Author: Jidarian Alex

CANDIDATES FOR POSITION OF HEAD OF PACE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH TO BE DETERMINED IN AUGUST

Trend News Agency
July 29 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 29 July / corr. Trend News G.Ahmedova / Candidates
for the position of the head of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE) Subcommittee on Nagorno-Karabakh will be
examined in August, the PACE told Trend News via telephone from
Strasburg on 29 July.

Gultakin Hajiyeva, an Azerbaijani parliamentary representative to the
PACE, told Trend News that the elections for the position of the PACE
Subcommittee’s chairman on Nagorno-Karabakh belonged to the authority
of the CE Committee on political issues.

At the PACE political committee, several officials can nominate for
the position of the head of the Ad Hoc Committee on Nagorno-Karabakh,
which will be elected through voting at the committee, she said.

Lord David Russell Jones, the former chairman of the PACE and the
head of the Ad Hoc Committee on Nagorno-Karabakh, died in his 76th
year on 27 July.

Lord Russell Jones was a representative of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe for 23 years. He led the PACE from 1999 to
2002. He was the head of the PACE Ad Hoc Committee on Nagorno-Karabakh
by the end of his life.

The PACE Subcommittee on Nagorno-Karabakh problem was established in
spring 2005 and supervised the fulfillment of Resolution 1416 of the
organization on the Armenian and Azerbaijani problem.

Turkey anticipates `concrete steps’ from Armenia

armradio.am
25.07.2008 14:47

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan declared that his country is
interested in normalizing the relations with Armenia and anticipates
`concrete steps’ from the opposing side. Ali Babacan said this in New
York, where he had arrived to drum up support at the United Nations for
Turkey’s bid for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council.

The Foreign Minister said Turkey’s President and Prime Minister sent
letters to their Armenian counterparts following the presidential
elections in Armenia, which aimed at `launching new dialogue with the
administration.’

According to Ali Babacan, Turkey aspires to have no problems with its
neighbors and `of course we expect concrete steps from the opposite
side.’

TURKISH COURT TO HEAR COUP PLOT CASE IN OCT

Peninsula On-line
July 26 2008
Qatar

A Turkish court agreed yesterday to hear a case against 86 people
accused of a plot to overthrow the government, which media reports
said included a plan to assassinate a top general.

The investigation into the ultra-nationalist group known as Ergenekon
has rattled markets and increased political tensions in Turkey, which
has also been unsettled by a legal effort to shut down the ruling AK
Party for Islamist activities.

"Istanbul’s penal court has accepted the indictment of 86 suspects as
part of the Ergenekon investigation," state-run Anatolian news agency
said. A source from the court confirmed that it had accepted the case.

The defendants, including the head of a small nationalist party, a
newspaper editor and retired army officers, face charges including
incitement to armed insurrection, aiding a terrorist group and
possession of explosives.

In the last 50 years, military coups have ousted four elected
governments in NATO-member Turkey, a predominantly Muslim but
officially secular country seeking to join the European Union.

CNN Turk television, which broadcast footage showing pages from
the near-2,500 page indictment, said the court would hold its first
hearing on October 20 in Silvri prison, near Istanbul.

It reported the indictment as saying the group had planned to
assassinate the current head of the armed forces General Yasar
Buyukanit in 2005 when he was the head of the Turkish land forces. It
said there was no evidence of a link between the group and the army.

It said Ergenekon had also planned to attack Turkish novelist and Nobel
Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party.

Pamuk is loathed by Turkish nationalists for saying Turkey was
responsible for the deaths of more than a million Armenians during
World War One and of 30,000 Kurds in recent decades.

POWER STRUGGLE

A power struggle between rival elites, one made up of the militant
secularist establishment and the other of government supporters,
seems to be playing out in the Turkish courts.

The shadowy Ergenekon group first came to light a year ago when a cache
of explosives was discovered in a police raid on an Istanbul house.

Two senior retired generals, businessmen and journalists-all critical
of the AK Party-have been arrested as part of the investigation
but have not yet been charged. A further 26 people were detained on
Wednesday on suspicion of involvement.

Media reports say Ergenekon had planned to trigger a coup by inciting
civil disobedience and stirring doubts among citizens about the health
of Turkey’s economy.

Some analysts see the investigation as revenge for the legal attempt
to close the AK Party in the Constitutional Court, which will begin
its deliberations on Monday. Analysts expect a verdict in that case
by early August.

The AK Party rejects suggestions that it brought any pressure to bear
in the Ergenekon investigation.

A prosecutor has accused the Islamist-rooted party of seeking to
introduce Islamic rule in Turkey and is trying to ban Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan, President Abdullah Gul and 69 leading party members
from party membership for five years.

Hardline secularists dismiss the AK Party leadership’s arguments
that it has abandoned its Islamist roots and point to an attempt to
allow the wearing of the Islamic headscarf in universities as just
one proof of its intentions.

BAKU-TBILISI-KARS RAILWAY BYPASSING ARMENIA

A1+
24 July, 2008

Today in the City of Kars the Presidents of Turkey, Azerbaijan and
Georgia announced the start of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway construction.

In the map of the South Caucasus each of the three presidents fitted
one small railway track showing the way that bypassing Armenia in the
north will link Georgia and Azerbaijan to the eastern part of Turkey.

The 105 km railway is envisaged to be built by 2010 with 29 km passing
through Georgia and 76 km through the territory of Turkey.

The agreement on the railway was signed in February 2007.

PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE CONFIRMS NEGLECT IN DINK MURDER

Turkish Daily News
July 24 2008

A parliamentary subcommittee investigating the murder of
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink confirmed that there was
negligence and a lack of coordination by both the gendarmerie and
police, in a report released yesterday.

"Hrant Dink was killed due to negligence of authorities at every
level in introducing measures to prevent the threat," said the
committee’s long-awaited report, which was presented yesterday in a
press conference at parliament. Thus, Article 17 of the Constitution
regulating "right to life" and Article 2 of the European Convention
on Human Rights were violated due to negligence, the report concluded.

The chairman of the subcommittee, Mehmet Ocaktan, Justice and
Development Party, or AKP, Istanbul deputy, said the committee only
investigates if there is some wrongdoing in the administrative process,
but they are not responsible for solving the murder.

Ocaktan declined to respond to questions regarding a recent decision
by an Istanbul court disallowing any investigation of the police
officers, including Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah. "Our report does
not contain allegations against persons. The judicial process is
going on. At this stage, we do not have the right to ask questions
on who was accused of what," Ocaktan argued.

The subcommittee pointed to controversies related to Dink’s
assassination and argued that intelligence received prior to the
murder was not taken into consideration despite the seriousness
of the threats. Trabzon police were accused of sending a document
dated Feb. 17, 2006 that included intelligence on possible effective
action against the Armenian community and a violent threat against
Dink’s life.

Noting that there was still an ongoing investigation into the case, the
sub-committee said it is too early to reach a conclusion about whether
an effective official investigation has been carried out or not.

The 180-page report proposed a list of measures to counter
possible future threats in situations similar to Dink’s. "Degree of
confidentiality and urgency of the documents must be clearly noted. All
intelligence regardless of the content should be reported and
inserted to the central data bank. A system to record all supportive
intelligence sources needs to be established," the report noted.

The report also underlined that civilian authorities must be notified
of all intelligence and any activity by security forces in their
jurisdiction. Increasing the number of police officers in Istanbul
and granting special duty benefits to junior office staff were also
among the recommendations.

GEORGY PETROSYAN: NKR HAS PROVED ITS RIGHT FOR EXISTENCE

armradio.am
23.07.2008 16:35

"We are living one of the most responsible periods of our age-old
history. The diplomacy of Nagorno Karabakh should fully correspond
to the priorities and challenges of the time. The Karabakh conflict
should be resolved through peace talks, on the basis of principles
which will ensure the right of the people of Nagorno Karabakh for
self-determination and security. That is the will of our people and the
position of the NKR authorities," NKR Foreign Minister Georgy Petrosyan
declared during the celebration in Stepanakert dedicated to the 15th
anniversary of formation of the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the Minister, NKR conducts an independent foreign
policy, enters into relations with other states and international
organizations, official representatives of the republic participate
in international and regional conferences.

NKR is a "de facto" full-fledged state, and many officials, political
scientists, experts, international organizations of the world accept
this reality. "Today NKR has permanent representations in leading
countries and regions of the world, through which it realizes the
communication of our republic with other states. Aside from political
functions, the permanent representations support the attraction
of investments into NKR economy, establishment and expansion of
ties with Diaspora, implementation=2 0of humanitarian programs in
Nagorno Karabakh. The consular services defend the interests of NKR
citizens. The central apparatus of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
the permanent representations continue the efforts in the direction
of presenting the real image of Nagorno Karabakh, a country where the
democratic values and human rights are considered the milestones of
establishment of a full-fledged state," Georgy Petrosyan declared.

"NKR people has realized its right for self-determination. Many
contemporary independent states have been formed as a result of
collapse of world powers. Nagorno Karabakh has never been under the
jurisdiction of independent Azerbaijan. Under the pressure of Josef
Stalin, Nagorno Karabakh was annexed to Azerbaijan. The proclamation
of NKR independence took place strictly in compliance with norms
of international law and acting USSR legislation. The process of
restoration of NKR’s independent statehood was launched on September 2,
1991," the Foreign Minister stated.

"With serious successes of state-building, NKR has proved its right
for existence. A number of presidential and parliamentary elections
have been conducted here, which the independent observers assessed
as corresponding to democratic standards. We are the witnesses of
civil society development.

There has not been a case when a people would refuse from independence
it enjoyed for more than 20 years. A generation has grown up, wh ich
considers itself the carrier and guarantor of this statehood. Today
we speak about the irreversible changes that took place in the mind
of our people. One of the priorities of the activity of the Ministry
of Foreign affairs is the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict," Georgy Petrosyan stressed.

"Today more and more international structures interested in the
resolution of the conflict are inclined to the idea that the ways
of resolution of the Karabakh conflict should be searched for on the
legal-political field," Georgy Petrosyan declared.

ABDULLAH GUL: WE COOPERATE WITH ALL COUNTRIES SUPPORTING RELIABLE, STABLE AND PEACELOVING POLICY

State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan
July 23, 2008 Wednesday

While visiting Kars province of Turkey, Turkish President Abdullah
Gul was asked by Armenian journalist about the Armenian President`s
invitation to attend the football match in Yerevan.

I am aware of the invitation. Our policy is clear. We seek cooperation
with all regional countries. We cooperate with all countries supporting
reliable, stable and peaceloving policy. If Armenia supports reliable,
peaceloving policy, we can cooperate. Tomorrow`s project is the one
serving this aim, answered the Turkish President.

TWO ARMENIAN WEIGHTLIFTERS TO PARTICIPATE IN OLYMPIC GAMES

A1+
22 July, 2008

In the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Armenians set their hopes
on weightlifter Gevorg Davtian (77kg), who is the only Armenian double
European champion that won a silver medal in the World Championship
2007.

In the World Championship 2007 Gevorg was about to become a champion
but in the end he yielded to Ivan Stoitsov with 1 kg and won the
silver medal.

However, Ivan Stoitsov, as well as all the other Bulgarian
weightlifters, are banned to participate in the Beijing 2008 Olympic
Games as Bulgaria’s Weightlifting Federation has withdrawn its team
from this summer’s Beijing Olympics since 11 lifters failed drugs
tests.

In the World Championship 2007 Davtian lifted 362 kg. The same weight
was lifted by Oleg Perepechinov in the World Championship 2008,
in which Davtian did not take part in order to save energy for the
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Another aspirant to Olympic medals is Ara Khachatrian (77kg), who
won silver medals in the past 2 European Championships and got the
3rd standing in the World Championship 2006.

SAAKASHVILI PRAISES MILITARY EXERCISE
Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili

The Moscow Times
July 23 2008
Russia

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili praised a joint military
training program involving more than 1,000 U.S. Marines and soldiers
at a former Soviet base, amid heightened tensions with Moscow.

The effort, involving 600 Georgian troops, shows that Georgia has
"the best trained and equipped army" in the strategic Caucasus
mountain region, Saakashvili said in comments Monday broadcast on
Georgian television.

While the exercise was planned months ago, it followed sporadic clashes
between Georgians and separatists in Abkhazia and South Ossetia,
breakaway regions closely tied to Russia. And it comes amid friction
over Georgia’s bid for NATO membership, viewed by Moscow as hostile.

Georgia has about 2,000 troops in Iraq — making it the third-largest
contributor to coalition forces after the United States and Britain —
but plans to end the Iraq operation by the end of this year. So far,
five Georgian soldiers have died in the conflict.

Marine Captain James Haunty, 30, commander of Lima Company, 3rd
Battalion, 25th Marines, said Friday that he was keeping an eye on
the simmering conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

"I’m not concerned about anything serious happening as long as
there are U.S. troops here in Georgia," Haunty said, shortly before
50-caliber machine gun bullets began peppering a hillside at the
Vaziani training complex, about 10 kilometers east of the capital. "But
we still will monitor the situation."

The U.S. soldiers, Marines and airmen arrived in Tbilisi in mid-July
to teach combat skills to Georgian soldiers, as well as 30 troops
from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine. The program, called Exercise
Immediate Response 2008, includes simulated attacks from roadside
bombs and other challenges troops might expect in Iraq, Haunty said.

Lance Corporal Jonah Salyers, 23, a Marine reservist, said it was his
first trip outside of the United States and conceded that he might
not have been able to find the republic of Georgia on a map.

"I could have found the state, I’ll tell you that," he said Friday.

Pointing to the snowcapped Caucasus Mountains to the north, Salyers
said, "Obviously, the countryside is absolutely beautiful."

Azerbaijan makes one more irresponsible statement

2008-07-18 19:26:00

ArmInfo. Azerbaijan has made one more irresponsible statement proving
that its judiciary system is politicized, the prosecutor general of
Armenia Agvan Hovsepyan said during a press-conference today.

Hovsepyan pointed out that during a meeting of the CIS Coordinating
Council of Prosecutors General in Tbilisi on July 17, the Armenian
delegation appeared with an initiative to sign an agreement for jointly
combating trafficking. The Azeri delegation led by the prosecutor
general signed the agreement but with a dissenting opinion because the
author of the initiative was the Armenian delegation.

Hovsepyan pointed out that the special opinion of the Azeri delegation
received no understanding. Hovsepyan said that during the meeting he
presented Armenia’s position on Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Azerbaijan is trying to find political implications wherever possible
and the only explanation for the strange demarche of the Azeri
delegation in Tbilisi is the political position of the prosecutor
general of Azerbaijan," Hovsepyan said.