PanARMENIAN.Net

U.S. Congressmen call on Rice challenge Azerbaijan’s threats of renewed war
16.02.2008 13:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ More than 50 Members of the U.S. House of
Representatives called upon Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to
challenge Azerbaijan’s threats of renewed war against Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh, and to take concrete action to hold leaders in Baku
accountable for actions that directly undermine the Administration’s
policy of fostering peace and stability in the South Caucasus region,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The letter, initiated by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Joe
Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), cited specific recent
threats by Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and stressed that,
"these fear tactics and threats of war go directly against the United
States’ goal of peace and stability in the South Caucasus
region. Azerbaijan has been threatening war with Armenia for
years. However, these recent public comments made by high-ranking
government officials prove that their rhetoric has turned into a very
real and dangerous threat."

In a related matter, the Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen yesterday
circulated a letter inviting members of the Caucus to offer public
remarks honoring the 20th anniversary of the Nagorno Karabakh
liberation movement. In their letter, they underscored that, "as
Americans, we value and appreciate the courage shown by the people of
Nagorno Karabakh in standing up for democracy and sparking the popular
movements that spread throughout the Soviet Republics and the Warsaw
Pact, and eventually brought down the Soviet empire. We commemorate
this movement not only for the liberty it brought to the people of
Nagorno Karabakh, but also for the profound contribution it made to
helping to create a safer world." They added that, "in the two decades
since this historic movement began on or in February of 1988, the men
and women of Nagorno Karabakh – in the face of aggression, blockade,
and other truly daunting challenges – have built a vibrant democracy,
fostered a free market economy, and constructively engaged with the
international community to advance regional peace and cooperation."