YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. Tendencies of process acceleration are outlined in the Nagorno Karabakh settlement process. OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs stated at the April 27 press conference. They expressed the hope that the meeting of RA and Azeri Presidents to be held on May 7 in Prague will be constructive. MG French Co-chair Bernard Fassier drew attention to much activation of Co-chairs' visits to the region and three meetings between Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the past months. "There are reasonable hopes for progress, and these hopes prompt us that Prague meeting will be constructive. Everything depends on the two Presidents' will," B. Fassier stated. American Co-chair Matthew Bryza also expressed an analogous point of view. At the same time he refuted the assertion that U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton made a statement about the possibility of that problem's solution within a month. "My leader stated that the conflict may be solved within several months," he said. According to MG Russian Co-chair Yuri Merzliakov, there are all conditions for ensuring advance in the process of conflict settlement. As to the possibility of Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement in the nearest time, Y. Merzliakov noted that time predictions is the most difficult thing. In his words, everything will depend on the decision the sides, in particular, Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, will make on the fundamental or basic principles of settlement. The Russian diplomat said that after coordination of these principles by the sides work will be done to work out a peaceful agreement. "Madrid principles" remain on the table, the Presidents continue discussing them, discussion of many of these points is planned during Prague meeting," B. Fassier stated. In his words, if necessary, a new meeting between Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev will be organized in early June in Saint Petersburg. He also expressed conviction that both Presidents intend to prepare the public opinion in their countries for the purpose of forming an atmosphere of good neighborly relations. M. Bryza said that both Presidents proceed from the fact that an agreement on Nagorno Karabakh settlement should be balanced and based on principles of self-determination, territorial integrity and exclusion of use of force.

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