US remarks on Karabakh reflect attitude to Armenian authorities – politician

Noyan Tapan news agency
20 Jan 05

YEREVAN

The process of settling the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict has failed for
Armenia, the chairman of the Democratic Party of Armenia [DPA], Aram
Sarkisyan, said at a meeting with journalists on 19 January. He said
that the statement of US Assistant State Secretary for European and
Eurasian Affairs Elizabeth Jones, which was also joined by the US
State Department, has nullified the arguments of the Armenian
authorities that if a peacekeeping contingent is sent to Iraq, the US
position on the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict will be
much softer.

Sarkisyan recalled that David Atkinson’s report, which, he said,
clearly describes the Karabakh conflict as a territorial dispute
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, will be discussed in Strasbourg
soon. This means that Karabakh, as a subject of the negotiations, is
sidelined from this process and that the well-known 1918 decision of
the League of Nations, which is unacceptable to Armenia, will be
discussed.

Sarkisyan is convinced that if Armenia had its own clear-cut position,
none of the superpowers would be able to put pressure on it, since
both the USA and Russia are co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group. He
said that the US statements reflect the attitude to the Armenian
authorities.

He described as “ridiculous” the fact that the Armenian peacekeeping
contingent was sent to Iraq to the accompaniment of music. Stressing
that it is known what sort of fate awaits the soldiers who have been
sent to Iraq, Sarkisyan also pointed out that anti-Armenian sentiments
are already obvious in Lebanon, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.