VISIT OF OSCE MISSION MAY FAVOUR RESOLUTION

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
18 July 05

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, Youri Merzlyakov (Russia), Bernard
Fassier (France) and Stephen Mann (USA), visiting the region on these
days, met with the top officials of Nagorno Karabakh Republic and
Baku, and continued the talks on Karabakh resolution in Yerevan.
During the press briefing the foreign minister of Armenia Vartan
Oskanian pointed out the importance of the mediation of the co-chairs
in the process of settlement of the Karabakh issue and noted that
this particular visit and the meeting of the co-chairs with the
president of Nagorno Karabakh Republic may bring about progress in
the peace process. “We attach great importance to their
visit,” said V. Oskanian. Once again he confirmed that the
Armenian party will work with the Minsk Group only. “We do not
need additional actors on the stage,” he said. In reference to
the current stage of the negotiations the foreign minister assured
that though little but there is progress. According to him, “It
is a challenge for every one of us to be able to use this progress to
the point and keep going ahead. We will carry on with our
constructive talks, knowing for certain where we are going to and
what principles we ought to follow.” The principles are known to
everyone: determination of the status of Nagorno Karabakh Republic,
provision of security, shared border between Karabakh and Armenia set
down in a document. It should be noted that the government of Armenia
has announced on a presidential level for a number of times that
there are three fundamental principles: Karabakh cannot remaining
within Azerbaijan; it must share border with Armenia; guarantee for
security must be provided. There cannot be any compromise on the part
of Armenia in these three principles. And as the diplomats state, the
talks are currently grounded on these three principles which also
underlay the talks in Key West. The only novelty in the present stage
of negotiations is the proposal of holding a double referendum 10-15
years after signing of the agreement to decide the status of
Karabakh. By the way, the Azerbaijani politicians have declared that
“for Azerbaijan the referendum on independence would mean losing
Karabakh”. Although official Baku perceives all the negative
prospects of the referendum, according to them, it has no other
choice: “The West seeks for a peace agreement.” One of these
politicians, Vafa Guluzadeh, according to the agency Turan,
commenting on this proposal, stated that the Azerbaijani government
should not agree to it. The Armenians, he said, have once had a
referendum and they will doubtless vote again for independence.
“A referendum in the occupied territories is impossible and
attempts in this direction are doomed,” said politician Eldar
Namazov. Anyway, time will show whether the referendum will take
place in 10 or 15 years and what its results will be. Only we should
note that the Minsk Group co-chairs have also abstained from comments
on the abovementioned proposals on determination of the status of
Nagorno Karabakh. As to the new proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairmen, according to the Russian co-chair, the parties should
not wait for the mediators to come up with new proposals, emphasizing
that there had been certain proposals on their part before the Warsaw
meeting, which are now being discussed. According to Merzlyakov, they
will continue preparing the ground for the resolution of the Karabakh
conflict together with the conflict parties. “We have a good and
practical disposition. I think, this visit will be useful for the
further process of talks,” said the Russian diplomat. The next
meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan Oskanian
and Mamedyarov is appointed on August 22 in Moscow where on the eve
of Kocharian-Aliev meeting in Kazan the ministers will discuss
certain issues concerning the current stage of the talks.

CHRISTINE MNATSAKANIAN.
18-07-2005