ARMENIAN MINISTER SAYS LEADERS’ TALKS POSSIBLE

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
May 17 2006

Baku, May 16, AssA-Irada
The OSCE mediators brokering settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh conflict are due to visit the region May 25-26,
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian has told the press.

Unlike previous separate visits, all the three co-chairman of the
Minsk Group will hold talks in the two countries, he said.

Commenting on some reports suggesting that Armenian President Robert
Kocharian has refused to meet with his Azerbaijani counterpart
Ilham Aliyev, Oskanian said such a meeting is not ruled out. “This
will depend on the upcoming meeting of the two countries’ foreign
ministers in Strasbourg and the outcomes of the intermediaries’
visit to the region.”

The parties failed to agree upon the issues of principle during
the latest talks held by the two leaders in Rambouillet, France in
February, which was followed by mutual threats.

The Armenian diplomat said the mediators have laid out several new
ideas to the conflicting sides, which will be discussed in France at
a meeting of the foreign ministers with the co-chairs. He avoided
revealing the gist of the proposals, but said they include both
advantages and downsides. Therefore, all the disputed issues should
be resolved during the negotiations, Oskanian said.

“We will try to maximally bring our positions closer at the Strasbourg
meeting,” the Armenian official added.