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Re: “According to the official press office, the [US] Assistant Secretary of State [Matthew Bryza] told Sargsyan: “I and the U.S. charge d’affaires think that you have the vision and approaches which we want to see for the implementation of joint programs. We want you and Armenia to succeed. [emphasis mine]”
[Unzipped - I would also add that according to Armenpress governmental news agency, Bryza called Sargsyan “a special leader” and promised that the US would “principally support you.”]
Succeed at what? More murder? More beatings and suppression of Free Speech? More ballot stuffing and voter intimidation?
It is because of people in the US State Department like Matthew Bryza, and the OSCE, that Armenia is in the mess it is in, and apparently they want to continue propping up a morally bankrupt government. I place the blame squarely on the shoulders of those who saw the ballot stuffing, the intimidation, were given the 50+ reports of gross voting violations and then said, “well it wasn’t all that bad.”
So what does Matthew get out this? A cushy job in his next position? A free car and a weekend in the Bahamas ? State gets to keep its spying mission in Yerevan, that much seems clear.
At least eight people died, with over 200 allegedly badly injured.
News flash to Matthew: This is not just a case of siblings bickering with Nanny Robert “mommy knows best” Kocharian stepping in to swat a few bottoms. There was blood on the streets, and some of that blood was due to the OSCE endorsing a corrupt election.
There is no value in a bruised, angry and festering population resentful of its leaders. There is no peace here, and there will be no peace until the corrupt officials who provoked this situation are taken to task. And that includes those who witnessed the crimes and then remained silent.
The OSCE and Matthew Bryza are a disgrace to their mission and should be sacked. Bush and his State Dept. need to understand the powder keg that exploded on March 1 is not much different from those have happened elsewhere in the Caucasus and can explode again. Only next time, whose side will Bush, State, Bryza be on?
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8 comments:
Tonight my friends and I were poindering the same words:
"special leader"
and "principally support you"
and "we want you..."
We thought of getting that imaginary book,
"Diplomatic Language 101",
to find out for the meaning of this formula, "special leader"
Perhaps "special" means "wow",
like in "wow you guys really pulled this off!"
I suppose Washington doesn't care who's the ruler is in Armenia.
There is no oil here.
No big plan for a pipeline.
No need for an airport or another prison complex..
Please allow me to speculate...
1. LTP gets his letter published in the Pos.
2. Washington calls Moscow and tells them :
a) We don't intervene in Yerevan and
b) You don't intervene in Kosovo.
3. End of the story.
4. New exodus. Young profesionnals leave Armenia.
5. The country turns into more of a "khanat" than it was.
Over the years it loses whatever little edge it had over the other two Caucasian Republic. We lose another 10 years, maybe more.
//It is because of people in the US State Department like Matthew Bryza, and the OSCE, that Armenia is in the mess it is in,//
Armenians themselves didn't seem to understand what was happening.
A good 15% of the people must be willing to do whatever to stay in power/whatever that means.
A good 15% of the people just hate LTP too much to consider helping him whatever the situation.
A good 30% of the people are just confused or they'd rather "nothing happen" because they don't want a blood shed or they are afraid of the Azeris.
That leaves us with 40% (probably less) who are willing to support LTP but now many are afraid, and dispersed. What's too do?
//...and apparently they want to continue propping up amorally bankrupt government.//
Perhaps the State Departement and the OSCE employ a lot of morally bankrupt people.
I met one of the OSCE. That seemed to be the case... morally bankrupt...
//So what does Matthew get out this? A cushy job in his next position? //
What else? And a nice evening at the Omega... who knows...
I imagine the special leader was told something like this:
WE AMERICANS JUST WANT BUSINESS AS USUAL.
WE don't want to close our Embassy here, so you guys behave a bit.
WE advice you to keep doing what you're doing, arrests, arrests, arrests all you want, but release the people soon afterward a proclaim a national amnesty, except for... bla bla bla.
//The OSCE and Matthew Bryza are a disgrace to their mission and should be sacked.//
Same for the Editorialist of the NY Times who concluded his March 7 piece with these words:
//And once government forces set off last weekend's violence,
some of those who turned out in Mr. Ter-Petrossian's behalf
seemed more interested in looting nearby shops//
HOW DOES HE KNOW _WHO_ looted the shops
and WHOSE SHOPS were they
and WHO turned a blind eye or not while it was happening/// that's not interesting to the NY Times.
