International mediators urge Armenia, Azerbaijan to prepare for peace, not war

Turan news agency, Baku
10 Mar 06

Washington, 10 March: The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen have expressed
regret over the failure of the recent talks between the Armenian and
Azerbaijani leaders and urged them to make efforts to achieve peace in
2006.

In a special statement on the results of their meeting in Washington
on 7-8 March, the co-chairmen said that they discussed the results of
the 10-11 February talks in Rambouillet. Assessing the current state
of affairs in the region, the co-chairmen said that “great progress
has been achieved over the past six months”. They expressed regret
that this progress did not continue in the past weeks “despite great
opportunities”.

The co-chairmen called on both sides “to lay the basic principles” for
a future settlement in order to reach an agreement in 2006.

The co-chairmen still believe that objective conditions make 2006 the
most favourable year for stable progress and urge the governments of
Armenia and Azerbaijan to work energetically to achieve a result. The
co-chairmen also called on the governments of the two countries “to
prepare their people for peace rather than war”.

The co-chairmen will visit the region after they assess the sides’
readiness. The next meeting of the co-chairmen is scheduled to be held
in Istanbul on 20 March, the statement said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress