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PORTUGUESE MINISTER VOWS GREATER OSCE INVOLVEMENT
President Aliyev received a Portuguese delegation led by foreign minister Jose Jaime Matus da Gama Thursday. Mr. Gama said his visit was connected with Portugal's having assumed the rotating presidency in the OSCE. The minister said he had intended to get a closer look on the Garabagh conflict and that his trip was also related to the OSCE co-chairs' visit to the region.
"I have come here to listen to you to find out what your positions is", he told President Aliyev.
Recalling the OSCE key principles of territorial integrity of states, the inviolability of borders and the observance of international legal norms, President Aliyev said Armenia had violated these principles by occupying 20% of Azeri lands, while the OSCE is in no hurry to take resolute action.
The President said he and his current Armenian counterpart had been in direct talks since 1999. Besides, the OSCE MG co-chairs are brokering the negotiations calling upon both parties to make compromises. "Both parties are treated equally even though one of them is aggressor and the other victim of this aggression", the President emphasized.
Mr. Gama responded that he regarded the President's remarks as a stimulus for a more active OSCE involvement in the conflict solution. He voiced his solidarity with President Aliyev that all countries must respect the OSCE principles and seek compromises for a negotiated settlement.
"The purpose of the OSCE and the Minsk Group is to help the region shake off the burden of conflicts and make it prosper", the Portuguese foreign minister concluded.
Prior to meeting with the President, the Portuguese minister met with his Azeri counterpart Vilayat Guliyev.
During the meeting, Min. Guliyev stated that Azerbaijan hopes the protracted Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict would finally be resolved while Portugal is president of the OSCE. Underscoring the slow pace of the negotiations, the Azeri minister accused Armenia of taking an uncooperative stance.
Stating Portugal's support for Azerbaijan, Mr. Gama pledged that his country would bolster implementation of the agreement on partnership and friendship between the EU and Azerbaijan. In regard to Portugal's recent admission to the OSCE Minsk Group, Mr. Gama vowed that his country would do its utmost to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict during its rotating presidency in the OSCE next year.
ANAMA CALLS TO MOBILIZE RESOURCES
On July 13, 2001, more than 7 years after the establishment of the ceasefire regime in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, around 12:30 p.m. be local time near the village of Yukhary Kurdmahmudlu, Fizuli district, on the bank of the river Kendelenchai, 7-year-old Ahmedov Asim Nabulla oglu stepped on a mine, lost a leg and received numerous fragment wounds. Later, he died in a hospital. A bit away from the incident place, another boy - Aljayev Alja Rafiq oglu, 12, received light wounds from mine fragments. The mine hazard does not spare civil sappers either, the professionals observing safety rules and protected by special uniforms.
After liberation of the occupied territories, mine-hazard problems will become even wider and more difficult to tackle. To address these problems, Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), acting in pursuance of the joint program of UNDP and Government of Azerbaijan "Azerbaijan Mine Action Program" calls on to everybody to mobilize all available resources to help fight mine danger in the country.
NABRAN MEETING OF JOURNALISTS
By Ganira Aliyeva
Azernews Contributor
The second scientific conference "Journalism in transition in Azerbaijan: problems and prospects" was held in Nabran resort area on July 13-15. It was organized by the "Ruh" committee for protection of journalists, sponsored by BP and dedicated to the 126th anniversary of Azeri press. It focused on most acute media problems in the country.
Opening the conference, the "Ruh" president Aflatun Amashov outlined issues on the agenda. Taking the floor afterwards, the BP media coordinator Tamam Bayatli said BP intends to invest $13 billion in Azerbaijan on three projects. The investment portfolio also envisions the formation a free press in the country.
President of the Eurasia Foundation Fuad Suleymanov spoke of the legal aspects of building free press. According to him, it is important to devise drafts bills on media, radio, television and newspapers. He said the law "On public television" would be approved soon in line with the requirements of the COE.
Touching upon the new press law, chairman of the "Yeni Nasil" journalistic association Arif Aliyev said the law is generally normal but some of its articles need to be amended. Chief editor of "Khalq Gazeti" Mahal Ismayiloglu underscored that Azeri press needs an explicit and progressive law meeting journalistic demands. He also focused on the transition to a Latin script and related problems. He emphasized that a newly established group under the "Khalq Gazeti" is working on the new Unicode program, which will appear in the market in mid-August.
Also discussed were issues pertaining to journalism piracy, language, etc.
NEW AZERI-RUSSIAN DOCUMENTS TO BE SIGNED
Some 10 inter-governmental documents will be signed during President Aliyev's upcoming official visit to Moscow. These include agreements on the status of Azeris residing in Russia and Russians in Azerbaijan, on the Gabala Radar Station, an Azeri-Russian inter-governmental economic cooperation program, etc.
President Aliyev is expected to pay the visit in late November.
ITALIAN EMBASSY REPRESENTS EUROPEAN UNION IN AZERBAIJAN
Since July 6, Italian embassy in Baku has also been carrying out the functions of European Union's representative office in Azerbaijan. The first half of the one-year mission, from July till December, the embassy will work in this capacity of Belgium, which has no embassy in Baku, according to a diplomatic source.
Prior to Italy, such responsibilities were fulfilled by embassy of Greece for 6 months.
CHINESE PROSECUTOR's OFFICE AND SUPREME COURT DELEGATIONS EXPECTED IN BAKU
The visit by a delegation of the Supreme Prosecutor's Office of China, due to start Tuesday, is expected to focus on cooperation between prosecutor's offices of the two countries. The delegation is expected to become familiar with Azerbaijan's law enforcement bodies.
Also expected in Baku is a delegation led by the chairman of China's Supreme People's Court. The judiciary officials will meet with heads of the Milli Mejlis Murtuz Alasgarov, prosecutor general Zakir Garalov, chairman of the Constitutional Court Khanlar Hajiyev, and Supreme Court executives. President Aliyev is expected to receive the delegation.
The visit will last till July 21.
OBSERVER STATUS TO BE INTRODUCED IN GUUAM
Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev told journalists last week that a status of observer would be developed within GUUAM, an organization uniting Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Moldova.
According to him, such countries as Brazil, Russia and Turkey have expressed an interest in the observer status in the organization.
The minister then dismissed media allegations concerning major embezzlement cases in Azerbaijan's diplomatic representations abroad. The minister told journalists that the financial irregularities discovered were insignificant and had to do with the purchase of some items for overseas embassies.
He added that such facts must not be linked to anyone in particular and vowed that those at fault would be held accountable.
BLACK SPIDER POISONING CASE REGISTERED
A resident of Bina settlement of Baku Famil Ismayilov, 18, was rushed to a toxicological center last week after being stung by a black spider.
Famil was working in his garden when he experienced a piercing pain in his foot, which was followed by lowered blood pressure and numbness in his limbs.
According to the director of the center Azer Magsudov, black spider bites are very uncharacteristic of Azerbaijan, with only 5 such cases registered last year.
Nonetheless, the doctor urged the population to exercise caution for the spider, which has a button-like shape.
DRUG ABUSERS TO BE ALLOWED TO USE MEDICINES
A program of reducing the damage caused by drugs is expected to get underway in Azerbaijan in a month, as the Cabinet of Ministers has approved a resolution to this effect. The resolution is based on the laws "On illegal drugs circulation of narcotic substances" and "On drug control", senior doctor of the National Narcotic Dispensary Araz Aliguliyev told Azernews Saturday.
Under the resolution, the Ministry of Health is to allow some drug abusers to use narcotics manufactured only by the pharmaceutical industry. This will hold true to those most desperately addicted to drugs.
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© 1998-2003 Azernews. All Rights Reserved.
Issue No.N29 (211), 2001
‘Peace process cannot be endless’, Baku tells OSCEShaki sentences grotesqueLebanon to open embassyABA TV closed downNews digestNationBusinessOil & gas news
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