PanARMENIAN.Net
Peter Semneby: Priority of My Work to Engage As Far As Possible with
Conflict Resolution

26.05.2006 18:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `I see an enhanced role for the EU in conflict
resolution in the South Caucasus,’ European Union’s new special
representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby stated in an
interview with Thomas de Waal, the Caucasus Project Coordinator and
Editor at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Mr. Semneby has
suggested that the EU could in future lead a peacekeeping mission if a
solution to the Nagorno Karabakh dispute is found. `I want to use his
mandate to work on the region’s unresolved conflicts,’ he said.
`It’s no surprise that the main priority of my work is to engage as
far as possible with conflict resolution,’ he said.
Semneby emphasized that the European Union has no formal role in the
detailed negotiations over Abkhazia – where the United Nations plays a
mediating role – and in South Ossetia and Nagorno Karabakh, where that
role is played by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe, OSCE.
However, the idea of an international peacekeeping force is known to
be under discussion in the current Karabakh talks, and should there be
a breakthrough, an international body will be asked to lead it. This
is where the EU could step in.
`We will be expected to make a major contribution when a solution is
found, and we are looking into the possibilities we have, both in
terms of post-conflict rehabilitation and also – if the parties should
so desire – in terms of contributing peacekeepers. And possibly even
leading a peacekeeping operation,’ said Semneby. `I should mention
that this is very hypothetical at this stage. This is only one of
several options, but it’s one that is being considered.’
A recent report by the International Crisis Group entitled `Conflict
Resolution in the South Caucasus: The EU’s Role’ was scathing about
the low profile the European Union has adopted on conflict resolution
in the Caucasus until now.
`[The EU] does not participate directly in negotiations on Nagorno
Karabakh, Abkhazia or South Ossetia,’ said the report, published in
March. `In and around Nagorno Karabakh, it has done little for
conflict resolution. It has rarely raised the South Caucasus conflicts
in its high-level discussions with partners and has employed few
sanctions or incentives to advance peace.’
A subtle change in language in the mandate assigned to Semneby,
compared with that of his predecessor Heikki Talvitie, means the EU
special representative is no longer asked to `assist the resolution of
conflicts’ but to `contribute to the resolution of conflicts’.
Semneby said this linguistic change was small but important, calling
it `a political signal that the conflicts are very high on the
agenda’.

PanARMENIAN.Net
EU Lacks Knowledge about South Caucasus, Peter Semneby
Says
26.05.2006 18:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are
all members of the EU’s European Neighborhood Policy,
a development that Semneby said was deepening their
relationship with Brussels and would also entitle them
to increased aid. `We’re talking about hundreds of
millions of euros for each country. The EU will also
step up its representation in the countries, which
will mean there will be a larger degree of visibility
in the South Caucasus,’ European Union’s new special
representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby
stated in an interview with Thomas de Waal, the
Caucasus Project Coordinator and Editor at the
Institute for War and Peace Reporting.
`I will also spend some time trying to explain to the
public in the South Caucasus what the EU is about.
There is not a whole lot of knowledge to begin with.
To the extent that the EU is known, there are still a
lot of misunderstandings about what [it] is about.’
`I think there is also lack of knowledge in the EU
about the south Caucasus and its particular problems
and about the importance of this region for the EU,
and if possible this is something I would like to
engage on.’
Asked about the hopes of many people in the region who
dream of joining the EU one day, the special
representative was careful to reiterate that the
European Neighborhood Policy `does not contain a
membership perspective’.
`It does mean that the countries can achieve a lot of
the benefits of EU membership by working on the
implementation of the European Neighborhood Policy,’
he went on.
`There is a problem – and I am the first to admit that
– that since the membership perspective is not there
as a big carrot at the end, this deprives us of one of
the most powerful levers we had in encouraging the
countries of Central Europe to carry out painful reforms.’

PanARMENIAN.Net
Turkey Laid Basis of Karabakh Conflict, Armenian Historian Considers
26.05.2006 18:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Presentation of monograph `Turkey and the Karabakh
Conflict in late 20th and early 21st century’ by candidate of
historical sciences Hayk Demoyan. According to the author, the work
leads t two major conclusions. Turkey has laid the basis of the
Karabakh conflict and the Ankara’s formal position on Karabakh makes
it a party to conflict and doesn’t give a right for mediation.
The monograph is dedicated to the analysis of Turkey’s official
position on the Nagorno Karabakh settlement. For the first time
materials about using of the Turkish and Azeri territories by the
international terrorism network, attraction of thousands of hirelings
from Chechnya and Afghanistan to the Karabakh conflict zone and role
of official structures in these processes.
`Armenian, Russia, English, French and Turkish sources were used for
the monograph. These documents proved that Turkey rendered military
and political assistance to Azerbaijan during the Karabakh war,
Demoyan said.
The book `Turkey and Karabakh Conflict’ was published in the Russian
language with the assistance of the Armenian Defense Ministry. In the
words of Armenian Deputy Defense Minister Artur Aghabekyan, Hayk
Demoyan’s monograph will become a handbook for the Armenian military,
reported Yerkir.

A1+
2-MINUTE FIRE IS NOT A VIOLATION OF CEASEFIRE
[04:13 pm] 26 May, 2006
`The death of a soldier is already too much for us, especially if the
soldier on temporary military service died from the shot of a sniper,’
Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, personal representative of the OSCE CiO
said in an interview to the agency `Trend’. He also mentioned that
periodically tension is noted on the border.
The interesting thing about the interview is the way the OSCE
representatives record the facts about the violation of ceasefire,
that is to say, the criteria of violation. `We do not have clear facts
about the violation of ceasefire. We take the figures made public by
the Ministries of Defense. The fact of violation of ceasefire is
recorded if there are victims or if the fire lasts at least 20
minutes,’ Andrzej Kasprzyk mentioned.
He voiced confidence that the current year can be that of the
settlement of the conflict as there are no elections in either country
this year.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1+
OSCE FUTURE PRESIDING COUNTRY GETS ACQUAINTED WITH
ARMENIA
[04:45 pm] 26 May, 2006
RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan received permanent
representative of Spain to OSCE Ambassador Carlos
Sanchez de Boado accompanied by the permanents
representatives of Germany, Norway and Lichtenstein.
During the meeting Ambassador de Boado mentioned that
the visit to Armenia aims at recognizing the country
better and preparing the presidency of Spain in the
OCSE.
During the conversation the sides discussed the
activity of the OSCE in Armenia and the future plans.
The sides expressed their content with the opening of
the Syunik region department of the OSCE Yerevan
office and voiced confidence that it will contribute
to the social-economic development and to the solution
of the ecological problems of the region.
Issues about improving the electoral legislation and
the OSCE support in this connection were also
discussed.
At the request of the guest the RA Foreign Minister
briefed him on the negotiation process of the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict and the
perspectives, as well as the present state of the
Armenian-Turkish relations.

A1+
THERE WILL BE NO FORTH REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
[05:35 pm] 26 May, 2006
It happened so that the first three republics of
Armenia were created «by chance». The first one was
created as Georgia and Azerbaijan has already left the
Transcaucasian Seyma, the second one was created
because of the arrival of the communists, and the
third one was created after the collapse of the Soviet
Union.
At least this is what can be concluded from the speech
of the guests of club «Pastark». Kiro Manoyan from the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation, communist Kiro
Manoyan and member of the Armenian Pan-National
Movement Hovhannes Igityan discussed today the effect
of the creation of the First Republic of Armenia on
May 28, 1918 on the Armenian nation. «It wasn’t really
by chance», Kiro Manoyan said. According to him,
although the ARF did not plan the creation of the
republic, it was done as a result of the 10-year
liberation war.
«Do you accept that if it weren’t for the Russian
Bolsheviks, the Armenian communists would never come
to power? » we asked Yuri Manoukyan. `In 1920 maybe
not, but a few years later they would by all means,’
Comrade communist said. And Hovhannes Igityan does not
accept that the third Republic of Armenia was created
as a result of the collapse of the USSR as it was
created on the judicial ground of the Soviet Union.
`The Soviet Union did not collapse, it was destroyed,’
Yuri Manoukyan claimed. He complained that in 1920 the
communists inherited a poor country full of refugees
and made it a `ready country’ with their hard work,
and now `there is something wrong about it’.
By the way, although the ARF is member of the
coalition, Kiro Manoyan does not consider it fair to
blame them for all the mistakes of the authorities,
`Being part of the authorities does not mean to be
responsible for something for which the President id
authorized for,’ Kiro Manoyan said. He refereed to the
incidents on April 12 and 13, 2004 when peaceful
demonstrators were beaten on the Baghramyan avenue. He
noted it in answer to the question of one of the
journalists why they allowed the April incidents if
they claim they left the power peacefully in 1920 in
order to avoid bloodshed.
By the way, Kiro Manoyan claimed that if they weren’t
in the opposition the incidents would continue still
further.

A1+
AMBASSADORS IN THE PARLIAMENT
[08:48 pm] 26 May, 2006
NA deputy Speaker Vahan Hovhannisyan accepted the OSCE
delegation including Ambassadors Carlos Sanchez de
Boado (Spain), Mette Kongshem (Norway), Alex Berg
(Germany) and Maria-Pin Kotbauer (Lichtenstein).
Mr. Hovhannisyan highly appreciated the activity of
the OSCE mission in Armenia and found the realization
of different programs important. He also briefly
referred to the events in the inner political life of
the country.
Referring to the settlement of the Karabakh conflict
and the relations between Armenia and Turkey the
Ambassadors mentioned that the relations with Turkey
will be easier if the conflict is settled. Mr.
Hovhannisyan answered that the Karabakh issue has
nothing to do with the conditions put to Turkey for
their membership in the EU and it wouldn’t be normal
if the relations between Turkey and the EU were
conditioned by two other countries which are not
members of the EU.
During the meeting other issues of mutual interest
were also discussed.

RA FOREIGN MINISTER AND MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIR COUNTRIES’ HIGH-RANKING
REPRESENTATIVES DISCUSS PRINCIPLES OF KARABAKH SETTLEMENT

YEREVAN, MAY 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian received on May 25 OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair
countries’ representatives: Assistant Secretary for State Daniel
Fried, RF Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and French Foreign
Ministry’s representative, Ambassador Pierre Morel. OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairmen Steven Mann (U.S.), Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), Bernard
Fassier (France) and Andrzej Kasprczik, the Personal Representative of
the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on Nagorno Karabakh Issue participated in
the meeting. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s
Press and Information Department, the meeting participants, attaching
importance to the high level of the visit, discussed principles and
approaches of settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Paying
attention to yet not solved and not agreed issues, the sides exchanged
opinions concerning settlement prospects.

NKR FM POSITIVELY ESTIMATES CHERNOGORIA’S REFERENDUM OF INDEPENDENCE
AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY’S READINESS TO RECOGNIZE ITS RESULTS

STEPANAKERT, MAY 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “The holding of
the referendum of independence in Chernogoria and the readiness of the
international community to recognize its results, on the whole, are a
positive fact. We are convinced that respect of the right of nation’s
self-determination expressed through a national referendum is basic in
the issue of settlement of such situations and a real implement for
establishment of political stability in the conflict region.” This was
said in the commentary of NKR Foreign Ministry in connection with the
Chernogoria independence referendum provided to Noyan Tapan from NKR
Foreign Ministry Information and Analytical Department. NKR foreign
political department considers it expedient to remind that the
violation of the right of Nagorno Karabakh people who voted for
independence on December 10 1991, in fact, became a basis for
Azerbaijan’s further military aggression against the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic, which caused many human victims and destructions. “The
further ingnoring of NKR people’s right of self-determination in the
process of settlement of Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict and reaching
such conditions that guarantee its political independence, economic
and military security will postpone the prospect of finding a mutually
acceptable solution and establishment of a firm peace and mutual
understanding in the region,” the NKR FM commentary read.

TURKEY SHOULD RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, RUSSIAN SCIENTIST DECLARES

YEREVAN, MAY 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “Turkey should
recognize the Genocide of 1915. The whole world knows about the events
of 1915 and characterizes them as a genocide,” Russian historian
doctor Viktor Bezotosni, Head of the Department of 19th Century’s
History of Russian State Museum, declared to the Regnum agency. He
considered it strange that “only one country denies and tries to
wrongly comment and to avoid this historic fact.” The Russian
scientist also emphasized that “there are both good and bad pages in
the history of each people.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress