THE USA TRIES TO SETTLE NKR ISSUE BEFORE KOSOVO
A. Hovhannisyan

Hayots Ashkharh Daily – Armenia
12 June 07

Politician Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan was the guest of "Pastark" club
yesterday. And the conversation was mainly about the regulation of
Karabakh conflict.

Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan said, "The active stage of the negotiation
phase came to an end up to 2009. To all appearances it is not very
easy to bring this phase to a close, because both the mediators (Minsk
group co-Presidents) and OSCE leadership exert great pressures both
on Armenia and Azerbaijan."

According to the politician, it was clear for everyone that at the
moment there was a window of around one and a half month. After which
the pre-election phase of the presidential elections will start in
Artsakh, in Armenia and Azerbaijan. And no essential decision can be
made during this period of time. However why were the mediators in
such a hurry? Why is it so essential to reach agreement in the fixed
short period of time?

"I think it is connected with the events taking place in Balkan
Peninsula, in Kosovo." Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan said. "The USA has
taken a rough decided, that Kosovo must be independent."

In conformity with it Kosovo issue must have been settled after
Artsakh.

Anyhow they were trying to reach an agreement to mitigate the passions
in our region. But the two Presidents failed to reach agreement
anticipated by the mediators. The politician said, this fact is more
beneficial for us and it was obvious that the negotiations were not
going to show any good results from the very beginning.

According to the politician it is a double mistake on the part
of Azerbaijan, to say that at the moment their citizens live in
Artsakh. Why, because in Soviet times Azerbaijan didn’t use to have any
citizens and after getting independence Nagorno Karabakh didn’t use
to make part of Azerbaijan. Moreover we should also underscore that,
in 1921, due to an illegal party-decision not only Nagorno Karabakh
Autonomous Province but also Karabakh, on the whole, has been given
to Azerbaijan. That is to say, the fact of returning or better to
say presenting the lands to Azerbaijan is out of question.

Touching upon V. Putin’s well-known proposal to the USA regarding
the cooperative operation the radiolocation station in town Gabala, L.

Melik-Shahnazaryan first underscored that the name of this town used
to be Tutkashen and not Gabala and that it was inhabited by Armenians.

He also said Russia made the before mentioned proposal, based on
personal interests.

"I called it a detector of lie for Bush," L. Melik-Shahnazaryan
said. "If you used to lie up to the moment, then here is a better
proposal," because Tutkashen radiolocation station is the most
powerful in the world. But hardly will the USA agree to operate it
cooperatively because this radiolocation station keeps the whole
world under control except the territory of ex-Soviet Union. And the
principle goal of the USA is that territory and not to defend itself
from the Iranian rockets."

Anyway should they start to cooperate the radiolocation station
cooperatively it will be favorable for the consolidation of stability
in our region.

"Because it is not very far from us and we can bombard it any time.

But the importance of this station is great. If at the moment only
Russia is interested in the stability around the radiolocation station,
in case of cooperation the interests of the two superpowers will
match. But in my view the USA will refuse the proposal."

On the one hand the USA roughly defends Kosovo’s independence, on
the other hand, judging from all sets restrictions to Karabakh’s
independence. Responding to this question the politician said that
double and even triple standards are very characteristic of the US
policy. L.

Melik-Shahnazaryan said the USA is doing its best and most probably
this year will start the procedure of the recognition of Kosovo’s
independence. Meanwhile the USA is doing its best to hamper the
recognition of Karabakh’s independence.

"The thing is, the more Serbia deteriorates, the more the USA becomes
powerful in the territory," the politician said. "I don’t mean Balkan
Peninsula only, but the whole Eastern Europe. The more Azerbaijan
deteriorates, the more the USA positions weaken in our region. This
is from where double standards appear."

He said the issue lacks legal approach; the latter is barely political,
manifested by the USA, which is based on its personal interests and
overlooks international right.