KARABAKH WAR VETERANS UNHAPPY ABOUT OSCE CO-CHAIRS’ PEACE PROPOSALS

Regnum, Moscow
4 Jul 06

4 July: The Armenian commanders of the Karabakh war issued a
statement on 4 July, condemning the latest developments around the
settlement process of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. In particular,
they expressed disagreement with the Armenian government’s position,
expressed in the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen’s statement on the
return of the territories which are under the control of the Nagornyy
Karabakh defence army.

The commanders described the co-chairmen’s proposal as absurd and
Armenia’s policy as defeatist, a Regnum correspondent reported. "We are
calling on all the patriotic forces of Armenia to be united and defend
our Motherland, which is facing a serious threat," the statement said.

Manvel Yegiazaryan, commander of the Arabo detachment, said that
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan will not sign this agreement,
"but people surrounding him will force him to undertake such a step".

In particular, one of the militants of the Independent Army
organization, Lyova Saakyan, said that "these people could be Vardan
Oskanyan (the Armenian foreign minister), Andranik Markaryan (prime
minister), Tigran Torosyan (speaker)". "This means handing over our
Motherland. It all starts from small things. First, they will hand
over villages, then districts, then Nagornyy Karabakh and later also
Armenia," former commander of the National Liberation Army of Artsakh,
Arkadiy Karapetyan said.

At the same time, a number of the veterans came out for equal mutual
concessions in the process of the conflict settlement, as a result
of which the Armenian side will get Shaumyan [Azerbaijan’s Goranboy
District], Getashen [the village of Caykand in Azerbaijan’s Xanlar
District], Martunashen [Xanlar] Mardakert [Agdara] and Martuni
[Xocavand ] districts which are under the control of the Azerbaijani
armed forces. They are also against the deployment of the peacekeeping
forces in the conflict zone and return of refugees to their place of
habitual residence, because as the commanders said, this could lead
to an exodus of the Armenian population.