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WORLD NEWSMonday 4 April 2016

Azerbaijan: Unilateral cease-fire against Nagorno-Karabakh

An Armenian volunteer is in a state of readiness in the town of Askeran in the separatist Nagorno- since the end of a full-scale Earlier Sunday, a spokesman
war in 1994. for Azerbaijan’s Defense Min-
Karabakh region. Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry announced a unilateral cease-fire Sunday against The Defense Ministry said, in istry, Vagif Dargyakhly, said
response to pleas from inter- Azerbaijani positions came
the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, but rebel forces in the area said that they continued national organizations, it will under fire overnight and that
be unilaterally “suspending civilian areas also were hit.
to come under fire from Azerbaijani forces. (Hrayr Badalyan/PAN Photo via AP) a counter-offensive and re- On Saturday, Armenia said 18
sponse on the territories oc- soldiers were killed and Azer-
AIDA SULTANOVA separatist region of Nagorno- flict for two decades flared cupied by Armenia.” The min- baijan reported 12 dead.
Associated Press Karabakh, but rebel forces in up over the weekend with istry added it will not focus on Footage from the village of
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — the area said that they contin- a boy and at least 30 troops fortifying the territory that Gapanli, over 250 kilometers
Azerbaijan’s Defense Minis- ued to come under fire from killed on both sides. Each side Azerbaijan has “liberated.” It east of Baku, on the Azerbai-
try announced a unilateral Azerbaijani forces. Fighting blamed the other for Satur- did not elaborate. Nagorno- jani side, showed Grad mul-
cease-fire Sunday against the in what was a dormant con- day’s escalation, the worst Karabakh, a region in Azer- tiple missile launchers firing
baijan, has been under the rounds from the field.
control of local ethnic Arme- Officials in the self-pro-
nian forces and the Armenian claimed republic of Nagorno-
military since a war ended in Karabakh promptly disputed
1994 with no resolution of the reports of the unilateral
the region’s status. The con- cease-fire, saying that the
flict is fueled by long-simmer- town of Martakert has been
ing tensions between Chris- heavily shelled all day de-
tian Armenians and mostly spite Azerbaijan’s pledge. Da-
Muslim Azeris. Armenian vid Babayan, spokesman for
forces also occupy several the Karabakh president, told
areas outside Nagorno-Kara- The Associated Press on Sun-
bakh proper. The sides are day that they had not seen
separated by a demilitarized any signs that fighting was
buffer zone, but small clashes suspended: “The situation is
have broken out frequently. quite the opposite.”

Deportation of migrants from Greece to Turkey starts Monday

DEMETRIS NELLAS management agency, is worst refugee crisis since lum claim that is rejected. tion of the deal and the
Associated Press responsible for the imple- World War II. For every person sent back, closure of European bor-
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — An mentation of the deal, but The EU-Turkey deal aims to EU countries would take in ders have slowed the flow
agreement between the has less than one tenth control the mass influx of one person confirmed to of people into Greece but
European Union and Turkey of the 2,300 officers that it people into Europe, many have made a legitimate not stopped it altogether.
to deport migrants current- needs to do the job. The of whom have crossed the asylum request. In the 24 hours leading to
ly on Greek islands back to agency relies on the EU’s dangerous Aegean Sea The deal was originally sup- 7:30 a.m. Sunday, 514 ar-
the Turkish mainland is to 28 member states to pro- with the help of smugglers. posed to take effect imme- rived, according to authori-
take effect Monday morn- vide translators and other Under the deal, migrants diately, on March 19, but ties. There are now over
ing, but the operation is officials to process asylum arriving illegally in Greece has faced delays due to 6,100 migrants in the Aege-
threatened by a shortage seekers, but these have not will be returned to Turkey if the shortage of personnel an islands, more than half
of personnel. been forthcoming, even they do not apply for asy- and other problems. in Lesbos
Frontex, the EU’s border as the continent faces its lum or if they make an asy- The looming implementa-