[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 114 (Monday, August 15, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 15, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   A MEETING WITH ARMENIA'S PRESIDENT

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, the Foreign Relations Committee just had a 
very productive meeting with the President of Armenia, Levon Ter-
Petrossian. Just a few short years ago, President Ter-Petrossian was in 
a Moscow prison for his role in founding the Karabakh Committee, one of 
the first democratic movements in the Soviet Union. As one who helped 
to secure the Karabakh Committee's release, I was particularly 
gratified to welcome one of its founding members to the Foreign 
Relations Committee--as free, independent Armenia's head of state.
  I told the President that I remember well our last meeting--in 
January 1992 in Yerevan--where I witnessed the terrible impact of the 
Azeri blockade of Armenia and the remaining effects from the 
devastating 1988 earthquake. I am very much impressed with President 
Ter-Petrossian and the notable progress Armenia had made in the face of 
such difficult circumstances.
  During our discussion, the President brought us up to date on the 
ongoing conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and the severe economic toll it 
is taking on the entire region. I very much welcome the news that the 
parties to the conflict have agreed to a formal cease-fire, and I hope 
that progress can be made on achieving a lasting peace.
  Currently, two competing plans--one put forth by Russia and the other 
by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe [CSCE]--are on 
the table. A unified CSCE-Russian approach might prove to be the best 
strategy. President Ter-Petrossian acknowledged that U.S. diplomatic 
involvement is key to this process and I would encourage the 
administration to heed President Ter-Petrossian's call for greater U.S. 
engagement.
  On a related matter, I am pleased that the State Department has 
tapped Joe Presel, who I might add is a Rhode Islander, to be the 
Department's Coordinator for Regional Affairs in the New Independent 
States. His portfolio includes Nagorno-Karabakh, but that is just one 
of many issues that he must address. I also do hope that the 
administration will appoint a special representative to the 
negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh. That position has been vacant since 
Ambassador Maresca retired this spring. Since that time, there has been 
a great deal of movement on the diplomatic front. I believe that in 
appointing a new representative to deal exclusively with the Nagorno-
Karabakh issue, we can greatly contribute to the process of finding a 
lasting peace in the region.

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