SABINE FREIZER OFFERS TO REPLACE OSCE MG FRENCH CO-CHAIR BY EU REPRESENTATIVE

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.08.2008 16:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ International Crisis Group Europe Program Director
Sabine Freizer believes it would be expedient to replace France by
an EU representative in the OSCE Minsk Group dealing with settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

"I believe that the EU can play a greater role in assisting reduce
tensions in and around Nagorno Karabakh. When the chairmanship of
the current French representative ends, I would recommend that the
French Minsk Group position be handed over to an EU representative,"
Freizer said.

Ideally the three representatives in the Minsk Group should be high
level political officials if we expect that they are going to have
any political influence over the process, according to her.

"But on the other hand, it makes no sense to expect that a solution to
the NK conflict is going to be come from the outside. Azerbaijan and
Armenia, their political leadership and their people, will eventually
need to agree to a compromise. This will only happen when they come to
the conclusion that compromise is better than more fighting," she said.

"I still believe that the current formula on the table is the best one
possible: return of seven occupied districts to NK, full withdrawal
by forces from Armenia, refugee/IDP return to all areas including
NK, normalization of the situation, determination of NK’s ultimately
status postponed until all people can participate fully in a democratic
process. Once withdrawal begins and refugee return starts the deadlock
in the negotiations process will be broken and tensions diminish,"
said Freizer, Trend Azeri news agency reports.