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ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS TO STAY AN EXTRA YEAR IN IRAQ

The Armenian parliament passed a memorandum yesterday prolonging the stay of Armenian peacekeepers in Iraq. RA defense ministre Serge Sargsian, representative of RA President, said in his speech that the previous experience of Armenian peacekeepers in Iraq has proved the relevancy of that decision. Some of our soldiers will receive medals from the command of multinational forces; few others will be awarded by an Iraqi non-profit organization.

"The presence of the Armenian detachment in Iraq secures Armenia's participation in international processes and is a guarantee of safety," Sargsian argued the deployment of Armenian peacekeeping contingent.

Answering a question about political situation in the country, Sargsian said: "Would we send a detachment to Iraq if the situation within the state was unstable?" Asked what he thinks about international communities calls to punish the forgers of constitutional referendum, defense minister said: "If there was fraud, if there is evidence for it those responsible will certainly be punished."

By Marietta Khachatrian