OSCE MG Believes Status Should Be Decided By People of Karabakh

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2006 13:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ OSCE Minsk Group U.S. Co-chair Matthew Bryza
described the meeting with Armenian President Robert Kocharian as
"encouraging". "I think there is political will here definitely to
keep the process going. There have been public statements that the
framework and principles proposed by the Minsk Group are agreeable for
Armenia," Mr Bryza said in an interview with RFE/RL. The U.S. mediator
said there still remain unsettled problems referring to the Kelbajar
and Lachin regions as well as the status of Nagorno Karabakh. Bryza
confirmed that the mediators believe the status should be decided
by the "people of Karabakh" "But the question is how do you define
the people of Karabakh? And there were residents there in 1988 who
wish to participate," he added in a clear reference to the region’s
displaced Azerbaijani minority. "All these things have still to be
worked out as part of a broad package," he said. In his words, the
principles that are on the table don’t constitute an agreement. "They
are principles, suggestions. So it’s not possible for anyone to
walk away from an agreement, if there isn’t an agreement," said the
U.S. administration official.