Month: March 2007

AZERI POLL SHOWS MOST RESPONDENTS WANT NO COMPROMISE ON KARABAKH

Day.az website, Baku
13 Mar 07

13 March: Political expert Rasim Musabayov has presented the results
of an opinion poll at a news conference.

The poll was conducted among 1,000 respondents in 15 districts and
12 towns of Azerbaijan in December 2006.

According to the results of the poll, 59.4 per cent of the respondents
do not accept any compromises during the resolution of the Karabakh
issue. Therefore, the government needs to pay more attention to
this issue.

According to the results of the poll, only 11.5 per cent of the
respondents spoke in favour of a cultural autonomy and a local
government [status] being granted to Nagornyy Karabakh, 9.5 per cent
– an autonomy similar to the one of the Naxcivan Autonomous Republic
[Azerbaijan’s exclave].

A total of 11.1 per cent spoke in favour of the status of Nagornyy
Karabakh being determined by holding a referendum provided that
Azerbaijani IDPs should return to their native territories.

Asked about prospects for the negotiations on the settlement of the
Nagornyy Karabakh problem, 46.7 per cent stressed that the situation of
"no peace and no war" will continue to last.

A total of 38.4 per cent of the respondents replied that there will
be changes towards a peaceful resolution of the problem, while 12.7
per cent believe that hostilities will resume.

One of the 37 questions put to the respondents during the poll was
about which states they considered to be friendly towards Azerbaijan
and which they considered to be hostile.

A total of 84.9 of the respondents consider Turkey to be friendly
to Azerbaijan, 17.8 per cent – Russia, 9.3 per cent – Georgia, 8 per
cent – Ukraine, and 5.9 per cent – the USA.

A total of 89 per cent of the respondents consider Armenia to be
Azerbaijan’s enemy, 13.1 per cent – Russia, 10.8 per cent – France,
and 9.7 per cent – Iran.

TURKISH JEWS LOBBY AGAINST ARMENIAN RESOLUTION

Jewish Telegraphic Agency, NY
March 13 2007

A delegation of Turkish Jews lobbied against a resolution under
consideration in the U.S. Congress that would recognize the 1915
massacres of Armenians as genocide. The three-person delegation,
headed by Silvyo Ovadya, the president of the Turkish Jewish community,
attended this week’s American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy
conference and met with Jewish leaders as well as members of Congress.

Turkish diplomats have been unsuccessful in mustering broad community
support against the non-binding resolution proposed by Rep. Adam Schiff
(D-Calif.), who is Jewish and has a large Armenian constituency. A
number of Holocaust scholars have labeled the massacres, carried out
by Ottoman-era Turks, as a genocide and have called it a precursor
to the Holocaust. Ovadya said such considerations were best left to
historians, but claimed that politically the resolution would harm
relations between the United States and its closest Muslim ally.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DEFENCE EXPENDITURES OF RA DECLINE BY 12.7% IN JANUARY 2007 ON SAME MONTH OF LAST YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Mar 13 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 13, NOYAN TAPAN. In January 2007, the RA budgetary
expenditures made 18 bln 595.1 mln drams (over 51 mln 126 thousand
USD), increasing by 8.4% on the same month of 2006. The ratio of
these expenditures to GDP made 23.6% in January 2006 against 22%
in January 2007. According to the RA National Statistical Service,
defence expenditures of Armenia amounted to 4 bln 335.2 mln drams
in January 2007, declining by 12.7% on the same month of last year,
while the ratio of these expenditures to GDP made 6.8% in January
2006 against 5.1% in January 2007. Expenditures on keeping the
public order, and on national security and judicial systems made 1
bln 482.2 mln drams (6.3% growth, 1.9% agianst 1.8%), expenditures
on education and science – 1 bln 25.3 mln drams (119.3%, 0.6% against
1.2%), health care expenditures – 208 mln drams (1,407.2% growth, 0%
against 0.2%), expenditures on social insurance and social security –
4 bln 137.1 mln drams (14.2% growth, 5% against 4.9%).

ZURAB GUMBARIDZE: GEORGIA WILL IMPLEMENT IN ITS TERRITORY ANY PROJECT THAT IT WISHES

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
March 13 2007

"Georgia does not intend to take any measures against
Akhalkalaki Armenians that does not want the implementation of
the Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway project. Georgia will
implement in its territory the project that the country wishes,"
Georgia’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Zurab Gumbaridze told journalists,
APA reports. Saying that Georgia works hardly to get accession to
NATO membership, the ambassador noted his country does not hide
its intentions.

"We have never hidden our intention to access to NATO membership. All
political parties represented in Georgia’s parliament support Georgia’s
NATO membership and this is an example of it. We have only to wait
how NATO member states will solve this problem," Mr. Gumbaridze said.

AZERBAIJAN, TURKEY MIGHT BE BRIGHT EXAMPLE OF PEACEABLE CO-EXISTENCE OF MUSLIM AND WESTERN CIVILIZATIONS – INTERNATIONAL COMMENTATOR

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
March 13 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku /corr Trend S.Agayeva / One can see the peaceable
co-existence of Muslim and western civilization in the example of
Turkey and Azerbaijan. Farid Seyfulmulkov, an international commentator
and oriental scientist, made this statement at the Institute of Human
Rights of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan.

He is against the resistance between the two civilizations, which many
western and eastern countries try to break out with respect to achieve
political benefits. Turkey, as a country located in the European port
of the world, certainly should be admitted to the European Union.

With respect to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Seyfulmulkov noted that
the conflict is ‘heavy ad painful’. Only the peace talks, permanent
contacts and assistance by other countries could lead both conflict
sides to a consensus.

MEDIATORS TO DEVELOP AND DEEPEN CONTACTS WITH NKR
Gayane Movsesian

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 13 2007

"Everything is ready for a meeting of RA and AR Foreign Ministers
that will be held in Geneva March 14. If the parties display will, it
will be a success", OSCE Minsk group French Co-Chair Bernard Fassier
stated on the completion of current consultations with RA FM Vardan
Oskanian and NKR President Arkady Ghoukassian in Yerevan.

In the course of a press conference held in Yerevan March 12 the
French mediator said the call had been paid on behalf of his OSCE
Minsk group colleagues Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia) and Matthew Bryza
(the U. S.) and he expressed all the three Co-Chairs’ opinion.

According to Bernard Fassier, the meetings in Yerevan and Baku were
very useful, sincere and constructive. In his words, if the meeting
in Geneva is productive and the settlement’s basic principles are
formalized, there will appear a possibility to go on elaborating
them at the Foreign Ministers’ level and present them to RA and AR
Presidents. Kocharian-Aliyev meeting will become possible only after
Parliamentary elections to be held in Armenia May 12, the French
diplomat said.

Mr. Fassier reaffirmed the international mediators’ intention to
deepen contacts with the representatives of the Nagorno-Karabagh.

"Unless we considered the NK a conflicting party, we wouldn’t meet
with Mr. Ghoukassian. I met with him today and said meetings with the
representatives of the NK should not only go on, but also deepen",
he noted, adding the fact that the representatives of Karabagh did
not participate in the talks "is not OSCE MG Co-Chairs’ decision".

According to Fassier, when the talks’ participants start discussing
the issue of the NK status, the participation of the NK will become
necessary.

Answering the journalists’ questions, he again expressed negative
attitude towards the attempts to make various conflicts, which
differed in the history of appearance and the logic of development
and settlement, universal. In part, speaking of the Kosovo issue,
Bernard Fassier mentioned the fact that the conflict had inner aspect,
which was precisely indicated – "it took place in one country" and
the international community was actively involved in its solution;
the matter concerns " the presence of civil and military international
contingent in Kosovo".

As for NK, the conflict has different logic. "For a long time NK
had a status of autonomy within Azerbaijan. Moreover, there is outer
confrontation between Azerbaijan and Armenia. That is why we believe
the two conflicts cannot be compared", Bernard Fassier stated.

When asked if a question referring to the return of Armenian refugees
from Azerbaijani SSR was discussed as intensively as the issue of
displaced persons of Azerbaijani nationality, the French mediator
said the issue of refugees and displaced persons "is often raised,
unfortunately, too emotionally, pursuing political goals sometimes".

In the French mediator’s words, the talks of the refugees’ return were
premature: "the issue is too delicate and punctilious to be used to
achieve political aims. The return of the refugees requires scrupulous
preparatory work: the territory must be cleared of mines, destroyed
infrastructures should be restored, houses, schools must be built,
etc; otherwise the situation may be compared with a decision to build
a house beginning with the roof. However, it is much more difficult
to reestablish the logic of joint residence in the people’s mind and
heart. It assumes that the refugees and displaced persons have desire
and will to return, while the people residing there agree to receive
them". Bernard Fassier cited Bosnia and Herzegovina as a positive
example. "It is a brilliant example of establishing worthy conditions
for those who decided to return. However, it did not take place in
a day and it did not become possible everywhere. It was gradual work
carried out for 10 years. It did not happen by the decision of local
authorities, but the representatives of international mediators,
who worked there", Bernard Fassier remarked.

YURI MERZLYAKOV: THE CO-CHAIRS DISCUSSED MEETING OF AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS TO BE HELD TOMORROW

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
March 13 2007

Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza (US), Bernard Fassier
(France) and Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), mediators in the settlement of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, met in Geneva today, Yuri Merzlyakov
told the APA exclusively.

He said that French co-chair Bernard Fassier informed the co-chairs
of his latest visit to the region.

The co-chairs also discussed the meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian
Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanyan, which is to
be held in Geneva tomorrow. Merzlyakov noted that the co-chairs are
preparing for the meeting.

Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers will have the next round
of negotiations for the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with
the participation of the co-chairs.

GEORGIA TO FULFILL ALL OBLIGATIONS TAKEN UNDER BAKU-TBILISI-KARS RAILWAY PROJECT – GEORGIAN AMBASSADOR

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
March 13 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend , corr S.Agayeva / Zurab Gumberidze, the
Georgian Ambassador to Azerbaijan, stated to a news conference in
Baku on the completion pf his tenure in Azerbaijan that

Georgia has always fulfilled its obligations under the regional and
international projects and will do so under the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars
railway route.

The diplomat assured that the Government of Georgia will never step
back from its obligations and resolve problems linked with the project
timely. He was commenting on statements by Armenians residing in the
territory of Georgia on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars route.

Generally, the diplomat appraised the level of political and economic
relationships between the two countries. The cooperation in the energy
sector is developing more dynamically, while the level of trade and
economic relationships satisfies both sides, he noted.

The diplomat noted that the amount of goods turnover reached $500mln.

He voiced his confidence that the cooperation between the two
countries will be further developed and deepened. Gumberidze stressed
the necessity for the development of an agreement and legal basis
between Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Gumberidze noted that he had worked in Azerbaijan since the opening
of the embassy. Since 1995 and over the past 9 years he served as an
Ambassador. After completion of his diplomatic tenure Gumberidze will
lead the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation. His successor is expected
to come in the near future,’ the diplomat stressed.

Gumberidze also thanked Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for awarding
him Order of Fame.

KARS-AKHALKALAKI-BAKU RAILWAY ‘CREATES UNHEALTHY ATMOSPHERE’
By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Diana Dundua)

The Messenger, Georgia
March 13 2007

Armenia is still against Kars-Akhalkalaki-Baku railway construction.

On March 9, Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vardan Oskanyan stated
this project will not damage the country as the Turkish-Armenian
border remains closed, but from the political viewpoint the railway
project creates an unhealthy atmosphere in the region.

"From the political point of view, the project produces a negative
atmosphere in the region, particularly, it affects the formation
of favourable relations," the minister said reports the news agency
Regnum.

Oskanian mentioned Kazakhstan’s possible participation in the project
and said that last year during the meeting between the Armenian and
Kazakh sides he said the Kazakh side "did not appear very optimistic"
adding "Maybe, they have changed their attitude, but I know nothing
about it."

NEW WEAPONS TRAFFICKING TRIAL SCHEDULED FOR ARMENIAN IMMIGRANT IN NEW YORK AFTER KEY WITNESS PLACED ON SUICIDE WATCH
Larry Neumeister

AP Worldstream
Published: Mar 13, 2007

A new trial for an Armenian immigrant accused of plotting to sell
military weapons to an FBI informant posing as a middleman for
terrorists has been scheduled after the government’s key witness was
put on suicide watch and admitted to a psychiatric facility.

Opening statements in the trial of Artur Solomonyan and six others
were supposed to begin Monday, but a mistrial was declared and a new
trial was scheduled for June after prosecutors revealed the twist in
the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Conniff told Judge Richard
J. Holwell on Thursday that the witness, Kelly Davis, had been
hospitalized with stomach and chest pains and put on a suicide watch
the previous weekend, according to a transcript of the proceeding.

Last Wednesday, Conniff said, Davis entered himself into an inpatient
psychiatric facility for evaluation.

Conniff offered to continue the trial without him, but defense lawyers
insisted on a mistrial, saying they would want to call Davis as a
witness if the government did not.

A week ago, Conniff had told the judge that the case began when
one of seven defendants approached Davis to ask about the sale of
machine guns.

The prosecutor said Davis reported the offer to law enforcement, which
initiated an investigation as Davis began making consensual recordings,
generating hundreds of pages of reports. Conniff said the FBI paid
Davis $55,000 during the probe, including some money for expenses.

Defense lawyers complained that they had been given very little
information about Davis, prompting Conniff to reveal that Davis came
to the United States in the late 1990s, that he is a U.S. permanent
resident and that he has a South African driver’s license.

A Solomonyan lawyer, Seth Ginsberg, complained to the judge that the
prosecutors’ description of their dealings with Davis was difficult
to believe.

"I don’t think there is an attorney in this room who is familiar with
an informant in a case that came forward out of an altruistic sense
of civic duty," he said.

Ginsberg said in an interview Monday that the defendants were looking
forward to the new trial.

"We anticipate going forward in June with that witness, who we believe
will be critical to the defense of our case," he said. "We’re confident
we’ll prevail under any circumstances, but we would prefer to have
a live witness to cross- examine."

Solomonyan was charged with arms trafficking conspiracy, firearms
trafficking conspiracy, interstate firearms trafficking and illegal
transfer and possession of a machine gun in March 2005. Prosecutors
say he was recorded on wiretaps talking with associates in the United
States and the former Soviet Union about obtaining the military
weapons.

An indictment accused Solomonyan and others of conspiring between
December 2003 and March 2005 to import shoulder-fired surface-to-air
missiles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, anti-tank guided missiles
and machine guns without a license.

Some of the defendants could face up to life in prison if convicted
of the most serious charges.