AZERBAIJAN DENIES MEDIA ALLEGATIONS ABOUT KARABAKH REFERENDUM

ArmenPress
July 14 2005

BAKU, JULY 14, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijani foreign ministry denied today
media allegations that Armenia and Azerbaijan were close to striking a
final peace deal over their long-running dispute on Nagorno-Karabakh. A
spokesman for the ministry, Tayir Taghizade, was quoted by Turan news
agency as saying that reports about the alleged deal at the heart of
which was said to be the idea of a referendum in which the Karabakh
Armenians would decide whether they want to be independent, become part
of Armenia or return under Azerbaijani rule in return for immediate
return of five Armenian-controlled Azerbaijani regions, were not true.

Earlier RFE/RL said quoting a senior diplomat in Armenia that the
referendum would be held within 10 to 15 years from the signing of
a peace agreement and would follow the return of five of the seven
occupied Azerbaijani districts around Karabakh. Taghizade said Armenian
and Azeri foreign ministers were discussing a solution option composed
of 7-9 elements, which include pullout of Armenian troops from regions
surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, return of internally displaced persons,
restoration of communication routes, confidence-building measures
and some others.

He said other issues, including also Nagorno-Karabakh’s future
status will be discussed in the second stage of talks. The spokesman
emphasized that Azerbaijan’s position remains unchanged-it is that
the dispute can be solved only based on the principle of Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity. “As regards holding of a referendum in Karabakh,
discussions on it may be possible only given the return of all Azeri
refugees from Karabakh to their previous settlements,’ he was quoted as
saying. He also denied chances that the peace agreement may be signed
this or next year saying work on the document was not even started