MEDIATORS TO TABLE NEW GARABAGH PROPOSALS

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
May 3 2006

Baku, May 2, AssA-Irada
The OSCE mediators brokering settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan
Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict started their talks in Moscow on
Tuesday. The course of peace talks and the date for the intermediaries’
next visit to the region is being considered.

The Minsk Group co-chairs from Russia, France and the United States,
who will further pay separate visits to the region, are expected to
discuss new proposals on the conflict resolution. The discussions
follow the latest unsuccessful round of talks between the two
countries’ leaders in Rambouillet, France in February.

“The Moscow meeting is underway behind closed doors and no
representatives of the two sides are represented in the talks.

Official Baku will be informed of the details of the meeting during
the co-chairs’ next visit to the region,” the Azeri Foreign Ministry
spokesman Tahir Taghizada said.

The OSCE chairman’s special envoy Andzhei Kaspshik is attending the
discussions, according to the Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk
Group Yuri Merzlyakov.