Karabakh movement for self-determination”.
The current mayor Amik Avanesian is also running for re-election, although
he lacks the public and political support he once had and few rate his
chances. Most residents of the city say in his time in office he has done
almost nothing to deal with their problems.
Both leading candidates have been busy trying to win hearts and minds.
Najarian has made a point of saying that the spiritual as well as the
physical welfare of Stepanakert is important.
“Stepanakert needs a church, which will allow people to have firm faith in
the nation and themselves,” he said. “I am deeply worried about the sickness
that has stricken our society – people’s indifference to what is around
them. To cure that sickness people have to have a healthy spiritual and
social way of life.”
Agabekian says he will fight for “the supremacy of the law” in Stepanakert,
before which “everyone ought to be equal, irrespective of their social
position, merits and party allegiance”, suggesting he will, if elected, be
an independent mayor.
The responsibilities of the mayor and of the government are blurred and one
of the other candidates, Iosif Adamian, a well-known local businessman and
wine-maker, argues that the mayor’s office needs to be restructured and made
more autonomous.
“The office of mayor is not a gift and not a weapon for different groups,
but an organ which is the guarantee of social justice and citizens’ rights,”
he said.
David Karabekian, a university lecturer, noted that “many legal questions
connected with the activity of the local authorities and their relations
with the central republican authorities have not been worked out. The legal
vacuum not only makes possible pressure from above but various kinds of
bureaucratic arbitrary rule with all its accompanying side-effects:
corruption, protectionism and so on.”
The new mayor will have to deal with a wide range of problems to do with
housing, jobs and utilities. Avanesian is promising, if re-elected, to build
700 new houses.
Despite the lively campaign and assurances from the central electoral
commission, many Stepanakert voters are wary of the candidates and their
promises and believe the outcome is all but predetermined.
“I believe that the candidate who has the current authorities behind him
will win,” said local resident, Karen Arakelian, formerly a refugee from
Baku, reflecting the views of many. ” [Although] I don’t think there will be
any crude breaking of the electoral rules.”
Ashot Beglarian is a freelance journalist based in Nagorny Karabakh.

ArmenPress
July 22 2004

ARMENIAN CURRENCY SET TO CONSOLIDATE, BANK EXPERT SAYS

YEREVAN, JULY 22, ARMENPRESS: Asked to explain what are the
reasons behind an unprecedented slump of US Dollar against the
Armenian dram, Vladimir Badalian, the chairman of the Union of
Armenian Banks, argued it was part of radical changes awaiting the
national currency, an indication that the dram is consolidating its
value against hard currencies. He then added that the dollar will
tend to lose against the dram. One of the arguments, he cited in
favor of that theory, were the developments in international currency
markets with euro consolidating against dollar. He said that process
could not failed to have its impact on Armenian market.
He then predicted that in the near future euro will grab a bigger
place in Armenia’s market forcing Dollar to yield its positions,
which he said is normal given Armenia’s drive towards close
integration with Europe, especially that 40 percent of its foreign
trade falls on EU countries.
Badalian said also that the consolidation of dram will prompt
participants of the domestic market to keep their deposits in drams.
Unlike some years ago now many depositors choose to keep their
accounts in drams. He admitted that a weaker dollar is sustaining
some damages to exporting companies, but added that it should not
have any effect on export volumes, as their structure is such that
allows the companies to maneuver.
He attributed high domestic prices, though the dollar has
seriously slumped against Armenian Dram, to the absence of criteria
typical of free trade.
Earlier this week a Central Bank official cited two arguments to
explain the decline of exchange rate of US dollar. The head of the
Financial Markets department of Armenia’s Central Bank, Gayane
Matevosyan, said one reason was the increased private inflows of cash
from abroad., which she said have increased by 46 percent if compared
to the same period last year and a second reason was an increase in
exports, which she said if compared to the first half of last year,
have risen by 40 percent.

RosBusinessConsulting Database
July 13, 2004 Tuesday

PM comments on Russian trade with Armenia

Russian trade with Armenia totals over $200m currently, Russian Prime
Minister Mikhail Fradkov announced at a meeting with his Armenian
counterpart Andranik Markaryan, who pays an official visit to Moscow.
According to Fradkov, Russian trade with Armenia can grow further but
the two parties have to contribute more to the development of
bilateral relations. The trade with Armenia surged over 30 percent in
2003, the Prime Minister stressed. “We are satisfied with the
development of economic relations,” he added. According to him, the
two countries should enhance the cooperation in the energy and gas
sectors, as well as in the high tech sector.

Armenian president on private visit to Komi

Mediamax news agency
7 Jul 04

YEREVAN

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has paid an informal, private
visit to the Russian Republic of Komi.

Quoting Kominform news agency, Mediamax news agency said that the
visit took place at the personal invitation of the head of the
Republic of Komi, Vladimir Torlopov.

The Armenian president arrived in Syktyvkar in the evening on 4 July
after the CIS leaders’ informal summit in Moscow.

ArmenPress
July 5 2004

PRESIDENT ROBERT KOCHARIAN’S ADDRESS ON THE OCCASION OF CONSTITUTION
DAY

YEREVAN, JULY 5, ARMENPRESS: Dear Compatriots: I extend to you my
congratulations on the occasion of the Constitution Day. Adoption of
the Constitution encompasses a historic significance for any nation
and state. The Constitution has become a strong impetus for
fundamental reforms in the Armenian legislation, as well as for
reinforcement of the people’s power and establishment of the
supremacy of law.
Celebrating the Constitution Day we, as citizens, celebrate the
Day of our rights and liberties. The existing Constitution has proven
its vitality on many occasions. Its resolute implementation
guarantees the rule of law and stability in the country. On the other
hand, within our society has matured the necessity for improvement
and bringing the Constitution in line with the contemporary needs.
Once again congratulating you on the occasion of the Constitution
Day, I transmit to you my belief, that the Basic Law of our country
will be improved and will serve the people of Armenia for a long
time.

Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

July 7, 2004
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]

Assembly, AGBU, Western Diocese Host Event for Rep. Pallone

Photograph available on the Assembly’s Web site at the following link:

Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chair Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ)
briefed more than 75 Los Angeles-area supporters on several pertinent
community issues, including a bill that would extend permanent normal trade
relations (PNTR) to Armenia, during a June 26 breakfast held in his honor.
During the event hosted by the Armenian Assembly of America, the Armenian
General Benevolent Union (AGBU), and the Western Diocese of the Armenian
Church of America, Pallone also discussed the Nagorno Karabakh peace process
and attributed the recent victory in maintaining military parity to Armenia
and Azerbaijan to the hard work and tenacity of community activists.

Pallone also hailed the “spirit of cooperation” displayed by event
organizers and urged the community to remain united in future endeavors.
The event, at the AGBU Center in Pasadena, attracted several community
leaders including CA State Assemblywoman Carol Liu, Glendale City Councilman
Frank Quinterro, and Pasadena Police Chief Bernard Melekian.

Pictured L to R: Assembly Board of Directors Member Lisa Kalustian, His
Eminence Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese, Congressman Frank
Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), AGBU Southern California District Committee Chairman
Vahe Imasdounian and Assembly Western Office Chairman Richard Mushegain.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide
organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian
issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

NR#2004-065

Armenia Now
July 2, 2004

Writers’ Bloc: Writers’ Bloc: Literary Conference draws authors from Armenia
and Diaspora

By Lusineh Ohanyan
ArmeniaNow correspondent More than 60 authors from 18 countries gathered in
Yerevan this week for the second All-Armenian Conference of Writers.

Organised by Armenia’s Union of Writers, the conference brought together
figures from the Republic and Diaspora to discuss developments in Armenian
literature. Levon Ananyan, President of the Union, says the first conference
in 2002 was more introductory in character since Armenian writers in
different countries had had little previous opportunity to make personal
contact.

This time, many young representatives of literature from the Diaspora
attended the event. Plenary sessions covered subjects including: “Latest
achievements of Armenian literature”, “The national school and national
literature”; and “Historical memory and modern literature”.

The conference also marked two important occasions, the 70th anniversary of
the Writers Union and the 80th anniversary of the birth of the Diaspora
writer Zahrat from Constantinople. Participants traveled to Artsakh for two
days for meetings with representatives of the intelligentsia and army.

They will also take part in an event dedicated to 150th anniversary of the
great Armenian writer Muratsan. Political discussion was not on the agenda,
however, even though many of today’s Diaspora writers are public and party
figures.

The first conference agreed three measures towards greater unity of literary
organizations of the Diaspora. A constituent conference of the Armenian
Writers of California was organized in Los Angeles, USA. Then a conference
bringing together writers from the Middle East was held in Beirut, Lebanon.
Finally, a delegation from the Writers’ Union led by Ananyan and Ruben
Hovsepyan, a National Assembly deputy, organized a recent conference of
Armenian writers from Iran.

Ananyan says that, besides literary bridges, the conference also established
an All-Armenian Literary Fund to provide support for publishing books and
developing Armenian literature. A telethon organized in Armenia has
collected about $200,000 and further collections are being arranged in
Atsakh and Diaspora communities.

The third All-Armenian Conference of Writers is already being planned. It
will likely be held in two years’ time in one of the Diaspora Communities.

Dissident Voice, CA
June 29 2004

A Fantastic Tale
Turkey, Drugs, Faustian Alliances & Sibel Edmonds
by John Stanton

June 29, 2004

Taking Turkey as the focal point and with a start date of 1998, it
is easy to speculate why Sibel Edmonds indicated that there was a
convergence of US and foreign counter-narcotics, counter-terrorism
and US national security and economic interests all of which were too
preoccupied to surface critical information warning Americans of the
attacks of September 11, 2001. After all, who would have believed
drug runners operating in Central Asia? And besides, President
Clinton was promoting Turkey, one of the world’s top drug transit
points, as a model for Muslim-Western cooperation and a country
necessary to reshape the Middle East.

The FBI’s Office of International Operations, in conjunction with the
CIA and the US State Department counter-narcotics section, the United
Kingdom’s MI6, Israel’s Mossad, Pakistan’s ISI, the US DEA, Turkey’s
MIT, and the governments and intelligence agencies of dozens of
nations, were in one way or another involved in the illicit drug
trade either trying to stop it or benefit from it. What can be
surmised from the public record is that from 1998 to September 10,
2001, the War on Drugs kept bumping into the nascent War on Terror
and new directions in US foreign policy.

It’s easy to imagine the thousands of drug couriers, middlemen,
financiers and lab technicians moving back and forth between Pakistan
and Turkey, and over to Western Europe and the United States, and the
tidbits of information they gleaned from their sponsors as they
traveled. As information gathering assets for the intelligence
agencies of the world, they must have been invaluable. And given the
dozens of foreign intelligence services working the in the
counter-narcotics/terrorism fields, the `chatter’ that just dozens of
well-placed operatives may have overheard about attacks against
Western targets must have found its way into the US intelligence
apparatus. But, again, who could believe the audacity of non-state
actors organizing a domestic attack against the supreme power of the
day, the USA? Implementing a new strategic direction and business
deals may have overcome the wacky warnings from the counter-narcotics
folks.

Back in the late 1990’s and early 2000, who would have believed the
rants of a drug courier from Afghanistan saying that some guy named
Bin Laden was going to attack America, particularly if it involved
America’s newest friend, Turkey? Or that a grand design to reshape
Central Asia and the Middle East with Turkey and Israel as pivot
points was being pushed by the Clinton Administration as a matter of
national policy.

The historical record shows that the US War on Drugs and the nascent
War on Terror kept colliding with not only within the US
intelligence, policy and business apparatus, but also with European
strategic and business interests. Turkey continues its push for entry
into the European Union and the USA wants that to happen as the June
2004 meeting of NATO, and President Bush’s attendance under dangerous
circumstances, in Turkey demonstrates. Turkey is one of the USA’s and
Europe’s top arms buyers and is located near what could be some of
the biggest oil and natural gas fields in the world. At this point
it’s worth noting that the one of the FBI’s tasks is to counter
industrial espionage and to engage in it. Where big arms sales pit
the US against its European competitors–as is the case in Turkey
(particularly starting in 1998)–the FBI is busy making sure the US
gets the edge over its competition. Allies are friends only so far.

Did warnings foretelling of an attack on American soil by Bin Laden’s
crew get lost in the War on Drugs or the US national and economic
interest in troublesome Turkey? It seems only Ms Edmonds knows.

Turkey Cold to UK and USA Concerns

In 1998, the US Department of State (DOS) was finally forced to admit
that Turkey was a major refining and transit point for the flow of
heroin from Southwest Asia to Western Europe, with small quantities
of the stuff finding its way to the streets of the USA. In that same
year, Kendal Nezan, writing for Le Monde Diplomatique, reported that
MIT, and the Turkish National Police force were actively supporting
the trade in illicit drugs not only for fun and profit, but out of
desperation.

`After the Gulf War in 1991, Turkey found itself deprived of the
all-important Iraqi market and, since it lacked significant oil
reserves of its own, it decided to make up for the loss by turning
more massively to drugs. The trafficking increased in intensity with
the arrival of the hawks in power, after the death in suspicious
circumstances of President Turgut Özal in April 1993. According to
the minister of interior, the war in Kurdistan had cost the Turkish
exchequer upwards of $12.5 billion. According to the daily Hürriyet,
Turkey’s heroin trafficking brought in $25 billion in 1995 and $37.5
billion in 1996…Only criminal networks working in close cooperation
with the police and the army could possibly organize trafficking on
such a scale. Drug barons have stated publicly, on Turkish television
and in the West, that they have been working under the protection of
the Turkish government and to its financial benefit. The traffickers
themselves travel on diplomatic passports…the drugs are even
transported by military helicopter from the Iranian border.’

Nowhere is the pain of Turkey’s role in the heroin trade felt more
horribly than in the United Kingdom. According to London’s Letter
written by a Member of Parliament, `The war against drugs and drug
trafficking in Britain is huge. Turkish heroin in particular is a top
priority for the MI6 and the Foreign Ministry. During his visit to
the British Embassy in Ankara, the head of the Foreign Office’s
Turkey Department was clear about this. He reassured an English
journalist that the heroin trade was more important than billions of
pounds worth off trade capacity and weapons selling. When the
journalist in question told me about this, I was reminded of my
teacher’s words at university in Ankara ten years ago. He was also
working for the Turkish Foreign Ministry. The topic of a lecture
discussion was about Turkey’s Economy and I still remember his words
today,

`50 billion dollars worth of foreign debt is nothing, it is two lorry
loads of heroin…’

Afghanistan: Top Opiate Producer and America’s Friend

Both the DOS and the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) described in
detail the transit routes and countries involved in getting the goods
to Turkey. Intelligence organizations here and abroad must have
sanctioned the role that they, and Turkey and Afghanistan, played in
the process. `Afghanistan is the original source of most of the
opiates reaching Turkey. Afghan opiates, and also hashish, are
stockpiled at storage and staging areas in Pakistan, from where a ton
or larger quantities are smuggled by overland vehicles to Turkey via
Iran. Multi-ton quantities of opiates and hashish also are moved to
coastal areas of Pakistan and Iran, where the drugs are loaded on
ships waiting off-shore, which then smuggle the contraband to points
in Turkey along the Mediterranean, Aegean, and/or Marmara seas.
Opiates and hashish also are smuggled overland from Afghanistan via
Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia to Turkey.

Turkish-based traffickers and brokers operate directly and in
conjunction with narcotic suppliers, smugglers, transporters,
laboratory operators, drug distributors, money collectors, and money
launderers in and outside Turkey. Traffickers in Turkey illegally
acquire the precursor chemical acetic anhydride, which is used in the
production of heroin, from sources in Western Europe, the Balkans,
and Russia. During the 27-month period from July 1, 1999 to September
30, 2001, over 56 metric tons of illicit acetic anhydride were seized
in or destined for Turkey.’

The Ankara Pact

The Middle East Report concluded in 1998 that probably the greatest
strategic move in the Clinton post-Cold War years is what could be
called “The Ankara Pact” — an alliance between the U.S., Turkey, and
Israel that essentially circumvents and bottles up the Arab
countries. Earlier in 1997, Turkish Prime Minister Yilmaz visited
with Bill Clinton to ensure him that Turkey would attempt to improve
its human rights record by slaughtering less Kurds, but also
mentioned that if the US pushed too hard on that subject or if the US
Congress adopted an Armenian Genocide Resolution, Turkey might award
a billion dollar contract for attack helicopters to a Europe or maybe
even Russia.

During this timeframe, and with approval from the USA, Turkey began
to let contracts to Israel to upgrade its F-4, F-5 and F-16 aircraft.
Pemra Hazbay, writing in the May 2004 issue of Peace Watch, reported
that total Israeli arms sales to Turkey had exceeded $1 billion since
2000. `In December 1996, Israel won a deal worth $630 million to
upgrade Turkey’s fleet of fifty-four F-4 Phantom fighter jets. In
1998, Turkey awarded a $75 million contract to upgrade its fleet of
48 F-5 fighter jets to Israel Aircraft Industries’ Lahav division,
beating out strong French competition. In 2002, Turkey ratified its
largest military deal with Israel, a $700 million contract for the
renovation of Turkish tanks.’ But that pales in comparison to the $20
billion in US arms exports and military aid dealt to Turkey over the
last 24 years.

Then in 1999 came a news item from a publication known as the Foreign
Report based in the United Kingdom. That publication indicated that
`Israeli intelligence, the Mossad, had expanded its base in Turkey
and opened branches in Turkey for other two departments stationed in
Tel Aviv. The Mossad carried out several spy operations and plans
through its elements stationed in Istanbul and Ankara, where it
received support and full cooperation from the Turkish government.
According to the military cooperation agreement between the Mossad
and its Turkish counterpart, the MIT, signed by former Turkish
Foreign Minister Hekmet Citen during his visit to Israel in 1993, the
Mossad had provided Turkey with plans aiding it in closing its border
with Iraq, as well as being involved in the arrest the chairman of
the PKK, Abdullah Ocalan.’ That agreement also included help with
counter-narcotics.

Earlier in 1998, Israeli, Turkish and American military forces
engaged in exercises in the Mediterranean, according to Reuters and
Agencie France Press. “[These exercises] signal to the radical
states in the region that there is a strong alliance between Israel,
Turkey and the United States which they must fear, Israeli political
scientist Efraim Inbar said. Defense officials said during last
month’s visit to Ankara that they hoped the Jewish lobby in
Washington would help Turkey offset Greek and Armenian influence on
Capitol Hill. That’s certainly part of this. They expect us to help
them and we do help them a bit, said David Ivri, an adviser who
directs biannual strategy talks with Turkey.’ Reports also indicated
that the CIA and Pentagon intelligence organizations had regularly
chaired meetings of Turkish and Israeli officers in Tel Aviv for
years.

DEA & FBI

Prior to the US invasion of Afghanistan, the DEA monitored the
Afghanistan drug trade from its two offices in Pakistan: The
Islamabad Country Office and the Peshawar Resident Office. In
addition to Pakistan and Afghanistan, the DEA Islamabad Country
Office also includes in its area of responsibility Uzbekistan,
Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, the United Arab Emirates, and
Oman. Asa Hutchinson, the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement
Administration, testified in October 2001 that DEA intelligence
confirmed the presence of a linkage between Afghanistan’s ruling
Taliban and international terrorist Osama Bin Laden.

He went on to say that although DEA had no direct evidence to confirm
that Bin Laden is involved in the drug trade, the relationship
between the Taliban and Bin Laden is believed to have flourished in
large part due to the Taliban’s substantial reliance on the opium
trade as a source of organizational revenue. `While the activities of
the two entities do not always follow the same trajectory, we know
that drugs and terror frequently share the common ground of
geography, money, and violence. In this respect, the very sanctuary
enjoyed by Bin Laden is based on the existence of the Taliban’s
support for the drug trade. This connection defines the deadly,
symbiotic relationship between the illicit drug trade and
international terrorism.’

Meanwhile, back at the FBI, the Office of International Operations
oversees the Legal Attaché Program operating at 46 locations around
the world. The operation maintains contact with Interpol, other US
federal agencies such as the CIA and military agencies such as the
Defense Intelligence Agency, and foreign police and security
officers. Its job is to investigate or counter threats from foreign
intelligence, terrorists and criminal enterprises that threaten the
national or economic security of the USA. It coordinates its
activities with all US and foreign intelligence operations. In 2000,
it opened offices in Ankara, Turkey and Almaty, Kazhakstan. Since
1996, it has had offices in Islamabad, Pakistan and Tele Aviv,
Israel. In 1997 it opened one in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Combined,
these offices monitor the entire Middle East, Persian Gulf and
Central Asian threat areas developing thousands of `investigative
leads’.

Ms Edmonds has given the American people leads that show that they
are easily sacrificed for a perceived greater good.

John Stanton is a Virginia-based writer specializing in national
security and political matters. He is author of the forthcoming book,
America 2004: A Power, But Not Super. He can be reached at:
[email protected].