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  • BAKU: OSCE Minsk Group co-chairman calls for Azeri concessions

    OSCE Minsk Group co-chairman calls for Azeri concessions

    Ekspress, Baku
    6 Jan 05


    The Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, a team of
    international mediators to resolve the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, has
    called on Azerbaijan to make concessions at the forthcoming talks in
    order to reach a settlement of the conflict. In an interview with the
    Azerbaijani daily Ekspress, Yuriy Merzlyakov described the Prague
    talks as "decisive" and said: "Armenia has agreed to some
    concessions. Now, it is Azerbaijan's turn". The following is the text
    of Alakbar Raufoglu report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ekspress on 6
    January headlined "'Prague recipe in the Karabakh settlement'" and
    subheaded "Or why the Armenians have agreed to a 'stage-by-stage
    solution plan'"; subheadings are as published:

    "The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers discuss at talks
    issues pertaining to a staged solution to the Karabakh conflict," the
    Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuriy Merzlyakov, said
    yesterday, commenting on the latest statements by the Azerbaijani
    leadership on the Prague process in an exclusive interview with
    Ekspress. He noted that Armenia has already agreed to a stage-by-stage
    solution [principle]. "Now we have to work out certain details."

    Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has told a recent meeting of the
    country's Security Council that a new stage has started in the
    Karabakh settlement. The head of state said that the Prague process
    envisages a stage-by-stage solution to the conflict and the
    discussions are proceeding in a way that is favourable to Azerbaijan.

    "We do not rule out agreement on some options proposed by Baku. But
    for this purpose mutual steps should be taken, desire should be
    demonstrated and coordinated," Merzlyakov said. He described the
    forthcoming Prague talks as "a decisive moment".

    Big talks due next week

    "The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers are due to have
    important talks next week. The dialogue can be continued towards a
    final end should there be any specific results in Prague," the Russian
    co-chairman stressed.

    He said the meeting of the ministers "will cast some light on many
    questions about the evaluation of the situation, specific solution
    proposals and prospects of holding more talks: Armenia has agreed to
    some concessions. Now, it is Azerbaijan's turn".

    Besides, the activity of a fact-finding group that will be sent to the
    region of the conflict on the initiative of the OSCE on 25 January
    will also be in focus in Prague. "We attach great importance to this
    mission. The fact-finders may clarify many points that affect the
    course of the talks and eliminate complications."

    New stage?

    "The Prague meeting on the issues discussed in 2004 will be continued.
    It is still too early to talk about specific results. Certain elements
    will be discussed within the framework of this process," Azerbaijani
    Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told Ekspress.

    He said that "Azerbaijan had more success" in the negotiations in
    2004, as Baku managed to familiarize the international community with
    its position on Nagornyy Karabakh. "Our primary goal is to have the
    territories liberated. Now, the Azerbaijani government should carry on
    its efforts in the peace process in this direction."

    Besides Armenia's attitude to the latest talks and specific solution
    options, the Prague meeting will discuss the illegitimate settlement
    policy being pursued in the occupied territories, Azimov said. The
    parties will also review the "details" of the fact-finding group's
    visit to the region late in January. The mission will prepare a
    special report after inspecting the occupied territories. "I hope that
    the new stage of the Prague process will be more active," he said.

    Touching on the details of the talks, the deputy foreign minister said
    that "the interests and positions of the parties should be
    distinguished". "It is possible to make very sensitive, complicated
    and principled decisions only in normal and objective conditions which
    will be created after attempts to settle the conflict are stepped up
    and the consequences [of the conflict] and results are removed."

    He said that Baku abides its position on territorial
    integrity. Commenting on the reports that Armenia has agreed to the
    idea of a stage-by-stage solution, Azimov said that Yerevan's position
    has not changed in principle but "there is desire for rapprochement".

    Karabakh's ethnic Armenians

    [Armenian] Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan held a one-to-one meeting
    with the "so-called head of the foreign ministry" of the "Nagornyy
    Karabakh Republic", Arman Malikyan, in Yerevan yesterday. Official
    reports say the two discussed the details of the Prague talks and the
    possible participation of the separatists in the peace process.
    Oskanyan told Malikyan that the position of Karabakh's ethnic
    Armenians would be taken into account in the discussions between the
    foreign ministers.

    "We now have a favourable situation in the conflict. Armenia must make
    use of this opportunity to familiarize the international community
    with the essence of the conflict and have the problem solved in line
    with the principle of self-determination of the people of Nagornyy
    Karabakh."

    The meeting also discussed priorities of Armenia's Karabakh policies
    next year.

    "Prague recipe"

    One may come to a conclusion from the above mentioned official
    statements that a specific solution "recipe" will be discussed in the
    forthcoming round of the Prague talks. Naturally, it is difficult to
    predict the effect of this situation on the settlement process. In any
    case, it is not yet clear what the ministers "bargain" on.

    "The statements made in the run-up to and before the Prague meetings
    allow us to conclude that the co-chairmen have produced a new
    settlement recipe. Although it envisages a stage-by-stage solution,
    there are some dangerous tendencies," the former [Azerbaijani] foreign
    minister, Tofiq Zulfuqarov, told Ekspress yesterday.

    The Armenians aim to include certain items in the proposals which will
    allow for a stage-by-stage solution, he said. At the talks Yerevan
    calls for the prior resolution of issues such as the status of
    Nagornyy Karabakh, a referendum among the Armenian community and other
    legal issues.

    "The main discussions and problems are related to it at this stage.
    Therefore, the co-chairmen are now more inclined to a stage-by-stage
    solution," Zulfuqarov said. Baku should hold the "UN card" in order to
    take advantage of the settlement process, he noted. One can only
    expect the "result to continue the discussions" from the Prague
    talks. Specific progress in the resolution of the problem depends on
    international pressure on Armenia. US President George Bush is
    expected to announce his country's foreign policy priorities soon,
    Zulfuqarov stressed. "If the Karabakh issue is mentioned there, the
    Minsk Group co-chairmen will deal with the issue more seriously."

    Former state advisor Vafa Quluzada also believes that the fate of the
    Prague talks depends not on the parties to the conflict, but on the
    co-chairmen.

    "The main dialogue is now between the USA and Russia. If the USA
    manages to explain the existing realities to Moscow and Paris, there
    will be no problems. We should know that the USA holds the key to the
    problem and it will be used soon. The Prague talks and any talk of
    recipes just aim at diverting the attention".
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