Author: Mary Lazarian

NAGORNO-KARABAKH: A PLAN FOR PEACE: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
International Crisis Group, Belgium
Tbilisi/Brussels, 11 October 2005
Europe Report N°167
;id=3740
Settlement of the long running Nagorno-Karabakh conflict — the most
significant obstacle to stability in the South Caucasus — remains
elusive, despite more optimistic noises recently from Azerbaijan and
Armenia. Eleven years after the 1994 ceasefire, burgeoning defence
budgets, increasing ceasefire violations, and continuing demonisation
by each side of the other side are ominous signs that time for a peace
agreement is running out. But a compromise can now be constructed
around an approach that, while addressing all the matters in dispute,
leaves the core issue of Nagorno-Karabakh’s ultimate status open for
later resolution, after other measures have been put in place.
Key elements of that proposed settlement package include the
withdrawal of the Armenia-backed Nagorno-Karabakh forces from
the occupied districts of Azerbaijan surrounding the entity; the
renunciation by Azerbaijan of the use of force to reintegrate the
entity; the deployment of international peacekeepers; the return
of displaced persons; and the re-opening of trade and communication
links. Nagorno-Karabakh’s status should ultimately be determined by an
internationally sanctioned referendum with the exclusive participation
of Karabakh Armenians and Azeris, but only after the above measures
have been implemented. Until then Nagorno-Karabakh would remain part
of Azerbaijan, though in practical terms it would be self-governing
and enjoy an internationally acknowledged interim status.
Today Armenia and Azerbaijan remain divided on vital points.
Azerbaijan does not accept any compromise of its territorial integrity,
nor does it agree that Nagorno-Karabakh’s population alone can vote
on determining its final status. Armenia is not willing to support
withdrawal from the seven occupied districts around Nagorno-Karabakh,
or allow the return of Azerbaijan internally displaced persons (IDPs)
to Nagorno-Karabakh, until the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh is a
reality. There has been tentative discussion of a possible plebiscite
to determine the entity’s final status, but with none of the necessary
detail agreed as to who would vote on what, when and how, nor any
agreement as to what other settlement conditions would create the
context for such a vote.
The Minsk Group of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE), currently co-chaired by France, Russia and the U.S.,
has been facilitating negotiations since 1994. After a decade of
fruitless talks, a new format of meetings, the Prague Process,
involving direct bilateral contact between the foreign ministers
of Armenia and Azerbaijan was initiated in 2004. During the past
twelve months the participants and OSCE co-chairs alike have publicly
expressed optimism that a deal can be reached soon. But there is an
urgent need to translate that generalised optimism into very specific
agreement and action.
An earlier Crisis Group report explored how the Armenian and Azeri
communities of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts live
today and view resolution of the conflict.[1] Against that background,
this report examines the causes of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
analyses the OSCE-led negotiations process as it has evolved since
1992, and identifies the necessary elements of a workable and
achievable peace plan.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To Avoid a Resumption of Fighting:
1. All parties to the conflict should respect the 1994 ceasefire,
refrain from using force, not promote the use of force, and end the
arms race in the region by halting the rise of defence budgets.
To Create an Appropriate Environment for Conflict Settlement:
2. Azerbaijan should resume direct contact with the de facto
Nagorno-Karabakh authorities and facilitate the development of closer
contact between Karabakh Azeris and Karabakh Armenians.
3. The de facto Nagorno-Karabakh authorities should end support
for settlement of formerly Azeri majority areas with Armenians,
including by:
(a) stopping privatisation of land, homes and businesses in those
areas;
(b) ceasing to establish local administrations and infrastructure in
the occupied areas adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh; and
(c) protecting the remaining Azeri homes.
4. Armenia should encourage the de facto Nagorno-Karabakh authorities
to take a more conciliatory stance on resolution of the conflict.
To Address the Substantive Matters in Dispute:
5. The parties should sign an agreement that includes the following
elements:
(a) renunciation of the threat or use of force to settle disputes,
including any that may arise in connection with the implementation
of the peace agreement;
(b) creation of a joint commission including Azerbaijan and
Nagorno-Karabakh representatives and chaired by the OSCE to supervise
implementation;
(c) incremental withdrawal of Nagorno-Karabakh forces backed by
Armenia from all occupied territories around Nagorno-Karabakh, but
beginning with five districts and occurring simultaneously with the
deployment of international peacekeepers;
(d) withdrawal of Nagorno-Karabakh forces backed by Armenia from the
Kelbajar district once appropriate security measures are in place
at the Murov mountain pass, and from the Lachin district following
agreements guaranteeing secure communications through the Lachin
corridor;
(e) safe and voluntary return of displaced persons to their pre-war
homes in the formerly occupied districts, once withdrawal and
international deployment have been completed;
(f) assurances for free movement of people and goods, including the
lifting of all blockades and the reopening of all transport and trade
routes (road and rail) closed as a result of the conflict;
(g) implementation of confidence-building measures in cooperation with
international organisations including the UN, International Committee
of the Red Cross, OSCE and non-governmental organisations; and
(h) identification of a referendum mechanism for resolving the final
status of Nagorno-Karabakh, as set out below, with provision until
then for the entity to have internationally recognised interim status,
and its governing bodies to be elected under international supervision.
6. The final status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be decided by a
self-determination referendum, which would:
(a) be held after the return of displaced Azeris to former
Azeri-majority areas in Nagorno-Karabakh and after an international
conference determines that Nagorno-Karabakh has met international
preconditions for statehood, including the protection of minority
rights, such review to be conducted for the first time five years
after the signing of the peace agreement;
(b) give Nagorno-Karabakh an appropriate range of options, including
unity with, and secession from, Azerbaijan;
(c) be held with the exclusive participation of Karabakh Armenians
and Azeris; and
(d) have its exact modalities agreed upon in talks chaired by the OSCE,
based on the principle that all parties will recognise the validity
of its result.
To Facilitate Public Acceptance of the Settlement:
7. Azerbaijan should allow Karabakh Azeris to play a bigger role
in the negotiations and the internal political process, including
by passing legislation allowing Karabakh Azeris to elect the head
of their community, ensuring voting rights for displaced persons in
the 2005 parliamentary elections, and permitting all candidates to
campaign in collective centres.
8. Government officials and media in Azerbaijan and Armenia should
refrain from using belligerent and xenophobic language against
“the other”.
9. Officials involved in the negotiations process should agree to
a broad common strategy for disseminating information about that
process, coordinate efforts to present to the public elements of a
possible agreement, and not be reluctant to start a debate on highly
sensitive questions.
To Build Confidence and Guarantee Sustainable Peace:
10. Donors should assist Armenia and Azerbaijan in developing and
carrying out small, cross-border, sub-regional trade, humanitarian
and public health projects, including in response to disasters, and
should fund and help carry out programs aimed at improving mutual
understanding, tolerance and reconciliation that target civil society,
teachers and journalists.
11. Donors should carry out a common assessment mission of needs in
Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent occupied districts, and once a peace
agreement is signed should hold an international donor coordination
conference and begin implementing projects in the former conflict zone.
12. Armenia and Azerbaijan should each investigate war crimes,
prosecute those responsible and adopt legislation to give amnesty
to those who participated in the conflict but did not commit serious
offences.
13. Armenia and Azerbaijan should establish joint commissions to:
(a) make a political assessment of the conflict’s causes and
consequences; and
(b) deal with inter-state property return and compensation questions.
To Increase the Prospects for a Peace Agreement and to Give It
Stability:
14. The UN Security Council, the OSCE and the EU Council of Ministers
should pledge to serve as guarantors of the peace agreement.
15. The OSCE should expand the mandate of the Personal Representative
of the Chairman-in-Office to include working with civil society,
media and opposition political forces in order to facilitate contacts
between the sides at the local level and build confidence and opening
an office in the occupied territories, staffed with political, human
rights and elections officers.
16. The EU should become more actively engaged in the conflict
resolution effort by basing the office of its Special Representative
for the South Caucasus in the region.
17. The EU should include long-term programs and strategies to promote
confidence building in its Action Plans with Armenia and Azerbaijan.
