Regnum, Russia
July 29 2006

Prolonged conflicts will be resolved with short wars – politician

The last developments in the Middle East and the South Caucasus are
evident of an attempt to resolve prolonged conflicts by means of
short-term military actions, leader of opposition Liberal Progressive
Party of Armenia Hovhannes Hovhannisyan said at a press conference on
July 29, REGNUM reports. He says that the military actions of Israel
against Lebanon and forced Georgian operation in the Kodori Gorge are
particular examples of the trend. `The international community is not
critical and calmly regards the Israeli military actions, waiting
until it does away with Hezbollah,’ the Armenian politician argues.
He also points out the Georgian authorities as trying to resolve the
Georgian-Abkhazian issue by force.

Hovhannisyan also does not exclude that other long-lived conflicts
such as the Nagorno Karabakh one are planned to be resolved by force.
`If the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will stay unresolved for some time
longer, its resolving by force will be possible,’ Armenian Liberals
Head noted. He says that not in vain does Azerbaijan annually
increases its military budget.

The unresolved status of conflicts threatens development of the
conflicting countries. `No matter how well does Yerevan develops,
there is a threat that it will be destroyed in a flash. The bombing
of Beirut is the evidence. For the conflicts’ being unsettled is
always imminent with resuming military actions,’ Hovhannisyan
maintains.

He also reminds that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict also threatens the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and Baku-Erzerum natural gas
pipeline. `Superpowers take part in the projects, and it is not
profitable for them to have an unsolved conflict threatening an oil
pipeline.’