Author: Nahapetian Samvel

INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP DISBANDED
Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
15-03-2004
>From now on together with the state committee the Center of Civil
Undertakings will deal with the search for missing soldiers and
hostages, as well as work with their families in Karabakh. In the
current year the center organized computer courses for the children of
the missing soldiers and former hostages. The Karabakh
non-governmental organization Center of Civil Undertakings conducts
monitoring of prisons of the republic. According to the director of
the center Albert Voskanian, certain novelties were introduced in this
sphere of the republic. For example, according to the international
standards the wooden blinds of the windows of the dormitories of the
Department of Administration of Criminal Punishment (the former prison
of Shoushi) attached to the NKR Police were dismantled since February
1 of the current year. In autumn of 2003 the parliament of Karabakh
adopted the law about elimination of the capital punishment.
According to the DACP staff, at the beginning of the current year the
sentence of the last of the 15 convicts sentenced to capital
punishment was changed by 15 years imprisonment. According to
A. Voskanian, the Center of Civil Undertakings continues to support
the undertaking of passing the NKR prisons from the Police under the
authority of the Ministry of Justice.
NAIRA HAYRUMIAN.
15-03-2004

NEW DIRECTOR OF ICRC OFFICE
Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
15-03-2004
On March 11 NKR president Arkady Ghukassian met with the director of
the office of the Red Cross in Stepanakert Charlotte Hardford whose
term of duties in Nagorni Karabakh has completed. Ms. Hardford
introduced to the president the new director of the ICRC office in
Stepanakert Mireille Benard. She thankedthe government of the republic
for assistance to the humanitarian activities of the ICRC in
NKR. Speaking about the main directions of activity of the Karabakh
office of ICRC in 2003 Ms. Hardford told that the office will pursue
implementation of humanitarian programs in Nagorni Karabakh. In the
future they will deal with the problem of the missing soldiers, will
visit prisoners, find out their state of health, the conditions they
are kept in. Touching upon programs in the sphere of health care the
ICRC representative mentioned that the mission assists to the
reconstruction of 68 surgeries in different regions of Nagorni
Karabakh and helps to provide them with necessary equipment. According
to her, the ICRC mission also deals with providing them with
medication. In his turn, Arkady Ghukassian highly appreciated the
importance of the activitiesof the ICRC in Nagorni Karabakh, which was
the first among the international organizations to aid NKR. At the
same time the president emphasized the importance of further
activities of the ICRC mission in Nagorni Karabakh.
AA.
15-03-2004

A1+ web site in Russian
9 Mar 04
Armenian leader hopes Hungary to punish officer’s murderer
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan today received the new Hungarian
ambassador to Armenia, Ferenc Kontra (residency in Moscow).
On behalf of the Hungarian government, the ambassador expressed his
deep condolences on the killing of Armenian officer Gurgen Markaryan
in Hungary.
In turn, Robert Kocharyan expressed his confidence that the Hungarian
law-enforcement agencies would be consistent and the murderer would
be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Hungary will become a member of the European Union next month.
Ambassador Kontra said that his country was ready to do everything
possible to facilitate the strengthening of ties between Armenia and
the European Union.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 9, 2004 Tuesday
Yerevan, Tbilisi to discuss cargo transit through Georgia
By Tigran Liloyan
YEREVAN
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili will visit Armenia, to discuss
with its leadership arrangements for cargo transportation through
Georgia and terms of payment for it. Saakashvili will make a two-day
visit to Armenia on Friday, the press service of the Armenian
president told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.
Under conditions of the transport blockade of Armenia, Georgia is the
only state through which cargoes are delivered to Armenian towns,
including fuel and food from Russia.
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan praised the level of relations
with Georgia. “Good personal ties between the heads of state give
impulses for a better development of good neighborly relations,”
Kocharyan said.
The program of the visit envisions a one-on-one meeting between the
two presidents, Saakashvili’s talks with the parliament speaker and
Armenia’s prime minister, and his meeting with representatives of the
Georgian community in the republic.
The Georgian president will visit Echmiadzin, where he will be
received by Catholicos of all the Armenians Garegin II.