Baku Today, Azerbaijan
Feb 24 2005

OSCE report on Karabagh of familiarization nature

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) has been paying more attention
to the Karabagh issue of late, as OSCE is closely cooperating with
both Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Assembly’s rapporteur on Karabagh
Goran Lennmarker told journalists on Tuesday, according to Assa
Irada.

`I will be careful enough during the talks with the parties to the
conflict. Preparing a report on the Upper Karabagh conflict is aimed
at drawing the attention of the international community to the
conflict,’ he said.

The rapporteur explained the prolonged settlement of the Upper
Karabagh conflict with the lack of the international community’s
awareness on the problem. He emphasized that the conflict resolution
depends on the parties and that his mission does not aim to interfere
with the work of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Just like the PACE, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s report will be of
familiarization nature, he said. Lennmarker went on to say that his
fact-finding report on Karabagh will include the causes, status and
prospects for resolving the conflict. `I am thoroughly studying the
situation. I may further make some conclusions on the basis of my
observations,’ he said.

The rapporteur added that the Karabagh conflict must be settled in
peace so that the OSCE would tackle other important problems in the
South Caucasus.