EVEN THE FORMULATING "ETHNIC SEPARATIONS"
ISN'T DANGEROUS

At the same time the Armenian delegation in PACE will try to make certain of those general formulating in David Atkinson's resolution which we don't know refer to our country or Azerbaijan.

The winter sitting of PACE will begin in Strasbourg on Monday the most important events of, which are considered the speeches of the Ukraine and Georgia presidents. The report on admission of Georgia's obligations towards CoE will be listened on 26 January about what Sahakashvili has some complains. Here he is on a visit to PACE by his initiation where he made a speech only a year ago. The report on observation of the presidential elections of the Ukraine will be listened on 24 January. But Yushchenko will make a speech next day.
The members of the parliament will choose the new chairman of the PACE on the first day. According to Azatutiun broadcasting station the head of the European people's party fraction in PACE Rene Van Der Linden will be appointed as the PACE chairman instead of Piter Shider. The members of this fraction, which is the second by its size, are Artashes Geghamian and Karen Karapetian. "Azatutiun" broadcasting station passed the future PACE speaker Rene Van Der Linden's appraisals on our region: "We were the evidences of some variations of democratic processes in the countries of Southern Caucasus. I think Armenia will realize all obligations towards PACE but there are some areas till today where the developments call in question in the chosen position. It is spoken about the fight against corruption, constitutional changes, the issues on freedom of the press and transformation."
The issues on tsunami in the Southern and SouthEastern Asia, the relations of Europe with the USA, the court prosecution against "Yukos" company will be discussed in the agenda of PACE on 24-28 January. The PACE delegates will celebrate the 60th anniversary of liberation of Osventsim concentration camp. But the most important for Armenia are the one-hour discussions on David Atkinson's report and his prepared resolution at 13:00 by our time on January 25. The last date for changes in this document is 19:00, 24 January. Till that, the members of our delegation don't reveal what suggestions of changes they will produce in the resolution for not showing their cards to the enemy. It is only known that those changes are refers to those points where general formulating is given without concretizing to whom they are addressed: to Armenia or Azerbaijan. The head of the Armenian delegation in PACE has elucidated it who has also said about the expression "ethnic separations" in Atkinson's document that he is sure what the Azerbaijanis realized in Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad, Shahumian and the nearest regions are "the best examples of ethnic separation. But I don't consider this formulating dangerous for us."
The members of the Armenian delegation are sure they await a difficult work to manage to realize changes in the resolution. One of the reasons is that which announced Tigran Torosian in the interview after PACE sitting of the commission on political issue where the project of Atkinson's resolution was accepted. That is, in contrast to Azerbaijan, which has a relative country like Turkey in CoE, which acts in favor of Azerbaijan Armenia hasn't got such kind of relative country. The head of our delegation in PACE even remembered our "strategic ally" Russia mentioning that the relations of Russia with Azerbaijan isn't less important.
Another circumstance troubles the situation: "The work of Foreign Affairs is absent." It is quoted from the speech of "Justice" fraction in PACE Shavarsh Cochran who has lately affirmed the delegation will be unified in this sitting: "The discrepancy within the delegation refers to the RA internal political situation, the problems of democracy, we don't have discrepancy on Karabakh issue." It is known that all members of our delegation have wanted to make speeches during the discussion of the report and it has been divided from what side every member of the delegation will speak on the Karabakh issue.
But the most important is that the realization of Atkinson's resolution will be discussed in 2006 too and the sides must produce what they have done. But till that Tigran Torosian assures again: " I think no serious problem will occur for Armenia in its nowadays form after last sitting of the commission.

Anna Israelian

P.S. The "Aravot" correspondent will elucidate the works of PACE sitting from Strasbourg next week.