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PRESENT ACTIVE PROPAGANDA OF AZERBAIJAN IS DUE TO COMING HEARINGS OF FULFILLMENT OF THE COUNTRY'S COMMITTMENTS TO CE STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 17. ARMINFO. The activation of Azerbaijan's propaganda from the first days of 2004 is most probably due to the approaching of the Jan hearings of the fulfillment of that country's commitments to the Council of Europe. Such an opinion was expressed by Karabakh's President Ashot Gulyan said in his interview to Azat Artsakh concerning the recent reports by Azeri media that European Parliament is alegedly going to apply sanctions against Karabakh like it did with Transdniestria. "This is just to conceal Azerbaijan's own inability to fulfill CE commitments and to distract Europe's attention from that country numerous internal problems," Gulyan said. The aggravation of Europe's attitude to Azerbaijan after the recent presidential election and due to numerous reports of political imprisonments and human rights violations is forcing Baku to settle these problems at the expense of Karabakh. "I don't think that European officials take that seriously as they perfectly know what is actually going on in Karabakh." He noted that last year the International Human Rights Federation and the Freedom House NGO proclaimed Karabakh a more democratic country than Azerbaijan. "I think that Azerbaijan's attempts to lobby some European deputies into applying sanctions against Karabakh are futile. This is one more insinuation on the part of Baku." NEW YORK, JANUARY 17. ARMINFO. The Committee on the Rights of the Child today reviewed the second periodic report of Armenia on how that country is complying with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. According to UN information, introducing the report, Armenia's Minister of Social Security, Aghvan Vardanyan, said that since the consideration of the initial report, Armenia had continued to comply with the provisions of the Convention through the implementation of legislative and administrative measures. Most of its activities had been concentrated on social activities that aimed at enhancing children's rights in the country. The welfare of children has always been a central concern of the Armenian State. State policy is designed to protect the interests of the family and a number of special measures have been developed to ensure the protection of families in which the parents are divorced and families which have children born out of wedlock or adopted children. Further, the report notes that non-governmental organizations are actively involved in children's issues. Joyce Aluoch, the Committee Expert who served as country rapporteur to the report of Armenia, said the report had been prepared in accordance to the guidelines of the Committee contrary to the previous one. She said that the family law had been adopted, but it was not yet clear when children would start to enjoy its provisions. The report did not indicate the analysis made on the data collected on children. She asked if non-governmental organizations (NGOs) had participated in the preparation of the national plan of action for children? Had children and NGOs participated in the preparation of the report? Armenian law prohibited acts of discrimination, but there seemed to exist discrimination against children with disabilities, refugee children and street children, Ms. Aluoch noted. Another Expert said that there was no clear definition of the child with regard to the minimum age for sexual consent and criminal responsibility. An Expert asked if data collection was limited to children living in institutions or if it was extended to all children? Another speaker asked if the text of the Convention was distributed to school children. Committee Experts raised further questions, among other things, on the registration of births in remote regions; training of magistrates on children's rights; the large number of children deprived of a family environment and living in institutions; maintenance of children born out of wedlock; and the situation of children with disabilities living in rural areas. Committee Experts further queried the delegation on such issues as drug abuse; the increase in the number of prostitutes; the age for criminal responsibility for children who committed serious crimes; the use of extra-curricular activities and the inculcation of patriotism; the enforced recruitment of Azerbaijani children into the Armenian army; the loss of citizenship after 14 years of age for certain categories of children; absence of juvenile courts in some areas; and the fate of street children taken to reception centres. JOYCE ALUOCH, the Committee Expert who served as country rapporteur to the report of Armenia, said that although the State party had ratified the European Social Chapter, the country had no policy on trafficking in women and children. She recommended that the State party take further action that would enable it to ratify the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and on children in armed conflicts. HEADLINES OF JANUARY 17
FOREIGN LINE OF ACTUAL GOVERNMENT DOOMED TO FAILURE
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