MUSLIM LEADERS URGE ARMENIAN WITHDRAWAL FROM KARABAKH ENCLAVE

Agence France Presse — English
June 21, 2006 Wednesday 2:04 PM GMT

Leaders of Muslim states urged the immediate and unconditional
withdrawal of ethnic Armenian forces from the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh
enclave in Azerbaijan in a declaration signed in Baku on Wednesday.

In a document called the Baku Declaration, the 57 member states of
the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) said they "strongly
condemn the aggression" of Armenia against Azerbaijan and "urge
the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian
occupying forces."

The Armenian-majority enclave of Karabakh seceded from Azerbaijan
in the late 1980s, sparking a six-year conflict between Armenia
and Azerbaijan that claimed 25,000 lives and displaced hundreds of
thousands of people.

Despite a 1994 ceasefire, tensions remain high in the mountainous
region — one of the world’s most militarized zones.

The OIC declaration called on member states to "support Azerbaijan
on the issue of full restoration of its territorial integrity."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress