Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Kocharian-Aliyev Next Meeting to Proceed According to Strict American Scenario

PanARMENIAN.Net - The new meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will most likely proceed according to strict American scenario, Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper reports. It says "after the recurrent failure of talks at the top level in Bucharest Americans decided to take control over the settlement process." The U.S. State Department has replaced its Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group on the Karabakh settlement. The post of the OSCE Minsk Group U.S. Co-chair was assumed by Matthew J. Bryza, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.



Unlike his predecessors and counterpart from Russia and France Mr Bryza shows a more open attitude towards journalists. The other day in an interview with the RFE/RL the U.S. mediator for the first time slightly uncovered the contents and fundamental principles of the conflict settlement Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian are supposed to sign. "At the moment an organized document is lying on the bargaining table but the parties refuse to accept it yet," Matthew Bryza said. In his words, the framework agreement provides for the following: withdrawal of the Armenian troops from the regions under Armenia's control, establishment diplomatic and economic relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, deployment of peacekeeping forces in the conflict zone, international economic assistance to Nagorno Karabakh, conduction of a referendum on the status of Nagorno Karabakh. Bryza called on the Presidents to adopt this framework agreement. At that he said "strong political will is essential for it."



"The new U.S. Co-chair will try to prompt the Presidents during the visit to the region to he held in the near future. However, judging from the reaction of Baku and Yerevan it won't be easy for Bryza to succeed. Last weekend when addressing the graduates of the military college after Heydar Aliyev the Azerbaijani President openly said, "We will restore our territorial integrity either peacefully or by force," Nezavisimaya Gazeta says.