MEDIATORS CONFIRM DISCLOSED KARABAKH PLAN
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty. Czech Rep.
June 28 2006

The OSCE Minsk Group has officially confirmed and elaborated on
the key principles of its proposed solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict that were controversially disclosed by its new U.S. co-chair
late last week.

In a joint statement that was circulated by the U.S. embassy in Yerevan
on Wednesday, the mediating group’s American, French and Russian
co-chairs said their hitherto confidential peace plan envisages
a self-determination referendum to be held in Karabakh after the
liberation of Armenian-occupied territories in Azerbaijan.

The statement was presented to the OSCE’s decision-making Permanent
Council in Vienna last Thursday and was not made public until being
posted on the U.S. embassy website almost a week later. Washington’s
new top Karabakh negotiator, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Matthew Bryza, revealed details of the proposed peace plan to RFE/RL
shortly after the Permanent Council meeting.

Although those details had already been leaked to the media by Armenian
officials last year, Yerevan reacted negatively to Bryza’s interview,
saying that the U.S. official failed to present other important
provisions of the Minsk Group plan. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said
on Monday that those include enabling Karabakh to retain an overland
link with Armenia and remain under Armenian control at least until
the referendum.

Bryza’s remarks also sparked allegations in the Armenian press that
Washington is exerting pressure on Yerevan ahead of the Armenian
parliamentary and presidential elections due in 2007 and 2008
respectively. It is not clear if the U.S. State Department decided
to publicize the Minsk Group statement through its mission in Armenia
in order to end that speculation.

"These principles include the phased redeployment of Armenian troops
from Azerbaijani territories around Nagorno-Karabakh, with special
modalities for Kelbajar and Lachin districts [separating Karabakh
from Armenia proper]," said the co-chairs. "Demilitarization of those
territories would follow. A referendum or population vote would be
agreed, at an unspecified future date, to determine the final legal
status of Nagorno-Karabakh."

"An international peacekeeping force would be deployed," added
the statement. "A joint commission would be agreed to implement the
agreement. International financial assistance would be made available
for demining, reconstruction, resettlement of internally displaced
persons in the formerly occupied territories and the war-affected
regions of Nagorno-Karabakh. The sides would renounce the use or
threat of use of force, and international and bilateral security
guarantees and assurances would be put in place."

The mediators said the conflicting parties would also have to work
out practical modalities of the Karabakh referendum. "Suitable
preconditions for such a vote would have to be achieved so that
the vote would take place in a non-coercive environment in which
well-informed citizens have had ample opportunity to consider their
positions after a vigorous debate in the public arena."

This peace formula seems largely acceptable to Armenia. Its Foreign
Ministry argued that the mediating powers have thereby recognized the
Karabakh Armenians’ right to self-determination. The ministry said
in its statement that Presidents Ilham Aliev and Robert Kocharian
have agreed to the proposed referendum but remain divided on other,
unspecified issues.

The Azerbaijani side initially responded positively to Bryza’s
disclosure of Minsk Group peace proposals. But in a statement on
Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry in Baku chided the U.S. official for
"taking them out of the general context of the proposed document." It
also reiterated that Baku is only ready to grant Karabakh "the
highest status of autonomy" and will never recognize its secession
from Azerbaijan.

The mediators, meanwhile, warned that failure by the two sides to
cut a framework peace deal before the end of this year would close
a rare "window of opportunity" to eliminate the principal source of
instability in the South Caucasus.

"We see no point right now in continuing intensive shuttle diplomacy
we have engaged in over the past several months," they said. "We also
see no point in initiating further presidential meetings until the
sides demonstrate enough political will to overcome their remaining
differences."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress