Author: Hunanian Jack

AZERBAIJAN READY TO DISCUSS GRANTING ‘SPECIAL’ STATUS TO NAGORNO-KARABAKH

ARMENPRESS
Dec 10 2007

BAKU, DECEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS: A deputy foreign minister of Azerbaijan
said today Armenian and Azerbaijani diplomats may discuss the issue
of granting Nagorno-Karabakh a special status when they meet for the
next round of talks on the peaceful settlement of their dispute.

Deputy foreign minister Araz Azimov said journalists in Baku that
before starting discussions on the issue the Armenian and Azeri
communities of Nagorno-Karabakh should establish normal relations.

But he argued that to launch such a dialogue Armenian troops must be
pulled out from seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, security
must be enforced for all, infrastructures and rule of Azerbaijani
law over these regions must be restored.

"Azerbaijan stands for peaceful settlement of the conflict, but if
international organizations’ efforts fail to produce any result,
Azerbaijan reserves the right to resort to other means to liberate
its lands," he was quoted by Trend news agency as saying.

Asked to comment on the OSCE Minsk Group’s latest proposals for the
peaceful settlement of the confluent Azimov said before Baku voices
its response to them they should be examined carefully.

"The cochairmen’s proposals are their personal opinion, which may
not coincide with Azerbaijan’s national interests," he said.

In a related news the U.S. cochairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Mathew
Bryza, told Azerbaijani ANS TV that he and two other cochairmen
from Russia and France expect Armenian and Azeri leaders to approve
a package of basic principles for the peaceful settlement of the
conflict, which were handed to Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers
in Madrid.

"We hope that presidents Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev will give
their approval of the principles within next two months and will
agree to continue the negotiations,’ he said.

DETERMINATION OF KOSOVO STATUS WILL BECOME A PRECEDENT FOR THE UNRECOGNIZED REPUBLICS IN CIS, RF FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS

arminfo
2007-12-08 13:11:00

ArmInfo. Any decision on Kosovo status will become a precedent for
the unrecognized republics in the post-Soviet area, Foreign Minister
of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov said, Friday. ‘Certainly,
the way Kosovo crisis will be managed will have a precedent. It
will happen not because we say so or because our western partners
deny it. Neither they nor we must decide it’, S. Lavrov said at a
press conference in Brussels after Russian-NATO Council when asked
if Kosovo settlement will influence the conflicts in Georgia.

He said many countries, including in the Balkans, follow the
developments in Kosovo. Those who think of taking undue freedom
with the international law, UN Statute, and Helsinki final act
"must think well before starting this very slippery slop that may be
pregnant with unpredictable consequences and will not add stability
in Europe", the minister said. He believes that the key obstacle to
the settlement was Pristina’s stand. ‘We are sure that the troika of
negotiators for Kosovo problem settlement has managed to carry out
rather a useful work. Direct negotiations were started. Belgrad made
a number of consistent, constructive and flexible proposals. There
is a real opportunity for an agreement on all the issues raised by
Belgrad. Lack of any response action by Pristina prevents resolution’,
Lavrov said. He reiterated his call on all those who say in public
that Kosovo independence has no alternative "not to block negotiations
and allow the parties to find mutually admissible stands." Since 1999
Kosovo region has been formally remaining part of Serbia’s territory
and under management of the UN.

Belgrad-Pristina negotiations for the final status of the
region continuing in Vienna with mediation of the special envoy
of UN Secretary General Marti Ahtisaari within the year 2006
brought no result. The problem was entrusted to the troika of
mediators. Aleksander Botsan-Kharchenko represents Russia in the
troika of international mediators Frank Wisner of the US and Wolfgang
Ischinger of the European Union. Kosovo insists on independence,
Serbia is ready to provide the region with an autonomy status only. The
report on Kosovo the "troika" will extraordinarily submit to the UN
Security Council says that Belgrad and Pristina failed to agree on
the future status of the region. After the report is made, Kosovo
will unilaterally declare independence, experts suppose.

Azerbaijan Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Dec 8 2007

DEPLOYMENT OF KURDISH REBELS IN BREAKAWAY KARABAKH "UNLIKELY" – AZERI
OFFICIAL

"Azerbaijan and Turkey have already expressed their joint position on
this issue. If PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] terrorists are deployed
in Nagornyy Karabakh, relevant measures will be taken in this
regard," Novruz Mammadov, head of the foreign relations department of
the presidential administration, has said in an exclusive interview
with APA.

Mammadov said that Nagornyy Karabakh is an uncontrolled territory,
adding that terrorists might be deployed here. "But I think that this
is unlikely, because there is no accurate information on resettlement
of PKK members in Nagornyy Karabakh. Previously, Armenians were
resettled from Armenia to Nagornyy Karabakh. This issue was raised
and the Armenian side bears responsibility for this. Although
Armenians are sly, they realize that Armenia will bear responsibility
for deploying PKK members and terrorists in Azerbaijan’s occupied
territories and that they will be held to account for that in the
future. For this reason, perhaps they will think twice before taking
such a step," he said.

According to Mammadov, reports of PKK deployment in Nagornyy Karabakh
have not been confirmed yet.

It would be more honest if some of so-called oppositionists directly
supported Serzh Sargsyan, Leader of People’s Party of Armenia said at
the opposition’s rally

2007-12-08 17:03:00

ArmInfo. "It would be more honest if some of the so-called
oppositionists directly supported Serzh Sargsyan" Leader of the
People’s Party of Armenia Stepan Demirchyan said at the rally of the
supporters of the first Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

According to him, for some of the so-called opposition party leaders
the participation in the presidential election is an excellent occasion
to bargain with the country’s present authorities. "Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s nomination completely mixed up the authority’s cards,
and that is why, the first president became a target for criticism on
the part of the country’s top leadership and the media serving them",
S. Demirchyan said. He emphasized, that PPA without remorse criticized
the mistakes Levon Ter-Petrosyan did during his presidency. However, he
drew the attention of those present to the fact that the first
president himself admitted his mistakes, which the present Armenian
leadership never did and never does. S. Demirchyan expressed confidence
that the closer the Election Day comes, the more often high speeches
will be heard on the necessity to hold them in accordance with
democratic standards. But most of all, people who more than once rigged
elections in Armenia, will make such speeches. "No matter they say the
question of the Armenian authority was settled during the parliamentary
election, the coming presidential election give us a real opportunity
to change the situation in the country and we have to use this chance",
S. Demirchyan said.

PanARMENIAN.Net

TACIS developed strategy of closing ANPP
06.12.2007 16:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The EU is ready to continue dialogue with Armenia in
the energy sector, including closure of the Nuclear Power Plant, said
Raul de Lutzenberger, the EU’s Charge d’Affairs in Armenia.

He also informed that a strategy of closing ANPP has been worked out
in the framework of TACIS program, IA Regnum reports.

The NPP operation life expires in 2016. However, with signature of the
European Neighborhood Policy, Armenia undertook to close the NPP in
the shortest terms. The ANPP consisting of two power generating units
with 815 MW capacity was first closed in 1988. The second unit with
407,5 MW capacity was restarted in 1995. Armenia announced intention
close the NPP is case of creation of alternative energy sources.

ARMENPRESS

YOUTH PARTY VOWS TO SUPPORT PRIME MINISTER IN
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS: The new chairman
of the Youth Party of Armenia, Vahan Babayan, said
today the party will support prime minister Serzh
Sarkisian in the February 19 presidential election.
Speaking to a news conference he said the decision
to back the prime minister, was approved unanimously
by the party’s recent congress.
`Serzh Sarkisian is the only presidential candidate
who is able to guarantee prosperity for Armenians an a
peaceful and well-off future for Armenian young
people,’ he said.
He said the decision was aided by the government’s
stance on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and double-digit economic growth of recent
years.

STEPANAKERT WILL EXPAND

KarabakhOpen
06-12-2007 11:35:54

Recently our compatriots from Armenia have arrived and said willing to
develop a residential area in a suburb of Stepanakert, Prime Minister
Harutiunyan said during the meeting o government.

During the meeting the cadastre category of the lands bordering with
Stepanakert, which belong to the communities of Khnatsakh, Krasni
and Dashushen, was changed. Ostensibly, the residential area will be
built on these lands.

At the same time, over ten houses were built for refugees from
Azerbaijan in Ajapniak but the refugees are reluctant to move to live
there because there are no roads and infrastructures. Recently gas
supply has been laid out but the refugees are reluctant to move.

Instead, detached houses are built in Aresh, another district of
Stepanakert.

ZHARANGUTIUN PARTY NOT NO NOMINATE CANDIDATE FOR FORTHCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan
Dec 6, 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The Zharangutiun (Heritage) party is
going to discuss the issue of party’s participation in the February
19, 2008 presidential elections at the December 6 sitting of party’s
Board. According to the draft decision to be submitted for Board’s
approval, the party, attaching importance to the elections, at the
same time registers that thanks to confidence and high authority
among the RA citizens, party Chairman Raffi Hovannisian has always
been perceived as a merited candidate for presidency." However, due
to the "political ill-will of the former and current authorities,
the unsolved problem of R. Hovannisian’s citizenship artificially
and deliberately hampered his nomination for more than 16 years."

According to the decision to be made by the party Board, Zharangutiun
will not nominate its candidate for the forthcoming presidential
elections and will empower the Board to make a decision on the
format of party’s participation in the elections after candidates’
official registration.

HAROUTIUN ARAKELIAN: SINCE 1988 ARMENIAN POLITICAL THOUGHT HAS REMAINED THE SAME: RALLY, SWEARING, CLAIM OF POST

Noyan Tapan
Dec 03 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. "I have been in the political sphere
since 1988 and I do not remember a rally, which gave a solution to a
problem the people was anxious about: as a rule, only the problems of
rally organizers are solved through rallies." Haroutiun Arakelian,
the Chairman of the Ramkavar-Azatakan Party of Armenia, stated at
the December 3 press conference, mentioning that this assertion also
concerns rallies organized in the recent months by first RA President
Levon Ter-Petrosian and his supporters. Meanwhile, the Chairman of
the Ramkavar-Azatakan Party of Armenia stressed that holding a rally
is people’s right, and no one can force the people to refrain from
mass events.

In general, as H. Arakelian declared, "we lack general political
culture in Armenia." According to his observation, the parties do not
make use of the political moment to raise their quality. "The Armenian
political thought has not developed since 1988, it has remained the
same: rally, swearing, claim of president’s post," H. Arakelian said.

Touching upon the unification of the Ramkavar-Azatakan Party of
Armenia, the Dashink, and the National Revival parties, H. Arakelian
said that the common approach over "most important national problems"
unites them. Besides, according to him, the Ramkavar-Azatakan Party
of Armenia, being a liberal and traditional party, it not against
nationalistic and conservative ideas, the bearers of which are Dashink
and National Revival, respectively.

Azat Artsakh Tert, Nagorno Karabakh Republic
Dec 6 2007

NKR President held conferences

On December 5th, the NKR Prsident Bako Sahakian held a working
conference, by participation of the Minister of NKR Defence, the
commander of NKR Defence army, general-lieutenant Movses Hakopian and
its assistance.
The questions having a relation to the sphere of armybuilding,
the process of autumn call up, as well as the telethon of `Hayastan’
all-Armenian Fund, taken place recently, were discussed.
The same day the NKR President Bako Sahakian held a working
conference, in which the Speaker of Natioanl Assembly Ashot Ghoulian,
the Premier Ara Haroutyunian, the Head of the NKR President’s Stuff
Marat Moussaelian, Attorney General Armen Zalinian, the Minister of
Justice Arthur Mossian and the chairman of permenant commission of NA
state legal questions Jury Hayrapetian participated. The process of
reforms realized in legislative field was discussed. On December 5th,
the NKR President Bako Sahakian accepted the members of ARF Artsakh
Central Committee, by the head of the representative of ARF Artsakh
CC David Ishkhanian.
The President congratulated D.Ishkhanian in connection with
accepting this responsible post of the party.
During the meeting a number questions refering to innerpolitical
life of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic were touched upon.
The head of the country hoped, that henceforth the collaboration
with Armenian Revolutionary Federation would be effective,
emphasizing, that in innerpoliticalfield of the republic a close
collaboration between political powers and their active participation
in the process of state building should become unseparate part of
Artsakh political culture.(Central administration of information of
the NKR President’s Stuff reported).