IS AZERBAIJAN SABOTAGING PRELIMINARY AGREEMENTS ON NAGORNO KARABAKH?

Regnum, Russia
Sept 6 2006

"The present international situation allows Armenia to use leading
international force centers concerned for pressuring Azerbaijan. The
point is that the EU and the US are interested in early resolution
of the Karabakh conflict, while Moscow is interested in the ‘neither
peace, nor war’ situation as only this can keep Armenia as Russia’s
‘outpost’ in the South Caucasus. The referendum on the status of
Nagorno Karabakh is the price Armenia may ask for readiness to change
the ‘master’," says Zerkalo daily (Baku).

Referring to reliable sources, the daily says that, before the
parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan, the US had got Baku and Yerevan
to give a preliminary consent to sign peace agreement exactly in
2006. "No coincidence that after the talks with Azeri President Ilham
Aliyev during Aliyev’s first visit to the US after the parliamentary
elections, US President George Bush said that he was sure that there
would be a breakthrough in the Armenian-Azeri peace talks by the end of
2006. The year is coming to an end, but there is no breakthrough. The
same reliable sources report the US to consider this as a sabotage of
the preliminary agreements, first of all, on the part of Azerbaijan,"
says Zerkalo.

The daily reports the Azeri President to be going to take part in
the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 19-22.

Presently US and Azeri diplomats are trying to agree on a Bush-Aliyev
meeting. "This meeting is extremely important for both sides. If it
takes place, the sides will, certainly, discuss the situation over
the Karabakh peace talks. Naturally, Bush will remind Aliyev about
his expectations for settlement in 2006," says Zerkalo.