BRYZA HOPES FOR GENTLEMEN AGREEMENT ON KARABAKH BEFORE ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.12.2007 15:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ OSCE Minsk Group U.S. Co-chair Matthew Bryza voiced
hope that the sides can reach a gentlemen agreement on Nagorno Karabakh
before the presidential elections on Armenia. "In Madrid, Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov of Russia and Bernard Couchner of France as
well as U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns
handed the Armenian and Azeri FMs a revised package of proposals on
the issues the two parties have failed to coordinate so far," he said.

Mr Bryza informed that the mediators will arrive in the region in
mid-January to get to know about the positions of the Armenian and
Azerbaijani Presidents on the latest proposals. "The Co-chairs are
hopeful that the Presidents will reach an oral agreement before the
elections in Armenia," he said.

"The fundamental principles proposed to Yerevan and Baku in Madrid can
be described as the result of talks held during recent three years. The
principles on the table are like those at the beginning of the process.

The general concept underwent no changes but new ideas and approaches
were suggested. Some amendments introduced by the mediators are the
result of compromise by both sides," Mr Bryza said.

"Each President concedes that they approached a verge and now
have to choose either to make a just compromise and or start from
scratch threatening with resumption of hostilities. We hope that
the Presidents will favor the base principles leading to a fair and
lasting settlement," he said, Mediamax reports.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress