Vladimir Kazimirov: You Cannot Be Half-pregnant
VLADIMIR KAZIMIROV: YOU CANNOT BE HALF-PREGNANT; EITHER ALL DOCUMENTS SHOULD BE MADE PUBLIC OR ALL BE KEPT SECRET
AZG Armenian Daily #122, 01/07/2006
Co-Chairs Tired of Waiting
"It’s hard for me to make judgments on this as I am not in the negotiations and know many things not from the first hand but other sources. That’s why my speculation can have only a relative value," Vladimir Kazimirov, former Russian co-chair to the OSCE Minsk Group told daily Azg commenting on the Minsk Group co-chairs’ Vienna statement on June 22 in. "From all I know, I agree with the co-chairs on the measures they suggest but not the sequence of their implementation. If you have noticed the part about two-sided and international guarantees comes after the presidents’ proposals. I think everything that has to do with nonviolence and guarantees against using force should be placed not in the first phase but in the zero phase. I don’t think it’s good to put the part about guarantees at the end of the statement. It should be strongly emphasized that no matter how many phases there are, they should follow an internationally validated obligation to refrain from using force for settling disputable issues of this conflict. This has to be on the first place as a zero phase."
As to the stage-by-stage content of the co-chairs’ statement and the vague wording about Nagorno Karabakh status, Vladimir Kazimirov said: "Yes indeed, the issue of referendum is put in a vague sentence. Nothing is said about concrete date. The statement says that the issue of status will be an object of separate negotiations but neither dates nor conditions are mentioned. The Azeri side was quick to respond saying that no referendum is possible as the country’s constitution allows plebiscites only on all-Azerbaijani level. But there is a question: is that not clear why Azerbaijani constitution has such a clause? It was added as an amendment well taking into account the Karabakh conflict in order not to allow Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh voice their opinion. It is over doubt. But where in the international practice we can see an example when the whole nation votes? For instance in Quebec only local residents voted but not Canada as a whole.
"Statements that Azerbaijani constitution does not foresee such referendums are not convincing. Today’s Azerbaijani constitution was written having in mind the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. In the meantime, no matter how the dispute is resolved definitely Azerbaijani constitution will be needed to undergo changes even if Karabakh gets the widest autonomy within Azerbaijan as Azeris dream.
"There were exaggerated expectations that the conflict will get resolved in 2006. But that was an illusion. Half of the year has passed and no progress was achieved. Even if we consider the sides’ statements that Armenia and Azerbaijan have never before been so close to a solution, there are still discords between them.
"In such conditions one can understand the annoyance of the co-chairs. I am familiar with such situation. The co-chairs are disappointed that the two presidents find no ways to meet each other half way."
Asked whether it is right and timely to make public parts of a document that is still being discussed and elaborated, Kazimirov said: "As the saying goes, one cannot be half-pregnant. Either the whole content of the documents should be revealed or they should be kept under wraps. The current situation is incomplete. Firstly, Matthew Bryza’s interview then the MG co-chairs’ statement. Both are only part of the document presented by the Armenian and Azerbaijan presidents. Should they go on with publicizing or stop? It’s up to the o-chairs and the sides to decide. But Serge Sargsian, for one, spoke lately for making the documents public.
I was not delighted when back in 1997-98 Heydar Aliyev revealed all three documents of that time and Yerevan did the same in 2-3 days. At any rate, the societies got some understanding on how the talks are going. But do not forget that in 1997-98 all proposals – package, stage-by-stage or the state’s – used to be presented to the three sides of the conflict. But today co-chairs present their proposals to Armenia and Azerbaijan but not to all the sides."
By Aghavni Harutyunian
VLADIMIR KAZIMIROV: YOU CANNOT BE HALF-PREGNANT; EITHER ALL DOCUMENTS SHOULD BE MADE PUBLIC OR ALL BE KEPT SECRET
AZG Armenian Daily #122, 01/07/2006
Co-Chairs Tired of Waiting
"It’s hard for me to make judgments on this as I am not in the negotiations and know many things not from the first hand but other sources. That’s why my speculation can have only a relative value," Vladimir Kazimirov, former Russian co-chair to the OSCE Minsk Group told daily Azg commenting on the Minsk Group co-chairs’ Vienna statement on June 22 in. "From all I know, I agree with the co-chairs on the measures they suggest but not the sequence of their implementation. If you have noticed the part about two-sided and international guarantees comes after the presidents’ proposals. I think everything that has to do with nonviolence and guarantees against using force should be placed not in the first phase but in the zero phase. I don’t think it’s good to put the part about guarantees at the end of the statement. It should be strongly emphasized that no matter how many phases there are, they should follow an internationally validated obligation to refrain from using force for settling disputable issues of this conflict. This has to be on the first place as a zero phase."
As to the stage-by-stage content of the co-chairs’ statement and the vague wording about Nagorno Karabakh status, Vladimir Kazimirov said: "Yes indeed, the issue of referendum is put in a vague sentence. Nothing is said about concrete date. The statement says that the issue of status will be an object of separate negotiations but neither dates nor conditions are mentioned. The Azeri side was quick to respond saying that no referendum is possible as the country’s constitution allows plebiscites only on all-Azerbaijani level. But there is a question: is that not clear why Azerbaijani constitution has such a clause? It was added as an amendment well taking into account the Karabakh conflict in order not to allow Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh voice their opinion. It is over doubt. But where in the international practice we can see an example when the whole nation votes? For instance in Quebec only local residents voted but not Canada as a whole.
"Statements that Azerbaijani constitution does not foresee such referendums are not convincing. Today’s Azerbaijani constitution was written having in mind the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. In the meantime, no matter how the dispute is resolved definitely Azerbaijani constitution will be needed to undergo changes even if Karabakh gets the widest autonomy within Azerbaijan as Azeris dream.
"There were exaggerated expectations that the conflict will get resolved in 2006. But that was an illusion. Half of the year has passed and no progress was achieved. Even if we consider the sides’ statements that Armenia and Azerbaijan have never before been so close to a solution, there are still discords between them.
"In such conditions one can understand the annoyance of the co-chairs. I am familiar with such situation. The co-chairs are disappointed that the two presidents find no ways to meet each other half way."
Asked whether it is right and timely to make public parts of a document that is still being discussed and elaborated, Kazimirov said: "As the saying goes, one cannot be half-pregnant. Either the whole content of the documents should be revealed or they should be kept under wraps. The current situation is incomplete. Firstly, Matthew Bryza’s interview then the MG co-chairs’ statement. Both are only part of the document presented by the Armenian and Azerbaijan presidents. Should they go on with publicizing or stop? It’s up to the o-chairs and the sides to decide. But Serge Sargsian, for one, spoke lately for making the documents public.
I was not delighted when back in 1997-98 Heydar Aliyev revealed all three documents of that time and Yerevan did the same in 2-3 days. At any rate, the societies got some understanding on how the talks are going. But do not forget that in 1997-98 all proposals – package, stage-by-stage or the state’s – used to be presented to the three sides of the conflict. But today co-chairs present their proposals to Armenia and Azerbaijan but not to all the sides."
By Aghavni Harutyunian
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