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Agence France Presse
June 23, 2011 Thursday 11:31 PM GMT
Obama calls Armenian, Azerbaijan leaders
WASHINGTON, June 23 2011
US President Barack Obama on Thursday called the presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan to urge progress in talks to end the long conflict over
the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region, officials said.
Obama spoke to Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev ahead of a summit Friday in Kazan, Russia, to
be hosted by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the White House said.
The US leader called on the bitter enemies to sign a "basic
principles" agreement amid fears that a failure to show progress could
lead to a new war over Karabakh, where some 30,000 people died in
fighting in the 1990s.
"President Obama told both leaders that now is the time to resolve
this conflict and to offer the people of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and
Nagorny-Karabakh a better future for themselves and for their
children," the White House statement said.
The "basic principles" document envisages an Armenian withdrawal from
areas around Karabakh seized during the war, the return of refugees,
international security guarantees, and a vote on the final status of
the territory at some point in the future.
The US, Russian and French presidents urged both countries to "move
beyond the unacceptable status quo" and "take a decisive step towards
a peaceful settlement" in a statement issued at the G8 summit last
month.
The general secretary of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation
in Europe, which has been mediating the negotiations, expressed hope
this week that a breakthrough might be possible at Friday's talks.
"Very rarely have we observed moments when our hopes for a final peace
settlement have been as high as they are now," said OSCE General
Secretary Marc Perrin de Brichambaut.
But a basic principles agreement does not represent a peace deal and
the two sides remain deeply divided over the final status of Karabakh,
which was seized from Azerbaijan by ethnic Armenian forces backed by
Yerevan during the war.
Tensions have been escalating amid firefights along the Karabakh
frontline and threats from Azerbaijan to seize the region back by
force if talks don't yield results.
mkh-emc-col/tr
From: Baghdasarian
June 23, 2011 Thursday 11:31 PM GMT
Obama calls Armenian, Azerbaijan leaders
WASHINGTON, June 23 2011
US President Barack Obama on Thursday called the presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan to urge progress in talks to end the long conflict over
the disputed Nagorny Karabakh region, officials said.
Obama spoke to Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev ahead of a summit Friday in Kazan, Russia, to
be hosted by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, the White House said.
The US leader called on the bitter enemies to sign a "basic
principles" agreement amid fears that a failure to show progress could
lead to a new war over Karabakh, where some 30,000 people died in
fighting in the 1990s.
"President Obama told both leaders that now is the time to resolve
this conflict and to offer the people of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and
Nagorny-Karabakh a better future for themselves and for their
children," the White House statement said.
The "basic principles" document envisages an Armenian withdrawal from
areas around Karabakh seized during the war, the return of refugees,
international security guarantees, and a vote on the final status of
the territory at some point in the future.
The US, Russian and French presidents urged both countries to "move
beyond the unacceptable status quo" and "take a decisive step towards
a peaceful settlement" in a statement issued at the G8 summit last
month.
The general secretary of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation
in Europe, which has been mediating the negotiations, expressed hope
this week that a breakthrough might be possible at Friday's talks.
"Very rarely have we observed moments when our hopes for a final peace
settlement have been as high as they are now," said OSCE General
Secretary Marc Perrin de Brichambaut.
But a basic principles agreement does not represent a peace deal and
the two sides remain deeply divided over the final status of Karabakh,
which was seized from Azerbaijan by ethnic Armenian forces backed by
Yerevan during the war.
Tensions have been escalating amid firefights along the Karabakh
frontline and threats from Azerbaijan to seize the region back by
force if talks don't yield results.
mkh-emc-col/tr
From: Baghdasarian