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  • Aliyev searches for a new peacekeeping format

    Agency WPS
    DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
    September 29, 2006 Friday

    ALIYEV SEARCHES FOR A NEW PEACEKEEPING FORMAT

    by Sohbet Mamedov

    BAKU OFFERS EUROPE ENERGY IN RETURN FOR KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION;
    The authorities of Azerbaijan insist on an expansion in the format of
    the peacekeeping operation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

    President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev retains the hopes to enlarge the
    format of the Karabakh conflict resolution and to have other
    international structures pooling their efforts with those of the OSCE
    Minsk Group. Aliyev was one of the authors and promoters of the idea
    to include on the agenda of the session of the 61st UN General
    Assembly of the issue "Latent conflicts in GUAM countries, their
    consequences for international peace, security, and development".
    Aliyev also brought up the issue of Karabakh at the international
    forum Bertelsmann'2006 in Berlin.

    Aliyev made his point. He said that Europe should become deeper
    involved in the Karabakh conflict resolution and therefore help
    establish peace in the region if it wanted energy security for itself
    and regular deliveries of energy resources from Azerbaijan.

    Local analysts say that Aliyev's initiatives in Europe indicate
    Baku's disappointment with the course of the peace process and world
    powers' performance (Washington and Moscow) as mediators in
    resolution of the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict over
    Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku political scientist Alpai Ahmed says that
    Russia and the United States support territorial integrity of
    Azerbaijan only in words but never take any practical steps in this
    sphere. According to Ahmed, Moscow is even supplying weapons and
    military hardware to Armenia (occupier of almost 20% of the territory
    of Azerbaijan) while the US Administration prompted by the strong
    Armenian lobby in the US Congress finances Yerevan.

    Azerbaijani political scientists say that Azerbaijan does not really
    have a choice in the situation being what it is. It needs a new
    format in the conflict resolution or it will have to launch a
    military operation to finally liberate its own territory. Calls for
    the latter option become louder and louder in Baku. The powerful
    non-governmental Karabakh Liberation Organization drafted the
    National Platform of Karabakh Conflict Resolution the other day.
    Organization leader Akif Nagi told journalists that the document
    viewed a military solution as "the only acceptable means of conflict
    resolution within the framework of Azerbaijani national interests."

    Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, September 26, 2006, p. 6

    Translated by A. Ignatkin
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