BAKU: Azeri Minister Says Karabakh Referendum "Farce"

AZERI MINISTER SAYS KARABAKH REFERENDUM "FARCE"

TREND, Azerbaojan
Dec 11 2006

Baku, 11 December: It is too early to speak about whether Armenia
is ready go ahead in the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict settlement,
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said today at the
opening of the meeting of the political committee of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe in Baku.

He noted that the "referendum" in Nagornyy Karabakh shows that Armenia
is not ready for talks. "Possibly, involvement in the talks is a
move aimed at getting the West’s support in order to retain power,"
Mammadyarov said. He believes that the farce with the "referendum"
will have negative consequences.

Mammadyarov stressed that once the conflict is resolved, roads will be
unblocked, stability in the region will be ensured, and thus Armenia’s
economy will also develop, the minister said. He added that the three
South Caucasus countries can achieve a lot together.