FASSIER: THERE WILL BE NO WAR BETWEEN PARTIES OF KARABAKH CONFLICT
PanARMENIAN.Net
14.04.2006 02:33 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries are convinced
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict cannot be solved by force, OSCE MG
French Co-Chair Bernard Fassier stated in Yerevan. In his words,
there will be no war between the parties to conflict in any conditions.
“A war will be a catastrophe to all parties to conflict and the region
as a whole. War means new victims, destruction, refugees, unnecessary
and unjustified expenses, which can be spent on peaceful development
of the region. War is the worst script, at which there are no winners,”
the French diplomat underscored.
Bernard Fassier said the OSCE MG officially calls the parties to
conflict to arrive at a peace accord, in spite of past losses. “It
should not be specified who attacked the first, who seized something
or lost it.
If we give hope to both parties for continuation of the peace talks,
this means we have found new principles of settlement. These are not
new talks, these are new principles,” the French Co-Chair remarked.

LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR ‘NATIONAL HERO’
By Ruzan Poghosian
AZG Armenian Daily
14/04/2006
Yesterday, the Budapest Municipal Court convicted Ramil Safarov to
life imprisonment with no right to amnesty for 30 years. Charged
with axing to death Armenian serviceman Gurgen Margarian in his
sleep on February 19 2004, Safarov received the ultimate punishment
under Hungarian law. All efforts of the Azerbaijani side to portrait
Safarov as not guilty proved futile as the evidence of premeditated
murder triumphed over Azeris fake proofs.
“That was the ultimate verdict for the Hungarian court,” Nazeli
Vardanian, attorney of Gurgen Margarian, told daily Azg over the phone.
Prior to bringing in the verdict the court listened to Safarov’s final
words. The embarrassed “national hero” of Azerbaijan said at first
that he has a poor command of Russian and the court should review
his initial evidence, then he went on the last try to persuade the
court that he has mental disorder and murdered Margarian while having
an attack. He said he remembers nothing, even why he had bought the
axe. He had no intention to murder the Margarian and did not attempt
the life of Hayk Makuchian, the other Armenian serviceman.
“He said no words of regret; never felt sorry for taking the young
Armenian’s life,” Nazeli Vardanian added.
Upon hearing the verdict, Safarov’s defense said they will file an
appeal, though the judge’s words clear up any doubt of the defendant’s
guilt.
The Azerbaijani “national hero” and “man of the year” will stand the
next trial on the second charge on May 3.

KARABAKH ISSUE INCLUDED IN ISTANBUL DECLARATION
PanARMENIAN.Net
14.04.2006 02:15 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Nagorno Karabakh problem is included in the
Istanbul Declaration at the recurrent conference of the Parliamentary
Union of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Azeri
delegation member, Chair of Social Welfare Party of Azerbaijan, MP
Hanguseyn Kyazymly reported. He remarked that Azeri delegation members
addressed the Karabakh issue at the event in question. “This is our
biggest achievement. Azeri representatives being included in three
commissions of the OIC Executive Committee is another achievement,”
Kyazymly said.
Problems of Islamic countries and solutions to these were discussed
at the conference, he remarked. The event, in which 437 delegates
from 47 countries took part, was organized April 8-13, Trend reports.

NUMBER OF PLASTIC SURGERY PATIENTS ON UPWARD CURVE
AZG Armenian Daily
14/04/2006
The fifth international congress of plastic, reconstructive and
aesthetic surgery is being held in Yerevan these days. Specialists
from Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Germany, Spain, France, USA,
Netherlands, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan participate in the congress. RA
First Lady Bella Kocharian was present at the opening ceremony of
the congress. Norayr Davidian, RA healthcare minister, said that the
congress will greatly contribute to the development of plastic surgery
in Armenia. Meanwhile academician Nikolay Milanov, chairman of Russian
Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, said that the
Armenian specialists have elaborated relevant skills in the sphere of
the plastic surgery. The International Congress of Plastic Surgery
was initiated by AAPRAS, SPRAS, RA National Academy of Sciences,
RA Healthcare Ministry and the Yerevan State Medical University.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SAFAROV’S LAWYER TO APPEAL AGAINST BUDAPEST COURT VERDICT
PanARMENIAN.Net
14.04.2006 03:13 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The sentence of the Budapest regarding Azeri officer
Ramil Safarov is “unfair,” lawyer Adil Ismaylov stated in an interview
with ANS TV channel. Budapest court judge Andras Vaskuti announced the
verdict, according to which officer of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan
Ramil Safarov is sentenced to life imprisonment. In Ismaylov’s words,
the resolution can be appealed against in 30 years.
To remind, within the framework of NATO Partnership for Peace Program
Azeri military officer Ramil Safarov was sent by the Ministry of
Defense to Hungary for participation in English language trainings
in January-February 2004. Several days before the completion of the
course, on February 19, he hacked Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan
with an axe. Safarov and his lawyer decided to appeal against the
Budapest court decision, Trend reports.

MEETING OF ARMENIAN AND AZERI PRESIDENTS CAN BE HELD IN JUNE
PanARMENIAN.Net
14.04.2006 02:22 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “The negotiation process over settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict did not decease after Rambouillet, it
continues,” stated OSCE Minsk Group French Co-Chair Bernard Fassier
at a news conference in Yerevan. In his words, the possibility of a
meeting of Armenian and Azeri FMs is not ruled out in May.
Speaking of the schedule of the OSCE MG visits to the region, Bernard
Fassier remarked, “the co-chairs visit the region in compliance with
a clear agreement and after consultations among themselves. After the
Easter (April 16) US mediator Steven Mann will arrive in the region. I
will leave for Moscow from Yerevan. There I will meet with Russian
Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov and Russian Deputy FM Grigory Karasin,”
he remarked.
The diplomat also said the MG intends to form new conditions for a
meeting of Armenian and Azeri Presidents. “Nothing is decided yet,
however we want very much the meeting to be held in June admittedly
and in a venue, where the Presidents will agree to meet,” the French
diplomat said.

ALIYEV TALKS OF NEW FORMAT OF NAGORNO KARABAKH REGULATION
By Aghavni Harutyunian
AZG Armenian Daily
14/04/2006
Recently, the supposition that the United States suggested new
principles for the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement
to Azerbaijan seems to be one of the greatest expectations of various
high-ranking Azerbaijani officials. Though Reno Harnish, US Ambassador
to Azerbaijan, stated that the officials of his country made no new
suggestions in the course of the Washington visit of President Ilham
Aliyev, Azerbaijan continues speculating on these ideas. Particularly,
yesterday, according to Trend agency, Ilham Aliyev said that the
process of Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement “is being carried
out in a new format that keeps in line with the national interests
of Azerbaijan.” He added that the new format creates good grounds
for restoration of territorial wholeness of Azerbaijan.
One wonders what he means by speaking of a new format when the
representatives of the mediators and other international organizations
still consider that the OSCE Minsk group is the best format for the
negotiations. If Aliyev means the aspect of Armenia and Azerbaijan,
the only expected change is the participation of Nagorno Karabakh in
the negotiations.
Yet, this factor is hardly in the interest of Azerbaijan.
It may seem quite queer but Aliyev kept from making militant statements
in front of his own people. He just stated that the Azeri authorities
are unwilling to unfold military actions.
It’s worth mentioning that Rene van der Linden, chairman of PACE,
said two days ago that they will expel the country that will resume
military actions in Nagorno Karabakh from the European Parliament. In
fact, Aliyev was quite impressed by the warning of Mr. Rene van
der Linden.

OSKANIAN AND FASSIER DISCUSSED KARABAKH SETTLEMENT
PanARMENIAN.Net
14.04.2006 00:03 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian met with OSCE Minsk
Group French co-chair Bernard Fassier, reports the Press Service of
the Armenian MFA. During the meeting the interlocutors discussed the
current situation in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
as well as exchanged views on the prospects of the talks.

TERRY DAVIS: WE OUGHT TO BE CONCERNED WITH THE MONUMENTS BEING DESTROYED
AZG Armenian Daily
14/04/2006
“We are civilized people and ought to be concerned with the monuments
being destroyed. We ought to respect each other’s culture and
religion,” Mediamax agency quoted Secretary General of the Council
of Europe Terry Davis as saying while touching upon the topic of
destruction of Armenian monuments in Nakhijevan, Azerbaijan. Davis
suggested setting up a fact-finding group and send it where information
of threatened cultural monuments comes from.
In Davis’ words, the issue of setting up a fact-finding group was
discussed with Armenian and Azerbaijani leadership and now is the
time for PACE to respond.

THE CO-CHAIRS MANAGED NOT “TO BREAK THE GLASS”
A1+
[09:35 pm] 13 April, 2006
“The diplomatic circles never move from their seats without any
reason,” today the OSCE Minsk group Co-Chair Bernard Fassier announced
in the French Embassy in Armenia. Mr. Fassier made no comments on
his visit to Azerbaijan in today’s press conference.
He preferred to describe the events of Rambouillet artistically
leaving out the details.
“What happened in Rambouillet? Of course the Co-Chairs did not gather
for that purpose. Before our visit to Rambouillet we had a half –
empty glass and wanted to fill it there but our endeavour was a
failure. We only managed not to break the glass,” mentioned Mr.
Fassier. He also assured that the procedure of the Nagorno –
Kharabakh conflict settlement is still continuing. “I am leaving
for Moscow tomorrow where I am to meet Juri Merzliakov and the RF
Foreign Vice-Minister. The Co-Chairs will visit the region at the
end of May with joint solutions. We merely try to make the meeting
of the 2 presidents probable.”
The next meeting of Kocharyan and Aliev will be in June, but they won’t
be discouraged in case the meeting fails; it will be held in July. In
the name of all Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk group Co-Chair Fassier
stated that there is no alternative in the NK conflict settlement
except the peaceful settlement. “After the meeting in Rambouillet a
cease – fire was fixed in the borderline as a result of which there
were victims.
The war control and regulation is the worst variant for the two
sides.” He also mentioned that there isn’t a profitable solution
for the sides. “In the best case we can find a solution which will
suffice the sides with 70%. We must only pay attention to the fact
which of the sides first initiated aggression, which of them reached
Kharabakh, etc.”
“We lay emphasis on the conflict settlement. And it is difficult
to answer the question whether it will be done immediately or step
by step.”
From: Baghdasarian