KARABAKH IMPASSE DEEPENS.

Russian and OSCE mediators said yesterday that the impasse in the Karabakh settlement negotiations deepened at last week’s round of negotiations in Moscow. Armenia and Karabakh on the one hand and Azerbaijan on the other fully disagreed not only on the substance, but also on the sequence of steps toward a military disengagement and political settlement. Moreover, a fresh complication developed. In discussing the issue of withdrawal of Karabakh/Armenian troops from Azerbaijani areas outside Karabakh, Armenia and Karabakh demanded guarantees of demilitarization of those territories once Azerbaijan regains them, while Azerbaijan demanded in exchange the demilitarization of Karabakh itself. The mediators’ proposal to circumvent the impasse by limiting Azerbaijani forces in those areas to police and customs services made no headway. Western and Russian diplomats criticized the parties evenly for their unwillingness to conduct constructive negotiations. (Russian and Western agencies, March 31 and April 1)

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