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GLENDALE ARMENIAN GROUP TO HOLD VIGIL AGAINST A POSSIBLE MILITARY STRIKE ON SYRIA
Los Angeles Daily News, CA
Sept 9 2013
By Brenda Gazzar
The Glendale chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America
and the Martin Luther King Coalition are holding a candlelight vigil
in Glendale tonight to urge Congress to vote against a potential
military strike in Syria.
The vigil, which will take place at 7 p.m. at the Krikor and Mariam
Karamanoukian Glendale Youth Center at 221 W. Chestnut Street,
is one of many events set for today around Southern California to
counter President Barack Obama's efforts to secure congressional
authorization this week for a strike on Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad's military capabilities.
"As Americans, we do not want to see the U.S. be dragged into another
long-term, costly - in terms of human lives and financial - war," said
Berdj Karapetian, chairman of the ANC's Glendale chapter. "Secondly,
there is a large Armenian community in Syria that has remained neutral
and it is being hurt as the fighting continues; as it escalates it
will be harmed even more than it has already been."
The Obama administration says it has "high confidence" that Assad's
regime carried out a chemical weapons attack on Aug. 21 that killed
hundreds of people. Assad, however, has denied that his regime was
behind the deadly attack and has suggested the rebels are responsible.
Talar Malakian, the chapter's executive director whose father is from
Syria, said one of her father's cousins was kidnapped in Syria and
then returned safely a few months ago and that the 2 1/2 year war
has been very hard on the Syrian people.
Many are waiting to die and wondering when they can resume going to
work and school again, she said, but a military strike on the Syrian
regime is not the answer.
"I don't think that any more escalation and aggression is going to
help save lives or help bring peace," Malakian said. "I think it's
only going to make matters worse for a lot of the community who is
really suffering in Syria."
http://www.dailynews.com/20130909/glendale-armenian-group-to-hold-vigil-against-a-possible-military-strike-on-syria
Los Angeles Daily News, CA
Sept 9 2013
By Brenda Gazzar
The Glendale chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America
and the Martin Luther King Coalition are holding a candlelight vigil
in Glendale tonight to urge Congress to vote against a potential
military strike in Syria.
The vigil, which will take place at 7 p.m. at the Krikor and Mariam
Karamanoukian Glendale Youth Center at 221 W. Chestnut Street,
is one of many events set for today around Southern California to
counter President Barack Obama's efforts to secure congressional
authorization this week for a strike on Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad's military capabilities.
"As Americans, we do not want to see the U.S. be dragged into another
long-term, costly - in terms of human lives and financial - war," said
Berdj Karapetian, chairman of the ANC's Glendale chapter. "Secondly,
there is a large Armenian community in Syria that has remained neutral
and it is being hurt as the fighting continues; as it escalates it
will be harmed even more than it has already been."
The Obama administration says it has "high confidence" that Assad's
regime carried out a chemical weapons attack on Aug. 21 that killed
hundreds of people. Assad, however, has denied that his regime was
behind the deadly attack and has suggested the rebels are responsible.
Talar Malakian, the chapter's executive director whose father is from
Syria, said one of her father's cousins was kidnapped in Syria and
then returned safely a few months ago and that the 2 1/2 year war
has been very hard on the Syrian people.
Many are waiting to die and wondering when they can resume going to
work and school again, she said, but a military strike on the Syrian
regime is not the answer.
"I don't think that any more escalation and aggression is going to
help save lives or help bring peace," Malakian said. "I think it's
only going to make matters worse for a lot of the community who is
really suffering in Syria."
http://www.dailynews.com/20130909/glendale-armenian-group-to-hold-vigil-against-a-possible-military-strike-on-syria