Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
April 15 2006

U.S. backs fair settlement of Upper Garabagh conflict

Baku, April 13, AssA-Irada
A US Congressman has said his country backs a fair settlement of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, but the
two countries should display political will to reach peace.
The United States is looking to achieve a just and long-lasting
solution. The mediating OSCE Minsk Group is also working to achieve
peace soon, Chairman of the U.S. Congress Subcommittee on Foreign
Operations, James Kolbe, told a news conference in Baku on Thursday.
`Armenia and Azerbaijan are principal sides. The people of the two
countries should give an impetus to the conflict settlement on their
own. We can facilitate the process but can’t solve it for them,’ the
Congressman said, emphasizing that the United States recognizes
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.
Kolbe said the Garabagh conflict may be settled through dialogue and
there is a good opportunity to achieve progress this year.
The Congressman said he visited Armenia and Georgia prior to coming
to Azerbaijan.
`I met with the Azerbaijani foreign minister, representatives of the
parliament and Defense Ministry as well as heads of some
non-governmental organizations during my two-day visit to Baku.’
Kolbe said the US co-chair of the Minsk Group Steven Mann is expected
to submit new proposals during his visit to Azerbaijan shortly. He
said it is possible to achieve progress soon if the Azeri and
Armenian leaders display political will.
`The conflict must be settled to boost development in the Caucasus.
If this happens, the United States will be one of the first countries
to assist in the rehabilitation of the occupied territories,’ the
Congressman added.*