Five-Parties Memo on Draft KRG Constitution

The following is an authorized translation of the memo that was signed by five political parties regarding the autonomous region in Nineveh Plains and other issues relevant to the KRG draft constitution.

After extensive discussions that lasted for a month and a half, the following memorandum was signed and submitted to the Kurdistani Constitution Drafting Committee at a meeting that took place at the headquarters of the Bet Nahrain Democratic Party on 10 November 10t 2006:

To The Respected Kurdistani Region Constitution Drafting Committee Members

Greetings,

The Coordination Committee of the parties and organization of the (Chaldean Assyrian Syriac) people met and reviewed the Kurdistan Region's Constitution Draft project, which has been laid out for discussion by the people, political and cultural entities in the region. We see this step as a qualitative leap toward the development of the democratic experience in the region. By the same token we consider it a solid foundation to fulfill the future ambitions of the Kurdistani people.

Our people (Chaldean Assyrian Syriac) have been and will stay an essential component of the Iraqi Kurdistan, with historical ties to the other components, sharing the same destiny from ancient times, and are still marching in the same direction looking forward toward a prosperous future for the people of the region, for this is the goal we are all working to achieve.

In accordance with the above our Committee studied the constitutional draft and came out with a unified vision and stand. We agreed on the following remarks and proposals hoping that you will give it your utmost attention and full consideration:

1. The preamble of the draft was careful to bring about the sufferings and persecution of the Kurdistani people throughout many centuries up to the time of Saddam's persecutions. We believe that should be part of the constitution, but we see that the preamble missed to mention the miseries and persecution that were perpetrated against our Chaldean Assyrian Syriac people. Therefore we propose to add to the preamble the "sufferings of our people during the first world war, the genocide of 1933 in Semel and 1969 in the village of Souria".
2. The preamble refers to the Iraqi ethnicities; we propose the text to be changed to: Iraq is comprised of Arabs, Kurds, Turkmans, (Chaldeans Assyrians Syriacs), and Armenians.
3. We welcome the constitution's inclusions of the historical, political and national neighboring regions to the current boundaries of the region to guarantee the rights of the inhabitants to join the region to exercise their rights and to maintain the continuity with the rest of the people in the region and since the Nineveh plain falls within the expanded boundaries we propose to include in the constitution a clear text of our people's right to autonomy within the said region.
4. We propose to add a new article to the constitution that will declare clearly the guaranteed national, political, cultural, and administrative right of our people (Chaldean Assyrian Syriac) and the other nationalities in the region.
5. Our people represented by our political, cultural, religious authorities as well s the Kurdistani political, cultural, and scientific organization, fully realize that we are one people despite the multiplicity of our names and since the constitution is the highest law of the land then our people have the right that the constitution should reflect the truth about their national unity.  Hence we call on to amend the constitution draft to include and express this unity though adopting the inclusive nomenclature which is (Chaldean Assyrian Syriac), whenever mentioned in the constitution.
6. In order to reflect the unity of the diverse Kurdistani People, we propose that the first of April (New Years Day for our People) be declared a national Holiday for all people of Kurdistan.
7. We propose to delete paragraph two of article 2 since it contradicts with paragraph one of the same article.
8. We propose to rewrite paragraph one of article 6 to read as follows: the people of Kurdistan are comprised of Kurds, (Chaldeans Assyrians Syriacs), Turkmans, Arabs, and Armenians.
9. We propose to rewrite paragraph one of article 12 to read as follows: Kurdistan region would have a flag that will be raised side by side with the flag of the Federal Republic of Iraq, has a national anthem and a national fest (Nawroze Fest). This would be organized though a law where the flag and the national anthem will reflect the diversity of all the components of the Kurdistani Region.
10. We propose to change the word (Kurdish) with the word Kurdistani in the article 74 of the constitution draft.
11. We propose to amend the paragraph two of article 80, article 111, and article 146 by changing the word "consider" with this constitution "guarantee".
12. We propose to add an article to the draft regarding making the school text informative of the identity, civil and historic role of all the people and religions of the region.

By submitting these remarks and proposals we have fulfilled a national duty. We call on to our Chaldean Assyrian Syriac people and all their political, cultural, and religious authorities inside and outside of the Kurdistani region to be an effective element for constitution draft discussions by submitting their visions and proposals and reach out with their thoughts to the committee of the writing the constitution so that every body will feel that he is a part of and has a part in the constitution. We also call on to our unified people and the affiliated political entities participating in this political maneuver to support our proposals.

Finally we salute again this step in the ongoing political march in Iraq In general and Kurdistani Region in particular asking all to enrich the constitution draft with their proposal to serve the interest and the future of the Federal Iraqi Kurdistani Region.

Signed on November 10th, 2006
Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan Region

Nimrod Baito Youkhana, Assyrian Patriotic Party
Dr. Goriel Esho Khamis, ChaldoAshur Org. of Kurdistani Communist Party
Saeed Yaco Shemaya, Chaldean Democratic Forum
Poles Shamoun Ishaq, Chaldean Cultural Association
Romeo Hakkari, Bet Nahrain Democratic Party

ADO Statement on KRG Draft Constitution

Assyrian Democratic Organization
Political Bureau
Damascus, Syria

8 November 2006

From the dawn of history the presence of our indigenous ChaldoAssyrian people in their home country of Iraq has continued uninterrupted.   Since time immemorial they have laid the foundation for the world's first civilizations in Sumer, Akkad, Assyria and Nineveh, the ancient monuments of which are still clearly visible everywhere in Iraq whereas their priceless relics and treasures are the pride of prestigious museums all around the world.

In spite of the proportion of population decline and the demographic changes, due to massacres deportations and repression, our people kept on struggling for their survival and legitimate national rights in their historical homeland, side by side with their partners - Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, Turkmen and others.  We have realized that our national aspirations cannot come true unless there is a real democratic system that recognizes all the components comprising our common homeland, that is why we fought a bitter struggle against dictatorships and oppressions alongside all Iraqi national forces with our various political and national spectrum and have made many sacrifices and martyrs to the cause of liberty.

After the downfall of the former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, our people had high hopes that they would attain their national legitimate rights in the new Iraq, but regrettably the constitution of the federal and unified Iraq, issued last year, did nor take into consideration the unity of our people's national identity with its various designations, and further, did not stipulate an autonomous region for them.  This led to a great deal of frustration and disappointment amongst our people and it was further worsened by sectarian violence in central and south Iraq, as well as by the atrocities, displacement, and bombing of our churches by "Takfiri" rejections groups.

On December 4

STAND FOR IRAQ'S ASSYRIANS. SAVE THE NINEVEH PLAINS. See Our Ad in This Issue's Surfers Corner

All these, in addition to the fact that the resolution on the constitutional amendment is drawing nearer, have prompted our people, with all our political and social organizational and ecclesiastical forces to renew our call for the establishment of an autonomous region in the Nineveh Plain that would provide them with a safe haven and better opportunities for progress and development in both national and human terms .

As a matter of fact, the call for autonomy for our people is not a new one; it goes back to the beginning of the last century and the creation of modern Iraq, when delegates raised this question in the Paris Peace Conference in 1920 and later through recommendations by the International Committee of League of Nations that dealt with what was then called "The Problem of al-Musol Districts " in 1925. For the sake of all these and for guaranteeing our national rights in Iraq since its establishment in 1921, our people have made many sacrifices and have been subjected to massacres in Simel in 1933 and at Suriana village in 1969, and to all kinds of repression, discrimination which have led to our mass emigrations.  Nevertheless, our people have never abandoned their legitimate national rights in Iraq, in establishing an autonomous region in their historical home in the Nineveh Plain.  This was clearly demonstrated in the First General Assyrian Chaldean Syriac Conference held in Baghdad in October 2003 when the foremost demand was the establishment of an autonomous region in Ninevah Plain which represents the heart of historic Assyria.

Now, this call has gathered momentum in concurrence with the general discussions going on on the draft constitution of the Iraqi Kurdistan in which the Ninevah Plain is annexed – consisting of Al-Hamadanie's two provinces "Bakhdida ", "TalKeif " and the "Baashika" areas - to the administrative borders of the region which enjoy peace and stability, unlike the other parts of Iraq ravaged by chaos, violence and disturbances. Moreover, it has called upon our people's organizations, parties and individuals to include the demand for autonomy in the region's constitution as well as in the Iraqi's federal constitution .

Our people have reacted positively and open-mindedly to the draft constitution due to the constructive and good points it includes which ranks it not only ahead of the Iraqi Federal Constitution, but also many other constitutions of the neighboring countries, particularly, in terms of secularism, general freedoms, human and women rights, education and others.  But, regrettably, the drafting committee has repeated the same mistakes made by the Iraqi Constitution with regards to our people's national identity, the disregard for its historic role, its sacrifices, grievances and the massacres it has gone through; concentrating, unjustly, only on the injustices that were done to the Kurds to the exclusion of others. This, in addition to the ambiguity involving the articles concerning the possibility of establishing administrative entities for other nationalities.

In order for the constitution of the Kurdish Regional Government to be fair concerning our people's rights, we believe it should be amended and the following remarks be taken into consideration :

1. The preamble should include the grievances our people have undergone in the hands of the Iraqi dictatorial regimes : the oppression, discrimination, arabization, demolitions of our villages, appropriation of our lands, particularly, the Simel Massacres in 1933, and Suriana in 1969, alongside grievances the Kurds and other people in the region have suffered. This will do justice and equity for all and build a future based on trust and security.
2. The returning of our people's appropriated lands and villages to their rightful owners should be mentioned, as well as the rebuilding of our destroyed villages, the right of the immigrants and the displaced people, their children and grandchildren to return to their homes in the region, reclaim their Iraqi citizenship and exercise their rights as citizens, having displaced as the result of injustices and oppressions.
3. Our people should be called by our unified name - agreed upon by all our organizations and forces - wherever it occurs in the constitution, that is Chaldo-Assyian-Syriac, which reflects our real national identity with all designations. Moreover, efforts should be made to introduce this amendment in the Iraqi Federal Constitution as well in order that to be in agreement with the reality of the united identity of our people.
4. The constitution should include an explicit clause stipulating the formation of an autonomous region for our people in the Ninevah Plain, with the possibility of its becoming another governorate in the region that would administratively include our people's concentrated centers, villages and towns situated in Arbil and Duhok "Nohadra " governorates, within an integrated plan for a new administrative distribution on the region's scope that would provide equal opportunities for the advancement of all the nationalities and would further consolidate the principle of complete partnership amongst all its components.
5. The constitution's preamble should refer to our people's deep-rooted presence and civilized role in the history of Iraq and further to the fact that we are an indigenous people in the region and in Iraq.
6. Our people's religious and national days should be proclaimed official holidays in the region like the 1st of April "our national New Year", Christmas and Easter.  Similarly, the feasts of other nationalities should become official holidays also.
7. A "Council for Nationalities" with equal representation should be formed from all nationalities, to complement the parliament. The responsibility of this body will be the protection of the minorities and guaranteeing their rights by giving their representatives the right to reject any decision or law that would encroach upon their rights guaranteed by the constitution.  A council like this will provide an advanced model for resolving the nationalities issue in all the countries of the region far from the hegemony of the majority over the minority, especially that these nationalities have suffered a lot from injustice and repression.
8. The flag and the national anthem in the region should represent the reality, history, culture and symbols of all the national components in the region.
9. Article 74 should be amended to showing respect and reverence for the memory of leaders and martyrs of the national movements of all nationalities in the region, as it should not be confined only to those of the Kurdish movement as stipulated in the constitution.
10. The constitution should stipulate that the region's nationalities should have the right to elect their representatives to the parliament by themselves according to independent electoral constituencies for each nationality and their numerical proportion in the region, in addition to their fair representation in all influential positions, security and diplomatic organizations and others.
11. Article 11 should be amended to include the region's government guarantees providing the necessary funding from the general budget for the protection and revival and education of nationalities' languages in the region: Syriac, Armenian, Turkmen, and not only the right of education, as stipulated in the provision .

Based on a realist political approach, Assyrian Democratic Organization (ADO) is dealing positively with the available possibilities and probabilities, and further, envisages the claim for autonomy in the Nineveh Plain supported by sufficient legal and constitutional guarantees and the approval of our people in a general referendum, as a realist and positive choice, even though lesser than the ceiling of our people's ambitions and rights .

While blessing and supporting the choices of our people in Iraq, we call upon all organizations and forces of our people in the homeland and diaspora to shoulder their national responsibilities in this very difficult phase where our entire national existence in Iraq is at stake, and to deal realistically and open-mindedly with the options and demands of our people in Iraq, on top of all, the claim for autonomy and the constitutional guarantee of their rights, as a first step towards fulfilling the legitimate national rights in all the places of our people's historical presence in the countries of the region.

Justice and eternity to our cause.

Chaldean Priest Missing, Feared Kidnapped

Courtesy of the AsiaNews
20 November 2006

(ZNDA: Baghdad)  Christians in Baghdad fear yet another priest has been kidnapped. Fr Doglas Yousef Al Bazy, 34, left his parish yesterday morning and has not yet returned home.

The alarm was raised swiftly throughout Iraq and the diaspora via the Internet and SMS: the young priest’s community and leaders of Iraq’s Chaldean Church believe it is “highly likely” that he has been kidnapped. If their misgivings are proved right, this would be the latest in a long list of kidnappings targeting Christian clerics. Not only gangs of common criminals are suspected to be behind the spate of kidnappings.

The Chaldean Auxiliary Bishop of Baghdad, Mgr Shleman Warduni, told AsiaNews: “Patriarch Delly and I have activated our contacts, hoping they would give us hope but so far we have had no replies. That he was kidnapped is a very likely hypothesis, but there is no confirmation as yet.”

Fr Doglas was ordained some 10 years ago. Mgr Warduni described him as a man who was “very active in the diocese, committed especially to accompanying youth.” He is secretary of the Institute for Religious Teaching and also of the Council of Church leaders in Baghdad. A few months ago, he was put in charge of St Elias Parish.

The Auxiliary Bishop said: “There are many theories about why Christians are kidnapped: crime, religious fanaticism, money, the intent to create division among the people.” He continued: “We hope that those who have taken him have a conscience and understand that we priests desire only to bring the Good News to people and to work for the good of all Iraqis. We are for the unity of Iraq and we ask to be able to work together with our co-nationals to rebuild our country and to attain peace and security.” However, among the Chaldean community, the idea is increasingly taking hold that threats and kidnappings are not carried out indiscriminately, but that they “target those people who are most involved in the Christian community, the younger and more courageous ones, almost as if to give a warning to those who persist in hoping that they will be able to continue living in the country.”

AsiaNews sources said the situation in the country has become “unbearable”. Christians rarely leave their homes but they are not the only ones to suffer. They say: “No place is safe anymore. Even workplaces are no longer safe. In recent months, bakers have been killed in Baghdad just because they formed typical rhomboidal shaped loaves, in the vague semblance of a cross.”

Finally, Mgr Warduni made an appeal to the likely kidnappers of Fr Doglas: “If you have a conscience and believe in God, do not do him any ill and free him as soon as possible, safe and sound.”

Mar Audo of Aleppo Prays for Refugees in Syria

Courtesy of Zenit News Agency
17 November 2006

(ZNDA: Koenigstein)  Chaldean Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo, Syria, had a special intention when he celebrated Mass this week at the headquarters of Aid to the Church in Need in Germany.

"Let's pray together for the 25,000 refugees from Iraq now in our midst," said the prelate.

Father Joaquín Alliende-Luco, the international ecclesiastical assistant for Germany-based charity, welcomed the bishop Tuesday in a joint prayer for peace in the Holy Land, in Iraq and in other Arab countries.

Bishop Audo, 60, said: "After reading excerpts in your founder's book 'Fighter for Peace,' I noted the importance Father Werenfried placed on prayer and communion as integral parts of your charity, taking precedence before fund raising.

"We need peace in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, in the whole Middle East. War and violence destroy the future of all people involved. Christians too are fearful of their future. Many of the 25,000 Chaldean-Catholics, who fled from Iraq to Syria, are taking refuge there before hopefully moving to a third country."

Syria's 18.8 million inhabitants include 160,000 Christians, about a quarter of whom are Catholics, counting the refugees.

Gen. Boris Ivanov Remains in Georgian Jail;
Russian-Georgian Tensions Rise

Nearly four months after the arrest of Mr. Boris Ivanov by the authorities in the Republic of Georgia the attention of the Assyrian and international observers and human rights groups is more than ever focused on the government of Georgia's human rights track and treatment of its minorities.

On 27 July 2006 a group of armed Georgian Special Police Force officers broke into the house of General Boris Ivanov and arrested him without presenting any arrest warrant.  Eyewitnesses claim that a small bag of unknown substance was placed in Mr. Ivanov's pocket before he was charged with possession of abused substances.

Shortly after the Assyrian National Convention in Chicago where he was a guest speaker, the renown Assyrian investigative journalist, Nuri Kino, went to Georgia to learn more about Gen. Ivanov's arrest.   His concluded that the authorities had falsely accused Gen. Ivanov and that there were no conclusive evidence present for his arrest.

Ms. Attiya Gamri Beth Arsan, Mr. Sozar Subari – Ombudsman (right) and Mr. David Adamov of the Assyrian International Congress of Georgia at the office of Ombudsman of Georgia.

At the invitation of the Assyrian International Congress of Georgia, on 21 October Assyrian-Dutch politician and human rights activist, Ms. Attiya Gamri Beth Arsan traveled to Georgia and investigated the arrest.   Ms. Gamri met with the family of the General, his lawyer and the members of the Assyrian International Congress of Georgia.

She also met the Chairperson of the Committee for Human Rights and Civil Integration, Mrs. Elene Tevdoradze; Public Defender of Georgia, Mr. Sozar Subari and the representative of the Amnesty International in Georgia. She also contacted the Office of the General Prosecutor of Georgia.

At press time neither Ms. Gamri Beth Arsan nor the family of General Ivanov are told the exact reason for his arrest or given the official statement of charges against him.

General Ivanov's attorney was unable to secure a personal visit for Ms. Gamri Beth Arsan with the accused in prison.

On 30 October Ms. Gamri Beth Arsan was interviewed by a Georgian weekly English speaking newspaper, “Georgian Times”.  In her interview Ms. Attiya commented that “the investigators have made several mistakes – none of them ever talked to eyewitnesses or read their reports”.  Her preliminary conclusion is that the Ivanov’s arrest was a big misunderstanding based on wrong accusations.

Ms. Gamri Beth Arsan also noted that: “If after my visit there is no solution, we will start a huge campaign in Europe. We have almost one and a half million Assyrians all over the world who follow this issue because they all know and respect this person.”

Since 1991 Gen. Ivanov has been a distinguished honorary member of the Assyrian Universal Alliance. He is also a member of the Assyrian National Council of Illinois.  Gen. Ivanov was the founder of the Assyrian International Congress of Georgia and for many years he was the President of this very well known Assyrian Organization, which is now actively working toward his release.

General Boris Emmanuel Ivanov was born on 14 October 14 1943. He was born and raised in Tbilisi, Georgia. His father, Emmanuel Ivanov, was born in 1923 in Tbilisi. His father’s side of the family came from Iran.  Boris’s mother, Sara Ivanova, was born in Tbilisi in 1925; her parents were from Turkey. Boris has two sisters and two brothers. One brother passed away last year at the age of 59. Boris is widowed; his wife died last year as a result of cancer.  Gen. Ivanov has two daughters, one son and two grandchildren.

After finishing high school, Boris Ivanov entered the Police academy. He began his professional career as a criminal police officer. Then he became a chief of criminal police of a district in Tbilisi. Later he was promoted to the chief of police of the city of Tbilisi. After many courageous operations and years of hard work Boris Ivanov was given the title of the general in the military police.

Boris also worked at the Department of Internal Affairs of Georgia. One of his tasks was to uncover the kidnappers’ ring that were taking hostages and demanding ransom for their release. The kidnappers were members of the Georgian military forces. They were caught and disarmed. After the criminals were arrested, the wrongfully accused and imprisoned were released. After this event Boris’s popularity increased and he became a prototype of one of the main characters of the novel There is No Way Back, written by a Russian novelist. General Ivanov was publicly referred to as a hero of the Georgian people.

Georgia declared independence from the Soviet Union on 9 April 1991, under the rule of the former Soviet dissident Zviad Gamsakhurdia. In December the Georgian National Guard, under the command of Tengiz Kitovani, laid siege to the offices of Gamsakhurdia's government in Tbilisi. After weeks of stalemate, he was forced to resign in January 1992. He was replaced as president by Eduard Shevardnadze, the former Soviet foreign minister under Mikhael Gorbechev and architect of the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

Shortly after Gen. Ivanov was was transferred to Georgia's Department of Defense, where he was promoted to the Chief of Military Police of Georgia and became a General.

On 21 February 1992, Georgia's ruling Military Council abolished the Soviet-era constitution and restored the 1921 Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Georgia.

The regional government of the Abkhaz region of Georgia on 23 July 1992 declared secession from Georgia.  The Georgian government accused Gamsakhurdia supporters of kidnapping Georgia's interior minister and holding him captive in Abkhazia.

A photo of Gen. Ivanov during his military service in the Georgian forces.

The Georgian government dispatched 3,000 troops to the region.  Gen. Ivanov was commanded the Georgian forces to restore order. Heavy fighting between Georgian forces and Abkhazian militia broke out in and around Sukhumi - the capital of the region.  After about a week's fighting and many casualties on both sides, Georgian government forces managed to take control of most of Abkhazia, and closed down the regional parliament.  During the war with Abkhazia Gen. Ivanov was in charge of many military operations. He was one of the last Georgian officers who left Abkhazia. He stayed with his soldiers and walked back through the Kodory Canyon.

Russian forces reportedly sided with the secessionsts.  Shevardnadze's government accused Russia of giving covert military support to the rebels with the aim of "detaching from Georgia its native territory and the Georgia-Russian frontier land". The year 1992 ended with the rebels in control of much of Abkhazia northwest of Sukhumi.

In July 1993 the Abkhaz separatist militias launched an abortive attack on Georgian-held Sukhumi. The capital was surrounded and heavily shelled, with Shevardnadze himself trapped in the city. After ten days of heavy fighting, Sukhumi fell on 27 September, 1993. Eduard Shevardnadze narrowly escaped death.

The separatist forces quickly overran the rest of Abkhazia; it is estimated that between 10,000-30,000 ethnic Georgians and 3,000 ethnic Abkhaz may have perished — and some 250,000-300,000 people were forced into exile.  As the result of this conflict, the former Soviet republic of Georgia lost control over its provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia - roughly a fifth of its territory - in separatist wars in the 1990s.  South Ossetia has just voted for independence.

The United States and European Union recognize Abkhazia as an integral part of Georgia, while the Abkhaz separatist government consider Abkhazia a sovereign country.  Russia still maintains a strong political and military influence over the separatist rule in Abkhazia.  President Bush firmly supports Georgia's pro-Western president, while Russia is hostile. Moscow doesn't recognize the breakaway regions as independent, but is friendly to them, and there are fears that any conflict could draw in Russian troops.

A few individuals in the Georgian government during this time were involved in the illegal shipment of arms to other countries and Georgian regions.

Gen. Ivanov tried to prevent such illegal activities and in return was accosted by enemies in the government who accused him of other wrongdoings in return.  Gen. Ivanov was able to quickly clear his name and remove the charges.

An article about Gen. Ivanov's arrest appeared in an October issue of the Georgia Times.

In 1995 Gen. Ivanov moved his family to Moscow.  He worked as a Chief of Police of the north-eastern district of Moscow and later as Prosecutor.    Two years later Gen. Ivanov retired as his health began to deteriorate. He was diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension.

In Moscow he attended a press conference conducted by Mr. Giorgadze, a former Chief of KGB in Georgia.   A telephone call was also made from his office to Mr. Emzar Kvitsiani, who at the time was in charge of the stand off in Kodory Canyon in Abkhazia.  Gen. Ivanov claims that the phone call was made by a friend, Avto Djokhadze, a former colleague from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.  not himself.  “When the rebels started their operation in Kodori, I was at home, watching news with my friends. When we heard of what was going on in Kodori, my friend called Emzar Kviciani using my phone. Even though the phone call was made, it never went through,” says Boris Ivanov.

In September of this year the government in Tbilisi detained four Russian military officials on charges of spying. The Kremlin responded with economic sanctions and by severing rail and air links.  President Vladimir Putin declared that the government would tighten migration laws to "protect the interest of Russian manufacturers and Russia's native population."

Russian authorities then began a sweeping campaign against ethnic Georgians. Hundreds have been deported, and Moscow schools were asked to produce lists of students with Georgian last names to local police forces.

Police stepped up document checks and temporarily closed Georgian-owned casinos and restaurants. An estimated 1 million ethnic Georgians reside and work legally in Russia, mainly in Moscow, where they have lived for most of their lives.  Among these is General Ivanov.

On Nov. 2, Russian energy monopoly Gazprom announced it would more than double the price of gas to Georgia.

Boris traveled to Georgia every year to visit his father and the rest of his family.  It was during his last visit to Georgia in July for a family reunion - amidst the diplomatic chaos between Russia and Georgia- when his sister and her daughters whom he had not seen for 10 years had also come from the United States, that General Ivanov was arrested by the Georgian authorities.

Three months after the arrest of Gen. Ivanov in Georgia, on 18 October, the Abkhazian parliament passed a resolution, calling upon Russia, international organizations, and the rest of the international community to recognize Abkhazian independence, claiming that the region possesses all the properties of an independent state.

Last Thursday, in an unusual move not required by protocol, President Putin and his wife met President Bush and his wife, while Air Force One (Presidential Aircraft) stopped briefly in Moscow for refueling en route to Asia for the Asia Pacific Economic Conference.  Russia's ongoing diplomatic dispute with the former Soviet Republic of Georgia was one of the many issued discussed.

Whether the arrest of Gen. Ivanov is tied to the secessionist movement in Ossetia and Abkhazia, or a revenge act by Tbilisi against former Georgian officials living in Russia remains a mystery.  Yet the international human rights observers and Assyrian officials continue to express their outrage at the wrongful arrest of General Boris Ivanov and urge all to contact the Georgian embassies around the world and demand the immediate release of Gen. Ivanov.

The Georgian Times interview with Ms. Attiya Tunc-Gamri
21 October 2006

Q: What kind of conclusions are you able to draw, based on the first results of your investigation?

Assyrian Congress in Georgia invited me to come and investigate the problems of General Boris Ivanov. I have been working for almost 10 years as a Human Rights Activist, due to my official responsibilities I have been to many countries to make research on many political prisoners.
For this case, I started my investigations by speaking with lawyers, including Helena Tevdoradze, at Amnesty International. None of them could give me a reason why this man was arrested.
I could see that the investigators of the case made lots of rude mistakes - none of them ever talked to the eye witnesses or read their reports.

I spoke with almost 20 people, neighbors of Boris Ivanov, who saw what happened that day. All of them told me the same story, with the same details, time, and the same names. They all confirm that 8 grams of heroine was placed in Ivanov’s pocket by the police.

I am very shocked, because in Europe, Georgia has a reputation of a thriving country, the way the revolution happened here seems to be an indicator democratic tendencies. But now I see that people here are afraid to stand for the truth. They prefer to passively agree that “these things happen”, and that there is little they can do about any kind of injustice.

According to the other side, Ivanov was arrested because he had a contact with political rebels. If that was a justified reason for his arrest, I would only have respect for the law in Georgia and, would not have come here for this case. But I cannot believe that that can be true. It is highly improbable that Ivanov would get in contact with rebels when his whole family was in Georgia. This is the person who served Georgia all his life. He loved this country and would never do anything to damage it. I think there must be some kind of miscommunication. The prosecutor doesn’t have any solid evidence or proof to show the court, and I believe Ivanov will be set free and leave Georgia, maybe forever.

Q: What do you estimate are your chances to influence the process?

I don’t think my chances to influence the process will be very good if nobody is willing to oppose the oppression. The main problem is that people here are closed. Isn’t it definite that if you stay indifferent to the problems of the people of your country, you will be the victim of the same misfortune? I was surprised to discover that when you go to institution like Parliament, the Ministry of Justice, and other government institutions you are met by people at reception, who are always unfriendly and aggressive. I really think Georgia is a beautiful country. Its history is very rich and interesting. I admire that though you were under the reign of enemies, had Persians and Turks here, you fought for your freedom. I admire the way you had the revolution, with no bloodshed, you were together and opposed the old regime. I think that is what you should always do when your rights are violated.

But now I am surprised to see that the people are afraid to talk, they are closed and deaf to any innovations, to new views, they are not willing to find out whether we have something good for the country.

The other thing is that I never got permission to visit Boris Ivanov in jail. I don’t if he is treated properly or whether he is getting any medicines – and this is an old man with fragile health.
The court process is still being delayed. They should have made decision 3 weeks ago, but they said that they needed more time, and thus he has been in jail for now. They keep him in an isolation ward where his relatives are not allowed to see him.

If heroine was the real reason for his arrest, they should have seen if he is really able to use drugs, where he got it and whom he was going to sell it to… or maybe he intended to sell 8 grams of heroine?! Nobody asks these questions. None of the representatives of the prosecution in this case agreed to talk to me; they avoid questions saying they are working on the issue and that the investigation process must be kept in secret.

The best thing I can do is to show that this process is being watched by millions of people, who get the report from us every day, and I will do all that is in my power to get this problem solved by peaceful measures.

Q: What will be your next step if your visit to Georgia will not bring the desirable solution?

Now we just want to be clear. If Ivanov has contact with the rebels I will go back and don’t do anything. If he is innocent we will demand his release. If after my visit there is no solution, we will start a huge campaign in Europe. We have almost one and half million Assyrians all over the world who follow this issue because they all know and respect this person. And if I go and say to these people that Georgian police put drugs into his pocket, there will definitely be influential people who will ask questions about it. The image of Georgian will be significantly damaged on an international scale.

Special thanks to Ms. Ilona Adamova and Mr. David Adamov who contributed to this article.  Zinda Magazine urges its readers, Assyrian civic and religious organizations to immediately write to the embassies of the Republic of Georgia, the office of the Georgian president and the Georgian parliament and demand the immediate release of General Boris Ivanov.  The text of a sample letter follows.  You may copy and paste this letter and mail/fax/email to:

Mr. Mikhail Saakashvili, President of Georgia
Fax: (+99532) 99-58-96
pr@president.gov.ge

Mr. Sozar Subari, Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia
Fax: (+99532) 922 470
subari@ombudsman.ge
www.ombudsman.ge

Sample Letter

Dear __________,

On 27 July 2006 General Boris Ivanov was arrested by the Georgian Special Police Force officers at his home in family home in the capital Tbilisi as he was visiting his family for a reunion. Special forces entered his home and arrested him in the presence of his family members as if he were a criminal.

When he was brought before the court, no charges were filed.  No charges have been brought up to my attention until now. He has been brought back to his isolation cell without hearing any charges and without any chance to meet others except his lawyer to defend him.  Gen. Ivanov is being treated as a criminal and he has not committed any crime.

I believe that ill-treating Gen. Ivanov is a serious matter.  He is well known for his service in the Georgian military and to his Assyrian people.  He has devoted his whole life to promote peace in in Georgia and in the region.

Gen. Ivanov is also an advocate of the Assyrian people's rights in Georgia and abroad.  I am very concerned about the difficulties the Assyrian-Georgian communities, along with the advocates of human rights in Georgia are facing currently due to Gen. Ivanov's wrongful arrest and I urge you to advocate his immediate release.

Yours sincerely

PRO ORIENTE Studies of the Syriac Tradition

Press Release

PRO ORIENTE Forum Syriacum
Vienna, Austria
October 19, 2006

On October 18 and 19 October 2006 a meeting of 14 expert scholars from 9 countries of the Syriac Church tradition took place in Vienna. A new endeavour called "PRO ORIENTE Studies of the Syriac Tradition“ was started. For this purpose a Forum Syriacum has been formed which consists of an expanded circle of expert scholars in Syriac studies. The founding members of the Forum Syriacum are:

PRO ORIENTE Forum Syriacum held on October 19 in Vienna:  Bishop Mar Bawai Soro is sitting on the right presenting his paper and Metropolitan Mar Aprem of India is seen in the background (above H.G. Soro's head).

- Metropolitan APREM G. Mooken, India
- Metropolitan GREGORIOS Yohanna Ibrahim, Syria
- Metropolitan KURIAKOSE Theophilose, India
- Metropolitan Joseph POWATHIL, India
- Archbishop Jules Mikhael AL-JAMIL, Italy
- Archbishop Paul MATAR, Lebanon
- Archbishop Louis SAKO, Iraq
- Bishop Bawai SORO, USA
- Archdeacon Khoshaba GEORGES, Great Britain
- Father Frans BOUWEN, Israel
- Father Geevarghese CHEDIATH, India
- Father Baby VARGHESE, India
- Prof. Dietmar Winkler, Austria
- Dr. Aho Shemunkasho, Austria

- Mgr. Johan BONNY, Vatican (Observer)

From the beginning, PRO ORIENTE – as a foundation of the Archdiocese of Vienna has focused not only on the (Byzantine) Orthodox Church but has also included the Christian traditions of the Orient. In order for PRO ORIENTE to help the various churches of the Syriac tradition and to preserve their unique heritage which is of importance for the whole of Christianity, the Foundation has invited scholars and experts to study the East and West Syriac tradition.

This new Forum advises and consults the PRO ORIENTE Foundation to develop appropriate studies and helps to coordinate the research projects. Within the Forum Syriacum there should also be an exchange of current developments of the Syriac Churches, to strengthen the solidarity of those who belong to the Syriac tradition.

Concerning theme and method for research, PRO ORIENTE Forum Syriacum chooses topics for research and the appropriate approaches to study them. This includes individual studies, regional study groups in the Middle East, India and elsewhere, and the scholarly exchange in academic conferences called “PRO ORIENTE Colloquia Syriaca”.

The proceedings of the PRO ORIENTE Colloquia Syriaca as well as other related studies will be published in a new series called “PRO ORIENTE Studies of the Syriac Tradition”.

The Forum Syriacum has elaborated a work plan with research topics which include: Church history (i.e. non-theological factors for division and the common reading of history), Syriac Churches encountering other religions and other cultures (i.e. inculturation and immigration); and liturgy, spirituality and monasticism. At the first Colloquium Syriacum taking place in Vienna November 5-10, 2007 the following theme will be studied: “Syriac Churches encountering Islam: past experiences and future perspectives”. Thus the Forum Syriacum also reacts to the intrinsic and external challenges with which the Christians from the Middle East are confronted today.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of PRO ORIENTE, Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, paid a visit to the expert scholars assembled in Vienna. He welcomed and appreciated the new endeavour of the „PRO ORIENTE Studies of the Syriac Tradition“. He expressed his concern on the current difficult situation of the Christians in the Middle East, which again forces many of them to emigrate. The assistance of Cardinal Schönborn to the Christian refugees from the Middle East living in Vienna was mentioned with gratitude by the participants. Cardinal Schönborn emphasized the bridging function of those Christians in the region.

Proud Assyrian Survivor can Move On

The Story of William Warda

Courtesy of the Daily Telegraph
8 November 2006
By Charles Miranda

William Warda is the Second Secretary in charge of political affairs in the Iraqi embassy in Tokyo.

(ZNDA: London) His resume reads like a Boys' Own adventure novel, chock-full of battling, bomb-tossing fanatics, bullets and escapes from near death.

Now former Fairfield security guard William Warda can move on, with the announcement that his nemesis, Saddam Hussein, will die at the end of a noose.

"This is really a historic day and so important to my family as one of the victims of Saddam, the former dictator," an emotional Mr Warda said yesterday.

"He killed his own citizens without mercy or justice, waged wars against neighbouring countries; he has been brought to trial in his own country and held accountable in a court of law with ordinary citizens bearing witness.

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"Saddam got what he deserved for crimes against humanity committed during years of brutal dictatorship. I believe that the verdict on Saddam is really a milestone in the Iraqi people's efforts to replace the rule of a tyrant with the rule of law."

Mr Warda, now 47, graduated from Baghdad University in 1980 with a Bachelor of Medicine in Veterinary Science and Surgery, but was conscripted shortly after into the Iraqi Army for the Iran-Iraq War.

As a Christian Assyrian he was abused, made to do menial work including walking a minefield as a human mine sweeper.

In 1991 he deserted and formed his own rebel army to back US forces against Saddam's Republican Guard during the first Gulf War, organising a ragtag battalion of men to fight against Saddam and leading numerous covert raids.

Mr Warda's rebel activities resulted in his father Eshayo being executed by Iraqi spies and his brother George being put under house arrest before he paid a bribe and escaped. In 1996, after surviving two assassination attempts himself, Mr Warda fled to Turkey and secured asylum in Australia.

Mr Warda, now an Australian citizen, moved last year to Japan as a second secretary in charge of political affairs in the Iraqi embassy in Tokyo.

When the Gulf War broke out, he had planned to travel back to regroup his forces against Saddam, but he was stopped at Sydney airport by ASIO agents who reminded him it was illegal to be a mercenary.

They suggested he work "diplomatically", which he did, as a liaison officer and political adviser to US forces in the ethnically-divided Iraqi north and a diplomat.

He now says his only fight is as a diplomat.

"We want an Iraq where all Iraqis – Arabs, Kurds Assyrians and Turkomans – are equal before the law," he said.

"The longer they keep Saddam alive, the longer they are keeping the violence alive."

Iraqi Torture Victims Counselor: Execution is Wrong

Courtesy of the Toronto Sun
6 November 2006
By Sandy Naiman

(ZNDA: Toronto)  Ezat Mossallanejad vehemently opposes the death penalty for anyone, including Saddam Hussein.

"Using torture or the death penalty against one person, even on an exceptional basis, destroys our hopes and aspirations for living on a planet in peace," said the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture counselor, who works with Iraqi torture victims.

The death penalty serves no purpose; what's really important is the recognition of Saddam's crimes, not killing him, Mossallanejad said.

"Hussein is a genocider and should be sentenced to life imprisonment, which would stand as a testament to him as a genocider and a war criminal who has committed many crimes against humanity."

Mossallanejad stressed the crimes for which the court tried Saddam -- the killing of 148 people in a Shiite village in 1982 -- do not represent the whole of his "devilish actions."

He said Saddam killed more than one million Iranians and Iraqis, 5,000 Kurds, and thousands of Kuwaitis, and "should have been handed over to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, even though it was established before the perpetration of his ghoulish crimes," Mossallanejad said.

Ramsin Benjamen, who in 1984 was sentenced to life in Abu Ghreb prison in Baghdad for promoting democracy and seeking Assyrian Christian rights, hopes Saddam's death doesn't just wipe out the man.

"We are hoping that Saddam's ideology is terminated, not only himself."

Girls to Stand Trial for Murder of Assyrian Taxi Driver

Courtesy of Yahoo News
23 October 2006

(ZNDA: Sydney)  Two teenage girls accused of murdering a Sydney taxi driver have been committed to stand trial.

Cabbie Youbert Hormozi suffered a fatal heart attack after he was allegedly beaten and dragged from his taxi by the girls on January 31, at Canley Heights, in Sydney's south-west.

The pair, who cannot be named, were aged 14 at the time, making them among the youngest girls to be charged with murder in NSW.

The girls have faced a committal hearing at Lidcombe Children's Court, at which magistrate John Crawford found there was enough evidence for them to stand trial.

Mr Hormozi, a 53-year-old father of two, died of a heart attack on the way to Liverpool Hospital following the attack on January 31.

The girls, who are cousins, were arrested the next day in Strathfield, in Sydney's inner west.

They have been in custody since their arrest and will be arraigned in the NSW Supreme Court on a date to be set.

New Catholic Chaldean Eparchy of Oceania Formed

Courtesy of Spero News
26 October 2006

(ZNDA: Sydney)  Pope Benedict has created a Chaldean Eparchy for Oceania, to care for Australian and New Zealand Catholics who follow the Chaldean Rite with the title of "Saint Thomas Apostle of Sydney of the Chaldeans.

Archbishop Djibrail Kassab has been appointed first Bishop of the new Eparchy transferring him from the see of Basra.

Bishop Philip Wilson, president of the Australian Bishops Conference commented: "On behalf of the Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Church in Australia we welcome the creation of the new Eparchy and new Bishop. It is important for Chaldean Catholics to be able to celebrate their faith according to their Rite and ancient traditions".

Chaldean Catholics in the world number about one million. About half live in Iraq where there is the Patriarchate of Babylon of the Chaldeans. The Partriarch is His Beatitude Emmanuel-Karim Delly.

There are two Chaldean Catholic communities in the United States. One in Detroit, the Eparchy of St Thomas the Apostle created over 20 years ago, and the other in California with a total number of 170,000 faithful gathered in 15 parishes.

In Canada there are about 20,000 Chaldean Catholics in three parishes in Windsor, Toronto and Montreal. In Oceania there are about 20,000 Chaldean Catholics.

In Australia, there are 14,000 in Melbourne, served by three priests with two churches, rooms for catechism and a school; 12,000 in Sydney, served by three priests with a church and three missions in the city suburbs.

In New Zealand there are at least 3,000 Chaldean Catholics service by one priest and organised in three centres: Auckland with a church and a priest, Wellington and Hamilton.

In Europe there are at least 60,000 Chaldean Catholics in communities in France, Germany, United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Greece and Italy.

The Chaldean Rite is one of five main eastern Catholic Rites, with the Alexandrine rite (Coptic and Ethiopian), the Rite of Antioch (Syro and Maronite), the Armenian, and that of Constantinople. The Chaldean rite is celebrated by the Assyrian Church of the East, the Chaldean Church, the Syro-Malabar Church. (Ed. note: there also exists the nearly defunct Mozarabic Rite in Spain that once was common in Andalusia under Moorish domination).

The Chaldean traditional ritual expanded in an independent way under the ancient Sassanid Empire (4th-7th century) that reigned over Persia (today Syria, Iraq, Iran), before the Arabian conquest: hence the name "Persian Rite" that is used sometimes.

This Rite found its current form, at least in the Holy Mass, at the beginning of the 7th century. It then developed following its fundamental structure. Since the 17th century the name "Chaldean" prevailed in Rome whilst in the Chaldean regions the "Syro-Oriental" one was preferred.

The Chaldean liturgy preserves nearly exclusively the use of the Syrian language (or Aramaic) although, in the Middle East, in some churches, readings in Arabic, the language of the people of that area, are used.

Hermit Nun is Anything but Reclusive

Courtesy of the Boston Globe
11 November 2006
By Rich Barlow

(ZNDA: Boston)  For a hermit, Sister Olga Yaqob is remarkably extroverted. She ministers to students at Boston University's Catholic Center, crisscrosses the country giving talks on campuses, and uses public transit because by looking at other passengers, "I do feel that the world wants me to pray for them."

Yaqob, 40, is the only canonical hermit in the Archdiocese of Boston, remaining in solitude and contemplative prayer every Saturday while conducting a public ministry the rest of the week. Yet as metaphor, hermit fits her life story as Yaqob tells it. She has often stood outside the community, be it growing up in Iraq's microscopic Christian minority or leaving her family and their ancestral church to become a nun.

Just 4 feet 10 inches tall, Yaqob has been an outsized presence at BU, says Lydia Longoria, a graduate who was Yaqob's first spiritual advisee, an unusual request on Longoria's part, as Yaqob spoke little English then.

"I didn't need someone who could understand my words; I needed someone who could understand my heart," Longoria says.

Yaqob was born in Kirkuk. Her family belonged to the Assyrian Church, one of several Catholic churches with its own patriarch, or leader. Under Saddam Hussein, Christians lived peacefully with the Muslim majority, and the Assyrians treasured their heritage. Deeply religious, Yaqob attended Catholic Mass weekdays (the Assyrian Church worships only on Sundays). From about the age of 14, she wanted to be a nun.

There was an unconquerable obstacle. Until a decade ago, the Assyrian Church didn't have nuns. Answering the call meant becoming a Roman Catholic, and that, to her parents, was unthinkable.

"They never thought that their daughter could leave the church of her fathers and ancestors," she says. Also, the Islamic Middle East is a patriarchal and family-centered culture, she says. "The general belief is that God created woman to get married and raise children and have a family."

Her parents sent her to university, hoping she would meet a man and fall in love. When she graduated, around the time Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, and informed her father that "God is still jealous for my heart," he told her to take her younger brother to London, ostensibly to save him from mandatory military service and the Gulf War. Her father agreed that if she did that, he would let her become a nun.

But he had also arranged a marriage for her through family in London, something she didn't learn until her brother told her the night before they were to leave Jordan for London. She prayed a lot that night and recalls thinking: "How this is happening? I did obey my parents for years. I obeyed my culture. I obeyed the tradition of my ancestors."

The next day, she put her brother on the plane, but did not board. Her parents disowned her, and she took a bus to Baghdad.

The next few years tested her beliefs. She got a job at a hospital and began bringing food and supplies to poor people and prisoners, founding a lay ministry, Love Your Neighbor. Hussein's actions and international sanctions on Iraq after the Gulf War savaged Iraqis' health and welfare. Her father had worked for an oil company and had given her a comfortable life that did not prepare her for the suffering. She ministered at Abu Ghraib and nearby prisons, a memory that makes her voice catch.

"Animals in your country lived better than prisoners in my country," she says. "There were kids in prison, between 8 and 14 years old, just because they were stealing, because they were poor. . . . They lost homes. They lost parents."

Her work came to the attention of the Assyrian bishop, who had decided to reinstate nuns in the church. He asked Yaqob to start an order; she complied. But she personally observed Roman Catholic practices, which caused friction with her bishop. Jesuit priests from Boston in Iraq arranged for her to study at Boston College. She arrived in the United States just before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"We had such a bond," says Longoria, who regularly seeks the nun's counsel. "It was her heart. There was an openness, a freedom, very much just reflecting holiness. . . . She's a reflection of God."

Today, Yaqob is in sporadic touch with her family. Christian Iraqis are fleeing the country after having been targeted for attack by Muslim insurgents, especially since Pope Benedict XVI quoted a medieval anti-Islam slur. (The pope apologized and said he didn't agree with the slur.) The women in Yaqob's family curb their public outings, fearing for their safety.

"The first Gulf War took us 200 years back," she says, explaining her agreement with the late John Paul II's opposition to the 2003 American invasion. "I know what I mean when I say that there's no solution with war."

Modesto Assyrian's Casino Lawsuit Fails

Courtesy of the Modesto Bee
16 November 2006
By Susan Herendeen

(ZNDA: Modesto)  Sam Awanis tried his luck with a jury and lost.

In a three-day trial last week, the Modesto man argued that Jackson Rancheria Casino and Hotel invaded his privacy by running a television commercial that showed him laughing and holding a hand full of cards.

Awanis said he had no idea he was filmed during a July 2003 trip to the casino until friends and family spotted him in an ad that ran for more than a year on several television channels.

Jurors in Stanislaus County Superior Court were not moved.

They deliberated for 45 minutes, then said Awanis could not recover any profits the casino made from the ad, even if the Assyrian community ostracized him due to his gambling, as Awanis claims in court papers.

Awanis' lawyer said the commercial caused an unnecessary stir in his client's life, even though Awanis' presence in the ad is fleeting.

"He's an unusual looking guy," said attorney Nolan Stringfield of Stockton. "So it's not too hard to spot him."

Stringfield said Jackson Rancheria should have asked Awanis to sign a consent form before including him in a television commercial, something the casino does when it uses pictures of big jackpot winners in ads.

Instead, the casino posted 11-inch by 17-inch signs that read: "Your presence in the casino today implies permission to use your photograph in our promotional materials."

Attorney Robert Zaro of Sacramento, who represents Jackson Rancheria, said the casino posted signs and made announcements about the filming over a public address system.

He said it would be hard to miss the bright lights and camera crew needed to film the commercial.

"He was there for six hours, according to his own testimony, and claims he saw and heard nothing," Zaro said.

By law, Awanis could have been awarded anywhere from $750, the minimum amount of damages allowed, to $5 million, the tribe's maximum exposure under a compact that allows gambling on the Mewuk reservation.

Zaro said Awanis demanded $20 million, though that number is not in the official record.

The court case revolved around the casino's notice about the filming and whether the commercial cast Awanis in a bad light, according to official records.

The casino said the camera was in plain view, while Awanis said it was up high on a scissors jack and not immediately noticeable.

The casino said Awanis' gambling was well-known. Awanis acknowledged making several trips a week to casinos around the region, adding that he had been to Jackson Rancheria 200 times before the filming.

The casino said Awanis had no expectation of privacy in a place that is open to the public. Awanis said his hobby does not give the casino the right to exploit his image.

In the end, Awanis, who is unemployed but used to work as a card dealer, got nothing.

"He had his day in court," Stringfield said.

Looking for Evidence of King Sargon's Invasion in Iran

Courtesy of Payvand Iran News
14 November 2006
By Soudabeh Sadigh

Archeologists at the historic Rabat Tepe are searching to find traces of the Assyrian king's attack to northwest Iran which took place in the first millennium BC.

Tehran, 14 November 2006 (CHN) -- Archeological excavations continue at the historic hill known as Rabat Tepe, northwest Iran, while archeologists are trying to find traces of the 1st millennium invasion by the Assyrian King, Sargon. Some believe that the result of the excavations could shed light on the existence of Musasir kingdom in Rabat Tepe.

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According to historic documents, the invasion took place during the reign of Musasir kings which have remained largely unknown to this date. Archeologists hope that the result of their studies would lead them to identify this mysterious government which was conquered by Sargon, the Assyrian king, some 3000 years ago. "We are certain that we will succeed in finding the evidence we are looking for," said Reza Heidari head of excavation team in Rabat Tepe.

Enormous historical evidence including clay studs belonging to the first millennium BC, engraved bricks, and bronze pins were discovered during the recent excavations in the area.

Among other stunning discoveries in Rabat Tepe are artistic flagstones arranged in the form of concentric circles set in wheat cluster patterns. Archeologists believe that these flagstones which are dated to the first millennium BC belonged to a religious center, possibly the Musasir Temple.

Sargon, the Assyrian king, ruled from 722 to 705 BC. During his reign, he had several attacks to Mannai city states, which has been mentioned in number of clay inscriptions left from his kingdom. Clay inscriptions found in present-day Iraq also have indications of his attacks on the region, particularly the invasion of Musasir Temple.

Rabat hill is one of the richest archeological sites in West Azarbaijan, northwestern Iran which dates back to 1000 BC. The second season of archeological excavations in this historical site started to find out the relation between this historical site and Musasir, which was a semi-independent buffer state bordering Mannai between Assyria and Urartu and was called the "Sun Government" by Assyrians. The ancient city of Musasir is particularly known for its bas-reliefs and inscriptions obtained during the reign of the Assyrian king Sargon II, who captured it in 714 BC. Musasir civilization was contemporary with those of Urartu and Assyria, who allied with one or the other based on political conditions.

The Assyrian Nation from Jonah to Aghajan

Dr George Habash
United Kingdom

Jonah, a Hebrew prophet and man of God (c. 800-750 BC) was keen in seeing Nineveh wiped out than go and “preach” and “proclaim” the word of God to Ninevites, but God rebuked Jonah in the last verse of Jonah’s book (in the Old Testament) by telling him “Should I not be concerned about that great city” Book of Jonah does not tell us more about the Ninevites and the Assyrian nation but what it says is more than enough to fathom the might of that nation. The Book says the city was very large and it took three days to go all through it and more than 120,000 people lived in the city.

Browsing through Georges Roux’s book about our ancient homeland, the period Jonah encountered covers the reigns of kings Shalmaneser IV, Ashur-dan III and Ashur-nirari V, but which “king of Nineveh” Jonah met is not clear to me.

Billy Graham, the thirteenth disciple of Jesus Christ who brings one lost soul to Christ every five minutes, said in a sermon I have watched on TV that Jonah eventually went to Nineveh in a peace mission and in order to avoid an imminent Assyrian foray into the Hebrew land.

Now after just under 3 millennia we come to where we are to another era of not Jonah and king Shalmaneser, but to today’s saviours typified in the examples of Aghajan, Afram, Baito, Hakari, Mansoor, Hadaya, Hariri and Hariri.

There is a Chinese proverb which says that when the tigers are absent from the mountains, the monkey becomes king and the Assyrian political status looks like that.

For nearly a hundred years we have failed to produce a proper leadership that would seek the salvation of the Assyrian masses, but in the last 25 years or so we were awakened by a miracle after a long dope and we had hope and dream that one day the Assyrian might will be manifested.

All of a sudden the house of cards collapsed and our heroes became castrated and the nation is left in the same fate of Jonah the Prophet at the mercy of blowing winds in the rough seas.

Great efforts have been made by some genuine Assyrian writers and activists to shake the ground and speak up before our total annihilation and the voices have become hard to ignore by those at the helm.
But today’s saviours, lead by gong-clad Aghajan who never uttered a word about the Assyrian nation, suddenly launched his pre-emptive move to sidestep the Assyrian writers and activists by talking for the first time about the Assyrian national rights in our heartland of northern Mesopotamia.

The Aghajan plot is to hijack the hard work of the Assyrian activists and prevent it from being genuinely Assyrian by purporting it as a gift from benefactor Kurds who reside on mount Seri-rush in Salah-aldin.

The Assyrians opt for a free and autonomous homeland subtended between the Tigris and upper Zab rivers; living in peace in a par-not subordinate with our Kurdish neighbours. Here we could establish a bi-zone north, one to the west and the other to the east.

Accordingly the Assyrian masses reject the agenda of those Kurdified saviours who until recently rejected the idea of Assyrian autonomous region on the ground that we lack the infrastructure to build a nation.

Every Assyrian nationalist must stand with the genuine Assyrian agenda and stall the hidden schemes of today’s saviours and thwart Aghajan and the likes from presenting a false Christmas present to our Assyrian masses.

If Aghajan succeeds where would our Assyrian parties stand?  Will they become redundant? Will they continue to be parties for a communiqué here and a communiqué there? Will they vanish and remain just dinner-dance parties?

Future will unravel everything.

New Assyrian Movie: Holo Malke bi Malkutho

By Afram Barryakoub, reporting from Sweden

(ZNDA: Stockholm)  After three years of shooting the film, finally the long-awaited film featuring George Faraj was released this week in Germany.  The film titled "Holo Mmalke bi Malkutho" (Western Assyrian, Uncle Malke in Paradise) follows the success of the previous George Faraj film, "Holo Malke bi Golutho" (Uncle Malke in the Diaspora).

In this new comedy, Uncle Malke decides to experience Paradise before his death, so he takes his donkey Kasherto (Assyrian, The Capable) with him on his journey. The movie is an examination of the losses and gains made by the Assyrian nation in the Diaspora, as well as future left for the coming generations.

Holo Malke bi Malkutho premiered in a local cinema in the German city of Gütersloh on 12 November 2006. According to Zinda sources the tickets for the first screening were sold out, was the case for the coming second screening.   The movie will be shown in several European countries with large Assyrian communities.

George Faraj was born in Qamishly, Syria.  He is a playwright, director, poet and singer. George wrote, directed and played in the first major theatrical production in the western Assyrian dialect. The play titled "Grash U Huto" or Pull the Thread was performed in 1971 in Qamishly.  The play, full of criticisms, became an instant success among Assyrians. After that, many other successful theater plays followed.

In 1976 George Faraj moved to Germany and continued his artistic work, producing several plays for the Assyrian audiences.

The cast of George Faraj's new movie include himself (playing Holo Malke), Hanan Faraj (Hilto Wardo), Simon Kaplo (Fahmi), , Klara Danho, George Kaplo, Nabil Anah, Gabi Gall Esaifo, Rihane Shahino, Rabi Aho, Shamiram Ayaz, George Tulonay, Gabriel Gonish Jakob Kaplo and Besim Uiank.

For more information on Holo Malke bi Malkutho's future showtimes in Europe see Zinda's future issues.