//Bush and his State Dept. need to understand//
Ha! Ha! Ha! They don't need anything.
They just follow their plan, and Armenia is not part of it.
(a foreigner in Yerevan)
...and to confuse even more re US real intentions and politics in Armenia - here is what Tom Casey from US Department of State had to say today re Bryza mission. [emphasis mine]
US Department of State
Daily Press Briefing
Tom Casey, Deputy Spokesman
Washington, DC
March 7, 2008
QUESTION: Anything new on the envoy's trip to Armenia?
MR. CASEY: I don't have any readout from that. He is in Armenia today. He's meeting with both government and opposition officials, though clearly his main message going in there was to tell the government that the time to lift the emergency law is now. The time to let free media have the right to publish and broadcast in Armenia is now. And the time to engage with the opposition in a serious dialogue is now.
Rhetorics... They are very good at it.
===
Ninety years ago, an American Senator delivered an impressive speech of which I've chosen a few excerpts to put on my blog--if your visitors will be interested, it's here: http://readingisdangerous.blogspot.com/2008/03/address-and-speech.html
I thought a little "perspective" might help...
===
Good blog.
Too bad your anonymous visitor left a comment ridden with typos.
I am not so convinced about the Kosovo link with the situation in Armenia, but I believe there needs to be an independent international investigation of the events of March 1. Whatever the truth is, an investigation is very important.
goodluck! And thank you for you work.
Swapping Armenia for Kosovo? I really don't think Russia will roll over and be content to let America get away free with Kosovo in exchange for Armenia. The arguement set up is that Armenia is of no importance, which is at least partly true... so why would Russia trade it with Kosovo? Because it is resigned to the fact Kosovo is a lost cause for it? I don't know, it's impossible to know what's going on behind these closed horsetrading doors.
-Paul
It would appear that Sargsyan / Kocharian have eventually used the Karabakh ace they have been keeping up their sleeves for the past four years. That is the reason behind my year long internationally supported campaign to have World Bank fraud and corruption in Armenia investigated and is covered in my 'Blowing the World Bank Whistle' blog under World Bank Armenia Corruption – The Politics -(http://better-not-wb-the-wb.blogspot.com/2008/02/world-bank-armenia-corruption-politics.html)
If they are allowed to get away with this, all hell will soon be let loose in Armenia. Let us hope that LTP also has an ace or two up his sleeves.
Bryza and LTP met on Friday 7th - TWO TIMES
I am a fully convinced that Armenia needs to get rid of the criminals who through the past ten years have not only robbed the Republic of nearly all of its billions of dollars worth of assets, but have used billions of dollars more that they have misappropriated from the people of Armenia to fill their own coffers, some of which has been laundered through the dozens of apartment buildings that now stand empty throughout Yerevan. That is articulated through my ‘Blowing the World Bank Whistle’ campaign, which has been going on in Washington, London and Armenia for the past year to have a full investigation carried out into the World Bank’s participation in the highly corrupt program which has led to today’s state of emergency in Armenia. For that reason, although like most others I agree LTP is far from an angel, I believe he is the only one who can get rid of the tyrants who prefer to kill than to serve, and who are intent on tightening their grip over the people of Armenia. For that reason, I strongly support all that LTP can do to resolve the crisis he knows better than most has been banging on Armenia’s door since the turn of the century. Bryza met two times with LTP on Friday, their discussions went ahead very positively, and it seems the State Department comments are nearer the truth than the continued propaganda propagated by someone’s official press office.
Whichever poster thought that Armenia was nearly as important to US as Kosova is to Russia is illusional.
Do you really think that either the US or Russia give a horses crap what happens in Armenia?
Do you really think they care 25% as much about Armenian as they do about Kosovo? Maybe 10%. I will give you that.
Don't worry, though.
Current government in Armenia will pay for the consequences.
Tourist money will dry up.
Investment money will dry up.
Smarter people will leave Armenia.
The irony is that even if the outcome of this elections were different, it would not make a difference.
I mean, just think about it. In 1996, Levon Ter-Petrossyan did the exact same thing against Vazgen Manukyan.
very 'different' Bryza:
US sharply condemns Armenian government crackdown on opposition
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