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Baku Today, Azerbaijan
June 24 2004
Azeri Official Calls for More Tolerance
Baku Today 24/06/2004 11:16
An official from the president's administration on Wednesday said
while he understands the feelings of ordinary Azerbaijanis protesting
against the arrival of two Armenian officers in Baku to attend a NATO
conference, he underlined that all protest actions have to be within
norms of law.
"It is very normal to protest anything that you don't like. But it
doesn't mean that you may break windows of a hotel or attack a
conference hall," said Ali Hasanov, head of the social and political
department at the presidential apparatus.
Hasanov was referring to Tuesday's protest action by the Karabakh
Liberation Organization (KLO) in front of Baku's Europe hotel where a
planning conference for NATO's `Cooperative Best Effort-2004'
military training was taking place. Several dozen members of the KLO
attempted to rally in front of the hotel to protest the Armenian
participants of the conference, Colonel Murad Isakhanyan and Senior
Lieutenant Aram Hovhanesian.
Although police prevented the protestors from assembling in front of
the hotel, a group of 15-20 young KLO members managed to broke into
the hotel, after which the work of the conference was stopped for
about ten minutes. During a squabble with police and guard of the
hotel, the protestors broke several windows of the building.
Hasanov noted that the people of Azerbaijan will not stand the
occupation of their historical lands. But he added: `The Azeri people
are very cultural, so we have to be more tolerant."
June 24 2004
Azeri Official Calls for More Tolerance
Baku Today 24/06/2004 11:16
An official from the president's administration on Wednesday said
while he understands the feelings of ordinary Azerbaijanis protesting
against the arrival of two Armenian officers in Baku to attend a NATO
conference, he underlined that all protest actions have to be within
norms of law.
"It is very normal to protest anything that you don't like. But it
doesn't mean that you may break windows of a hotel or attack a
conference hall," said Ali Hasanov, head of the social and political
department at the presidential apparatus.
Hasanov was referring to Tuesday's protest action by the Karabakh
Liberation Organization (KLO) in front of Baku's Europe hotel where a
planning conference for NATO's `Cooperative Best Effort-2004'
military training was taking place. Several dozen members of the KLO
attempted to rally in front of the hotel to protest the Armenian
participants of the conference, Colonel Murad Isakhanyan and Senior
Lieutenant Aram Hovhanesian.
Although police prevented the protestors from assembling in front of
the hotel, a group of 15-20 young KLO members managed to broke into
the hotel, after which the work of the conference was stopped for
about ten minutes. During a squabble with police and guard of the
hotel, the protestors broke several windows of the building.
Hasanov noted that the people of Azerbaijan will not stand the
occupation of their historical lands. But he added: `The Azeri people
are very cultural, so we have to be more tolerant."