July 31, 2006 - 16:04 AMT
Bryza: Elections Not Obstacle to Karabakh Talks
OSCE Minsk Group U.S. Co-chair Matthew Bryza said he still hopes that Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian will iron out their differences on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in the coming months on the most recent peace proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group. "However I think it's possible to work through an election season and still make progress," Bryza said in an exclusive interview with RFE/RL.

He said he was assured by Kocharian that the Minsk Group plan is essentially acceptable to Yerevan. "I enjoyed hearing his account of where things stand and how we got here," he said. "I felt a constructive, candid attitude on his part. He was very open. And he helped me think through what sort of recommendations I might bring to my fellow co-chairs," Mr Bryza remarked.