OSCE NOT TO RECOGNIZE CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM IN NKR

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Dec 14 2006

YEREVAN, December 14. /ARKA/. The OSCE Chairman-in-Office,
Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, stated that the OSCE
will not recognize the referendum on a draft constitution held in
Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday. "Such a referendum is counter-productive
to the ongoing conflict settlement process, which has recently shown
visible progress, as acknowledged by the parties," said Minister
De Gucht. Referring to a statement on Nagorno-Karabakh made at last
week’s 14th OSCE Ministerial Council in Brussels, he said: "We do not
welcome a move that could jeopardize progress made at this promising
juncture." He also referred to today’s statement by the Co-Chairs
of the OSCE Minsk Group, saying: "A reason not to recognize this
referendum is that no member of the international community recognizes
the so-called Nagorno-Karabach republic as an independent state."

According to preliminary results, a total of 77,279 people or 98.58%
of voters voted for the Constitution, 549 (0.7%) against.

Over 100 international observers from Russia, France, Italy, Great
Britain, Croatia, Serbia the USA, Transdniestria, Abkhazia and the
South Ossetia monitored the elections.