Tweet
CO-CHAIRS PROPOSE NEW KARABAKH ACTION PLAN
asbarez
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmen
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)-International mediators said on Tuesday that they
have presented the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with a
plan of actions aimed at clearing the remaining hurdles to a framework
peace accord.
The U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-chairing the OSCE Minsk
Group said the unpublicized plan aims to "put into action" a joint
statement that was issued by Armenia's and Azerbaijan's president at
their January 23 meeting in Sochi, Russia.
In that statement, Presidents Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham Aliyev pledged
to "accelerate the achievement of an agreement on the Basic Principles"
of a Karabakh settlement put forward by the Minsk Group co-chairs.
"Building on the two Presidents' joint commitment to accelerate
reaching agreement on the Basic Principles, the Co-Chairs proposed
steps to assist the sides in furthering work on the framework
for a comprehensive peace settlement," the mediators said in a
joint statement issued in Baku at the end of their latest round of
regional shuttle diplomacy. It was not clear if they have made fresh
modifications in the text of the proposed peace deal.
The mediators began the regional tour on Friday with talks with
Sarkisian in Yerevan and proceeded to Karabakh at the weekend. They
met with Aliyev late on Monday and Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov the next day.
Russian and Azerbaijani news agencies quoted Mammadyarov as saying
after the meeting that the mediating troika will again visit the
conflict zone next month. He also said that this year's elections in
Armenia, France and the United States will hamper the search for peace.
"Unfortunately, we are unable to agree on some principles with
Armenia. We will continue to work in that direction and could achieve
progress after the elections," Mammadyarov told journalists, according
to Regnum.
In their statement, U.S. envoy Robert Bradtke, Russia's Igor Popov and
France's Jacques Faure said they also discussed with the conflicting
parties a draft "mechanism" for jointly investigating ceasefire
violations along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the more volatile
"line of contact" around Karabakh.
"In addition, the Co-Chairs discussed humanitarian and people-to-people
contacts, which should be used to promote mutual understanding among
peoples of the region, and not be politicized or manipulated to the
detriment of the peace process," added the statement.
asbarez
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmen
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)-International mediators said on Tuesday that they
have presented the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with a
plan of actions aimed at clearing the remaining hurdles to a framework
peace accord.
The U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-chairing the OSCE Minsk
Group said the unpublicized plan aims to "put into action" a joint
statement that was issued by Armenia's and Azerbaijan's president at
their January 23 meeting in Sochi, Russia.
In that statement, Presidents Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham Aliyev pledged
to "accelerate the achievement of an agreement on the Basic Principles"
of a Karabakh settlement put forward by the Minsk Group co-chairs.
"Building on the two Presidents' joint commitment to accelerate
reaching agreement on the Basic Principles, the Co-Chairs proposed
steps to assist the sides in furthering work on the framework
for a comprehensive peace settlement," the mediators said in a
joint statement issued in Baku at the end of their latest round of
regional shuttle diplomacy. It was not clear if they have made fresh
modifications in the text of the proposed peace deal.
The mediators began the regional tour on Friday with talks with
Sarkisian in Yerevan and proceeded to Karabakh at the weekend. They
met with Aliyev late on Monday and Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov the next day.
Russian and Azerbaijani news agencies quoted Mammadyarov as saying
after the meeting that the mediating troika will again visit the
conflict zone next month. He also said that this year's elections in
Armenia, France and the United States will hamper the search for peace.
"Unfortunately, we are unable to agree on some principles with
Armenia. We will continue to work in that direction and could achieve
progress after the elections," Mammadyarov told journalists, according
to Regnum.
In their statement, U.S. envoy Robert Bradtke, Russia's Igor Popov and
France's Jacques Faure said they also discussed with the conflicting
parties a draft "mechanism" for jointly investigating ceasefire
violations along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the more volatile
"line of contact" around Karabakh.
"In addition, the Co-Chairs discussed humanitarian and people-to-people
contacts, which should be used to promote mutual understanding among
peoples of the region, and not be politicized or manipulated to the
detriment of the peace process," added the statement.