Archive News
Edited on December 10-13
OSCE MEDIATORS VISIT STEPANAKERT...
The French, Russian and U.S. co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group charged with
mediating a settlement of the Karabakh conflict held talks
with the leadership of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic in Stepanakert on 12 December, Noyan Tapan reported.
In a clear allusion to the ongoing series of talks between
the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the resolution
adopted at last month's OSCE summit in Istanbul, the
unrecognized republic's president, Arkadii Ghukasian, warned
that the conflict cannot be resolved without taking the
enclave's interests into account. Armenpress on 14 December
quoted Karabakh Foreign Minister Naira Melkumian as saying
that the Minsk Group's new peace proposal would differ only
slightly from that rejected last year by Azerbaijan and that
the formula "common state," to which Baku objected, will
probably be changed the new draft. LF
...AND BAKU.
The Minsk Group co-chairmen then traveled to
Baku where they held talks on 14 December with Azerbaijan's
President Heidar Aliev, Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliev, and
the head of the former Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-
Karabakh, Nizami Bahmanov. Reuters quoted U.S. co-chair Carey
Cavanaugh as saying that the objective of the visit was "to
begin work on a new [draft peace] proposal and to look more
intensively at the need for economic reconstruction in the
region." Cavanaugh ruled out a recurrence of the hiatus in
the OSCE mediation since Azerbaijan rejected the Minsk
Group's most recent draft peace plan late last year. Aliev
expressed satisfaction that the co-chairmen are ready to
draft a new peace plan. Guliev affirmed Azerbaijan's
willingness to resume peace talks within the Minsk Group
framework, saying that direct talks between Aliev and
Kocharian could not substitute for that mediation. LF
Copyright RFE/RL
OSCE MINSK GROUP CHAIRMEN IN ARMENIA...
The French, Russian, and U.S. co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group arrived in
Yerevan on 10 December and held talks the following day with
President Kocharian, Premier Aram Sargsian, Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian, and Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian,
RFE/RL's Yerevan bureau reported. French representative Jean-
Jacques Gaillard said after the talks with Oskanian that the
aim of the co-chairmen's visit was to collect information
about the current situation. He added that the peace process
in general, but no specific proposal, was discussed. He added
that the co-chairmen are not proposing any new initiatives
during their current visit to Yerevan, Stepanakert, and Baku.
Turan on 11 December quoted former Russian representative to
the Minsk Group Vladimir Kazimirov, who is accompanying the
co-chairmen, as denying that he will replace the present
Russian representative, Nikolai Gribkov. LF
...AS ARMENIAN OPPOSITION SAY KARABAKH'S INTERESTS ARE BEING IGNORED.
Eight Armenian opposition parties and groups--the
21st Century, Liberal-Democratic, Azatutiun, Christian-
Democratic, Conservative, Nor Ughi parties as well as
Shamiram and the Armat organization--issued a statement on 9
December accusing the Armenian leadership of lacking a
concept for resolving the Karabakh conflict and of failing to
defend the interests of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic at the OSCE Istanbul summit in November, Noyan
Tapan reported. They claimed that the Karabakh leadership has
been excluded from talks on resolving the conflict. They also
argued that the signing at the summit of agreements on the
use of the Baku-Ceyhan oil export pipeline will lead to
Armenia's isolation from regional economic integration and
preclude it playing a stabilizing role in the region. LF
KARABAKH ARMY COMMANDER RESPONDS TO PRESIDENT'S ATTACK.
In a faxed response to questions from RFE/RL's Stepanakert
correspondent, former Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Minister
Samvel Babayan on 11 December criticized remarks by the
enclave's president, Arkadii Ghukasian, who, Babayan said,
does not behave as a head of state should. Ghukasian had
told journalists in Stepanakert on 7 December that Babayan
should concentrate his attention on the enclave's armed
forces as he is not qualified to engage in politics (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 8 December 1999). Also on 11 December, 13
deputies to the Karabakh parliament issued a joint statement
accusing Ghukasian of "destabilizing" the political
situation.
From: "Ismail"
To: "Azerbaijan News Distribution List"
Subject: Reuters: Azeris and Armenia Must Solve Karabakh,
Says Council Of Europe
Date: Sun, 12 Dec 1999 22:32:11 -0800
BAKU, Dec 10, 1999 -- (Reuters) The Council of Europe said on
Thursday Azerbaijan and Armenia had to settle a long-running conflict
over the
disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region before they could become its
members, Azeri state press reported.
A conflict between ethnic Armenian separatists and Azeri forces in the
Karabakh region of the Caspian Sea state killed nearly 35,000 before a
1994 cease-fire. The two countries have held talks to settle the dispute,
so far without a breakthrough.
"Both Azerbaijan and Armenia need to guarantee that the conflict is
being regulated and peace is being strengthened before they can join the
Council of Europe," Viktor Rufi, a Council of Europe spokesman, was
quoted as saying.
Rufi, the head of the organization's political committee in its
parliamentary assembly, was speaking at a meeting with Azeri President
Haydar
Aliyev during a trip to Baku.
He discussed the ex-Soviet republic's future membership of the council,
which acts as a human rights watchdog.
Armenia and Azerbaijan had made some headway in negotiating an end
to the 11-year-old conflict, but talks broke off after gunmen stormed
Armenia's parliament at the end of October and shot the prime minister
and six other officials.
Aliyev's Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharyan has since been busy
rebuilding the country's shattered leadership and getting the government
back together.
Negotiations between the two leaders have yet to resume.
Aliyev told the visiting Council of Europe delegation that talks on
resolving the bitter conflict would begin again.
"During talks this year with the Armenian leader we concluded that
compromise is crucial to solving the conflict and we expressed our
commitment to strengthening the cease-fire and continuing negotiations,"
Aliyev said.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev earlier said the
oil-producing republic would begin the process of joining the Council of
Europe in
February next year.
(C)1999 Copyright Reuters Limited for Habarlar-L
OSCE chairman Knut Vollebek arrives in Baku today
Baku. 13.12.99. /AzadInform/. Today the OSCE chairman, Norwegian Foreign
minister Knut Vollebek arrives in Baku. Reliable sources reported, during the
short-term visit he will hold exchange of opinions over negotiations run with
the Minsk group cochairmen. Mr. Knut Vollebek will meet with the Azerbaijani
President H. Aliyev as well. He will leave Baku for Makhachkala. Along with this
OSCE chairman will make a trip to the region and conduct talks to become
familiar with situation in Chechnya.
Positions of the OSCE Minsk group cochairmen will be clear during the
negotiations process
Baku. 13.12.99. /AzadInform/. Today the OSCE Minsk group cochairmen from Russia,
France and US will arrive in Baku. During the visit the parties will discuss
regulation of the Upper Karabakh conflicts run. Yesterday in Yerevan co-chairmen
met with the Armenian President R. Kocharyan, prime-minister A. Sarkisyan,
Parliament speaker A. Khachaturyan and Foreign minister V. Oskanyan. Today in
the morning co-chairman left Yerevan for Khankendi to negotiate with so-called
Upper Karabakh Republic's leadership. It should be noted, the Russian ambassador
to Costa-Rica V. Kazimirov arrived in the region as well. He visited Armenia and
Azerbaijan on his own initiative. Even if the OSCE Minsk group co-chairman
visited with any proposals over resolution of the Upper Karabakh conflict they
will never announce it, N. Mamedov, head of the President's Executive Office
Foreign Contacts Department, said. But he believes, positions of co-chairmen
will be clear during the negotiations process. A!
t the same time, N. Mamedov noted, there is no official information about the
fact that OSCE Minsk group co-chairman didn't bring any proposal over resolution
of the Karabakh conflict.
From: "Ismail"
To: "Azerbaijan News Distribution List"
Subject: RFE/RL: Armenian News Briefs 13/12/99
Date: Tue, 14 Dec 1999 00:04:38 -0800
Armenian Foreign Minister Says No Breakthrough On Karabakh
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian says there has been no breakthrough in
negotiations over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh despite
improved prospects for ending the decade-long dispute.
US, Russian, and French negotiators are meeting with Azerbaijan's leaders in Baku today
under the auspices of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe. The organization has been mediating in the conflict between Armenia
and Azerbaijan over Azerbaijan's breakaway
Karabakh region, which is mostly populated by ethnic Armenians.
Oskanian told a news conference in Yerevan today that the "main obstacles" to resuming
OSCE-sponsored peace talks have not yet been
overcome. He said even though the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are "determined"
to find a peace accord based on compromise, they
have not yet agreed on the main sticking point --Karabakh's future status.
The Armenian foreign minister also expressed concern that the growing strain in relations
between the United States and Russia over the conflict
in Chechnya may jeopardize their continued cooperation in the OSCE's so-called Minsk
Group. The US and Russia, along with France, co-chair
the group, which is the main mediating body for Karabakh.
Negotiators from the three countries have held talks in Yerevan and the Karabakh capital of
Stepanakert over the weekend, and are now in Baku
on the last leg of their regional tour. Russia's chief negotiator, Nikolay Gribkov, said
yesterday that talks with the Karabakh leadership were
"quite effective."
Oskanian said the co-chairs brought no new peace proposals this time, and aimed instead to
"assess the situation and decide what steps to take
next after consulting with the parties."
"Given Azerbaijan's continuing opposition to their most recent peace plan," Oskanian said,
"they seem to be thinking that it is time to come up
with something new."
Azerbaijan maintains that the Minsk Group's current plan for Karabakh fails to guarantee
Baku's sovereignty over the territory. It proposes that
Azerbaijan and Karabakh form a loose "common state," an idea supported by the Armenian
side.
The mediators have signaled readiness to address Azerbaijani concerns, but the Armenians
say they will not make any more major concessions
beyond those envisaged by the current plan.
Face-to-face talks between the parties have not taken place under OSCE aegis in the last
three years. The mediators have instead relied on
shuttle diplomacy, periodically visiting Yerevan, Baku, and Stepanakert.
Those efforts have been helped by a direct Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue throughout this
year. Armenian President Robert Kocharian and
Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev were seen as having inched closer to a peace deal. But
the process was considerably slowed down by the
October assassinations of Armenia's prime minister, parliament speaker, and other top
officials. The Armenian authorities have since been
grappling with domestic political uncertainty.
Armenian Foreign Minister Oskanian said today: "As of today, there has been no concrete
formula agreed on [by the two presidents] as the
basis of the settlement. Even so, there is a determination to solve this issue by compromise."
The French representative in the mediating team, Jean-Jacques Gaillard, told RFE/RL on
Saturday that the agenda for discussions includes a
package of economic incentives for the parties to achieve peace.
But Oskanian warned that the growing differences between Russia and the West over the
war in Chechnya may hinder the Karabakh
negotiations. The United States has criticized Russia for using excessive force, while Russian
President Boris Yeltsin warned that Russia, as a
nuclear power, should not be told how to conduct its internal affairs.
If the Russia-West rift deepens, Oskanian says, Armenia may find it difficult to stick to its
foreign policy goal of maintaining simultaneously
good relations with all international partners. The task is already delicate as two of Armenia's
major partners are the United States and its
arch-foe, Iran.
The dividing line between the West and Iran passes through Armenia, Oskanian said. He
said that puts Armenia in a "difficult situation."
(Emil Danielian)
Copyrigh Habarlar-L