HALO TRUST CONTINUES MINE CLEARANCE IN OCCUPIED AZERBAIJANI LANDS DESPITE OFFICIAL BAKU’S PROTEST

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug 5 2006

The Halo Trust Mine Clearance Organisation registered in Britain is
still functioning in Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani lands despite the
Azerbaijani government’s protest.

Nazim Ismayilov, director of the Azerbaijan National Agency of Mine
Action (ANAMA) told the APA exclusively.

"The Halo Trust continues illegal de-mining in the occupied Azerbaijani
lands. We protested against it to international organizations, donors
and the British government. I made remarks to the organization’s
president in an event in Switzerland not long ago.

They called their mine clearance humanitarian actions," the ANAMA
director underlined.

Mr.Ismayilov also said the Halo Trust presents Azerbaijani province
of Nagorno Garabagh as an independent state. Great majority of its
de-mining teams working in Nagorno Garabagh are former militants
and reconnoiters.

"The Netherlands supports this organization’s illegal actions most
of all. They are involved in other illegal activities under the name
of humanitarian mission," Ismayilov underlined.

The ANAMA director stressed there is a mine-risk in the 60mn sq.
meters of area administered by the Azerbaijani government.

"We are planning to clear these areas by the end of 2008. The results
of the monitoring of international organizations, Halo Trust show
that there is mine problem in 4 percent or some 500mn sq. meters of
area in the occupied territories," he said.

According to the ANAMA’s prediction there exist 50-100 thousand
mines in the occupied Azerbaijani lands which can take 12 years
to clear.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress