Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 15 2008

Azerbaijan Opposition Considers Possible to Devise Single Conception
on Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Settlement
15.11.08 11:20

Azerbaijan, Baku, 14 November / TrendNews , corr. A.Huseynbla / The
opposition parties of Azerbaijan consider it possible to devise a
single conception on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

`I do not think that there is a difference of opinion in opposition
parties’ preparation of a single conception on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict settlement,’ Etibar Mammadov, Leader of Azerbaijan National
Independence Party (ANIP), told TrendNews on 14 November.

Up to now, Azerbaijani opposition has not achieved to devise a single
conception on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. Although the
political parties have pack of proposals, a single document has not
been prepared.

The conflict between the two countries of South Caucasus began in 1988
due to territorial claims by Armenia against Azerbaijan. Armenia has
occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani land including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding Districts. Since 1992, these
territories have been under the occupation of the Armenian Forces. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France and USA) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.

Mammadov said that indeed, both government and opposition supports the
solution of the problem within territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and
international principles.

`Opposition can make a single conception,’ Mammadov added.

`Opposition’s devising a single conception is possible,’ Sulhaddin
Akber, chairman of Assembly of Musavat Party, told TrendNews on 14
November.

In 1999, Musavat Party prepared `Ugur’ pack of proposals envisaging
the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan. The principles in the document were made
publicly available.

He said that during 8 November meeting of the Assembly of Musavat
Party, the conception was approved, taking into consideration the
processes in the world and region.

`The leaders can make a decision on the single conception. I think
that there can not be difference of opinion amongst the opposition
parties,’ Akbar said.

`I consider that if a necessity appears to devise a new conception,
the provisions specified in Karabakh Charter can be used,’ Eldar
Namazov, President of public union `For Azerbaijan’, told TrendNews on
14 November.

Formerly Karabakh Charter was prepared with the participation of the
opposition parties. This document was presented to the Government of
Azerbaijan, all public-political organizations of the country, as well
as international community. The Charter was signed by more than 600
organizations.

`The proposals of opposition have been presented both to the community
and co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group,’ Lale Shovkat, Leader of
National Unity Movement, told TrendNews on 14 November.

She says that the basic principle in the conflict solution must be
inviolability of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

`Unfortunately, two questions in the international law norms `
territorial integrity of states and self-determination right of the
nations ` contradict each other. We did not make right to present the
solution of the conflict to the international arena 15 years ago. I
think that it would be more exact to settle the conflict inside the
country. It is already late, the issue in the focus of attention of
the international community. For this reason, the solution of the
conflict depends on the international law norms,’ Shovkat said.

The Leader of Movement considers that in order to realize
international norms, geo-political consensus on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict settlement should exist in South Caucasus. `Without
consensus, we will not settle the conflict. Because the interests of
Russia and the West confuse in South Caucasus. If indeed Russia and
the West can come to consensus, it will be possible to settle the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,’