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Mediators Urge Armenia, Azerbaijan To Settle Nagorno-Karabakh Confli

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  • Mediators Urge Armenia, Azerbaijan To Settle Nagorno-Karabakh Confli

    MEDIATORS URGE ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN TO SETTLE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

    AP Worldstream
    Jul 03, 2006

    International mediators on Monday urged the presidents of Armenia and
    Azerbaijan to settle their dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

    The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's so-called
    Minsk Group, chaired by the United States, Russia and France, said
    that its proposals discussed at a meeting last month "hold the best
    potential for achieving a just and lasting settlement of the conflict."

    Nagorno-Karabakh is in Azerbaijan, but the territory and some
    surrounding areas have been under control of Karabakh and Armenian
    forces since a shaky cease-fire in 1994 ended a six-year separatist
    war that killed about 30,000 people and drove about 1 million from
    their homes.

    The principles the mediators proposed last month included withdrawing
    Armenian troops from the Azerbaijani territories surrounding
    Nagorno-Karabakh, according to a statement from the Minsk Group,
    but it suggested a corridor linking Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh
    would remain under Armenian control.

    The principles "could pave the way for the two sides to draft a
    far-reaching settlement agreement," the mediators said. They also
    include deploying international peacekeepers, resettling displaced
    people and a referendum _ its timing and format to be worked out
    later _ on the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh.

    In the statement, the mediators expressed regret that Armenian
    President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev did
    not reach an agreement on the principles when they met in early June
    in Bucharest, Romania.

    The mediators "strongly believe that it is now time for the two
    presidents to take the initiative for achieving a breakthrough in the
    settlement process based on these principles," the statement said. The
    mediators are ready to help "if the parties decide to pursue the
    talks with the political will that has thus far been lacking," it said.

    Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry officials each indicated
    Monday that their governments consider the principles an acceptable
    basis for further negotiations, but accused each other of hindering
    efforts to reach a settlement.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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