Azerbaijan: Baku Tells General Assembly Of Armenian Settlement Activity
By Robert McMahon

Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
Nov 24 2004

Azerbaijan’s foreign minister has urged the UN General Assembly to
adopt a resolution expressing concern over alleged Armenian settlements
in territories seized 10 years ago. Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
told the assembly that thousands of ethnic Armenians have resettled
in Azerbaijani districts near the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. But
Armenia’s UN ambassador denied any such activities. He told the
assembly that the bid for a UN resolution could undermine an ongoing
process directed by the OSCE.

United Nations, 24 November 2004 (RFE/RL) — Azerbaijan has urged
support for a UN General Assembly resolution that calls attention
to the situation in territories captured by ethnic Armenian forces
a decade ago.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told the assembly
yesterday that Baku was seeking UN engagement because he said basic
UN humanitarian principles were at stake.

Mammadyarov said his government had become alarmed by reports of
settlement activities that could threaten the return of hundreds
of thousands of displaced Azerbaijanis to their homes in districts
near Nagorno-Karabakh.

But he also stressed the primacy of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in mediating peace talks between
Azerbaijan and Armenia.

“We do not attempt to engage the General Assembly into consideration
of the conflict resolution issues,” Mammadyarov said. “The matter is
about the problem, which impedes the process of peace negotiations and,
if continued, could lead to a humanitarian disaster.”

The foreign minister said his country had gathered credible information
about a settlement policy promoted by the Armenian government in
Azerbaijani districts adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh. They include
Lachin, Kelbadjar, Zangilan, and Jabrail.

Armenia’s UN ambassador, Armen Martirosyan, denied any such policy.
But he did say that in order to address the charges, Armenia had
decided to facilitate a fact-finding team within the OSCE to assess the
situation in the territories. That is one of the requests contained
in the Azerbaijani resolution.Azerbaijan’s foreign minister said his
government had become alarmed by reports of settlement activities
that could threaten the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced
Azerbaijanis to their homes in districts near Nagorno-Karabakh.

He said Azerbaijan was trying to decouple the issue of the captured
territories from the whole group of issues discussed under the aegis
of the OSCE’s Minsk Group. A fundamental part of those talks, he said,
is the quest for self-determination by the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians.

Martirosyan said the territories are serving as a security belt around
Nagorno-Karabakh as a response to what he called the “war-mongering
rhetoric” of the Azerbaijani leadership.

“The issue of those territories cannot be resolved unless there is a
resolution on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and security guarantees
are provided,” Martirosyan said.

Turkey’s UN ambassador spoke in favor of the draft resolution,
calling it a “cry out of frustration” by Azerbaijani officials.

But U.S. representative Susan Moore, speaking on behalf of the Minsk
Group, said the Minsk process is the best forum for resolving the
dispute. She said efforts should be focused on building confidence
between the two sides and avoiding divisions in the General Assembly.

“Azerbaijan is raising specific concerns linked to the situation in
Nagorno-Karabakh,” Moore said. “We believe these concerns can be fully
addressed in the existing format. As a first step an OSCE fact-finding
mission could be considered as a means to address this issue.”

The assembly chair said the chamber would continue discussions on
the resolution at an unspecified later date.