ARMENIAN PRESIDENT RECEIVES U.S. CONGRESSMEN
Author: Z.Ibrahimli
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
April 12 2006
Robert Kocharian, the Armenian President, received U.S. congressmen
Jim Kolbe and Scot Garetta, as well John Danilovich, the Director of
‘Challenges of Millennium’ Corp., in Yerevan.
Kocarian expressed satisfaction with the dynamic development of
the Armenian-U.S. relations, the press service of the President
Administration told Mediamaks. In his turn, Kolbe welcomed the
contribution by Armenian to the peacemaking operation in Iraq.
Expressing gratitude for the financial aid allocated with program
by ‘Challenges of Millennium’, Kocharian stressed Armenia was
loyal to strengthening of democracy and liberalism. The head of
the country regards attraction of the countries’ regions to the
programs implementing at the expense of the funds by ‘Challenges of
Millennium’. According to Kocharian, Armenia waits for the clear and
the exact partnership relationship from ‘Challenges of Millennium’.
“The participants of the meeting mentioned necessity of improvement
of the Elections Code and maximal wide discussions on this issue to
increase the level of the forthcoming parliamentary and presidential
elections in 2007 and 2008,” the press service of the President
Administration said.

MURAT BELGE STILL ON TRIAL
Erol Onderoglu
BÝA, Turkey
April 12 2006
Citing statue of limitation an Istanbul court dropped charges against
four leading Turkish columnists tried for publicly criticizing court
decision to halt an Istanbul conference on Armenian issue. But the
case continues columnist Murat Belge.
BÝA (Istanbul) – An Istanbul court Tuesday dismissed a controversial
case against four prominent Turkish columnists who were charged with
attempting to influence the outcome of a trial though their writings by
criticising a court order halting a September 2005 Istanbul conference
on Ottoman Armenians.
Journalists Hasan Cemal of the daily Milliyet and Haluk Sahin, Erol
Katircioglu and Ismet Berkan of the daily Radikal were charged in
December under Article 288 of the Turkish Penal Code with “attempting
to influence the outcome of a fair trial” through their writing. All
except Berkan also faced prosecution under Article 301 for “publicly
degrading the judiciary”. If convicted, they could have faced prison
terms of six months to 10 years under the charges.
The court decided that according to article 26 of the Press Law,
charges against the four were subject to statue of limitation due to
the time lapse between the date of alleged offence and when a case
was launched.
While it ruled to drop the charges against them, the court decided
to continue the trial of Radikal newspaper columnist and writer Murat
Belge as the only defendant in a new trial, concluding that the statue
of limitation did not apply to his case.
Complaining “lawyers” leave hall angered at “observer” status
The trial which started in tension on 7 February due to the
intervention of members of Hukukcular Birligi, a nationalist group
of lawyers, who scuffled with the police, continued on a tense note
this Tuesday with sorties from the same complainant attorneys.
When the Bagcilar Number 2 Court of First Instance rejected the lawyer
group’s attempt to become the “intervening party”, the lawyers refused
to attend the trial as “observers” only and walked out of the hall.
The court with the positive opinion by the prosecutor filed a criminal
complaint to the Republic Chief Prosecutor’s Office against the
Hukukcular Birligi lawyers based on their remarks related to the trial
and also lodged a separate complaint with the Istanbul Bar Association.
According to reports from the prosecutor’s office complaints were
made to the Istanbul Bar Association also with regard to remarks
related to the court contained in some defence attorney petitions.
All cases dropped but that for Belge
In Tuesday’s hearing the court referred to article 26 of the Turkish
Press Law where the Trial Period is defined and it is stated that
“cases of crimes entailing the use of printed matter or other crimes
mentioned in this law should be opened within a period of two months
for daily periodicals and four months for other printed matter.”
Agreeing with the arguments brought forth by defense lawyers on 7
February, the court dismissed the charges for the four defendants.
But as a statue of limit was not applicable in Murat Belge’s case,
it decided for him to be tried separately under a new file and a new
hearing date to be set.
Non of the defendants were present at Tuesday’s hearing where they
were defended by a group of lawyers including Sehnaz Yuzer, Turgut
Kazan, Bahri Bayram Belen, Gunay Erkan, Selin Ozuzun and Metin Aslan.
On the intervening side were Kemal Kerincsiz and attorneys attached
to the Hukukcular Birligi.
In the previous hearing, the defendants and their attorneys had argued
that criticism targeting the Administrative Court decision cancelling
the Ottoman Armenian Conference could not be regarded in the scope of
article 288 nor that criticising a court could fall within the scope
of article 301. They stated then that defending scientific autonomy
could not be accepted as an offence.
RSF reacts to court case
The Paris-based international press freedom organisation Reporters
Without Borders (RSF) had issued a statement on the case in support
of the columnists, criticising the trial as “a disgrace for press
freedom and unworthy of a democratic state,” asking for the charges
to be dismissed.
RSF also noted that the Hukukcular Birligi lawyers had reflected
violence to the case while accusing the court of being biased and
serving western observers. “The case was nearly resulting with a
fiasco” the statement said. “Hanefi Aktas, a nationalist lawyer and
member of a jurists’ organisation, threatened the court and accused
it of partiality and of backing European deputies, strongly opposed
to the trial. Security forces had to intervene to remove him, after
which order was restored in court.”
–Boundary_(ID_51ABh99Dsz65NpMAKSPMTw)–

GEORGIANS AFRAID OF THE CHECHENS… FROM RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE
Pavel Simonov, Asim Oku
Axis News
April 12 2006
The Chechen members of the Russian military intelligence are acting
in the Georgian territory. This was declared by a representative of
the leadership of the Ministry of Interior of Georgia, affiliated
with the counterspionage department. AIA has addressed him with the
request to comment on the statement that the Chechen employees of
the Main Intelligence Service
Emblem of GRU (GRU) of the Ministry of Defence of Russia have
been operating outside the Chechen Republic. April 6 the Russian
newspaper Moskovsky komsomolets published a report from the Chechen
Republic, containing interview to the Lieutenant-Colonel Said Magomed
Kakiyev. He is a commander of one of the two battalions of the GRU
in which the majority of servicemen is made by the Chechens. The
battalion headed by Kakiyev, conditionally carries the name of the
“West” that corresponds to a zone of its operative responsibility. It
has been operating mainly in the western part of the Chechen Republic.
The Moskovsky komsomolets’ article basically repeats the previous
stories of the Russian press devoted to Kakiyev. Some original
snatches concern the battalion itself: its equipment, tactics of
special operations, and the tasks carried out by the unit. However
the most interesting points concern the geography of the activities
of Kakiyev’s subordinates. As it was already noted, a zone of their
responsibility is the Western Chechnya. In the north this part of the
republic adjoins to Stavropol Territory, in the West it adjoins two
other North Caucasian republics – Ingushetia and Northern Ossetia,
and in the south rests against the Russian-Georgian border.
