LETTERS Some underdog
Sir: Baroness Cox sees herself as 'a voice for those who have no voice' and has 'not noticed' our concern for Armenian victims of the war in Karabakh (Letters, 23 October), but her concern for every corner of God's suffering creation is not noticeable. Double standards would not be at issue, if she had not wrapped herself in the holy mantle of the 'Voice' and ignored the parallel propa- ganda of the wealthy Armenian diaspora.
Baroness Cox quotes statistics of Arme- nian suffering, but is uncharacteristically vague when dealing with the much greater number of Azeri refugees. In fact, she devotes most of her letter to explaining and justifying why so many Azeri widows and orphans had to be driven so far from their homes. In this war, it has been ordinary Azeri victims who have had no 'voice' abroad and they may be forgiven for misun- derstanding Baroness Cox's letter for a cel- ebration of Armenian victory.
Baroness Cox repeats the David v. Goliath myth about this war without notic- ing that plucky little Armenia is well-sup- plied with ex-Soviet arms and Russian advisers. She talks about who broke the cease-fire in June, but ignores the threat made in Paris on 21 October by the Prime Minister of Karabakh, Robert Kotcharian, to restart the war on 5 November unless the Azeris accept his terms — some underdog!
Baroness Cox delicately reminds us of the 'difficult and frequently hazardous' flights she has undertaken to Karabakh. It is not her courage but her wisdom which is in doubt. Charity is the greatest Christian virtue, but wisdom and humility should never be neglected.
By acting as the advocate of one side, Christian Solidarity International has made a bad situation worse. It demonised the pro-western Elchibey and accused Britain's ally, Turkey, of Pan-Turkic ambitions, even quoting a hardly disinterested urging from Marshal Shaposhnikov — 'Old Shaposh- nikov' as Baroness Cox affectionately called him at a public meeting — to recognise the Turkish threat in the Balkans as well as the Caucasus! The Turkish bogey proved a paper tiger when Elchibey was toppled by ex-communists (once loudly accused of causing mayhem in Karabakh by CSI) with- out Ankara lifting a finger.
The situation around Karabakh has moved on since the dark days when the 'Voice' first flew in. Did Baroness Cox notice the conviction of an Armenian KGB agent for murdering two Chechens in Lon- don last week? Does the continued exis- tence of an Armenian KGB not give her pause for thought?
Mark Almond. and Christine Stone,
14 Northmoor Road, Oxford
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