ARMENIAN FM EXPRESSES HIS ANXIETY ON U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Arka News Agency, Armenia
March 13 2007
YEREVAN, March 12. /ARKA – Novosti-Armenia/. Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian expressed his anxiety to the US Charge d’Affaire
Anthony Godfrey concerning a number of provisions on the U.S. State
Department’s report on human rights, said Godfrey last Friday.
He said that he will inform Washington about Oskanian’s positions.
The USA goes on providing protection of human rights in Armenia and
supporting the OSCE Minsk group in the settlement of the Karabakh
issue, said Godfrey.
During the Friday conference Oskanian said "that there is a kind of
subjectivism in the State Department’s report to which we intend to
react." He said that there are some shortages towards Armenia which
should be treated seriously and removed in the future.
According to the U.S. State Department’s annual report, certain
progress in human rights issues was recorded in Armenia in 2006. In
particular, Armenian citizens obtained the right to apply to
the Constitutional Court, and strong measures are taken against
trafficking.
The report also said that the Government was not involved into
political assassinations, in contrast to 2005, neither government nor
human rights organizations reported about deaths caused by oppression
or humiliation.
However, the report mentions negative phenomena, particularly, use of
force against private soldiers by army officials and use of violence
against citizens and apprehended by police.