Breakthrough in Karabagh ?

[Boghos]

KOCHARIAN AND ALIYEV READY TO SIGN A PEACE TREATY? - This conclusion

is implied by the latest statements of the two Presidents

 

[11-06-2002 'Karabagh Conflict']

"Zerkalo" newspaper (Azerbaijan)

By R. Mirkadyrov

 

"We are now in the final stage of finding the ultimate solution of the

Karabagh problem", the Armenian President Robert Kocharian announced

in his interview to "Sovetskaya Belarus". The Karabagh problem is one

of the most sensitive ones in the South Caucasus. He also noted that

"it is a lengthy conflict and is rooted in early last century".

Robert Kocharian reminded that this issue is being actively discussed

with the President of Azerbaijan. "A year ago we thought we were close

to the solution. Yet something did not work", the President said.

 

According to Robert Kocharian the details of its resolution by a

mutual agreement are not disclosed, since the technology for solving

such conflicts presupposes some closed part of the negotiations

process. As the head of Armenia noted, it is done so as separate

components are not pulled out from the whole pack and are not

manipulated with. Robert Kocharian informed that there already exists

an agreement with the Azerbaijan President Heydar Aliyev in the

nearest future. "There is the will, there is also the activeness of

the mediators to organize this meeting. We are truly very persistent

in searching ways for solving the Karabagh problem", the President

said.

 

Robert Kocharian noted that in the issue of settling such conflicts,

it is not enough to simply find a solution, "one must also find a

political will, assistance of the international community, mediators

for the practical implementation of the agreements achieved". "We are

now at the final stage of finding a solution. Even if it is found, we

will have very serious, difficult work on its practical realization",

the President concluded.

 

Practically at the same time, in unison with Kocharian several similar

statements were made by Heydar Aliyev. Before leaving for Saint

Petersburg, Aliyev answered the question of whether there is a

necessity in holding an antiterrorist operation at the occupied

territories, saying, "this is an unjustified opinion". "Holding a

counterterrorism operation in the occupied territories will mean

beginning a war", Aliyev said.

 

Besides, according to Heydar Aliyev, the Presidents of the two

countries must meet in the nearest future, and at this meeting it will

become clear what concessions Armenia is ready to make. As to the date

of the meeting, it is not known yet, the AR president said. "I do not

think it will take place anywhere this month", Aliyev said.

 

Further, in the course of his visit in Saint Petersburg, Heydar Aliyev

also made several statements showing the peaceful attitude of the head

of Azeri state. At the final press conference having touched upon the

problem of international terrorism, the AR President said that our

countries (Azerbaijan and Russia) had earlier than other countries

come to face this evil, that has no motherland, no national or

religious identity. "We understand better than everyone else that one

cannot solve this question by purely power methods. Only an effective

mutual dialogue of cultures and civilization can prevent this threat

and eliminate the roots of this phenomenon once and for all", Heydar

Aliyev thinks.

 

Thus, speaking about terrorism, Mr. Aliyev apparently meant also the

aggression of Armenia towards Azerbaijan. The fact that the head of

the state thinks the solution of this question by purely power methods

to be impossible is quite noteworthy. Further, the President, when

answering the questions of Azeri journalists, actually discards the

possibility of a counterterrorism attack on the occupied territories

saying it was equivalent to starting a "war". In essence this

statement by Heydar Aliyev almost fully resembles the situation of the

early last year, when the whole world maintained that the parties were

very close to signing a peace treaty. Then, during the discussion of

the peaceful resolution options in the parliament, all the

progovernmental politicians announced that the international community

will never allow Azerbaijan to liberate the occupied territories by

power, yet, after the failure of another negotiations cycle Heydar

Aliyev started to say that the patience o! ! f Azeri society was

close to its end and the people demanded that the occupied territories

be liberated by force. The attitude of the President again made a

turnaround of 180 degrees.

 

It should be reminded here that at the current stage Heydar Aliyev

himself was the initiator of accelerating the peace process between

Armenia and Azerbaijan. As Araz Azimov stated during his visit to

Washington, he, during the talks in Chechia passed the Armenia party

the proposal of Aliyev to organize a meeting of Armenian and Azeri

presidents. On this background the statements that one must not take

the announcements of Kocharian about the "final stage of a search of

solution to the Karabagh problem" seriously do not sound convincing.

 

Besides, the OSCE Minsk Group is currently becoming apparently

active. Its co-chairmen will meet in June in Lisbon. This was stated

by the acting OSCE chairman, Portugal Foreign Minister Antonio Martins

da Cruz. He also said he intended to discuss the Karabagh conflict

resolution with the Russian administration during its visits to Moscow

on June 27.

 

Notably, Heydar Aliyev paid his visit to Saint Petersburg immediately

after the summit between the Presidents of Russia and the USA, where

Armenia and Azerbaijan were pointed out the necessity of compromise in

the resolution of the Karabagh conflict. At this background an

impression is formed that the OSCE Minsk group cochairmen are coming

to Moscow to learn what the answer of Aliyev to the appeal of Bush and

Putin is.

 

In short, the information received by "Zerkalo" that Azerbaijan is

experiencing pressure directed at inducing Baku to accept the

unprofitable peace proposals is actually confirmed…

 

--

Yerevan Press Club of Armenia, 'Yeni Nesil' Journalists' Union of

Azerbaijan and Association of Diplomacy Correspondents of Turkey

present 'Armenia-Azerbaijan-Turkey: Journalist Initiative-2002'

Project. As a part of the project www.mediadialogue.org web site has

been designed, featuring the most interesting publications from the

press of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey on issues of mutual

concern. The latest updates on the site are weekly delivered to the

subscribers.

[MosJan]

ALIYEV DISCLOSED ‘PARIS PRINCIPLES’

 

Azeri president Heydar Aliyev revealed the essence of the ‘Paris Principles’ of the Karabagh conflict regulation discussed in Paris between presidents Chirac, Kocharian and himself in March 2001.

 

According to ITAR-TASS, receiving the new French co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Hugues Pernet in Baku June 14, Aliyev announced that one of the main aspects of the ‘Paris Principles’ was the ‘opening of the corridors via Meghri region of Armenia which would connect Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan and Lachin region which would connect Armenia with Nagorno-Karabagh’. In Aliyev’s words the principles also stipulated giving the corridors sovereign rights.

 

Aliyev stressed that the ‘Paris Principles’ supposed equal and similar statuses for both corridors. ‘The agreement was violated by the Armenian side, which brought to the failure of the negotiations in the Key West Peace Talks ’,- said Heydar Aliyev.

 

Azeri president also said that he has to disclose the essence of the ‘Paris Principles’ today due to the fact that the ‘Armenian side distorts their meaning and tries to speculate the principles’. ‘We are ready to continue the negotiations based on ‘Paris Principles’, if the agreements reached in Paris are restored’,-announced Aliyev. At the same time he regretted that ‘Armenia does not want to allot a sovereign corridor to Azerbaijan, at the same time demanding a corridor with a similar status form Azerbaijan’. ‘We can not reconcile with this stance of Armenia’,- concluded Aliyev.

[MosJan]

rusneri inchn em asselvor chtoretsin vor Hayer@ qich avelk adrbejani mej mtnen yev naxijevani harts@ lutsen ...

 

ehhh es tatron@ yerba verchanalu,

 

vat2 iyn e vor yerkri rekavarutyun@ voch mi tesaki informatsya chi talis jorovrdin, iyl tornum vor drsi arbyurnerits sut terekutyuner gan ners.

[MJ]

From what I know, things don't look so good for Karabagh...

 

Within the structures of UN, it has been put back in the Azerbaijani map...

[Paul bunyan]

The word is that Armenia has agreed to

give back most of Fizuli, keeping a part

for a protective buffer zone. and some

of Aghdam. but nothing else. this is not

acceptable to the azeri people and their

beloved dictator cum president. AND

the rotten and imbecilic UN don't approve

either.....well, too bad! the Armenian people will never allow their security, freedom, and lives to be jeopardized

by the evil and genocidal azeri-turks!!

so tatarlandians should accept all their

ever going to get.!

[MosJan]

KOCHARIAN CRITICIZES ALIYEV’S ANNOUNCEMENT

 

Armenian president Robert Kocharian commented on the “sensational” announcement by Azeri president Heydar Aliyev last week that he had achieved in Paris an agreement with Kocharian on a land swap option to regulate the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. Aliyev claimed that they had agreed to exchange Armenian region of Meghri for Lachin.

 

“We have the documents to prove the opposite and my spokesman has already denied all allegations by Aliyev,” he said. The word, according to Kocharian, was about providing Azerbaijan with an access to a transit corridor through Armenian Meghri to connect with its exclave Nakhichevan.

 

“No other agreements were made, beside this,” Kocharian said. According to him, the announcement was apparently made by Aliyev to try to stir the political situation in Armenia, and most probably this was conceived basing on publications in the Armenian opposition press which claim that Kocharian is in a dire situation and even a small occasion would be enough to explode the situation and fail the negotiation process.

 

Kocharian also said that he has never violated accords with the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs and “ I do not think that the head of the state should question the relations with co-chairs proceeding from the momentary demands. “That would be a one-day policy,” he said, adding that the announcement was not going to have any impact on his meeting with Aliyev. “We shall meet and negotiate but with less pleasure, however, work is work, the opposition continues and its regulation remain the priority task.

 

By Ara Martirosian

 

 

© Copyright AZG

[MosJan]

CORRIDOR THROUGH MEGHRI WAS NEVER DISCUSSED AT NEGOTIATIONS, ARMENIAN PRESIDENT STATED

- June 18, 2002 18:52

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian called not corresponding to the reality the statements made by Azerbaijani leader Heydar Aliyev about an agreement allegedly reached in Paris on passing the Meghri region to the sovereignty of Azerbaijan and the Lachin corridor to the sovereignty of Armenia correspondingly. The sovereign corridor between Nagorno Artsax and Armenia was at the point, but regarding Meghri – it was always access to communications solely, Robert Kocharian noted at the meeting with journalists today. At the same time, the Armenian President refused to make public the content of "the Parisian principles." "We have certain arrangements with the OSCE Minsk Group. I do not think that proceeding from the momentary situation the country President should cast doubt or expose to threat the relations with the mediators," – Robert Kocharian stressed. In the Armenian President's words, the latest statements of the Azeri leader will not have any significance for the expected Kocharian-Aliyev new meeting. "Undoubtedly, we should meet and negotiate, although, of course, we should not create unpleasant moments for each other – especially based on information not corresponding to the reality," – Kocharian noted.

 

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