Interfax
Nov 17 2004

Armenia against UN involvement in Nagorno-Karabakh issue

Yerevan. (Interfax-AVN) – Armenia expressed disapproval on Tuesday of
any international body except the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) being involved in efforts to settle the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“Either Armenia continues negotiations with Azerbaijan within the
framework of the Minsk Group of the OSCE and in the context of the
agreements that have been reached or Azerbaijan should hold
negotiations with Nagorno-Karabakh or with Armenia with the
participation of the Karabakh side,” Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanian told reporters.

He said UN resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh proposed by Azerbaijan
would be an obstacle to the settlement process.

“If Azerbaijan wishes to remove individual tasks and solutions from
the total package of the Karabakh settlement process and to lobby
them with organizations that have nothing to do with the settlement
of the Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan should in that case hold
negotiations either with Nagorno-Karabakh or with Armenia with the
participation of the Karabakh side,” he said.

Earlier, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammedyarov told
Interfax: “The inclusion of an item on the situation on the occupied
territories of Azerbaijan in the UN General Assembly agenda will
exercise nothing but a positive effect on the negotiation process.”

“We take the view that the debate in the UN by no means replaces
debates in the OSCE Minsk Group,” he said.

“It is difficult to see the negotiations as frank when, along with
them, the Armenian side is populating occupied territories in
Azerbaijan, including beyond the administrative border of Nagorno-
Karabakh,” he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress