JACQUES CHIRAC: TRANSFERRING THE KARABAKH QUESTION TO OTHER STRUCTURES WILL COMPLICATE THE ISSUE

Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 30 2006

"Transferring the OSCE responsibility in the process of settlement
of the Karabakh conflict to other structures less informed about
the conflict is an improper suggestion and will complicate rather
than simplify the resolution of the issue," the President of France
Jacques Chirac said during the joint press conference with RA president
Robert Kocharyan.

Assessing the activity of the Minsk Group, President Chirac noted that
in the course of many years Minks Group experts have been working
wonderfully, "Of course, they are working on a very hard question,
but they are carrying out a good work, and their last suggestions
are very serious and come from very specialized experts."

Robert Kocharyan also considers that resolutions to conflict should
be found in the result of work of experienced negotiating groups,
and not via forums and voting. "Every voting means the efforts of the
parties for mobilizing votes, but these will not lead to the resolution
of the conflict. Instead these will result in the thickening of the
folder file, adoption of more or less favorable resolutions. This
is the protraction of the conflict rather than resolution. If people
wish to direct the negotiation process this way, then we have serious
doubts as it refers to fair impulses, RA President noted, repeating
once again that the question should be onsidered by an experienced
group of diplomats.