Author: Maghakian Mike

KOSOVO CAN NOT BE PRECEDENT FOR SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT: PRESIDENT OF NATO PA

Trend News Agency
March 5 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 5 March / corr. TrendNews I. Alizadeh/ There is no
any similarities between Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Kosovo, and both
of them are totally different conflicts, therefore, introduction of
same principles in this regard is quite impossible. "Kosovo can not be
precedent for the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Jose Lelo,
the President of the NATO Parliament Assembly, said on 5 March in
his meeting with Ogtay Asadov, the chairman of Azerbaijani parliament.

On 17 Feb, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. The official
Belgrade is not going to recognize Kosovo’s independence. Several
countries including US, Great Britain, Germany, France and Turkey
have already recognized its independence. But Russia, Spain, China,
Greece and Georgia support Belgrade’s position. Azerbaijan does not
support Kosovo’s independence as well.

In 1988, the conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus
began due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.

Lelo said that NATO supports the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict within the international law.

Asadov said that Azerbaijan will take relevant measures to solve
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by peaceful means. " Armenia does not attach
importance to the decisions and resolutions of the Parliament Assembly
of the Council of Europe and UN on the unconditional withdrawal of
Armenian armed forces from Karabakh," Asadov said.

He said that Azerbaijan wishes to solve the conflict honorably within
the international law.

Asadov said that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to the
strengthening of relations with the authoritative international
organizations including NATO. "One of the directions of our
foreign policy is the integration with NATO," he said. Azerbaijan is
strengthening its position in the system of Energy Security of Europe,
he said.

UPDATE 2-ARMENIA PRESSURES OPPONENTS, ARRESTS 30 FOR RIOTS
By Hasmik Lazarian and Margarita Antidze

Reuters
March 4 2008
UK

YEREVAN, March 4 (Reuters) – Armenian police have arrested 30
opposition activists and accused them of starting a riot in which
eight people were killed, the prosecutor general said on Tuesday.

Armenia imposed a 20-day state of emergency on Saturday following
mass protests against last month’s presidential election, which the
opposition says was rigged.

"Thirty people have been detained for provoking mass disturbances on
March 1, not obeying the police and violent actions against policemen,"
the prosecutor-general’s office said in a statement.

A series of anti-government rallies after the Feb. 19 election erupted
in street battles between demonstrators and police on Saturday — the
worst civil violence in the tiny Caucasus state since its independence
from the Soviet Union.

President-elect Serzh Saksaryan, who won 53 percent of the vote,
defended the emergency laws as necessary and urged the authorities
to confiscate illegal weapons to maintain order.

"In a very short space of time we have to find and confiscate all
illegal weapons in the country and provide the rule of law and
guarantee the democratic development of our country," he told a
news briefing.

His main rival, former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan, won 21.5
percent. Robert Kocharyan, the current president and Sarksyan’s ally,
ordered the army onto the streets and imposed emergency laws during
the riots.

A pro-Sarksyan parliament also voted to strip four opposition
parliamentarians of their immunity from prosecution, allowing police
to arrest them for stirring up violence at the riot.

SOLDIERS

Soldiers continued to patrol Yerevan’s streets and armoured personnel
carriers stood in the main square.

"The situation in Yerevan is fully under control," General Seyran
Ohanyan, the chief of Armenia’s general military staff, told a news
conference. "If it’s needed, we’ll help police to guarantee public
order.

Police had arrested a handful of prominent opposition figures —
for allegedly plotting a coup or hoarding firearms — during daily
mass demonstrations in the capital Yerevan.

Armenia, whose traditions and culture are deeply entwined with
its ancient Christian heritage, lies in the Caucasus, a key route
for pumping oil from Asia to world markets, though Armenia has no
pipelines of its own.

Envoys from Europe and the United States have flown to Armenia since
Sunday to encourage dialogue. Heikki Talvitie, a special OSCE envoy,
as well as EU external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner,
both urged Armenia to lift the state of emergency as soon as possible.

"We need political dialogue to find a way forward, and such a dialogue
is not possible as long as the state of emergency remains in place,"
Talvitie said in a statement.

But both sides have so far refused to negotiate. Opposition leaders
have told supporters not to protest during the emergency which they
say is part of an organised campaign against them.

Opponents accuse Kocharyan and Sarksyan of corruption and nepotism,
charges they deny. Ter-Petrosyan’s popularity stems from his time as
the first president of independent Armenia. (Additional reporting and
writing by Margarita Antidze and James Kilner in Yerevan; Editing by
Stephen Weeks)

RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY EXPRESSED HOPE FOR PEACEFUL DIALOGUE OF ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES AND "ALL PUBLIC FORCES"

Mediamax
March 3, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. "Moscow with regret received the news on the
recent events in the capital city of friendly Armenia, which lead to
human losses".

Mediamax reports that the comment of the Press Information Department
of the Russian Foreign Ministry reads this.

"We express sincere condolences to all the people, who have lost
their relatives and close people", the document reads.

"We hope that the measures, taken up by the Armenian leadership,
will lead to solution of the internal political situation through
peaceful dialogue of authorities and all public forces to provide
security of citizens of the republic and for stable development of
the Armenian state", comment of the Press Information Department of
the Russian Foreign Ministry reads.

ARMENIAN STATE GUARDS WARN OPPOSITION LEADER AGAINST LEAVING HIS HOUSE

Mediamax
March 1 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 1 March: Guided by the law of Armenia "On ensuring the safety
of individuals under special stateprotection", employees of the State
Guard Service providing security for the former president of Armenia
[andopposition candidate in 19 February presidential election,
Levon Ter-Petrosyan] this morning took a decision to evacuateLevon
Ter-Petrosyan from Freedom Square in central Yerevan due to the
actions being taken there by police.

[Early on 1 March, riot police dispersed Ter-Petrosyan’s supporters
who had been rallying on Freedom Squaresince 20 February, protesting
the result of the election.]

The State Guard Service of Armenia told Mediamax today that
Ter-Petrosyan was taken to his house, which is guarded bythe same
service.

"In the situation that has arisen, proceeding from the need to
ensure the former president’s safety, andalso taking account of
the circumstance that Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s departure from the
building under guard may leadto unpredictable consequences and
endanger his security, the State Guard Service of Armenia warned
the former president of the need to refrain from any attempts to
leave his house. Otherwise, the State Guard Service is unable to
bearresponsibility for the safety of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, since it
cannot accompany him to illegal events," the StateGuard Service says
in its statement.

THIRTY-SIX VEHICLES BURNT DURING MASS DISORDERS AND CLASHES IN YEREVAN

arminfo
2008-03-03 12:03:00

ArmInfo. Thirteen police cars and 3 buses, 13 private cars, 3
trolleybuses and 4 buses y- were burnt during mass disorders and
clashes in Yerevan on 1 March, Prosecutor General’s Office reports.

Amnesty International calls on Azerbaijan to bring perpetrators of attacks
on journalists to justice

29 February 2008 [03:37] – Today.Az

Ahead of the eve of the third anniversary of the death of a prominent
Azerbaijani journalist Elmar Hüseynov, Amnesty International is
reiterating its call to the Azerbaijani authorities to fulfil their
international and domestic obligations to guarantee the right to
freedom of expression.

On 2 March 2005, Elmar Hüseynov, editor-in-chief of the outspoken
weekly newspaper Monitor, was shot and killed outside his home in
Baku. His colleagues and international press freedom organizations
ascribed his murder to the political content of his newspaper.

Amnesty International has documented cases of journalists striving to
expose the misuse of government power, who are increasingly living
under the threat of politically motivated arrests, physical assault
and even death.

The organization has noted that predominantly journalists associated
with the opposition are the victims of physical assault. As a rule,
investigations into these physical assaults do not lead to convictions,
thus contributing to a climate of impunity for such attacks.

In its latest document, Azerbaijan: Mixed messages on freedom of
expression, Amnesty International calls on the Azerbaijani authorities
to ensure a climate in which critical and alternative viewpoints can
be expressed without fear of repression.

–Boundary_(ID_6h1A+lFAoxn4dv+02QLcjw )–

LEVON ARONIAN BEATS VESELIN TOPALOV AT 8th ROUND OF INTERNATIONAL CHESS SUPER TOURNAMENT

Noyan Tapan
Feb 29 2008

LINARES, FEBRUARY 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The second part of the International
Chess Super Tournament started in Linares (Spain) on February 28. In
the 8th round Levon Aronian played white and beat Veselin Topalov
(Bulgaria), gaining revenge for his defeat in Morelia.

Viswanathan Anand (India) with 5.5 points out of 8 possible is in
lead of the points table. Levon Aronian and Magnus Carlsen (Norway)
in 2-3 positions with 4.5 points each.

On February 29 L. Aronian plays white with Anand.

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: KOSOVO IS, CERTAINLY, A PRECEDENT

armradio.am
29.02.2008 17:37

"Having the Nagorno Karabakh issue, the precedent of Kosovo’s
independence is very important for us," RA President Robert Kocharyan
said during today’s meeting with students of the Yerevan State
University. According to him, the Kosovo issue is the question of
greatest concern for the international community, and this independence
is inevitable. "I do not imagine how a nation that has lived on its
historic land and acquired its independence would refuse from this de
facto independence via negotiations and agree to another status. I’m
sure it’s an inevitable fact. The issue must be considered in a
different context: is the de jure recognition of independence by
other states correct at this point or not? Is it possible to reach
the same objective of recognition over time, softening the reaction
of the Serbian side? Maybe, it’s possible to reach the final target
through more flexible steps, but I don’t doubt that independence will
be the final result," Robert Kocharyan noted.

According to President Kocharyan, Kosovo is, certainly, a
precedent. The difference is that the process in Nagorno Karabakh
had started earlier, and NKR proclaimed its independence still in
1991. "Kosovo has just proclaimed its independence, and we have no less
right to have independent Karabakh than Kosovo. It’s not because of
Kosovo that we must think about the independence of Karabakh. For us it
is a recognized fact and we must aspire for other states to recognize
it, as well," Robert Kocharyan said. According to his observation,
Kosovo found itself in the spotlight of great political interests in
the Balkans and Europe. Several factors worked in its favor and the
process started. "We are resolute on our path," the President assured.

ARMENIA ONLY COUNTRY PRODUCING CHLOROPRENE RUBBER IN TWO WAYS

ARKA
Feb 29 2008

YEREVAN, February 29. /ARKA/. Armenia is the only country in the
world that is producing chloroprene rubber in two ways, academician
of the Russian Academy of Sciences Abel Aghanbekian during his lecture
delivered at the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) State University. This has
been possible owing to high qualification of specialists in "Nairit"
factory producing chloroprene rubber, he said.

Aghanbekian said that apart from Armenia chloroprene rubber is produced
also in the USA, Germany, France and China. Attempts to start similar
production in Russia have not been successful yet.

"$40mln has been spent on construction of a plant in Russia, the Czech
Republic allocated $500mln for the same purposes, but they failed
to enable these factories due to permanent breakdowns and lack of
skilled specialists," the economist said.

Armenia’s "Nairit" factory is specializing in production of chloroprene
rubber. In early 2005 the shares of "Nairit Factory" closed joint
stock company were transferred to "State Polymer" co.

ltd.. for trust management. The "State Polymer" was founded by the
main creditors of the plant, including Armenia’s Ministry of Energy.

In 2005 the factory’s production output totaled $21.9mln against
$10.9mln in 2004 with all produce being exported.

"Nairit-2" closed joint stock company was established in 2001. The
company is engaged in development of chemical technologies,
application of projects of chemical substances production and research
in metallurgy.

On August 18 2006 the Government of Armenia permitted the sale of 90%
of the shares of "Nairit" to "Armgasprom" closed joint stock company
and later to the British "Rhinoville Property Limited" for $40mln.

TURKISH TROOPS WRAP UP CROSS-BORDER OPERATION IN NORTHERN IRAQ

PanARMENIAN.Net
29.02.2008 15:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Turkish Army has ended a major ground offensive
against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, the General Staff said on
Friday. The operation was completed in Zap region where the hostilities
were held.

Turkey launched a large-scale ground operation targeting militants from
the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the north of Iraq on February 21,
with more than 10,000 troops pushing some 10 kilometers (six miles)
into Iraq.

"Turkish Army units returned to their permanent bases on the morning
of February 29," the General Staff said in a statement posted on
its website.

It also said Turkey had taken the decision to start and end the
operation independently, without any outside pressure. It added that
the Turkish Army had killed 240 rebels during the eight-day operation
and had lost 27 servicemen.

The General Staff acknowledged that the PKK had not been eliminated
as a result of the operation, however.

"At the same time, it has been shown to the group that the north of
Iraq is not a safe heaven for terrorists," it said.

The General Staff also pledged it would continue monitoring PKK
activity in Iraq and would "not allow it to threaten Turkey from
this area."

"The fight against terrorism will continue both in and outside Turkey,"
it said.

Iraq welcomed the end of the Turkish operation, Iraqi Foreign Minister
Hoshiyar Zebari saying it was the "right thing to do." Iraq had earlier
criticized the incursion, calling it a violation of its sovereignty.

The Turkish parliament gave the government a mandate last October to
conduct cross-border operations in northern Iraq against about 3,500
PKK militants based in the region.

The PKK, listed by the U.S., NATO and the EU as a terrorist
organization, has been fighting for autonomy status in southeast
Turkey for nearly 25 years. The conflict has so far claimed about
40,000 lives, RIA Novosti reports.