JUSTICE FACTION CONCERNED ABOUT LATEST STATEMENT OF OSCE MINSK GROUP CHAIRMEN

Noyan Tapan
Jun 29 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The latest statement of the Co-Chairmen
of the OSCE Minsk Group is extremely worrying. Grigor Harutyunian,
member of the NA Justice faction, member of the People’s Party of
Armenia, stated this at the June 29 meeting with reporters.

According to him, it is directly stated in the document about the
return of 5 liberated regions, a special approach regarding Kelbajar
and Lachin, and holding a referendum or a general voting on Karabakh
status without indication of a particular date. The deputy considered
it especially unacceptable that the document envisages the opportunity
to hold a referendum in the territory of Azerbaijan.

According to Harutyunian, the statement that the co-chairmen exhausted
their proposals makes one assume that either the format of negotiations
will change, or a military solution of the problem is possible.

According to the speaker, the moment of publishing the statement of
the Minsk Group co-chairmen was not chosen by accident and was directly
related to a meeting of G8 scheduled for July in Saint Petersburg.

G. Harutyunian said that the published document does not envisage
compromises, and in fact Armenia is obliged to make unilateral
concessions. The deputy reminded that in 1998 when Robert Kocharian was
the NKR President, the NKR authorities viewed the problem’s solution in
the context of establishing an independent state having a connection
to Armenia in the territory of 8 thousand sq.m. In today’s proposals
of the Minsk Group, which are mainly agreed on with the leaders of
the two countries, the matter does not concern any more 8 thousand
square meters.

Harutyunian said that today Armenia needs legitimate authorities more
than ever in order to cope with outside and domestic pressures. At
the same time, he noted that the people has lost its resistibility
and readiness to struggle as a result of the wrong policy of the
authorities. This explains the people’s indifference to the published
Karabakh settlement version.

As regards the response of political forces, in the words of
Harutyunian, the Justice faction presents its assessments: "But
if you think that we are going to hold demonstrations and protests
outside the embasies of the co-chair states, I should remind that it
is clearly said in the statement that this is a version mostly agreed
on with the presidents of the two countries."

Harutyunian noted that a change of power according to the 1998 scenario
is not ruled out in Armenia in connection with further developments
in the Karabakh conflict settlement process, because the resignation
of the Armenian or Azerbaijani president may provide a basis for a
new stage in negotiations.