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American analyst: Snipers along the Line-of-Contact between Azerbaijan and Armenia are threatening a compromise solution over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

21 February 2012 09:43 (UTC +04:00)

â€œSince 1994â€™s Ceasefire Agreement, sharpshooters have claimed about 30 victims annually on both the Armenian and Azerbaijani sidesâ€, he says, adding, â€œbut as tensions mount over Nagorno-Karabakh, snipingâ€™s tit-for-tat bloodletting is slowly claiming another victim- compromiseâ€.

Mr. Dietzen, who has researched the conflict for many years, reminds that, the OSCEâ€™s Minsk Group has proposed the Madrid Document, â€œa gradational peace planâ€.

â€œRegrettably, the increasingly militarized nature of the conflict- most notably through snipersâ€™ habitual ceasefire violations- are preventing the development of the mutual trust needed as a prerequisite for compromiseâ€, he adds, underlining, that as a result, the prospect that the territories will be returned is becoming more and more remote.

The analyst also mentioned that, if implemented, the Madrid Principles would seek to address the security concern through its provision for â€œinternational security guarantees that would include a peacekeeping operation.â€ However, he adds, with every new sniper attack, however, this â€œifâ€ becomes less likely.

â€œThe Line-of-Contact no longer risks becoming a Line-of-Death: it already isâ€, he says, adding that absent change, the final hopes for a peaceful compromise to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be buried beneath it.