Ronald Suny: Kocharian Can’t Settle Karabakh Issue

Azg/am
29 Oct 04

Ronal Suny, professor at Chicago University, voiced an opinion
that the current RA President isn’t able to settle Nagorno Karabakh
issue. According to Mediamax, commenting on the terrorist act taken
place at RA Parliament, Suny, expert on Caucasus, said: “Those events
were a tragedy for Armenia, the whole Caucasus, even for the former
Soviet Union, as Vazgen Sargsian and Karen Demirchain were leaders
that could settle Nagorno Karabakh issue and create certain stability
in Armenia, as well as in the South Caucasus. Without these people
the settlement of the region’s important issues reached a stagnancy.”

Answering BBC’s question, who could be the organizer of the terrorist
act, Suny said: “It’s a complicated issue. It seems to me that, anyway,
that was organized by a small group of conspirators. Certainly, there
were people that grew stronger after that, but that was the consequence
of the murder and not its reason. Let’s suppose that Kocharian was
interested in the murder too, as Demirchain and Sargsian were very
powerful persons holding the real power in their hands. Afterwards,
Kocharian remained the only person possessing power. He doesn’t have
serious opponents and enemies, but I think that Kocharian can’t settle
Nagorno Karabakh issue.”

Azg Daily: Ronald Suny says that Kocharian can’t settle Nagorno
Karabakh issue but he doesn’t explain why. On the other hand, the
allies of Vazgen Sargsian and Karen Demirchain, victims of terrorist
act, state that they became the victims of Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
as they were against the variant of exchanging the territories. But
Suny says the contrary in his comments, emphasizing that the very
Sargsian and Demirchain could settle Nagorno Karabakh issue.