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BIG POWERS PRESS FOR PROGRESS ON KARABAKH CONFLICT
By Steve Gutterman
Reuters
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/06/24/idINIndia-57894620110624
June 24 2011
MOSCOW - Bitter neighbours Armenia and Azerbaijan are under pressure
from global powers for a breakthrough on Friday in their long and
bloody dispute over the mountainous territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia's Serzh Sarksyan hold talks
in Russia on Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenian-backed forces wrested
from Azeri control in the deadliest war to break out as the Soviet
Union splintered apart two decades ago.
A 1994 ceasefire halted the conflict with 30,000 dead and as many as
one million driven from their homes.
But gunfire and landmines frequently kill soldiers on both sides
of the frontline and the threat of war looms over an energy transit
corridor sandwiched between Russia and Iran.
After years struggling to shepherd the rivals toward a resolution,
the United States, Russia and France -- which lead mediation efforts --
are pushing for a serious step forward.
At a G8 summit on May 26, Presidents Barack Obama, Dmitry Medvedev
and Nicolas Sarkozy said they were "convinced that it is time for
the sides in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh to take a decisive
step towards a peaceful resolution."
They hope the meeting hosted by Medvedev in Kazan, 720 km (450 miles)
east of Moscow, will bring final agreement on a 14-point framework
document -- known as the Basic Principles -- that would set the stage
for talks on a peace settlement.
Obama, Medvedev and Sarkozy "believe the current version that's on
the table is a just and balanced document," said Ambassador Robert
Bradtke, who leads U.S. mediation efforts.
"Now the question is, do the parties have the political will to make
the decision, to accept the principles, and then move on to the next
stage, which is to transform those principles into the details of a
final peace settlement," he said.
Obama phoned Aliyev and Sarksyan on Thursday and "strongly encouraged
the two leaders to finalise and endorse the Basic Principles" in Kazan,
the White House said.
The 14-point framework document would set guidelines for the future
determination of the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh, which has
run its own affairs with Armenia's support since the war, as well as
the return of territories surrounding the enclave to Azeri control,
with a corridor linking it to Armenia.
Other principles are the right of return of refugees on both
sides, an interim status providing security and self-governance for
Nagorno-Karabakh as well as international security guarantees to keep
the fragile deal from falling apart.
But it was unclear whether Friday's meeting would produce agreement
on the Basic Principles.
Each side has accused the other of hampering progress over years of
diplomatic nudging, closed-door talks and public recriminations.
With its legacy of death and displacement, Nagorno-Karabakh is an
issue close to the hearts of Azeris angry over losing control of a
chunk of territory and Armenians bitter over isolation by Azerbaijan
and its ally Turkey.
So far, the international push for a resolution has been overmatched
by domestic pressure to avoid concessions.
A breakthrough would be a boon for Medvedev, Obama and Sarkozy,
all three of whom may run for re-election next year.
For Medvedev, who has huddled with Aliyev and Sarksyan eight times
since taking office in 2008, the absence of agreement would be a
"personal failure", said Tom de Waal, senior associate at the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace.
It would leave a shrinking window for agreement as elections approach
in Russia, France, the United States and Armenia, he said.
"It becomes more difficult in 2012 to make a deal."
Diplomats say that agreement on a blueprint could melt away if
subsequent talks on a peace treaty get stuck.
The dispute scuttled a historic rapprochement between Armenia
and Turkey last year and Azerbaijan has said it could reclaim
Nagorno-Karabakh by force if the status quo persists.
"If there is no agreement, then certainly we are entering a slow
slide towards war," said de Waal.
(Additional reporting by Margarita Antidze in Tbilisi; Editing by
Angus MacSwan)
From: A. Papazian
By Steve Gutterman
Reuters
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/06/24/idINIndia-57894620110624
June 24 2011
MOSCOW - Bitter neighbours Armenia and Azerbaijan are under pressure
from global powers for a breakthrough on Friday in their long and
bloody dispute over the mountainous territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia's Serzh Sarksyan hold talks
in Russia on Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenian-backed forces wrested
from Azeri control in the deadliest war to break out as the Soviet
Union splintered apart two decades ago.
A 1994 ceasefire halted the conflict with 30,000 dead and as many as
one million driven from their homes.
But gunfire and landmines frequently kill soldiers on both sides
of the frontline and the threat of war looms over an energy transit
corridor sandwiched between Russia and Iran.
After years struggling to shepherd the rivals toward a resolution,
the United States, Russia and France -- which lead mediation efforts --
are pushing for a serious step forward.
At a G8 summit on May 26, Presidents Barack Obama, Dmitry Medvedev
and Nicolas Sarkozy said they were "convinced that it is time for
the sides in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh to take a decisive
step towards a peaceful resolution."
They hope the meeting hosted by Medvedev in Kazan, 720 km (450 miles)
east of Moscow, will bring final agreement on a 14-point framework
document -- known as the Basic Principles -- that would set the stage
for talks on a peace settlement.
Obama, Medvedev and Sarkozy "believe the current version that's on
the table is a just and balanced document," said Ambassador Robert
Bradtke, who leads U.S. mediation efforts.
"Now the question is, do the parties have the political will to make
the decision, to accept the principles, and then move on to the next
stage, which is to transform those principles into the details of a
final peace settlement," he said.
Obama phoned Aliyev and Sarksyan on Thursday and "strongly encouraged
the two leaders to finalise and endorse the Basic Principles" in Kazan,
the White House said.
The 14-point framework document would set guidelines for the future
determination of the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh, which has
run its own affairs with Armenia's support since the war, as well as
the return of territories surrounding the enclave to Azeri control,
with a corridor linking it to Armenia.
Other principles are the right of return of refugees on both
sides, an interim status providing security and self-governance for
Nagorno-Karabakh as well as international security guarantees to keep
the fragile deal from falling apart.
But it was unclear whether Friday's meeting would produce agreement
on the Basic Principles.
Each side has accused the other of hampering progress over years of
diplomatic nudging, closed-door talks and public recriminations.
With its legacy of death and displacement, Nagorno-Karabakh is an
issue close to the hearts of Azeris angry over losing control of a
chunk of territory and Armenians bitter over isolation by Azerbaijan
and its ally Turkey.
So far, the international push for a resolution has been overmatched
by domestic pressure to avoid concessions.
A breakthrough would be a boon for Medvedev, Obama and Sarkozy,
all three of whom may run for re-election next year.
For Medvedev, who has huddled with Aliyev and Sarksyan eight times
since taking office in 2008, the absence of agreement would be a
"personal failure", said Tom de Waal, senior associate at the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace.
It would leave a shrinking window for agreement as elections approach
in Russia, France, the United States and Armenia, he said.
"It becomes more difficult in 2012 to make a deal."
Diplomats say that agreement on a blueprint could melt away if
subsequent talks on a peace treaty get stuck.
The dispute scuttled a historic rapprochement between Armenia
and Turkey last year and Azerbaijan has said it could reclaim
Nagorno-Karabakh by force if the status quo persists.
"If there is no agreement, then certainly we are entering a slow
slide towards war," said de Waal.
(Additional reporting by Margarita Antidze in Tbilisi; Editing by
Angus MacSwan)
From: A. Papazian