A STEP FORWARD IN NK CONFLICT

It was recorded in the sitting of PACE temporary commission on NK conflict in Paris yesterday the chairman of which Lord Rasel Johnston produced
the summarizing report.

The Assembly called to the member countries of Minsk Group in the 5 th point of 1416 resolution adopted by the PACE in January 2005 to make more efforts in reaching the peaceful settlement of NK conflict. And the PACE national delegations of those countries were proposed “to give annual reports to the Assembly on the actions of their governments on the above-mentioned direction”. The NA deputy Shavarsh Kocharian whose authorities in the PACE are over on 23 of January left for Paris together with Tigran Torosian for taking part in the works of temporary commission. Shavarsh Kocharian informed us yesterday; «The temporary commission had to collect information during last year which the Minsk group member countries in PACE had to inform “. Those reports were produced in the first sitting of the commission, which took place on 12 of September. Summarizing those reports the chairman of the commission Rasel Johnston prepared his report, which according to Shavarsh Kocharian «will be produced only to bureau and not to the commission».

That summarizing report was discussed yesterday. According to Shavarsh Kocharian; «There were positive steps in this report in comparison with 1416 resolution. 3 proposals of the Armenian delegation were adopted which weren't so essential but anyway they were satisfying. In general I mark the report as a step forward».

To our question whether there are essential changes in the report made by Rasel Johnston in comparison with David Atkinson's report Shavarsh Kocharian underlined two differences. “First is the circumstance that the importance of two principles is recorded, that is not only the territorial integrity on which Atkinson’s report was based but the principle of self-determination of nations. The second progress is; the 1416 resolution intends to include the settlement of the conflict in the CE structures. But it is already recorded in this report that it mustn't be an interference into the activities of Minsk Group.”

The deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Araz Azimov informed in Baqu on 19 of December that the OSCE MG cochairmen would also take part in the sitting and would make their reports in Paris on 9 of January. But Shavarsh Kocharian informed that they hadn’t taken part in that sitting. They only took part in the previous sitting on 12 of September where they hadn't hidden their optimism on the possibility of NK conflict settlement in 2006.

But however positive steps are recorded in the report of Rasel Johnston the head of Armenian delegation in PACE Tigran Torosian informed beforehand to media that a project of resolution of proposals won't follow it, the report won't become a PACE document. «As` no Assembly document will be adopted based on that report the report doesn't have the importance which could have any report with usual process and supposed adoption of resolution and proposals.»

Shavarsh Kocharian producing the future of Rasel Johnston's report said; «When the chairman of the commission produces it to the PACE bureau the latter will include it in its general account which is produced to the Assembly. It will be a passage in that big document PACE won't discuss and adopt it as a resolution.”

That means however positive steps are in Rasel Johston's report this document doesn't express the PACE position on NK conflict expresses but the resolution based on Atkinson’s report.

Anna Israelian