FM OSKANIAN URGES REJECTION OF UN RESOLUTION ON N-K

UNCLAS YEREVAN 000176

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/CARC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL UNGA AM AJ
SUBJECT: FM OSKANIAN URGES REJECTION OF UN RESOLUTION ON N-K



1. (U) This message is sensitive but unclassified. Not for
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2. (SBU) In a meeting with all Yerevan chiefs of mission at
the MFA February 29, Foreign Minister Oskanian urged
countries to reject a draft UN resolution being circulated by
Azerbaijan regarding the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Oskanian argued that all countries should follow the lead of
the Minsk Group co-chairs when considering how to vote when
the resolution comes to floor of the UNGA some time next
week. Noting that all three co-chair countries oppose the
resolution, Oskanian accused Azerbaijan of trying to
"exploit" developments in Kosovo to push through a
"one-sided" resolution that does not reflect the current
status of the Minsk Group discussions.


3. (SBU) Oskanian asserted that Azerbaijan is using the
argument that "Kosovo cannot be a precedent" for N-K as
"bait" for the international community, and acknowledged that
the Azerbaijanis are making headway with this line of
reasoning. Oskanian reiterated that Armenia recognizes that
Kosovo is not a precedent, and said Armenia is willing to
work on a "balanced" text that would clarify the point. He
added, however, that while Kosovo is not a precedent, "it can
also not be viewed as the end of history." If N-K or some
other entity gains independence at some point in the future,
it would not be based on the Kosovo experience. Each case is
unique, he concluded, and must be considered on its own
merits. Oskanian charged that the current resolution is an
effort to garner UN support for a solution that is "based
solely on Azerbaijan's territorial integrity."


4. (SBU) Oskanian said the timing of the resolution is
especially unforunate, coming as it does in the wake of
Armenia's presidential election. President-elect Sargsian is
"ready to engage immediately" in the peace negotiation
process, he said. Passage of the UN resolution would set
that process back. The FM stressed that Armenia is not
asking countries to "support Armenia's position on N-K," but
rather to "support the co-chair countries who are best placed
to understand the complexities of the issue."
PENNINGTON