US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN739

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 000739 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR INR/R/MR-STHIBEAULT, EUR/PPD-MLOGSDON AND 
SRUEDY, EUR/CACEN-ESIDEREAS, EUR, EUR/ACE, EUR/SNEC, 
EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958; N/A 
TAGS: KMDR, OPRC, PGOV, PREL, KPAO, AM 
SUBJECT: REACTION FROM YEREVAN, ARMENIA: PRESS 
CONFERENCE OF DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE RICHARD 
ARMITAGE 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY: All mass media widely covered the March 26 
press conference held by Deputy Secretary of State 
Richard Armitage at the Presidential Palace in Yerevan 
after his meeting with President Kocharian.  Among 
forty invited representatives of mass media, ten 
represented foreign media outlets.  TV reports were 
mainly accurate and factual.  The newspapers carried 
some comments on the Deputy Secretary's answers at the 
press conference as well as on his visit in general. 
Much commentary focused on his statement that a certain 
amount of progress was achieved at Key West, as opposed 
to concrete agreements.  The following is the summary 
of those articles. END SUMMARY 
 
ARMENIA IS A VERY IMPORTANT COUNTRY IN THE REGION TO 
THE UNITED STATES 
 
2. Centrist Armenian language daily AZG (03/27) focused 
on the fact that Richard Armitage did not meet 
Armenia's opposition while he will do that in 
Azerbaijan.  "The above mentioned comments made by 
Armitage need some clarifications.  What does the 
phrase "we thought that we had been missing a bit of 
interaction with Armenia" mean?  It was not stated 
clearly whether it refers to the 2003 presidential and 
parliamentary elections or U.S.-Armenian relations in 
general.  We should remind you that Washington did not 
congratulate President Kocharian on his re-election and 
criticized the parliamentary elections.  The fact that 
only in Armenia Armitage did not meet with the 
opposition in the countries scheduled for the visit 
also needs some clarifications.  The American diplomat 
definitely had been informed about the tension in the 
internal political situation of Armenia.  This raises a 
question, whether not meeting opposition means that 
Armitage wanted to defuse the tension or that he did 
not want to encourage the opposition."  "On the eve of 
his visit the U.S. State Department released a 
statement saying that during his visits to Ukraine, 
Armenia and Azerbaijan Armitage, in addition to 
official meetings, will also meet with political 
leaders and groups.  It can be assumed that today, 
besides the official talks in Baku, Armitage will meet 
with the opposition leaders, namely with Isa Gambar 
(sp.) from "Musafat" party and Ali Qerimli (sp.) from 
"National Front."   The Azeri mass media say that by 
this Armitage wants to win over the opposition.  It is 
known that the Deputy Secretary of State had good 
friendly relations with the late Heydar Aliyev and now 
he continues these friendly relations with his son, 
Ilham Aliyev.  During one of the conversations Richard 
Armitage told Ilham Aliyev that the latter resembles 
his father and that is why he [Armitage} has a special 
respect for Ilham.  By the way, the opposition in 
Azerbaijan is condemning Armitage for a decline of 
democracy in Azerbaijan." 
 
ONLY PROGRESS 
 
3. Oppositionist Armenian daily HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK 
(03/27) published a front-page short report calling 
some statements made by the Deputy Secretary 
sensational.  "Yesterday U.S. Deputy Secretary of State 
Richard Armitage made a sensational statement saying 
that there were no agreements reached in Key West but 
only progress.  The statement is sensational taking 
into account the fact that the Foreign Ministry of 
Armenia has been trying not only to convince us that 
some agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan on 
Karabakh were reached at Key West, but also has been 
insisting that those agreements were put on paper.  The 
Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan has been insisting on 
the opposite with the same persistence.  In fact, 
Armitage yesterday confirmed what they [Azerbaijan] 
have been saying." 
 
ACCORDING TO U.S. THERE WAS PROGRESS NOT AN AGREEMENT 
 
4. Dashnak-affiliated HAYOTS ASHKHAR (03/27) also 
focused on Armitage's answer regarding the Key West 
agreements.  "Armitage as a participant of Key West 
talks did not deny the fact of agreements, but as a 
diplomat he tried to present it in such a way that he 
would not put the president of Azerbaijan in a 
difficult situation before his [Armitage's] visit to 
Azerbaijan."  "R. Armitage insisted on the necessity of 
continuation of negotiations even after the comment 
made by one of the journalists saying that Azerbaijan 
expressed misgivings regarding the activities of the 
OSCE Minsk group." 
 
NOT AGREEMENTS BUT PROGRESS 
 
5. Oppositionist Armenian daily ARAVOT (03/27) wrote: 
"The priorities of the United States foreign policy can 
be easily identified by the "ranks" of U.S. officials 
visiting different regions.  For example, U.S. 
Secretary of State Colin Powell visits Iraq, and 
 
SIPDIS 
sometimes Afghanistan.  His Deputy Armitage is visiting 
CIS countries, and the South Caucasus in particular. 
Mr. Armitage actually proved this during his press 
conference yesterday held at the Presidential Palace." 
I AM HERE TO TRY TO REINVIGORATE POLITICAL TALKS 
 
6. Pro-government Russian language newspaper NOVOYE 
VREMYA (03/27) published comments on Key West talks and 
Armitage's participation in them.  "In Key West he 
personally took part in the talks, and according to 
him, Heydar Aliyev faced serious difficulties in his 
fatherland when upon his return he presented the 
discussed proposal for resolution of the conflict. 
Perhaps there is a small contradiction here.  If there 
was no agreement what kind of "certain progress" can we 
talk about?  It is also not clear why Aliyev faced 
difficulties if there were no agreements." 
 
RICHARD ARMITAGE ANSWERS QUESTIONS 
 
7. Pro-government Russian language newspaper GOLOS 
ARMENII (03/27) published a mainly factual report on 
the press conference with only one commentary.  "In the 
best traditions of American abstruseness was the answer 
to a question about Baku's unwillingness to sit at the 
negotiation table, which was demonstrated by the recent 
statement by the Azeri authorities to postpone the 
meeting scheduled by the OSCE Minsk group to be held in 
Prague." 
 
 
WALKER