US diplomat says 2006 ideal year for resolving Karabakh conflict

ANS TV, Baku
25 Jul 06

Presenter] US ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne Derse will visit the
populated areas bordering Armenia, Public Affairs Officer of the US
embassy Jonathan Henick has said. Henick commented on the fires set to
occupied Azerbaijani territories by the Armenians and the settlement
of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. He said that 2006 is an ideal year
for resolving the conflict.

[Correspondent over video of Henick] The USA will try to ensure that
the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict is completely solved by the end of this
year. Representative of the US embassy in Azerbaijan Henick believes
that it is impossible to solve the problem in 2007.

[Henick, speaking in Azerbaijani] Elections [presumably 2007 Armenian
parliamentary election] will be held next year and we all know that
it is very difficult to solve such problems during an election. We
still have six months left in 2006. We will continue our attempts to
solve this problem together with the two presidents [of Armenia an
Azerbaijan]. This simply does not depend on the [OSCE Minsk Group]
co-chairs. This is a mutual project.

[Passage omitted: reported details about Karabakh fires]

[Correspondent] The US diplomat also said that the US government will
reconsider the allocation of financial aid to Azerbaijan because of
increasing oil incomes. The US government will most probably reduce
humanitarian and increase military aid to Azerbaijan, end of quote.

Vaqif Hasanov, Sahla Abdinova, Rafiq Nagiyev, ANS.