BBC News
Turks to debate Armenian deaths
University scholars in Turkey plan to open a ground-breaking conference
this weekend on the mass killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule.
They were prevented by a court order from holding the controversial
event at an Istanbul university on Friday but a new venue has been found
in the city.
Barring last-minute obstacles, the forum should now begin on Saturday.
Debate of the killings has been taboo in Turkey but it is under outside
pressure for greater freedom of speech.
The country begins talks on joining the EU in two weeks’ time and the
ban slapped on the forum’s chosen venue brought protests from Brussels.
Armenians worldwide have been campaigning for decades for the deaths,
thought to have been more than a million, to be recognised universally
as genocide.
An Istanbul court banned the conference from Bosphorus University after
complaints by nationalists that the historians behind it were “traitors”.
‘In the name of freedom’
But another university, Bilgi, has now opened its doors to the event.
“Our university decided to offer its halls for the conference in the
name of freedom of expression and thought,” said its president, Aydin Ugur.
The BBC’s Sarah Rainsford reports from Istanbul that Friday saw
emotionally charged scenes on the Bosphorus campus.
Students, angry the conference was cancelled, taped their mouths while
small groups of nationalists gathered to condemn plans for the forum.
The historians challenge official accounts of the killings, which give a
much smaller death toll and link Armenian losses to civil strife in
which many Turks also died.
Government leaders have regretted the court ruling which “cast a shadow
on the process of democratisation and freedoms”, according to Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“There are few nations that can inflict such damage upon themselves,”
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul added.
EU enlargement commissioner Krisztina Nagy said Brussels strongly
deplored the court’s “attempt to prevent the Turkish society from
discussing its history”.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/09/23 23:48:17 GMT
© BBC MMV
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
HIS HOLINESS THANKS BISHOP HUBER FOR HIS SUPPORT
OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION IN GERMANY
His Holiness Aram I thanked Bishop Dr. Wolfgang Huber, chair of the Council
of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) for the brave attitude of the
church towards the issue of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
Bishop Huber had staunchly supported the resolution the German Parliament
adopted, recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
The two spiritual leaders also consulted on matters related to the World
Council of Churches during their phone conversation on September 22. EKD has
played an active role in the establishment of WCC and continues to be an
active member of the council.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

A1+
| 19:19:53 | 22-09-2005 | Official |
RA OMBUDSMAN’S STATEMENT
Some media spread information on the possible raising of tariffs on local
calls by Armentel Company. In this view Armenian human Rights Defender has
issued a statement.
The statements says in part, `The raising of tariffs is groundless and
inadmissible. It is has not economic basis, since the quality of the
communication has not improved. It has no social basis, since the living
standards of the population are still low. It should be also taken into
account that the monopoly in this sphere the subscribers have no possibility
to choose a company providing similar services.
There is no doubt that the raising of tariffs will hit the poorest sector of
population. At the same time the limitation of using telephone communication
infringes the right of freedom of communication.
A fully support the position of the Minister of Transport and
Communications, who condemned the request of Armentel to raise the tariffs.
I am convinced that the Armenian government will reject the request in
accordance with the Strategic Program of Poverty Reduction.’

Reuters, UK
Sept 23 2005
RPT-Turkey condemns court stopping Armenia conference
Fri 23 Sep 2005 4:56 AM ET
By Jon Hemming
ISTANBUL, Sept 23 (Reuters) – Turkey’s government condemned a court
decision to stop a conference to discuss the massacre of Armenians
during World War One, calling it a blow to freedom of speech and a
mistake ahead of EU-accession talks on Oct. 3.
The European Commission in Brussels called the Istanbul court
decision “a provocation” less than two weeks before Ankara is due to
start entry talks with the 25-member European Union.
Turkey has always denied claims that Ottoman forces carried out
genocide against local Armenians during the war, but under pressure
from the European Union, has called for historians to debate the
issue, not politicians.
The Istanbul university conference aimed to do just that. But on
Friday, when the conference had been due to start, the debate was
political rather than academic.
“To prevent a meeting which has not yet happened and where it is not
clear what is to be discussed has got nothing to do with democracy,”
newspapers quoted Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan as saying.
“Those inside and outside the country who want to obstruct us as we
go towards Oct. 3 are making their last efforts,” said Turkish
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. “There is no one better than us when
it comes to harming ourselves,” he added.
Late on Thursday, the court stopped the conference pending
information from the two universities which organised it on the
academic careers of the speakers, who was participating and who was
paying for it.
“It was cancelled because they did not know who was going to say
what,” the Sabah daily said.
The European Commission was not impressed.
“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, on
Friday.
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn previously called a Turkish
court’s plans to prosecute novelist Orhan Pamuk a provocation. Pamuk
faces up to three years in jail for backing allegations that
Armenians suffered genocide 90 years ago.
The Armenian conference had been postponed in May after a minister
accused its organisers of treason.
Turkey accepts thousands of Armenians died at the hands of Ottoman
forces, but says many Turks and Kurds were massacred by Armenian
partisans and their Russian allies in the fighting on Turkey’s
eastern fringes.
Turkey closed its border and cut diplomatic ties with neighbouring
Armenia in 1993 to protest Armenian occupation of the territory of
Azerbaijan, a regional Turkic-speaking ally of Ankara.

RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, Czech Republic
Sept 23 2005
EU Raps Turkey For Stopping Armenia Conference

23 September 2005 (RFE/RL) — The European Commission has called a
“provocation” a Turkish court’s order to suspend an academic
conference on the 1915 massacre of the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian
population.
A court in Istanbul ordered the suspension on 22 September, a day
before the start of the conference.
The EU executive’s spokeswoman for enlargement, Krisztina Nagy, said
today the timing of the decision and the absence of legal motivations
looked like “another provocation” less than two weeks before Ankara
starts entry talks with Brussels.
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn had previously described as a
provocation Turkish plans to prosecute novelist Orhan Pamuk. He faces
up to three years in jail for backing assertions that Armenians
suffered genocide at Turkish hands 90 years ago.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

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