LOCAL CONFLICT ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH AND AZERBAIJAN CONTACT LINE MAY POSE THREAT TO STABILITY IN THE SECTION

YEREVAN, May 30. /ARKA/. Local conflict on Nagorno-Karabakh and
Azerbaijan contact line may pose threat to stability in the section,
Andrzei Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE CIO, told
journalists on Monday. In his words, it may happen in the event of
lack of proper “chain of command”, as even major incidents can be
settled with help of direct contacts at general staffs level. At the
same time, it shouldn’t be ruled out that it could pose threat to
the contact line section stability in case of incredible coincidence
of various circumstances, Kasprzyk said. In his words, the mission
conducts monitoring quite often and regularly. It makes it possible
to gauge the situation that after signing a cease-fire-maintenance
agreement remains the same thanks to political will of the sides to
maintain the regime.

Kasprzyk said his mission is just to influence the sides, particularly
the military able to take steps to reduce numbers of cease-fire
agreement violations and calm local officers and soldiers.

Answering journalists’ question about which one of the two sides more
often violates ye cease-fire regime, Kasprzyk noted that his mandate
is a measure of trust between the sides and is due to be enlarged. He
said he isn’t empowered to conduct investigation on who and when
breached the regime and added he has own opinion but has no right to
present it. At the same time, he said there is some difference in how
the sides view violation of cease fire. In particular, if these are
separate shots, it isn’t considered the regime violation. The OSCE
official said violation is long and heavy shooting.

Kasprzyk didn’t confirm the information spread by Azeri media outlets
that monitoring group members found themselves under fire from Armenian
side. He also stressed that the number of incidents reduced recently
but some closeness of the sides’ positions remaining somewhere is
not desirable. M.V. -0–