G. PETROSIAN: RESOLUTION ON FIRES MAY BE CONSIDERED ACCEPTABLE FOR NKR, BUT POSITION OF THIS ISSUE IN UN IS ITSELF NOT ACCEPTABLE

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 12 2006

STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On the
whole taking into account the final result, namely an intention to
send the OSCE Mission with support of the UN experts to the region
to assess the long-term and short-term threats, which can lead to
ecologic catastrophe in the region, the Resolution can be considered
acceptable for the NKR. NKR Foreign Minister Georgi Petrosian stated
about it, commenting upon the UN General Assembly Resolution of the
60th session concerning fires in the territories under control of the
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. Moreover, in the NKR Foreign Minister’s
words, it is necessary to emphasize that this process is a logical
continuation of Nagorno Karabakh authorities’ initiative.

The NKR authorities, Georgi Petrosian mentioned, were extremely
alarmed at the situation with the fires as those inflammations caused
damage to the agriculture of our republic. In connection with this
the NKR MFA sent a note to the Office of the Personal Representative
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office with an urgent request to conduct a
crisis-monitoring in the area bordering with Azerbaijan. Two weeks late
the OSCE Mission conducted a series of monitorings, which resulted in
the report of Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office,
which refuted the accusations of the Azerbaijani side on alleged
burnings of settlements in the NKR security zone.

"Thus, the NKR authorities were the first to address the OSCE for a
dispatch of a monitoring group to the region, which was passed over
in silence by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen in their report,
which was made public at the General Assembly’s session. However,
if the report of the OSCE high rank needs additional confirmation,
– we are ready to receive a new Mission of the OSCE to discredit
Azerbaijani myths once more," the NKR Foreign Minister emphasized.

At the same time, in Georgi Petrosian’s words, the position of this
issue in the UN itself and some formulas of the Resolution are not
acceptable. The attempts to transfer the issues which are to be
solved by the OSCE Minsk Group to the UN cannot promote the advance
of negotiation process but only postpone the possible prospect of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.

In the NKR Foreign Minister’s words, the fact that the given
Resolution, namely its contents is a result of consensus between
Armenia and Azerbaijan "rare phenomenon for recent years, especially
under the conditions of the absence of confidence between the parties,
is worthy of notice and it can be only welcomed." "We consider that
such projects are to be discussed with participation of all three
parties to the conflict in order to avoid problems in the course of
implementation of accepted decisions especially because these decisions
concern the territories which are exceptionally under the control of
the Nagorno Karabakh republic’s authorities" Georgi Petrosian stated.

"The NKR’s position remains invariable – we are going to continue
our cooperation with the international structures and are ready to
assist the work of a group of experts sent by the OSCE exclusively
from neutral countries," the NKR Foreign Minister emphasized.