Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
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E-mail: anca@anca.org
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PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 23, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
AZERBAIJAN’S DIVISIVE CAMPAIGN AT UNITED NATIONS
THREATENS TO DERAIL KARABAGH PEACE PROCESS
— Rep. Pallone Speaks Out Against Destructive UN resolution
— ANCA Leads Grassroots Campaign to Urge the
Administration to Oppose Destabilizing Measure
WASHINGTON, DC – The ANCA, today, issued an appeal to Secretary of
State Colin Powell urging him to “strenuously and publicly oppose”
an Azerbaijani-sponsored United Nations resolution which would
seriously undermine the Nagorno Karabagh peace process. The action
follows a strongly worded November 19th House floor statement by
Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and an
earlier joint letter by the Armenian Caucus Co-chairs calling the
resolution “ill-advised” and urging the U.S. take decisive action
against the measure.
United Nations consideration the resolution, which would seek to
condemn the repatriation of Armenians to their ancestral homes in
Nagorno Karabagh, may come as early as Wednesday, November 24th.
Azerbaijan has pressed forward with its resolution, despite
opposition from the Co-Chairs of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group. The Co-Chairs have noted
that, “introducing this issue to the United Nations General
Assembly may have two negative consequences. In light of the
situation we have outlined, this will be detrimental to the efforts
to find a just and lasting settlement of the issue, particularly at
this time. Secondly, it will fail to achieve consensus, a
situation that will not be helpful. We advise avoiding this
situation.”
Azerbaijani Ambassador to the UN, Yashar Aliyev, began lobbying in
support of the resolution on October 14th, the day that he
submitted a letter requesting that it be included on the UN General
Assembly agenda. Both the UN General Committee and General
Assembly have voted to allow the matter to be considered. The
United States, along with Minsk Group Co-Chairs France and Russia,
have abstained on both votes.
In his November 19th remarks, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) expressed
alarm that “the United State has thus far failed to compellingly
address the resolution. . . This failure by the Administration now
has the potential to undermine U.S. interests and American values
in the strategically important Caucasus region.” The full text of
Rep. Pallone’s speech is provided below.
The November 7th letter from the Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank
Pallone and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) raised similar concerns,
stressing that, “efforts to reinforce stability and reduce the risk
of conflict are in the best interests of the U.S. and the South
Caucasus region. To this end, we urge that the United States
forcefully renounce this proposal, secure its retraction, and
impress upon the Azerbaijani government that it should drop such
counter-productive tactics in favor of a serious and lasting
commitment to the OSCE Minsk Group process.”
In the days leading up the vote, ANCA chapters around the country
have mobilized local activists to urge the U.S. Ambassador to the
United Nations to actively oppose the Azerbaijani measure. The
ANCA launched a free WebFax campaign on its website –
— to Secretary Powell and US Ambassador to the UN John Danforth,
calling for an unequivocal “no” vote on the resolution. The WebFax
letter explains that Azerbaijan’s resolution “works at cross-
purposes to America’s interests, which are best served by continued
dialogue. In fact, the only interests served by Azerbaijan’s
resolution will be those of hardliners in Baku who seek the
fragmentation of the OSCE framework, the unraveling of ten year’s
worth of negotiations, and the resumption of hostilities in the
region. . . The United States, as a co-chair of the Minsk Group and
an honest broker to the negotiating process, should strenuously,
and publicly oppose this measure at every stage.”
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STATEMENT BY CONGRESSIONAL ARMENIAN CAUCUS CO-CHAIR
REP. FRANK PALLONE (D-NJ)
ON DESTRUCTIVE AZERBAIJAN SPONSORED
RESOLUTION AT THE UNITED NATIONS
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to bring to our
attention Azerbaijan’s recent introduction of an ill-advised United
Nations General Assembly resolution regarding what Azerbaijan
erroneously refers to as “the situation in the occupied
territories of Azerbaijan.”
This intentionally disruptive resolution directly and significantly
threatens efforts towards a peaceful settlement over the Nagorno –
Karabagh conflict. Furthermore, it jeopardizes the principles and
procedures of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe and specifically the Minsk Group mediation effort, co-
chaired by the United States, France and Russia, to resolve the
Karabagh conflict.
Azerbaijan’s proposal represents a hostile declaration against the
entire peace process, aimed only at fostering increased
divisiveness. Its consideration can only set back the cause of
peace.
Mr. Speaker, it is disturbing to note that this resolution was
recently approved to be included on the U.N. General Assembly’s
agenda. Even more alarming is the fact that the United States has
thus far failed to compellingly address the resolution, choosing to
instead abstain from every vote in which they had an opportunity to
halt the advancement of this destructive measure. This failure by
the administration now has the potential to undermine U.S.
interests and American values in the strategically important
Caucasus region.
Mr. Speaker, the vital role the United States plays as an honest
broker in the Nagorno -Karabagh peace process is gravely threatened
by the administration’s continued lack of decisive action. Given
our commitment to keeping the parties talking and moving forward,
it is necessary for the U.S. to act forcefully against
destabilizing steps that will unravel the peace process. Our
interests are best served by the continuation of dialogue on the
outstanding issues related to Nagorno -Karabagh within the OSCE
framework and not by the fragmentation of this orderly process.
Since the beginning of the Nagorno -Karabagh conflict, Armenia has
been committed to finding a peaceful solution. Moreover, I cannot
stress enough the crucial role that the U.S. plays in the
negotiations over Nagorno -Karabagh to help the people of this
region find a lasting and equitable peace. These actions by
Azerbaijan subvert these efforts and seriously complicate our
diplomacy in the Caucasus region. A failure on our part to
forcefully and publicly confront the Azerbaijani government over
these destabilizing maneuvers would send extremely dangerous
signals to Azerbaijan.
Mr. Speaker, the U.S. must take action to condemn Azerbaijan’s
desperate acts of destructive venue shopping, and we here in this
Chamber must do everything that we can to ensure that all parties
involved in this conflict make a genuine commitment towards peace
and stability. Action on the part of the U.S. must go further than
the OSCE joint statement that was released in which the members of
the Minsk Group expressed their concern and opposition towards the
Azeri resolution. Beyond merely releasing a statement, the U.S.
must demonstrate its views by taking a stance and voting against
this measure.
I urge the U.S. to forcefully renounce this proposal, secure its
retraction and impress upon the Azerbaijani government that it
should drop such counterproductive tactics in favor of serious and
lasting commitment to the OSCE Minsk Group process.
The OSCE Minsk Group process cannot survive Azerbaijan’s
destabilizing tactics. Continued tampering with this process will
inevitably produce a chain reaction resulting in its demise. We
cannot afford to allow Azerbaijan to continue to disrupt the work
of the OSCE, which, as my colleagues know, has been recognized by
the U.N. itself as the lead arbiter in this conflict.
Finally, it is time for the U.S. to be more forceful with
Azerbaijan and to make clear that their tactics are not helpful to
a peaceful and just resolution of the Nagorno -Karabagh conflict.
Once again, it is imperative, Mr. Speaker, for the U.S. to vote
against this U.N. resolution, thereby clearly demonstrating that
there are serious consequences to actions that disturb the regional
Caucasus peace, security and prosperity.
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