REUTERS,
4, March 2008

WASHINGTON, March 5 (Reuters) - The United States expressed concern on Wednesday about a clash that killed up to 16 people in Nagorno-Karabakh and said Kosovo's breakaway from Serbia was not a precedent for the disputed Caucasus mountain enclave.

Earlier, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said Kosovo's Feb. 17 declaration of independence had emboldened Armenian separatists in the Nagorno-Karabakh. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of stoking the violence there this week.

"We're concerned by the outbreak of fighting. We want to see that incident not be repeated," U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey told reporters.

"Kosovo is not a precedent and should not be seen as a precedent for any other place out there in the world. It certainly isn't a precedent for Nagorno-Karabakh," he said.

Nagorno-Karabakh was seized by pro-Armenian forces from Azerbaijan in a war in the 1990s in which an estimated 35,000 people died. A cease-fire was agreed in 1994 but the search for a lasting peace has stalled.

Azerbaijan and Armenia gave differing accounts of the death toll from Tuesday's clash.

Muslim Azerbaijan said 12 Armenian fighters and four Azeri soldiers were killed. Christian Armenia said eight Azeri soldiers died and two Armenian soldiers were injured.

Casey said Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia with strong support from the United States, was a unique situation because it had been managed by a U.N. resolution that anticipated a decision on its final status.

A U.S. official telephoned Armenia's foreign minister to ask that the violence in Nagorno-Karabakh not be repeated and is on his way to Armenia in a previously arranged trip to try to ease the political standoff after recent elections there, Casey said.

The U.S. official, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matt Bryza, has already stopped in Azerbaijan's capital Baku and expressed to officials there the U.S. concerns that the Nagorno-Karabakh clashes not recur, Casey said.

He said Bryza would tell the Armenian government it should lift a state of emergency imposed over the weekend after rioting broke out during mass protests against the presidential election. The opposition says the election was rigged.

"One of his clear messages will be to tell the Armenian government that now that the situation has calmed down, it's very important to us to see the state of emergency lifted there," Casey said.

"We also are concerned about the limitations and restrictions that have been placed on the media, including Radio Liberty and Radio Free Europe there. We'd like to see those lifted," he added. (Editing by Xavier Briand)

U.S. calls for diplomatic solution to Azerbaijan-Armenia dispute

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The United States urged Wednesday Azerbaijan and Armenia to avoid further violations of the cease-fire along the dividing line in Nagorny-Karabakh and called for a diplomatic solution to the issue. "We regret that there was a violation of the cease-fire along the dividing line in Nagorny-Karabakh," State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said.

"We think it's important that there be no further violations," Casey said, adding that the two parties need to come up with "a diplomatic resolution" of the situation.

U.S. Envoy Matt Bryza has voiced his concerns to officials in Azerbaijan's capital of Baku, and he will also visit Armenia on Thursday, Casey said.

According to media reports, Azerbaijan and Armenia have accused each other for triggering a deadly shootout in the disputed region of Nagorny-Karabakh that killed up to 16 people, one of the most deadly clashes in recent years. (Xinhua)

US Department of State: "We regret that ceasefire was violated on the contact front line of Azerbaijani and Armenian armed forces" 06 March 2008 [12:22] - Today.Az

Representative of the US Department of State Tom Casey commented on the recent violation of ceasefire on the contact front line of Azerbaijani and Armenian armed forces. Casey noted that official Washington is sorry about it.

"We regret that ceasefire was violated on the contact front line of Azerbaijani and Armenian armed forces. Matthew Bryza, deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and Asia communicated our concern in Baku and over the telephone to the Foreign Minister of Armenia. We consider it important to adhere to ceasefire regime in the future.

This proves need to intensify efforts to seek for diplomatic ways of conflict settlement in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group", Casey announced.

Tom Casey said that Matthew Bryza will visit Yerevan after Baku aiming to accelerate process of the dialogue between the authorities and opposition following violence which took place after elections.

"We want to inform the Armenian government that we expect the termination of emergency state in the country, as the situation has calmed down. Moreover, we are concerned over the restrictions posed on the activity of press, in particular, Radio of Liberty.

The United States want these restrictions to be lifted. This is important more for Armenian citizens than for us. In this case, Armenians will be able to get information from open sources".