AZERBAIJAN WON’T NEGOTIATE WITH KARABAKH – MINISTRY

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
August 31, 2006 Thursday 2:28 PM MSK

Azerbaijan will not hold talks with the self-proclaimed republic of
Nagorno-Karabakh at the current stage of conflict settlement, head
of the Azeri Foreign Ministry’s information department Tair Tagizade
told Interfax.

"At the current stage any attempt to change the current format of
talks is doomed to failure," Tagizade said.

Nagorno-Karabakh President Arkady Gukasian called for direct talks
between the sides earlier on Thursday.

"Gukasian understands it very well and such statements of his are aimed
only at meeting the domestic demands of the Armenian public," he said.