DIALOGUE URGED FOR NAGORNO-KARABAKH

United Press International

Emerging Threats

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 29 (UPI) — The lingering conflict over the
Nagorno-Karabakh region can be resolved if Azerbaijan and Armenia
refrain for undermining dialogue, Armenian officials said.

War broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh
in the early 1990s, and the regional fallout from that row remains
tense despite a 1994 cease-fire.

Yerevan claims ethnic Armenians are deprived of their basic rights
in the territory, while Baku argues those solutions lie in annexing
Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers exchanged heated words as the
conflict gained attention during the U.N. General Assembly Meeting
in New York.

Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said Armenia needed to
pull its forces from the region and return internally displaced
persons. Edward Nalbandian, his Armenian counterpart, struck a
conciliatory tone, saying, "The parties should commit to refrain from
steps that could hamper dialogue and the peace process."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in her meetings on
Nagorno-Karabakh expressed her "strong support" for a resolution,
saying the dispute negotiating process should move forward without
preconditions, said Philip Gordon, the assistant secretary of state
for European and Eurasian affairs.

Turkey in a confidence-building measure said it would open its border
with Armenia in time for a World Cup qualifying match in October.