ORINATS YERKIR HOLDS CONSULTATIONS WITH PUBLIC-POLITICAL FORCES OF ARMENIA ON THREE MAIN PROBLEMS

YEREVAN, APRIL 8, NOYAN TAPAN. “Orinats Yerkir” (Country of Law)
party continues to hold political consultations with public-political
forces, acting in Armenia, on three main problems: fullfiling
the obligations of the country before the Council of Europe and
concerning the democratic reforms; elections of local authorities;
urgent foreign political issues of Armenia. Consultatiosn with ARF
Union, People’s Party of Armenia, “People’s Deputy” faction of the
National Assembly, National Democratic Union, Democratic Liberal Union
of Armenia, “Hzor Hayrenik” (Powerful Fatherland) party, Ramkavar
Azatakan (Liberal Democratic) Party of Armenia, “Nor Zhamanakner”
(New Times) party, People’s Party, “Hanrapetutiun” (Republic) party,
Constitutional Right Union party, Liberal Progressive Party and Human
Rights and Democracy party already took place. As Noyan Tapan was
informed from the Press Service of “Orinats Yerkir” party, urgent
issues both on deeping of democratic reforms and on holding, based on
democratic principles, free and justice elections of local authorities
were of general approve during the meetings. The party expresses its
readiness to continue political consultations with those political
parties and public organizations which will express readiness to meet
with representatives of “Orinats Yerkir” around the above-mentioned
themes and organize discussions. The party will represent brief report
on the meetings after the consultations are over.

“Garabagh conflict is like dispute between husband and wife” Belgian MP

Baku, April 7, AssA-Irada

A 10-member delegation led by chairman of the Belgian parliament’s
House of Representatives Herman De Croo arrived in Baku on Thursday.

Croo told journalists at the Bina Airport of Baku upon arrival that
prior to visiting Azerbaijan he discussed the Upper Garabagh conflict
with the Armenian President and government officials in Yerevan.

Croo said that the Upper Garabagh conflict “is like a dispute between
husband and wife”. “We have become familiar with Armenia’s position
and will study that of official Baku before expressing our attitude
towards the conflict,” Croo said, voicing a hope that his meetings
in Baku would be fruitful.

The Belgian delegates, who started their visit by paying tribute to
the late Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev, met with opposition
MPs and members of the Azerbaijani delegation at the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the same day.

The Belgian parliament recognized the fake “Armenian genocide”
in 1998.*

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri interior minister reportedly says editor’s murder terror attack

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
8 Apr 05

[Presenter] [Azerbaijani] Interior Minister Ramil Usubov has put
forward a new theory for the murder of the editor-in-chief of Monitor
magazine, Elmar Huseynov.

At a meeting with the secretary-general of the international
organization Reporters Without Borders, Robert Menard, the minister
said that the journalist might have been killed by a criminal gang
from Armenia and North Caucasus.

[Correspondent] Criminal gangs from Armenia and North Caucasus
might have been involved in the murder of the editor-in-chief
of Monitor magazine, Elmar Huseynov. The secretary-general of the
international organization Reporters Without Borders, Robert Menard,
spoke to journalists after his meeting with Interior Minister Ramil
Usubov. The secretary-general also clarified why Ramil Usubov had
handed the criminal case into the murder of Elmar Huseynov over to
the National Security Ministry.

[Menard, captioned, in French with Azeri voice-over] The minister
told me that the case had been handed over to the National Security
Ministry because that was a terrorist attack. They believe that
Elmar was murdered because of his activities. He did not rule out
a link between his murder and [ex-Interior Ministry official] Haci
Mammadov’s gang, either. He believes that Elmar could have been killed
by a group of people trying to disturb stability in the country. Ramil
Usubov did not rule out even the involvement of groups from Armenia
and North Caucasus in this case.

[Correspondent] Robert Menard also stressed that at the meeting with
Ramil Usubov he wanted to draw parallels between the murder of Elmar
Huseynov and the murder of Ukrainian journalist Heorhiy Gongadze. But
the interior minister did not agree with Robert Menard and said
that the law-enforcement agencies were working towards finding the
criminal soon.

[Menard] There, I insistently tried to liken this murder to Heorhiy
Gongadze’s murder. Mr Minister told me that this case had nothing
to do with the Gongadze case and that the Azerbaijani government was
working towards finding the criminal.

[Correspondent] The secretary-general attached importance to
extensive media coverage of the investigation into the murder of Elmar
Huseynov. Robert Menard said that he would also inform [Azerbaijani]
President Ilham Aliyev of his ideas.

[Video showed the briefing]

US envoy visits Azeri regions to secure fair parliamentary polls

Turan news agency, Baku
6 Apr 05

Calilabad, 6 April: One of the goals of US ambassador to Azerbaijan
Reno Harnish’s visits to Azerbaijani regions is a desire to get
familiar with the readiness of local population for the upcoming
parliamentary elections. The ambassador has discussed the forthcoming
elections at meetings with representatives of local authorities and
the opposition.

“Equal” participation of all sides in the elections, peaceful situation
during the elections, freedom of assembly, freedom of the media and
fair vote-counting are the topics discussed during these meetings,
Harnish told journalists in Calilabad [southeastern Azerbaijan] today.

Harnish said he was surprised at the statement by member of the ruling
New Azerbaijan Party [MP] Bahar Muradova saying that a proposal to
sign an agreement between the authorities and the opposition in the
run-up to the elections is “not serious”. “I really did not know that
a fuss would be made about my opinion,” the ambassador said.

“Azerbaijan has very good potential to build a new model of
democracy in the post-Soviet space. You know that there is no talk
of democracy in many countries – south and north of Azerbaijan. The
ruling regimes in these countries strive to stifle democracy as
much as they can. Given that Azerbaijan has a progressive leader,
[Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev, why should not the New Azerbaijan
Party and other parties reach common ground to conduct free, just
and fair elections and ensure freedom of assembly and unimpeded work
of the mass media? The most important point is that all sides should
renounce violence during the election campaign,” Harnish said.

Harnish described Aliyev’s call for dialogue as a positive fact. At
the same time, the ambassador said that he had never heard opposition
leaders refusing dialogue. In his view, such a dialogue is crucial
in order to hold fair elections.

Commenting on frequent exchanges of fire on the front line,
Harnish said that representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office
Andrzej Kasprzyk is making efforts to stop the shootouts. However,
if his efforts fail, the issue will be discussed at a meeting of the
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in mid-April in London,
which will also be attended by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen.

Azeri foreign minister discusses Karabakh, economic ties in UAE

Trend news agency
8 Apr 05

Baku, 8 April, Trend correspondent S. Agayeva: The United Arab Emirates
[UAE] has always supported Azerbaijan’s fair position on the Nagornyy
Karabakh issue and it decisively condemns Armenia’s aggression against
Azerbaijan, UAE Foreign Minister Rashid Bin-Abdallah Ali al-Nu’aymi
said at a meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
during his official visit to the UAE on 6-7 April, the press centre
of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has told Trend news agency.

Elmar Mammadyarov thanked the UAE government for supporting
Azerbaijan’s fair position, condemning Armenia’s aggression against
Azerbaijan and providing humanitarian aid to refugees and displaced
persons.

The Azerbaijani foreign minister also met UAE Minister of Economy
and Planning Lubna al-Qasimi and discussed prospects for bilateral
economic development, expanding cooperation and exchanging experience
between the two countries in the oil, energy and other spheres.

Stressing the importance of increasing trade between Azerbaijan and
the United Arab Emirates, the sides pointed out that the establishment
of a joint intergovernment commission is of great importance to the
development of economic and trading relations.

The sides also pointed out that the holding of joint business forums
plays an important role in terms of studying the investment environment
in both countries.

During the visit, the Azerbaijani foreign minister read a lecture on
the subject “Azerbaijan in the modern world” at the UAE centre for
strategic research.

Azeri MP criticizes Belgian Speaker’s Karabakh remarks

Assa-Irada
8 Apr 05

Baku, 7 April: The statement by the chairman of the Chamber of
Deputies of the Belgian parliament, Herman de Croo, that the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict is like “a dispute between husband and wife” has
been criticized by Azerbaijani parliamentarians.

The chairman of the Compatriots Party, MP Mais Safarli, said in a
Thursday [7 April] meeting with Croo that such an approach to the
conflict is inappropriate. “Armenia is not our wife. It is common
knowledge that Armenia is Russia’s wife,” said Safarli, emphasizing
that the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict remains unsettled due to this.

Safarli noted that Russia has supplied Armenia with weapons worth some
1bn dollars over the past few years. “These arms pose a threat not
only to Azerbaijan and regional countries, but also to Europe,” said
Safarli. He added that it is worthless to speak of democracy and human
rights in Azerbaijan unless the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict is settled.

Politician urges closer attention to Georgia’s Armenian-populated region

Aravot, Yerevan
7 Apr 05

Text of Nelli Grigoryan report by Armenian newspaper Aravot on 7 April
headlined “There is a danger that all the Armenians may leave Javakhk”

The leader of the Powerful Motherland Party, Vardan Vardanyan, has
commented on the events that are taking place in Javakhk [Georgia]
at the moment. “Under [former Georgian President Zviad] Gamsakhurdia,
when there was an attempt to enter Javakhk with a slogan ‘Georgia only
for Georgians’, residents of Javakhk did not succumb to provocation
and supported Georgian statehood. I am sure that the rallies taking
place today are not directed against the state,” Vardan Vardanyan said.

He said that the situation in Javakhk is really complicated and
“external forces” are trying to channel social and economic problems
in another direction. It is not by chance that rallies simultaneously
took place in Batumi and Javakhk. He agrees that the Russian military
bases do not resolve problems linked with unemployment today.

Moreover, Vardanyan said that residents of Javakhk understand very
well that rallies are not a way of solving problems. “About 20,000
residents have left Javakhk in order to find a job abroad. In this
situation, it is not by chance that the visa regime established by
the Russian side has become complicated. That’s to say, they are
doing everything possible to anger the residents of Javakhk,” he said.

“But one should understand the residents of Javakhk: what will happen
in the future and who will substitute these [Russian] troops?”

And what is Armenia’s task? Different programmes concerning Javakhk
have been prepared for many years: the authorities have changed, and
programmes have been extended as the number of problems has increased.

Today we say that the Georgian and Armenian authorities should
deal with Javakhk. Many people may say they cannot deal with
another country’s problems. First, Armenia has a problem with its
laws. Artificial customs problems on the border also deteriorate the
economic situation of residents of Javakhk. In this sense, I would like
to note that Armenia’s attitude towards Javakhk is not satisfactory,
to put it mildly. This may lead to serious consequences. Georgia
openly says that it is ready to cooperate with Armenia to fulfil
Armenian-Georgian programmes together. Otherwise, Armenians will
leave Javakhk. There is such a danger today. I think everybody can
understand what this means for Armenia. Javakhk is and will remain
a buffer zone in Armenian-Georgian relations.

“When we say that Armenia should pay attention to Javakhk, many
people think that our budget should be channelled there. No. The
state’s approach is quite another matter. Over the past several
years, spiritual, cultural and educational programmes supported by
the government have been implemented in Nagornyy Karabakh. Is it
impossible to implement such programmes in Javakhk as well?

We are anxious that the rallies may continue and, God forbid, damage
Armenian-Georgian relations. It is very important for everybody to
understand this and act in a way that will not allow external forces
to make use of the situation,” Vardanyan said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russian ex-president starts four-day visit to Azerbaijan

Trend news agency
7 Apr 05

Baku, 7 April: The former president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, arrived
in Baku on 7 April at the invitation of Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev, Trend news agency reports.

The first Russian president said that he intends to visit districts of
Azerbaijan. “I last visited Azerbaijan a long time ago. [Azerbaijani
ex-President] Heydar Aliyev once invited me, and Ilham Aliyev has
invited me now. I have been nowhere else except for Baku and I need
to see the country,” Yeltsin told journalists at the airport.

He said that during his four-day stay in Azerbaijan he will meet
Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister Artur Rasizada, go on a walkabout in and
around Baku and talk to people. Yeltsin will also visit Quba District
of Azerbaijan [north of the country].

Touching on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Yeltsin said: “I believe
that Russia’s stance is well-known and there is nothing new about it.”

Armenian leader “forced” to take constructive stance on Karabakh – Azeri pundit

Trend news agency
6 Apr 05

Baku, 6 April, Trend correspondent S. Ilhamqizi: [Armenian President]
Robert Kocharyan is forced to take a constructive stance on the talks
because the current situation requires that, political analyst Aydin
Mirzazada has said in an interview with Trend news agency.

In Mirzazada’s view, the Armenian leadership is avoiding the
negotiations under various pretexts and this shows that Azerbaijan has
an advantage in the sphere of diplomacy. Kocharyan’s regime will lose
everything if he does not take a constructive stance. Hence, he has no
choice but to take decisions that go against his will, Mirzazada said.

Armenia’s aggressive policy has put it in a difficult situation,
the population is emigrating in great numbers and there is a threat
of a revolution. What’s more, the situation in diplomacy has changed
in favour of Azerbaijan. There is no-one left in Karabakh except for
the Armenian troops, Mirzazada said.

The April meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign
ministers is expected to bring about positive changes. If concrete
results are achieved during the talks, a meeting between the presidents
will be scheduled, Mirzazada said.

Armenian soldier captured by Azerbaijani forces

AP Worldstream
Apr 07, 2005

A defense official said Thursday that an Armenian soldier who went
absent without leave from his unit had been captured by Azerbaijani
forces.

A spokesman for Armenian Defense Minister Col. Seiran Shakhsuvarian
said the unarmed soldier left his unit in the northeastern Noemberian
district of Armenia last Friday and apparently got lost. It was not
immediately clear when the soldier was captured by Azerbajani forces
or why he left.

“Armenia and international organizations are working on his return,”
the spokesman said.

Tensions remain high between Armenia and Azerbaijan 11 years after
a cease-fire ended major fighting over the disputed enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh. The mountainous region inside Azerbaijan has been
under the control of ethnic Armenians since the fighting, which killed
an estimated 30,000 people and drove a million from their homes.

The enclave’s political status has not been determined, and shooting
breaks out frequently between the two sides, which face off across
a demilitarized buffer zone. Both sides routinely take prisoners and
exchange them via the Red Cross and other humanitarian groups.

Three Azerbaijani soldiers who were captured by Karabakh by Armenian
forces in February remain in custody in the region’s main city,
Stepanakert.