AMERICAN DIPLOMAT SAYS U.S. GOVERNMENT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ACTIVITY OF AMERICAN PRIVATE COMPANIES OPERATING IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
April 10 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend , corr. A. Ismayilova/ Jonathan Hanick,
the Head of the Public Relations department of the U. S. Embassy to
Azerbaijan, has stated today that the U. S. Government has nothing
to do with the individual and private activity of its citizens and
private companies. The American diplomat made this comment after the
recent information concerning an American private company allegedly
preparing a general plan of the Ancient Azerbaijani Town of Shusha
occupied by Armenians on May 8, 1992.

Mr. Hanick noted that the American position in the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue has remained unchanged. Being one of the Chair states of the
OSCE Minsk Group, USA adheres to the peaceful negotiation of this
conflict and ready to eliminate all obstacles and barriers that are
in the way. At the same time, the American diplomat noted that the U.

S. State Department had informed all its citizens that a part of
the Azerbaijani territory had been occupied. The American Government
therefore does not bear the responsibility for the possible activity
of some companies," admitted Mr. Hanick. He noted that the information
concerning the activity of an American private company on Armenia’s
occupied territory of Azerbaijan, which was recently broadcast
by Armenian media sources, was clarified. According to the Press
Service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Office, due to this fact, the
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has given a commission to our Diplomatic
Representative Office to U.S.A. to investigate matters.

Notably, according to the information by Armenian Agency,
"PanArmenian", the video projection of a new general plan, as well
as its presentation is expected to be held on the Fortress wall of
the Town of Shusha on 8 May, 2007. The new plan of the Town has been
projected by specialists of SEMA Associates of U. S. A. Other video
material of the Fund is also expected to be projected on the Shusha
Fortress wall.