BAKU: Azerbaijan MPs Do Not Accept Proposal to Meet with Armenia MPs

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Feb 8 2008

Azerbaijanis MPs Do Not Accept Proposal to Meet with Armenian MPs
08.02.08 14:55

Azerbaijan, Baku, 8 February /corr. Trend I.Alizade / The Chairs of
Azerbaijan Parliament’s Commissions did not accept the proposals to
conduct a meeting on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement with
the participation of the Azerbaijani and Armenian MPs.

`We stated that the Azerbaijani and Armenian MPs have met frequently.
However, these meetings yielded no results, and therefore, a new
meeting with the Armenian MPs is impossible,’ the Chair of Azerbaijan
Parliament’s Permanent Commission on Human Rights, MPs Rabiyat
Aslanova, reported to Trend on 8 February.

Lord Russell Johnston, the Head of the Sub-committee on the
Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE), met with the Heads of Azerbaijan
Parliament’s Commissions in the Parliament on 8 February.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in
1988 due to the Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, the Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven neighbouring
districts. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire
agreement which ended the active hostilities. The Co-Chairs of the
OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding
the peaceful negotiations.

In January 2005, PACE passed Resolution 1416 in connection with the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem. The Resolution says that Armenia occupies
Azerbaijani territories. It also contains various suggestions to
settle the conflict.

Aslanova said that during the meeting in April in Strasburg, the
Chairman of the Sub-committee made a proposal to hold a meeting on
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement with the participation of
the Azerbaijani and Armenian MPs. Johnston said that his visit was
aimed at knowing the position of the sides on whether the activity of
the Sub-committee on the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict would continue, as
well as to study the possibility of the meeting of the Azerbaijani
MPs. `We said that it is impossible to reach any results at the
meeting with the Armenian MPs and holding a new meeting has no
prospects,’ the MP said.

Johnston said that the Council of Europe is not involved in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. The visit to the region is not
aimed at achieving the settlement of the conflict, but creating
conditions for talks between the conflicting sides.

`We said that the Sub-committee has been established to implement the
PACE resolution 1416. However, nothing has been done for it. The
visits to the region and held meetings serve protracting the conflict
settlement. If such situation continues, there will be no necessity
to continue the activity of the Sub-committee,’ Aslanova said.

The Chairs of Azerbaijan Parliament’s Commissions stated that no
co-operation is possible between the Azerbaijani and Armenian MPs
unless the Nagorno-Karabakh is settled.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS