Azeri expert slams foreign NGO for mine clearing in Karabakh
Trend news agency
18 May 06

Baku, 18 May: The activity of the HALO Trust is illegal and the
organization is violating international law by clearing mines on
occupied Azerbaijani territories, Nazim Ismayilov, director of the
Azerbaijani National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), has told
reporters.
In accordance with international practice, munitions found and defused
are not calculated in tonnes or kilograms. “Every landmine, every
shell poses a hazard and it is inappropriate to talk about tonnes of
them,” Ismayilov said, adding that the HALO Trust’s information was
off the mark.
“It is not possible to control the organization’s work. They are
working in Nagornyy Karabakh, Abkhazia and also in some African
countries which are inaccessible for international monitoring. It is
not known what the organization is actually doing,” he stressed. He
went on to say that the organization was deliberately choosing areas
which are difficult to control.
He said that the UK and the Netherlands were supporting the HALO
Trust’s activity. “Both states are funding the HALO Trust. To its
protest, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry was told that the
organization was allegedly carrying out humanitarian activity and its
work was legitimate,” he said.
He added that Azerbaijan was seriously displeased with the
organization’s work.

Turkey, South Africa plan missile technology cooperation
Anatolia news agency
30 May 06
Ankara, 30 May: Turkish National Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul met
Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin of South Africa in Ankara on
Tuesday [30 May].
Speaking at the meeting, Gonul said that the bilateral relations
between the two countries had gained impetus after last year’s visit
of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to South Africa.
“South Africa has made a great progress in the area of defence
industry. We put emphasis on boosting relations between the ministries
of defence of Turkey and South Africa. We hope that a military
cooperation agreement will be signed between our countries soon,” he
said.
Meanwhile, Erwin said in his part that Turkey and South Africa could
cooperate in missiles technology and assault helicopter programme.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 30 2006
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev meets Jacques Chirac today
[ 30 May 2006 15:25 ]
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev today met with France’s President
Jacques Chirac in France. The Azerbaijani delegation in France told
APA that the discussions focused on international and regional issues
as well as prospects of settlement of the Nagorno Garabagh conflict.
President Aliyev is also due to have talks with president of French
Senate Christian Poncelet during a businesslike dinner party today.
Mr.Aliyev attended the opening of new premises of the Azerbaijan’s
Embassy in France yesterday. He also received president of French
Teknip Group of Companies, representative of Total Company as well as
met with French businessmen.
The Azerbaijani President today also addressed to the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly’s session./APA/

KARABAKH NGO’S WORK WITHOUT OUTSIDE SUPPORT
X-Sender: Asbed Bedrossian
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Lragir.am
30 May 06
A round-table meeting was held in Stepanakert in the framework of the
program South Caucasian Integration. An Alternative Start. The
program is implemented by the Caucasian Center of Peacemaking Efforts
(Yerevan) and includes NGOs from 6 South Caucasian countries.
The meeting in Stepanakert was devoted to the present state and
prospects of the Karabakh NGOs. A report was read by the director of
the Civic Action Center Albert Voskanyan. The report says 107
non-governmental organizations are registered with the NKR Ministry of
Justice, the majority is not operating because of financial problems.
Although the country’s legislation provides for freedom of activities,
the non-governmental sector develops at a low pace because it lacks
opportunities to step into the international sphere and find external
sources of income. Azerbaijan also creates hindrances because it
offers political ultimatums to those international organizations,
which are likely to set up relations with Karabakh. Even refugees in
Karabakh do not get international aid, said Albert Voskanyan.
Nevertheless, a tendency of development is becoming visible. First,
several years ago a U.S.-British consortium was set up, which funds
certain programs. Second, the NKR government gives grants to NGOs
starting with this year. If formerly the government funded
organizations, now the government funds programs. Certain
organizations think this may lead to turning NGOs government
affiliates. However, in the current situation the majority of
organizations do not have other choice.
On these days Dan Smith, the director of International Alert, a member
of the Consortium is visiting Stepanakert. This organization has set
up resource centers in Yerevan, Baku and Stepanakert, which were
supposed to communicate with one another. This cooperation is mostly
hindered by the Azerbaijani party. However, Dan Smith thinks that the
frozen conflicts in the Caucasusare against the interests of ordinary
people. He thinks that everything must be settled through dialogue,
and the international organizations have greater possibilities to
establish dialogue.
It is obvious, however, that there cannot be a unilateral
dialogue. The Azerbaijani side defies cooperation with Karabakh
organizations. There are exceptions, but most often they refuse to
take the hand of Karabakh.

A1+
RAFFI HOVANNESYAN WAS EVICTED
[02:59 pm] 30 May, 2006
Today at 10:00 a.m. about 10 – 15 Compulsory Service
representatives broke into the office of the
`Heritage’ party and made 7 members of the party
including chairman Raffi Hovannesyan vacate the
premises they have occupied for more than 12 years.
Ler us mention that Raffi Hovannesyan spent the whole
night in the office located on 7 Vazgen Sargsyan,
inside the theatre after Hakob Paronyan. Raffi
Hovannesyan refused to obey to the `illegal’ (in his
words) decision of the CS. Vahram Enoqyan, chief of
the Central Board of the CS held negotiations with
Raffi Hovannesyan.
The negotiations lasted for two hours and as a result
a statement was drawn up in which Raffi Hovannesyan
mentioned that they exerted pressure on him and on his
adherents and made them release the premises against
their will.
Vahram Enoqyan noted that the disputed premises won’t
be used unless the corresponding decision of the court
is presented. The doors of the party were locked and
sealed. Hovsep Khurshudyan, chairman of the `Heritage’
party regulation committee mentioned that this is an
apparent political order as no court decision about
the eviction has been presented to them so far and
everything changed within a night.
Raffi Hovannesyan urged that they have released
letters on the `current crime’ to the Chief Police
Officer, Attorney General and Human Rights Protector
and added, `After implementing the decision of the
court in the framework of the law, the CS
representatives made a sharp turning under the
pressure of other bodies. The law turned to an illegal
one within a night. This step is incoherent of men and
was made out of fear.’
A court session will be convened on June 1. The
`Heritage’ party will present a mediation in which it
will demand to divulge the names of those people who
have closed their office since March 4 and broke into
the office on March 8, searched the computer base and
documents of the party. In Raffi Hovannesyan’s
opinion, they were mainly interested in the data and
addresses of the party members.
‘If those violations have any connection with the
questions of my letter addressed to Robert Kocharyan,
the President shouldn’t react in such a way. He
shouldn’t exert pressure by closing offices,’ added
Raffi Hovannesyan.

Session of the CoE Congress of Local and Regional Authorities to start
in Strasburg

ArmRadio.am
30.05.2006 10:30
The state of local and regional democracy in Turkey and South
Caucasian countries will be discussed today at the session of the
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe to
start today in Strasburg.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Second Azeri Embassy opened in Paris

ArmRadio.am
30.05.2006 12:52
Azeri President Ilham Aliev opened the second Embassy of his country
in Paris.
President Aliev had a meeting with the businessmen of the Union of
Entrepreneurs of France, ITAR-TASS informs.
This evening the President of France Jacques Chirak will receive Ilham
Aliev at the Elisée Palace.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PACE REPORTER ADVISES AZERBAIJAN NOT TO RELY ON OIL-DOLLARS AND GEORGE
BUSH’S SUPPORT
Yerevan, May 29. ArmInfo. PACE Leadership may receive recommendations
to revise the mandate of Azerbaijani delegation at any moment during
the Summer Session, declared Andreas Gross, PACE Co-Reporter on
fulfillment of Azerbaijan’s commitments to the CE, Day.az reports.
A. Gross briefed Sunday that the repeated parliamentary elections in
Azerbaijan on 13 May did not differ much from those in November
2005. He supposed that there will be not less criticism during the
upcoming discussions of the election results in Azerbaijan than it was
at PACE January Session. In his turn, Andres Herkel, the second
Co-reporter, expressed a supposition that the Azerbaijani authorities
have no intention to amend the Election Code to form election
commissions on parity basis although it is the key requirement for
free and democratic elections.
Andreas Gross urged the authorities of Azerbaijan to take measures to
improve the atmosphere of democracy in the country. He stressed that
the oligarchs in the surroundings of Azerbaijani President rely only
on incomes from oil, whereas they should think over democratic
development of the country in future when there will be neither oil
reserves nor the support from these oligarchs in the person of
U.S. President.

“BLACK BOXES” OF CRASHED A-320 AIRBUS IN SATISFACTORY CONDITION
Moscow, May 29. ArmInfo. The “black boxes” of the crashed –320 airbus
are in satisfactory condition. According to “Ekho Moskvi” Radio
Station, the “black boxes” are opened by the specialists of the
Inter-state Aviation Committee.
ITAR-TASS informed that the testimonies from the “black boxes” will be
decoded in a month.
On May 27, the “black boxes” were taken to Paris from Moscow for the
specialists to open them. After that, the chips from the “black boxes”
will be taken to Moscow for decoding.

TRADE INSTEAD OF POLITICAL PROCESSES
Lragir.am
30 May 06
The leader of the Democratic Party, Member of Parliament Aram Gaspari
Sargsyan announced May 30 that the recent home political developments
indicated that the political, economic, social crisis is deeper than
it appears. Aram Sargsyan endorses the decision of Orinats Yerkir to
secede from the coalition.
However, he said, unfortunately, the resignation of Arthur
Baghdasaryan did not allow the parliament learn about the scandals
involving the speaker of the National Assembly and President
Kocharyan.
Political developments will become more attention-grabbing after
October 2007 when the political parties, including the Democratic
Party will have already held their meetings. `It will have become
known who’s friend and who’s foe, ‘ predicts Aram Sargsyan,
forecasting a tough stage of home political developments. Namely, the
Democratic Party led by Aram Sargsyan will ally with the force which
will make such a decision. Aram Sargsyan would like that left-wing
and right-wing alliances form on an ideological basis, but `during the
elections we are going to deal with those who do not care for ideas,
they get in the political sphere by giving away part of their capital
to keep their property and not to allow a system change.’ Considering
this, as well as the statement of Andranik Margaryan that `a
businessman cannot be opposition’ Aram Sargsyan states: `The worst
disadvantage of this system is that there is no independent business.’
Aram Sargsyan ascribes a role for the opposition as well.
`People are disappointed, but their attitude has not changed. A vast
mass of people are not venal and will vote to their conscience. Our
prime goal should be prevention of fraud. We must fight using their
methods. Either we will do it or we will quit politics.’
Meanwhile, there will be rumors about fantastic and imaginary
alliances, predicts Aram Sargsyan and adds, `we are living in an
abnormal country where the decisions of the Constitutional Court are
not enforced, the other three parties of the coalition did not say
what made Orinats Yerkir give up its glorious status. But the public
will demand explications as soon as such an opportunity arises.’
According to Aram Sargsyan, the election of anew speaker, independent
from the candidates, does not have a political role, `This is a stage
of transition.’ And generally, there is no coalition, `It is trade, no
political problems are being solved.’