AMERICAN OFFICIALS WARN CONFLICTING SIDES AGAINST NEW WAR OVER KARABAKH

Baku Today
March 14 2006

Today the U.S. State Department’s Assistant Secretary for Eurasia
Daniel Fried and the American cochairman of the OSCE Minsk Group
Steven Mann held a press conference on the results of their two-day
visit to Azerbaijan.

They had meetings with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev yesterday
and today. In addition to this, they had consultations with Foreign
Minister Elmar Mamedyarov, Minister for Economic Development Heydar
Babayev, representatives of civil society and Musavat’s leader
Isa Gambar. According to Fried, the United States is interested
in having independent and economically developed Azerbaijan live
peaceful with its neighbors. Concerning the subjects of talks, Fried
named energy sphere as a topic of discussion. The second important
area, according to Fried, is Azerbaijan’s devotion to democracy. He
expressed disappointment with events surrounding the parliamentary
elections in 2005, “which were not too free and fair, unlike how the
United States wanted them to be.”

“The development of democracy is a very important part of our
relations. A strong state must have strong opposition, and we want
to see Azerbaijan as a strong state,” Fried said.

Concerning the Karabakh conflict the diplomat noted that Azerbaijan’s
representatives “very firmly and decisively protect the national
interests” of Azerbaijan at the talks, and express a constructive
approach in the search for a way to resolve the conflict.

“We think that the return of Azerbaijanis to their native lands
must take place as soon as possible,” Fried said. At the same time,
Fried and Mann several times said that a resumption of the war may
mean catastrophe for both sides, and for the entire region.

Steven Mann made it clear that resuming the war could affect the
investments into Azerbaijan’s economy. “I know the Azeri people very
well, and I do not believe that they want war again,” Mann said.

Mann stated that the meeting in Ramboulet did not have positive
results. “However the process continues. Every side is concerned with
some part of the agreement,” Mann said. He noted that “the war would
not be decisive, not now or 20 years later”.

The questions on cooperation in the sphere of defense and security
were discussed with Azerbaijan’s leadership during the talks. Expert
in this sphere were included the American delegation. One of priorities
in this sphere is raise Azerbaijan’s security potential in the Caspian,
Freed said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress