POSITIVE SHIFT SURFACED IN NAGORNY KARABAKH SETTLEMENT -- JACQUES CHIRAC








PARIS, MARCH 5. /RIA NOVOSTI'S LEONID KOKOVICH/ -- A positive shift has surfaced in resolving the Nagorny Karabakh problem, said French President Jacques Chirac at a press conference. He was assessing the results of negotiations between the presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and France, which ended in Paris on Monday. 


	To him, "the meeting was of a constructive nature and passed in an atmosphere of trust and understanding by the sides of the importance of resolving the Karabakh issue for peaceful development of the Caucasian region". Jacques Chirac assured the Armenian and Azeri sides of "France's support for all steps taken by the leaders of the neighbour republics towards the earliest resolution to their protracted confrontation". "France maintains friendly relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan, which should become a basis for resolving the Nagorny Karabakh conflict", stressed Jacques Chirac. 


	He was confident that "under certain conditions, the grounds for which have already been cultivated, grains of peaceful settlement of the territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan must sprout before this year's end. These sprouts will later grow into political steps acceptable both for Baku and Yerevan". 


	The meeting between Robert Kocharyan and Geidar Aliyev was initiated by the French president. Together with the Russian and American presidents he is a co-chairman of the Minsk OSCE group for resumption of the Baku-Yerevan peace dialogue on Nagorny Karabakh, which was halted in 1996. 


	The meeting between Aliyev and Kocharyan in Jacques Chirac's Palais de l'Elysees residence is the second one held in Paris this year and 15th since the resumption of bilateral contacts between the two Caucasian leaders.