AZERI MINISTRY CONDEMNS KARABAKH’S PLAN TO HOLD REFERENDUM

Turan News Agency, Azerbaijan
Dec 2 2006

Baku, 2 December: The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry released today a
statement on the Karabakh separatists’ plan to hold a "constitutional
referendum" in the Armenian-occupied Nagornyy Karabakh region of
Azerbaijan on 10 December.

These actions are violating the Azerbaijani Constitution and
international legal norms and creating obstacles to the peace
process. The so-called "referendum" will have no legal consequences
and its organizers will not be able to mislead the international
community, the document said.

The adoption of any constitutional document about self-determination
of Nagornyy Karabakh region’s population is possible through the
peace process with the full, equal and direct participation of the
region’s Armenian and Azerbaijani populations in it.

Azerbaijan will never recognize such illegal acts based on the wrong
practice of "a fait accompli" which contradicts the efforts to achieve
lasting peace and stability in the region, the Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry said in its statement.