TERRY DAVIS’S STRANGE "LOGIC"
Hayots Ashkharh Daily – Armenia
28 June 07
Terry Tavis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, has recently
been disseminating contradictory statements concerning Nagorno Karabakh
and the Karabakh conflict through the Azerbaijani media.
As shown by the contents and the studies of such statements, the
leader of the highly-reputable European structure is obviously going
beyond the framework if his competences and beginning to look like
an autocratic monarch interpreting the norms of international law in
a self-willed manner.
One may get perplexed by such strange interpretations or account for
all that by the practice of disseminating misinformation which is
characteristic of the Azerbaijani media. However, this is not the
first time that Terry Davis, British by nationality, uses his high
post of the Council of Europe Secretary General for attending to the
current political problems of the Anglo-Saxon diplomacy, rather than
to the problems of the member states of the given organization.
What has made the British diplomat so anxious that he has started to
"bomb" Karabakh and the Karabakh issue through the channels of the
Azerbaijani media?
Terry Davis acts on behalf of the Council of Europe which, as we know,
does not have unanimous attitudes with regard to Nagorno Karabakh,
Kosovo and other issues.
And when the British diplomat announces today that "it is a pity
that Nagorno Karabakh desires to follow the ‘Kosovo’ precedent,"
we unwillingly feel like asking what "precedent" is that? Because,
after pronouncing some sentences, Terry Davis confessed himself that
the Kosovo problem has not been clarified yet, so "I cannot discuss
the issue purely in hypothetical terms. Unless the United Nations has
made a decision on the further status of Kosovo; but I understand that
may people are enthusiastic about such situation in Nagorno Karabakh."
It turns out that Terry Davis contradicts himself, expressing a
preconceived opinion about Nagorno Karabakh’s desires to follow the
Kosovo precedent. And this happens in a situation when the United
Nations, according to his confession, has not made any decision
yet. This means that he is not guided by the official viewpoint of
the organization led by him; instead he stirs up trouble in advance
for solving certain problems.
It is rather easy to guess that the true goal is the creation of
relevant preconditions for the execution of the Kosovo independence
"verdict" recently returned by the US President. The Secretary General
is aware that the decree on the speedy independence of Kosovo has
been issued, therefore he is trying to warn Nagorno Karabakh to keep
away from those processes since, according to him, "the international
community (in his view, the United States), does not recognize Nagorno
Karabakh; it is not a separate country; the elections held there are
not and will not be recognized."
The following question comes up: why is T. Davis getting into a panic
and making such warning beforehand, putting himself in a ridiculous
situation?
The reason is obvious: the closed discussions on the Kosovo precedent,
currently under way in the United Nations and the persistent efforts
made by Yaap de Hoop Skhefer, the NATO Secretary General who has
recently visited Russia with the purpose of finding a way out have
reached a deadlock. The simple cunning to delay the status of Kosovo
for a period of 4 months with the purpose of avoiding the Security
Council and then automatically implement the independence program
elaborated by M. Akhitisaari, cannot mislead Russia.
S. Mironov, Speaker of the RF Federation Council, has again made a
threat to veto the UN Resolution, and the NATO Secretary General has in
turn issued a warning that "in case Russia places a veto, the process
may go beyond control," that’s to say, the United Stats or the European
countries will start recognizing Kosovo’s independence individually.
Of course, the conflicts on the post-Soviet territory have their
peculiarities. However, the whole problem is that Nagorno Karabakh,
unlike Abkhazia, Trans-Dnester or South Ossia totally coincides
with Kosovo by virtue of being an earlier precedent. There is an
independent state of Armenia, there is an independent state of Albania,
and Karabakh and Kosovo are the second state formations created by
the Armenians and Albanians.
Therefore, if Kosovo is to be granted independence, it is impossible
to deny Karabakh, purely in legal terms.
Moreover, it is Nagorno Karabakh that became a precedent for Kosovo.
There were ethnic cleansings here in 1990-1991; this was followed by
a war and, unlike Kosovo, Nagorno Karabakh became a winner. Kosovo
was saved from ethnic cleansings due to the American bombers and
the international peacekeepers, whereas the Armenians of Karabakh
protected their own freedom independently.
Therefore, under the norms of the same international law, Karabakh
has more serious grounds to become independent than Kosovo which was
set on its feet with the help of others.