Azernews.Az

Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin has said he blocked the establishment of a peacekeeping unit of the regional group GUAM.
In an interview with Russian Kommersant newspaper, Voronin said he was concerned to witness talk of forming such a battalion that emerged in 2007.
The Moldovan leader said the proponents of the idea explained it by the conflicts lingering in the territories of GUAM states - Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova - but he told them "to stop these games". He emphasized that the group's member states already had internationally-recognized peacekeeping forces able to do the job.
Voronin said that since all decisions in GUAM are passed based on a consensus, Moldova's objection did not allow the proposal to be accepted. "We refused to sign the document developed for the purpose, which prevented this idea from materializing."
Voronin said other goals were set out before GUAM when it was set up. "The Odessa-Brody-Gdansk conduit was being talked about a lot at the time. But when I looked at the map, I saw that this route passes far from Moldova."
The conduit originating in Ukraine is to be commissioned by 2010, providing an additional opportunity for Caspian crude exports to world markets.
The Moldovan president maintained that GUAM was failing to bring tangible benefits to its member states.
Asked whether his country intended to secede from the organization to follow Uzbekistan's suit, Voronin did not provide an unequivocal answer, saying such decisions were up to the Moldovan parliament.
"Our prospects at GUAM are hazy. If there is no economic interest, there will be no point in staying there," he added.
Ukrainian officials earlier said the peacekeeping unit of GUAM would consist of 530 personnel and comprise intelligence, communications, military police, logistics and other units. But the Azerbaijani government said the issue of creating such a unit was not on the agenda.