Garabagh solution prospects

Upon returning to Baku from Paris Saturday, President Aliyev told journalists at the airport that he had held talks with his Armenian counterpart over the Garabagh peace prospects. "The talks are progressing very slowly, but I think this is the only right way as it is the way of peace. Therefore, I consider our latest meetings, especially the one joined by the French president, as very useful", he said.

Asked whether membership in the Council of Europe could facilitate solution to the conflict, the President stated that if two members of the organization are at war, this does nothing to improve its authority.

"Therefore, I have explained in the Council of Europe that all member-states should contribute to the settlement". The president answered negatively the question if France, as co-chair in the OSCE Minsk Group, had put forward any suggestions toward peace settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijan dispute.

"Neither France, nor Russia, nor USA has any suggestions, while their previous proposals are known to all", President Aliyev said.

He added that R. Kocharian had tried to blame the dragging on conflict on Azerbaijan, saying that Azerbaijan had turned down the condominium state suggestion by the Minsk Group co-chairs.

"I had to remind my counterpart that Armenia too had rejected two proposals by co-chairs following the OSCE Lisbon Summit. So, it is now 2 to 1 for Azerbaijan", the president said ironically.

Responding to an utterance that Turkey had allegedly criticized him for the visit to France, he said newspapers were spreading misinformation. According to him, in his lengthy meeting with President Chirac he condemned the French Senate decision, while in Strasbourg H. Aliyev announced that France has no right to interfere with the affairs of another country. Besides, "even if something of this kind did happen 85 years, there was no democracy and Council of Europe then".

President Aliyev dismissed a report by a Russian news agency that the next round of talks would be joined by the Upper Garabagh administration.

"First of all, it is necessary for the two presidents to arrive at an agreement. When that happens, then a third, fourth, or fifth party can take part in the negotiations", he said.