PACE COMMITTEE ON KARABAKH NOT TO REPLACE OSCE MG

PanARMENIAN.Net - The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are not going to meet with Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azeri leader Ilham Aliyev during the events dedicated to the victory over Fascism to be held in Moscow May 9, OSCE MG Russian Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov stated, Azeri APA news agency reported. He rated the negotiations held with Azeri FM Elmar Mamedyarov in Frankfurt April 27 as useful and progressive. "We have done a good work", Yuri Merzlyakov said adding that presently the Co-Chairs are preparing for the meeting with Armenian FM Vardan Oskanian. In his words, the place and terms of the meeting are being considered at the moment. "The meeting may take place in Moscow, Warsaw or any European city 1 or 2 days before the CE summit. Yuri Merzlyakov does not rule out that after the meeting with Vardan Oskanian a recurrent meeting of the Armenian and Azeri Presidents will be held within the frames of the CE summit in Warsaw May 16-17. "After the meeting of the Presidents the negotiation process will continue in the initiate format, when the talks will be held by the FMs of the two states", the OSCE MG Co-Chair said. When commenting on the formation of the PACE Committee on Nagorno Karabakh Yuri Merzlyakov disagreed with the opinion that the Committee can become an alternative to the Minsk Group. "The proposal on the formation of such a committee was submitted as a recommendation in David Atkinson's report. Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis stated that the Committee cannot replace the OSCE Minsk Group and its activities will be based on human rights protection", he said. He also informed that the Co-Chairs are not going to visit the region in the near future.