USA, France, Russia in Secret Talks on Karabakh – Azeri Daily

Ayna Baku
19 Jul 06

Ekspress, Baku
19 Jul 06

Washington, Moscow and Paris are in secret talks on expanding the OSCE
Minsk Group which is mediating peace negotiations between Azerbaijan
and Armenia, Baku-based daily Ayna reported on 19 July.

"Washington has already started secret talks on this with Moscow and
Paris. The conflicting sides and the public in the two countries will
be informed of the talks if its results are positive… The USA wants
to see the UK, Turkey and Germany among the co-chairs [of the OSCE
Minsk Group]," Ayna quoted a diplomatic source as saying.

The source explained the secrecy of the talks with possible protests
from the conflicting sides, especially from Armenia. Ayna said that
Azerbaijani political analysts and experts supported the idea of
involving more countries in the mediation mission but it doubted that
this would be made possible soon because of Yerevan’s objections.

In an interview with Azadinform news agency, carried by Ekspress
newspaper on 19 July, the head of the foreign relations department
at the Azerbaijani presidential administration, Novruz Mammadov, said
that the international community should not be critical of Azerbaijan’s
desire to liberate its lands from Armenian occupation through war.

Mammadov added that the international community should spare no
effort in resolving the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict since this was
important for the regional security. Commenting on reports that the
problem could not be resolved militarily due to the launch of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, he said that Azerbaijan had the
right to independently liberate its lands from Armenia’s occupation
and that it could use this right any time.