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U.S. PLAN FOR NAGORNO-KARABAKH RESOLUTION TO UNLOCK ERA OF PROSPERITY
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
May 8 2014
8 May 2014, 12:47 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick spoke about the
keys to a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Warlick's speech "Nagorno-Karabakh: The Keys to a Settlement" took
place on May 7, at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,
the U.S. Department of State said.
"Our goal should be to find a pragmatic way forward to bring about
a lasting settlement," Warlick said.
He noted that his statement reflects official U.S. Government policy
that guides the U.S. engagement as the country helps the parties
find peace.
"And peace is within reach. The sides have come to a point where
their positions on the way forward are not that far apart. They
have almost reached agreement on several occasions - most recently
in 2011. And when they inevitably returned to the negotiating table
after each failed round, the building blocks of the next "big idea"
were similar to the last time," Warlick said.
"There is a body of principles, understandings, and documents
already on the table that lay out a deal, and no one has suggested
we abandon them," he said, noting that the challenge is to find a
way to help the sides take last, bold step forward to bridge their
remaining differences and deliver the peace and stability that their
populations deserve.
Warlick said for two decades, however, peace has been elusive. "All
parties distrust each other and a generation of young people has
grown up in Armenia and Azerbaijan with no first-hand experience of
each other. As many have noted, older generations remember a time
when Armenians and Azerbaijanis lived side-by-side and differences
did not need to be resolved through the barrel of a gun."
He noted that resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will unlock
a new era of prosperity across the region.
Warlick said the benefits of peace far outweigh the costs of
continued stalemate, and avoid the catastrophic consequences of
renewed hostilities.
"Armenia would immediately benefit from open borders, greater
security, and new opportunities to trade, travel, and engage with
all its neighbors. Azerbaijan would eliminate a key impediment to its
growth as a player on the world stage, regional trade hub, and strong
security partner, while giving hundreds of thousands of refugees and
internally displaced persons a prospect for reconciliation and return,"
Warlick said.
He noted that a peace agreement, properly designed and implemented,
would also eliminate the tragic, steady stream of casualties - both
military and civilian - along the border and the line of contact.
"Numbers are hard to pin down, but there have already been at least
a dozen killed and even more injured on the front lines this year so
far. This is unacceptable," Warlick said.
"Next week will mark 20 years since a ceasefire agreement was signed.
While we can take some pride in having avoided a return to outright
war, we must also agree that the current state of affairs is
unacceptable, and unsustainable," Warlick noted.
He said the sides live under threat from sniper fire and landmines,
they are concerned for the lives of their civilian populations and
their access to farmland, cemeteries, and buildings that happen to
fall "too close" to the line of contact or the international border
between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Warlick further noted that the OSCE monitors have been working for two
decades to keep an eye on this fragile peace, but have neither the
mandate nor the resources to put a stop to the frequent casualties,
or even to identify responsibility.
He informed that he will visit the Nagorno-Karabakh region next week
together with the other co-chairs.
Warlick pointed out that both presidents want to make progress and
agree that the series of documents negotiated over the past several
years contains the outlines of a deal.
"The co-chairs hosted the presidents in Vienna last November. This was
their first meeting since January 2012 - and the first time since 2009
for them to meet one-on-one. We were encouraged by their conversation,
and by their stated commitment to find a way forward. Since that
time, we have met on ten separate occasions with one or both foreign
ministers to keep the discussion alive," Warlick said.
He noted that only the presidents have the ability to conclude a deal
with such transformative consequences for their countries. "It is the
presidents who must take the bold steps needed to make peace. The
United States has pressed both leaders to meet again soon and take
advantage of this window of opportunity when peace is possible."
Warlick said the time had come for a renewed effort to bring peace
to the region.
He highlighted the joint statements by Presidents Barack Obama, Dmitriy
Medvedev, and Nicola Sarkozy in L'Aquila in 2009 and Muskoka in 2010,
saying these principles and elements form the basis of U.S.
policy toward the Minsk Group and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"At the heart of a deal are the UN Charter and relevant documents
and the core principles of the Helsinki Final Act. In particular,
we focus on those principles and commitments that pertain to the
non-use or threat of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights
and self-determination of peoples," Warlick noted.
He said there are six elements that will have to be part of any peace
agreement if it is to endure. "While the sequencing and details of
these elements remains the subject of negotiations, they must be
seen as an integrated whole. Any attempt to select some elements over
others will make it impossible to achieve a balanced solution."
Warlick further went over these elements:
"First, in light of Nagorno-Karabakh's complex history, the sides
should commit to determining its final legal status through a mutually
agreed and legally binding expression of will in the future. This is
not optional. Interim status will be temporary.
Second, the area within the boundaries of the former Nagorno-Karabakh
Autonomous Region that is not controlled by Baku should be granted an
interim status that, at a minimum, provides guarantees for security
and self-governance.
Third, the occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh should be
returned to Azerbaijani control. There can be no settlement without
respect for Azerbaijan's sovereignty, and the recognition that its
sovereignty over these territories must be restored.
Fourth, there should be a corridor linking Armenia to
Nagorno-Karabakh. It must be wide enough to provide secure passage,
but it cannot encompass the whole of Lachin district.
Fifth, an enduring settlement will have to recognize the right of
all IDPs and refugees to return to their former places of residence.
Sixth and finally, a settlement must include international security
guarantees that would include a peacekeeping operation. There is
no scenario in which peace can be assured without a well-designed
peacekeeping operation that enjoys the confidence of all sides."
Warlick said the time has come for the sides to commit themselves to
peace negotiations, building on the foundation of work done so far.
He noted when such negotiations commence, the parties should not
only reconfirm their commitment to the ceasefire but also undertake
much-needed and long-sought security confidence-building measures.
Warlick said the Minsk Group co-chairs share a common interest in
helping the sides reach a peaceful resolution. "We intend to continue
working through the Minsk Group as the primary channel for resolving
this conflict. The United States stands ready to help in any way
we can. I would also call on the diaspora communities in the United
States and around the world to speak out for peace and to help bring
an end to this conflict."
He said it is up to the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan to take
the first step, noting they should consider measures, even unilateral
ones that will demonstrate their stated commitment to making progress,
reducing tensions, and improving the atmosphere for negotiations.
Warlick underlined that a lasting peace must be built not on a piece
of paper, but on the trust, confidence, and participation of the
people of both countries.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/66842.html
From: A. Papazian
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
May 8 2014
8 May 2014, 12:47 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick spoke about the
keys to a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Warlick's speech "Nagorno-Karabakh: The Keys to a Settlement" took
place on May 7, at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,
the U.S. Department of State said.
"Our goal should be to find a pragmatic way forward to bring about
a lasting settlement," Warlick said.
He noted that his statement reflects official U.S. Government policy
that guides the U.S. engagement as the country helps the parties
find peace.
"And peace is within reach. The sides have come to a point where
their positions on the way forward are not that far apart. They
have almost reached agreement on several occasions - most recently
in 2011. And when they inevitably returned to the negotiating table
after each failed round, the building blocks of the next "big idea"
were similar to the last time," Warlick said.
"There is a body of principles, understandings, and documents
already on the table that lay out a deal, and no one has suggested
we abandon them," he said, noting that the challenge is to find a
way to help the sides take last, bold step forward to bridge their
remaining differences and deliver the peace and stability that their
populations deserve.
Warlick said for two decades, however, peace has been elusive. "All
parties distrust each other and a generation of young people has
grown up in Armenia and Azerbaijan with no first-hand experience of
each other. As many have noted, older generations remember a time
when Armenians and Azerbaijanis lived side-by-side and differences
did not need to be resolved through the barrel of a gun."
He noted that resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will unlock
a new era of prosperity across the region.
Warlick said the benefits of peace far outweigh the costs of
continued stalemate, and avoid the catastrophic consequences of
renewed hostilities.
"Armenia would immediately benefit from open borders, greater
security, and new opportunities to trade, travel, and engage with
all its neighbors. Azerbaijan would eliminate a key impediment to its
growth as a player on the world stage, regional trade hub, and strong
security partner, while giving hundreds of thousands of refugees and
internally displaced persons a prospect for reconciliation and return,"
Warlick said.
He noted that a peace agreement, properly designed and implemented,
would also eliminate the tragic, steady stream of casualties - both
military and civilian - along the border and the line of contact.
"Numbers are hard to pin down, but there have already been at least
a dozen killed and even more injured on the front lines this year so
far. This is unacceptable," Warlick said.
"Next week will mark 20 years since a ceasefire agreement was signed.
While we can take some pride in having avoided a return to outright
war, we must also agree that the current state of affairs is
unacceptable, and unsustainable," Warlick noted.
He said the sides live under threat from sniper fire and landmines,
they are concerned for the lives of their civilian populations and
their access to farmland, cemeteries, and buildings that happen to
fall "too close" to the line of contact or the international border
between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Warlick further noted that the OSCE monitors have been working for two
decades to keep an eye on this fragile peace, but have neither the
mandate nor the resources to put a stop to the frequent casualties,
or even to identify responsibility.
He informed that he will visit the Nagorno-Karabakh region next week
together with the other co-chairs.
Warlick pointed out that both presidents want to make progress and
agree that the series of documents negotiated over the past several
years contains the outlines of a deal.
"The co-chairs hosted the presidents in Vienna last November. This was
their first meeting since January 2012 - and the first time since 2009
for them to meet one-on-one. We were encouraged by their conversation,
and by their stated commitment to find a way forward. Since that
time, we have met on ten separate occasions with one or both foreign
ministers to keep the discussion alive," Warlick said.
He noted that only the presidents have the ability to conclude a deal
with such transformative consequences for their countries. "It is the
presidents who must take the bold steps needed to make peace. The
United States has pressed both leaders to meet again soon and take
advantage of this window of opportunity when peace is possible."
Warlick said the time had come for a renewed effort to bring peace
to the region.
He highlighted the joint statements by Presidents Barack Obama, Dmitriy
Medvedev, and Nicola Sarkozy in L'Aquila in 2009 and Muskoka in 2010,
saying these principles and elements form the basis of U.S.
policy toward the Minsk Group and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"At the heart of a deal are the UN Charter and relevant documents
and the core principles of the Helsinki Final Act. In particular,
we focus on those principles and commitments that pertain to the
non-use or threat of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights
and self-determination of peoples," Warlick noted.
He said there are six elements that will have to be part of any peace
agreement if it is to endure. "While the sequencing and details of
these elements remains the subject of negotiations, they must be
seen as an integrated whole. Any attempt to select some elements over
others will make it impossible to achieve a balanced solution."
Warlick further went over these elements:
"First, in light of Nagorno-Karabakh's complex history, the sides
should commit to determining its final legal status through a mutually
agreed and legally binding expression of will in the future. This is
not optional. Interim status will be temporary.
Second, the area within the boundaries of the former Nagorno-Karabakh
Autonomous Region that is not controlled by Baku should be granted an
interim status that, at a minimum, provides guarantees for security
and self-governance.
Third, the occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh should be
returned to Azerbaijani control. There can be no settlement without
respect for Azerbaijan's sovereignty, and the recognition that its
sovereignty over these territories must be restored.
Fourth, there should be a corridor linking Armenia to
Nagorno-Karabakh. It must be wide enough to provide secure passage,
but it cannot encompass the whole of Lachin district.
Fifth, an enduring settlement will have to recognize the right of
all IDPs and refugees to return to their former places of residence.
Sixth and finally, a settlement must include international security
guarantees that would include a peacekeeping operation. There is
no scenario in which peace can be assured without a well-designed
peacekeeping operation that enjoys the confidence of all sides."
Warlick said the time has come for the sides to commit themselves to
peace negotiations, building on the foundation of work done so far.
He noted when such negotiations commence, the parties should not
only reconfirm their commitment to the ceasefire but also undertake
much-needed and long-sought security confidence-building measures.
Warlick said the Minsk Group co-chairs share a common interest in
helping the sides reach a peaceful resolution. "We intend to continue
working through the Minsk Group as the primary channel for resolving
this conflict. The United States stands ready to help in any way
we can. I would also call on the diaspora communities in the United
States and around the world to speak out for peace and to help bring
an end to this conflict."
He said it is up to the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan to take
the first step, noting they should consider measures, even unilateral
ones that will demonstrate their stated commitment to making progress,
reducing tensions, and improving the atmosphere for negotiations.
Warlick underlined that a lasting peace must be built not on a piece
of paper, but on the trust, confidence, and participation of the
people of both countries.
http://www.azernews.az/azerbaijan/66842.html
From: A. Papazian