COUNCIL OF EUROPE SETS CONDITIONS FOR ADMISSION OF ARMENIA, AZER

Following a heated two-day discussion, representatives of the Council of Europe Foreign Ministers voted late on 8 November to admit both Armenia and Azerbaijan to that body. The council had ruled in June that the two countries should be accepted as full members simultaneously. But it made Azerbaijan's membership contingent on clarification of international criticism of the parliamentary ballot and the adoption of amendments to the constitution and laws on elections and the media, according to Turan. Armenia must also amend its election and media laws. Both countries are urged to intensify efforts to resolve the Karabakh conflict.