Militants attacked local government buildings in north Iraq on Wednesday leaving 14 people dead, army Staff Major General Mohammed Khalaf al-Dulaimi said. Seven civilians, three soldiers and four militants were killed in the violence in the town of Hawijah, west of Kirkuk, AFP reported. A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle near a police station, and the second blew up another near a local administrative building. Militants then targeted those structures and a local council building with mortar fire, and gunmen clashed with soldiers.
Former Turkish President accused of aiding 1997 coup, could face trial
Plaintiffs in the criminal case centered on the military coup that took place in 1997 have filed a writ against former president Suleyman Demirel, who led the country between 1993 and 2000. Lawyers say that the 88-year-old cooperated with a clandestine group of army officers that forced elected Prime Minister, the Islamist Necmettin Erbakan to resign. There are currently more than 100 people on trial in the case, with most facing charges of helping to overthrow the government.
Iran’s President Condemns Holocaust
September 25, 2013
In a CNN interview on September 24, during his visit to the United Nations in New York, Rohani said: “Whatever criminality they committed against the Jews, we condemn.”
He added that taking human life is contemptible and said “it makes no difference whether that life is Christian, Jewish, or Muslim.”
Rohani said, however, that the Holocaust did not entitle Jews to establish the state of Israel after World War II.
He also said that determining the scale of the Holocaust is a question for historians.
Historians generally agree that 6 million people — the vast majority of them Jews — died in the Holocaust.
Rohani’s predecessor, former President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, was widely condemned for expressing doubt that the Holocaust had occurred.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
Rival Al Qaida militias, Kurdish fighters battle for control of N. Syria
NICOSIA — Al Qaida has been struggling in efforts to capture
northern Syria.
A leading Al Qaida militia has been battling a rival Al Qaida force as well as Kurdish fighters along the Syrian-Turkish border.
On Sept. 22, Al Qaida’s Islamic State of Iraq and Levant lost a regional commander in clashes near the northern Syrian town of Hazano.
“ISIL rushed into a battle it was not ready for,” a Sunni rebel source said.
The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said ISIL lost at least 13 fighters in the clash near Hazano, located in the northern Syrian province of Idlib, one of the last strongholds of the rebels. Syrian Observatory identified the dead commander as Abu Abdullah Al Libi, believed to be a Libyan national.
The fighting came amid an ISIL offensive to capture the new Kurdish entity along the Turkish border. ISIL, forced to withdraw from parts of the
region, has been facing Kurdish fighters linked to the Kurdish Workers Party as well as the rival Al Qaida-aligned militia, Nusra Front for the Defense of the Levant.
Nusra, said to be receiving orders from Al Qaida chief Ayman Zawahiri, has also been battling ISIL in the Hasakeh province. The rebel source said
Nusra was part of a coalition of Sunni rebels and Kurds fighting ISIL.
Over the last three months, ISIL has spent much of its energy fighting rival Sunni militias, including Nusra. In September, ISIL said it would
purge the rebel movement of pro-Western militias.
“There is a growing assessment that ISIL was being directed by Iranians to divide and destroy the rebel movement in areas where the Syrian Army
cannot yet reach,” the source said.
Dropbox joins petition to report national security data requests
Online storage service Dropbox has joined calls for more transparency in reporting national security data requests, the Inquirer says.
Like other firms before it, the cloud storage business is concerned that the U.S. National Security Agency and FBI are not letting it talk about all the requests that they make to it. Although it has not released a transparency report since January, which does not mean that it is not on its mind. Back then it said that it was trying to get permission to report more fully, and that it would let everyone know how that was going.
“This report doesn’t include national security requests… Unfortunately, the government allows services to disclose only the aggregate number of all law enforcement and national security requests received (and even then the disclosure must be in large bands). A report in that form decreases transparency, especially for companies that receive zero or very few national security requests,” it said.
“We’ve urged the government to allow online services to disclose the exact number of national security requests received in a reporting period without revealing details about specific requests. Our proposal provides much-needed transparency for users while protecting legitimate national security interests. We’ll keep you updated as we continue to seek better ways to let you know about the requests we receive.”
This week the firm did update its information and revealed that it is pursuing legal relief (PDF).
“Today we filed a legal brief asking the court to confirm that we have the right to report the number of national security requests we receive, if any,” it said in an update. “We’ll keep you updated about any developments.”
A petition, filed with the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), joins others from Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Facebook. It said that not letting service providers report how often the NSA and FBI come knocking violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“The government’s approach harms public debate and discussion, without any societal benefit,” it added.
18 Kurdish PKK escape Turkish jail
Security forces were hunting for 18 members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) who escaped from prison in Turkey’s southeast by digging a 70-metre-long tunnel, police said on Wednesday, Sept 25, according to Reuters.
The prison break outside the city of Bingol comes days before Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan unveils a package of reforms designed to strengthen democracy and keep on track a fragile peace process to end an insurgency by Kurdish militants.
The PKK has been fighting for autonomy for the mainly Kurdish southeastern region for almost three decades in a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people.
Among Kurds’ demands are changes to the anti-terrorism law that would make it more difficult to jail non-combatants for ties with the PKK.
The prisoners who escaped overnight were convicted of or charged with belonging to the PKK or aiding and abetting the militants and are believed to be hiding in a mountainous, wooded area of Bingol province, security officials said.
Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin told reporters four of the men were on trial while 14 were convicted.
A peace process between Turkey and the PKK has faltered in recent months, with the PKK accusing the government of delaying rights reforms it has sought in exchange for a ceasefire.
Jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan declared the ceasefire in March amid talks with government officials. The PKK started pulling its fighters out of Turkey in May but the push to end the conflict has weakened, with both sides accusing the other of failing to keep their side of the peace deal.
The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the European Union and United States.
Russia, France developing new infantry fighting vehicle
PanARMENIAN.Net – Russia’s Uralvagonzavod and France’s Renault are jointly developing a new infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) with an increased firing range of up to 16 kilometers, the Russian company said Wednesday, Sept 25, according to RIA Novosti.
“We [Uralvagonzavod and Renault Trucks Defense] unveiled today a prototype of a future IFV,” Uralvagonzavod general director Oleg Sienko said at Russian Arms Expo-2013, which opened Wednesday in the Urals city of Nizhny Tagil.
“The French side provided us with the transmission, the engine, the concept and the fire control system,” he said.
According to Sienko, the new IFV will be highly competitive on global markets because it is equipped with a powerful 57-mm gun, instead of the 30-mm variant that is standard for current IFVs.
“With its maneuverability and fire power, we are certain that this product will be in high demand on the market,” Sienko said, adding that a joint Russian-French venture could be formed to set up localized production of the new IFV in Russia.
Renault, France’s second-biggest carmaker, has made the Russian market one of its priorities for international development. Russia is already Renault’s fourth-largest automobile market.
In 2014, the Renault-Nissan Alliance will get a majority stake in a joint venture with the Russian Technologies State Corporation, called Alliance Rostec Auto BV, which will control AvtoVAZ, leader of the Russian car market.
EurasiaNet: Azerbaijan ranks among world’s top journalist-jailer countries with Turkey and China
Amid the coverage of civil-rights debates during this presidential election cycle in Azerbaijan, one key journalist’s voice is missing, the Azerbaijani journalist Shahin Abbasov says in an article published in US organization EurasiaNet.
The author notes that Thirty-eight-year-old Elmar Huseynov, editor-in-chief of Monitor magazine and one of the most critical journalists of President Ilham Aliyev’s policies, was shot and killed in front of his Baku apartment back in early March, 2005. The crime shocked Azerbaijanis, prompting a condemnation from President Aliyev, along with a promise for a rapid and thorough investigation. However, more than eight years later, the murder remains unsolved, and the case continues to cast a shadow over Azerbaijan’s political process.
As the author says in the article, for many these days, especially opponents of Aliyev’s administration, Elmar Huseynov’s murder marks the beginning of a clampdown on media that is continuing right up to the present day.
Emin Huseynov, director of the Baku-based media watchdog Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS), argues that that failure to bring closure to the murder case has created an atmosphere of impunity that has had a muzzling effect on journalists in Azerbaijan. He notes that since Elmar Huseynov’s death, another journalist-writer, Rafig Taghi, has been killed, and more than 200 incidents of violence against journalists have been recorded. Arrests of journalists also have continued.
With 10 now in jail – the latest, pro-opposition journalist Parviz Hasimli, arrested on September 19 for the alleged illegal possession of weapons — Azerbaijan now ranks among the world’s top journalist-jailers, after Iran, Turkey, China, Eritrea and Vietnam, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The author writes that Huseynov’s family and human rights defenders and journalists remain skeptical about the thoroughness of the official investigation. The government, they allege, is not interested in finding the killers. “It is not surprising that the crime was not successfully investigated during more than eight years. This government committed it, and they are not going to arrest themselves,” Huseynov’s father, Sabir, commented to EurasiaNet.org.
However Shahin Abbasov notes that public pressure on the Azerbaijani government to clear up the case, no matter the culprit, has dwindled in the face of other concerns. With a 22-day campaign for the October 9 presidential vote, time for airing complaints is scant. Public attention, meanwhile is focused on other issues, such as corruption among the ruling elite, an ineffective justice system and the unequal distribution of oil revenues.
The article reads that the opposition campaign of presidential candidate Jamil Hasanli has pledged to investigate Huseynov’s murder if he wins the presidential election, while Hasanli’s chief rival, incumbent President Aliyev, has not commented on the Huseynov case since 2005.
Meanwhile, as the author writes, every year on March 2, the date of Huseynov’s death, and on July 17, his birthday, a group of journalists and civil society activists visit his grave as a sign of support for the right to freedom of speech. IRFS’ Huseynov claims that requests to the Baku city government to build a monument to the slain journalist remain unanswered.
The article reads that as the imprisonments of and attacks on journalists have increased, the group visiting Huseynov’s grave has become gradually smaller. Yet Sabir Huseynov’s hope for eventual justice for his son’s murderer lives on. “I ask God to let me live to this day,” he said.
Cathedral in Moscow and Conference in Yerevan
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
I just returned from a three-day conference in Yerevan where 40 Armenian activists, journalists, and representatives of political, religious and cultural organizations from 18 countries (Argentina, Armenia, Artsakh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Netherlands, Russia, Syria, United States, and Uruguay) attended closed-door briefings from senior government officials.
The attendees met with the Vice Speaker and chairs of all parliamentary committees, President’s Chief of Staff Vigen Sargsyan, Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian, Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan, Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan, National Security Council Secretary Artur Baghdasaryan, Constitutional Court Chairman Gagik Harutunyan, and President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan
Since the briefings dealt with sensitive political and national security issues and were off-the-record, I can only disclose the general topics without attribution to a specific speaker or participant:
– Armenia’s decision to join the CIS Customs Union instead of signing the European Association Agreement;
– Threats to Armenia’s national security and efforts to neutralize them;
– Preparations for possible international legal action against Turkey to secure restitution for the Armenian Genocide;
– Plans for the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide;
– Status of signed but not ratified Armenia-Turkey Protocols;
– Superior morale of victorious Armenian soldiers — an advantage over Azeris in a renewed war with Azerbaijan;
– Diaspora’s participation in the economic development of Armenia and Artsakh.
The conference, organized by the Diaspora Ministry, provided the participants the rare opportunity to offer their critical assessment of the situation in the homeland and to openly question Armenia’s and Artsakh’s highest officials. The political leaders and their diasporan guests emphasized the urgent need for a framework or structure that would coordinate the efforts of Armenians in Armenia, Artsakh and Diaspora. During the conference and media interviews, I proposed the creation of a pan-Armenian committee which would include representatives from Armenia, Artsakh, and Diaspora, to deal expressly with the critical needs of Artsakh, similar to the Centennial Committee for the Armenian Genocide, except that the Artsakh committee would be of a permanent nature.
On September 21, the conference participants were invited to attend the special presidential reception in celebration of Armenia’s Independence Day. The evening ended with an impressive concert and fireworks show in Republic Square.
Prior to arriving in Yerevan, I attended the spiritually uplifting consecration of Moscow’s Armenian Cathedral, which reportedly cost tens of millions of dollars contributed by generous Russian-Armenian businessmen. The magnificent church structure and the nearby community center are expected to play a critical role in preserving the Armenian language and Christian faith for the two-million Armenians living in Russia. The September 17 consecration ceremony was attended by the Presidents of Armenia and Artsakh, Catholicos Karekin II, high-ranking Armenian clergymen from around the world, and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill. Pres. Putin did not attend due to his absence from Moscow.
On this august occasion, a series of concerts, receptions and banquets were held in Moscow hosted by the Armenian Diocese of Russia for the large number of guests from throughout the world. In appreciation, Catholicos Karekin II recognized the two dozen benefactors of the Cathedral by bestowing upon them the highest honorific medals of the Armenian Church.
While in Moscow, I attended several jewelry-related events, organized by prominent Armenian jewelers in Russia. For the first time in a hundred years, an Armenian, Gagik Gevorkyan, President of Estet Jewelry House, was elected head of the prestigious Russian Jewelers Guild. Mr. Gevorkyan sponsored the lavish annual Jewelry Charity Ball at his company’s headquarters in Moscow, attended by over a thousand jewelers and their families, including well-known Armenian jewelers from France, Canada, and the United States.
With a sense of great pride, I watched members of the Armenian Jewelers Association from Russia and North America address the distinguished guests at the International Jewelry Economic Forum and display their precious handiwork at JUNWEX, the XII International Jewelry and Watch Exhibition.
Before departing Moscow, I gave several TV interviews and participated in a panel discussion on Hayk Demoyan’s new book, Turkey’s Foreign Policy and the Karabagh Conflict.
Despite the hectic schedule, my journey to Moscow and Yerevan opened up important networking opportunities for closer collaboration between Armenia and the two largest diaspora communities of Russia and the United States.
Armenia and Greece discuss cooperation in defense sector
September 25, 2013 | 16:45
YEREVAN. – At the invitation of Colonel General Yuri Khachaturov, Chief of the Armenian Armed Forces General Staff, a delegation from Greece arrived in Armenia Wednesday on an official visit.
The delegation was led by General Michail Kostarakos, Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff.
Colonel General Khachaturov and General Kostarakos held a private talk, which was followed by an extended meeting, informs the Armenian MOD press service.
The parties discussed Armenian-Greek bilateral military cooperation, and regional and international security issues.
At the end of the talk, the Armenian Ministry of Defense and the Hellenic Ministry of National Defense signed the 2014 Military Cooperation Program.
The Greek delegation also visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial and laid a wreath to the monument in memory of the Genocide victims.