A “TACIT” STEP BY STEP SETTLEMENT
Norayr Hovsepian

Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
07 April 2006

Recently debates and events connected with the Karabakh issue have
acquired a new quality and course. The offered solutions are so many
and so different that it seems impossible to offer a fundamentally
new solution. However, the relationships of the conflict parties have
not changed and still lack confidence. Hence, “bridges” are needed
rather to bring into being one of the existing solutions. This first
of all requires mutual confidence or at least a constructive dialogue
on good faith. The official bilateral and mediated meetings of the
representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan apparently cannot foster
the establishment of this atmosphere. As a result the role of the
non-governmental sector increases, and recently it has been quite
active. In this context the Dartmouth Conference is a significant
step. This is an American initiative since 2001. The delegations of
Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh participate in the activity of
the Dartmouth Conference Regional Conflicts Task Force. The task force
has effective relations with both NGOs and official bodies. After the
meetings in Baku and Armenia the task force arrived in Stepanakert on
April 1. The US co-chairman Harold Saunders, the Russian co-chairman
Vitaly Naumkin, as well as Phil Steward and Irina Zvyagelskaya met with
the representatives of non-governmental and political organizations
at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The core question discussed at
the meeting was the draft of the framework agreement on the peace
settlement of the Karabakh issue, worked out in 2005, during the
ninth meeting of the Dartmouth Conference.

Harold Saunders briefed the main principles of the document. According
to him, none of the sides wants a deadlocked negotiation for the
peace settlement of the Karabakh conflict. However, he also pointed
out that it is impossible to lay bridges of agreement between the
logically opposite views that the sides have today. By the way,
Harold Saunders meant Nagorno Karabakh as a conflict side. For the
role of the framework agreement in establishing this bridge, Harold
Saunders thinks if applied it would establish serious progress in the
talks. He characterized it as a peace-building plan, in which every
next step is possible after the fulfilment of the previous one, rather
than a document that would establish peace at once. Accordingly, the
process is divided into two parts. In the first one it is foreseen
to establish an atmosphere, take actions and create conditions
for the second stage, when a final resolution of the issue will be
reached. The Russian co-chairman Vitaly Naumkin pointed out the fact
that the representatives of the United States and Russia, which have
considerable controversies with regard to conflict settlement, act
together in the peace settlement of the conflict over Karabakh. It
is interesting to know the status, however. According to him, it is
impossible to settle the Karabakh issue at once. First it is necessary
to create an atmosphere. With regard to this Vitaly Naumkin said it
is impossible to achieve results at once.

Therefore, it is preferable to take a tiny step than not to do anything
at all.

And the engagement of Karabakh in the talks will, according to him,
have only positive results for it. Nagorno Karabakh will be recognized
in international relations, and will have the right to sign certain
agreements and make commitments. The representatives of the NKR NGOs
and political organizations disagreed to certain principles and terms
used in the document with regard to the step-by-step resolution of
the conflict and the status of Nagorno Karabakh.

Margarita Karapetyan, Official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of NKR, said: “The document does not state clearly the legal status
of Nagorno Karabakh, which is of utter importance for the Karabakh
side. Here a de-facto, an ” intermediate” status is mentioned only. On
the other hand, the step-by-step settlement underlies this document,
determining the peace settlement by the return of certain territories,
the problem of refugees, etc. It is very important that it is done
through successive steps, the first, then the second, etc.

Practically, in accordance with the document, the conflict over
Karabakh and its settlement is viewed from the aspect of elimination
of the consequences rather than the cause of the conflict – the status
of NKR.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress