July 17, 2006 - 15:41 AMT
Referendum in Karabakh Shouldn't Be Postponed for 10-15 Years
"The referendum on the status of Nagorno Karabakh should not be postponed for 10-15 years, that is upon completion of the Azeri President's second tenure of office. Why cannot it be held in 4-5 years after the start of realization of the agreement? Certainly, the Azeris who used to live in NK and their children who were born there should vote too. They should be given the right to return but they should also know under whose power they return. They can vote distantly (like it was done recently in Milli Mejlis) to avoid incidents pregnant with upset of the referendum," says the article PanARMENIAN.Net received from former OSCE MG Russian Co-chair Vladimir Kazimirov.
"The right to volunteer return of displaced persons and refugees is one of the axioms of settlement but not for all of the parties. Deep demilitarization of the territories until the final status of NKR comes into force is also necessary. The security of the re-settled people could be ensured by peacekeepers and civil police," he said.