PRELIMINARY REPORTS: 98.58% VOTED FOR NAGORNO KARABAKH CONSTITUTION

Regnum, Russia
Dec 11 2006

Under preliminary results of the constitutional referendum in Nagorno
Karabakh held on November 10, according to the Central Election
Commission, 77,279 people, which is 98.58% from the whole number
of eligible voters spoke for the constitution, 549 people (0.7%),
a REGNUM correspondent in Stepanakert reports.

Overall, 78,389 voters participated in the referendum, which is 87%
from eligible voters in Nagorno Karabakh.

As Head of the Central Election Commission Sergey Nasibyan said, the
constitution was passed. From now on, December 10 can be treated as
the Constitution Day in Nagorno Karabakh, he said. Final results of
the referendum will be announced on December 13.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NOVRUZ MAMMADOV: "FOREIGN OBSERVERS DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN NAGORNO KARABAKH REFERENDUM"

Today, Azerbaijan
Dec 11 2006

"Foreign observers did not participate in the constitution referendum
held in Nagorno Karabakh."

"Only some representatives of separatist states and representatives
from Russia and Armenia participated there. International organizations
state once more that the referendum held in Nagorno Karabakh is
illegal," the head of President’s Office International Relations
Department Novruz Mammadov told journalists, APA reports.

Novruz Mammadov said that no international organization or foreign
country will recognize the referendum ignoring the principles of
international law.

"Armenians realize weakening of their status and pressure of
international world. So they want to console themselves by these
factors," Novruz Mammadov said.

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PACE POLITICAL COMMITTEE MEETING HELD IN BAKU

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Dec 11 2006

Today the meeting of PACE Political Committee has begun in Baku, APA
reports. The chief of the committee, members, some other officials
of the PACE, Azerbaijani representatives in the PACE, the ministers
Ramil Usubov, Fikret Mammadov, Elmar Mammadyarov and other officials
are participating in the meeting.

The chairman of the committee Abdulgadir Atesh said that, interesting
thought exchange will be held in the meeting. The chairman reminded
that it is the first meeting held in Baku and Azerbaijan was the
member of the Council of Europe in 2001.

"The most troublesome issue concerning Azerbaijan is Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. The council has resolution 1416 for settling the problem.

The author of the resolution Russell Johnston who participates in
the meeting will have interesting thoughts about the resolution.

Generally, the stability in South Caucasus is important for us. We
had worked out a document concerning it. The members of the committee
on Karabakh participate here. They will have meetings," he said.

Saying that Azerbaijan is developing, the chairman noted that there
are some problems in the field of freedom of speech and freedom of
media. He said that the closure of ANS TV caused discontent.

"The co-rapporteurs Tony Lloyd and Andreas Herkel will talk to Samad
Seyidov on this issue," he said.

Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov noted that Azerbaijan is
developing economically. The minister said that the total volume of
output was 26% last year, but this year this number is 36% and noted
that this is great success. We also should achieve the development
of the non-oil sector. Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline is already in
use. Azerbaijan exports 1m barrel oil in a day. Soon Kazakhstan also
will join this project. After the total volume of the export will be
25m oil in a year," he said. Touching upon Nagorno Karabakh problem
the minister said that the negotiations are held to settle the problem.

"The negotiations should be sincere. These meetings are constructive.

The main issue is whether Armenian government wants to step forward
in this issue, or the government wants to gain dividend in the eve
of parliament and presidential elections. Out position is to liberate
occupied territories and remove displayed Azerbaijani citizens. After
it, Azerbaijan can cooperate with Armenia," he said.

AZERBAIJAN’S BREAKAWAY KARABAKH ADOPTS ITS FIRST CONSTITUTION

RIA Novosti, Russia
Dec 11 2006

YEREVAN, December 11 (RIA Novosti) – Azerbaijan’s breakaway province
of Nagorno-Karabakh has overwhelmingly voted in favor of its first
constitution, the central election commission said Monday.

Nagorno-Karabakh residents voted Sunday in a referendum on the
republic’s constitution, to reaffirm the predominantly Armenian
region’s independence from Azerbaijan. More than 100 international
observers and journalists from Russia, France, the United States,
Italy, Israel, Serbia and other countries monitored the referendum.

According to preliminary results, "A total of 78,389 voters (87%)
out of 89,044 eligible voters participated in the poll, with 77,279
people, or 98.58% of the electorate, casting their ballots in favor
of the constitution, while 549 people or 0.7% voted against it,"
said Sergei Nasibyan, the chairman of the central election commission.

Nasibyan said there was no voter turnout threshold at the referendum,
but according to the unrecognized republic’s legislation, at least
one-third of registered voters were required to vote in favor of the
constitution for it to be adopted.

"December 10 can be regarded as Nagorno-Karabakh Constitution
Day," Nasibyan said, adding that the commission will announce the
referendum’s final results on December 13.

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh first erupted in 1988 when it
declared its independence from Azerbaijan, and moved to join Armenia.

Over 30,000 people were killed on both sides in fighting between 1988
and 1994, and over 100 died following a 1994 ceasefire.

Nagorno-Karabakh remained in Armenian hands, but tensions between
Azerbaijan and Armenia have persisted.

The Azerbaijani leadership is determined to restore its control over
the separatist region.

BREAKAWAY KARABAKH ADOPTS PRO-INDEPENDENCE CHARTER
By Hasmik Lazarian

Reuters, UK
Dec 11 2006

YEREVAN (Reuters) – Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region
has overwhelmingly approved a new pro-independence constitution,
returns from a Sunday referendum showed.

According to official preliminary figures released on Monday, 98.6
percent of voters approved the constitution, which describes Karabakh
as a sovereign state. Turnout was 87.2 percent.

"According to preliminary results, the constitution is adopted and
December 10 from now can be declared as a Constitution Day," election
commission chief Sergey Nasibyan told Reuters by telephone.

The vote was held on the 15th anniversary of a referendum in which
Karabakh, which split from Azerbaijan in a 1990s war that killed
35,000 people, declared independence.

The new plebiscite was seen as a signal of commitment to independence
by the region.

Azerbaijan and the international community do not recognize
Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence. There was no immediate reaction to
the vote by the Azeri government.

Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous territory about half
the size of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, is still unresolved,
fuelling instability in a part of the world that is emerging as a
major energy supplier.

The majority of people in Nagorno-Karabakh are Christian ethnic
Armenians who associate themselves with neighboring Armenia rather
than Azerbaijan, a majority Muslim state.

Azerbaijan is determined to restore its control over the region and
said the referendum was illegitimate.

The fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh was the bloodiest of the separatist
wars that broke out when the Soviet Union disintegrated. A fragile
ceasefire has been in force since 1994 but there are still occasional
exchanges of gunfire.

A major BP-led pipeline linking Azerbaijan’s Caspian Sea oil fields to
world markets passes a few kilometers (miles) from the conflict zone.

Ethnic clashes in the late 1980s escalated after the collapse of the
Soviet Union into full-scale fighting. Armenia joined the fighting
on the side of the separatists.

Though Azerbaijan lost that war, it is now threatening a new military
campaign to crush the separatists if stalled peace talks do not
produce results soon.

Nagorno-Karabakh differs from other "frozen conflicts" in ex-Soviet
Georgia and Moldova in that former imperial master Russia has no
presence there and no direct interest in supporting either side.

ANDREAS GROSS: "REFERENDUM IN NAGORNO KARABAKH CAN NOT BE CONSIDERED LEGITIMATE"

Today, Azerbaijan
Dec 11 2006

All conflict sides should have participated in the referendum held
in Nagorno Karabakh.

"That is why this referendum can not be considered legitimate," PACE
Co-rapporteur Andreas Gross said in the meeting of PACE Political
Committee.

He noted that the referendum held by separatists will not be adopted
legitimately. Expressing his view point on the closure of ANS TV
Andreas Gross told that there was only one television that had
pluralist approach to the events happening in Azerbaijan.

This chance was lost with the closure of ANS TV. This is very doleful
fact for Azerbaijani society, APA reports.

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LORD RUSSEL JONSTON: LEGITIMACY OF REFERENDUM IN NAGORNO KARABAKH NOT TO BE CONFIRMED

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Dec 11 2006

"The referendum in Nagorno Karabakh should be held by means of
considering the interests of both sides.

But these principles were not observed at the referendum held
yesterday", the Chairman of the Parlamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe Lord Russel Jonston told reporters, APA reports.

British parliamentarian said that the legitimacy of the referendum
in Nagorno Karabakh will not be confirmed.

REPRESENTATIVES OF INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF RED CROSS VISIT AZERBAIJANI SOLDIER

Azeri Press Agency
Dec 11 2006

On December 9 the representatives of International Committee of Red
Cross met with Azerbaijani soldier Vusal Garachayev who was captivated
by Armenians, ICRC Baku Office told the APA.

The committee said that Nagorno Karabakh Office of the committee got
information about Azerbaijani soldier on December 8.

"The committee had mandate to get acquainted with the conditions
that the captive soldiers are kept. In the frame of this mandate the
committee members met with the soldier. His letter to his family will
be delivered to the address soon."

The committee said that, the representatives of ICRC negotiate about
hand over and take over of the captive.

"If the sides agree to hand over and take over the captive, if
that person decides to return back, the committee will have neutral
coordination mission."

Azerbaijan Defense ministry and State Commission for War Prisoners,
Hostage and Missings told the APA that they do not have any new
information about hand over of the soldier.

It should be noted that, Garachayev Vusal Mahammad born in 1988 was
called to military service from Balaken Registration and Enlistment
office this year and was captivated in Aghdam territory. But official
sources told the soldier got lost.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TERRY DAVIS: INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY NOT TO RECOGNIZE REFERENDUM RESULTS IN NAGORNO KARABAGH

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Dec 11 2006

"Referendum in Nagorno Karabagh is illegal and international community
will not recognize its results", Council of Europe Secretary General
Terry Davis announced, APA reports.

Official communique sighed by him says that the final decision on
status of Nagorno Karabagh can be determined in result of political
dialogues by the meditation of OSCE Minsk Group.

"Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be settled by means of respect
for human rights. If public election is needed, it should be free,
transparent and just. Armenian and Azerbaijani leaderships bear the
responsibility for the settlement of the conflict. This statute is
reflected among CE commitments of both countries", he said.

AKGUN: EU HAS SPECIAL SYMPATHY TO ARMENIA

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Dec 11 2006

Mensur Akgun, the executive director of Turkey Economic and Social
Studies Foundation (TESEV), told the APA Turkey bureau that Karabakh
and Cyprus issue have some similarities yet the EU does not make any
pressure on Armenia.

Akgun stressed that UN resolutions on both conflicts did not find
its settlement.

"Security Council has several resolutions concerning Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. No-one, even EU does not put pressure on Armenia
for execution of the resolutions. It has two reasons. First, Armenia
is not a country willing to be member of EU, second, EU has special
sympathy to Armenia. No-one can deny that Armenia is better than us
for EU" he said.

However Dr. Nilgun Gulcan from USAK says that there are great
differences between these two problems:

"First, the Turks did not occupy another country. They re-gained
their own right in their own country. The Republic of Cyprus was not
a Greek state, but a joint state. The Greeks made a coup and Turkey
helped the Turkish Cypriots to restore their rights. In Karabakh,
Armenian forces attacked another country. Karabakh was not an Armenian
state. It was not even a state but part of another state.

Not only Karabakh but also many orther towns were also occupied by
the Armenians. If Mr. Akgun thinks that these two cases are similar,
he knows nothing about both of the problems. However he is right that
the Armenians are the golden child of the EU like the Greeks."