Agence France Presse
March 15 2008

Azerbaijan warns France, Russia, US over UN vote: report

BAKU (AFP) – Azerbaijan warned it would review relations with France,
Russia and the United States on Saturday after they voted against a
UN resolution calling on Armenia to pull out of Azerbaijani
territory, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported.

The three co-chairs of the Minsk Group set up to resolve the conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the enclave of Nagorny Karabakh
"have put themselves in a difficult situation," Azerbaijani Deputy
Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told journalists in Baku.

"The UN resolution is a serious message to Armenia and a warning for
the co-chairs," he said. "We will cooperate with them on the basis of
their position in the UN General Assembly."

The General Assembly on Friday passed a non-binding resolution
demanding the "immediate, complete and unconditional" withdrawal of
all Armenian forces from Azerbaijan’s territory in a vote in which
more than 100 countries abstained.

France, Russia and the United States voted against, arguing that as
mediators they had to remain neutral. Four other countries also voted
against the resolution, which was passed by 39 countries voting in
favour.

The Russian foreign ministry criticised the resolution in a statement
issued Saturday, saying that its "basic principles … meet only the
interests of Azerbaijan."

Armenian forces seized control of Nagorny Karabakh and seven
surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in the early 1990s, in a war that
claimed an estimated 30,000 lives and forced about a million people
to flee their homes.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress