THE ISSUE OF MISSING PERSONS "HAS BECOME A TRADE"

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[04:13 pm] 01 December, 2006

The country does nothing in order to clarify the fates of the missing
persons. Moreover, when their families spare no effort in order to
find their relatives, the country hinders their work. This statement
was made Arthur Sakunts, the head of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly
of Vanadzor, during the press conference titled "Issue of missing
persons in South Caucasus".

"The families are given a piece of paper saying that their son
is missing in action. When they try to find information, they
fail. Finally they are forced to turn to court in order to declare
the person dead and settle social problems", the lawyer says.

According to the RA Defense Ministry, 213 soldiers are missing in
action after military operations. 130 of them have already been
declared dead by the court. "In order to find the missing people
we need to find out where they were lost and how. Both Armenia and
Azerbaijan claim their missing soldiers are in the other country",
Arthur Sakunts noted. He thinks that the two countries are "in a
trade", as they assure they will find the missing soldiers of the
other as soon as the other does the same.

In Georgia the number missing persons is 500, and in Azerbaijan –
4998. "The Azeris were frank enough to tell us that the number includes
people who have not participated in military operations but have died
of freezing, etc", Arthur Sakunts said.

On November 24-25 a regional conference has been held in Vanadzor
titled "Issues of missing persons in South Caucasus". Representatives
of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and NKR participated in it. The
participants have worked out a joint statement to the heads of the
three countries and international organizations: the UN, the EU,
the OSCE, etc.

NATO MADE A STANDARD STATEMENT, FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS

Panorama.am
13:52 01/12/06

"It’s a standard statement," Vardan Oskanyan said speaking about
the document recently adopted by NATO according to which NATO gives
preference to the territorial integrity principle. The minister
reiterated that Karabakh conflict must be settled based on the
principle of national self-determination.

He believes Artsakh people should have the right to determine
themselves which principle they want to support through referendum.

In the words of the Armenian foreign agency head, the two and half
page document on the table of talks considers also issues on possible
referendum. A better alternative is to recognize the independence of
Nagorno Karabakh, the minister said.

Speaking about the statement by the Azeri president that the
negotiations are in their final phase, the minister said, "In
case Mr. Aliev thinks the negotiations are in their final phase,
Azerbaijan should agree that Karabakh also participates in talks
because the conflict settlement, at least in this final step, is
impossible without the participation of Karabakh."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EX-MINISTER THINKS DEFENSE MINISTER SHOULD BE PART OF NEGOTIATIONS

Panorama.am
18:00 01/12/06

"I have said that there have been no negotiations between the
parties since 1998. Minsk Group format and that format decided in
Budapest summit have not been applied. The three chairs just pay
visits. For eight year, the mediators negotiate among themselves and
present documents agreed among themselves to the parties," Alexander
Arzumanyan, former foreign minister and initiator of Civic Disobedience
movement, told a press conference today.

"I am a supporter of mutual concessions myself but I think they
do not talk about mutual concessions. They just talk about serious
concessions from our side," he said also saying the minister of defense
has no right to speak about concessions which was done by the Armenian
defense minister. At the same time, Arzumanyan thinks that the defense
minister should become part of negotiations process. Arzumanyan is
against conducting a referendum, saying Artsakh people have made
their decision and it is not subject to change.

U.N. ARMENIA OFFICE CONDUCTS EVENT AGAINST TRAFFICKING

Panorama.am
18:03 01/12/06

"We have discovered 121 victims of trafficking as of November, 2007,
43 of them in foreign countries," Lialia Aslanyan, coordinator of
works, told Panorama.am.

U.N. celebrates December 2 as the day of liberation from slavery,
Consuella Vidal, U.N. representative in Armenia, mentioned also saying
U.N. has launched a campaign against gender violence since November 25.

Within the framework of the campaign, U.N. Armenia office conducted
an event against trafficking. Fight against poverty, social isolation
and elimination of illiteracy are means to fight against the evil,
Vidal said.

DEFENSE MINISTER: THERE CAN BE NO WORD ABOUT KARABAKH BEING PART OF AZERBAIJAN

Panorama.am
18:33 01/12/06

Asked what is his assessment of Kocharyan-Aliev meeting in Minsk,
Serzh Sargsyan, defense minister, said, "It’s better to ask that
question to Robert Kocharyan. I have not participated in the meeting.

However, Robert Kocharyan, and Aliev as well as foreign agency heads
of the two countries said it was a normal meeting."

Sargsyan believes that in this and other negotiations there will be
difficulties. "The solution will be painful. If it were an easy issue,
it would have been solved long ago," he said.

Sargsyan also said he is not Nostradamus to say when the conflict
will be settled. "We also recognize the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan but we also recognize the territorial integrity of Nagorno
Karabakh because both countries have been established based on Soviet
laws. There can be no word about Karabakh being a part of Azerbaijan,"
the minister said speaking about a statement by NATO which says the
alliance supports the territorial integrity principle for the frozen
conflicts in South Caucasus.

SOCIETY FAILS TO SOLVE ITS PROBLEMS, SOCIOLOGIST SAYS

Panorama.am
19:18 01/12/06

In the course of the last 10 years Armenia could solve her problems as
a state but not as a society, Ludmila Harutunyan, head of sociology
department at Yerevan State University and leader of Dignity party,
said at the National Press Club. In the words of the expert, the
society failed to put the state under its command and make the state
take it into account.

On the contrary, the society brings victims for the solution of state
problems, Harutunyan said, pointing out to Karabakh conflict."The
society failed to mobilize its member for the solution of important
problems.

Without that a country, cannot be called democratic," Harutunyan
said. In the opinion of the sociologist, the state as well the
electorate and the ideologists are equally to be blamed for
that.

Armenia Recognizes Azerbaijan and Karabakh’s
Territorial Integrity

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.12.2006 18:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Nagorno Karabakh has nothing in common with the
problem of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, RA Defense Minister
Serge Sargsyan stated when commenting on the NATO communique,
which supports the territorial integrity of the South Caucasian
states. "Armenia has never said that it doesn’t recognize the
territorial integrity of any country. We recognize the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan and recognize the territorial integrity
of Nagorno Karabakh as well, since the Azerbaijani Republic and
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic were formed at the same time on the
basis of laws functioning in the Soviet Union," Serge Sargsyan
said. In his words, one cannot speak of Karabakh as a part of
Azerbaijan. "Everything is clear," the Defense Minister resumed,
reports newsarmenia.ru.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenia’s Joining GUAM Not Even Discussed
01.12.2006 14:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ When commenting on the hearsay of
Armenia’s possible joining the GUAM Armenian Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian said that Yerevan has no
intention to join the organization. "We do not even
discuss the issue. The GUAM advocates an ideology that
conflicts with Armenia’s policy. The activities of
this organization hamper Armenia’s development," the
RA FM told a news conference in Yerevan today.

When touching upon the Armenian-Russian relations,
specifically of the killing of 6 Armenians in Russia
in 2006 Minister Oskanian said this fact did not tell
on the relations between the two states. "Murders do
not influence on our relations but they pose new
problems," he said.

Oskanian: After Presidential Election in 2008 Armenia Will Have New FM

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.12.2006 14:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "I am going to resign in 2008, after the presidential
election. 10 years is the maximal tenure of office," Armenian Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian told journalists in Yerevan. In his words,
a new President will be elected and some new approaches will appear in
the foreign policy of the state. "I do not think that a serious change
of accents will take place as it happened after the resignation of
Levon Ter-Petrosian but some changes will occur. If I am offered this
post again my answer will be negative," Minister Oskanian underscored.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pope Met with Archbishop Mesrob Mutafyan

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.12.2006 15:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Within the framework of his visit to Turkey Pope
Benedict XVI mer with Armenian Apostolic Patriarch of Istanbul, Mesrob
Mutafyan. As PanARMENIAN.Net came to know from Marmara newspaper,
the meeting lasted about hour and a half. Top security measures were
undertaken and the Armenians living far from the Cathedral of Blessed
Virgin in Kumkari could not attend the liturgy, since the center of
the city was blocked. Benedict XVI was gifted a golden chalice made by
Armenian masters in 1820. After a joint liturgy a khachkar dedicated
to the visit of the Holy Father was consecrated in the church yard.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress