EARLY SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT DEPENDS ON CONFLICTING PARTIES’ MUTUAL
CLAIMS: US CO-CHAIR OF OSCE MG

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 25. ARMINFO. The early settlement of the Karabakh
conflict depends on the mutual claims that the conflicting parties
are laying against each other, OSCE MG US co-chair Stephen Mann says
in his interview to RFE Azeri Office.

He says that the US has not changed its stance on the Karabakh conflict
settlement – it advocates peaceful solutions to the problem with due
consideration for the interests of all conflicting parties. There
are many reasons why the problem should be settled quickly. Such a
protracted conflict is all but contributing to stability in South
Caucasus while stability and dynamic development in the region are
a srtong priority for the US.

Mann says that in the last year OSCE MG has done much work to have
the dialogue resumed. As a result, the FMs have held four meetings in
Prague and the presidents met twice under MG aegis. These meetings
were not talks but a dialogue, an exchange of views while OSCE MG
wants it to be a full negotiating process.

Commenting on Azerbaijan’s initiative for UN’s discussing “the
situation over the occupied Azeri territories” Mann says that the
Karabakh problem has traditionally been considered in the framework
of OSCE MG. He wonders how this initiative contribute to the
settlement. This is the questions the parties should ask themselves
every time they take some step.

Mann says that there are no absolutely successful formats but MG has
been working for many years already and has proved quite effecient
in the matter. “We are going to continue this work,” says Mann noting
that the world community does not send MG to the region to be judges
there but to organize talks between the conflicting parties. Mann is
realistic – he says that if the talks are resumed the conflict will
be settled very quickly. Otherwise the “no war no peace” situation may
stay for many more decades. Mann calls “a nonsense” the possibility of
resumed war. Both parties are trying hard to restore their economies
while resumed war may only distract them from this process. There
will be no winner in the resumed war, says Mann.