Posted by andreas from p3EE3C3DA.dip.t-dialin.net (62.227.195.218) on Monday, November 25, 2002 at 8:01AM :
New in my library of sociopathology:
"YK: Keep up the good work and focus on improving our nation’s condition
through your work. This is life’s highest principle."
... All terminology as defined by Rapy Jacko, of course.
Usurpating & abusing life (!)and national principles for meak, meager and mean tribal party lines.
P.S. Where is the beef, i.e. information in this "interview", at all?
---------------
Nov 18, 2002
ZINDA MAGAZINE INTERVIEW WITH YONADAM KANNA
He is charismatic, determined, and arrogant.
In every Assyrian community he visits or the political rallies he attends,
hundreds of fans and foes assemble to hear him describe the Movement which
he has helped to become the most ambitious Assyrian political experiment
since the disintegration of the original Assyrian Universal Alliance in the
early 1980s.
Recently Zinda Magazine caught up with Mr. Yonadam Kanna (Yacoub Yosip),
Secretary General of the Assyrian Democratic Movement (Zowaa Demoqrataya
Atouraya) and invited him for a candid interview.
ZN: What are you doing in the United States when there is soon to be a war
in Bet-Nahrain?
YK: To gather support in putting an end to the suffering of the Iraqi
people because of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorial regime. I was invited by the
Assyrian American National Federation to attend the 69th Convention in
Detroit. I was also in the U.S. on the invitation of the U.S. State
Department. I also wanted to visit our people in the U.S. to extend my
gratitude for their support and generosity in the past. At the Detroit
Convention, I was the main speaker and had an opportunity to address the
huge political rally that was organized.
ZN: Whom did you meet in your visits to the U.S.?
YK: In Detroit I met with Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim, the executive boards of
the Assyrian American National Federation and the Chaldean Federation of
America. In Washington I visited Mr. David Pierce and Mr. Marc Grossman in
the State Department, Congressman Frank Wolfe, and Senator Henry Hyde. In
Chicago, I spoke in length with Dr. Ron Michael of the Assyrian-American
League and the representatives of the different parties that make up the
Assyrian National Coalition (Awyoota).
ZN: And in Arizona?
YK: I attended a rally in Phoenix, where I gave a briefing on the local
television news program. I had a few stops in California also.
ZN: You seem to be very comfortable in front of the American media cameras.
YK: In the past few weeks I’ve been interviewed several times on ABC,
FoxNews, and a few local city news stations.
ZN: Why do you insist on the removal of Saddam Hussein?
YK: He possesses weapons of mass destruction. Had the U.S. not attacked him
in 1991, by April of that year a nuclear war between Iraq and Israel would
have ensued. One of the specialists working on Iraq’s Nuclear Program was
an ADM member.
ZN: If the U.S. and her fewer allies attack tomorrow, do you think Saddam
would succumb as quickly as he did in 1991?
YK: Iraq’s military power has diminished to a third of what it was in 1991.
Most of his arsenal and military equipment is eleven years old.
ZN: Let’s jump into internal bickering and power struggles among the
Assyrian political parties. What do you think is happening in the Coalition
(Awyoota)?
YK: Awyoota is made up of many representative groups with varied agendas
and backgrounds. They each have different needs. At this time we cannot
allow one group to coerce itself as the umbrella organization over the rest
of the member groups. We are all equal partners and we must all be treated
as equal. This is not typically the case.
ZN: Can one realistically expect that ADM would consider itself equal to a
less visible partner like Mr. Ishaya Esho’s Assyrian National Organization
(ANO)?
YK: Awyoota is as powerful as the strength of its individual members. A
strong ADM would make the Coalition a much stronger political body.
ZN: What about the group that assumes the ‘umbrella’ mentality, but acts as
a political party within the Coalition?
YK: We still do not know what Assyrian Universal Alliance (AUA) has in mind
for its ‘political platform’. We still lack a clear understanding of each
other’s protocols, and therefore disagree on how the Coalition should move
to the next step.
