LAWMAKERS HAIL ALIYEV’S WARNING ON GARABAGH

AzerNews Weekly
Nov 27 2009
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani lawmakers voiced support for the strongly-worded statement
made by President Ilham Aliyev prior to his talks on the Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh conflict held with his Armenian counterpart Serzh
Sarkisian in Munich, Germany on Sunday.

President Aliyev said in the Goranboy region, while addressing refugees
displaced by the armed conflict in the early 1990s that, if the Munich
talks failed to yield fruit, peace talks with Armenia would be halted
and Azerbaijan could move to regain its occupied territories by force.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up in
the late 1980s due to Armenia’s territorial claims. Armenia has been
occupying over 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized
territory since the early 1990s in defiance of international law. The
ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but over a decade of efforts by
US, Russian and French mediators have been fruitless so far.

MP Zahid Oruj told the parliamentary session that the president’s
statement should not be interpreted as a threat. He noted that
President Aliyev had expressed not only his own stance but also
that of the entire nation, as well as delivered a message to the
world community.

Igbal Agazada, chairman of opposition Umid (Hope) Party, blamed Russia
for the lingering Garabagh conflict. He opined that Moscow had caused
the dispute and it could be settled if Azerbaijan’s northern neighbor
sought a solution.

Agazada also suggested that the foreign minister, who is involved
in peace talks, should report to parliament on the matter. "Sooner
or later we have to find out what they want from us and what we want
in talks."

Sabir Rustamkhanly, chairman of the opposition-leaning Civil Solidarity
Party, said the opposition is not opposed to the president’s position
in Garabagh negotiations, but the president "should not be the only
one expressing the country’s stance." Along with the head of state,
Azerbaijan’s parliament, political parties and non-governmental
organizations should defend the country’s fair cause.

Panah Huseyn, an MP from opposition Musavat party, suggested disclosing
to the public the peace outline dubbed the Madrid principles, which
was submitted to Baku and Yerevan by the mediating OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs in late 2007. He claimed that one of these principles
envisions determining the status of Upper Garabagh through a
referendum, which would hurt Azerbaijan’s interests.

Baku says the occupied districts must be freed and Azerbaijani refugees
returned home, and only after that could the status of Upper Garabagh
be determined within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Fazil Gazanfaroghlu, chairman of the Great Establishment Party, noted
that speculations are made at times about Garabagh settlement talks,
suggesting that the leaders of the parties represented in parliament
be informed about the course of negotiations. At such a meeting, the
parliament leadership would notify party leaders about some details
of the negotiating process. The MP added that such a meeting should be
held behind closed doors and party leaders are to assume responsibility
to protect the confidentiality of information they obtain.*

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress