Azerbaijan News Service
July 12 2005
OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS SAY PARTIES TO SHOW WILL TO REACH PEACE
2005-07-12 19:00
Upon completion of the meetings with the Azeri leadership the Minsk
Group Co-Chairs rendered a press conference. Russian Co-Chair Yuri
Merzlyakov said, `The draft agreement will hardly be ready by the
meeting of the Armenian and Azeri Presidents in Kazan. We are working
at the formulation and principles of the settlement. The process of
their coordination will probably take several months.’ `Peaceful
agreement can be prepared as within the next several months as within
the next century. The terms depend on the political will of the
leaders and people’, the US Co-Chair added. French Co-Chair Bernard
Fassier shared the opinion. In his words, the Minsk Group is a
mediator only while the Presidents are responsible for the
establishment of peace. The mediators reported that during the
negotiations with the Azerbaijani leadership the issue of opening
communications between Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan via Armenia and
Qarabaq. In their opinion when the issue is urgent it will be
advisable to include the Armenian and Azeri communities of Karabakh
in the process. We do believe that if we reach the desire of people
of Azerbaijan and Armenia we can do a lot of things for the
development of region, restore communications and rebuild ruins, said
OSCE Minsk group co-chairmen. Steven Mann from US said they mainly
focused on the details of negotiations. We can reach peace agreement
in coming month or in the next hundred years. Everything will depend
on the will leaders and the nation of both countries. Governments of
both countries come closely to the process and give opportunity to
give result. Forthcoming parliamentary elections may influence
process of settlement of the Daqliq Qarabaq conflict, French
co-chairman of the Minsk of OSCE Bernard Fasier said. “Certainly, we
expect, that parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan will be fair,
transparent and fair. In this case they render positive influence on
settlement of the Daqliq Qarabaq conflict”. Co-chairmen have
positively estimated results of negotiations with the Azerbaijani
authorities. Russian envoy Yuriy Merzlyakov said they discussed with
Azerbaijani leadership basic, key elements which could become a basis
of the future settlement were discussed. Clearly, that it is those
basic requirements of the parties with which they go on negotiations.
He has supported the offer of Baku on restoration of a highway
between Azerbaijan and Armenia through territory of Daqliq Qarabaq,
however at the same time has noted necessity before to coordinate ”
more questions of principle of settlement”. Yuriy Merzlyakov has
emphasized, that lately the parties of the conflict on one of
discussed elements managed to reach full understanding, one more
element is on a threshold of the coordination. Co-chairmen left for
Armenia.