AZERI PRESSURE GROUP DESCRIBES RIGHTS CAMPAIGNERS’ VISIT TO ARMENIA AS “BETRAYAL”
Turan News Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 12 2006
Baku, 11 September: The Civic Solidarity youth organization has
demanded that 10 “enemies of the people” be stripped of Azerbaijani
citizenship for their recent visit to Armenia within the Camp of
Mutual Understanding project. Those enemies are the head of the
Azerbaijani National Committee of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly,
Arzu Abdullayeva, rights activists Nigar Abdullayeva, Rana Yuzbasova
and Fidan Mammadova and journalists Seymur Baycan, Ismayil Abdulazimov
and Xamis Masimov.
The cause of such a strong reaction is a visit by these individuals
to the Gughark camp in Armenia.
The youth organization said in a statement that the camp hosted a
meeting of representatives of Armenian and Azerbaijan youth at the
initiative of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly and that representatives
of Nagornyy Karabakh also attended the meeting. The authors of the
statement believe that a visit to Armenia is “a betrayal” and demand
that government agencies strip these people of Azerbaijani citizenship,
confiscate their passports and expel from the country international
organizations that prepare such projects.
In turn, the Azerbaijani National Committee of the Helsinki Citizens’
Assembly issued a statement denying these accusations. International
law rejects xenophobia – eternal enmity between nations. The
accusations voiced against the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly are aimed
at casting a shadow on the organization’s activity, the statement said.

OSCE CONCERNED ABOUT VIOLENCE AGAINST MEDIA IN ARMENIA
Associated Press
Sept 12 2006
A leading European organization expressed concern about violence
against journalists and intimidation of the media in Armenia,
where the editor of an opposition newspaper was beaten last week by
unidentified assailants.
The Yerevan office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe said it is “deeply concerned over recent incidents of violence
and intimidation against local journalists which have obstructed their
professional duties and infringed upon the freedom of expression.”
In a statement, the OSCE cited the Sept. 6 beating of Ovannes
Galadzhian, the editor of the newspaper Iravunk, who said he was
attacked by two men outside his home. The chairman of the paper’s
editorial board, Gaik Babukhanian, said he suspected the attack was
prompted by the paper’s criticism of the authorities.
He said the paper had also faced economic and other forms of pressure.
The OSCE statement also said that a freelance journalist, Gagik
Shamshian, was threatened and abused on July 12.
It called on Armenian law enforcement agencies to properly investigate
such cases and punish the perpetrators, as well as to “undertake
prompt measures to ensure the safety of media professionals in order
to promote freedom of expression in the country.”
Critics say President Robert Kocharian has violently cracked down on
dissent in the former Soviet republic, allowed corruption to flourish
and done little to improve the lot of impoverished Armenia’s 3.3
million people.

AZERI PRESSURE GROUP URGES ARMENIA’S EXCLUSION FROM COE
TREND (in Russian), Azerbaijan
Sept 12 2006
Baku, 12 September: Armenia must be excluded from the Council of
Europe, the Karabakh Liberation Organization [KLO] said in an appeal
on 12 September.
The KLO also commented on the latest statement of the president of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Rene van der Linden.
The appeal said that Rene van der Linden’s statement saying that the
occupation-affected country may be excluded from the council if it
resumes military operations is a warning for Baku.
The KLO said that it condemns such a biased position which promotes
Armenia’s policy of annexation. The international organization sticking
to this position should have excluded Armenia, which has occupied
Azerbaijani territories. Since this has not happened, the statement
of the PACE president does not make any difference, the KLO said.
The KLO believes that Azerbaijan must use the right to necessary
protection and liberate its occupied lands on the basis of Article
51 of the UN Charter.

TOROSYAN: ANY COUNTRY HAS A RIGHT TO NUCLEAR PROGRAM
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.09.2006 15:23 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Any country has a right to a nuclear program and no
one can deny this right to it, Armenian Speaker Tigran Torosyan stated
during a news conference. In his words, the Iranian nuclear problem
should be solved by means of talks exclusively. “It is important for
sustaining peace and it will provide guarantees that the parties,
who sign the commitments, will not break these,” he noted. Torosyan
remarked that this phase of the Iranian history will pass as well and
the country, which has much importance in the region, will remain a
state, which comes for peace and ensures prosperity to its people.

BUILDING OF IRAN-ARMENIA SECOND GAS PIPELINE POSSIBLE
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.09.2006 15:50 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yerevan and Teheran study the opportunioty for
building the second branch of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, Iranian Mejlis
Chair Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel stated at a news conference in Yerevan. In
his words, The building of the first pipeline is almost finished and
Armenian and Iranian Presidents will be present at its opening. “The
main goal of the gas pipeline is to supply gas to Armenia.
However, Iranian gas can go to other countries via Armenia. Energy
cooperation can also increase commodity turnover, which is now $200
million,” said Haddad-Adel.

PUTIN: RECOGNITION OF KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE MAY HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON CONFLICT SETTLEMENT
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.09.2006 16:38 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In case of declaring independence of Kosovo against
Serbia’s will, Russia will veto the decision of the UN Security
Council, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated at a meeting with a
group of scientists from foreign countries in Moscow last week-end. In
the opinion of the Russian President recognition of Kosovo independence
may have negative impact on conflict settlement in Nagorno Karabakh,
Transniestria, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. “We should think of the
regional consequences of recognition of Kosovo independence,” the
Russian President said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERBAIJAN HAMPERS OSCE FULL MONITORING
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.09.2006 16:58 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On September 12, in accordance with the agreement
achieved beforehand with the NKR authorities, the OSCE Mission
held a planned monitoring of the Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijani
armed forces’ contact-line near the settlement of Seysulan of the
NKR Martakert region, reports the Press Service of the NKR MFA. From
the positions of the NKR Defense Army, the monitoring mission was led
by Coordinator of the OSCE Office, Lieutenant Colonel Imre Palatinus
(Hungary) and Field Assistant of the OSCE PR C-i-O Irzhi Aberle (the
Czech Republic). The monitoring passed in accordance with the planned
schedule, no violations of the cease-fire regime were registered.
However, the Azerbaijani side once more did not lead the OSCE mission
to its front line. In spite of the fact that the dividing line between
the positions of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan on the area where
the monitoring was conducted comprised less than a hundred meters,
the Azerbaijani party led the OSCE Mission to a point at a distance
of seven hundred meters from its front line, thus hampering the full
visual inspection of the mentioned zone. From the Karabakh party,
representatives of the NKR Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense
accompanied the OSCE monitoring mission.

AZERBAIJAN REJECTS KARABAKH ANY PROPOSAL ON COOPERATION
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.09.2006 18:12 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “There were no requests for cooperation by Azerbaijan
and in general I do not think Baku aims at establishing cooperation and
forming a constructive atmosphere,” NKR President Arkady Ghoukassian
said. In his words, Azerbaijan has other purposes: to create problems
over Karabakh and attain the international community denouncing what
is going on in Karabakh. “If Azerbaijan had suggested cooperation,
we would agree with pleasure,” the NKR President said.
In the Karabakh leader’s words, NKR authorities have addressed
similar requests to the Azeri colleagues many times, but these were
in vain. “The more we are associated with Azeris, the more there are
chances to settle the conflict. We have many problems relating to
water, fires and other matters. I am sure that border area residents
of Azerbaijan are interested in contacts as well. However, Azeri
authorities were always against this,” Ghoukassian said, reports
KarabakhOpen.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERBAIJAN HAS ONE GOAL: TO BLACKEN EVERYTHING RELATING TO KARABAKH
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.09.2006 18:09 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “The proposal on monitoring over the fires was
our initiative and only after that Azerbaijan raised a clamor. It
is absolutely clear that this is artificial stir, as the Azeris are
the “authors” of the fires and propaganda,” NKR President Arkady
Ghoukassian said. In his words, the problem is that the NKR has
addressed international institutions for many times, asking to send
an expert group, as NK is interested for the international community
to have a clear notion of the situation in Karabakh.
“Azerbaijan has one goal: to blacken everything relating to Karabakh,”
the President said.
As of discussion of the Karabakh issue at the UN, the NKR leader
considered it a destructive approach. “It is absolutely clear that an
attempt to transfer the issue to international organizations other
than the OSCE will result in a mess, which is not favorable either
to the parties to the conflict or the peace process,” he remarked.
Ghoukassian regretted that NK is not represented in international
institutions. “Armenia has clearly stated its position and comes
against transfer of discussion to other institutions. In my opinion
diplomacy is the best tool, thus Armenian diplomacy should be more
active. Unfortunately, in the created situation the Azeri diplomatic
corps attacks constantly and we have to defend ourselves. I suppose
time has come for counter-attacking,” the NKR President underscored,
reports KarabakhOpen.

NEW SYSTEM OF ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTAL CIRCULATION IS APPLIED IN YEREVAN MUNICIPALITY
By Ara Martirosian
AZG Armenian Daily
13/09/2006
>From now on the new electronic system of document circulation will be
applied in the Yerevan Municipality. The system is meant to establish
a joint electronic database of the municipal departments and the
city community administration bodies. Grigor Melkoumian, head of the
Municipality’s Staff, informed about this at the press conference. He
said that the specialists began the elaboration of the new electronic
system in 2005. The system began functioning from June 25 this year.
According to Melkoumian, each citizen has the right to enter
the Municipality without any passport or other documents, write
an application and get familiarized to the response of the
application. The Municipality has also installed a Xerox copy
machine in the entrance hall so that the citizens may use it if
needed. The community administrations will also be included in the
joint network. Melkoumian promised that that will happen soon, but
didn’t specify about the details.