NEW CO-CHAIRMAN IN MINSK GROUP

PanARMENIAN.Net - The news about this appointment was declared by the U.S. Ambassador to Baku Rino Harnish who preferred to do it in the Cabinet of Azerbaijan's Defense Minister. It was during the conversation with Safar Aliyev that the American diplomat declared the name of the new co-chairman. No doubt that the Armenian authorities were aware and have agreed to this appointment but anyway, more appropriate place and occasion could be found for declaring the adopted decision. It is also strange that while talking with Abiyev Rino Harnish mentioned the recent statement of the Chief of the Pentagon, Donald Ramsfield saying that the stage-by-stage settlement of Karabakh conflict was more preferable. We shall note that the Secretary of State and not the Minister of Defense is responsible for the U.S. foreign policy.

If Steven Mann is not very known in Yerevan, in Azerbaijan he is rather known. While working as special representative on Caspian issues, Mann has several times visited Baku and has established normal relations with Ilham Aliyev. It was thanks to him that the failure of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project was prevented. The American diplomat convinced Kazakhstan's government to use the Azeri route for its oil transit and thus the project became profitable.

Nomination of Steven Mann was welcomed in Baku. The former aide to the President of Azerbaijan Eldar Namazov said this appointment was the most successful in the history of the Minsk group. The satisfaction of the Azeri can be understood. They believe that Mann will be more sensible towards the problems of Azerbaijan as he has oil interests. It is difficult to predict if they are right or wrong. However, it seems that the former co-chairman was more preferable for Armenia as he was free from the influences of oil companies and had never excluded the self-determination right of Karabakh people. Perina has always stressed the differences between the Karabakh conflict and the problems of Prednestrovia and Abkhazia. ''The world community is ready to recognize neither Southern Osetia nor Abkhazia as independent states. The Nagorno Karabakh issue is different,'' he said in December 2002.

Before declaring the name of the new co-chairman it became known that the replacement in the Minsk group has affected the personnel policy of the President of Azerbaijan. No doubt that dismissal of Vilayat Guliyev was indirectly connected with Perina. Both the involvement of Mann in the Minsk Group and the unexpected dismissal of the foreign Minster testify the beginning of a new stage in the Karabakh settlement. Now it more and more difficult to believe that the negotiations will continue from the point where they were frozen after renouncing of Parisian principles by Heydar Aliyev.