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07/24/2006
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1. EU Concerned Over Azeri Calls for Resumption of War
2. Parties Issue Joint Announcement on Lebanon Crisis
3. Over 400 People Evacuated to Armenia From Lebanon
4. US Urges Turkey to Delay Anti-PKK Attacks

1. EU Concerned Over Azeri Calls for Resumption of War

YEREVAN (Yerkir, RFE/RL)–The European Union’s special representative to South
Caucasus Peter Semneby Monday criticized Azerbaijan for calling for the
resumption of military activities as a resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. He said if Azerbaijan continued to make hostile calls then the EU
would be forced to make them realize that the resurgence of military
activities
could have a negative impact on the further development of the process.
"Any military solution concerns us," the visiting dignitary told a joint
press
conference with Armenia’s foreign minister Vartan Oskanian.
In response to a reporter’s inquiry about possible sanctions against any
country calling for the resumption of war, Semneby said "I cant’s talk of
sanctions but the EU can convince the sides to stay away from military
assertions because it would not be in their interest."
The diplomat explained that such a course not only be detrimental in
politically, but also in economic terms as the countries of the region are
building free-market economies and a war would make investors reconsider their
decisions of investing in the region.
Oskanian said that the two discussed joint Armenia-EU initiatives, the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenia’s relations with its neighbors and next
year’s parliamentary elections in Armenia.
When asked whether the OSCE Minsk Group US co-chairman Matthew Bryza, would
make new proposals on the conflict resolution process during his visit to the
region, Oskanian said such proposals do not drop from the sky, but rather are
formulated at the negotiation table. He added he hoped Bryza could convince
Azerbaijan to resume talks.
The freedom and fairness of parliamentary elections due in Armenia next
spring
will be "crucially important" for the Armenian government’s drive to forge
closer political and economic links with the European Union, Semneby said.
The EU representative warned that a repeat of serious electoral fraud would
seriously jeopardize Yerevan’s participation in the European Neighborhood
Policy program that provides for a privileged partnership with the 25-nation
bloc. Speaking during a regular visit in Yerevan, he said the plan of
ENP-related actions which the Armenian government is currently discussing with
the EU will include a pledge to conduct the upcoming polls in accordance
"European values, standards and norms," reported Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty.
"The elections that will follow the entry into force of the action plan will
be a crucially important test for Armenia in terms of the quality of its
future
relationship with the European Union," Semneby told a news conference after
talks with senior Armenian officials.
"After all, Armenia has committed itself and has confirmed in the
far-reaching
and detailed document, which will regulate the Armenia-EU relationship, that
free and fair elections are a top priority," he said. "That is why I expect
the
elections to be free and fair."
The EU has always added its voice to Western criticism of the Armenian
authorities’ handling of elections. In particular, the bloc questioned their
"commitment to democracy" in the wake of last November’s constitutional
referendum which was marred by allegations of massive vote rigging.
However, EU
pressure for Armenia’s democratization was otherwise minimal until recently.
The EU signaled its intention to press harder for political reform in
February
when its External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner visited
Yerevan
and raised the issue with Armenian leaders. They assured her that they will do
their best to tackle the chronic vote rigging.
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said the issue was high on the agenda of his
talks with Semneby. He said Yerevan is close to completing its negotiations
with the EU on the ENP action plan and will publicize the document "soon."
"The
Armenian side is having virtually no problems [in the talks,]" he said. "There
are a number of minor outstanding issues which we think will be sorted out in
the course of next week."
Semneby’s itinerary in Yerevan also included a meeting with President Robert
Kocharian. The meeting was apparently not held in the presidential palace in
Yerevan, with photographs released by the presidential press service showing
Kocharian wearing casual clothes.

2. Parties Issue Joint Announcement on Lebanon Crisis

BEIRUT (Aztag)–Representatives of the three traditional political parties met
Monday evening to discuss the ongoing crisis in Lebanon and to assess the
condition of the Lebanese Armenian community.
Following the meeting a joint communique was issued signed by the Armenian
Democratic League (Ramkavar party) Central Executive, the Social Democratic
Hunchakian Party Governing Body and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Central Committee of Lebanon.
The political leaders discussed the 13-day-old Israeli attacks on Lebanon and
called on the international community to accelerate its efforts for an
immediate cease fire and an "end to the bloodshed." They also assessed the
resulting refugee crisis in the country and the conditions under which the
victims of these attacks are living.
The meeting emphasized the importance of community unity, which was deemed as
"the only guarantee to maintain the security and safety of the community."
The political parties decided to continue holding such meetings, in order to
effectively monitor and respond to the military and diplomatic developments in
the country.
Continuing assistance to the displaced citizens of Lebanon through the
parties’ organizational and community mechanisms was an important topic of
discussion at the meeting, which pledged to further its efforts to provide
care
to refugees and victims.
To this end, the meeting welcomed the assistance by the Armenian government,
as well as various Diaspora communities, which the meeting participants said
underscored the national role the Lebanese-Armenian community plays in our
reality.

3. Over 400 People Evacuated to Armenia From Lebanon

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–More than 400 Armenians and ethnic Armenian citizens of
Lebanon have been evacuated to Armenia since the start of Israel’s military
assault against the Middle Eastern nation, a senior official in Yerevan
said on
Monday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Gegham Gharibjanian said virtually all of them have
been transported to Yerevan from Syria in special charter flights carried out
by the Armavia national airline and partly subsidized by the Armenian
government. "The planes flying to Syria are empty and the government covers
their one-way cost," told RFE/RL.
Gharibjanian said Armavia carried out a similar flight to Tel Aviv, bringing
back more than 50 Armenian nationals residing in Israel early on Monday. Not
all of them are believed to have returned to Armenia for security reasons,
though.
The government estimates that some 1,200 Armenian nationals lived in Lebanon
before the start of the Israeli onslaught almost two weeks ago. Lebanon is
also
home to an estimated 80,000 ethnic Armenians, most of them living in the
Christian districts of Beirut that have been largely spared bombardment so
far.
The Armenian community has not reported any casualties yet.
"Fortunately, our forecasts have proved correct and there has been no massive
influx [of Armenian evacuees from Lebanon], even though our diplomatic
missions
are prepared to help to evacuate more people," said Gharibjanian.
The government in Yerevan announced last week that any citizen of Lebanon
fleeing the war and willing to take refuge in Armenia will be granted special
residency permits free of charge. It also sent two diplomats to Beirut and
Aleppo, Syria to assist in the evacuation.
So far, about 30,000 foreign nationals have fled Lebanon, most traveling to
Cyprus and Turkey by boat.

4. US Urges Turkey to Delay Anti-PKK Attacks

CRAWFORD, Texas (AFP)–The United States appealed to Turkey to delay its
invasion of Iraq in an effort to destroy Kurdish insurgency strongholds. Over
the weekend, President George Bush telephoned Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Erdogan and urged a postponement of an invasion of Iraq. Officials said Bush,
in his second phone call in three days, pledged to intensify US efforts to
eliminate strongholds of the Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK, in Iraq’s Kandil
mountains.
They discussed the need to work jointly to address that terrorist threat,"
White House spokesman Tony Snow said.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also contacted her Turkish counterpart
Abdullah Gul. They said what ever is necessary will be done, the Turkish Zaman
daily newspaper reported.
Rice told Gul that the US is aware of the seriousness of the problem and
would
not let it go unattended. She said the US would definitely do whatever was
needed.
Matthew Bryza, US assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian
Affairs, held a press conference in Washington and promised concrete steps
would be taken against the PKK soon.
The most important item in Rice -Gul’s phone conversation was the PKK issue.
Gul told Rice that Turkey wanted an immediate, visible, sensible, and
concrete
solution to the PKK issue. Turkey would be seriously hampered in its aid
efforts to Iraq as long as the PKK existed.
The two phone conversations were welcome relief to Ankara and raised optimism
that the US would take firm steps against the PKK.
As for tripartite meeting, which was attended by military, diplomatic, and
intelligence officials from the US, Turkey, and Iraq, sources said, any
decisions made would be as important as the meeting held.
Tripartite meetings were previously held in February 2005 and August 2005 in
Ankara and Washington respectively. The results, however, did not satisfy
Ankara.
The statement, "concrete results are expected," is being interpreted as
several PKK leaders may be arrested, and handed over to Turkey.
In 2005, Turkey delivered official documents to Iraqi and US officials about
150 PKK members. However, neither Baghdad nor Washington has taken any
steps so
far.
President Jalal Talabani said Iraqi territory should not be used to launch
attacks against Turkey but insisted that Iraq’s sovereignty should be
respected.
The president’s comments came a day after Turkish troops killed two Kurdish
rebels in a clash near the border with Iraq and amid increasing threats by
Turkey to launch attacks against members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or
PKK, in northern Iraq.
"It is necessary to solve the pending matters between Iraq and Turkey and
securing the border between the two countries," Talabani said according to a
statement released by his office. "Iraq’s territories should not be used and
exploited against Turkey."
The PKK has been battling for autonomy in Turkey’s southeast for the past two
decades in a fight that has killed more than 37,000 people. The PKK is listed
as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European
Union.
There has been escalating tension between Turkey and rebels. The deaths of 15
soldiers in three separate attacks last week prompted Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan to say the Turkish military was considering a cross-border
operation to clear PKK bases in northern Iraq.
The US, which has some 130,000 troops in Iraq, is strongly opposed to such an
operation.
"Iraq’s sovereignty and independence should be respected," Talabani said when
he received Turkey’s acting ambassador.

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