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ISN, Switzerland
International Relations and Security Network
Jan 18 2005
Armenians in Iraq fear troop deployment
ISN SECURITY WATCH (18/01/05) - Armenian peacekeepers departed for
Iraq today to participate in the US-led occupation force's
multinational operations. The small regiment of 46 Armenian
peacekeepers is scheduled to stay in Iraq for six months to engage in
non-combat activities under the general command of the Polish
contingent in Iraq, officials said. The unit includes 30 drivers, 10
sappers, three doctors, and unit commanders. The controversial
decision to send troops to Iraq was made on 24 December during a
closed parliamentary meeting. Twenty-three members of the Armenian
National Assembly voted against sending troops to Iraq, while 91
supported the initiative. Only two factions, the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation- Dashnakcutyun, a member of the ruling
coalition, and the main opposition group Justice, voted against the
resolution. Opponents of the initiative raised fears that sending
troops to Iraq would endanger the lives of the 20'000-strong Armenian
community in Iraq. Recent polls show that the majority of Armenian
citizens do not support the initiative and disagree with the
government's decision to remain committed to the peacekeeping
operation. Armenia has been struggling to regain lost ground with the
US, which has, over the course of the past couple of years, shifted
the balance of its support to countries in the Caucasus, threatening
Armenia by aid to its archrival, neighboring Azerbaijan. Last
September, according Caucaz.com, Armenian Defense Minister Serzh
Sarksian said the decision to send troops to Iraq was intended to
halt Armenia's regional isolation. Once Armenia pledged to send
troops to Iraq, Washington responded in kind by passing a budget
restoring military parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan, according
to Caucaz.com. But given the increased violence in Iraq, the
Christian Armenian community there is worried that they will
increasingly become targets of new violence. Father Garegin, an
Armenian religious leader in Mosul, told the Yerkir.am news agency
that sending Armenian troops to Iraq could have grave consequences
for his community. He says tensions have already risen exponentially.
`There are 20'000 Armenians in Iraq. The situation is very tense now.
People do not leave their houses because they are scared. They can't
event go to church - they can't go to the Armenian church in the
center of Baghdad. Our children can't go to schools,' he was quoted
as saying. Fear rose in early August, when five churches were bombed
in Baghdad and Mosul, killing 12 people. In mid-October, another five
churches in Baghdad were reportedly attacked. Then, in November,
eight people were killed in another church bombing, according to
various news agencies. The abduction yesterday and release today of a
Roman Catholic archbishop in Mosul has also added to the fears of
Iraq's estimated 650'000 Christians. (By Aram Ananian in Yerevan)
http://www.isn.ethz.ch/infoservice/secwatch/details.cfm?id=10590
International Relations and Security Network
Jan 18 2005
Armenians in Iraq fear troop deployment
ISN SECURITY WATCH (18/01/05) - Armenian peacekeepers departed for
Iraq today to participate in the US-led occupation force's
multinational operations. The small regiment of 46 Armenian
peacekeepers is scheduled to stay in Iraq for six months to engage in
non-combat activities under the general command of the Polish
contingent in Iraq, officials said. The unit includes 30 drivers, 10
sappers, three doctors, and unit commanders. The controversial
decision to send troops to Iraq was made on 24 December during a
closed parliamentary meeting. Twenty-three members of the Armenian
National Assembly voted against sending troops to Iraq, while 91
supported the initiative. Only two factions, the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation- Dashnakcutyun, a member of the ruling
coalition, and the main opposition group Justice, voted against the
resolution. Opponents of the initiative raised fears that sending
troops to Iraq would endanger the lives of the 20'000-strong Armenian
community in Iraq. Recent polls show that the majority of Armenian
citizens do not support the initiative and disagree with the
government's decision to remain committed to the peacekeeping
operation. Armenia has been struggling to regain lost ground with the
US, which has, over the course of the past couple of years, shifted
the balance of its support to countries in the Caucasus, threatening
Armenia by aid to its archrival, neighboring Azerbaijan. Last
September, according Caucaz.com, Armenian Defense Minister Serzh
Sarksian said the decision to send troops to Iraq was intended to
halt Armenia's regional isolation. Once Armenia pledged to send
troops to Iraq, Washington responded in kind by passing a budget
restoring military parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan, according
to Caucaz.com. But given the increased violence in Iraq, the
Christian Armenian community there is worried that they will
increasingly become targets of new violence. Father Garegin, an
Armenian religious leader in Mosul, told the Yerkir.am news agency
that sending Armenian troops to Iraq could have grave consequences
for his community. He says tensions have already risen exponentially.
`There are 20'000 Armenians in Iraq. The situation is very tense now.
People do not leave their houses because they are scared. They can't
event go to church - they can't go to the Armenian church in the
center of Baghdad. Our children can't go to schools,' he was quoted
as saying. Fear rose in early August, when five churches were bombed
in Baghdad and Mosul, killing 12 people. In mid-October, another five
churches in Baghdad were reportedly attacked. Then, in November,
eight people were killed in another church bombing, according to
various news agencies. The abduction yesterday and release today of a
Roman Catholic archbishop in Mosul has also added to the fears of
Iraq's estimated 650'000 Christians. (By Aram Ananian in Yerevan)
http://www.isn.ethz.ch/infoservice/secwatch/details.cfm?id=10590