AZERBAIJAN DEFENSE MINISTER HINTS AT WAR

Guardian
Tuesday November 27, 2007 1:16 PM

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (AP) – The long-standing dispute over the
Armenian-controlled territory of Nagorno-Karabakh could spark a new war
if it remains unresolved, Azerbaijan’s defense minister said Tuesday.

"As long as Azerbaijani territory is occupied by Armenia, the chance
of war is close to 100 percent," Safar Abiyev said during a meeting
in Kazakhstan of defense chiefs from ex-Soviet republics.

His startlingly worded remark was a reminder that Azerbaijan has
not ruled out use of force in recapturing Nagorno-Karabakh and
surrounding areas.

Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territory that is also part of
Azerbaijan have been controlled by Armenian and ethnic Armenian forces
since a shaky 1994 cease-fire ended one of the bloodiest conflicts
that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. The six-year war
killed 30,000 people and drove more than 1 million from their homes,
including many of the region’s ethnic Azeris.

Azerbaijan and Armenia remain locked in a dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh
despite more than a decade of coaxing from international mediators led
by the United States, Russia and France to resolve the region’s status.

Gunfire breaks out regularly along the border between Azerbaijan and
Armenia and in the regions near Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenian Defense Minister Mikhail Arutyunian said he sees no
alternative to a peaceful settlement, the RIA-Novosti news agency
reported.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress