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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.
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.