Especially, about half of this sector of the border lies within the
zone of the direct responsibility of the battalion “West”. Formally
it is considered that Kakiyev’s subordinates “work” exclusively in
territory of the republic. However the correspondent of the Moskovskij
komsomolets narrates that “the battalion along with the servicemen
of the Ministry of Interior and the FSB operates also outside the
Chechen Republic. But this is not especially advertised…”. The
truth is that two years ago in an interview to the online paper
Utro.ru Kakiyev himself had recognized that his battalion carries
out operations in the neighbouring North Caucasian republics, in
particular in Ingushetia and Daghestan. However, except for these two,
the Chechen Republic adjoins also to Georgia.
Georgian secrets of the GRU
Making comments on the above-stated information, the source in the
Ministry of Interior of Georgia has told that according to the
counter-intelligence of Tbilisi, the Chechen members of the GRU
have indeed participated in secret operations in territory of the
republic. As a rule, they were crossing the border a bit at a time,
under a kind of refugees or the Chechen separatists. Border crossing
was carried out both from the Chechen Republic, and from Daghestan.
Cases when the Chechen scouts passed deep into the Georgian territory
more than on fifty kilometers are also known. Here they were engaged
in gathering of the information on routes of movement and places of
stationing of the Chechen separatists, especially their leaders.
Georgian counter-intelligence has suspicions that the GRU members
have also carried out secret special actions. In particular, it is
an issue of provocation instigation of collisions between various
groups of the Chechen separatists and of liquidation of some of their
activists. To the point, these data were indirectly confirmed in March
2004 with the commander of the battalion “West” Said-Ìagomed Kakiyev.
The assassinated Ruslan Gelayev In an interview to the Russian online
paper Utro.ru he said: “Our unit had to participate in a special action
on annihilation of the gang of Gelayev in Daghestan”. Ruslan Gelayev
was considered as one of the chief commanders of the separatist
movement. He was lost some weeks prior to the publication of the
mentioned above interview of Kakiyev. And it actually took place on
the Georgian border, in the area which does not relate at all to the
zone of the responsibility of the battalion “West”.
The representative of the Ministry of Interior of Georgia recollects
that in the summer-autumn of 2002 Tbilisi was seriously worried about
the Chechen scouts with a view of chances to legitimize intrusion of
the Russian troops in the territory of the republic. As he said, at
that time Moscow considered an feasibility of transfer to Georgia of
several dozens of Chechens from the GRU. Back they should come in the
guise of a kind of separatists. Then under a pretext of destruction of
“congestions of insurgents” in the Georgian territory, the Russian
command expected to lead a large-scale operation of “smooth-out”
of the Chechen settlements in the northeast of the republic.
By the way, in September 2002 the representatives of the highest Moscow
leadership spoke openly about such an opportunity. The then Minister
of Foreign Affairs of Russia Igor Ivanov declared that his country
“reserves the right to itself to pursue terrorists, including in the
territory of Georgia”. And President Vladimir Putin had publicly asked
the Russian General Staff to submit him proposals on the possibility
to strike against the bases of terrorists “directly in the Georgian
territory”. Our interlocutor is convinced that rapproachement of
Tbilisi with Washington in military area, in particular the stay at
that time in Georgia of a significant number of instructors from the
Pentagon, has allowed to avoid such a scenario. “Russians were afraid
of the prospect to collide here with American militaries,” – considers
the representative of the Georgian Ministry of Interior. Concluding
the conversation, he noted that the peak of activity of the Chechen
scouts in the territory of the republic had fallen to the period of
2001-2004. At the same time our source does not exclude that the GRU
is continuing to operate in the north-west of Georgia at present, too.
Enemy number one?
Georgia keeps one of the first places among the CIS countries as
regards the activity of the Russian intelligence services. Last year
the Vice-Speaker of the Georgian parliament Michael Machavariani even
declared, that the Russian agents have been penetrating all power
structures of the republic.
Simon Kiladze Most likely, arrest of the official of the presidential
administration Simon Kiladze a few weeks ago, was intended to support
similar statements. “I am afraid, it is not the last person who can
be found out in the state structures, engaged in similar activities,”
– the head of state Michael Saakashvili has noted. “We have a lot of
information that we have been collecting for a longer time,” said he.
Commenting the current situation in an interview to Russian online
paper Kavkazskij uzel, a representative of the Georgian Ministry
of State Security has told that “the Russian intelligence and
counter-intelligence have been working very energetically in Georgia.”
According to his data, “the approximate number of the Russian
fixed-post spies working in our country reaches 50-75 persons”. And
though in republic have been operating various Russian special
services, including the FSB (since 1999-2000 by the use of the
Department of Coordination of the Operative Information – UKOI), the
attention of Tbilisi is keeping a close watch almost exclusively on
the GRU.
The espionage theme became an integral part of the Georgian-Russian
opposition during the rule of Edward Shevardnadze (1992 – 2003). It
was promoted to no small degree by the unadvertised participation of
the Russian power structures in the Abkhazian conflict (1992-1994).
>From the beginning of 2000, the growth of espionage mania of Tbilisi
regarding Moscow has been observed. The given phenomenon in many
respects is the result of the second Chechen war, that begun autumn
1999, and the change of power in Georgia four years later.
After renewal of military actions in the Chechen Republic, the Russian
leadership has accused Tbilisi of connivance, and even assistance to
the Chechen separatists.
In September 2002 the Chief of the General Staff of Russia Anatoly
Kvashnin compared the government of Georgia to a regime of the Talibs
in Afghanistan, having accused the Georgian power structures in
rendering assistance to the Chechens. Shortly before that, official
representatives of Tbilisi had announced the fact of assault and
battery by the Russian aircraft on the territory of the republic.
Against this background, in September 2002, shown discontent
with cooperation with Georgia in the sphere of security, Vladimir
Putin declared deployment of the GRU units on the border of the two
countries. The then Head of Georgian intelligence Àvtandil Yoseliani
publicly showed his concern on the subject. However in June 2003
the President of Russia has spoken out on the possible appearance of
the GRU members already directly in the Northeast Georgia. Thus he
has officially confirmed the fact of heightened interest of his own
secret services to this area.
In December of the same year an unnamed member of the Georgian
government has warned on the pages of the British paper The Guardian,
about the plans of the GRU “to wreck construction of the Baku –
Tbilisi – Ceyhan pipeline”. According to the source of the English
journalists: “the pipeline can be attacked by the Chechen insurgents
or the ecological saboteurs recruited by the Russian military
intelligence”. Making comments on the article,
Àvtandil Yoseliani Namyk Abbasov, the Minister of National Security of
Azerbaijan, has noted that “it does not follow to seriously perceive
such statements”. At the same time he has recognized the presence of
intelligence data on possible actions of terror against the Baku –
Tbilisi – Ceyhan pipeline.
In August 2004 Nikolay Tabatadze, the Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Georgia, has declared that at one of the Russian army
bases in the North Caucasus about 400 inhabitants of South Ossetia
have been undergoing special training. South Ossetia is an autonomous
republic located within the borders of Georgia, but not submitting
to Tbilisi. The Georgian official also told that Anatoly Sysoyev,
the military adviser of the South Ossetian president, is a GRU colonel.
Tabatadze has noted that the Russian officer arrived to South Ossetia
in June 2004 and since then personally supervises the preparation of
200 more persons directly in territory of the rebellious republic.
Simultaneously, on the background of activization of the efforts
to settle the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, a group of insurgents not
under control of either party emerged in the zone of opposition.
According to Georgy Baramidze, the Minister of Defence of Georgia,
the given group has been “well equipped and trained”. As the main task
of the unknown insurgents the minister named “provocations on kindling
large-scale military actions”. According to Baramidze, the group has
arrived to South Ossetia from the Russian territory. In parallel, the
representatives of the Georgian command have distributed information
that the “third force” in the zone of the conflict consists not from
the Southern Ossetians, but from the servicemen of a GRU division.
Additional information on this occasion has been made public in
November, 2004 by the Head of the Committee on Defense and Security in
the Georgian parliament Givi Targamadze. He told about the delivering
to Georgia of the diversive groups trained by the Russian military
intelligence. According to Òargamadze, this time, their task consisted
in striking the key targets of power supply. The current President
of Georgia Michael Saakashvili has actually confirmed availability of
“data on diversions about to take place”.
Half a year later, in May 2005, Georgian press fed by the local
authorities, has accused the GRU of plans of destabilization of
situation in the Dzhavaheti area in the south of the republic,
inhabited mostly by the Armenians.
Givi Targamadze The same month, during the US President’s visit to
Tbilisi, an assasination attempt on him has been accomplished. Vladimir
Arutyunyan suspected of this crime, was detained in July of the same
year. Then the leader of the Popular Front of Georgia Nodar Natadze
declared that the arrested person “is an agent of the GRU”.
July 25, 2005 Georgian Minister of Interior Vano Merabishvili has
accused the mentioned above Anatoly Sysoyev of the organization
of acts of terror in territory of the country. As the Minister of
Interior put it: “About one and a half year ago under direction of
the GRU colonel a diversive group that have had training preparations
in Russia has been formed.” Actions attributed to the group have
been directed against the state strategic objects, first thing,
concentrating on the system of power supply. Three citizens of South
Ossetia have been detained on charge with direct perpetration of these
diversions. The republican TV has shown a confession of one of them –
Georgy Valiyev. He has told about the combat training at the training
camp in South Ossetia under direction of the Russian instructors.
Vano Merabishvili About 100-115 persons were trained alongside with him
there. Then, in August the same year, 90 of them were sent to the North
Caucasus where they have continued trainings assisted by the Russian
instructors again. According to Valiyev, they had been training the
skills of guerrilla warfare, in particular, mine-laying and blasting
operations. Givi Targamadze, the Head of the Parliamentary Committee
on Defense and Security, has announced in this connection that “in
Georgia the numerous secret-service network operates and diversive
groups are being prepared with the strength up to 120 persons.”
In turn, the Vice-Speaker of the parliament Michael Machavariani
ascertained: “The GRU has its agents at all levels of authority of
Georgia”. As he said: “Old channels of secret service network that
have been used by the KGB in the past, continue to function today,
too”. The Vice-Speaker has emphasized that “when Russia started
already to organize the acts of terror, a secret network within the
power structures is especially dangerous”. It goes without saying
that Moscow has categorically denied all charges of Tbilisi.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry press release, this country
“has no relation” to the acts of terror in the territory of Georgia.
It was noted that “the persons, whose names were mentioned in the
statement of the Ministry of Interior of Georgia, are not registered
and do not work in any official structures of Russia”.
Representatives of the Russian Defence Ministry have voiced their
position through the mass-media, especially having underlined that
Anatoly Sysoyev “all is not on the list of the GRU”.
Simultaneously sources in the General Staff have called all the
data of the Georgian side “the extreme provocation reflecting the
general unfriendly line of the official Tbilisi towards Moscow”. It
was also said that “the persons specified by Merabishvili have never
served in the Russian army”. Despite of such unequivocal refutations,
officials of the Georgian Ministry of Interior have conveyed their
request to the Russian colleagues to provide information on the
already well-known “GRU colonel”. According to Vano Merabishvili,
the incoming reply said that Anatoly Sysoyev does really exist, but
“granting of the information on him infringes on interests of Russia’s
national security”.
January, 22 this year as a result of diversions pipelines on which
the Russian gas is delivered to Georgia and Armenia have been
damaged. Representatives of the official Tbilisi accused Moscow of
the organization of these actions. The responsibility they have
actually assigned to the Russian military intelligence, having
demanded extradition of “two GRU officers, Anatoly Sysoyev and Roman
Boiko”. They also were accused of the organization of similar actions
that took place in the Georgian territory in 2004. It is curious,
that in this connection, “a source in one of the FSB divisions”
on an internet site Kavkazsky Uzel, has confirmed the presence in
Georgia of the Russian secret-service network. He has also noted,
that in South Ossetia “secret services of almost all countries of
the world, including Russia and Georgia” actively operate. However,
the representative of FSB has accused the Georgian colleagues in
diversions on gas pipelines.
Moscow’s Chechen intelligence
According to the statement of the representative of the Georgian
Ministry of Interior, the Chechen battalion “West” has been the one of
divisions of the Russian military intelligence that has conducted its
operations in the republic. It refers to the most coded structures of
the GRU. In total there are only two such battalions conditionally
called the “West” and the “East”. They have been generated in the
end of 2003, on the basis of two special task companies, operating in
the Mountain grouping structure of the Russian troops in the Chechen
Republic. Both of the battalions are submitted directly to the General
Staff of the army.
Servicemen of the “East”, the same as its commander Sulim Yamadayev,
in the period of 1994-1999 were a part of the armed formations of
the Chechen separatists, and fought against the Russian troops. For
this reason, representatives of Moscow at times have been treating
them with some mistrust and even suspicion.
The battalion “West”, on the contrary, from the Russian point of view,
is considered the most reliable Chechen unit. Its many representatives,
the same as their commander, Lieutenant Colonel Said-Magomed Kakiyev,
still in 1993-1994 belonged to the armed formations of the pro-Russian
opposition opposed to the Chechen president Dzhokhar Dudayev.
Said Magomed Kakiyev Shortly before the beginning of the first war
in republic (December, 1994), Kakiyev even commanded all the forces
of opposition, bulding on the aid of the Russian secret services.
In 1994-1996 a part of the veterans of the battalion “West” acted
on the side of federal army, including within the framework of
power structures of then pro-Russian administration of the Chechen
Republic. After the conclusion of the arrangement on the termination
of the conflict in August 1996 (the Khasavyurt agreements), the
majority of them has left for Russia. They returned home only after
the beginning of the second Chechen war in the autumn of 1999.
Personnel In the Russian mass-media contradictory information on the
strength of the battalion “West” has been disclosed. Most likely, data
that is most approached to reality, is that from 1,000 up to several
thousand people serve in the battalion. In January 2005 Kakiyev has
declared, that the number of persons willing “to get in the battalion
reaches 3144 persons who have fighting experience”. The majority of the
servicemen is made by the Chechens. Their significant part – natives
of the Nadterechny area in the northwest of the Chechen Republic.
Therefrom comes Kakiyev himself. Population of this area traditionally
adhere to the pro-Russian frame of mind and from the beginning of
1990’s negatively perceive the idea of independence of the republic.
Some Caucasian sources note one more rather curious detail regarding
the personnel of the battalion. According to these sources, Kakiyev
and a lot of his nearest fellows are natives of the Chechen kin known
for adherence to those local Suffi orders that from the second half
of the 19th century in every possible way showed the loyalty to the
Russian authority. It explains the emphasized devotion of Kakiyev
and of some his officers. Joining the battalion the beginners from
among Chechens, necessarily should swear fidelity on the Koran. The
commander calls himself “the slave to the Allah” and “the soldier
of an islam”, but also a “fierce opponent of a vakhabism”. Thus,
participation of Kakiyev and his comrades-in-arms on the side of
Moscow is based, among other things, on the ideological antagonism
between the currents of the traditional for the North Caucasus Suffi
currents in Islam and modern Islamic fundamentalism. At the same time,
at online forums visited by the local Muslim youth, in particular from
North Caucasus, Kakiyev and his subordinates are not seldom called as
“national-traitors”.
Tasks and Tactics Talking to a reporter of the Moskovsky komsomolets,
Kakiyev announced that the aim of his battalion is “to annihilate camps
and basis of the militants in the mountainous part of the republic, to
carry out search operations”. Other Russian sources note that this unit
participates in almost all the significant reconnaissance operations
in the Western Chechnya. It is known from Kakiyev’s contacts with
the journalists that his battalion has played a key role in the
elimination of a number of major separatist movement commanders,
particularly Ruslan Gelayev, March 2004.
In the connection of the used tactics, Kakiyev notes: “We do not
move around the republic in large columns. We move forward in small
groups to a particular site of the special operation.” Characteristic
feature of the battalion is its ability to conduct combat operations
for several weeks in the difficult climate and terrain of the Chechen
mountain areas. There is various indirect evidence that in many cases
Kakiyev’s subordinates operate with civilian clothes on or using
the separatists’ equipment. In combination with common appearance
of local population, knowledge of language and traditions, the
battalion’s servicemen qualitatively differ from the representatives
of other Russian units. And necessarily they freely accept shape of
the opponent.
Intelligence and Counter-intelligence
The mentioned above qualities allow the Kakiyev’s subordinates to
effectively collect intelligence among local population. According
to indirect evidence, the command of the battalion has set the
intelligence using its agents going. Information on the location of
separatist units in the mountains and their planned operations is being
obtained in such a way. At the same time Kakiyev is extremely careful
not to allow the enemy agents taking root within his battalion. In
this regard his unit is protected to the best advantage in comparison
with the other Chechen power structures operating on the Russian
authority’s side. As a rule, the new Chechen recruits are accepted to
the battalion at a personal reference of a battalion veteran. Former
supporters of the separatist movement receive flat refusal.
For the same reason Kakiyev avoids close contacts with the other
power structures of the republic consisting of his fellow-tribesmen.
The commander of the battalion is firmly convinced that many of the
former separatists siding with them are, in fact, “double agents”.
Armament According to the Russian regional periodical Yuzhny reporter,
the battalion “West” is equipped with the “most sophisticated weapons
in Russian army”. In its turn, a reporter of Moskovsky komsomolets
tells the following: “Regular armament of the reconnaissance units:
sub-machine-guns, machine-guns, sharp-shooter’s guns, noiseless firing
equipment, night vision devices, everybody has – Stechkin’s handgun
and knives, including knives with a discarding blade.”
cle=791
–Boundary_(ID_YNXj7rcq2dx3jpIhKrgrYg)–

BUDAPEST COURT TO SENTENCE AZERBAIJANI ARMY OFFICER TOMORROW
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 12 2006
Budapest court tomorrow will pass a sentence on Azerbaijan Army
officer Ramil Safarov, who is indicted for murder of Armenian Army
officer Gurgen Margarian in Hungary.
Official representative of Safarov’s family, lawyer Adil Ismayilov
told APA from Budapest that Safarov will address the trial with his
final statement at 8.30a.m by local time (11.30a.m by Baku time). A
sentence will be pronounced on him after that.
The lawyer said he talked to Ramil Safarov on the phone today and
added that Safarov is ready to final statement and feels well.
The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Hungary told APA that delegates of the
Embassy will also attend the trial.

AND THE PRIZE FOR BEST SINGER IN THE HEMISPHERE GOES TO…
The Telegraph, United Kingdom
April 12 2006
Peter Culshaw reviews the Radio 3 World Music Awards at the Brixton
Academy.
Previous Radio 3 World Music Award winners, from fado singer Marisa
to London-based South Asian vocalist Susheela Raman, will tell you
that winning helped them at a crucial juncture of their careers.
Pakistani artist Sain Zahoor: winner of the Asia Pacific award And the
BBC brand still has serious clout if you are a struggling artist from,
say, Pakistan, as is this year’s Asia Pacific award-winner Sain Zahoor,
actually a little-known artist who captivated the Brixton Academy
with some wonderfully soulful songs in praise of various Sufi saints.
Think too much about these awards, though, and there is something
slightly absurd about someone being the best artist in the category
of Asia Pacific – half the world’s surface – especially as the process
by which the awards are given is rather opaque.
But the awards night, now in its fifth year, does show how vital world
music has become in the cultural landscape, with superb performances
from the prize-winners, including Fanfare Ciocarlia, a delirious gypsy
group from Romania, and the extraordinary, radical grooves of Congo’s
Konono No 1 (scrap-metal percussion, megaphones and thumb piano).
A lone Armenian, Arto Tuncboyaciyan, brought the house down playing
nothing more than a beer bottle and a tambourine. And it would have
taken a heart of stone to begrudge Amadou and Mariam, the blind couple
from Mali, their night of triumph, as they picked up the Africa and
Best Album awards for their bluesy record Dimanche a Bamako after
30 years of struggle. The only question might be why such great pop
artists are not played on Radio 1 or Radio 2.
There were some disappointments among the winners – Souad Massi didn’t
quite convince, Ry Cooder sent a supercilious ditty via video, Nitin
Sawhney only played for a few minutes, and the Club Global category
for DJs needs a rethink (actually, the most vital music in this area
in the last year has been reggaeton from Puerto Rico and Carioca funk
from Rio).
But any carping was swept aside by a well-produced night of mostly
exceptional music. The veteran South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela
presented (along with English roses Verity Sharp and Fiona Talkington
from Radio 3’s Late Junction) and his idealistic comments, such as,
“If you could teach all the politicians music, there would be no war”,
got a mighty cheer from a wildly enthusiastic audience.
However illusory it was, with so many countries and faiths represented,
all of us got a momentary glimpse of potential global harmony.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PASHAYEVA: “INITIATIVE OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBERS ON PUTTING FORWARD SPEAKER ON BEHALF OF EUROPEAN DEMOCRATS GROUP TO PACE HAS BEEN PREVENTED”
Today, Azerbaijan
April 12 2006
The attempt made by the Head of Armenian delegation in PACE Tigran
Torosyan to put forward member of Russian parliament Vera Oskina to
speak on behalf of the European Democrats Group during the discussion
on the draft of Boris Chilevich’s report entitled “Refugees and Forced
Migrants in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia”, has been prevented,
said Ganira Pashayeva, member of parliamentary delegation to PACE.
“Speeches of representatives of four fractions within PACE are
very important and influence the direct result of discussions”,
Ms Pashayeva said, adding that by the decision group members’ made
April 12 in Strasburg British parliamentary member Robert Walter will
be speaking on this issue.
Ms Pashayeva said Azerbaijani representatives have protested Mr.
Torosyan’s initiative, demanding the representative of “more neutral
state” speak on behalf of European democrats.
“Mr.Walter is famous for his unbiased position on South Caucasus”,
Ms. Pashayeva said.
We have to note that Mr Chilevich’s report is the last on the agenda
of the final day (April 13) of spring session of PACE in Strasburg,
Trend reports.
URL:

THE WRATH OF NEOCON-JEWISH ALLIANCE
Ali H. Aslan
Zaman Online, Turkey
April 12 2006
We have tried to narrate many times in a proper manner how much
displeasure there was in Washington due to Hamas’ Ankara visit. But
unfortunately we were unable to make our voices heard in Ankara,
especially by our friends with Justice and Development Party (JDP),
just was the case during the Iraq war process. Maybe, those who misread
Ambassador Ross Wilson’s diplomatic politeness, or interpreted it
the way they liked, thought we were exaggerating.
At last, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent Cuneyd Zapsu,
one of his close advisers, and JDP Vice Chairman and Sakarya Deputy
Saban Disli to Washington last week. The aim was to check the pulse
and make some damage control. Alas, it was too late and there was
too little that could have been done…
I was not surprised by JDP representatives’ finding themselves in the
middle of a machine gun fire at the American Enterprise Institute
(AEI) meeting. Zapsu and Disli responded with fire when parallels
were insistently drawn between Hamas and the PKK or DTP. Hence,
they ended up fanning the fire they intended to extinguish…
Some may ask, “Well, to what extent would a meeting at the AEI,
a neo-con castle, represent the pulse in Washington? Plus, hasn’t
the power of neo-cons declined yet?”
Though the “visible” power of the neo-cons has relatively diminished
following the Iraq disaster, their influence within the system,
especially their ideological dominance still very much persists. Not
to mention their close association with the powerful Jewish lobby.
Otherwise, today the US wouldn’t have been heading towards operations
to topple the regime in Iran, another ambition of the neocons and
Israel…
It is this neocon-Jewish alliance which has to a large extent
shaped the US policy on Turkey for many years, with its strong arms
in Congress, bureaucracy, trade and think tanks. Many key figures
associated with this group were present at the AEI meeting. For that
reason, one should consider the meeting important. The neocon-Jewish
alliance has been the leading group who kept the positive interest in
Ataturk’s Turkey alive in Washington so far, due to their US-Israel
focused regional plans and because they are concerned about secularism
in Islamic nations. Some, like Richard Perle, were even making money by
conducting professional lobbying for Turkey. However, things turned the
other way around with the (March 1, 2003) parliamentary motion crisis.
Our neo-con and Jewish friends think they have paid a heavy price
because they preferred going with democracy, that is JDP, before
the Iraq War, at the expense of hurting many from the civilian and
military elite, their traditional favorites in Turkey. Furthermore,
the JDP administration has repeatedly done a lot of things annoying
Americans. Because of the erosion of confidence in Washington,
anything JDP was now arousing suspicion and perturbing people. They
were further infuriated by the latest Hamas move. The fact that
Turkish bureaucratic elite was also by-passed gave the neocon-Jewish
alliance an opportunity to hit free-kicks at the JDP. As a result
of pressures coming from Washington, even Ambassador Wilson, who
has tended to moderate the issue, used the word “disappointment’
last week in regard to the Hamas visit.
As for the Pentagon, the chief expert on Turkish affairs there is
Ambassador Eric Edelman, who has a blood feud with JDP and known
to have close ties with the neocon-Jewish community. Let me draw
your attention to the fact that ties between Turkish and American
militaries, which were considered irreparable, began heading towards
their traditional positive course after Edelman became No. 3 at the
Pentagon. Obviously, the Pentagon, which had a bitter experience
during the Iraq process, is determined to tie its horse to a strong
fence on Iran process…
Don’t even ask me about the Congress. If someone like Tom Lantos,
an influential figure in the Jewish lobby, who has so far battled
against the Armenian allegations heroically, has turned his back
to Ankara, especially against the Erdogan government, imagine the
situation with the rest. No wonder Lantos adviser Alan Makovsky was
one of those who pressed most on Zapsu and Disli about the Hamas
visit at the AEI meeting.
The US State Department is upset, too. But they don’t think high
tension is helpful. However, it is extremely difficult to calm
down the neocon-Jewish lobby. Some have even joined into a feeding
and disinformation chain extended to Washington by certain anti-JDP
circles. Looks like JDP’s weaknesses in pulse-reading, communication
and crisis management will not get any better soon. Yet unless there
is a major democratic accident, both the JDP and the neocon-Jewish
lobby will maintain their position in Turkish-American relations for
a long time. Therefore, it would be useful for both to learn how to
cohabitate as soon as possible…
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ALIYEV: “TALKS PROCESS ON NK CONFLICT IS WITHIN CONCERN OF AZERBAIJAN”
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 12 2006
“The forces under impact of Armenian lobby and not defending Azerbaijan
create danger for our country”, Azerbaijani president has said it
while making a speech in front of personal staff of military union
#N of Zagatala Border Troops of State Border Service.
Correspondent of APA informs from Zagatala that President Ilham
Aliyev noted existence of powerful army to prevent such forces. He
noted that as a result of 30 terror acts about 2000 innocent people
died which was implemented in Azerbaijan by Armenians since 90s of
last century. President pointed out the borders of Azerbaijan open
to friends but close to hostiles, for this purpose a great attention
is paid to strengthen borders. Stressing the negotiations to be in a
new format for the solution of Nagorno Garabagh conflict the state
head said negotiations’ process to be within national interest of
Azerbaijan. According to the president Azerbaijani part does not
want to renew military operations, however it increases its military
potential: “Azerbaijan is a leader country in the region for its
military potential”.

“WAR IN HEADS – ALREADY REALITY, WAR ON BATTLE FIELD – JUST A STEP AWAY”: KARABAKH PRESS DIGEST
Regnum, Russia
April 12 2006
“The Karabakh peace talks are developing normally. We know that it’s
a very serious problem and it can’t be solved at once,” says Nagorno
Karabakh Prime Minister Anushavan Daniyelyan. There are hopes for 2006,
but no certainty. But no progress after the Istanbul and Washington
meetings can well mean that the OSCE MG co-chairs are seriously at
work. (Hayots Ashkharh)
“Intensive consultations are being held to resolve the Karabakh
problem,” OSCE MG Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov says to APA
(Baku). Merzlyakov does not agree with the view that the talks are
stagnating. He says that the co-chairs are now working separately with
the conflicting parties: “Steven Mann (OSCE MG US co-chair – REGNUM)
and US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried have visited Baku,
Vardan Oskanyan (Armenian FM – REGNUM) has visited Washington.
This week Elmar Mamedyarov (Azeri FM – REGNUM) will visit Washington
and Oskanyan – Moscow. Bernard Fassier (OSCE MG French co-chair –
REGNUM) will shortly come to the region. We have agreed to take such
bilateral steps for the time being to later decide when and how we can
restart the multilateral process.” Merzlyakov hopes for a joint visit
of the co-chairs to the region in Apr-May and their talks with the
presidents. Asked why the Rambouillet meeting was left incomplete,
Merzlyakov says that they planned one more meeting on Sunday, just
in case: “But the presidents knew they would not agree already in
the first half of Saturday. So, Mr. Kocharyan (Armenian President –
REGNUM) decided to leave on Saturday. (525th Daily)
Zhamanak daily (Los Angeles) says that the key message of the OSCE
MG Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov was his words: ‘Today the sides
are not yet ready to explain to their people that the problem can
be solved only peacefully, that compromises are inevitable, that the
expected agreement can’t be ideal for either sides.’ The daily reminds
that right after the Rambouillet meeting the OSCE MG co-chairs made a
joint call for the two governments ‘to prepare their people for peace
rather than war.’ After that, during the Washington visit of Armenian
FM Vardan Oskanyan, the OSCE MG US co-chair Steven Mann said that the
Armenians and Azeris do not want war, and the best thing the sides
can do is to take one step back from war. So, the daily wonders:
does Merzlyakov mean that Kocharyan and Aliyev (Azeri President –
REGNUM) are refusing or have already refused ‘to explain to their
people that the problem can be solved only by peace’?
The spokesman of the Armenian FM Hamlet Gasparyan says that as of now
the OSCE MG co-chairs have made no proposals to the sides. So, Haykakan
Zhamanak daily concludes that even after two post-Rambouillet meetings
the co-chairs have failed to find ways to continue the talks. The daily
believes that the answer to the question what happened in Rambouillet
is hidden in the last week’s statements by Azeri FM Elmar Mamedyarov
and Armenian FM Spokesman Hamler Gasparyan. Mamedyarov said that
Azerbaijan is ready to continue the Rambouillet talks, Gasparyan
said right off that Armenia is ready to continue the talks in the
framework of the ‘Prague Process.’ The daily sees some diplomatic
contradiction in these two seemingly ordinary statements.
“The point is that the “Prague Process” was discontinued in
Rambouillet, and today the talks can be continued either in
the framework of the “Prague Process” or in the framework of the
Rambouillet talks – which will give a start to a new process.” The
difference is that under the “Prague Process” the Armenian side would
give back 5 “occupied” districts of Azerbaijan, except Kalbajar
and Lachin, which would stay under the Armenian control till the
determination of the NK status. Referring to its sources in the
Armenian FM, the daily says that Robert Kocharyan and Ilham Aliyev
agreed on that in Kazan last year, which was the key reason why
the co-chairs were so openly optimistic. But all of a sudden the
Azeri president retracted his words and said that he would sign
a peace agreement only if Armenia gave back Kalbajar too. That
was the end of the “Prague Process.” As far as the daily knows,
Kocharyan – whom the Azeri side accuses of wrecking the talks –
refused to continue the meeting exactly when Aliyev began insisting
on the return of Kalbajar. Hence, in their statements Mamedyarov and
Gasparyan confirmed their positions on the problem of Kalbajar, and
now “in order to avoid new war and its catastrophic consequences and
to use the chance to solve the problem this year,” one of the sides
should concede in the problem of Kalbajar.
“Azerbaijan has started war twice and lost it both times, but the
conflict is still unresolved. I think this must be a lesson for
Azerbaijan that this conflict can’t be resolved by war and must be
resolved by talks and mutual concessions. Concessions are really
indispensable. Armenia has made its part of concessions, we are on
the verge and have no more way to concede. Now it’s for Azerbaijan
to follow suit, so that we could set the process afoot and carry it
through,” Taregir daily reports Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan as saying during a briefing. “If Azerbaijan shows enough
political will, I think we’ll be able to get the process moving and
to make more progress,” says Oskanyan noting that even if the problem
is not resolved in 2006, “that would not be the end of the world
yet.” The daily reports Oskanyan as saying that the next meeting
of the Armenian and Azeri FMs depends on the forthcoming Washington
meeting of Mamedyarov and Mann.
Baku is ready to negotiate with the Armenian community of Nagorno
Karabakh if they admit that they are citizens of Azerbaijan, Azg daily
reports Azeri FM Elmar Mamedyarov as saying. Mamedyarov says that the
talks with the Armenian community of Nagorno Karabakh are possible
if Armenia comes out of the negotiating process, and if the Karabakh
Armenians admit that they are Azeri citizens and recognize Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity and laws. “But I am afraid Armenia itself doesn’t
want Azerbaijan to directly negotiate with the Karabakh Armenians,”
says Mamedyarov. He notes that “if the Karabakh peace talks give no
results, we’ll have to choose another way to liberate our lands and
to restore our territorial integrity.” In response to Mamedyarov’s
statement, the Nagorno Karabakh Foreign Ministry says that the
Nagorno Karabakh citizens have never been and will never be citizens
of Azerbaijan. Even more, the Nagorno Karabakh authorities have always
said that they must be involved in the peace talks with no preliminary
conditions. Armenian FM Spokesman Hamlet Gasparyan says that Armenia
can’t take seriously such statements by Azeri diplomats and is not
going to come out of the talks. Azg wonders: what is the sense of
the talks if the Karabakh people accept Mamedyarov’s conditions? The
daily also reports NK Prime Minister Anushavan Daniyelyan to say that
he is ready to negotiate with Mamedyarov if … he becomes Karabakh
citizen as a representative of the Azeri community of NK.
Politicians and political experts about the situation over the
Karabakh conflict
Azeri political expert Rasim Musabekov says that Azeri FM Elmar
Mamedyarov’s Karabakh talks with the US officials may be fruitful:
“They will give fruit only if the US actually wants to set the process
afoot. The US has the capacities to do that.” Musabekov believes that
a step forwards in Washington will make possible an Armenian-Azeri
presidential agreement already before the St.
Petersburg G8 Summit. “I think that if the agreement is reached
during or before the summit, the Armenian and Azeri presidents will
make relevant statements. In such a case, the G8 meeting will put an
end to the Karabakh problem,” says Musabekov. (Day.az)
Armenian political expert Alexander Iskandaryan gives an interview
to Hayots Ashkharh daily.
“There is a view that the US wants peace in Karabakh for deploying
peacekeepers in the region, for ridding of obstacles in Azerbaijan
and for launching a military campaign against Iran…?
The first question is: can peacekeepers be used for waging war
against Iran? Of course, no. The second question is: does the US
need a base in such a problematic region as Karabakh? Again, no. The
US already has a common border with Iran – it has troops in Iraq. It
also has military bases in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which it can well
use against Iran. Let alone the US navy deployed or to be deployed
in the Persian Gulf. And it’s absolutely no problem for the US to
make or to enhance its military presence in Pakistan, Afghanistan or
Kyrgyzstan. With all this, it is simply ridiculous to say that some
1,000 blue helmets in the Karabakh conflict zone are a vital problem
for the US. This is just a childish talk. I’m not saying that the
US doesn’t want to deploy peacekeepers there, but it’s a different
story – a story that has nothing to do with Karabakh. There is one
more question: does the US want or is it getting ready for war with
Iran in the first place? Especially as war is not an effective way to
stop Iran’s nuclear program. Iran can’t be compared with Yugoslavia
in either territory, or population, or political system – let alone
natural resources and economic growth. Persians are not Serbs and
Iranian leaders are not Milosevics.
Recently the Armenian president came out with a “bellicose” threat
that Armenia will recognize Nagorno Karabakh’s independence de jure
if Azerbaijan leads the negotiating process into a stalemate. What
do you think about this?
If the recent statements in Armenia, including the abovementioned
statement by Kocharyan, are links of one chain (with the first
link probably being the many-thousand rally in the memory of the
victims of Sumqayit), this means that Armenia has decided to toughen
its rhetoric. But this in no way means that Armenia has decided to
declare war against Azerbaijan. Kocharyan’s statement was addressed
to Azerbaijan: you’re threatening us with war? here you are, we can
also speak that language; you’re threatening us with the oil-fueled
army? we also have a strong army; you hope that your oil will help
you to solve the Karabakh problem? we also have a trump – Karabakh.
That is, if until recently it was Azerbaijan who kept making
warlike statements and thereby torpedoing the negotiating process,
while Armenia just said “guys, let’s live in peace” and was ready to
continue the talks in any case, now Armenia says that it can also be
tough. But what it says is as real as Azerbaijan’s boastful calls for
war. Armenia’s recognizing or not recognizing Karabakh will change
nothing. Simply, Armenia wants to outweigh Azerbaijan’s rigidity –
with reason, but a bit late. (Hayots Ashkharh)
Reviewer weekly (Baku) publishes the view of the director of the Baku
research-analytical center “Peace, Democracy and Culture” Rauf Rajabov:
“The world practice knows two models of armed and ethnic conflict
resolution. The first model resolves the conflict in compliance with
the interests of its parties. The second one is a trade of positions –
when each side tries to resolve the conflict exclusively from its own
positions, with no care for the interests of the opposite side. The
Karabakh peace process is mostly a trade of positions. Armenia’s
position is known: either Azerbaijan recognizes the independence
of Nagorno Karabakh or Armenia will recognize the independence of
Nagorno Karabakh. This position is unacceptable for Azerbaijan –
for what Armenia actually wants is: Karabakh gets independence and
joins Armenia. This position is forcing Azerbaijan to be tough too:
the restitution of its territorial integrity and the repatriation of
its refugees. But Azerbaijan’s position does not serve the interests
of the Armenian community of Karabakh and Armenia. Consequently,
Azerbaijan should propose some mutually beneficial way of cooperation
with Armenia and the Armenian community of Karabakh.
First of all, Azerbaijan should answer the following questions:
what capacity does the Armenian community of Karabakh want to
have within Azerbaijan, what system of security will function
in Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus as a whole? Such a system of
republican and regional security should consist of two inter-related
and inter-dependent levels: guarantee of security for the Armenian
community of Karabakh in the territory of Azerbaijan and guarantee
of its security by Armenia. Today the Armenian authorities openly
say that Armenia’s security system starts from Azerbaijan’s occupied
territories and Nagorno Karabakh, which are a buffer zone for the
security of Armenia’s borders. One more reason for Armenia to care
for its security is that it is surrounded by Turkic states. That’s
why Armenia should be provided with a specific model of security,
which will ensure the independence and security of its statehood.
Rajabov says that it’s time to replace the model of trade of positions
by a model considering and protecting interests. The mutual benefits
of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the two communities of Nagorno Karabakh are
peaceful, good neighbor co-existence, economic cooperation, the right
to live for all citizens of both Armenian and Azeri nationality. But
when speaking about Karabakh settlement models, one should keep in
mind that there are stereotypes in both societies: ‘For example,
the image of enemy. But the model of interests replaces enemy by
opponent – for only opponent can become a partner. Mass media should
have a big role in transition to this model.’
Rajabov does not think that the Karabakh peace talks are in a
stalemate: ‘This is not true. Armenia and Azerbaijan have just
determined their positions, but not interests.’ Rajabov notes that
not everybody in Azerbaijan wants the conflict to be resolved by
peace. Some people believe that a blitzkrieg will allow Azerbaijan to
fully restore its territorial integrity and its borders with Armenia.
But they forget that the second Karabakh war will be even more bloody
and destructive than the first one. ‘This will only complicate the
resolution of the problem as the Armenian community of Karabakh will no
longer be able to live in the territory of Azerbaijan. They will flee
to Armenia in the face of the advancing Azeri army, which will make it
much harder for Azerbaijan to conclude a peace agreement with Armenia.’
‘The Armenians will consider Azerbaijan’s military campaign to
liberate its occupied territories and Nagorno Karabakh as their own
defeat and the ethnic cleansing of Karabakh from Armenians. Karabakh
is the ideological basis of the unity of the world Armenians,
and no Armenian leader will dare to make peace with Azerbaijan on
such terms. Even more, the only thing the Armenian authorities and
the Armenians of the whole world will think of will be revenge and
third Karabakh war.’ But this is a national approach, while Rajabov
suggests the approach of United Europe – the disappearance of borders:
‘The typical example is the European Union, where there are no more
inter-state disputes and claims: French-English and French-German,
Polish-German, Romanian-Hungarian, Turkish-Bulgarian.
In the future our region too will lose its internal borders. We will
have only external borders, which we will have to protect from external
threats: drugs trafficking, international terrorism, etc.’ Only then
will each country of the region begin to consider a challenge to its
neighbor as a challenge to itself. Only then will there be peace and
economic prosperity in the Caucasus, says Rajabov (Reviewer)
What do Karabakh people think about war?
“A warm morning of June 2006. Or even, May. TV channels and radio
stations of two neighbor countries of the South Caucasus start their
programs by breaking news: “The Azeri information bureau reports!” or
“The Armenian information bureau reports!”…” That’s how Zerkalo
daily (Baku) starts its speculations about the possibility and
consequences of a new Armenian-Azeri war. The prospect of war is no
longer ephemeral; it is tangibly felt in the statements of the leaders,
in the concerns of the mediators, in the chats in tea shops, in the
gossips in kitchens. Azerbaijan and Armenia have stopped restraining
their aggression and are psychologically ready for war. “War in heads
is already a reality, war on the battle field is just a step away.
It’s almost foul play.” The sides are ripe for resolving the conflict,
however, not by peace but by war, says the daily. “The time of
whetting of swords is over.” The war is good for Iran and Russia:
“The war may delay the US’s military plans against Iran. Russia also
wants war. It has a military contingent in the South Caucasus and the
war will strengthen the Kremlin’s positions in the region. The South
Caucasus will fall back to the situation of the early 90s, that is,
to chaos. It will be much easier for Tehran and Moscow to fish in such
‘troubled water’.”
One of the signs of new war is “the growing skirmish campaign this
spring.” The guns are not silent even during the OSCE monitorings,
says Zerkalo. Baku and Yerevan are accusing each other of wrecking
monitorings and making provocations – of the “first shot.” “The war
is becoming profitable for all the sides of the ‘Karabakh triangle’:
Azerbaijan, who is tired of the futility of the talks and the impunity
of the aggressor; Armenia, who is getting desperately aware of the
hopelessness of its future; the mediators, who will not miss their
chance to gain control over the situation and to make a ‘Dayton for
Karabakh’; the political elites, who will follow the public opinion
if the war starts and will save their face if they get a ‘Dayton’…”
Today the Azeri society is sure that the dream of “strong Azerbaijan
and weak Armenia” is already a reality and our country is ready to
resume military actions. “They are even considering war scenarios: from
a large-scale attack all along the front line from Qazax to Fizuli into
the territory of Armenia to a one-week blitzkrieg to liberate Agdam
and Fizuli.” Zerkalo gives preference to the blitzkrieg. “A longer
war will mean bigger losses. Besides, the international community
will hardly allow us to war for long.” The daily notes that the
key risks of a long war are: “the Armenians will strike on the BTC
(Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline – REGNUM), whose stoppage will ruin
big energy projects; in case of a counter-attack we may lose more, if
not the whole west of the country; there may be casualties not only in
the army but also among civilians, especially in big towns like Ganca.”
The daily disproves the general view in the Azeri society that “while
Azerbaijan will get stronger and ready for revenge, Armenia will sit
on its hands.” “This is naïve,” says the daily: “Armenia will either
concede at the talks, or hit the first. The same but mirror scenario:
Azerbaijan is provoked into the ‘first shot,’ a blitzkrieg is held, the
BTC infrastructure is destroyed, civilians are killed for intimidation,
and again Yerevan sits down at the negotiating table with weakened
Baku. Sanctions? It can’t be worse for Yerevan.
Besides, if these sanctions were actually serious, they would have
been applied long ago…” “Sirs, search your heads, find arguments,
or you will have to search for them in cartridge belts.” “We rather
have than don’t have time for peace. Time has not healed our wounds
and we better not reopen them…”
–Boundary_(ID_BleZRpHnW//gizGP4baeUQ)–

AZERI MP REPORTS TO PACE ON ARMENIA’S NEW OCCUPATION PLANS
Today, Azerbaijan
April 12 2006
A member of the Azeri delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE) on Tuesday introduced a document on Armenia’s
new occupation plans posing a serious threat to the stability and
development in the South Caucasus region.
MP Rafael Huseynov’s document, submitted to the CE Ministerial
Committee, says that Armenia, which is regarded in a special Council
of Europe resolution as aggressor that has carried out ethnic cleansing
against Azeris, has laid out its new occupation claims by intensifying
shooting on the frontline. This country, which has occupied Nagorno
karabakh and seven adjacent districts, calls these territories “a
buffer zone”.
“Armenian armed forces, despite the existing ceasefire, are regularly
carrying out military operations in the areas bordering on Azerbaijan
located 100 km away from Nagorno Karabakh,” the document said.
According to AssA-Irada, the MP also indicated that these attacks
causing considerable casualties among military contingent and
civilians, as well as financial damages, clearly demonstrate Armenia’s
objective to occupy new territories.
URL: