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OSCE SECRETARY GENERAL SEES NO PROGRESS IN KARABAKH PEACE PROCESS
arminfo
Wednesday, November 2, 12:19
The newly elected secretary-general of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Lamberto Zannier said in an interview
with Today's Zaman on Tuesday that Turkey could play an important role
in the decades-long conflict in the disputed area of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Lamberto Zannier said: "Turkey is an important player in the region.
It has a political contribution to offer." "I am stating a fact --
it [progress] is not happening. Something is missing," said Zannier.
According to Zannier, Turkey's involvement need not be an official
one. "I am not talking about a formal role in the negotiations,
but in real terms. Turkey is bordering both countries involved in
the conflict," he said.
Zannier, emphasizing the importance of dialogue in solving any
conflict, ventured, "My very personal view is that Turkey needs to
create conditions to promote dialogue on both sides."
But how Turkey goes about this specifically is "Turkey's call,"
Zannier added. "I am not saying we have a monopoly, but why shouldn't
it be the OSCE? It is a regional organization that deals with security
issues. There is a debate that we should move the issues somewhere
else but I am not convinced that moving it elsewhere would solve the
problem. There is nothing wrong with the organization dealing with
the problem. The problem is the substance of the issue," he said in
response to criticisms of the OSCE's handling of the conflict.
While the OSCE is doing the best it can, Zannier said it is up to the
parties involved in the conflict to step up to the plate. Zannier
stressed there must be political will on behalf of the parties to
end the historic conflict. "What I said this morning was there is a
lot of focus on the mechanism, but there is also an issue of whether
the parties are ready to make a deal," he said.
While Zannier said that the mechanism could perhaps be improved,
he also emphasized that in the end the power lies with the member
countries. "You can lead a horse to water but you cannot force the
horse to drink. It is a bit the same. We are trying to create the
necessary conditions in the meantime. We are trying to manage the
situation on the ground, but the situation becomes problematic in
security terms," he said.
The next step, according to the OSCE secretary general, is ensuring
the problem does not escalate further. "[In general,] if we cannot
line up all of the conditions and solve the conflict, then the next
best thing we can do is manage the problem so it does not grow worse.
So that is our next step. It is up to everyone to keep making efforts
from different angles," he stressed.
arminfo
Wednesday, November 2, 12:19
The newly elected secretary-general of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Lamberto Zannier said in an interview
with Today's Zaman on Tuesday that Turkey could play an important role
in the decades-long conflict in the disputed area of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Lamberto Zannier said: "Turkey is an important player in the region.
It has a political contribution to offer." "I am stating a fact --
it [progress] is not happening. Something is missing," said Zannier.
According to Zannier, Turkey's involvement need not be an official
one. "I am not talking about a formal role in the negotiations,
but in real terms. Turkey is bordering both countries involved in
the conflict," he said.
Zannier, emphasizing the importance of dialogue in solving any
conflict, ventured, "My very personal view is that Turkey needs to
create conditions to promote dialogue on both sides."
But how Turkey goes about this specifically is "Turkey's call,"
Zannier added. "I am not saying we have a monopoly, but why shouldn't
it be the OSCE? It is a regional organization that deals with security
issues. There is a debate that we should move the issues somewhere
else but I am not convinced that moving it elsewhere would solve the
problem. There is nothing wrong with the organization dealing with
the problem. The problem is the substance of the issue," he said in
response to criticisms of the OSCE's handling of the conflict.
While the OSCE is doing the best it can, Zannier said it is up to the
parties involved in the conflict to step up to the plate. Zannier
stressed there must be political will on behalf of the parties to
end the historic conflict. "What I said this morning was there is a
lot of focus on the mechanism, but there is also an issue of whether
the parties are ready to make a deal," he said.
While Zannier said that the mechanism could perhaps be improved,
he also emphasized that in the end the power lies with the member
countries. "You can lead a horse to water but you cannot force the
horse to drink. It is a bit the same. We are trying to create the
necessary conditions in the meantime. We are trying to manage the
situation on the ground, but the situation becomes problematic in
security terms," he said.
The next step, according to the OSCE secretary general, is ensuring
the problem does not escalate further. "[In general,] if we cannot
line up all of the conditions and solve the conflict, then the next
best thing we can do is manage the problem so it does not grow worse.
So that is our next step. It is up to everyone to keep making efforts
from different angles," he stressed.