Negotiations and settlment

MJ · March 20, 2001

Declaration

The meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, which is soon

to be held at the initiative of the US Secretary of State Colin Powell,

attests to the fact that negotiation processes over the Artsakh Issue

have entered a new and decisive phase. Hence, it is important that our

People demonstrate its prudence and consistency at each stage of these

negotiations.

Greatly appreciating both the continuing efforts of the two Presidents

to find a peaceful resolution, as well as the steps taken in this regard

by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair states, the A.R.F. Dashnaktsutyun finds

it imperative that the following principles be adopted during the

ensuing negotiations:

a) Any agreement aiming at the resolution of the Artsakh Issue must

recognize the unification of Artsakh with Armenia, or, at a minimum, the

independence of Artsakh.

The process of resolving the Artsakh Issue must not be led by

artificial deadlines imposed by outside forces, for a so-called

"immediate" resolution.

c) The delineation of the borders of Artsakh should be guided by

principles of historical rights and guarantees of the real, namely by

the geographical and territorial security of Artsakh and Armenia. The

return of the occupied areas of the Shahumyan region, the Gedashen

sub-region, the plains of Martakert, the Noyeberyan and Tavush regions

is not negotiable. The Armenia-Artsakh geographical connection must be

militarily impenetrable and must therefore extend the entire length of

the border.

d) Any possible communication between Nakhitchevan and Azerbaijan cannot

be realized at the expense of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and

national security of Armenia.

f) Turkey cannot be considered as a negotiating party during the

negotiations over the Artsakh Issue. Moreover, Turkey cannot act as an

arbitrator in these processes, as it has explicitly allied itself with

Azerbaijan from the very start of the Issue.

g) And finally, it is important that during the negotiations to be held

on United States territory, the US State Department remain meticulously

unbiased and refrain from the temptation of interfering in favor of

Azerbaijan.

Taking into consideration the pan-Armenian nature and national

importance of the Artsakh Issue, it is imperative that from here onward

the authorities of the Republic of Armenia examine the Issue jointly

with all the political forces of Armenia and Artsakh.

ARF Bureau

20 March 2001

Yerevan

[ April 22, 2001: Message edited by: MJ ]

art · March 23, 2001

Even though the objectives of the Dashnaks seems to be radical at first it is well thought for the future of Armenia. I believe that Dashnaks can be the only saviour for Armenia. They saved Armenia in the first world war in Karabagh and in the future war with Turkey. Many of the Diasporan Armenians are Dashnaks so with the Dashnaks taking over this will bring our people together. Long live Dashnaks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MJ · March 23, 2001

Art? Have you been reading the history of Armenian nation or some other nation?

MosJan · March 23, 2001

Art jan kneres barekam - yes hamadziyn chem qez het .

art · March 23, 2001

Mosjan isk ghi. Karak angleren grek vo hetev shat yerkar e tervum michev kartumes hayerena? mersi

MJ · March 25, 2001

RFE/RL Armenia/Azerbaijan: Pessimism Over Nagorno-Artsax Peace Talks

Prevails

By Jean-Christophe Peuch

Early next month (April 3) leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan travel to the

southeastern U.S. state of Florida for a new round of talks to try to find a

solution to the Nagorno-Artsax territorial dispute under the aegis of the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). But both

presidents have recently expressed pessimism over the upcoming meeting.

RFE/RL correspondent Jean-Christophe Peuch looks at the latest developments.

Prague, 23 March 2001 (RFE/RL) -- Armenian President Robert Kocharian and

Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliev have both recently dismissed hopes that a

peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Artsax dispute is within reach.

Addressing students at the Yerevan State Institute of Economics on Wednesday

(March 21), Kocharian admitted that direct talks with his Azerbaijani

counterpart were in a deadlock:

"We have exhausted the resources of our face-to-face meetings [with

President Aliev]. We have discussed all possible solutions, all possible

combinations of plans, and we have no more resources to continue within this

format."

Speaking the same day in Baku for the Nowroz New Year celebrations, Aliev

warned that if a peaceful settlement is not attained, "the Azerbaijani

people will show all their strength and power and liberate the occupied

Azerbaijani lands by military means."

An ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan, Artsax seceded from Azerbaijan

in 1988, triggering a six-year war with Baku. The conflict halted with a

ceasefire in 1994, but ethnic Armenian forces still occupy the enclave and

six neighboring districts in Azerbaijan. An estimated 800,000 Azerbaijanis

from Artsax and occupied territories were turned into refugees during the

active phase of the conflict.

Kocharian and Aliev are due to hold a new round of talks next month in Key

West, Florida. The meeting will start April 3 and is expected to last at

least four days.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who met on Tuesday (March 20) with

visiting Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian, will open the meeting.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the U.S. administration

expects the next round of talks to bring the negotiating sides closer after

a fruitless meeting earlier this month in Paris:

"The Key West talks are another attempt to move this process forward, to

narrow the differences."

Kocharian and Aliev have already had 16 face-to-face meetings since 1998.

They met most recently in Paris on March 4 and 5 under the auspices of

French President Jacques Chirac.

France co-chairs with the United States and Russia the so-called "Minsk

Group" that has been tasked by the Organization for Security and Cooperation

in Europe, or OSCE, with monitoring the peace talks. Aliev returned from

Paris in a rather pessimistic mood, saying the meeting had been unable to

produce any concrete results.

Last month, media outlets in Baku released for the first time details of

three proposed peace plans drafted by the Minsk Group since 1997.

A debate in Azerbaijan's Milli Meclis (National Assembly) immediately

followed the publication of these drafts, which legislators and political

leaders ultimately described as "unacceptable."

Since then opposition parties, war veterans, and refugees called for the

return of occupied territories through military means.

In a passionate speech before the Milli Meclis last month (February 24),

Aliev warned his opponents that should hostilities resume, he would declare

a state of emergency and ban all opposition parties and media, thus making

clear he would favor a peaceful solution.

Azerbaijani journalist Hasan Guliyev is a former aide to late President

Abulfaz Elchibey. He notes that, within only a month, Aliev's stance has

significantly changed:

"When you look at his public speeches over the past month, you see that the

emphasis is progressively shifting. During the first 10-15 days (following

his address to the parliament), he spoke more of the potential of the peace

negotiations and seemed to obstruct the militaristic psychosis that was

developing [in the media and the opposition]. But now, in his speeches, he

sounds more sympathetic to those who favor a military solution."

Shortly after the Paris talks, Aliev went on a five-day state visit to

Turkey for meetings mainly focused on regional security problems.

Turkish media have reported that the Artsax issue was the main topic of

Aliev's talks with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Prime Minister Bulent

Ecevit, and Army Chief-of-Staff Huseyin Kivrikoglu.

Details of the talks remain sketchy.

Observers point out that, contrary to Aliev's previous trips to Ankara, this

month's visit was unusually confidential. Upon his return to Baku, Aliev

declined to comment on the results of his talks with Turkish leaders.

Guliyev noticed a change in the Azerbaijani president's attitude after his

visit to Ankara:

"There have been changes in Aliev's behavior that you can explain to a

certain extent. Of course it is not the main explanation but, still, it

certainly played a significant role. [i think that] his talks in Turkey gave

him a reason to change his tune."

Turkey supports Azerbaijan in its dispute with Armenia. Since Baku's

military defeat, Ankara has introduced economic sanctions against Yerevan

and has closed its border with Armenia.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey were particularly close under

Elchibey's nationalist regime. In 1993 both countries were considering

signing a broad defense cooperation treaty similar to the one that was

signed four years later between Armenia and Russia.

But Elchibey was then ousted by a military coup that brought Aliev to power

and the Turkish-Azerbaijani treaty was shelved.

Guliyev believes that Aliev may have discussed with Turkish officials ways

to boost bilateral military cooperation.

In a interview with Turkey's NTV private television channel, Aliev last week

called for increased military cooperation with Turkey, saying he would

welcome a Turkish military base on Azerbaijani territory. Russia has a

military base in Armenia.

Also last week, a high-ranking Turkish General Staff officer went to Baku to

meet with Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiev. Details of the talks

between General Nusret Tasdeler and Abiev were not disclosed.

Vahan Hovanisian is one of the top leaders of the Armenian nationalist

Dashnaktsutyun Party. He also chairs the defense, interior, and national

security committee in the Armenian National Assembly (parliament).

In an interview with RFE/RL, Hovanisian said that despite Aliev's harsh

rhetoric, prospects of fighting resuming between Armenia and Azerbaijan

remain hypothetical for the time being.

"I think that not only Aliev but also a significant part of Azerbaijan's

society are, deep in their heart, perfectly aware that the reality has

changed and that they are ready to compromise. They are ready to make real

compromises that would take into account the interests of both the Armenian

and Azerbaijani peoples."

Yet both Hovanisian and Guliyev believe that there is little chance that the

Key West talks will produce any result.

In his address Wednesday to the Yerevan State Institute of Economics,

Kocharian said if the Key West meeting fails to bring the two sides closer

to an agreement, a new meeting will take place in Moscow.

MJ · April 2, 2001

Powell to show mediating skill on Nagorno-Artsax

By Elaine Monaghan

WASHINGTON, April 1 (Reuters) - Exploiting what one U.S. official called a

rare window of opportunity, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has turned

to a remote mountain conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan to show off his

mediating skills.

Facing accusations of a new American isolationism, Powell hopes to show the

United States at work with Russia and France as co-chair of talks when he

flies into Florida Tuesday to launch a fresh bid for a peace deal over

disputed Nagorno-Artsax.

The United States sees grounds for optimism that it can bring an end to the

first major ethnic dispute to erupt in the waning days of the Soviet Union,

bringing stability to a region where Russia, Turkey and Iran also have

interests. It is also a region from which Washington would like to export

Azeri oil.

"It is not a region that anyone would welcome renewed fighting in," one

senior State Department official said on condition of anonymity, of a

territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan but partly occupied by Armenian

forces.

If Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Azeri President Haydar Aliyev make

progress at the talks, which are expected to run up to six days, it would be

a feather in Powell's cap.

"The United States recognizes how rare sometimes these windows of opportunity

can be," the official said.

He said Bush had already discussed the issue with French President Jacques

Chirac, who mediated two meetings between Kocharyan and Aliyev this year

which failed to end the 13-year conflict that killed 35,000 people before a

1994 cease-fire.

Azerbaijan wants Nagorno-Artsax back in its control, though it is offering

the mainly ethnic Armenian region broad autonomy. Armenia wants independence

for the region.

"With this format that is taking place in Key West, we are highlighting both

the intent to advance a resolution of this problem and the cooperation toward

that end by the United States, Russia and France together," the official

said.

This could help the U.S. image as Europe slams Bush for withdrawing support

for a 1997 treaty on global warming.

Russia has close ties with Armenia and has been accused by Azerbaijan of

giving military aid to its rival. Iran would prefer not to see a U.S.

foothold established in the region, where about 200 people are killed each

year despite the truce, mainly due to snipers and land mines, the official

said.

Russian, U.S. and French diplomats will participate in the talks whose first

day Powell will attend and which for the first time will bring the two sides

together for intense talks over several days with mediation of the three

co-chairs.

Some experts fear tensions in U.S.-Russian relations may complicate the

talks, with Washington and Moscow ordering reciprocal expulsions of 50

diplomats accused of spying.

LOW-LYING FRUIT?

Diplomats and experts do not expect a deal to be signed at Key West, the

southernmost island of the Florida Keys whose most famous resident was writer

Ernest Hemingway.

But some see the talks as ripe for progress, making them attractive to the

U.S. administration in its early weeks.

Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh, who has also led U.S. efforts to resolve

conflicts in Georgia and Moldova, will lead the talks for the United States

once Powell leaves. He also led the effort on Nagorno-Artsax for the

Clinton administration.

"It's low-lying fruit," said Fiona Hill of the Brookings Institution who

compared Nagorno-Artsax to the West Bank.

But she warned against excessive optimism, recalling former Deputy Secretary

of State Strobe Talbott had only just left Armenia when gunmen wrecked peace

hopes in 1999 by shooting dead the prime minister and seven other people.

No new proposals are on the table but one could come out of the talks,

brought about by contacts through the Organization for Security and

Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) of which the three co-chairs are members, the

U.S. official said.

Azerbaijan has rejected three OSCE proposals and demanded new ones. Aliyev's

impatience has been reflected in a number of bellicose statements in which he

threatened to use military means to restore Baku's control of the territory.

14:42 04-01-01

MJ · April 2, 2001

Bush makes peace talks in Caucasus a priority

U.S. seeks to limit Russia, aid oil firms

The Baltimore Sun,

By Jay Han****

Sun National Staff

Originally published April 2, 2001

WASHINGTON - While crisis swirls in the Middle East and the Balkans, the

Bush administration's first intensive diplomatic negotiations will be

devoted to bringing peace to a troubled land in the Caucasus, countering

Russian influence in a critical part of Asia - and helping the

administration's friends in the oil industry.

Tomorrow, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell will be in Key West, Fla., to

begin five days of talks aimed at settling a dispute between Armenia and

Azerbaijan.

Sponsored by the United States, France and Russia, the Key West conference

will seek to resolve the status of Nagorno-Artsax, a tiny mountain enclave

that is historically part of Azerbaijan but is controlled by ethnic Armenian

rebels.

After he opens the talks, Powell is scheduled to leave, and negotiators from

the sponsor countries will try to strike an accord between Azerbaijani

President Heydar Aliyev and Armenian President Robert Kocharian.

Caucasus analysts see strategic and humanitarian reasons for Washington to

push for a settlement on Nagorno-Artsax, which Kocharian recognizes as an

independent state and which Aliyev wants to bring back under Azerbaijan's

control.

A deal could allow more than half a million Azerbaijani refugees to return

to their homes and could thwart Moscow's ability to exploit

Azerbaijan-Armenian friction to further its own interests and control

Western access to Caspian petroleum.

At the same time, a peace agreement would benefit the U.S. oil industry,

which has strong ties to the Bush administration, has heavily invested in

the region and stands to lose in heightened Armenian-Azerbaijan tensions.

Among other projects, U.S. companies are interested in building and using a

$2.7 billion pipeline that would pass to the north of Nagorno-Artsax and

would connect Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, with the Turkish port of

Ceyhan on the Mediterranean. The pipeline would be a crucial distribution

channel for American and other producers drilling in the Caspian off Baku,

about 150 miles east of Nagorno-Artsax.

"At first, the United States was not as much involved" in the region, "but

of course, Baku has the oil, and many major U.S. companies have signed

major, lucrative agreements," said George Bournoutian, a Caucasus specialist

at Iona College in New York. "We need to keep that oil flowing. Without a

peaceful solution there, that oil will not flow."

The administration's sponsorship of the Nagorno-Artsax talks, which U.S.

officials said was kindled by a Feb. 1 phone conversation between Bush and

French President Jacques Chirac, occurs as Washington is stepping back from

diplomatic involvement in other bloody ethnic disputes, such as those in the

Balkans and the Middle East.

Several senior administration foreign policy officials, including Vice

President Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, until

recently worked for companies with major interests in Azerbaijan and

significant stakes in the success of the proposed pipeline.

The pipeline is considered crucial for Western interests because it would

offer the only export avenue for Caspian oil that wouldn't go through Russia

or Iran - countries not known for their cooperation with Western capitals.

The Caspian region is estimated to contain a 10th of the world's oil

reserves, five times as much as those found in the United States.

Washington's stepped-up involvement in Nagorno-Artsax follows what many

considered to be eight years of relative neglect under President Bill

Clinton.

Ariel Cohen, a Russia and Caucasus specialist at the Heritage Foundation,

called the Bush administration's engagement on Nagorno-Artsax a result of

"the nexus between oil politics and geopolitics."

Until last year, Cheney was chief executive of Halliburton Co., an oil

services company with extensive operations in Azerbaijan that was named a

finalist in January to bid on engineering work on the Turkish portion of the

Baku-Ceyhan pipeline.

Rice stepped down Jan. 15 from the board of directors of Chevron Corp.

Chevron, which named a tanker after her, owns a large stake in an Azerbaijan

offshore oilfield and announced Feb. 9 that it was interested in helping

build the pipeline.

It was unclear whether Cheney was directly involved in the administration's

backing of the Key West talks, which were announced March 20. But Rice had a

central role, at one point talking with Russia's national security adviser

on the subject, U.S. officials said.

Bush's administration and family have many other links to U.S. oil interests

in the Caspian.

Bush family adviser James A. Baker III sits on the U.S.-Azerbaijan Chamber

of Commerce's advisory council, which until recently also included Cheney.

Richard Armitage, deputy secretary of state under Powell, is a former

co-chairman of the chamber.

Baker's ties to Caucasus oil drilling are thick, as are those of other

officials who served in President Bush's father's administration from 1989

to 1993. Baker, who was secretary of state in the former administration and

who spearheaded President Bush's victory in the Florida election dispute

last year, heads a U.S. law firm with five lawyers based in Baku.

The firm, Baker Botts, represents a consortium of corporations exploring and

drilling in Azerbaijan, including Exxon-Mobil, Pennzoil, British Petroleum

and Unocal.

Brent Scowcroft, national security adviser in the former Bush administration

and Rice's mentor, sits on Pennzoil's board.

President Bush, who has strong ties to the Texas oil industry, has promoted

the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline in ways that go beyond his backing of the

Nagorno-Artsax talks. Last month, he wrote the president of Kazakhstan,

another Caspian oil-producing nation, urging him to support the project,

Kazakh officials said.

Through spokespeople, Rice, Armitage and Cheney declined to comment last

week on their roles in developing Caucasus policy. Scowcroft did not return

phone calls. Baker was unavailable for comment.

An administration official denied that oil-industry interests are driving

U.S. foreign policy in the Caucasus.

Aliyev and Kocharian have met about 15 times since 1999 to discuss

Nagorno-Artsax and have reached a point where intensive talks might be

productive, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"This is based on the progress that the presidents themselves have made,"

said the official.

The problem being addressed in Key West this week traces its roots to Josef

Stalin, who as Soviet leader divided and ruled the Armenians by placing a

large portion of them inside the borders of Azerbaijan.

When the Soviet Union was collapsing in 1988, ethnic Armenians in

Nagorno-Artsax revolted, declared independence and beat back the

Azerbaijani army. More than half a million ethnic Azerbaijanis were made

homeless and more than 30,000 on both sides died in the fighting, which

lasted until 1994.

Despite a cease-fire since then, regional specialists say that hostilities

could easily break out again and put oil projects in jeopardy.

While the proposed Baku-Ceyhan pipeline wouldn't go through Nagorno-Artsax

or Armenia, "it would be close - close enough that it could be a target of

terrorism" by Armenians seeking to disrupt Azerbaijan's oil earnings, said

Rob Sobhani, an adjunct professor of foreign policy at Georgetown University

and president of Caspian Energy Consultants, which serves oil-industry

clients in the Caucasus.

To avoid the troubled Armenian-Azerbaijan border, plans call for the

pipeline to run through Tbilisi, Georgia, to the north of Nagorno-Artsax.

Recent meetings in Paris between Aliyev and Kocharian have generated enough

movement "to bring them together in the United States, not simply for a day

or part of a day, which is what their typical meetings have been, but

several days, to try to move this forward," Carey Cavanaugh, U.S. negotiator

on Nagorno-Artsax, said in an interview. "I think it's clear to both

presidents that peace is essential for their countries to develop the way

they want them to."

Aliyev, elderly and frail, is said to want a more stable situation for his

successor. Kocharian seeks Western investment that has been scarce with the

threat of new hostilities.

Any deal is expected to give relative autonomy to ethnic Armenians in

Nagorno-Artsax while reaffirming the region's status as part of

Azerbaijan.

"I believe both sides are ripe for an agreement," said Heritage's Cohen.

"Both sides are losing too much by not having an agreement. And both sides

understand that, by postponing a settlement, they lose out in the game of

economic prosperity and globalization that they desperately need."

MosJan · April 3, 2001

Key West Talks Launched

WASHINGTON (Reuters)--At the invitation of US Secretary of State Colin Powell, President Kocharian has arrived in the United States for another round of talks in a bid to find a peaceful solution to the protracted Armenian-Azeri dispute. Talks with President Kocharian are to begin today in Key West, Florida, under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), who formed the Minsk Group, chaired by the United States, France and Russia, to try to bring peace to Artsax.

Azeri President Heydar Aliyev made optimistic comments about the Artsax conflict on Sunday, April 1, but saw a long road to peace as he left for the United States. "I have heard the opinion of the co-chairmen of the Minsk Group of the OSCE that the sides in the conflict are closer than ever to peace. I think there is a basis for these optimistic statements," Aliyev told reporters.

Aliyev added that any solution would have to be implemented over several stages, and dismissed suggestions that he and Kocharian would sign any treaties at the Florida talks. "Most of all Azerbaijan and Armenia must agree on the principles," he said "and there are many questions to be answered in order to achieve peace," Aliyev added. "If we get peace, then we can sign an agreement which will also be signed by the big world powers, the co-chairmen of the OSCE, the European Union and the United Nations."

Exploiting what one US official called a rare window of opportunity, US Secretary of State Colin Powell has turned to the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan to show off his mediating skills. Powell hopes to show the United States at work with Russia and France as co-chair of talks, when he flies into Florida today. If Kocharian and Aliyev make progress at the talks, which are expected to run up to six days, it would be advantageous to Powell's reputation.

"With the format that is taking place in Key West, we are highlighting the intent to advance a resolution of this problem and increase cooperation between the United States, Russia and France to achieve that goal," the US official said.

The United States sees grounds for optimism that it can bring an end to the first major ethnic dispute to erupt in the waning days of the Soviet Union, bringing stability to a region where Russia, Turkey and Iran also have interests. It is also a region from which Washington would like to export Azeri oil.

Russia has close ties with Armenia and has been accused by Azerbaijan of giving military aid to its rival. Iran would prefer not to see a US foothold established in the region, where about 200 people are killed each year despite the truce, mainly due to snipers and land mines.

Baku has said it is ready to accord autonomy to Artsax, but insists it must remain part of Azerbaijan. Armenia would like full independence for the region.

Diplomats and experts do not expect a deal to be signed at Key West, but some see the talks as ripe for progress, making them attractive to the US administration. Some experts fear tensions in US-Russian relations may complicate the talks, with Washington and Moscow ordering reciprocal expulsions of 50 diplomats accused of spying.

Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh, who has also led US efforts to resolve conflicts in Georgia and Moldova, will lead the talks for the United States once Powell leaves. He also led the effort on Artsax for the Clinton administration.

Fiona Hill of the Brookings Institution compared Artsax to the West Bank. She warned against excessive optimism, recalling former Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, had only just left Armenia when gunmen wrecked peace hopes in 1999 by shooting the prime minister dead along with seven other people.

MJ · April 4, 2001

Armenia enclave summit resumes

By Alan McConagha

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

April 4, 2001

KEY WEST, Fla. — Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday began a fresh

round of talks between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, saying the

United States is committed to efforts to bring peace to the South Caucasus

region.

After brief meetings with Presidents Gaidar Aliev of Azerbaijan and Robert

Kocharian of Armenia, Mr. Powell said the two former Soviet republics have

made recent progress toward a settlement although important differences

still exist.

"The negotiations are very, very difficult," Mr. Powell told reporters. He

added that it would be premature to suggest that the talks in Key West's

Little White House would finally settle the decades-old conflict over the

Nagorno-Artsax district.

In a news conference dominated by questions on the U.S. spy-plane dispute

with China, Mr. Powell said President Bush is carefully watching the Key

West negotiations and would wish to meet with the two presidents whenever

they achieve a settlement.

The secretary of state said these talks are "just one step on a long road,

not the be-all, end-all meeting to get every aspect of this negotiation

completed."

Other diplomatic sources confirmed that more sessions are likely to be

required.

One of Washington's concerns is that the situation remains volatile and that

renewed fighting between the two South Caucasus nations might cause a wider

war involving the neighboring countries of Iran, Russia and Turkey.

"A peaceful settlement is key to the future of the South Caucasus and the

greater region," Mr. Powell said yesterday. "Peace and stability in this

region, a crossroads between Europe and Asia, is in the interest of the

international community and the cause of world peace."

Mr. Powell arrived here yesterday morning and departed for Washington in the

afternoon after meetings with presidents.

The summit is sponsored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in

Europe.

There have been 16 meetings between the two sides. Mr. Kocharian and Mr.

Aliev have met most recently Jan 26-27 and March 4-5 in Paris.

The current talks are to last four days, with the possibility of a weekend

extension.

The dispute centers on the status of the mountainous region of

Nagorno-Artsax, an enclave inside Azerbaijan populated largely by ethnic

Armenians. Armenians also regard this district as their spiritual heartland.

Nagorno-Artsax is now controlled by Armenia as a result of a war that

ended in 1994.

Despite a truce, sporadic clashes have continued and Armenia separatists

have driven hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis out of the enclave.

U.S. officials estimate that over a million people have been forced from

their homes as a result of the conflict.

Some 600,000 people are living in refugee camps, railroad cars and villages

made out of mud huts.

The conflict has reportedly cost the lives of 35,000 people and some 200

have been killed annually since 1994, largely due to land mines and sniper

fire.

Economic development of the region has also lagged because of the dispute.

Key West was chosen for the summit in the hope that the community's

"tranquil" subtropical character might contribute something fresh to the

diplomatic effort, which is being monitored by teams from the United States,

Russia and France.

This is not the first time diplomats have met on business in the Little

White House, the former naval quarters where former President Harry S.

Truman took his cronies to play some warm-weather poker in a town closer in

distance to Havana than Miami.

Former President Kennedy and British Prime Minister Harold MacMillan held a

summit at the Little White House in 1961 for one day of talks on the

situation in Southeast Asia.

The U.S.-supported Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba occurred three weeks later.

NATO held a meeting in Key West a year ago.

Gen. Henry H. Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was host of a

biannual session for leaders of the armed forces of Great Britain, France

and Germany.

MosJan · April 4, 2001

Powell Joins Nagorno-Artsax Talks

Diplomacy: Florida meeting is an attempt to jump-start stalled peace process for Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders.

By NORMAN KEMPSTER, Times Staff Writer

KEY WEST, Fla.--In the Bush administration's first venture into direct mediation of an international dispute, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell conferred Tuesday with the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan about the stalemated conflict in Nagorno-Artsax.

"These Key West talks highlight U.S. engagement in the international effort to bring peace" to the troubled region, Powell told reporters.

In keeping with President Bush's determination that Washington should not impose a settlement on unwilling parties, Powell said the United States was "prepared to support any agreement acceptable to the two presidents."

That drew a sharp rejoinder from Azerbaijani President Heydar A. Aliyev, who called for far more direct intervention. He said it is not enough for the international community to say that "whatever the presidents agree upon will be acceptable."

Aliyev complained about "indecisiveness on the part of the international community" in the face of seven years of deadlocked negotiations after a war that killed 15,000 people and left a million homeless.

Later, Powell said he was not surprised by Aliyev's remarks, adding that the mediators do intend to be more active than they have been over the last several years. But he did not reveal specifics.

The talks in former President Harry S. Truman's vacation White House were the 16th round of face-to-face discussions between Aliyev and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan.

Powell headed to Washington Tuesday evening but said he could return if his presence was needed.

Judging by their public statements before the talks retreated behind closed doors, Kocharyan and Aliyev have a long way to go before they make peace. Aliyev spoke for almost half an hour, recalling all of Azerbaijan's grievances in a conflict that began in 1988 when both countries were still Soviet republics.

In a tart, but brief, response, Kocharyan said: "I have not made these many miles of trip to Florida to try these propaganda campaigns. I have come here to work constructively to seek a settlement."

Nagorno-Artsax, a predominately Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan, declared independence in 1988, touching off a long and bitter war. A 1994 truce left the region under control of ethnic Armenians supported by the Armenian government. The separatists also hold a ring of Azerbaijani territory surrounding Nagorno-Artsax and a corridor connecting the enclave with Armenia proper.

Kocharyan is the former prime minister of Nagorno-Artsax. He was elected president of Armenia in 1998, pledging to keep the enclave in Armenian hands.

Since the 1994 truce, the conflict has claimed a few hundred lives a year as a result of sniper fire and land mines.

Powell stressed the economic dimension of the conflict, urging Armenia and Azerbaijan to put aside their differences and "allow these two countries to progress more quickly into the promise of the 21st century world economy."

After kicking off the conference, Powell turned the U.S. delegation over to Carey Cavanaugh, a diplomat who has been working on the issue for years. In an unusual procedure adopted by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the chairmanship of the mediation group rotates between the United States, Russia and France.

In Stepanakert, the largest city in Nagorno-Artsax, the leader of the small, self-proclaimed state said he hoped the talks would lead to a settlement allowing the enclave to be unified with Armenia or be recognized as independent.

"All other options mean that we move not toward peace but toward war," said Nagorno-Artsax President Arkady Gukasyan.

Gukasyan, interviewed by The Times on Tuesday night at his residence in Stepanakert, said there were several factors conducive to a peaceful settlement now. He said he sensed that the Azerbaijani side "more than ever is inclined to take a realistic view of everything."

While expressing confidence in Kocharyan, Gukasyan said the republic is not a direct party to the talks and therefore might reject whatever the participants decide.

* * *

Times staff writer John Daniszewski in Stepanakert contributed to this report.

MJ · April 4, 2001

Key West Talks Bring About Optimism

KEY WEST, FL (RFE/RL)--International mediators held out hope for an imminent

peace deal on Nagorno-Artsax late Tuesday as the presidents of Armenia and

Azerbaijan prepared for the second day of what officials described as

intensive

negotiations in Key West, Florida.

Special Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh, the chief United States negotiator, said

the opening session of the peace talks, sponsored by the OSCE's Minsk Group,

proceeded in a "very calm and constructive" atmosphere despite the ensued

public exchange of verbal attacks between the two leaders. "I think it was

good

for the atmosphere of the talks and also for helping establish a personal

relationship between the presidents and leaders of the delegations," Cavanaugh

told reporters. The "very good formal meeting" between Presidents Robert

Kocharian of Armenia and Heydar Aliyev of Azerbaijan was followed by more

relaxed sessions in former US President Harry Truman's Little White House

residence, the diplomat said.

The 16th Armenian-Azerbaijani summit was officially opened by US Secretary of

State Colin Powell, who called for "mutual compromise" to end the 13-year

territorial dispute. "Peace and stability in this region, a crossroads between

Europe and Asia, is in the interest of the international community and the

cause of world peace," Powell said after holding separate meetings with

Kocharian and Aliyev.

The extent of the differences between the two conflicting parties came to

light later in the day when Aliyev publicly accused Armenia of "aggression"

and

"ethnic cleansing" in Artsax. "During the difficult negotiations, the

Armenian side has always taken a tough and unconstructive position," the

Azerbaijani leader charged. Aliyev harshly criticized the American, French and

Russian co-chairs of the Minsk Group for making insufficient efforts to hammer

out a peaceful settlement which he said must restore Baku's sovereignty over

the disputed territory. He said: "It is hard to find any other parallel

situation in the world when one state has occupied other state's territories,

carried out an ethnic cleansing there in a massive scale, and the world

community silently observes this tragedy. Azerbaijan's justified demands to

curb the aggressor is not given support."

A visibly irritated Kocharian hit back with a brief statement: "I have not

made these many miles of a trip to Florida to try this propaganda campaign

here

or to be a tutor to the co-chairs. I have come here to work constructively to

seek a settlement."

The acrimonious exchange was played down by Cavanaugh, who found "a

remarkable

degree of back-and-forth" between the two presidents. "What's clear is the

process is moving forward," Reuters news agency quoted him as saying.

Wednesday's negotiating session is due to include a series of discussions on

ways of resolving the conflict between the mediating troika and senior

Armenian

and Azerbaijani diplomats. Aliyev and Kocharian will then meet face to face to

discuss terms of a possible settlement. According to Cavanaugh, the talks will

last until Saturday but could be extended for a few more days if necessary. US

officials say Powell, who left for Washington on Tuesday, could return to the

subtropical Florida island in the event of a looming breakthrough in the

talks.

Some diplomatic sources told RFE/RL that the Minsk Group co-chairs have

worked

out new peace proposals that will be presented to Aliyev and Kocharian at Key

West.

In his statement, Aliyev said Baku will never accept their previous proposals

that involved creation of a loose common state between Azerbaijan and

Artsax.

He claimed that the plan, drafted in late 1998, "deprives Azerbaijan from a

part of its territory and actually legitimizes Armenian aggression against

Azerbaijan.”

Armenia and the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Artsax Republic, which had approved

the "common state" idea, said they will not agree to any major concessions

beyond those envisaged by that plan.

A senior US State Department official told reporters in Washington last week

that the mediators could unveil new proposals on the basis of what may develop

in Key West.

In response to the Key West meetings, President of Nagorno-Artsax Arkady

Ghoukasian said he hoped the talks in Key West would lead to a settlement

allowing the enclave to be unified with Armenia or to be recognized as an

independent republic. The Nagorno-Artsax president said "All other options

mean that we move not toward peace but toward war."

Ghoukasian, interviewed by the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday night at his

residence in Stepanakert, said at present, there are several factors conducive

to a peaceful settlement. He said the Azerbaijani side is inclined to take a

realistic view of everything. He added that although Artsax has

confidence in

Kocharian, it might reject an agreement between the Armenian and Azerbaijani

heads of state, if it is deemed unacceptable to Nagorno-Artsax.

However, some observers believe the presence of a high-level Russian

delegation in Key West might indicate the possibility of serious progress in

Key West peace talks. Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov is personally supervising the talks in Key West, which might also indicate the parties are discussing a major document proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

MJ · April 4, 2001

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Joan Ablett

Phone: (305) 294-4000

Web:

April 4, 2001

US CONGRESSIONAL CAUCUS ON ARMENIAN ISSUES CO-CHAIRS SEE OPPORTUNITY IN

NAGORNO KARABAGH PEACE TALKS

Key West, Florida - Co-Chairmen of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian

Issues, Congressmen Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI),

said today they are that progress will be made during the current round of

Nagorno Karabagh peace talks in Key West, Florida, with Armenian President

Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev.

In a joint statement, the Congressmen said, "The peace talks taking place

this week in Florida are an opportunity for the United States, under the

able guidance of Secretary Colin Powell, to help narrow differences among

the parties involved in the Nagorno Karabagh conflict and move the peace

process forward. If the basic human rights of the Armenians of Nagorno

Karabagh are protected - that is, their security and self determination - we

are optimistic that long-term peace and stability in the region will be

achieved."

The Key West talks began April 3 and will continue through the week. During

a press briefing, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said that the members

of the Minsk Group - the United States, Russia and France - "remain prepared

to support an agreement acceptable to the two presidents."

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide

organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian

issues. It is a 501©(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

###

Note: The Assembly's Public Affairs Director Joan Ablett is in Key West to cover the Peace Talks and will issue daily reports. She can be reached at (Hotel) (305) 294-4000. For referrals in Washington, please contact Angel Venable at (202) 393-3434.

MJ · April 5, 2001

Key West peace talks called serious, open

By Jane Sutton

KEY WEST, Fla., April 4 (Reuters) - U.S., French and Russian negotiators said

on Wednesday they had serious and open meetings with the presidents of

Armenia and Azerbaijan during a Florida summit to work toward peace in the

war-torn Nagorno-Artsax region.

"The talks are taking place in a good atmosphere of openness, of

seriousness," said Ambassador Jean-Jacques Gaillarde, the head of the French

delegation.

"I think the discussions today have been very concrete," said Ambassador

Carey Cavanaugh, who leads the U.S. delegation.

But the substance of the peace talks, in their second day on the subtropical

island at the southern tip of Florida, was kept strictly confidential. The

negotiators vaguely described meetings that lasted until 1:30 a.m. on

Wednesday, then resumed on Thursday, spreading through every room of Harry

Truman's "Little White House" and spilling into the gardens of the former

presidential retreat, where the talks are taking place.

Azeri President Haydar Aliyev and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan have

met more than a dozen times in two years to hammer out a peaceful resolution

to the conflict in the oil-rich region at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.

They are meeting again in Florida under the auspices of the Organization for

Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is chaired by the United States,

Russia and France.

Nearly 35,000 people have died and around 800,000 have been displaced in the

conflict over the Nagorno-Artsax territory, internationally recognized as

part of Azerbaijan but controlled by ethnic Armenian separatists since the

late 1980s.

A truce was agreed in 1994 but about 200 people are killed each year by land

mines and snipers, destabilizing Azerbaijan, a country the United States

hopes will become a major exporter of oil to Western markets.

COMPROMISES NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE PEACE

Cavanaugh said the face-to-face meetings of the two presidents had made it

increasingly clear to them that they will have to make compromises to achieve

peace, something their populations may not be ready to accept.

Though the mediators have played a growing role in the negotiations, they

were adamant that no solution could be imposed. Russia, which has a defense

relationship with Armenia, "is not going to use any kind of arm-twisting

tactics," said Viacheslav Trubnikov, first deputy foreign minister and head

of Russia's delegation.

"The keys to the solution of the conflict are in the hands of Azerbaijan and

Armenia," Trubnikov said.

The two leaders took some time off to sample Key West's recreational

offerings. Aliyev was spotted sipping a pina colada at the Havana Docks

lounge in the Pier House hotel where he is staying. Kocharyan was briefly

seen strolling Duval Street, the island's main thoroughfare.

A sunset cruise around the harbor was planned, and one of the presidents

asked to visit a shipwreck museum displaying artifacts and golden treasures

recovered from a Spanish galleon that sank off the Florida Keys in the 1600s.

MJ · April 6, 2001

Bush to meet Azeri, Armenia leaders Monday

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, in

Florida this week for peace talks over the war-torn Nagorno-Artsax region,

will meet U.S. President George W. Bush next week, the White House said on

Friday.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush would meet Azeri President

Haydar Aliyev and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan separately at the White

House on Monday afternoon.

Fleischer did not say what the president hoped to accomplish in the meetings,

or if they were related to the peace talks.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell traveled to Key West on Tuesday to

launch the latest bid for peace in the remote Nagorno-Artsax region.

U.S., French and Russian negotiators said on Wednesday they had serious and

open meetings with Aliyev and Kocharyan, although they would not go into any

details of the talks.

Aliyev and Kocharyan have met more than a dozen times in two years to hammer

out a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the oil-rich region at the

crossroads of Europe and Asia.

The summit in Florida was organized by the Organization for Security and

Cooperation in Europe, which is chaired by the United States, Russia and

France.

Nearly 35,000 people have died and an estimated 800,000 have been displaced

in the conflict over the Nagorno-Artsax territory, internationally

recognized as part of Azerbaijan but controlled by ethnic Armenian

separatists since the late 1980s.

A truce was agreed in 1994 but about 200 people are killed each year by land

mines and snipers, destabilizing Azerbaijan, a country the United States

hopes will become a major exporter of oil to Western markets.

MJ · April 6, 2001

Azeri, Armenian presidents to resume talks in June

By Jane Sutton

KEY WEST, Fla., April 6 (Reuters) - The presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia

made excellent progress in peace talks over the Nagorno-Artsax region which

ended in Florida on Friday, international mediators said.

"We are much closer to peace than we were before this conference," said

Ambassador Jean-Jacques Gaillarde, who headed the French mediating team at

the talks in Key West.

"We achieved more progress here than we had expected," said Special

Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh, who headed the U.S. delegation to the talks.

The mediators said a new round of talks would be held in Geneva in June.

They refused to discuss specifics except to say Azeri President Haydar Aliyev

and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan were committed to "mutual compromise"

and to strengthening the fragile cease-fire agreement reached in 1994 in the

oil-rich Nagorno-Artsax region at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.

The U.S., French and Russian mediators, acting under the auspices of the

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), are preparing "a

new comprehensive proposal for peace" to be discussed in Geneva, Cavanaugh

said.

Aliyev and Kocharyan will leave on Sunday for Washington, where they will

meet separately with President George W. Bush, the mediators and the White

House said.

A senior administration official said Bush invited the presidents of the two

former Soviet states to Washington to "show our respect for their efforts."

Aliyev and Kocharyan have met more than a dozen times in two years to hammer

out a resolution to the conflict. The Key West meeting at the "Little White

House" where President Harry Truman vacationed marked the first time the

three OSCE mediators had met with both presidents in the same place.

The format, which included separate meetings with the two presidents around

Truman's mahogany poker table, proved so successful it will be repeated in

Geneva, the negotiators said.

"This format that we have launched here is a prescription for advancement

that has never existed before in this conflict," Cavanaugh said. "We are

farther along today on an agreement for a possible peace than we have ever

been."

Nearly 35,000 people have died and 800,000 have been displaced in the

conflict over the Nagorno-Artsax territory, internationally recognized as

part of Azerbaijan but controlled by ethnic Armenian separatists since the

late 1980s. War broke out in 1988 when the region tried to secede from

Azerbaijan and unite with Armenia.

A truce was agreed in 1994 but about 200 people are killed each year by land

mines and snipers, destabilizing Azerbaijan, a country the United States

hopes will become a major oil source for Western markets.

Items on the table during the Key West talks included the presence of

Armenian forces in the disputed region, trade blockades that have crippled

the region's economy, the resettlement of refugees left homeless by the war,

and how much autonomy the Nagorno-Artsax region should have.

"There is still a lot of work to do before we have a peace agreement,"

Gaillarde said at the close of the talks.

MJ · April 9, 2001

ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN LEADERS TO MEET BUSH

Chicago Tribune

April 8, 2001

UNITED STATES -- The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet with

President Bush on Monday after "very fruitful" negotiations in Florida on a

settlement of their conflict over the enclave of Nagorno-Artsax, a U.S.

official said.

"This has been a bold and significant step forward," said Ambassador Carey

Cavanaugh, the chief U.S. negotiator at four days of peace talks in Key West

mediated by diplomats from the U.S., Russia and France.

The diplomats are preparing a proposal for a final settlement of the

13-year-old dispute, which has dragged on since a 1994 cease-fire ended

fighting that killed more than 30,000 people and drove a million from their

homes.

On Monday, Azerbaijani President Geidar Aliev and Armenian President Robert

Kocharian are scheduled to meet separately with Bush, who will show his

support for their efforts and "talk about opportunities to advance peace,"

Cavanaugh said.

Diplomats did not reveal details of the discussions or of plans for the peace

proposal.

MJ · April 11, 2001

RFE/RL Armenia/Azerbaijan: International Mediators Report Progress On

Artsax Dispute

By Jean-Christophe Peuch

International mediators say that President Robert Kocharian of Armenia and his Azerbaijani counterpart Heidar Aliev made substantial progress toward resolving their countries' long-time dispute over the

Nagorno-Artsax region during four days of talks last week in Key West, Florida. But the two leaders themselves have refrained from any detailed comment on the meeting and opposition parties in both countries remain skeptical about the outcome of the peace talks.

Prague, 10 April 2001 (RFE/RL) -- The leaders of Armenia and

Azerbaijan met yesterday (Monday) with U.S. President George W. Bush

after four days of talks on the Nagorno-Artsax region.

International mediators describe their talks as a step forward in the

peace process.

Bush and his closest foreign-policy advisers held brief separate

meetings with Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani

President Heidar Aliev at the White House.

Few details of the meetings were released. But the fact that the

Caucasian leaders met with Bush separately suggests that no

breakthrough was achieved last week in the Florida resort of Key West.

Bush reportedly urged his interlocutors to keep up the momentum toward

a peaceful solution of the 13-year-old conflict between Armenia and

Azerbaijan.

The two former Soviet republics have been in conflict over Artsax

since the enclave seceded from Azerbaijan in 1988. That move ignited a

six-year war that killed about 35,000 people and drove some 800,000

Azerbaijanis from their homes.

Despite a truce signed in 1994, scores of people are killed each year

along the demarcation line and ethnic Armenian troops still occupy some 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory.

Yesterday, Bush reportedly reiterated that he considers peace in the South Caucasus as a top priority of his administration's foreign policy.

U.S. oil companies are currently developing some of Azerbaijan's most promising offshore oilfields in the Caspian Sea, and Washington is eager to secure safe transportation of Azerbaijani crude to world markets through Georgia and Turkey.

Like most previous such meetings, the Key West talks took place under the aegis of the Minsk Group of nations that has been mandated by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, to monitor the peace negotiations. But it was the first time that the chief representatives of the three Minsk Group co-chairs -- the United States, France, and Russia -- met with both presidents in the same place.

Speaking to reporters after last week's meetings, U.S. Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh called them a "bold and significant step forward." In an interview with RFE/RL's Armenian Service, Cavanaugh spoke of Key

West's "achievement" but was vague about the results attained. "The biggest achievement here was moving from abstract concepts on how

peace may be achieved to concrete details."

French Ambassador Jean-Jacques Gaillarde said he thinks the two sides are "much closer to peace" than they were before the Key West talks. Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov -- the third diplomat in the Minsk Group troika -- described the meetings as "very satisfactory."

However, Armenian and Azerbaijani officials were restrained in their comments on the talks.

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian was asked by RFE/RL's Armenian Service whether he shares the international mediators' belief that progress was made in Florida. He said:

"To some extent you are right. I've already said that there was some progress. There are still many unsolved issues and we do not know what kind of developments will take place regarding these issues. But compared with previous meetings, the Key West talks were a step forward."

In Washington yesterday, when asked about the results of his talks with Kocharian, Aliev answered tersely that he had "not had enough time" to gauge the progress made in Key West.

Novruz Mamedov heads the foreign affairs department in Aliev's administration. In an interview last week, Mamedov seemed to downplay the importance of the meeting:

"All I can say is that the talks were useful and important in helping the sides better understand each other. Here some progress was

made. As for [u.S. Ambassador] Cavanaugh's statement that there was important progress, you'd better ask him directly to explain what he had in mind."

The international mediators' comments also contrasted sharply with the atmosphere that prevailed at the start of the talks, when Kocharian and Aliev exchanged acid remarks and accused each other of obstructing the peace process.

While in Key West, the two leaders had two 15-minute private meetings, which reportedly produced no concrete result.

Cavanaugh said last week the Minsk Group will prepare what he called a "new comprehensive proposal for peace" that will be discussed by the two presidents in Geneva in June. The U.S. diplomat provided no

details of the new plan, but analysts believe that it could include elements of three previous proposals drafted by the Minsk Group since 1997. None of these plans has been accepted by the two conflicting

parties.

Tension has been on the rise in Azerbaijan since Aliev ordered details of the OSCE peace proposals published in the state-controlled media. The publication of the drafts six weeks ago (February 21)prompted a debate in Azerbaijan's parliament, where most legislators and political leaders called them unacceptable.

Since then, opposition parties, war veterans, and refugees have called for the return of occupied territories by force.

Aliev has sounded increasingly sympathetic to those in his country who favor a military solution. But analysts note that during the Key West meetings the Azerbaijani president refrained from mentioning a possible resumption of war.

Fear of negative reactions at home may explain why Aliev and Kocharian remained largely non-communicative about the outcome of their Florida talks.

Both presidents have repeatedly suggested that they are eager to strike a peace agreement before their mandates expire in 2003. But Armenian and Azerbaijani opposition parties have expressed concern

about any accord that might hurt the national interests of their respective countries.

Avaz Temirkhan is the deputy head of Azerbaijan's opposition Liberal Party. Speaking to RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, he was critical of the Key West talks:

"I am sure that if any result was achieved in Key West, it was not in Azerbaijan's interests. The domestic and foreign policies which have been pursued by Azerbaijan in the last eight years cannot help find a solution to the Artsax issue that would be in Azerbaijan's interests. To solve this issue, we need new leadership."

Another opposition leader, the National Independence Party's Etibar Mamedov, told RFE/RL that he is convinced that the Florida talks did not provide any substantial result.

In Armenia, public opinion was divided over the outcome of the Key West meeting. Pro-government newspapers were cautiously optimistic and opposition dailies accused Kocharian of trying to sell out Artsax.

Analysts note that President Levon Ter-Petrosian was forced to resign in 1998 soon after he signaled that he could accept peace proposals that the opposition -- then led by Prime Minister Kocharian -- described as detrimental to Armenia's interests.

Now, Kocharian also has to reckon with the leaders of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Artsax Republic.

Azerbaijan has never recognized the legitimacy of the ethnic-Armenian Artsax leadership and has always refused to include it in the peace process.

In an interview with "The Los Angeles Times" published a week ago (April 3), Artsax President Arkady Gukasian said that he will not agree to a settlement that creates a confederation with Azerbaijan, an idea that was at the core of the most recent OSCE-backed draft accord. Gukasian also said that all options other than independence or unification with Armenia will be rejected by the Artsax leadership and could lead to a resumption of war.

(The Armenian and Azerbaijani services, and Russian Service correspondent Sergei Danilochkin, contributed to this report.)

MJ · April 12, 2001

Kocharian Sees 'Positive' Change After Key West Talks

President Robert Kocharian returned to Armenia late Wednesday after a

week of intensive peace talks on Nagorno-Artsax in the United States

which he said marked progress towards the settlement of the conflict

with Azerbaijan. "As far as we are concerned, I can positively assess

the course of the negotiations," Kocharian told reporters on his

arrival at Yerevan airport, commenting on the results of "proximity

talks" with the French, Russian and US mediators. The four-day peace

conference, which got underway on April 3 in Key West, Florida, was

sponsored by the three co-chairs of the OSCE's Minsk Group.

Kocharian said he does not know how successful their separate sessions

with the Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliev were but added that he

looks forward to the next round of talks due in Geneva next month. The

mediators have said that they will draft a new "comprehensive" peace

plan on Artsax by that time. Kocharian said he thinks it will

significantly differ from the previous Minsk Group proposals and will

be based on the so-called "package" approach to the settlement

involving a single peace accord on all sticking points, including

Artsax's status. He also predicted that the new plan will not run

counter to the bedrock of Armenian position on the conflict:

Artsax's non-subordination to Baku along with an overland link with

Armenian and firm security guarantees. "At least, these principles

will be respected," a visibly confident Kocharian said. "I don't think

that the new plan will be, to our detriment."

The previous Minsk Group proposal, which called for the creation of a

"common state" between Artsax and Azerbaijan, was on the whole

approved by Yerevan and the leadership of the disputed region.

Kocharian further denied any pressure on the conflicting parties from

the mediators at Key West: "What happened was constructive and

difficult work. The co-chairs have chosen the right work-style at the

right moment."

The Minsk Group troika has described the Florida talks as "very

fruitful.": "We are much closer to peace than we were before this

conference," Ambassador Jean-Jacques Gaillarde, who headed the French

negotiating team, told reporters late last week. US officials said

President George Bush's decision to meet with the Armenian and

Azerbaijani leaders on Monday was another sign of major progress. Bush

urged the two men to keep up the momentum towards a long-awaited peace

deal. Kocharian said his first-ever meeting with Bush was

"successful."

The Armenian leader briefed French President Jacques Chirac on the

results of the latest Artsax negotiations in Paris on 10 April. He

said on Wednesday that the meeting with Chirac had been planned

beforehand.

(Emil Danielyan, Anna Saghabalian)

MJ · April 12, 2001

US Envoy Hopes For Artsax Deal In 2001

YEREVAN (combined sources)--US Ambassador to Armenia Michael Lemmon indicated

Thursday that the resolution of the Nagorno-Artsax conflict in the course of

this year appears a real possibility following the latest round of

Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks. "This is a long, complicated and difficult

process," Lemmon told RFE/RL. "Let's hope and pray that this year, the year of

the 1700th anniversary [of Armenia's conversion to Christianity], we can

culminate it with a mutually acceptable, compromise settlement that all the

parties can live with."

The US, which leads the OSCE's Minsk Group jointly with Russia and France,

played a central role in the latest international push to end the 13-year

territorial dispute. President George Bush met with the Armenian and

Azerbaijani leaders in the White House on Monday, urging them to keep up the

momentum toward a peaceful settlement. The separate meetings followed four

days

of intense peace talks in Key West, Florida, which the mediators said produced

substantial progress. However, details of agreements reached on the resort

island have not been publicized yet, with the co-chairs saying that they will

form the basis of the Minsk Group's new peace proposal on Artsax to be

submitted to the parties in June. Lemmon made it clear that "there is a long

way yet to go." The new plan will be based on a "win-win approach," the

diplomat noted without elaborating.

President Robert Kocharian expressed confidence on his return to Yerevan on

Wednesday that the plan will not contradict Armenia's and the Nagorno-Artsax

Republic's position on the issue. "The talks were another step toward

moving to

peace," Kocharian said. "As far as we are concerned, I can asses the course of

the negotiations as positive," expressing hope that the same results were

achieved with the Azerbaijani delegation.

He said the mediators will again come up with a "package" deal on all

sticking

points, including Artsax's status. "The Armenian delegation did not have

direct negotiations with the Azerbaijani delegation in the US Key West talks

over Artsax regulation, as the format of talks, offered by the OSCE Minsk

group, was different from the previous ones," said the president.

"I have many times repeated the principles beyond which we do not see a

settlement. They are Artsax's non-subordination to Baku along with an

overland link with Armenia and firm security guarantees. At least, these

principles will be respected," Kocharian said.

Commenting on his meeting with US President George Bush, Kocharian described

it as very "useful". He said the main focus was on the regulation of the

Artsax conflict and prospects for developing US-Armenian relations. On his

way back home Kocharian stopped in Paris to brief French President Jacques

Chirac on the results of the negotiations. He said on Wednesday that the

meeting with Chirac had been planned beforehand.

Kocharian is expected to brief leaders of Armenia's main political parties on

Friday on the results of the Key West talks and his meetings with Bush and

Chirac.

An Armenian diplomatic source told RFE/RL that an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace

accord may indeed be signed before the end of this year "if the current trends

continue." "We don't quite need to prepare the public for that," the source

said, strongly hinting that the new plan will address most Armenian concerns.

In Baku, meanwhile, a coalition of leading opposition groups warned the

Azerbaijani authorities on Thursday against making sweeping concessions to the

Armenians, Turan news agency reported. The Democratic Congress urged other

opposition forces to stage a series of street demonstrations ahead of the next

round of Artsax talks due in Geneva next month. One of its leaders, Ali

Kerimov, said Azerbaijanis should demonstrate to the international community

their resolve to regain control over the disputed enclave.

The Azerbaijani daily "Zerkalo" quoted the leader of the opposition Social

Democratic Party, Zardusht Alizade, as accusing the authorities of having

already "agreed to the loss of Artsax in exchange for their own prosperity."

MJ · April 17, 2001

Azerbaijani President Satisfied With Key West Results

BAKU (RFE/RL)--Azerbaijan's President Heydar Aliev said over the weekend that

he is satisfied with the latest round of negotiations with Armenia over

Nagorno-Artsax, described by international mediators as a significant step

towards a peaceful settlement. In his first public comments on the results of

the peace talks in Florida, Aliev appeared to share Armenian leaders' cautious

optimism about the possibility of a breakthrough in the peace process.

"Everything is alright," the Azeri leader was quoted by Turan news agency as

telling reporters in Baku upon his return from the United States late on

Saturday. Aliev, 77, ended his two-week stay in the US with a medical

examination at a clinic in Ohio.

His Armenian counterpart, Robert Kocharian, on Tuesday gave a positive

assessment to the four-day "proximity talks" in Key West, Florida earlier this

month with Russian, American and French negotiators acting under the auspices

of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Kocharian said he

looks forward to the next round of talks due in Geneva next June.

Aliev declined to comment on Kocharian's assertion that new peace proposals

currently prepared by the mediating troika will be in tune with the Armenian

position on how to end the Artsax conflict. Some Azerbaijani politicians

have

accused Yerevan of breaching the confidentiality of the talks. Aliev, however,

said Kocharian's statement "will not damage the future negotiations."

Aliev's son and most likely successor, Ilham, told reporters on Friday that

Baku is ready to grant Artsax the "highest degree of autonomy," or a status

similar to that enjoyed by the Republic of Tatarstan within the Russian

Federation.

MJ · April 17, 2001

Artsax Leader Meets With US Congressmen

YEREVAN (combined sources)--Artsax President Arkady Ghoukasian, said on

April 17, that conditions are ripe for a decisive breakthrough in the settlement of

the conflict with Azerbaijan, following the recent flurry of diplomatic activity by international mediators. "Favorable conditions for the conflict settlement have now been created, and the great powers' interest in the peaceful settlement of the conflict and in the establishment of stability in the region is quite obvious. The parties' interests also coincide, and they are sure that the problem is impossible to solve in a military way. I think that we

have a real opportunity to settle the conflict. I am optimistic," Ghoukasian

told a visiting group of US Congressional aides in Stepanakert.

Ghoukasian's remarks followed similarly upbeat statements by the presidents of

Armenia and Azerbaijan who, earlier this month, held four-day intensive peace

talks in Florida, sponsored by the US, Russian and French co-chairs of the

OSCE Minsk Group. Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliev told reporters over the

weekend that he is "very pleased" with the results of the negotiations and his

subsequent meeting in the White House with President George Bush.

Though no breakthrough has been announced yet, the parties now appear to be closer to hammering out a peace deal than ever before. The mediators have said that they will draft a new peace plan on Artsax, based on agreements reached in Key West, Florida, in time for the next round of negotiations due in Geneva next June.

Official Stepanakert has repeatedly made it clear that any peace deal that might be signed by Aliev and Kocharian would need its approval.

The visit of top US politicians was organized and sponsored by the Armenian

Assembly of America (AAA). During their stay, the guests were informed of the

restoration works during the post-war period in Stepanakert. The guests also held a number of meetings with representatives of humanitarian organizations operating in the NKR and visited several medical establishments. During a meeting with the president, the guests pointed out the serious progress in eliminating the aftermath of the war.

In his turn, Ghoukasian addressed his thanks to the US Congress for the financial assistance and moral support to the people of Artsax. He pointed out that the states of the region are interconnected, therefore no serious economic progress is possible in any individual state. "Equal development of

the whole region should be ensured. As regards to our country, due to the

implementation of the current programs, Artsax may find its worthy place in the region's economic system," the NKR president said. According to him, a favorable atmosphere for investments was created: relevant legislation and government guarantees are the achievements the NKR has gained during the last few years.

MJ · April 23, 2001

The Economist

April 21, 2001 U.S. Edition

Crossroads in Artsax?

AT LEAST until this month, when prospects suddenly brightened for the settlement of a bitter 13-year-old feud between the Armenians and the Azeris, western talk of a rosy future for the southern Caucasus sounded like a sick joke. Now there really is fresh hope of a lasting peace.

In diplomatic theory, the region's three small states--Georgia, Armenia and

Azerbaijan--were supposed to provide a natural thoroughfare between Europe

and Asia for gas and oil from the Caspian Sea and Central Asia. In practice, more than a decade of conflict has turned the region into a patchwork of poorly-observed ceasefire lines, minefields and dead ends--preventing humdrum local trade, let alone big international deals.

Few ends are deader than Talysh, a community of Armenians surrounded on two sides by troops guarding a ceasefire line at its most north-easterly point in Nagorno-Artsax, a disputed Armenian-held territory that is

internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. The villagers' freshwater

supply, the river Indzhachai, is now out of reach on the front line. In the old days, the Azerbaijani town of Ganje and all its business opportunities were just 50km (30 miles) away. Now the nearest metropolis is Armenia's capital, Yerevan, a twisting and circuitous eight-hour drive to the west.

After six years of worsening strife, when the two sides took turns to bombard, shell and ethnically cleanse territory with scant regard for civilian life, some locals may have been grudgingly thankful, in 1994, when

the losing Azerbaijani side cut its losses and agreed to a truce. But economic development has been frustrated by the lack of a long-term settlement.

Things look better, though, after a five-day conference that ended earlier this month at Key West in Florida, bringing together Presidents Heidar Aliev and Robert Kocharian of Azerbaijan and Armenia respectively, the

American secretary of state, Colin Powell, and senior French and Russian officials. The State Department said "substantial progress" had been made after international peace-makers relayed proposals between the Armenian and Azeri leaders, who later flew to Washington to see President George Bush.

More talks are planned for Geneva in June; there are hopes that at a further meeting in Moscow the two Caucasian presidents may even sign a binding accord.

The contours of a possible deal are becoming clear. The Armenians would give Azerbaijan back six of the seven regions they captured.

Nagorno-Artsax and the adjacent Lachin region that links it to Armenia would be granted self-governing status. Azerbaijan would be compensated with an internationally protected road, linking it to its isolated enclave of Nakhichevan.

If the logjam were at last to break, it would be a rare example, these days, of co-operation among the big powers. The Bush administration has been energetic in the Caucasus, even as it vows not to micro-manage the Balkans or the Middle East. It seems willing to accept Russia as a partner

in diplomacy; for its part, Russia may have been persuaded that it has more to gain from co-operation than from wrecking.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has begun to repair relations with Azerbaijan, which had, until recently, been among the most Russophobic of ex-Soviet republics. If the Azerbaijani position has become less rigid, that may be

because Mr Aliev, a 77-year-old veteran of the Soviet Politburo, wants to bequeath a settlement to his son and heir-apparent, Ilham. France's president, Jacques Chirac, has also been involved in negotiations. And,

intriguingly, the senior American negotiator at Key West, Carey Cavanaugh, said Iran was being kept informed of developments too.

So the region may finally emerge from its morass of sputtering conflict and closed borders. Not before time: the combined GDP of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia is a pitiful $10 billion a year; and the talented from all three countries have been steadily emigrating.

But to win a lasting peace, you have to persuade people like the villagers of Talysh of its virtue. So far the region's leaders are adopting the Soviet practice of keeping their citizens in the dark.

Talysh was captured and recaptured during the Artsax war; three-quarters of its 600 houses are still in ruins. The inhabitants, most of them old, scrape a living from their animals and pensions of around $12 a month.

Securing peace will mean persuading such people that the benefits of a settlement, such as the possibilities of trade with Azerbaijan all around them, outweigh the perceived risks, such as the return of people they see as enemies to live among them. That job has barely begun.

MJ · May 14, 2001

BABKEN ARARKTSIAN THINKS NO DOCUMENT ON Artsax SETTLEMENT WILL BE SIGNED IN THE NEAR FUTURE

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

YEREVAN, May 11 (Noyan Tapan). The ex-speaker of the Armenian parliament (1992-1998) Babken Ararktsian, who is now one of the leaders of the "Armat" ("Root") Center for the Development of Democracy and Civil Society, disagrees with the wording that the drafting of a certain plan of settlement of the Nagorno-Artsax problem is the result of the latest round of talks between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Key West. He expressed this opinion during a meeting with journalists at the National Press Club on May 11. Actually, Ararktsian believes, the result of these talks is the re-shaping of the geopolitical map of the region, in which the issue of Nagorno Artsax's status is but an insignificant part. The ex-speaker said that the format of the negotiations was changed with the "revolt of 1998" when the necessary dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku was replaced by bilateral meetings of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Nagorno Artsax transformed from the subject of the negotiations into an object. He emphasized that the real geopolitical change is the following circumstance: Turkey will get a land link with "mainland" Azerbaijan. In Ararktsian's estimation, by signing the final document of the OSCE summit in Istanbul, the current president of Armenia, in fact, confirmed the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Babken Ararktsian recalled some events of 1997 when President Levon Ter-Petrossian agreed to compromises but not to the detriment of Armenia's sovereignty. For that very reason he was removed from power by "external forces". The "external forces" relied on a leader in Armenia who would agree to a transformation process: to reform the Nagorno Artsax problem into a new geopolitical scheme of the region. It was for that "service" that Robert Kocharian (Ararktsian emphasized that "the revolt of 1998" was led by the current president of Armenia) was awarded the "Legion of Honor" Order in 2001. The current economic forum in New York on Armenia, in which the Cochairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Carey Cavanaugh is taking an active part, is only a stage in the matter of fixing a price for the consent to the mentioned deal, Ararktsian claimed. Speaking about Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian, the former top legislator said that this man should not be rebuked, as he is only a "mouthpiece of Robert Kocharian" and the executor of the political will of the current president of the country. Answering the questions of journalists concerning the status of the decision made by the Armenian parliament of 1992 to restrict the mandate of the president at talks around Nagorno Artsax, Ararktsian said that this decision remains in vigor, as it was not abolished by anyone. As for possible predictions regarding the settlement process in general, Ararktsian said he did not believe in the "legends" that the real positions of Russia, the USA and France coincided in this matter. He stressed that "... Russia has not had its say yet". In his opinion, the only country which is really concerned in the process is the United States. Babken Ararktsian finds that: first, the real format of talks within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group on Nagorno Artsax should be immediately restored; secondly, any solutions infringing upon Armenia's sovereignty are unacceptable; thirdly, the current leaders of the country must resign immediately and a new, legitimate president is to be elected. The ex-speaker believes that the tough statement of the parliamentary factions and groups on the Artsax settlement made on April 27 was initiated by the president and pursues the ultimate goal of delaying the signing of the final documents for at least another year, i.e. the next presidential election (2003). Ararktsian thinks he will win another bet in the visible future, as no document on the Artsax settlement will be signed in the visible future. *01/-2e--p c32 $e17 11/05/2001 Copyright © 19

MJ · May 14, 2001

ARF Conference Reaffirms Party Position Regarding Artsax Negotiations

The ARF Bureau held a conference in Yerevan from May 11-12, to deal with the

latest phase in the ongoing negotiations in the Artsax conflict.

The conference reviewed the variants in the resolutions which have been

proposed by the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. It is presumed that

these proposals will most likely be presented to the parties of the

conflict in

the next few weeks.

Conference participants included the ARF Bureau, the ARF Executive Council of

Armenia, the Central Committee of Artsakh, representatives from various other

ARF central committees, members of the ARF factions in the Armenian and

Artsax parliaments, and other invited members of the party.

The conference, putting faith in the negotiation process as a peaceful

solution to the conflict at its present stage, affirmed the ARF position

calling for the reunification of Artsakh with Armenia, which is part of the

party program and is of strategic value. The assembly upheld the position of

the ARF regarding the negotiation process, which was outlined in a statement

released by the ARF Bureau on March 20, 2001.

The conference also clarified the party’s positions on the variants proposed

by the OSCE Group.

The conference affirmed that even at the first phase of the peace

negotiations, the ARF stressed the necessity of fully involving Armenian

political forces in the process. The security of not only Artsakh, but also

the

national security of Armenia and the Armenian people, is on the negotiating

table. A unified position, unanimous adherence, and especially the

strengthening of internal political stability must be displayed by the

Armenian

side, so that a victorious outcome can be realized in the negotiations.

Furthermore, the conference called on the Armenian president to consult with

Armenian political forces in the examination of the various proposals that

have

been made, so that a single consolidated policy can be adopted. The conference

also found it necessary the full participation of the Nagorno Artsax

leadership in the decisive phases of the negotiations.

The conference closed with the conclusion that the ARF supports a fair and

peaceful resolution which could come about as a result of the ongoing

negotiations, as long as the following principles are upheld in the peace

process:

- Securing the reunification of Artsakh with the Republic of Armenia or at

least the recognition of Artsakh’s independent status

- Guaranteeing the security and defense of Artsakh and Armenia,

- Protecting the Armenian Republic’s sovereignty over its territory, as well

as affirming Armenia’s strategic importance in the region.

The conference concluded that all those who expect the Armenian people to

renounce the gains made in the Artsax conflict simply because of the current

social-economic conditions, are mistaken. The conference also reaffirmed the

ARF’s commitment to the Armenian Cause and the resolution of the Artsax

conflict which must secure the gains achieved during the 13-year struggle.

Sign In

Negotiations and settlment

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Join the conversation