Month: August 2008

COHEN TOSSES CAMERA-TOTING MAN FROM HIS HOME

WREC
/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=185284&article =4061297
Aug 6 2008
TN

The Congressman put his hands on the man’s arm, pushed him from the
house and shut the door.

Congressman Steve Cohen called police to his Overton Park home today
after he physically removed a camera man from a doorway.

Cohen had called media to his home to discuss tomorrow’s election race
with challenger Nicki Tinker. Peter Musurlian, a documentary producer
and Armenian-American activist, was asked to leave. When he refused,
Cohen put his hands on the man’s arm, pushed him from the house and
shut the door.

Last year, Cohen opposed a resolution which would have condemned
Turkey for committing genocide against Armenians after World War I.

OFFICIAL BLAMES US MEDIATOR FOR INCONSISTENCY

AzerNews Weekly
Aug 6 2008
Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry spokesman has blamed US co-chair
of the OSCE Minsk Group brokering settlement to the Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh conflict for inconsistency in his statements.

"It is difficult to comment on Matthew Bryza`s statement regarding
the conflict settlement, as the statements he makes are expressed
tomorrow absolutely differently or refuted. I thereby suggest that
he be approached to clarify his views himself," Khazar Ibrahim told
a news conference Monday.

Bryza had told reporters in Moscow that the future status of Upper
Garabagh, an Azeri region under Armenian occupation, will be determined
through a referendum among its population.

Ibrahim emphasized that all Azeri citizens are to take part in the
referendum, in accord with the country`s Constitution.

"If we are talking about the principle of self-determination, this
issue can be solved only within territorial integrity, in line with the
Helsinki Final Act, which does not contradict Azerbaijan`s interests."

Ibrahim said that despite various statements being made, Baku`s
position on the issues currently on the negotiating table remains
unchanged. The conflict will be settled strictly stage by stage. In
the initial stage, Armenian armed forces will be withdrawn from the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Displaced persons will return
home, and only after normal conditions are created between the Azeri
and Armenian communities of Upper Garabagh will the region`s status
be determined within Azerbaijan.

"This is the only way to settle the conflict," the spokesman said.

RUSSIAN ANALYST SEES CHANCES FOR FRESH GARABAGH WAR

AzerNews Weekly
Aug 6 2008
Azerbaijan

Fresh military action may erupt between Azerbaijan and Armenia over
the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh region, a Russian analyst has said.

"The resumption of hostilities is possible, although I don`t think
it would be a large-scale operation," said Mikhail Aleksandrov, who
heads the department on the Caucasus of the Institute for CIS States.

Aleksandrov claimed that Azerbaijan will try to take action of local
scale that is needed for President Ilham Aliyev to conduct his campaign
for the October election.

The analyst maintained that in the course of all-out military action,
Baku would not win and will have to retreat. He said President Aliyev
was striving to resolve the Garabagh problem, otherwise, he would be
blamed for failing to do enough to settle the long-standing dispute.

"But I believe that the conflict will not see a solution in the near
future. There will be no concessions of principle from the Armenian
authorities in this respect. The Garabagh conflict will retain the
status quo for a long time.

"Global processes propelled by the economic crisis that will possibly
bring about US withdrawal from Iraq and a NATO collapse are currently
under way in the world. All these changes will lead to a change in
the geo-political layout in the region," Aleksandrov said.

Aleksandrov said the West-backed Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan export oil
pipeline was the only factor that could make Baku "think twice"
or divert it from launching military action.

"Let`s assume that the hostilities in Upper Garabagh have started. The
Armenian side has a full right to deal blows on communications
while acting in self-defense, and the West knows it all too well,"
Aleksandrov alleged.

Commenting on the statement, Azerbaijani former state adviser Vafa
Guluzada said Russia was looking to see things spinning out of control
in the Caucasus.

"I am referring to the Upper Garabagh [conflict] in Azerbaijan and
Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia. Thus, a blow would be dealt
upon Western interests in the region and existing communication lines
would collapse. Clinging to Azerbaijan`s belligerent statements,
subversion would be staged, and in the long run, Azerbaijan would be
blamed. But I don`t think they will dare to do so."

The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up
in the late 1980s due to Armenia`s territorial claims. Armenia has
been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan`s internationally-recognized
territory since the early 1990s. Years of peace talks have brought
little tangible result. Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly warned
against Armenia`s policy of aggression, saying the country`s land
will be freed at any cost.

Guluzada said such statements as Aleksandrov`s were provocative. "The
allegations that President Aliyev will use the `Garabagh card`
during the election campaign are ridiculous, as the main thing the
Azerbaijani government needs ahead of the elections is stability."

As for the allegations on the United States` weakening position in
the region and the NATO collapse, the analyst said: "The process of
NATO`s strengthening is ongoing around the world. In the backdrop
of the USSR collapse and Russia`s faltering, the US is turning into
a hegemonic state, while Russia is losing its positions in Europe,
Asia, etc., in short, in regions the world over."

NO PROGRESS REPORTED IN MOSCOW TALKS ON GARABAGH

AzerNews Weekly
Aug 6 2008
Azerbaijan

Talks last week in Moscow between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign
ministers seeking to settle the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict
produced no tangible result despite proceeding constructively.

The Azerbaijani minister, Elmar Mammadyarov, told a news conference
after meeting his counterpart on Friday that their meeting had
been beneficial and both sides decided to continue holding peace
talks. Also, he did not rule out that a meeting of the two countries`
presidents might soon take place.

The Armenian minister, Eduard Nalbandian, said both countries had
agreed to continue negotiating, using the conflict resolution agenda
introduced by OSCE mediators.

He also said the next face-to-face meeting might be held on the
sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in late September.

"We sense, today, how important such meetings are. Our meeting before
the UN session is possible, as well," Nalbandian said.

Mammadyarov and Nalbandian first had a one-on-one meeting at the
Russian foreign minister`s residence, followed by broad discussions
during a meeting attended by the co-chairs of the mediating OSCE Minsk
Group (MG). The members of the Minsk Group had held discussions in
the Russian capital prior to Thursday`s meeting of foreign ministers.

Meanwhile, Novruz Mammadov, head of the Azerbaijan President`s Office
international relations department, called upon the MG co-chairs to
step up effort at finding a solution to the long-standing dispute.

Mammadov expressed disappointment that some of the demands put forward
by Baku were not met.

"The co-chairs either don`t understand us or simply don`t want to
do so," he told a local TV channel. "As diplomats or experts on
conflicts, we respect their work. But the co-chairs should justify
and assert themselves. It is useless just to pass time, come and go,
and prolong the matter."

ARMENIAN SPY’S BODY TRANSFERRED

AzerNews Weekly
Aug 6 2008
Azerbaijan

The dead body of an Armenian intelligence officer who was killed in
an attempt by a group of the arch-foe country`s spies to cross over
to Azerbaijan was transferred to Armenia on Tuesday.

The handover took place in the afternoon near a village of the
Gazakh district on the Azerbaijani border, over two weeks after the
incident. A group of Azeri and Armenian servicemen facilitated the
transfer, the Baku-based ANS TV channel said.

The Armenian spies had tired to infiltrate through the frontline
Tovuz district on July 19. Azeri soldiers prevented the attempt,
killing one of them, while the others managed to escape.

Armenia had been failing to accept the dead body of its serviceman,
22-year-old officer Gor Minasian. Its defense ministry`s spokesman
Seyran Shahsuvarian claimed that the officer had crossed over to
Azerbaijan after losing his way. The Azerbaijan Defense Ministry
dismissed the statement as false, saying the Armenians were attempting
to infiltrate for spying purposes.

In another development, four Armenian spies who were captured in April
after crossing over to Azerbaijan were repatriated to their home
country on Monday. The handover was carried out near Azerbaijan`s
Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. According to the Azerbaijan Defense
Ministry, they had planned to stage subversions in the country at the
behest of the Armenian secret service. Yerevan claimed the detainees
were civilians.

ARMENIA: 15,590 NEWBORNS IN H1 2008

ESMERK
News Armenia
August 6, 2008 Wednesday

In the first half of 2008, 15,590 infants were born in Armenia
including 7,300 girls according to the National Statistical Service
of the Republic of Armenia.

Armenia: population exceeds 3mn people

According to the National Statistical Service of the Republic of
Armenia, population amounted to about 3.23mn people in the first half
of 2008 (up 8,000 people year-on-year). Urban population amounted
to 2.7mn people. Natality totalled 4,120 people against 3,600 people
year-on-year.

UNITED STATES MADE SUKHUMI, TSKHINVALI, AND STEPANAKERT HAPPY; BAKU SAYS THE AMERICANS ARE "WRONG"
by Arkady Dubnov

WPS Agency
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
August 6, 2008 Wednesday
Russia

BAKU IS DISSATISFIED WITH MATTHEW BRYZA’S STATEMENT MADE AFTER THE
NAGORNO-KARABAKH SETTLEMENT MEETING; Azerbaijani-Armenian meeting in
Moscow fomented a scandal in Baku.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement meeting in Moscow between
foreign ministers Edward Nalbandjan (Armenia) and Elmar Mamedjarov
(Azerbaijan) fomented a scandal in Baku. To be more exact, the scandal
was fomented by the statement Matthew Bryza of the OSCE Minsk Group
made after the meeting.

Nalbandjan said he had discussed "all issues on the agenda" with his
Azerbaijani opposite number.

Mamedjarov’s comment on the meeting was cautiously optimistic. "I’ve
listened to what the Armenian side had to say on the subject," he
said. "Mutual understanding is undeniable, but a breakthrough is
still far in the future."

So benevolent a tone in evaluation of the meeting between the involved
countries is unusual and therefore encouraging.

As soon as Matthew Bryza of the OSCE Minsk Group aired the offers he
himself had allegedly made to the ministers, Baku announced that it
was not ready to accept them.

The scandal was created by the words of the American diplomat to the
effect that "Residents of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh themselves
will decide if their republic is to be under Azerbaijani jurisdiction
or sovereign. A referendum will be arranged" (INTERFAX quoted Bryza
as saying).

Baku became immediately alerted to how INTERFAX web site immediate
posted a report on the "undisguised joy in Abkhazia and South Ossetia
over Bryza’s latest statement concerning Nagorno-Karabakh." As a
matter of fact, self-proclaimed republics striving for independence
from Georgia and international recognition will be happy to hear of
even a remote opportunity that Nagorno-Karabakh might become sovereign.

It was Bryza’s reference to Nagorno-Karabakh as a "republic" and the
fact that he allows for the possibility of its sovereignty that made
Baku hit the roof. "A referendum on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh as
part of the Azerbaijani Republic is possible only in 15 or 20 years,"
Novruz Mamedov of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration’s
International Relations Department said on August 2.

AZERBAIJAN TO SET UP NEW CAPITAL FOR BREAKAWAY KARABAKH

Regnum News Agency
Aug 4 2008
Russia

4 August: Azerbaijan has started implementing measures anticipating
mass return of Azerbaijani refugees to Nagornyy Karabakh. As a Regnum
news agency correspondent has learnt, the administrative centre –
the government of the Azerbaijani community of Nagornyy Karabakh –
has been situated in the village of Nargiztapa – some 2-3 km away
from the front line in Xocavand District.

The Xocavand District is a formal administrative unity in southwestern
Azerbaijan. In fact, the territory of the district has been divided
into Martuni and Hadrut districts of Nagornyy Karabakh and is
controlled by the administration of the Nagornyy Karabakh republic. The
administrative centre of the district is the town of Martuni.

According to reports received by Regnum, the village of Narqiztapa
is situated not a long way from the town of Martuni and the territory
is controlled by the Azerbaijani armed forces. The government of the
Azerbaijani community of Nagornyy Karabakh functions in Nargiztapa. The
process of mass registration of Azerbaijanis who wish to return to
Nagornyy Karabakh has already started.

We should say that one of the mediators in the process of regulation
of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, the US chairman in the OSCE Minsk
Group, Matthew Bryza, slightly lifted the veil of secrecy from the
negotiations process. "What we have proposed are – the Armenian troops
have to be withdrawn from the [Azerbaijani] seven districts around
Nagornyy Karabakh; international peacekeepers have to be brought in;
the IDPs and refugees have to return to their homes; a corridor linking
Armenia with Nagornyy Karabakh has to be established and a process
of plebiscite (a referendum – editorial office) has to be conducted
to determine the future status of Nagornyy Karabakh," added Bryza.

To all appearances, the Azerbaijani authorities through the
administration in Nargiztapa are making preparations for one of
the mentioned by Bryza points, in particular, the return of the
refugees. It is obvious that in case of effective work in this
direction, Baku could hope for a favourable outcome of the "postponed"
referendum for the determination of the future status of Nagornyy
Karabakh.

CONGRESSMAN CALLS POLICE ON UNWANTED CAMERAMAN

Associated Press
Aug 6 2008

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, holding an election-eve news conference,
called police to get a man with a video camera removed from his
home Wednesday.

The cameraman identified himself as Peter Musurlian of Glendale,
Calif. He said he worked for an Armenian-American group angry with
Cohen’s opposition to a House resolution labeling the killing of
Armenians in World War I as genocide.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee passed the nonbinding resolution
last year despite arguments it would anger Turkey, which allows
U.S. military shipments headed for Iraq to cross its borders.

Cohen held a brief media availability at his house prior to Thursday’s
Democratic Primary.

When Musurlian showed up, Cohen pushed him out the front door and
called police. He said the cameraman had followed him for several days,
interrupting his meetings with constituents and shining bright lights
in his face.

Police talked with Musurlian across the street from Cohen’s residence
and sent him on his way.

Musurlian said his group was supporting Cohen’s main re-election
opponent, Memphis lawyer Nikki Tinker.

KARABAKH DISMISSES REPORTS ON AZERI EFFORTS TO SET UP NEW CAPITAL

ArmInfo News Agency (in Russian)
Aug 6 2008
Armenia

A spokesman for the breakaway region of Nagornyy Karabakh has dismissed
as ridiculous reports about Azerbaijan preparing to establish a new
capital for Karabakh and populate it with Azerbaijanis.

The flights of human imagination can be funny, the spokesman for
the separatist government of Nagornyy Karabakh, Vardges Hovyan, told
Arminfo. "They came up with a new kind of amusement in Baku – they
drew a map on paper, outlined the ‘boundaries’ of Nagornyy Karabakh
at their discretion, marked some point there and announced that
‘Azerbaijan has created a new capital of Nagornyy Karabakh’," Hovyan
said. "The people of Nagornyy Karabakh will never allow Azerbaijan
to turn into reality its colonial programmes," he added.

The spokesman ruled out the possibility of ethnic Azerbaijanis
returning to Nagornyy Karabakh. "Two peoples who are enemies cannot
co-exist in one state. Azerbaijanis cannot have any hopes for
returning, just as 400,000 Armenian refugees will never be able to
return to Azerbaijan. In the best case Azerbaijanis will be able to
visit Nagornyy Karabakh as tourists," Arminfo quoted Hovyan as saying.