AZERBAIJAN COMMEMORATES OCCUPATION OF LACHIN BY ARMENIAN MILITANTS
Azeri Press Agency
May 18 2006
The 14th anniversary of the occupation of Azerbaijan’s Lachin region
by Armenian military groupings was commemorated in the Martyrs’
Alley in Baku today (APA).
The commemorative event brought together the region’s executive power
officials and local residents. The participants visited the tombs of
the martyrs, read prayers and laid a wreath on their tombs.
Governor of Lachin Elbrus Tahmazov addressing the audience said that
Lachin had put up armed resistance against Armenian militants since
1988 but in the end was subject to treason in 1992. He stressed that
the region could have been prevented from being occupied.
The Garabagh Liberation Organization (GLO) members also visited the
Martyrs’ Alley today.

ARDARUTIUN AND NATIONAL UNITY FACTIONS NOT TO TAKE PART IN ELECTION OF NEW NA SPEAKER
Noyan Tapan
May 18 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 18, NOYAN TAPAN. After Artur Baghdasarian’s resignation
from the post of RA NA Speaker is accepted the Ardarutiun faction will
not take part in nomination of candidatures and voting for the vacant
post. The faction made this decision at the May 18 sitting. According
to Ruzan Khachatrian, Ardarutiun (Justice) bloc’s Spokesperson,
like in the first sitting of NA of current convocation in 2003
that was dedicated to the election to NA ruling posts, the reason
of non-participation is the same: the faction considers that the
parliamentary elections of 2003 were held with violations and the
official results do not correspond to the real picture of people’s
election, so Ardarutiun is not going to take part in “intra-power
games”. Nevertheless, it is not excluded that unlike 2003 when the
faction did not take part in the sitting at all this time the faction
will take part in the discussion of the issue and will express its
point of view. The only MP among faction members taking part in the
sitting who was against the above-mentioned decision was Arshak
Sadoyan, Chairman of the Union of National Democrats. As the MP
explained, nomination of an alternative candidate by the opposition is
too important as “the National Assembly is not a punching machine for
them to decide in the presidential residence who should be NA Speaker
and to go to this process with one candidate”. In response to Noyan
Tapan correspondent’s question, the MP said that he has never spoken
about nominating his own candidature: “I have said that candidatures
should ne nominated and if there is such a question, I am ready to
nominate my own candidature”. In this connection Ruzan Khachatrian once
more confirmed that the faction’s non-participation in the nomination
of candidatures and in voting is “a question of principle and is
not connected with any person”. Faction Secretary Viktor Dallakian
in his turn did not exclude that there can be unexpected things
during the election of the new NA Speaker but “not on the part of the
faction”. Another opposition party, the National Unity, is not going
to take part in the nomination of candidatures and in voting, either,
but it considers impossible its participation in the discussions.
This faction did not take part in the first NA sitting of 2003 and
considers that the forthcoming elections are, in fact, the continuation
of the first sitting. “We have neither willingness nor goal to take
part in the games and intrigues of the coalition,” faction member
Aghasi Arshakian declared.

AZERI ADMISSION TO UN RIGHTS BODY CAUSES MIXED RESPONSES
AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
May 18 2006
Azerbaijan’s admission to the newly-established UN Human Rights
Council early last week has drawn conflicting responses from the
local and international community. The body is in charge of monitoring
human rights around the world and assistance to various countries in
improving appropriate laws.
The Azeri membership at the council prompted praise from officials
and some observers, amid severe criticism from the opposition and
international rights groups. The country was elected from the Eastern
Europe group, beating Armenia, Albania, Hungary, Georgia, Latvia,
Lithuania and Slovenia. Also elected to the council were China, Cuba,
Russia, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, who have been roundly criticized
for a poor human rights record. The council replaced the UN Commission
on Human Rights (UNCHR) established in 1946.
The entity has been repeatedly criticized for the composition of its
membership. In particular, several of its member countries themselves
were believed by some to have dubious rights records. Another criticism
was that the Commission has not been used for constructive discussion
of human rights issues, but as a forum for politically selective
finger-pointing and criticism. The desire of states with problematic
human rights records to be elected to the Commission is largely to
defend themselves from such attacks. The chairwoman of the standing
parliamentary commission on human rights, Rabiyyat Aslanova, praised
the approval of the Azeri bid. “Azerbaijan’s admission to the council
shows that the UN General Assembly acknowledges that human rights are
being safeguarded and the democratic reforms are successfully underway
in the country. The membership is yet another accomplishment we have
made.” The MP said Azerbaijan will become the first South Caucasus
country to be represented on the council.
“Neighboring states had limited opportunities to be admitted. Armenia
was not admitted to the council due to the blatant violations of human
rights there. It is not fortuitous that Azerbaijan gained the most
votes [among them],” she said. Aslanova said that by gaining admission,
Baku has acquired an additional opportunity to convey the truth about
the long-standing Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict it faces with
Armenia to the world community. The chairman of the opposition Popular
Front Party Ali Karimli said the admission means “failure of the UN as
an entity”. “If Azerbaijan and other totalitarian countries are elected
members to the Human Rights Council, the UN shows its decadence,”
the opposition leader maintained. Sardar Jalaloglu, the first deputy
chair of another opposition party, the Azerbaijan Democratic Party
included in the main Azadlig bloc, said the United Nations has lately
turned into a “stage of games” of superpowers, which tarnishes its
image. “Despite blatant human rights abuses in Azerbaijan, I hope
that at least after this [UN council admission] the situation in the
country will change for the better,” he said. International media
watchdog Reporters Without Borders came out against Azerbaijan’s
admission. It regarded as disgrace the admission of several repressive
countries, where freedom of expression is violated the most, to the UN
body, citing Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Cuba, Nigeria,
Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. The organization said
in a statement that vesting the task of protecting human rights in
ten countries with widespread violations of journalists’ rights and
freedom of expression is unacceptable. “We therefore don’t expect
anything good from this entity,” it said. The group said China and
Cuba are the largest jails for journalists, while censorship reigns
in Saudi Arabia and Tunisia. In Russia, the Kremlin subdued all the
TV channels and other leading mass media. In Bangladesh, Nigeria,
Pakistan and Algeria, the rights of journalists are infringed upon on
a daily basis and they could be subject to arrests. Reporters Without
Borders said those responsible for the killing of two journalists
in Azerbaijan have yet to be punished. Another international rights
group, Human Rights Watch, earlier opposed Azerbaijan’s membership
at the council. In a letter to the UN, HRW suggested that along with
six other countries, it should not be included in the body, citing
numerous rights violations. The US ambassador to the UN John Bolton
made an ironic comment on the accession of some countries with poor
rights records to the new council, calling this “a bad joke”.

FRENCH PARLIAMENT POSTPONES DISCUSSION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CLAIMS
ABHaber, Belgium
EU Turkey News Network
May 18 2006
French Parliament postponed yesterday discussions on a draft law
which proposes “any denial of Armenian genocide claims a crime”.
French National Assembly President Jean-Louis Debre closed the session
on Thursday without voting on the draft law. The issue will be taken
up later.
French parliament sources said that a possible voting on the draft
law would not be held until new legislation term began in October.

NDU INITIATES MEETINGS WITHIN FRAMEWORK OF “17+1” FORMAT
Noyan Tapan
May 18 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The goal of the recent meeting
of members of boards of the National Democratic Union (NDU) and
Zharangutiun (Heritage) parties was to discuss the possibilities
of creating a public movement within the framework of the “17+1”
format. NDU Chairman Vazgen Manukian declared this at the same time
mentioning that soon his party will have such meetings with other
parties, too. According to him, “this is a period of not active
actions, but active negotiations, a period of clarification of
general viewpoints”. In response to the question about the possible
participation of the Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) party in the
above-mentioned discussions NDU Chairman said that “OYP itself has
not determined it place yet”. Meanwhile he considered possible future
cooperation with OYP Chairman Artur Baghdasarian saying that it is
not obligatory within the framework of the “17+1” format. According
to him, some verges for cooperation will be found as in spite of the
OYP’s shortcomings and the “circumstance of its involvement in bad
things, there is energy and people to cooperate with in OYP”.

VIKTOR DALLAKIAN: ARDARUTIUN FACTION’S MPs ARE NOT GOING TO LAY DOWN THEIR MANDATES
Noyan Tapan
May 18 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The Ardarutiun (Justice) faction has not
received any proposals to lay down its mandates. Faction Secretary
Viktor Dallakian gave such a reaction on May 18 to the information
published in press, according to which from the moment of putting
in application on resignation from the post of RA NA Speaker Artur
Baghdasarian has started negotiations with the parliamentary opposition
and persuades them to lay down their mandates.
Personally V.Dallakian considers that it is the MPs having received
their mandates “in an illegal way” that should lay them down. According
to him, the MPs of the Ardarutiun faction have deserved their mandates
and unless the parliamentary elections were falsified the faction
would have a majority at the parliament. “As for laying down mandates,
this is a serious political action that would take place, for instance,
after the April 2004 events, then in the situation after the falsified
referendum on the constitutional amendments. In the given case,
I think there can be no such a statement of the question by us,”
Viktor Dallakian declared to the journalists.

300-400 AMMUNITIONS REMAINED FROM SOVIET ARMY DETECTED IN AGHSTAFA, AZERBAIJAN EVERY DAY
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 18 2006
According to initial calculations, there are more than 100 thousand
mines and unexploded ordnances (UXO) around the military base of the
former Soviet Army in Azerbaijan’s Saloghlu village in Aghstafa region.
The mine-clearance in the territory, which started in January this
year, will last for a year and six months. Nazim Ismayilov, director of
the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA) told journalists
(APA). Ismayilov said that more than 6 thousand ordnances were disarmed
in the 600 hectares of area of the military base during four months.
“300-400 ammunitions are detected in Salohglu every day. ANAMA has
detected and disarmed over 16 000 mines and UXO in the territory,”
Ismayilov reported.
The ANAMA director also said that during the recent operation in
Aghjabedi region, unexploded Nurs missile has been found. The Agency
has not detected mines with kapron composition.
“The sides used Soviet-made weapons and ammunitions during the military
operations for Garabagh. So, we are likely to detect different types
of mines in our territories under Armenian occupation. It is reported
that Armenians buried mines produced in China, Italy, Pakistan and
even in Armenia in the occupied territories. “Lyagushgas” are detected
in the territory. We do not rule out that more risky ammunitions will
be detected in the occupied territories in future,” Ismayilov stressed.
ANAMA found out as a result of its research last year that, 1800
people suffered from mines in the country.
“This figure might be huge.26 incidents occurred related to mines and
UXO last year.40 mine expositions occurred in 2004.14 people suffered
from mines and UXO in the past months of this year.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

POLITICIAN CONSIDERS POSSIBLE THAT MOVEMENT LIKE GEORGIAN AND UKRAINIAN ONES STARTS IN ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
May 18 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The innerpolitical developments taking
place in Armenia during the recent days revealed the situation existing
in the country. Politician Stepan Grigorian, the Chairman of the
Globalization and Regional Cooperation Analytical Center expressed such
an opinion in the interview to the Noyan Tapan correspondent. According
to him, the 2003 elections took place with serious violations, and
in the conditions of having no support by the society, the coalition
was mainly created to keep the power. According to Grigorian, the
coalition was formed by parties too different from each other: “The
Dashnaktsutiun is a classic revolutionary party, the Republican is
a classic corrumpants’ party, and the “Orinats Yerkir” (Country of
Law) is a populist party.” The foreign political orientation of the
parties is different as well: if, according to him, Dashnaktsutiun
is exclusively aimed to Russia, then Republican and “Orinats Yerkir”
accepts the necessity of the cooperation with Europe as well. According
to the politician, the coalition having no ideological warp was
to break down sooner of later. And if National Assembly Speaker,
“Orinats Yerkir” party Chairman Artur Baghdasarian got guarantees from
the West, he may take such a step. Grigorian considers such a variant
more possible. According to him, Western countries are anxious with
the low level of democracy in Armenia, and even more with the absence
of the political alternative. According to the politician, viewpoints
of the parliamentary opposition do not differ in any way from the
authorities’ viewpoints in issues of either Karabakh settlement or
foreign political orientation. “For this reason, such an idea might
be born in the West, but it’s implementation was not possible withot
Artur Baghdasarian’s personal qualities,” he mentioned. According to
the speaker, the OYK must refuse some ideas raised by it before, which
are connected with establishment of social justice as the European
integration means that a liberal democracy must be established in
the country. If breaking down of the coalition brings to general
innerpolitical crisis, it will depend on Artur Baghdasarian’s future
activities, from the issue if the OYK really becomes opposition
and is successive in the issue of integration to the EU and NATO,
leads a principal struggle against corruption. Much depends on the
issue with which political forces the OYK will cooperate at the
Parliament and out of the Parliament. If it unites with the ANM,
a part of the “Ardaroutiun” (Justice) faction, the “Zharangutiun”
(Heritage) party, then, according to the politician, it is possible
that a movement like the one in Georgia and Ukraine starts in Armenia,
taking into account, that Sahakashvili and Yushchenko were also members
of the rulling team. Grigorian does not exclude that Defence Minister
Serge Sargsian has some role in the affair of creation of the party,
but it is not important now. According to him, Artur Baghdasarian
has a great political experience. “As it is known, he was a member
of the ANM faction (“Hanrapetutiun” (Republic), when ANM was the
authorities. I think he oriented well during the power shift taken
place in the country in 97-98,” the politician mentioned. According to
him, then Baghdasarian found that idea based on which it was possible
to create a party, and there are many people now as well who believe
his promises connected with solution of social problems.

COE: ARMENIAN CLAIMS OF AZERBAIJANIS DESTROYING THEIR GRAVEYARDS SOUND UNPLEASANT
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 18 2006
Council of Europe delegation led by Domeniko Ronkonin, head of culture
division of Directorate General IV on Education, Culture and Heritage,
Youth and Sport will visit the South Caucasus countries in June.
APA’s Europa bureau reports that the visit will be paid in the
framework of the preparation for the Kyiv Initiative- comprehensive
follow-up of the STAGE (Support for Transition in the arts and
culture in the greater Europe) project which ended in 2005-intends
to contribute through action and policies in culture and heritage to
democratic development and dialogue in, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia,
Moldova and Ukraine. The current project will be over in 2006. The
Council of Europe will continue cooperation in culture with the South
Caucasus countries in the format of the Kyiv Initiative from 2007.
The project is being prepared now. Mr.Ronkonin told APA’s correspondent
that the program was very effective and satisfied with Azerbaijan’s
active participation in the program.
Ronkonin also commented on Armenians’ claims on the alleged destruction
of their graveyards by Azerbaijanis, “Such statements are unpleasant. I
and other Council of Europe structures have not been informed about
that. So, it is important to often visit the region in order to control
the issue. Both sides should refrain from making such unfounded
statements. I don’t want to express final opinion regarding this
issue. But I must say that during my stay in Baku I did not witness
any negative nuances while visiting the graveyards of nations with
other religious.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AKHALKALAKI BASE PULLOUT IN PROGRESS
Civil Georgia, Georgia
May 18 2006
A convoy of ten trucks, loaded with military equipment, as well
as an armored vehicle departed from the Russian military base in
Akhalkalaki and headed towards the Russian military base in Gyumri,
Armenia on May 18, Interfax news agency reported.
This withdrawal is part of the base pullout process which should be
completed in Akhalkalaki before December 31, 2007, according to the
March 31 Georgian-Russian agreement.