22:11, 15 September 2004

New PACE rapporteur on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict appointed

New rapporteur on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was appointed at the session of the PACE Political Affairs Committee in Paris yesterday. He is David Atkinson, head of the Azerbaijan Delegation to the PACE Samed Seidov told the Caucasian Knot correspondent. He will take the place of Terry Davis, who assumed office of Council of Europe Secretary General since September 1, 2004. A report prepared by Terry Davis was discussed during the session. The committee approved it on the whole and decided that Mr Atkinson would continue to work on the document and submit it for consideration at the January 2005 PACE session.

In Mr Seidov's words, the new rapporteur is an authoritative PACE deputy and leads the democratic group, the part of which the Azerbaijan delegation is. "Being the continuator of Terry Davis's line, Mr Atkinson must take the stand of his predecessor to a certain extent," he said.

Author: Zaur Rasulzade, CK correspondent

Source: Caucasian Knot