OSCE sees
The Madrid principles for resolving the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, being
discussed by the sides, should be sufficiently acceptable for both
Baku and Yerevan, OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut
told a news conference in Baku on Friday.
The leaders of the countries co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group mediating the peace process adopted a joint statement on the Madrid principles at a recent G8 summit in Italy. US President Barack Obama, France`s Nicolas Sarkozy and Russia`s Dmitry Medvedev called on Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders to resolve their differences and move towards a final accord on the long-standing conflict. The three presidents indicated that they were instructing their mediators to present to Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian "an updated version of a proposed peace outline brought forward in the Madrid Document of November 2007."
Brichambaut said it was possible to foster rapprochement in the positions of the sides based on the Madrid principles.
"Naturally, these principles cannot satisfy both sides to the same extent. But talks can be carried on regarding these principles...The parties should take advantage of these opportunities. There is potential to reach peace."
Brichambaut said the leaders of the Minsk Group co-chairing states are not trying to put pressure on the conflicting sides by elaborating on the mentioned set of basic principles for the conflict settlement presented in the Spanish capital, and their only goal is to persuade the societies of Azerbaijan and Armenia that a peaceful solution of the dispute is possible.
The OSCE secretary general said the peace process has been intensifying of late, emphasizing that President Aliyev is interested in continuing negotiations. "He hopes that outstanding challenges will be overcome, while taking into account Azerbaijan`s interests, and there will be progress in the peace process."
According to the US State Department, among the principles called for in the Madrid Document were "the return of the territories surrounding Upper Garabagh to Azerbaijani control and an interim status for Upper Garabagh providing guarantees for security and self-government." It also embraced "a corridor linking Armenia to Upper Garabagh" as well as a future determination of the final legal status of Upper Garabagh "through a legally binding expression of will" and the right of "internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their former places of residence."
Meanwhile, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian claimed that the Madrid principles were merely proposals.
"These are just proposals, and some of them are currently under discussion, while others are not," he said after meeting Bako Saakian, the leader of the self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh republic, in Khankandi on Thursday.
Armenian media quoted him as saying, while commenting on the provision in the Madrid document stipulating the return of Azerbaijanis ousted from their homes during military action in the early 1990s, that the issue of the displaced persons` return to Garabagh was not currently being discussed.
"We can go back to discussing this issue only after a complete solution of the problem is achieved," he said.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said earlier, while commenting on the issue of Upper Garabagh`s status, that it could be tabled only after Azerbaijani IDPs return home.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia`s territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan`s internationally-recognized territory since the early 1990s in defiance of international law.
The leaders of the countries co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group mediating the peace process adopted a joint statement on the Madrid principles at a recent G8 summit in Italy. US President Barack Obama, France`s Nicolas Sarkozy and Russia`s Dmitry Medvedev called on Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders to resolve their differences and move towards a final accord on the long-standing conflict. The three presidents indicated that they were instructing their mediators to present to Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian "an updated version of a proposed peace outline brought forward in the Madrid Document of November 2007."
Brichambaut said it was possible to foster rapprochement in the positions of the sides based on the Madrid principles.
"Naturally, these principles cannot satisfy both sides to the same extent. But talks can be carried on regarding these principles...The parties should take advantage of these opportunities. There is potential to reach peace."
Brichambaut said the leaders of the Minsk Group co-chairing states are not trying to put pressure on the conflicting sides by elaborating on the mentioned set of basic principles for the conflict settlement presented in the Spanish capital, and their only goal is to persuade the societies of Azerbaijan and Armenia that a peaceful solution of the dispute is possible.
The OSCE secretary general said the peace process has been intensifying of late, emphasizing that President Aliyev is interested in continuing negotiations. "He hopes that outstanding challenges will be overcome, while taking into account Azerbaijan`s interests, and there will be progress in the peace process."
According to the US State Department, among the principles called for in the Madrid Document were "the return of the territories surrounding Upper Garabagh to Azerbaijani control and an interim status for Upper Garabagh providing guarantees for security and self-government." It also embraced "a corridor linking Armenia to Upper Garabagh" as well as a future determination of the final legal status of Upper Garabagh "through a legally binding expression of will" and the right of "internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their former places of residence."
Meanwhile, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian claimed that the Madrid principles were merely proposals.
"These are just proposals, and some of them are currently under discussion, while others are not," he said after meeting Bako Saakian, the leader of the self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh republic, in Khankandi on Thursday.
Armenian media quoted him as saying, while commenting on the provision in the Madrid document stipulating the return of Azerbaijanis ousted from their homes during military action in the early 1990s, that the issue of the displaced persons` return to Garabagh was not currently being discussed.
"We can go back to discussing this issue only after a complete solution of the problem is achieved," he said.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said earlier, while commenting on the issue of Upper Garabagh`s status, that it could be tabled only after Azerbaijani IDPs return home.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia`s territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan`s internationally-recognized territory since the early 1990s in defiance of international law.
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