Karabakh DM denies reports on ceasefire violation in crisis area
By Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
June 15, 2005 Wednesday 11:18 AM Eastern Time

YEREVAN, June 15 — Nagorno-Karabakh’s Defence Ministry denies reports
on a violation of ceasefire in the area of the Karabakh conflict.

Head of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Ministry press service
Senor Asratyan told Itar-Tass by telephone on Wednesday: “This is
misinformation and propaganda.”

The minister said, “Azerbaijan seeks to aggravate the situation
in Nagorno-Karabakh ahead of the parliamentary elections slated
for Sunday.”

Earlier in the day, Azerbaijani Deputy Interior Minister and commander
of interior troops, Lieutenant-General Zakir Gasanov, said Azerbaijan
is worried by frequent violations of a ceasefire in the area of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,

“International organisations, including the U.N., are handling this
problem,” he told reporters. “When the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh
is resolved, the interior troops of Azerbaijan will keep public
order there.”

Gasanov said the interior troops “will keep public order in the
republic (of Azerbaijan) at the highest level” during the preparation
and conduction of parliamentary elections.

“All unlawful acts of extremists will be stopped, we shall have no
problems with it,” he said.