OSCE Mission reacts to "kamikaze" report of Azerbaijani TV

BAKU, 25 October 2002 - Following the report by an Azerbaijani TV station expressing the need for kamikazes ready to sacrifice themselves for their country, the OSCE Office in Baku today said that it was monitoring very closely Azerbaijan's implementation of its international commitments.

"Azerbaijan, as an OSCE participating State, has undertaken to comply with the tenets of the Istanbul Charter for European Security and other OSCE documents relating to the preventing the outbreaks of violent conflicts wherever possible", said Ambassador Peter Burkhard, Head of the OSCE Office in Baku.

In the TV report aired on 23 October over the ANS TV, the presenter expressed the need for kamikazes ready to sacrifice themselves for their country and outlined the possibility of setting up a kamikaze battalion from homeless and orphan children.

In this regard, Ambassador Burkhard recalled that the OSCE Istanbul Document, adopted in 1999 and also signed by Azerbaijan, stated that "participating States will develop and implement measures to promote the rights and interests of children in armed conflict and post-conflict situations, including refugees and internally displaced children. We (participating States) will look at ways of preventing forced or compulsory recruitment for use in armed conflict of persons under 18 years of age."

Ambassador Burkhard also pointed out that OSCE participating States agreed that exploitation of media in areas of conflict to foment hatred and ethnic tension represents threat for peace, security and stability in all participating States.