BRITISH AMBASSADOR: “WE SUPPORT SETTLEMENT OF CONFLICT THROUGH NEGOTIATIONS”

Today, Azerbaijan
March 7 2006

“We favor endeavors for peaceful settlement of Azerbaijani-Armenian
conflict.”

“All sides are concerned in resolution of the conflict through
negotiations, and this is the main point in restoration of the peace,”
British Ambassador to Azerbaijan Laurie Bristow told journalists,
APA informs.

He also took a stance on the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Reno Harnish’s
opinion on war probability between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Saying he was not active participant or co-chair in OSCE Minsk Group,
the ambassador added that heads of the both countries are in favor
of settling the conflict through talks.

“For many years this conflict’s remaining unsolved doesn’t enable
to create illusion about the problem. Both Azerbaijan and Armenian
leaderships support resolving the conflict through negotiations. We
support this process.”

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US GARABAGH MEDIATOR SAYS 2006 CRUCIAL IN TALKS

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 7 2006

Baku, March 6, AssA-Irada
The next meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group cochairmen, who are brokering
a negotiated settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh conflict, was to be held in Washington on Monday.

The meeting will mainly discuss the current status and future steps
in the negotiations following the unsuccessful Rambouillet talks.

The discussions held by Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian
in the French town of Rambouillet in February turned out fruitless,
as the parties failed to iron out issues of principle.

The US co-chair of the Minsk Group, Steven Mann, believes that it is
important for the parties to reach compromise.

“We are at a stage when we need support not only from ministers to
bring about a change in the situation. We also need the will of the
two peoples,” he said.

Mann said further that if no agreement was reached in 2006, it would
take several more years to bring the negotiations to the current level.

“I never believed that it was possible to reach agreement at one
separate meeting. This is a very complicated process indeed,” Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said while commenting on the outcomes of
the Rambouillet talks.

The minister said the mediators need to be given a chance to conduct
their own analysis as well. He indicated that Azerbaijan was committed
to continuing the negotiations within the “Prague process” framework.

“We have certain plans, but it would be premature to disclose them
now,” Mammadyarov said.

ARMENIA CONCERNED OVER AZERBAIJAN’S INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 7 2006

Baku, March 6, AssA-Irada
An Armenian top defense official has cited as a “direct threat” for
his country what he called Azerbaijan’s attempts to take the talks
on settling the long-standing Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict out
of the mediating Minsk Group’s framework to the level of the UN,
NATO and the Council of Europe.

“Moreover, these attempts being made with the aid of Azerbaijan’s
propaganda machine earn official Baku benefits in the international
arena,” said Armenian Defense Minister, Security Council secretary,
Serzh Sarkisian.

Sarkisian indicated in his special report on the country’s security
that Armenia should boost its diplomacy and the work of Diaspora
organizations.

“The key issue for us today is ensuring security. The impact of
international military and political processes on the South Caucasus
region is gradually increasing. For this very reason, the forces
interested in the region and superpowers are becoming more active. In
this case, a special focus should be on the security issue.”

In conclusion of the report, Sarkisian urged international
organizations to provide assistance. He said Armenia believes that
solving the Garabagh problem is possible only with the mediation of
the Minsk Group and supports peace while ensuring the physical safety
of the Armenian residents of Upper Garabagh.

The Azeri Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Taghizada said that
restoring the ethnic and demographic composition of the region that
was observed prior to the outbreak of the conflict and ensuring the
security of its residents bear great importance for the determination
of the Upper Garabagh status during the second stage of the conflict
resolution.

“There are no grounds for concerns over the physical safety of Upper
Garabagh’s Armenian population.”

As for drawing other international organizations to the peace process,
Taghizada admitted that Azerbaijan is interested in this.

“At the same time, we remain committed to the current mechanism and
structure. But if diplomatic efforts yield no fruit, we may resort
to other means,” he added.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EUROPEAN RESOLUTION NOT BINDING ON GOVERNMENTS, BRITISH ENVOY SAYS

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 7 2006

Baku, March 6, AssA-Irada
The European Parliament’s recent resolution concerning the alleged
desecration of Armenian graves in the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan
represents the opinion of only several MPs, British Ambassador
Laurie Bristow has told journalists. According to the diplomat,
the opinions of parliamentarians almost never correspond with those
of their governments. Therefore, even though the idea was tabled by
British MPs, it should not be seen as reflecting the position of the
British government.

Bristow said he was not familiar with the issues raised in the
resolution. He added though that Britain always condemns acts of
vandalism wherever they take place.

“I think it is important to respect cultural and national heritage
in all parts of the world,” he said.

WASHINGTON: NO FAILURE IN NEGOTIATING PROCESS ON KARABAKH

Regnum, Russia
March 7 2006

“I do not believe talks between presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
in Rambouillet may be considered as failure. Also, I do not think, that
the talks reached a deadlock and necessity to change negotiating format
is imminent, because OSCE Minsk Group has exhausted its abilities,”
stated yesterday adviser to US State Department under-Secretary on
Europe and Eurasia Matthew Bryza.

As a REGNUM correspondent in Yerevan informs, Bryza believes, that
parties of Karabakh conflict are “very close to settlement, but
they should make several most difficult steps.” “Those questions,
which stayed uncoordinated, are most difficult ones and they need
formulation of clear position from the both heads of states,” the
American diplomat stressed. “If heads of Armenia and Azerbaijan fix
accurate deadlines to achieve the agreement, the USA, in its turn, will
render maximum assistance to solve the problem,” stated Matthew Bryza.

At the same time, the adviser to US State Department under-Secretary
practically refute information, that official Washington is going to
recall its ambassador in Yerevan John Evans, because of his statements
concerning international acknowledgement of Armenian Genocide in
Ottoman Turkey in the beginning of last century.

Additionally, Matthew Bryza expressed his anxiety about destruction
of Armenian cultural heritage in Nakhichevan (Azerbaijan). “Events,
happening in Nakhichevan, are awful tragedy and we focus our attention
on them,” stated he, stressing that Washington brings its anxiety to
the notice of the Azerbaijani authorities.

EUROPEAN MP ADMITS TO ERROR IN PRESENTING GARABAGH AS ARMENIAN TERRITORY

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 7 2006

Baku, March 6, AssA-Irada
A European MP has admitted to making a mistake in presenting Upper
Garabagh not as Azerbaijani but Armenian territory.

A map of the South Caucasus region citing the false information has
been included in the report of the European Parliament’s Foreign
Affairs Committee covering “frozen conflicts”.

The legislative body has also lately passed a resolution concerning
the alleged desecration of Armenian graves in Azerbaijan’s exclave
of Nakhchivan, which angered Azeri officials.

The map uploaded to the European Parliament’s website on February 22
was removed on Monday.

The rapporteur Dick Surander, who prepared the report, admitted full
responsibility for the mistake, saying he was pressed for time and it
was the only map he could find. “Others are not to blame for this,”
he told the Baku-based ANS TV channel.

Surander said it would be wrong to interpret the incident as
recognition of Upper Garabagh “as an independent state”, adding that
the map would never be placed on the web-page again.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Taghizada said the Azeri embassy
in Belgium was instructed last week to look into the issue.

RA NA SPEAKER HANDED OSCE MEDAL FOR PROMOTING CLOSE COOPERATION WITH THIS ORGANIZATION

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 7 2006

YEREVAN, March 7. /ARKA/. Armenian National Assembly Speaker Arthur
Baghdasaryan received a medal from OSCE for promoting close cooperation
with this organization, Armenian Parliament press service told ARKA
News Agency on Monday. The medal was handed by OSCE Yerevan Office
Head, Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin.

The Ambassador stressed the importance of Parliament’s role in forming
civil and democratic institutions and pointed out kind relations
established between OSCE and Armenian Parliament.

Baghdasaryan, in turn, said the cooperation had produced particular
results.

Pryakhin also handed books in Armenian, Russian and English languages
to parliamentary library.

OSCE, RA NA TO WIDEN ASPECTS OF COOPERATION

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 7 2006

YEREVAN, March 7. /ARKA/. OSCE and Armenian National Assembly intend
to widen aspects of cooperation, Armenian Parliament’s press service
told ARKA News Agency on Monday quoting Nati0onal Assembly Speaker
Arthur Baghdasaryan and OSCE Minsk Group’s Russian Co-Chair Ambassador
Vladimir Pryakhin as saying during their meeting.

Noting that after constitutional reforms the Parliament obtained wider
powers, the Ambassador attached importance to further cooperation
saying ties between the organization and Armenian National Assembly
should become closer.

The sides decided to target their joint activity also on improving
lawmaking process and ensuring free and transparent parliamentary
elections expected in Armenia in 2007 as well as to launch
anticorruption campaign.

ARMENIA’S DEFENSE OFFICE REFUTES INFORMATION ON SHOOTING OF AZERBAIJANI POSITIONS FROM ARMENIA’S TERRITORY

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 7 2006

YEREVAN, March 7. /ARKA/. The RA Ministry of Defense has refuted the
information on the shooting of Azerbaijani positions from the Armenian
territory. “No shooting was from Armenia’s territory,” Colonel Seyran
Shahsuvaryan, Press Secretary to the RA Minister of Defense, told ARKA.

Referring to the RA Ministry of Defense, RIA Novosty reported that an
Azerbaijani soldier was killed as a result of shooting from Armenia’s
territory at 4:45 a.m.

PARTIES OF NK CONFLICT CLOSE TO AGREEMENT, MATTHEW BRYZA SAYS

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 7 2006

The parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are close to an agreement,
Matthew Bryza, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and
Eurasian Affairs, told reporters in Yerevan.

The most important steps remain, he added. The issues that have to be
settled are the most difficult ones, and the leaders of the states
must have clear positions, Bryza said. The leaders of the states
must determine the terms of settlement themselves, and “we will do
our best for the decision to be made as soon as possible.”

The US diplomat disagreed with the opinion that the negotiations for
the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement are in the deadlock.

He disagrees with those claiming that the Rambouillet negotiations
failed, and the OSCE Minsk Group has exhausted its potential.

The Presidents did not arrive at a decision in Rambouillet, but it
does not mean that the negotiations failed.