ArmenPress
Oct 6 2004

KARABAGH RIVERS WERE CONTAMINATED BY SOVIET AZERBAIJAN, POLITICAL
ANALYST SAYS

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Few people know that apart from
the so-called Minsk group, mandated by the OSCE to mediate peace
talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno Karabagh conflict,
there is another format, including representatives of Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabagh, USA and Russia who have been meeting
regularly behind the closed doors for the last four years to seek a
conflict resolution option that would be acceptable to all.
Little information is made public about how discussions, organized
within the frameworks of so-called Dortmund Forum, go on. The final
conclusion of the Forum is supposed to be presented to the
conflicting sides and peace brokers to help them strike the peace
deal.
Samvel Babayan, a political analysts from Nagorno Karabagh, who
participated in the latest meeting, said to RFE/Rl that discussions
held in Moscow are the sole venue where Nagorno Karabagh
representatives face Azeris.
“Azeris are very sensitive about any contact with Nagorno Karabagh
and because of that the discussions are held behind the closed doors,
however I believe that they will be more open,” he said.
He said the latest meeting was the 7 consecutive but it has not
yet outlined any progress. The Azerbaijani side was led by a former
foreign minister Tofik Zulfugarov, who insist that all Azeri lands
occupied by Armenian troops must be returned, which is not acceptable
to Karabagh.
“These territories are of vital importance for Nagorno Karabagh,
making today some 60 percent of its territory, and only 6-7 percent
of Azerbaijan,” Babayan said, adding that there are other aspects of
the issue. “There are some regions that cannot be given back, such as
Kelbajar, where all Karabagh rivers originate from. During the Soviet
times these rivers were contaminated by the order of Heydar Aliyev,
resulting in drastic increase in the number of cancer cases, though
before the 1970-s Karabagh boasted of its residents’ record live
expectancy in the USSR, and we have all grounds to say that then
Soviet Azerbaijan carried out hydro-terrorism against the population
of Karabagh,” he said.
Babayan said the US and Russian moderates do not offer concrete
proposals, acting as mediators in an effort to help the sides to find
the golden mean, which they have failed so far. According to him, the
Karabagh participants of the discussions may refuse to further
participate because of Azeris stiff position.