By empty (11/16/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

Speaking on 15 November at his joint press conference with visiting Estonian counterpart Arnold Ruutel, President Kocharian said he \"does not have much optimism\" at present over the prospects for resolving the Karabakh conflict, RFE/RL\'s Armenian Service reported. Kocharian identified as the two major obstacles to a negotiated settlement Azerbaijan\'s refusal to acknowledge representatives of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as a full-fledged party to the conflict and Azerbaijan\'s reluctance to embark on regional cooperation. (RFE/RL).

By empty (11/15/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The Union of Soldiers Mothers Committees is planning to meet with Chechen separatist envoy Akhmed Zakayev on November 23 or 24, the group has announced. \"The Soldiers\' Mothers\' talks with Zakayev, who was authorized to meet with us by Maskhadov, is to take place in late November, most probably on November 23 or 24, in Brussels,\" the Union\'s executive secretary Valentina Melnikova told Interfax on Monday. She was informed about the upcoming talks by European Parliamentary Deputy Bart Staes, Melnikova said.

By empty (11/15/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)

The Davra Kengashi, an NGO that brings together representatives of Uzbekistan\'s opposition parties and human rights activists, announced at a press conference in Tashkent on 12 November that it will boycott 26 December parliamentary elections, RFE/RL\'s Uzbek Service reported. The group, which includes representatives of the unregistered opposition parties Erk and Birlik, made the decision after the opposition made numerous unsuccessful attempts to register candidates through initiative groups. At the news conference, Erk (Freedom), Birlik (Unity), and Ozod Dehqonlar (Free Peasants) party representatives told journalists that local authorities used every possible formal pretext -- from rejecting signatures to ignoring document submissions -- to prevent initiative groups from registering candidates.