ZN: AUA is a member of the Coalition and Mr. Sargon Dadesho’s BNDP is not.
One would assume that a member of the Coalition would consult with the
other representatives before engaging in a political discussion with the
chief adversary of the Coalition, namely Sargon Dadesho. Did you know about
Mr. John Nimrod’s meeting with Mr. Dadesho in California?
YK: No, I did not know about it. He did ask me later to join him in these
discussions. I think you are making a big deal about this meeting. It was
just a normal meeting between the heads of two Assyrian political parties.
I respect and trust Mr. Nimrod’s judgment.
ZN: And why did you not meet with Mr. Dadesho as Mr. Nimrod had requested?
YK: Mr. Dadesho has sued Mr. Shimun Khamo of the other Bet-Nahrain
Democratic Party. BNDP is a member of the Coalition. Sargon Dadesho and Mr.
Khamo need to resolve this issue first, before any further discussions with
the other Coalition members.
ZN: ADM seems to be the darling of the Assyrian politics due to its special
geopolitical position in the Middle East and the international focus on
Iraq. Is that enough reason for escalating Zowaa’s position among all
Assyrian political parties in dealing with Iraq?
YK: Assyrians have for many years lived as 5th class citizens in Iraq.
After 32 years people are beginning to understand what we were saying in
the early days. Saddam is a danger not just to his people, but also to the
whole world. He must be removed and Zowaa will share in this process.
Zowaa is not just in North Iraq. It’s present in every corner of Iraq.
Zowaa’s decisions are made only to benefit our nation, and therefore we
cannot allow ourselves to succumb to the outside pressures from groups not
directly associated with the situation on hand. After Saddam, the
individuals representing the Assyrian voice must be able to speak Arabic,
understand the internal conflicts of the region, and surely be able to live
in Iraq – in particular during the transitional period.
ZN: What do you expect will happen immediately after the removal of Saddam
Hussein?
YK: Unlike what most observers think, North Iraq is a very stable region
and will remain as one after the U.S. and her allies attack. I worry mainly
for our people in Baghdad and Mosul. Many will leave the urban areas under
attack and will move north.
ZN: What will you do then?
YK: Zowaa is prepared to welcome and help our people if such a situation
arises.
ZN: One of the most vital accomplishments of the ADM has been the
establishment of Assyrian schools in the North. What is being done to help
continue this successful project?
YK: There are now 42 Assyrian schools in which thousands of students attend
grades one through high school. ADM provides full transporation for these
students. For all university students we also provide for their rent,
transportation, and food. With the money raised at the fundraiser in San
Francisco we will be able to build a University Dormitory in Arbil. We plan
to initiate a Students Exchange Program soon and the dormitory will also be
used to house the Assyrian students from abroad.
ZN: Zowaa has made it very clear that it is not happy with the Kurdish
Constitution recently ratified. Can you explain why?
YK: The Kurdish Constitution does not recognize us as a nation and treats
us unfairly. We must be recognized for what we are: a single nation with
many names and many religious affiliations.
ZN: Any ideas on where the parliamentary elections will go from here?
YK: It’s too early still to speak about this issue. We are already
preparing for the elections.
ZN: Where do you stand on the issue of the three-percent Assyrian
representation at these Opposition meetings?
YK: We have asked for a minimum of six percent. So far we have not been
successful.
ZN: You have often been unhappy about Zinda Magazine’s reporting from North
Iraq on issues dealing with Zowaa. Can you comment on that?
YK: The media has an important responsibility of providing accurate
information. At times many reports from the North seem to be twisted and
inaccurate. If your articles have sometimes reflected an exaggerated piece
of information, it is because you have relied on Arabic or Kurdish sources,
and not our own. I hope that our websites and news agencies will be more
cautious in furnishing credible information. Check your sources in the
homeland before distributing such information.
ZN: Mr. Secretary General, thank you for your time.
YK: Keep up the good work and focus on improving our nation’s condition
through your work. This is life’s highest principle.
-- andreas
-- signature .
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