—————————————————————-
[1] Crisis Group Europe Report N°166, Nagorno-Karabakh: Viewing the
Conflict from the Ground, 14 September 2005.
–Boundary_(ID_KsU/FMr0T5NANI5H+zHBuQ)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EUROPE IS GOING TO NEED TURKEY ; EU MEMBERSHIP
by Giles Merritt
The International Herald Tribune, France
October 10, 2005 Monday
Brussels
In most European countries there are issues too sensitive to be
left to the voters; capital punishment is one, Turkey’s membership
of the European Union is another. In both cases there is a discreet
consensus between the main political parties that their electorates
would, if consulted, make the wrong decision.
Capital punishment is a good example of how this benign despotism
by Europe’s political elites eventually pays off. Public opinion
across Europe has been steadily coming round to the view that
judicial execution is morally repugnant. Similarly, the case for
bringing Turkey in and extending the EU’s borders to Iraq, Syria,
Armenia and Azerbaijan will no doubt also slowly win the approval of
today’s skeptics.
Across Europe, opinion on Turkey ranges from lukewarm to downright
hostile. In EU newcomer countries like Poland and Hungary, narrow
majorities welcome Turkish membership. In Spain, Portugal and Britain,
although something like a third are against, more than 40 percent
are in favor. At the other end of the spectrum, only a tenth of
Austrians want Turkey in, with four-fifths adamantly opposed. In
Germany three-quarters are in the no camp.
It’s never easy to tell whether politicians who declare themselves
against Turkish membership are motivated by objective considerations or
by opportunism and demagoguery. In any case, they were wrong to oppose
the opening of negotiations that will most probably last for 15 years.
Back in the mid-1980s, I was skeptical about Turkey’s case for joining
the European club. The consensus view then was that Turkey’s NATO
membership should be complemented by an enhanced economic relationship
with Europe, but no more.
When the Berlin Wall fell, my views changed entirely. In the uncertain
post-Communist world, I became convinced that Western Europe’s security
and prosperity depended on bringing stability to the former Soviet
satellite countries by admitting them to the EU.
The new situation clearly made it essential to bring Turkey into the
European bloc.
A glance at a map says it all. Turkey lies at the center of some of
the world’s most volatile regions the Black Sea and the Caucasus
republics and the hot spots of Central Asia, not to speak of the
Middle East. Turkey is already a regional power that exerts a strong
stabilizing influence on neighboring countries, so it is in Europe’s
long-term interest that Turkey should become firmly anchored in the EU.
Twenty years ago, the case against Turkish membership was chiefly
cultural and religious. Jacques Delors, the Frenchman who headed the
European Commission in its glory days, spoke of the difficulties of
admitting Turkey to “our Christian club.” Such deeply held prejudices
still lie at the heart of public hostility, even if nowadays political
realists see the religious issue in very different terms.
One of the great attractions of Turkish membership is that it could
create a bridge between Europe and the Islamic world.
Turkey is generally portrayed as a poor country whose many peasant
farmers will place intolerable financial strains on the EU. Yet the
economic advantages of bringing Turkey in are far more persuasive. By
2020, Europe’s active work force will be less than half the population,
whereas Turkey’s will be two-thirds. Europe needs Turkey’s increasingly
well-educated workers, and could do with the growing economic and
industrial muscle of a country that will soon be as populous as
Germany.
People who complain that the EU wouldn’t be the same with Turkey as a
member are living in a bygone age. In 15 years’ time, the Union will
by then have shrunk to less than 5 percent of the global population.
Europe is going to need as much new blood as it can get. Hard as it
is for Europeans to construct new democratic structures, such as its
doomed constitution, the truth is that the EU needs to be bigger and
more heterogeneous if it is to defend its citizens’ interests.
If Turkey’s European aspirations had to be abandoned, the outlook
would be worryingly uncertain. On the one hand, Islamic extremism
might feed on Western rejection. On the other, Turkey’s powerful
generals, always more popular than its politicians, who command a
million-strong army, might reverse the present trend and begin to
call the tune. Turkey as a loose cannon in one of the world’s most
geopolitically sensitive regions doesn’t bear thinking about.
*
Giles Merritt is secretary-general of Friends of Europe and editor
of the new policy journal Europe’s World.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1+
| 14:28:34 | 30-09-2005 | Politics |
YEREVAN SAVIOR FOUND
`I am convinced now that I am an important factor in the political field as
the whole power system fought against me’, announced Kenton community head
candidate Rouzan Khachatryan during today’s press conference.
She reminded that Robert Kocharyan, Serge Sargsyan, Andranik Margaryan and
Andranik Manoukyan have never been involved in the community head elections.
«On the election day Robert Kocharyan announced that he whom he votes for
always wins, and I don’t think anyone will doubt the choice of the
President», Rouzan Khachatryan said.
She found her candidate important in another respect: this was the first
case when a woman puts forward her candidacy for the post of the community
head. She is convinced that during the nest elections there will be more
woman candidates.
Besides, after the elections Rouzan Khachatryan considers herself the savior
of Yerevan, «They say after the elections Gagik Beglaryan was going to
become the Yerevan mayor. Nevertheless, after the problems connected with
the elections it will be meaningless to leave the post of the community
head. So, I saved Yerevan from a potential mayor», Rouzan Khachatryan
announced.
CONFIDANT BEATEN SAVAGELY
The Kentron community head elections are over, but the results are not yet.
Two days after the elections 7 young people took Rouzan Khachatryan’s
confidant Karen Haroutyunyan to the area near the Metax factory and beat him
savagely.
Rouzan Khachatryan announced about it today during the press conference. At
the end of the conference the mother of the victim Telik Haroutyunyan too
talked to the journalists. She said that they did not turn to doctors in
order to avoid further development of the case. Neither will they turn to
the police.
Rouzan Khachatryan claimed that this was not the only case of violence, and
as the majority of the confidants were women, she asked them to leave the
electoral areas immediately in case of violence.
«One of the woman members of the committee who refused to sign the protocol
was told by the police that either she will sign or she will be taken to
police from where she may even fail to return. She called me, and I asked
her to sign the protocol and leave the area immediately as we did not want
any victims».
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The UCLA Daily Bruin, CA
Sept 25 2005
Groups campaign to educate campus
By Saba Riazati
DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR
[email protected]
A group of several UCLA students sit together inside a small office.
They aren’t playing cards or discussing their plans for Saturday
night like most young adults would do during a lazy summer-vacation
day. Instead, they are planning how to educate the thousands in the
UCLA community on the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
Members of the Armenian Students Association, and many other student
organizations on campus, initiate projects to educate and take action
on issues that they feel need attention.
Issues tackled by student groups range from the ongoing genocide in
Darfur, rising textbook prices and energy-preservation campaigns.
UCLA has over 800 registered organizations on campus, and many
students find themselves involved in one of these groups and
dedicating their time to its cause.
Educational campaigns are nothing new for established student groups,
and they often play a huge role in the existence of the organization.
Last year, the Armenian Students Association facilitated a weeklong
awareness campaign, including a candlelight visual commemorating the
90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
Student groups with similar goals and interests will often pool their
resources to host large-scale programming and potentially impact more
students.
For instance, this year, the Aremenian Students Association, the
Darfur Action Committee and the Jewish Student Union are planning a
genocide awareness film screening, to educate students on the
holocaust, the Armenian Genocide of 1915, and the current ongoing
crisis in Darfur, a region in western Sudan.
Early last year, the Darfur Action Committtee was four people working
out of a small apartment. By the end of the year, their
letter-writing campaign was mailing over 300 student letters to
elected officials every week to draw attention to the Darfur crisis.
Some students feel so passionate about their causes that their
educational and career goals may temporarily have to take the back
seat.
Adam Sterling, a fifth-year Afro-American Studies and political
science student, also a Darfur Action Committee steering member,
chose to stay a fifth-year at UCLA, picking up a minor just so he
could continue to work to engage the UCLA community in campaigns of
letter-writing, fundraising, education and divestment.
“I stayed because we believe that humanity should come before
politics and all arguments aside; we are working to stop a genocide.
That’s why I believe in this cause; that’s why I’m back,” Sterling
said.
“Its been a great experience because we’ve been able to work with so
many different clubs. … We got to see the UCLA community come
together,” Sterling said.
Fourth-year political science and ecology, behavior and evolution
student Greg Wannier has been involved with the California Public
Interest Research Group since his first year at UCLA, and he is now
the organization’s state chairman, in charge of collective efforts
all across the state.
CALPIRG’s initiatives have educated thousands of students on
California campuses, and the organization implements a variety of
programs, including organizing letter-writing campaigns directed to
elected officials on matters such as lowering the energy usage in
universities.
Currently, there is a bill in Congress as a result of CALPIRG’s
efforts, proposing to mandate solar panel usage on campuses
nation-wide.
“When I originally joined, it was because the issues seemed
interesting, but being with (CALPIRG) has made me more of an
activist,” Wannier said.
Last year, CALPIRG was successful in pressuring and negotiating with
textbook companies to produce cheaper paperback textbooks, without
color or images, to cut costs for students.
CALPIRG’S large campaign this year is focused on what they have began
planning as the “campus climate challenge.”
The long-term campaign calls universities across the country to
reduce energy consumption by 90 percent by the year 2050.
“I enjoy being a part of CALPIRG because I feel like we are effective
and can actually make a change,” Wannier said.
“(Being in CALPIRG) has taught me how to organize, coordinate and
really be a leader,” he added.
While there is a seemingly endless list of student organizations that
do advocacy work, as third-year history student Annie Voskerchian,
public relations director of the Armenian Students Association, said:
“We’re all different groups, but we all have one similar goal – to
raise awareness and educate (the UCLA community).”
“Personally, it’s been a learning experience for me in organizing,
planning and reaching out (to the UCLA community),” Voskerchian said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

anasayfa
17 Sept 2005
Religions, civilizations to meet in Turkish city of Hatay in late September
The eyes of the world will turn to the Turkish city of Hatay from September
25-30, when religious leaders of five different faiths come together there
for a Meeting of Civilizations. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who
will officially open up the meeting, is expected to make a call for an
“international platform against global terrorism.”
An invitation to the Meeting of Civilizations was issued to Pope Benedict
XVI by the Foreign Ministry, and though the Pope himself will not be
attending, the Vatican is sending four high ranking members to the event. A
variety of other religious leaders are also expected to attend, including
Armenian Patriarch Mesrob Mutafian, Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomeus,
Syrian Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Zekka Ayyvaz, and Turkish Jewish
community leader Silvio Ovadio.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry is giving active support to the Meeting of
Civilizations, hoping among other things that it will have a positive effect
in the days leading up to the October 3 start to EU accession talks.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RA PRESIDENT: ARMENIA IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE RELIABLE REAR FOR ARTSAKH
ARKA News Agency
Sept 1 2005
YEREVAN, September1. /ARKA/. The RA President sent his congratulations
with the 14th anniversary of NKR Independence, RA Presidential
Press-Service reports. The Letter of Congratulation says that “the
historical choice is irreversible. The progress of the Army, state
structures, economy and the whole strengthening of the NKR testifies
to this”. Kocharyan pointed out that “Armenia is and always will
be the reliable rear for Artsakh”. “We will do all the possible to
approach to the fair settlement of the conflict, and will work in
this direction, remaining devoted to the peaceful solution of Nagorno
Karabakh problem”, Kocharyan said. A.A. -0–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Aug 24 2005

Azerbaijani serviceman repatriated under ICRC auspices

Geneva (ICRC) – On Wednesday, 24 August 2005, one Azerbaijani
serviceman previously detained in Armenia was repatriated under the
auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The operation took place in the Tavush and Gazakh regions on the
border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The ICRC, participating as a neutral intermediary and in accordance
with its mandate, facilitated the repatriation of the released
prisoner at the request of the authorities of the Republic of Armenia
and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
ICRC delegates visited the serviceman before the operation to ensure
he was returning home of his own free will.
In accordance with its mandate, the ICRC has assisted in the
repatriation or transfer of 652 persons since the start of its
activities in relation to the Nagorny Karabakh conflict in 1992. The
ICRC stands ready to provide support for any similar operation in the
future, should the need arise.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Where Indian eggs go for a Siberian toss
Delhi Newsline, India
Aug 21 2005
When Russians in Delhi want to go home they don’t have to travel far.
They just head for Bline, a four table restaurant in Anand Niketan
Neha Sinha
New Delhi, August 20: How many places is one allowed to call home? If
you go by these Russians in Delhi, at least two-and common to both
would definitely be lazy confines, curling kitchen smoke, and dollops
of warm food.
Zhanna, a shy Russian national in Delhi, can’t speak much English.
But what she can and does say, simply, is “This is home for me.”
Zhanna, along with a bunch of Russian regulars in the city, are
talking about Bline, a Russian restaurant in Anand Niketan and
effective substitute for home.
Bline (Blee-nee, Russian for pancake) is a small four-tabled affair,
where the inexpensive food-including authentic Russian juices, momos,
blines, egg and meat preparations-is just part of the thrill. This
is also a place where one can put up one’s feet, smoke a cigarette
and watch Russian movies, long after the meal is over. And there
is always the added attraction of making friends with the friendly
hosts-Elena and Aleksandr Melkinov-who do the cooking themselves.
And they intend to keep it that way. “We get only regular customers
here. We have never advertised because we like to keep our restaurant
small and our customers select. We make only a small profit, but it
is enough!” Aleksandr says.
“When people ask me why I set up this little restaurant three and a
half years ago, I ask them, why not?” Aleksandr laughs. “Though the
eggs are Indian, I toss them in the Siberian way. Everything-including
the beef and pork-is sourced locally. The difference is just that I
make sure everything is clean, and there is service and quality in
all we do,” says Aleksandr.
And the hard work has paid off, in very distinctive ways. Zhanna is
not the only single Russian girl in the city who’s found a place she
can call home here-Elena gives a tour of her kitchen to anyone who’d
like a look. “For girls who haven’t learnt how to cook, I show them
how to make blines,” smiles Elena.
Though the restaurant sees its real crowd in the evening, Russian
embassy officials often come in for a hurried lunch in the afternoon.
“Though our place is very small, sometimes we are asked to host
parties here,” says Elena. And guests from neighbouring countries
hop in as well.
Says Artem, chief of the counsellor section of the Armenian embassy,
“Bline is special. Though the meat preparations are fabulous, I
cherish my Russian friends in the restaurant. It is a place where I
can simply enjoy.”
“When we first came to India, we intended to make this a restaurant for
Indians, but we have become a hub for friends-Russians, especially,”
says Elena. “Come as a friend,” she says. Country no bar.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Rolling Stone
Aug 5 2005
System Rock the Arena
Hard rockers turn big show into a stripped-down affair
System of a Down have had an ambitious year, releasing Mezmerize
— the first of their two-part album Mezmerize/Hypnotize, which
debuted at Number One — and touring Europe, as well as playing a
guerilla tour of small venues in nine U.S. cities. Considering their
bombastic year, which culminates in the release of Hypnotize this
fall, System’s massive new tour is less of an arena-rock spectacle
and more straight-up rock & roll.
Opening for System at the sold-out Long Beach Arena in California
were fellow guitar-heavy, counter-culture rockers the Mars Volta,
who provided a far more visual show with oversized psychedelic
projections. Guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez was in fine form after
recovering from a stomach ailment that forced the band to cancel its
European tour dates earlier this year. And while rumors of an onstage
collaboration between Rodriguez-Lopez and System frontman Serj Tankian
proved to be just that, Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante
surprised the audience by guesting on nearly the entire Mars Volta set.
Once System hit the stage, they powered through an hour and a half
of material. Although they opened with cuts off of the latest album,
the hard-hitting “B.Y.O.B.” and “Revenga,” System’s set list featured
several tracks off their eponymous 1998 debut and follow-up, 2001’s
Toxicity. In contrast to the Mars Volta’s environment, System’s set
was sparse, save for a few plush rugs, minimal L.E.D. projections
and a nice long row of Marshall amps. For such a big arena show,
the stripped-down set seemed to underscore the sense that this band
has nothing to prove.
Midway through the show, Tankian, clad simply in black, finally
spoke to the audience, ominously uttering, “In America, we have
red people and we have blue people. Red people and blue people make
purple people.”
If playing a straightforward rock show with virtually no stage banter
was System’s spin on the spectacle of arena rock, it seemed to work
for the fans. As the band hit its stride, tearing into their hit
“Chop Suey!,” Armenian flags were waved, and five mosh pits churned
with body surfers.
While System’s sound is generally typified by their hard rock/metal
tendencies and Tankian’s neo-goth vocals, highlights of their set
came not from the over-the-top hits but tracks off Mezmerize that
took a softer turn. Prior to the song “Cigaro,” Tankian picked up an
acoustic guitar and played an almost classical version of the track,
inspiring fans to raise their lighters and cell phones into the air.
Later, on the biting “Lost in Hollywood,” guitarist Daron Malakian
and bassist Shavo Odadjian backed Tankian with beautiful harmonies,
and drummer John Dolmayan launched into a moving drum solo.
The band wrapped up with the electrifying “Sugar,” then walked off
the stage. Despite the thousands of fans chanting and stomping for
an encore, System of a Down did not return. So much for the rules of
arena rock.
System of a Down North American tour dates:
8/5: Long Beach, CA, Long Beach Arena 8/6: San Diego, CA, Sports
Arena 8/8: Phoenix, America West Arena 8/11: Dallas, America Airlines
Center 8/12: San Antonio, TX, SBC Arena 8/13: Houston, Cynthia Woods
Mitchell Pavilion 8/15: Pensacola, FL, Civic Center 8/16: Orlando, FL,
TD Waterhouse Arena 8/17: Miami, Office Depot Center 8/19: Atlanta,
Gwinnett Center 8/21: Hampton, VA, Hampton Coliseum 8/22: Baltimore,
MD, Baltimore Arena 8/23: East Rutherford, NJ, Continental Airlines
Arena 8/26: Philadelphia, Wachovia Spectrum Center 8/29: Montreal,
Belle Centre 8/30: Quebec, Colisee Pepsi Arena 9/1: Toronto, Air
Canada Center 9/17: Vancouver, PNE/Pacific Coliseum 9/19: Calgary,
Pengrowth Saddledome 9/20: Edmonton, Rexall Place 9/22: Winnipeg,
MTS Centre 9/23: Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center 9/25: Columbus,
OH, Nationwide Arena 9/26: Cleveland, Wolstein Center at CSU 9/28:
Grand Rapids, MI, Van Andel Arena 9/29: Detroit, Joe Louis Arena
9/30: Rosemont, IL, Allstate Arena 10/02: Denver, Pepsi Center
10/05: Seattle, Key Arena at Seattle Center 10/06: Portland, OR,
Rose Garden Arena 10/08: Oakland, CA, Oakland Arena 10/11: Fresno,
CA, Save Mart Center
TATIANA SIMONIAN (Posted Aug 05, 2005)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Daily Press Briefing
U.S. Department of State
Tom Casey, Acting Spokesman
Washington, DC
August 2, 2005
INDEX:
TURKEY
Support for Turkey’s EU Bid
Terrorist Organization PKK
U. S. Relationship with Turkey
CYPRUS
U. S. Position on Cyprus / Annan Plan / Flights from Azerbaijan /
Easing of Economic Isolation for Turkish Cypriots
AZERBAIJAN
Secretary Rice’s Meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs
QUESTION: France has reported to have said, Turkey, can I get into
the EU until it ends its occupation of Cyprus. Are you on the same
page with the French on that?
MR. CASEY: Well, Barry, I think —
QUESTION: I know it’s a European grouping, but you can have an opinion.
MR. CASEY: Well, I think as you know, Barry, we have a longstanding
history of support for Turkey’s EU bid. We continue to support Turkey’s
goal of acceding to the EU. Although, of course, we aren’t a member
of the EU and this certainly is a decision for the European Union
itself to make.
With regard to Cyprus. As our friend Mr. Lambros certainly knows,
our policy on this is well known. We have not changed our views on
that. We certainly want to see a resolution of the differences on
Cyprus resolved. And we still believe that the way forward on that
is under the basis of the Annan plan and what we’re working for in
Cyprus right now is for both sides to come back to the Secretary
General in response to his suggestion that they come up with some
ideas for how to move that process forward.
QUESTION: Well, the stalemate continues. The troops remain. It sounds
as if the French have another approach that might move things along
they hope, I suppose. The U.S. is just going to wait for the two
sides to get together again, right?
MR. CASEY: Well, Barry, I mean, I think we need to remember where
this process was. The Annan plan went forward. It was voted on by
both communities on Cyprus. Because one community rejected that plan,
that was what we frankly thought was a positive, good plan and an
opportunity to resolve the issue. At this point, conversations continue
between the Secretary General, between his representatives and leaders
in Cyprus. We certainly have our contacts with both communities as
well. And again, what we are doing is encouraging them to respond
to the Secretary General’s offer to come up with some suggestions to
move forward. But at this point, it’s up to those parties to try and
respond to those proposals and see how we can move forward.
QUESTION: On Cyprus?
MR. CASEY: On Cyprus? Sure.
QUESTION: Azerbaijan has recently opened the flights to the northern
part of the island and the Greek side is very dissatisfied. They’re
threatening with retaliation of opening flights to the occupied
territories of Azerbaijan. Where does the U.S. stand on all of this?
MR. CASEY: Well, I really don’t have anything for you on the specific
flights. That’s obviously a bilateral issue. And I’d leave it to
the Azeri Government to comment on it. I think you know our policy
is that we continue to support the easing of the economic isolation
of the Turkish Cypriots and that’s the policy we’re pursuing with
response to the north.
QUESTION: A bilateral between who — Azerbaijan and —
MR. CASEY: And Cyprus.
QUESTION: The Government of Cyprus.
MR. CASEY: Yeah. It is not — it’s not an issue. It’s not an issue
for us.
QUESTION: But if the Government of Cyprus objects, where does that —
MR. CASEY: Again, I’d leave it to the Government of Azerbaijan,
the Government of Cyprus.
QUESTION: But you don’t mean bilaterally with Northern Cyprus?
MR. CASEY: No.
QUESTION: Okay.
QUESTION: (Off-mike).
MR. CASEY: Our position on Cyprus has not changed. Our position
on recognition has not changed. I think I anticipated the
question. (Laughter).
QUESTION: Mr. Casey, you have to clarify between the Government of
Cyprus and of Azerbaijan — or what? Between Azerbaijan and what?
MR. CASEY: Her question was that the Government of Azerbaijan has
instituted flights that other governments in the region have objected
to that. That is a matter between those other governments and the
Government of Azerbaijan to work out. I do not have an official
U.S. comment on it.
Let’s move around. Yeah.
QUESTION: Do you have anything on Secretary Rice’s meeting this
morning on Azerbaijani Foreign Minister?
MR. CASEY: I have a more of a preview than a readout. The meeting
was just concluding as I came out here. So in terms of the preview —
QUESTION: They’re going to (inaudible).
MR. CASEY: They were — what they were planning on talking about
was a number of bilateral issues. We certainly were going to thank
the Government of Azerbaijan for its assistance in the global war
on terror. Understand that Azerbaijan does have military forces in
Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo. We are also going to stress and talk
about the importance, as we always do in our conversations with the
Azeri Government, of the parliamentary elections in November and the
importance of those elections meeting international standards. And we
certainly expected the subject of Nagorno-Karabak to come up as well.
QUESTION: Interfax is quoting the Kyrgyz Government as saying
Secretary of State Rice will travel to Bishkek to attend the August
14th inaugural. And I know how reluctant she is to travel, but is
it possible she might be going there for the inaugural and combine
it with a vacation, possibly?
(Laughter.)
MR. CASEY: Well, I don’t have any announcements to offer you in terms
of travel, Barry, but I’m unaware of any plans for her to travel at
this time.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress