Azeri foreign minister says UN may discuss breakaway region again

ANS TV, Baku
29 Dec 04

The Azerbaijani foreign minister has warned that the draft resolution
on the situation on the country’s occupied lands may again be tabled
at the UN General Assembly, depending on the outcome of a January
meeting with the Armenian foreign minister. In an interview with the
Azerbaijani private TV station ANS, Elmar Mammadyarov was quoted as
saying that Azerbaijan did never take any commitment not to discuss
the situation on its lands occupied by Armenia at the UN. The
following is the text of report by Azerbaijani TV station ANS on 29
December

[Presenter] The discussion of the draft resolution on the situation on
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan at the UN General Assembly may
depend on the outcome of a meeting between the Azerbaijani and
Armenian foreign ministers on 10 January. The Azerbaijani foreign
minister says Baku will demand that the OSCE’s fact-finding mission
examine all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

[Correspondent, over video of scenes in Baku, UN building] Baku has
not taken any commitment or issued any guarantee not to table the
draft resolution on the situation on the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan at the UN General Assembly. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov says that everything depends on how the discussions
with Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan proceed.

[Mammadyarov, captioned, speaking to ANS journalist] Point 163 is
still on the agenda of the UN General Assembly. So is the Azerbaijani
resolution I presented. As for the aforesaid issue, everything depends
on how we negotiate and whether we really have a breakthrough in
January. Of course, it is important to us. If we really have serious
negotiations and reach agreement with Armenia, the situation changes.

[Correspondent] It will be clear during the forthcoming discussions
between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Prague on 10
January whether it is possible to look optimistically into the future
of the negotiations on the country’s number one [Karabakh] problem.

[Mammadyarov] I will be able to give an accurate answer to this
question after the January meeting because I and my Armenian
counterpart came to agreement at the last meeting that we will start
serious discussions in January.

[Correspondent] It is seen from Yerevan’s statements that it is not
possible to achieve any result that could satisfy Azerbaijan during
the negotiations. Saying that this is a sensitive issue and the
Armenian public is also sensitive about it, Mammadyarov did not
outline the negotiations. But he believes that the realities on the
negotiations table are different from statements.

[Mammadyarov] I cannot say exactly what issues are being discussed. Of
course, the occupied lands should be liberated and internally
displaced people should return. This is one of the main points.

[Correspondent] The OSCE’s fact-finding mission that will examine the
situation on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan will be in Baku in
late January before visiting those territories. Evaluating this as a
result of Azerbaijan’s tabling the draft resolution at the UN General
Assembly, Mammadyarov said that information on the resettlement of the
Armenians on the occupied Azerbaijani lands as well as on the conflict
in general will be provided to the mission.

The OSCE [Minsk Group] Russian co-chairman, Yuriy Merzlyakov, has said
that the fact-finding mission will examine the districts around
Nagornyy Karabakh only. Mammadyarov did not agree with Merzlyakov and
said that Nagornyy Karabakh is also an occupied territory.

[Mammadyarov] The issue is put in the way that the mission will
examine all the occupied territories.

[Correspondent] Is it possible to expect an unbiased investigation
from the OSCE’s fact-finding mission? Stressing that the mission
includes representatives of some other countries along with the
co-chairmen [of the Minsk Group], the foreign minister is not
downbeat.

[Mammadyarov] Italy, Germany, Finland and Switzerland will be
represented there. Finland, for example, used to chair in the Minsk
Group, Switzerland presided too, Italy was the first chairman and
Germany has always been an active member of the Minsk Group. I think,
on the one hand, they have information, on the other hand, they will
gather more unbiased information if they go to the occupied lands.

[Correspondent] Saying that Azerbaijan is interested in having the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict discussed at various international
organizations, the foreign minister thinks that these discussions can
speed up a solution to the problem. The Nagornyy Karabakh problem will
be in focus at the January session of the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe. The opposition and pro-government MPs of the
Armenian parliament have said they will share a common position. How
is Azerbaijan braced for that? The [Azerbaijani] foreign minister said
that [Council of Europe] rapporteur David Atkinson’s report has
already been sent to the country’s ambassadors in Europe.

[Mammadyarov] Of course, the ambassadors have a list of members of the
European parliaments who are also members of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe, and they have met them and
expressed Azerbaijan’s position.

[Correspondent] Saying that serious work lies ahead for the country’s
policy on the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict in 2005, Mammadyarov said
that the main question was not when [to resolve] the problem, but how
to restore the territorial integrity.

Qanira Pasayeva, Emil Babaxanov for ANS.