UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY MAY DISCUSS CONFLICTS IN GUAM AREA

Armenpress
Sept 14 2006

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS: The UN General Assembly decided on
September 13 to include a new item on conflicts in the Black Sea-South
Caucasus region in the agenda of its 61-st session. The decision to
include the issue in the General Assembly session -which was pushed
for by GUAM-member states Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova –
was adopted "following a contentious procedural debate," according
to the UN press center.

The Assembly’s general committee had discussed this appeal on
September 12 and most of its members were against putting it on the
agenda. Sixteen countries, including the Baltic States, GUAM-member
states, the United States and United Kingdom voted in favor of
including the item entitled "protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and
their implications for international peace, security and development."

Fifteen countries, including Russia and Armenia, voted against, while
65 abstained. Commenting on this decision Armenian foreign minister
Vartan Oskanian said today Armenia is against any attempts to shift
international efforts for resolution of the Karabakh conflict from
the OSCE Minsk group to the UN.

He said, "If we want the Karabakh conflict to be resolved our efforts
must be centered on the OSCE Minsk group process. If Azerbaijan has
other plans, Armenia is out of that game. We believe that the Minsk
group cochairmen’s proposals, put on the table are serious offering
possibilities to make progress."

He said though the item is on the UN GA agenda it is yet hard to
say whether it will become a subject of debates. "We think it is
a deviation from the main question, harming the peaceful process,’
he said.