AZERI-ARMENIAN FRAMEWORK ON REBEL REGION SOON-U.S.

Reuters, UK
Related News
Oct 26 2007

Oct 26 (Reuters) – Armenia and Azerbaijan may sign a framework
agreement over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory by February or
March, the U.S. deputy assistant secretary for European and Eurasian
affairs, Matthew Bryza, said on Friday. The predominantly Armenian
populated Enclave of Nargorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan
in the late 1980s, triggering a 1992-94 war between Armenian-backed
separatists and the Azeri army in which more than 35,000 people were
killed. Borders between Azerbaijan and Armenia are still closed and
official ties have been severed although the countries’ two leaders
do meet from time to time on foreign soil. "I think that before the
(Armenian) elections we could have a framework agreement," Bryza told
the Azeri ANS television station. Bryza is a member of an international
group under the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) which is pushing for a resolution to the conflict. Since 1994
a separatist army, backed by Armenian volunteers, has controlled
Nagorno-Karabakh whose 140,000 inhabitants have voted twice in
unrecognised referendums for independence.

Armenia is still to decide when to hold its presidential election,
expected in either February or March.