DTN News: Libya TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ Libyan Leader Colonel Moammar Gadhafi Marks 40 Years In Power

DTN News: Libya TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ Libyan Leader Colonel Moammar Gadhafi Marks 40 Years In Power

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) TRIPOLI, Libya - September 2, 2009: Libya has begun several days of celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the coup that brought Moammar Gadhafi to power.

Horsemen perform during a ceremony to celebrate the 40th anniversary since Muammar Gaddafi seized power in Libya, at former U.S. base Matega in Tripoli August 31, 2009. Military bands, 400 dancers, aerobatic planes and fireworks are set to electrify a hot and drowsy Tripoli as Muammar Gaddafi throws Libya's biggest party to mark four decades since taking power.

Green flags and white lights lined the streets of Tripoli Tuesday, and portraits of Mr. Gadhafi appeared on billboards. Musicians performed in concerts, and fighter jets flew overhead.

Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi shakes hands with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez during the closing of the special summit on regional conflicts in Tripoli August 31, 2009.

Mr. Gadhafi invited many world leaders to attend, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and dignitaries already in Tripoli for an African Union meeting.

But many Western leaders invited to come stayed away.They are angry because former Libyan agent Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the only person convicted in the 1988 Lockerbie airplane bombing, received a hero's welcome when he returned to Libya last month.

A Scottish court released al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds because he is dying of cancer. Mr. Gadhafi hugged the convicted man upon his return.

The Italian Frecce Tricolori (tricoloured arrows) air acrobatic team perform in Rome in this November 9, 2008 file photo. Italy's new friendship with former colony Libya hit a hitch on September 1, 2009 when its air force jets invited to celebrate Muammar Gaddafi's 40 years in power refused to trail green smoke instead of Italy's red, white and green.

On Tuesday, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said he agreed with his defense minister that Italy's renowned Tri-Color Arrow jets will only fly over Tripoli for the celebrations if they emit Italy's flag colors of red, white and green.

Italian officials say Libya wants only green smoke coming from the jets. Green is the color of Libya's flag.

DTN News: Fiji TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ Commonwealth Suspends Fiji After Failed Efforts To Restore Democracy

DTN News: Fiji TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ Commonwealth Suspends Fiji After Failed Efforts To Restore Democracy

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) SUVA, Fiji - September 2, 2009: The Commonwealth says it has suspended Fiji after the Pacific Island nation failed to meet its demands to begin restoring democracy.

Fiji's military chief Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama (R) is sworn in as interim prime minister by President Josefa Iloilo (L) during a ceremony at Government House in Suva on April 11, 2009. Fiji has been plunged into a new political crisis since the Court of Appeal declared that Bainimarama's government had been illegally appointed by Iloilo following the December 2006 military coup.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma announced Fiji's suspension from the 53-nation group in a statement Tuesday.

The Commonwealth, comprised of the United Kingdom, its dependencies and many former British colonies, ruled in July that unless Fiji opened democracy talks, it would be cut off from all aid from the group. The Commonwealth had called for Fiji to start the political dialogue to pave the way for democratic elections by October 2010. Sharma said Tuesday that although Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama sent him a letter re-affirming his commitment to the Commonwealth, his response did not meet the group's full conditions.

The action also formally suspends the island nation from all Commonwealth sporting events. New Zealand's Prime Minister Murray McCully had said full suspension of the Pacific archipelago nation from the Commonwealth was imminent at some stage.

Fiji was already suspended from the Pacific Island Forum, a regional bloc of 16 nations and major trade partners, including the European Union, Australia and New Zealand.

Fiji's leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, took power in a 2006 coup.

He promised to restore democracy by 2009. But in May of this year, the government postponed the election until 2014.

DTN News: East Timor TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ UN Condemns East Timor Militia Leader's Release

DTN News: East Timor TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ UN Condemns East Timor Militia Leader's Release

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) DILI, East Timor - September 2, 2009: The United Nations condemned Tuesday the release of an Indonesian former militia leader accused of taking part in a massacre of civilians in East Timor in 1999. East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta inspects the troops in a ceremony marking 10 years since East Timor's vote for independence, in Dili August 30, 2009. A former Portuguese colony, East Timor was invaded in 1975 by Indonesia. An estimated 180,000 died during the occupation, and the U.N. estimates about 1,000 East Timorese died in the mayhem that surrounded the 1999 vote for independence. The UN said earlier this week that Martenus Bere had been released Sunday ahead of national celebrations commemorating 10 years since East Timor won independence from Indonesia in a UN-backed referendum. East Timor's government has refused to confirm Bere's release but Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah told AFP on Tuesday that Bere had already been moved from detention to Indonesia's embassy in Dili. "He's still in Dili and we're now processing his return to Indonesia," Faizasyah said. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokeswoman Marie Okabe said in a statement Tuesday that the UN position was clear. "If the reports are true, his release is contrary to the Security Council resolutions which set up the UN Mission in (East Timor) and seriously undermines the global principle of accountability for crimes against humanity," Okabe said. "The UN's firm position is that there can be no amnesty or impunity for serious crimes such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. "In that context, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights strongly opposes the release of someone for whom an arrest warrant of this nature has been established." Bere was detained in East Timor on August 8, five years after being indicted for his role in the 1999 Suai Church massacre, in which up to 200 people were killed. Timor's leadership has been criticised for opposing prosecution for those responsible for abuses during Indonesia's bloody 1975-1999 occupation of the half-island, which killed around 100,000 people. President Jose Ramos-Horta says restoring good relations with Indonesia is more important than "prosecutorial justice", and has said he will not let his country be used as an "experiment" in international justice. The opposition Fretilin party however says he is out of touch with the East Timorese people, many of whom continue to demand justice for gross human rights abuses committed during the Indonesian occupation.

DTN News: Indonesia TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ Indonesian Publisher Declared Bomb Suspect Says Police

DTN News: Indonesia TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ Indonesian Publisher Declared Bomb Suspect Says Police *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) JAKARTA, Indonesia - September 2, 2009: A radical Indonesian publisher said to be a former member of Al-Qaeda has been declared a suspect in July's deadly luxury hotel bombings in the capital Jakarta, national police said Tuesday. Publisher and blogger Mohammed Jibril Abdurahman, who went by the online moniker "Prince of Jihad", was officially declared a suspect following his arrest a week ago, police spokesman Nanan Soekarna told reporters. The move allows police to keep him in custody pending possible charges. "He is alleged to have been involved in terrorism, specifically financing and other offences, including using a false identity. The details of his involvement will all be explained at an appropriate time," Soekarna said. Mohammed Jibril, 24, could face charges of conspiracy and aiding terrorism as well as immigration violations and falsifying documents, he said. Police have said Mohammed Jibril channelled money from abroad to fund the two July 17 suicide bombings, which killed seven people and two bombers in Jakarta's JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels. Police have not said where the money has come from, but are investigating whether it came from Al-Qaeda money men in the Middle East or South Asia. The July 17 attacks, the first of their kind in Indonesia in nearly four years, are the suspected work of Malaysian terror mastermind Noordin Mohammed Top, 41, who leads a violent splinter group of the Jemaah Islamiyah network. Noordin was allegedly behind a 2003 attack on the Marriott that killed 12 people, as well as the bombing of the Australian embassy in 2004 and tourist restaurants on the holiday island of Bali in 2005. National police chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri told parliament Monday police had spotted Noordin in a safehouse in Central Java but had narrowly missed him by the time they burst inside in dramatic televised raid. Noordin was initially reported dead at the end of the 17-hour siege but the body later turned out to be that of Ibrohim, a florist working in the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotel complex who helped plot the attacks from the inside. Danuri also told parliament police had documents proving Noordin's group had planned another attack "bigger than the events in other places." Danuri did not elaborate, but appeared to link the plot to Mohammed Syarir, a fugitive Noordin acolyte who had worked as a technician for national airline Garuda Indonesia. Police have refused to speak further on the chief's comments, which could also be a reference to an alleged plot by a Noordin cell uncovered last month to use a truck bomb to attack the home of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Police say they have killed three members of Noordin's group, "Al-Qaeda in the Malaysia Archipelago", and arrested five since July 17, including a Saudi national who allegedly helped bring in foreign money for the attacks.

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ Elections Last Chance To Resolve Afghan Conflict Says Experts

DTN News: Afghanistan TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ Elections Last Chance To Resolve Afghan Conflict Says Experts

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) KABUL, Afghanistan - September 2, 2009: The slow tally of Afghanistan's election returns and the mounting accusations of fraud are raising questions about credibility of the August 20 election.

Top challenger Abdullah Abdullah against President Hamid Karzai in presidential race gestures as he meets Pashtun supporters from Southern Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009. Pashtuns from Southern Afghanistan rallied behind Abdullah at the meeting saying that there was widespread fraud in many southern districts where the local population could not come out to vote for fear of Taliban reprisals. Analysts in Washington warn if the election is widely viewed as illegitimate, the Obama's administration's policy in Afghanistan would suffer a major setback. As the votes continue to be tallied in Afghanistan, it is still not known if incumbent President Hamid Karzai will win outright - or face a second round against the probable runner-up, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah. But amidst the vote counting, the rising claims of fraud are clouding the election. The number of fraud claims have doubled since the August 20 vote - and resolving them could even delay the announcement of official results. Some Afghan experts in Washington say all this is raising questions about the credibility of election, which they consider crucial. The experts describe it as the last chance for the international community to put the country onto a democratic path. Bruce Riedel at the Brookings Institution advises the Obama administration on Afghanistan. He says, "This really is a last chance. We have had three chances to get it right in Afghanistan. We have blown the previous two, in the 1990s and after 2001." Riedel and others say if the Afghan government is considered illegitimate, there will be repercussions for NATO and on neighboring Pakistan. "That will reinforce their deeply held belief that we [the U.S.] are going to cut and run in Afghanistan sometime in two or three years and all they need to do is to wait us out and then their Taliban friends will take over at least half of the country," Riedel said.But for a long-term success in Afghanistan, the U.S. must focus on creating legitimate government institutions in that country, says Kimberly Kagan of the Institute for the Study of War. She says the coalition forces can help with that. "The issue is that, as we saw in Iraq, that sometimes the coalition forces need to fill in when the indigenous government is not ready to perform all of the functions of building the state," she states.Restoring the Afghan people's faith in their government by defeating the insurgency is another key element, according to analysts. Kagan says one way to do this is to focus on small-scale economic projects to help alleviate poverty. "So we really need to think about how to use military resources in order to create the immediate conditions for defeating the insurgency," she adds.Bruce Riedel agrees. He says it is crucial because the Obama administration inherited an under-resourced war, and now faces the difficult task of convincing the American people that its counter-insurgency strategy is working. "This situation has deteriorated so far that there are really only two questions now," he says. "Can it be stabilized with any amount of resources or is it just too little too late?" Experts say the outcome of the elections will provide the answer to those questions. If the two leading candidates get less than 50 percent of the votes there are two scenarios: Either the two men will cut a deal to share power or there will be a second-round election. The experts say a runoff will provide credibility to the faltering democratic process in Afghanistan, and will also demonstrate that the counter-insurgency strategy of the Obama administration is working.

DTN News: Bombardier And BVG Sign A Contract For 99 FLEXITY Berlin Vehicles

DTN News: Bombardier And BVG Sign A Contract For 99 FLEXITY Berlin Vehicles *Source: DTN News / Bombardier

(NSI News Source Info) BERLIN, Germany - September 2, 2009: Following the approval of the supervisory board of Berlin’s transport operator, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) on 29th June 2009, a contract for 99 BOMBARDIER FLEXITY Berlin trams has now been signed between the BVG and Bombardier Transportation. The order is valued at around 300 million euros ($431 million US). The order follows a framework agreement in 2006 for a maximum of 210 vehicles and includes 40 long and 24 short one-way vehicles as well as 35 short bidirectional vehicles trams.

The first vehicles will be delivered in May 2011, with an expected completion date for all vehicles in 2017. This will coincide with the deployment of the GT6 series vehicles and the phasing-out of the Tatra high-floor vehicles. The FLEXITY Berlin trams will be well prepared for future applications and will be 100% barrier-free.

Andreas Sturmowski, Chairman of the Management Board of the BVG, commented: "The delivery of the vehicles will commence in May 2011 with the long vehicles intended for lines M4 and M8. All other new vehicles will predominantly be used on all tram lines and Line 50. A further anticipated 33 vehicles, whose structure type is still to be determined with the state of Berlin, will ensure the complete replacement of the 237 Tatra vehicles still currently in use. This will result in lower operating costs and will further enhance the attractiveness of trams as a form of transportation for our passengers. We would especially like to thank the state of Berlin for assuming the financing defined within the framework of the transportation agreement."

"Berliners can look forward to more attractive, environmentally-friendly, modern and new trams. All trams will be barrier-free by 2017 thanks to these vehicles. The BVG has succeeded in responding to customer requirements while making urban transit even more appealing. In times where we have to meet the challenges of demographic changes, improvements such as the absence of barriers in passenger transportation are an important element in increasing Berlin's attractiveness overall," said Ingeborg Junge-Reyer, Senator for Urban Development.

The new trams will be produced at the following Bombardier sites in Germany: Bautzen (body shell and final assembly), Hennigsdorf (final assembly and commissioning), Mannheim (electronics) and Siegen (bogies).

Grego Peters, Bombardier Transportation’s President of the Light Rail Vehicles Business Unit, commented: "The current call-off of 99 vehicles by the BVG is a further milestone in our long and successful collaboration with the operator. We're delighted that the pilot series operation of the FLEXITY Berlin tram has received such a positive response from the operator and its passengers, demonstrating that our advanced vehicle concept has made a good impression."

All Tatra vehicles that are not barrier-free will be successively replaced by the new FLEXITY Berlin generation of trams. 237 Tatra vehicles are still currently in service. These were modernised between 1994 and 1997 to be used for a further 16 years. However, it was not possible to make the vehicles fully accessible within the modernisation framework. The Tatra vehicles will reach the end of their permitted operation at the start of 2010. The Tatra trams will no longer be suitable for use without further, costly renovations.

The Tatra vehicles will be replaced by the 99 FLEXITY Berlin vehicles now ordered as well as an order planned by the BVG for 2010 comprising a further 33 anticipated vehicles. The structure type of this second order is still to be determined and depends on Berlin's urban transport plan. Operating together with the current type GT6 low-floor vehicles, the new trams will result in reduced operating costs for the BVG. They will also significantly increase the attractiveness for passengers and will establish a complete absence of barriers in Berlin's tram network in the medium-term.

The concept of the FLEXITY Berlin tram was developed together by BVG and Bombardier Transportation especially for the German capital. The result is a means of public transport in cities that are geared to the future, with step-less entrances and easier accessibility for passengers with limited mobility. The interior is characterised by its generous passenger space, as well as multifunction compartments and air conditioned passenger areas. The noise levels are lower than that of the trams used up until now. The vehicles have low electricity consumption and feed back electricity into the braking system.

Generally, two Tatra vehicles can be replaced by one new tram in up to four different versions of the FLEXITY Berlin.

The four different designs are: Total no. of places Seated places 40 m one-way vehicle 248 84 40 m bidirectional vehicle 245 72 30.8 m one-way vehicle 189 60 30.8 m bidirectional vehicle 184 52 The order for long bidirectional vehicles, which have not yet been included in the 99 vehicles, depends on decisions to be made by the state of Berlin regarding the development of the track network for the tram. A tram type conversion detailed in this order is still possible within certain time limits.

The first passenger surveys regarding the new vehicle type of the Berlin tram have revealed very positive responses overall. The following were singled out as particularly positive: *Significantly better passenger information, in particular in the passenger compartments, which are equipped with TFT dual monitors that can be viewed from every seat. In comparison to the existing vehicles, the space on offer is considerably better for standing and seated passengers. The new vehicles are 20 cm wider than the Tatra vehicles and 10 cm wider than the existing low-floor vehicles. *Two multifunctional areas each for wheelchair users, passengers with prams, luggage and bicycles. *Stops without platforms do not have any barriers either thanks to a patented mechanical folding ramp at every other door in the direction of travel. *Passenger compartment and cab air conditioning. *Impressive exterior and interior design.The design is inspired by the Bauhaus style and gives the trains an appearance unique to Berlin, which is combined with the BVG’s corporate design. The design is the result of an intensive, interdisciplinary work process between the BVG, Bombardier and the design studio commissioned by Bombardier, IFS from Adlershof, Berlin. The design is fit for its purpose, namely functional and timelessly elegant, matching the design characteristics of the BVG vehicle fleet. However, feedback with suggested improvements from passengers, especially the associations for passengers with disabilities, included for example, the arrangement of fixtures for holding onto, seating arrangements in bidirectional vehicles and parking positions for wheelchair users. These comments have all been taken into account as part of the call-off for the production vehicles.

About Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation, the global leader in rail technology, offers the broadest portfolio in the rail industry and delivers innovative products and services that set new standards in sustainable mobility. BOMBARDIER ECO4 technologies – built on the four cornerstones of energy, efficiency, economy and ecology – conserve energy, protect the environment and help to improve total train performance. Bombardier Transportation is headquartered in Berlin, Germany and has a presence in over 60 countries. It has an installed base of over 100,000 vehicles worldwide.

About Bombardier

A world-leading manufacturer of innovative transportation solutions, from commercial aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, systems and services, Bombardier Inc. is a global corporation headquartered in Canada. Its revenues for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2009, were $19.7 billion US, and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). Bombardier is listed as an index component to the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America indexes. News and information are available at http://www.bombardier.com/

DTN News: Singapore TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ Faster Free Wireless@SG Service

DTN News: Singapore TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ Faster Free Wireless@SG Service

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) SINGAPORE - September 2, 2009: The speed for the free Wireless@SG service has been doubled to 1 Mbps from 512 kbps across all hotspots around the island. The speed upgrade from September 1 took place seamlessly across all three Wireless@SG operators’ network. Existing Wireless@SG users do not need to re—register or re—configure their devices or computers. New Wireless@SG subscribers will also get to enjoy the new speed upgrade as the free service continues until 31 March 2013. "This (speed) enhancement will enable Wireless@SG users to better access media—rich and interactive websites as well as make use of bandwidth—intensive services such as video streaming, video conferencing and multimedia applications," said a statement by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) on Tuesday. By the end of the year, Wireless@SG operators will start to roll out consumer and enterprise services over the free service network, such as digital signage advertising, location—based services, cashless payments and facility monitoring. The free service will also see various other enhancements by January 2010. These include: The Seamless and Secure Access which will be introduced for secure automated logon into the network; The Wireless@SG Dashboard, a mobile portal that hosts a variety of Wireless@SG applications and services such as a hotspot finder. With the Dashboard, users can conveniently and instantly download and access these services; and The Centralised Location—Based Engine, which will integrate all Access Points information into a common database, allowing third—party application developers to develop location—based services applications that leverage on this information. Since the launch of the Wireless@SG service in 2006, the number of hotspots around the island has increased from 600 to 7,500. And the number of subscribers has risen to 1.3 million, exceeding the original target of 250,000.

DTN News: Iran TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ Iran Ready To Hold Nuclear Talks

DTN News: Iran TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ Iran Ready To Hold Nuclear Talks

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) TEHRAN, Iran - September 2, 2009: Iran's top nuclear negotiator says the country is ready to resume negotiations with world powers over its controversial nuclear program.Iranian state media reports Tuesday quote the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Said Jalili, as saying Iran has an "updated" set of proposals.

He said the new package is intended as a basis of talks with the five members of the United Nations Security Council, plus Germany, which have met regularly to discuss Iran's nuclear program.

The group, known as the P-Five-Plus-One, which includes the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain has offered Iran trade incentives to stop its nuclear enrichment program.

Washington has given Iran until the opening of the U.N. General Assembly later this month to accept the offer to negotiate with the group.

The six world powers are scheduled to hold talks in the German city of Frankfurt this week to consider harsher sanctions against Iran if it does not cooperate.

Iran is already under three sets of U.N. Security Council sanctions for its nuclear program.

Western nations accuse Iran of seeking to develop weapons, while Tehran claims its nuclear program is for peaceful, civilian purposes.

DTN News: South Korea TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ North Korea, South Korea Normalize Cross-Border Traffic

DTN News: South Korea TODAY September 2, 2009 ~ North Korea, South Korea Normalize Cross-Border Traffic

*Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) SEOUL, South Korea - September 2, 2009: South and North Korea have resumed traffic across their tense border to a jointly run industrial zone, renewing hopes for the project's viability.

South Korean cargo trucks heading to the inter-Korean industrial complex in Kaesong, North Korea, depart the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine office, just south of the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju, about 45 km (28 miles) north of Seoul, September 1, 2009. North Korea reopened its border with the South, ending a self-imposed 9-month blockade on a vital source of cash for its leaders as their ravaged economy is squeezed by tightening U.N. sanctions.

The move reflects a thaw in tensions after recent diplomatic moves between the two Koreas. South Korean Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said Tuesday that traffic across the North Korean border is set to resume at levels not seen for more than a year.

She says starting from Tuesday, up to 23 trips will be allowed back and forth across the North-South border to a joint industrial zone in the North Korean city of Kaesong.

Up to four trips a day will be permitted between South Korea and a joint resort zone at the North's Kumgang mountain.

Traffic to both zones nearly ground to a halt soon after the inauguration of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak early last year. Mr. Lee ended the practice of his two predecessors of transferring hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and investment to the North, regardless of how it behaved. The Lee administration says economic help will be conditioned on the North's willingness to give up nuclear weapons.

However, the North has made diplomatic overtures to the South recently including a recent meeting between senior envoys and President Lee.

South Korean companies employ more than 30,000 low-wage North Korean workers in the Kaesong complex, producing goods like cosmetics and sportswear.

For those companies, the resumption of normal traffic is cause for celebration.

Park Young-man is the executive director of the Corporation of Kaesong Industrial Council.Park says the news made his fellow managers cheerful, and even boisterous.

He says this is the high season for manufacturing, and many clients have been phoning with positive expectations.

Yoo Chang-gun, vice-chairman of the Corporation of Kaesong Industrial Council, is approaching the news with caution.

Yoo says he thinks it will take considerable time to recover from the huge blow that the border closure has dealt to companies operating in Kaesong. He says even loyal clients had stopped ordering from his company because of the border uncertainty.

He hopes the South Korean government will get actively involved in assisting with a Kaesong zone recovery.Separately, North Korean media report a senior diplomatic team has gone to China.

Beijing hosts six-nation talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programs. Pyongyang abandoned those talks in April, shortly before it conducted its second nuclear weapons test.

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management Automation System For Republic Of Kazakhstan Achieves Full Operation

DTN News: Lockheed Martin Air Traffic Management Automation System For Republic Of Kazakhstan Achieves Full Operation *Source: DTN News / Lockheed Martin

(NSI News Source Info) ROCKVILLE, Md., - September 2, 2009: A SkyLine automated air traffic management (ATM) system supplied by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has gone into full operation at the Aktobe Area Control Center (ACC) and three remote towers in Kazakhstan. The system, installed under contract with Kazaeronavigatsia, the air navigation authority for Kazakhstan, is part of a major modernization program using advanced technologies to achieve the highest standards of quality, safety and security in air traffic management for the region. The system achieved site acceptance ahead of schedule earlier this year and completed the transition in late June. A comprehensive commercial, off-the-shelf automation system, SkyLine ATM includes flight data processing and surveillance data processing capabilities that can function as a tower, terminal area, procedural or flow monitoring system service. It provides a flexible configuration of features and functions to fit user requirements. At Aktobe, the system provides en route and approach control at the Aktobe ACC, as well as tower control at Aktobe and the airfields at Uralsk, Atyrau, and Aktau. The contract also includes a Lockheed Martin Omnyx air sovereignty system at the Astana area control center that provides air surveillance across the country and is the foundation for an interagency coordination center in that city, which is the Kazakhstan capital. “We have been pleased to work with Lockheed Martin on this project, which enhances the safety, capacity and reliability of our national airspace,” said Sergey Kulnazarov, the director general of Kazaeronavigatsia. “It has significantly advanced our progress toward achieving an integrated, national ATM program.” “Thanks to the efforts of Director General Kulnazarov, Kazaeronavigatsia and the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the international community recognizes the quality and safety of air navigation services provided by Kazaeronavigatsia,” said Jeff Oltchick, senior manager international aviation programs with Lockheed Martin. “We are proud to be a part of their vision and to help them advance air traffic management modernization in Central Asia.” Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.