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A6 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 4 november 2020
Russia FM: 2,000 Mideast militants fight in Nagorno-Karabakh

By AVET DEMOURIAN residential areas was bro-
Associated Press ken hours after it was made
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Friday. The warring sides
Russia's top diplomat said have repeatedly blamed
Tuesday that about 2,000 each other for violations.
fighters from the Middle Artillery fire hit the region's
East have joined the fight- capital Stepanakert on
ing over Nagorno-Kara- Tuesday night and Nago-
bakh, the worst outbreak rno-Karabakh emergen-
of hostilities in the conflict cies ministry also said three
between Armenia and rockets hit the strategically
Azerbaijan in more than a key city of Shushi.
quarter-century. Azerbaijani President Ilham
Russian Foreign Minister Aliyev has insisted that
Sergey Lavrov's statement Azerbaijan has the right to
came as the warring par- reclaim its territory by force
ties traded accusations after three decades of fruit-
over new attacks in the re- less international media-
gion. tion. He said that Armenia
"We are certainly worried must pledge to withdraw
about the internationaliza- from Nagorno-Karabakh
tion of the Nagorno-Kara- as a condition for a lasting
bakh conflict and the in- truce.
volvement of militants from Azerbaijani troops have
the Middle East," Lavrov reclaimed control of sev-
said in an interview with the eral regions on the fringes
Russian business daily Kom- of Nagorno-Karabakh and
mersant. "We have repeat- A tail of a multiple rocket 'Smerch' sticks out in a tomb at a cemetery, after shelling by Azerbaijan's pressed their offensive into
artillery in Stepanakert, the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.
edly asked foreign players Associated Press the separatist territory from
to use their potential to the south, trying to cut a
stop the transfer of mili- backed by Armenia since rocket systems. position fighters to fight in link between the separatist
tants, whose number in the a war there ended in 1994. Armenian officials accuse Nagorno-Karabakh. territory and Armenia.
conflict zone is approach- The latest outburst of hostili- Turkey of being directly in- The heavy fighting involving Lavrov said that Russia was
ing 2,000." ties began Sept. 27 and has volved in the conflict and heavy artillery, rockets and continuing to push for hos-
Lavrov added that Rus- left hundreds — perhaps sending mercenaries from drones has raged despite tilities to end, noting that it's
sian President Vladimir Pu- thousands — dead, mark- Syria to fight on Azerbai- repeated international at- working on a set of verifica-
tin raised the issue in last ing the worst escalation of jan's side. tempts to end hostilities. A tion measures needed to
week's phone call with Turk- fighting since the war's end. Turkey has denied deploy- U.S.-brokered truce frayed achieve a lasting cease-
ish President Recep Tayyip Azerbaijan has relied on ing combatants to the immediately after it took ef- fire, including the possible
Erdogan. strong support from its ally region, but a Syrian war fect last week, just like two deployment of internation-
Nagorno-Karabakh lies Turkey, which has trained monitor and Syria-based previous cease-fires negoti- al observers under the ae-
within Azerbaijan but has Azerbaijani military and opposition activists have ated by Russia, and the lat- gis of the Organization for
been under the control of provided it with strike confirmed that Turkey has est pledge by Armenia and Security and Cooperation
ethnic Armenian forces drones and long-range sent hundreds of Syrian op- Azerbaijan not to target in Europe. q

Thai protest leader says movement won't back down on demand

back down from its most the constitution to be gal use of a loudspeaker in
controversial demand, that amended to make it more public to sedition. As a re-
the country's monarchy un- democratic, and the mon- sult, most have been in and
dergo reforms. archy reformed to make its out of jail several times.
Lawyer Arnon Nampha activities more transparent Arnon said the protest
also told a crowd outside and accountable. The pro- movement will insist on its
Bangkok Remand Prison testers have been holding three demands, and even
that the movement would almost daily rallies around if it compromises on the
hold a large demonstration the country, some attract- prime minister's resignation
in front of Parliament if a ing upwards of 10,000 peo- and amending the consti-
draft constitutional amend- ple. tution, it will stick to the third
ment the protesters are Arnon spoke to more than concerning the monarchy.
seeking is not approved in 100 supporters who gath- The protesters believe the
its next session, scheduled ered outside the prison monarchy wields too much
for mid-November. after he and three other power, but to royalists it is a
In this Oct. 14, 2020, file photo, human rights lawyer Arnon "When Parliament opens, protest leaders were freed untouchable institution that
Nampha raises a three-finger salute, a symbol of resistance, and if they do not pass the from custody when a court is the heart and soul of the
talks to supporters during a protest near Democracy monument draft amendment of the refused to extend their de- nation. Public criticism of it
Bangkok, Thailand. constitution, we will close tention, which had been is unprecedented, and a
Associated Press
Parliament with our own requested by police. lese majeste law makes de-
By CHALIDA EKVITTHAY- leader of Thailand's pro-de- hands," he said. Police have filed dozens faming the monarch and
AVECHNUKUL mocracy protests insisted The movement wants of charges against them his immediate family pun-
Associated Press Tuesday that the student- Prime Minister Prayuth in connection with several ishable by up to 15 years'
BANGKOK (AP) — A top led movement will not Chan-ocha to step down, protests, ranging from ille- imprisonment.q