JUVENILE CRIMES ON THE RISE
By Lina Abdul Rahman (Special Report)

Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates
Sept 23 2005

DUBAI/SHARJAH – Juvenile crimes committed by youngsters in the age
group of 11 to 17 years in the UAE are on the rise, and psychologists
attribute the increase to broken families, cross culture marriage,
illiteracy among both parents as well as pressure and influence of
corrupt and notorious peers.

Further, lack of direction and the will to achieve, primarily
among the UAE national youth who hail from families with strong
financial backgrounds, and easy access to educational institutions
and conveniences in life, are all factors forcing the youth, specially
teenagers, to stray and become a nuisance to both families and society.

Psychologists claim that lack of regular open dialogue between parents
and their children, and weak family ties, are among strong reasons
leading the youth to take the wrong path in life.

According to statistics, 49 per cent of juveniles in Dubai are not
given enough time or attention by parents, and are not properly
looked after because of their busy lives. Another 26 per cent live
with divorced parents, and nine per cent live with separated parents
who are not legally divorced.

“Family stability is a strong factor ensuring the success of children
in their lives,” says a psychologist in Dubai.

Bushra Qaed, a psychiatrist and Director of the Juvenile Department
at the General Directorate for Punitive and Corrective Establishments
of Dubai Police, disclosed: “Last year, 35 juvenile delinquents of
12 different nationalities were admitted to the Juvenile Department
at the General Directorate for Punitive and Corrective Establishments
of Dubai Police. Of these, 49 per cent were UAE Nationals, 11 per cent
had no nationality, 9 per cent were from Pakistan, while the rest were
from India, Britain, Egypt, Yemen, Iraq, Somalia, Iran and Armenia.”

The department receives juvenile delinquents aged 11 to 17 years
after a court order is filed against them, Qaed explained, pointing
out that robbery continues to dominate the crimes committed by the
youth leading them to juvenile homes in Dubai.

“Robbery accounts for 65 per cent of the crimes committed by
UAE juveniles, followed by 12 per cent for kidnapping, rape and
indulging in homosexual acts. Statistics have proved that UAE juvenile
delinquents mainly indulge in robbery and theft to satisfy their
quest for endless luxuries in life which is probably beyond their
reach and not affordable with the limited pocket money they receive
at home from parents.”

Meanwhile, the situation in Sharjah is not very different as the
number of admitted juvenile delinquents at the Social Care Unit run
by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is increasing, and is
expected to rise in the future.

Ahmed Mohammed Abu Taha, a social worker at the Social Care Unit in
Sharjah, refers to the situation as ‘alarming,’ since the number of
juveniles enrolled at the unit is increasing annually.

“The number of juvenile delinquents last year was 180 including
both UAE nationals and expatriates, but the current figures to date
(August) has already touched 120 and a further increase is expected
by the end of the year.”

A study last year showed that 42 per cent of the 76 juvenile
delinquents were admitted to the unit through court orders for robbery
cases, and 36 among them were UAE nationals and the remaining 40
were of various other nationalities. Nine per cent juveniles were
homosexuals.

The study indicated that nine per cent were charged with rape (11
UAE nationals and five from other nationalities), eight per cent for
fights (nine UAE nationals and six from other nationalities), seven
per cent for illegal driving without licence (eight UAE nationals
and five from other nationalities), six per cent for abetting crime,
four per cent for rape of minors, two per cent for killing, and one
expatriate female held on prostitution charges.

Out of the 180 juvenile delinquents enrolled last year, 175 were
males and only five were females, said Abu Taha.

According to Qaed, the Dubai Juvenile Department has this year to date
received 31 juveniles. “Prior to 2003, sexual assault was the second
most major crime committed by youth, but at present drug addiction is
turning out to be a strong factor leading the youth to the juvenile
department,” she said.

Qaed mentioned that some of the juvenile delinquents accused of
various criminal activities have shown repentance, while a majority
of the youth seem unaffected and would not repent repeating the crime
again if given a chance. However, the juvenile homes seem to be a
place liked by many youth since it gives them security cover and are
offered guidance and focus in life. The juveniles feel good about
having a communication channel with psychologists who help them see
the right from the wrong and guide them towards rehabilitation.

Juvenile homes in Dubai and Sharjah seem big enough to accommodate
the juvenile delinquents, a large number of whom are UAE nationals and
are kept in these homes from periods ranging from three months to 10
years depending on the severity of crime committed and improvements
observed in their attitude towards life. But, expatriates put up in
these homes are deported soon after completion of the term.

Commenting on the main rehabilitation and treatment programmes offered
to the juveniles, Abu Taha explains that the Social Care Unit in
Sharjah, established in 1981, offers juvenile delinquents various
social, psychological and health services in order to build and shape
up their characters while working hard to explore their latent talent
and potential in learning and acquiring more knowledge in various
fields in order to be productive members of society.

“Our endeavour is to offer the juvenile delinquents the best levels of
services and to ensure they live a comfortable life. We try to approach
them in a friendly way in order to know why they committed their
harmful act bringing harm to themselves and to others,” Abu Taha said.

Abu Taha said a number of symposia and lectures are organised regularly
to guide them. In addition, training and vocational education to
develop their talent and skills are also organised at the juvenile
homes.

“We also invite Islamic preachers to enlighten the juvenile delinquents
and to strengthen their faith in their religion,” he said.

“Juvenile homes can only do that much to deal with this problem,
and parents have to shoulder their responsibilities towards their
children and try and understand them and their problems,” he said,
adding that parents should refrain from adopting wrong approach while
dealing with teenagers problems, which are mostly under the influence
of bad company.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

49 per cent of juveniles in Dubai are not given enough time or
attention by parents, and are not properly looked after because of
their busy lives.

26 per cent live with divorced parents, and nine per cent live with
separated parents who are not legally divorced.

Of the 180 juvenile delinquents taken in last year, 175 were males
and five were females.

According to a study, nine per cent were charged with rape (11 UAE
nationals and five from other nationalities), eight per cent for
fights (nine UAE nationals and six from other nationalities), seven
per cent for illegal driving without licence (eight UAE nationals
and five from other nationalities), six per cent for abetting crime,
four per cent for rape of minors, two per cent for killing, and one
expatriate female held on prostitution charges.

Before 2003, 2003, sexual assault was the second most major crime
committed by youth, but at present drug addiction is turning out to
be a strong factor leading the youth to the juvenile department.

APPLICATION DE LA NORME ANTI-RACISTE LE CAS DE DOGU PERINCEK MET DES PROBLEMES EN EVIDENCES

Schweizerische Depeschenagentur AG (SDA)
SDA – Service de base francais
21 septembre 2005

Berne (ats) Dogu Perincek ne pourra etre condamne en Suisse pour
negation du genocide armenien que s’il est possible de prouver qu’il
agit pour des motifs racistes, ethniques ou religieux. C’est une
des difficultes que rencontre le juge d’instruction vaudois Jacques
Antenen.

Mardi, après avoir entendu le nationaliste de gauche turc Dogu
Perincek, Jacques Antenen avait declare qu’il renoncait pour
l’instant a une inculpation. Il souhaitait consulter des documents
supplementaires.

Le juge Antenen est en charge des quatre plaintes deposees en
Suisse contre le Turc et doit determiner s’il a enfreint la norme
anti-raciste. Il ne s’agit pas de savoir s’il y eu ou non un genocide
des Armeniens en 1915, avait-il precise. Plus d’un million d’Armeniens
avaient peri a l’epoque.

La norme anti-raciste du code penal (article 261 bis) punit de
l’emprisonnement ou de l’amende “celui qui aura publiquement (…)
abaisse ou discrimine d’une facon qui porte atteinte a la dignite
humaine une personne ou un groupe de personnes en raison de leur race,
de leur appartenance ethnique ou de leur religion ou qui, pour la meme
raison, niera, minimisera grossièrement ou cherchera a justifier un
genocide et d’autres crimes contre l’humanite”.

Negation de l’Holocauste

Le Tribunal federal a pris position plusieurs fois sur ce thème par
rapport a l’Holocauste. En juin 2000, il avait notamment estime que
celui qui nie ou met en doute le massacre des juifs dans les chambres
a gaz doit accepter fondamentalement l’accusation qu’il agit pour
des raisons de discrimination raciale ou d’antisemitisme, justement
parce qu’il atteint les juifs dans leur dignite humaine.

Dans ce cas et comme dans d’autres, l’inculpation etait survenue
a la suite de publications ecrites. Pour le professeur de droit
fribourgeois Marcel Niggli, dans le cas de Dogu Perincek, la negation
du genocide armenien est en soi une enfreinte a la norme anti-raciste
et doit etre punie, avait-il indique mardi soir au telejournal de la
television alemanique.

Mais le president de la Commission federale contre le racisme (CFR)
Georg Kreis met en doute cet avis. Dans un article de la “Neue Zurcher
Zeitung” du 11 août 2005, il ecrit qu’il est indeniable que la negation
blesse les descendants des Armeniens.

Pas d’ideologie anti-armenienne

Il s’agit toutefois de se demander si dans le cas des Armeniens il
existe une ideologie anti-armenienne historique qui – comme dans
le cas de la haine des juifs – se repète dans l’Histoire. M. Kreis
explique qu’il ne met pas sur le meme pied les deux cas par le fait
que la minorite juive a le triste “privilège” d’etre l’objet d’une
diffamation specifiquement raciste.

Dogu Perincek ne nie pas qu’il y ait eu un massacre pendant la
Première Guerre mondiale – mais des deux côtes. Qu’il s’agisse d’un
genocide perpetre par les Turcs est un “mensonge international”,
a-t-il declare a plusieurs reprises.

Sur le plan politique federal, seul le Conseil national a reconnu
officiellement le genocide armenien. Au niveau cantonal, le Grand
Conseil vaudois a fait le pas en 2003. Juridiquement toutefois, la
reconnaissance officielle par la Suisse du genocide n’aurait aucune
portee en raison de la separation des pouvoirs.

Tensions recurrentes

Dogu Perincek est la figure de proue du Parti des travailleurs (IP),
qui a obtenu 160 000 des 31,5 millions de voix aux dernières elections
parlementaires turques. Venu en Suisse fin juillet a l’occasion de la
celebration du 82e anniversaire du Traite de Lausanne, il avait deja
critique a Lausanne et a Glattbrugg (ZH) le “mensonge international”
a propos des evenements de 1915.

La question armenienne provoque des tensions recurrentes entre Berne
et la Turquie. Si Ankara reconnaît la realite des massacres perpetres
par l’Empire ottoman contre la minorite armenienne, elle recuse le
terme de “genocide” et conteste le nombre de morts.

–Boundary_(ID_hKM+EZuEi9opBQJ6fYTUxQ)–

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS WILL GIVE ARMENIA A BALANCED AND MODERN CONSTITUTION

ARMINFO News Agency
September 22, 2005

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22. ARMINFO. Constitutional reforms will give
Armenia a balanced and modern Constitution, Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan said at a solemn ceremony on the occasion of the Independence
Day of RA, on September 21.

He said that 14 years ago, the Armenian people made its historical
choice for construction of a free, democratic and prospering state.

Today, it must make the next step in this way to fix a serious
political progress and to strengthen the international rating and
authority of the country. Constitutional reforms will become the
best guarantee of irreversibility of reforms in the country, Robert
Kocharyan said.

SYSTEM ON THE UP
Chris Riemenschneider, Star Tribune

Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN
Sept 22 2005

They front one of today’s most political rock bands, and their latest
single was the most vehement anti-war song to hit the radio since
9/11. However, don’t expect System of a Down’s co-leaders to start
trash-talking the current president of the United States.

“I don’t believe in complaining about George Bush,” said Daron
Malakian, guitarist and occasional singer for the progressive hard-rock
band. “That’s like getting hurt on a ride at Disneyland and complaining
to Mickey Mouse about it. There are people behind the mouse.”

Those comments are probably surprising to everyone who has heard
“B.Y.O.B.,” the stormy and frantic single from System’s new CD,
“Mezmerize.” Short for “Bring Your Own Bombs,” the song’s hook asks,
“Why don’t presidents fight the war/ Why do they always send the poor?”

System of a DownIan JenningsAmerican RecordingsIn separate phone
interviews, Malakian and lead singer Serj Tankian — friends since
they attended a grade-school for Armenian Americans in Los Angeles
— both talked about the value of being ambiguous and unspecific in
their music.

“Hopefully, ‘B.Y.O.B.’ and many of our other songs will resonate with
people 20 years from now, long after Bush is gone,” Tankian said.

“One of my favorite bands is [’80s punk heroes] the Dead Kennedys,
but a lot of their songs were all about Ronald Reagan and lost their
timeliness.”

Not only did Tankian and Malakian skip the Bush-bashing, they also
repeatedly emphasized the fact that there’s a lot more to System of
a Down’s music than politics.

“Mezmerize” shows off the diversity. A couple of tracks are
about Malakian’s native city (“Old School Hollywood” and “Lost in
Hollywood”). One riffs on taboo fetishes (“Violent Pornography”). And
a few seem downright nonsensical, such “Cigaro,” whose phallic lyrics
exemplify what Tankian called “instinctive songwriting.”

“A lot of times, we don’t even know what a song is about,” the singer
said, “but we know the emotions behind it.”

SOAD’s link to politics was cemented the week of the Sept. 11
attacks. That also happened to be the same week that the quartet’s
now-classic sophomore album, “Toxicity,” debuted at No. 1 in Billboard,
largely thanks to its breakout single “Chop Suey!”

Instead of celebrating the success of “Toxicity,” though, Tankian
sat down and wrote an essay about that week’s tragedies titled
“Understanding Oil.” Essentially a plea for peace and tolerance,
the online message circulated for all of two hours before it spawned
a flood of hate-mail and a controversy still hanging over the band.

“We caught a lot of [flak] over it,” said Tankian, who now runs the
grassroots political site with Audioslave’s Tom
Morello. “Our single was dropped. A lot of programmers wouldn’t play
us. … Years later, though, I think people understood where we stood.”

Part of the initial backlash also likely stemmed from the fact
that SOAD’s four members are all of Armenian descent — hence,
Middle Eastern in many people’s eyes. Their heritage often comes
through thrillingly in their music, with its sharp time changes and
sometimes exotic-sounding tunings (think: Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” with
a thrash twist).

Since they all grew up in California, though, the members bristle
anytime their patriotism comes into question.

“I would not be alive if not for the American orphanages that raised
my grandfather after the Armenian genocide of 1915,” Tankian wrote
in the controversial essay.

Malakian believes he shares a kinship with families of U.S. soldiers
serving in Iraq, because he has relatives who live in the war-torn
country.

“I worry about them every day, just like anyone with family
over there,” he said. “It’s made more compassionate to the human
realities. To me, putting a ribbon on your car isn’t supporting our
troops. Writing a song like ‘B.Y.O.B.’ is supporting our troops.”

As unconventional as its messages often are, SOAD has also been
quite daring in its business practices this year. The group previewed
“Mezmerize” with a so-called “guerrilla club tour” in May. It included
a Minneapolis show at First Avenue for which tickets didn’t go on sale
’til that day (resulting in a line around the block).

“We had such a good time doing that,” Malakian said.

Tonight’s show at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul will include a song
or two from “Hypnotize,” another SOAD album due in the late fall. The
disc is essentially a companion piece to “Mezmerize” and was recorded
at the same time.

“It’s really a double album, so I feel like people have only heard
half of our record,” Malakian said, explaining that the split the
release dates up to avoid “overwhelming” fans with too many songs
at once. “It’s like when you meet 50 people in one day, you’re not
going to remember them all.”

The guys said the new album is pretty similar to its predecessor,
which means, of course, it will also have a few political firebombs
like “B.Y.O.B.”

“There’s some of that,” said Talakian, before breaking into a laugh.

“But then there’s also a song on it called ‘Proximity of Obscenity,’
so I don’t know what that tells you.”

It tells us that this is one band that won’t be pigeonholed.

IF YOU GO System of a Down

With: The Mars Volta.

When: 7 p.m. Friday.

Where: Xcel Energy Center, 7th St. and Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul.

Tickets: $37.50-$45. 651-989-5151.

The Anatolian Times

Armenian Conference to be held at Bilgi University on Saturday

ISTANBUL – Rector of Istanbul`s Bilgi University Prof. Dr. Aydin Ugur
has indicated today that they accepted a proposal of organizers to hold
the suspended conference titled “Ottoman Armenians During the Fall of
the Empire,“ at Bilgi University on Saturday, September 24th.

Dr. Ugur noted that Bilgi University will open its doors for the
conference for the sake of freedom of thought, research and expression.

The Istanbul Administrative Court no:4 decided yesterday to suspend the
Armenian conference.

Published: 9/23/2005

USINFO.STATE.GOV
23 September 2005
Government Treatment of Media Deteriorating in Some OSCE States
At Warsaw conference, U.S. official says urgent corrective action needed
By Jeffrey Thomas
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington — Government treatment of media has deteriorated markedly in
several countries that belong to the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a member of the U.S. delegation told an OSCE
conference on human rights in Warsaw, Poland, September 21.
“The main responsibility for ensuring that media can work freely and
independently lies with governments of participating States, which must not
violate the right to freedom of expression, even in times of heightened
security concerns,” Dorothy Douglas Taft told the 2005 OSCE Human Dimension
Implementation Meeting (HDIM), which continues through September 30.
“Government officials and their allies in the business community have used
lawsuits, administrative regulations, and the charge of libel, as well as
harassment to stifle independent journalism,” said Taft, who serves as
deputy chief of staff to the United States Helsinki Commission, an
independent U.S. government agency that monitors human rights issues.
“In other cases, authorities have looked the other way when shady
businessmen or organized crime groups harass and even murder journalists
whose reporting threatens their abilities to continue committing crime and
corruption,” she said. “We need urgent corrective action to stop this
progressive strangulation of the media.”
Taft offered specific criticisms of the media environments in Russia,
Belarus, Turkey, Serbia, Central Asia and the Caucasus.
“In addition to attacks on and politically motivated prosecution of
journalists, we are deeply concerned by the shrinking independence and
diversity of Russian media outlets and content,” she said.
President Bush recently conveyed U.S. concerns about media freedom directly
to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying after their meeting at the White
House September 16 that Russia “will be an even stronger partner as the
reforms that President Putin has talked about are implemented — rule of law
and the ability for people to express themselves in an open way in Russia.”
(See related article.)
Taft said the United States strongly supports the OSCE’s call for the repeal
of Russia’s criminal defamation laws and wants the OSCE representative on
freedom of the media, Miklos Haraszti, to visit Russia soon to investigate
the abuses of journalists and restrictions on media freedom.
Turning to Belarus, Taft said government attempts to stifle independent
media have intensified. She expressed regret that Belarus has ignored the
recommendations of the OSCE representative on freedom of the media.
With respect to Turkey, Taft welcomed government efforts to enact a new
Penal Code that more clearly defines the elements of the crime of
“incitement to hatred” and a new press code that makes it more difficult to
close publications and improves protection for private sources. But she
noted with regret that journalist Hakan Albayrak served six months in prison
for insulting the memory of Mustafa Kemal, and journalist Sabri Ejder Ozic
was convicted for insulting parliament.
On Serbia, Taft said that it “enjoys relatively free and open media
consistent with the rest of the Balkan region, [but] there are still
insufficient professional standards, and the government lacks the
institutional means and the political will to ensure against abuse and
manipulation of the media.” She cited as an example of abuse a government
death threat directed at a journalist who asked an unwelcome question.
In Central Asia, Taft said, “freedom of the media remains a distant dream.”
As examples of the poor media climate, she cited a total lack of independent
media outlets in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, concerted efforts by Uzbek
authorities against Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty correspondents, the
closure of Respublika newspaper in Kazakhstan and the closure or suspension
of independent media outlets in Tajikistan.
In Azerbaijan, the founder and editor of an opposition weekly news magazine
was murdered in his apartment building earlier this year, and
state-controlled media have “recently been a forum for political mudslinging
by the party in power,” while in Armenia “media critical of the government
continue to experience considerable pressure,” Taft said.
“It is time that we recommit ourselves to the core OSCE commitments in the
field of media freedom,” she concluded, urging all the states represented at
the conference to foster, rather than hinder, a free media.
Taft’s statement on media freedom is available at the U.S. Mission to the
OSCE Web site.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information
Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: )

TURKEY: COURT BANS CONFERENCE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Istanbul, 23 Sept. (AKI) – An Istanbul court has dealt a blow to
freedom of expression in Turkey, banning an academic conference which
questions the official view that the 1915-21 mass killings of
Christian Armenians under Muslim Ottoman rule never took place. The
decision on Thursday came one day before the conference was due to
start. Turkey’s government slammed the court ruling, saying that “it
goes against democratic and civilised society.” Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul said he saw the decision as an attempt by some political
forces to sabotage Ankara’s integration with European Union.

The remarks from both men contrast with those uttered by the country’s
justice minister, Cemil Cicek, whose harsh criticism of conference
organisers prompted them to postpone the gathering’s original May
opening date. On that occasion Cicek said the conference was
tantamount to “a dagger in the back of the Turkish people.”

Following the decision by the Fourth Administrative Court the
organisers’ spokesman, Halil Berktay, said that they would seek a new
date for the conference, entitled “Ottoman Era Armenians During the
Collapes of the Empire: Intellectual Responsibility and Democratic
Problems.”

The court’s decision came after the Lawyers’ Union Foundation, a group
of nationalist lawyers, filed a complaint against the event.

Before the court’s ruling many nationalist groups announced that they
would stage protests against the conference. Some of these groups,
including the National Powers and Retired Military Officers
Associations, staged a demonstration at the entrance to Istanbul’s
Bogazici University, the conference venue.

The European Commission also said it was disappointed with the
decision and called Court’s decision “a provocation” less than two
weeks before Ankara is due to start entry talks with the EU. `The
absence of legal motivations and the timing of this decision a day
before the conference looks like yet another provocation,” said
Krisztina Nagy, the EU executive’s spokeswoman for enlargement.

Pro-EU newspapers in Turkey reacted negatively to the court’s
decision. Liberal daily Milliyet said that the decision spells trouble
for Turkey. `This decision is a black spot in Turkish justice
history. For democracy, for justice and for the academic freedoms this
conference had to be held,’ a well-knonw columnist, Hasan Cemal,
wrote.

`Court stopped science’ is the headline of another pro-EU paper,
Radikal. The editor-in chief, Ismet Berkan, argued that the ruling
represents the biggest attack by the country’s courts on academic
freedoms and the freedom of scientific research.

`After this decision it is pointless to get angry with Greek Cypriot
politicians who try to block Turkey’s membership of the EU since we
ourselves destroy the way towards the EU more than any others’, wrote
Abdulhamit Bilici, in the pro-Islamic Zaman.

Many historians say that some 1.5 million Armenians were
systematically murdered by the Turks during the 1915-21 period. Turkey
says a much lower number of Armenians died during mass deportations
which the Ottomans ordered after Armenian fighters and their Russian
allies killed Turkish and Kurdish civilans in fighting on Turkey’s
eastern fringes during World War I.

According to the official Turkish view the Armenian deaths were not
due to a policy of genocide, but were caused by epidemics and other
hadrships suffered during the long marches were part of the
deporatation process.

Last month, another Istanbul court opened a case against Orhan Pamuk
the internationally acclaimed Turkish author. He is due to appear in
court on 16 December on charges of insulting Turkey’s national dignity
by telling a Swiss newspaper that one million Armenians and 30,000
Kurds were killed in Turkey and that nobody dared to say so.

(Vah/Aki)

Sep-23-05 14:57
;loid=8.0.211558282&par=0

US funding upgrade of two radar installations in Azerbaijan: ambassador

By AIDA SULTANOVA
.c The Associated Press

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) – The United States is funding the upgrade of
two Soviet-era radar installations in the Caspian Sea nation of
Azerbaijan, the U.S. ambassador said Friday.

Reno Harnish told reporters that the two-year upgrade of the sites
would help Azerbaijan fight contraband and other smuggling on the
Caspian Sea and help protect its territorial waters. He spoke to
reporters after meeting with Saudi Arabian diplomats in Baku.

Azerbaijani defense officials refused to comment on the installations,
one of which is located about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the
Russian border, while the other is some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from
the country’s border with Iran.

“The main purpose of this project is so that Azerbaijan can quickly
reveal attempts to bring contraband across the maritime borders,”
Harnish said. “These stations serve as objects of assistance for
Azerbaijan in preventing the smuggling of contraband, including
cigarettes and illegal drugs, and will serve to protect its
territorial waters.”

Harnish did not indicate how much the upgrade was costing.

Azerbaijani defense analyst Uzeyir Jafarov said U.S. intelligence and
military authorities could definitely use the stations to monitor
Iranian military communications.

“Without a doubt, the radars that are constructed will be used by
America for its military purposes if it is necessary,” Jafarov
said. “The technical possibilities of the stations will allow the
identification of cargo movements over a wide area, not only on the
Caspian Sea and on land, but also in the air, such as rockets and
their technical characteristics.”

Azerbaijan has stepped up its military cooperation with the United
States in recent years. It is the only predominantly Muslim country
that has contributed troops to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, where
about 150 Azerbaijani soldiers are serving.

The former Soviet republic, which also has contributed troops in
Afghanistan, is seeking U.S. support in modernizing its military and
resolving a territorial dispute with neighboring Armenia.

09/23/05 14:31 EDT

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th Street, NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
Email: [email protected]
Web:

MULTI-PLATIMUM ROCK BAND SYSTEM OF A DOWN ASK HOUSE SPEAKER DENNIS
HASTERT TO ‘DO THE RIGHT THING’ IN SUPPORT OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
LEGISLATION

BAND RALLIES THEIR FANS WITH ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF AMERICA
(ANCA) IN FRONT OF HASTERT’S BATAVIA, IL OFFICE TUESDAY, SEPT 27 AT
NOON

Band Are In Chicago in Advance Of Their Friday
Evening Concert at Chicago’s Allstate Arena

Los Angeles, CA – September 23, 2005 – System of a Down, one of rock’s
most daring and innovative bands, have just announced that they –
along with their fans, the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA; ), Axis of Justice () and the
Armenian Youth Federation – will visit the Batavia office of
Rep. Dennis Hastert on Tuesday, September 27 (Noon) to ask Speaker
Hastert to ‘do the right thing’ and keep his commitment to hold a vote
on the pending Armenian Genocide legislation. If passed, the
legislation will officially recognize Turkey’s destruction of 1.5
million Armenians between 1915 and 1923. The band have invited their
fans to join with them in this effort by attending the rally and have
set up a system by which fans can directly email Speaker Hastert on
the issue.*

System of a Down’s four band members – Serj Tankian, Daron Malakian,
Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan – are of Armenian descent and have
made awareness of the genocide, and genocide around the world, a
central message of the band. All have lost family members to the
Armenian Genocide.

On September 15, the House International Relations Committee
overwhelmingly approved legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide,
despite objections from both Turkey and the Bush Administration.
Despite his previous public support for the measure in 2000, Speaker
Hastert has twice prevented the Armenian Genocide legislation from
coming to a full vote in the House. Today the fate of this human
rights issue rests in the Speaker’s hands. He has two choices: either
allow a vote on the Armenian Genocide Resolution, giving the 435
Members of the U.S. House a chance to cast their ballots on this human
rights measure or, delay, defer, and ultimately defeat the Armenian
Genocide Resolution by refusing to bring the measure to a vote of the
full U.S. House. The rally is in support of a fair and full vote in
the House of Representatives, ending U.S. denial of this crime and
opening the doors to justice – to the restoration, reparation, and
restitution owed to the victims of genocide.

“Dennis do the right thing” stated Serj Tankian, “I just visited my
97 year old grandfather, my only link to the far past, and promised
him that I would go and try to talk to Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the
House, and make sure that he takes this opportunity to bring up the
Armenian Genocide Resolution to the floor of the House of
Representatives. This is a personal issue to me and System.”

The System of a Down/ANCA rally will take place at the offices of
Rep. Dennis Hastert – 27 North River Street, Batavia, Illinois (about
an hour from downtown Chicago). The rally is scheduled for
12Noon-2:00 PM on Tuesday, September 27. The Armenian community,
activists, and the band’s fans from across the greater Chicago area
are expected to attend the rally.

Members of System of a Down and Aram Suren Hamparian, Executive
Director of ANCA, are available to discuss the rally and pending
legislation on Tuesday, 9/27 and Friday, 9/30, the day of their
concert at Chicago’s Allstate Arena.

* System Of A Down have asked their fans to take action and send a
free WebFax urging Hastert to hold a vote on the Armenian Genocide
Resolution:

;amp;u=c9oct

About System Of A Down: Six months after their album Mesmerize debuted
at number one on Billboard’s Top 200 album charts, the quartet returns
with Hypnotize on November 22, part two of a promised two-album set.
The American/Columbia recording artists are nominated for an American
Music Award in the “Favorite Artist” in Alternative category and are
currently on a North American headlining tour through October 12. For
more information, visit the band’s website:

Background on the issue:

On September 15th of this year, the International Relations Committee
overwhelmingly approved legislation properly recognizing this crime
against humanity. During the course of a three-hour meeting, 21
Representatives on this 50-member panel spoke in favor of H.Res.316
and H.Con.Res195, which were adopted by bipartisan majorities of 40 to
7 and 35 to 11, respectively. Clearly, just as in 2000, legislation
recognizing the Armenian Genocide enjoys the support of a large
Congressional majority.

The full video of the 9/15/05 webcast can be viewed at:

In October of 2000, Speaker Hastert withdrew the Armenian Genocide
Resolution from consideration only moments before it was to reach to
House floor.

Following his withdrawal of this measure, he issued a statement
affirming his personal support for the Armenian Genocide Resolution,
stressing that the Resolution enjoyed the support of a bi-partisan
Congressional majority, and pledging to bring this legislation back to
the House floor.

The Speaker has, in the past, taken positive actions on the Armenian
Genocide issue:

1) Remarks on the House floor, on April 19, 1994, marking the 79th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide: “Over a million Armenians were
exiled and eventually murdered by the Ottoman Turks beginning on April
24, 1915. As a result of this genocide, the Armenian population of the
Ottoman Empire was effectively eliminated through a carefully executed
government plan.”

2) He voted, on June 5th of 1996, for the Radanovich Amendment, to cut
U.S. aid to Turkey until it ceases denying the Armenian Genocide.
This measure was adopted on the House floor by a bipartisan majority
of 268 to 153.

#####

For more information, please contact:
Angelica Cob-Baehler, Vice President, Columbia Records, Media,
Santa Monica, 310-449-2508; email: [email protected]

International Herald Tribune

Turkish court’s ban of Armenian conference is circumvented

The Associated Press, Reuters

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2005

ISTANBUL An Istanbul court’s decision to block a conference on the World
War I massacre of Armenians has embarrassed Turkey at a sensitive moment
and angered EU states just 10 days before the planned start of EU entry
talks.

But conference organizers moved on Friday to circumvent the ruling,
which banned it from two universities. A spokeswoman for a third
Istanbul university said it would act as the host for the conference.

Turkey has always denied claims that Ottoman Turkish forces committed
genocide against Armenians during the war, but under pressure from the
European Union it has called for historians to debate the issue, not
politicians.

The Istanbul university conference aimed to give historians that chance,
but on Friday, when the conference was due to open, the debate was
political rather than academic.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said the court verdict had “nothing to do
with democracy.” Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Turkey had only
itself to blame. “There is no one better than us when it comes to
harming ourselves,” he said.

Late on Thursday, an Istanbul court barred two universities from playing
host to the conference pending information on the qualifications of the
speakers. The court also wanted to know who was participating and who
was paying for it.

But Justice Minister Cemil Cicek later said there was nothing to stop
the conference from moving to another location.

Aydin Ugur, president of Istanbul Bilgi University, said the conference
would be held Saturday morning at Bilgi. He said the court’s order had
been directed at two other universities, and had “nothing to do with Bilgi.”

The European Commission condemned the court’s verdict.

Krisztina Nagy, the EU executive’s spokeswoman for enlargement said that
the timing of the ruling, coming a day before the conference, and the
apparent lack of legal motivation behind it “looks like yet another
provocation.”

Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn previously called a Turkish court’s
plans to prosecute a best-selling novelist, Orhan Pamuk, a provocation.
Pamuk faces as much as three years in jail on charges of “denigrating
the Turkish identity” on accusations he backed claims that Armenians
suffered genocide 90 years ago. Turkey accepts many Armenians were
killed during World War I, but says they were victims of a partisan
conflict that also claimed thousands of Turkish lives. Turkey denies any
systematic genocide.

The Armenian conference had already been postponed in May after the
justice minister accused its organizers of treason.

Turkey closed its border and cut diplomatic ties with Armenia in 1993 to
protest against Armenian occupation of the territory of Azerbaijan, a
regional Turkic-speaking ally of Ankara.

Turkish academics and European Union observers have insisted that the
conference was not only a chance for Turkey to face one of the most
sensitive issues in its history, but also a test of Turkey’s willingness
to permit open discourse.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress