US, AZERI OFFICIALS MULL GARABAGH

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 14 2006

Baku, March 13, AssA-Irada
US officials arrived in Baku on Monday to discuss settlement to the
long-standing Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict
with the top Azeri leadership.

“Our discussions proceeded very well and we sought answers to some
questions concerning the conflict,” the US co-chair of the mediating
OSCE Minsk Group, Steven Mann, said after meeting Azeri Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

Mann said he would inform the visiting US Department of State Assistant
Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried of the outcome
of the discussions. Fried is scheduled to meet with President Ilham
Aliyev, followed by a news conference.

The mediator told reporters that considerable progress in the conflict
resolution is anticipated this year. “We believe that the spring of
2006 will be an important time for the Garabagh peace talks.”

The US co-chair also met with President Ilham Aliyev. Along with the
Garabagh conflict, bilateral relations and democratic development
issues were tabled. The details of the discussions are not reported.

Assistant Secretary Fried is further expected to leave Azerbaijan
for Georgia, Armenia and Turkey to hold talks with officials there.