June 1, 2005 - 08:59 AMT
BAKU CRITICIZES PACE POSITION ON KARABAKH ISSUE
Yesterday in Paris the Political Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) passed a decision on expanding the composition of the subcommittee on the Karabakh conflict. Representatives of the opposition forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan represented in the PACE will be included in it, Milli Mejlis deputy and member of the Azeri group Asim Mollazade stated, Echo Azeri newspaper reports. In his words, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE addressed the sitting yesterday. "He subjected the CoE to sharp criticism for inactivity in the Karabakh conflict settlement", Mollazade says. According to Mollazade, Seidov express dissatisfaction with the implementation of the PACE resolution on the Karabakh conflict. He stressed that 2 years have passed since the adoption of the resolution, however no real steps were undertaken for its realization. Besides, the parliamentarian said that the Azeri delegation head offered to hold the sitting of the subcommittee in Baku simultaneously with the sitting of the Monitoring Committee and the Committee on Refugees (July 4-5, 2005). Mollazade also expressed dissatisfaction with the principle of formation of the Committee on Karabakh. "The principles of the Council of Europe are violated. For some reason representatives of the ruling party only are included in the Committee", he said indignantly. According to Mollazade his remarks were welcomed and "all agreed that the issue has an international importance." In this view the Azeri parliamentarian stressed that the finite composition on the Committee on Karabakh will be ratified late June during the Assembly Session. At that very time the decision on expanding the composition will be taken, he assured.