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US aid ban may be reinstated if Kerry wins polls - Azeri paper
Zerkalo, Baku
29 Sep 04
If Democratic candidate John Kerry wins the forthcoming presidential
elections, he may raise the issue of restoring a currently suspended
law banning assistance to the Azerbaijani government, a source from the
US State Department has told the Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo. The
source added that the issue of stationing US forces in Azerbaijan
has almost been resolved. Yet, according to the source, Washington
is accusing Baku of "disrupting" NATO exercises in Azerbaijan and
undermining the USA's international standing. The following is the
text of R. Mirqadirov report by Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo on 29
September headlined "Section 907 may be reinstated" and subheaded
"If John Kerry wins the presidential elections". Subheadings have
been inserted editorially:
Washington displeased with Baku's behaviour
If we were to believe the words of a senior US State Department
official, Washington is utterly dissatisfied with the behaviour
of official Baku, the source told a Zerkalo correspondent who has
recently returned from the USA.
There is an impression in Washington that Baku is trying to play with
both the USA and Russia. Also, the high-ranking US State Department
official said that the "temporary" stationing of US mobile forces in
Azerbaijan is practically a solved issue. He added that only usual
formalities need to be sorted out.
At the same time, however, Washington believes that by "disrupting"
NATO exercises in Azerbaijan, Baku demonstrated its loyalty to
Russia. In doing so, Baku effectively dealt a blow to Washington's
positions in the international arena. Because the USA is the most
consistent supporter of the integration of the S outh Caucasus
countries, first of all Georgia and Azerbaijan, into the North
Atlantic bloc.
Apparently, things did not end with the State Department's well-known
harshly-worded statement. Despite statements by Azerbaijani officials
that the disruption of the NATO exercises will not in any way affect
the country's relations with the North Atlantic alliance and the
USA, the US State Department official said Washington had decided to
minimize official contacts with Azerbaijan.
The US State Department source noted that the developments unfolding
at the present stage both in and around Azerbaijan are not particularly
interesting to Washington.
"We have managed to fulfil three most important tasks. First, the
construction of the BTC [Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan] main export pipeline is
already irreversible. Second, US mobile forces will be stationed in
Azerbaijan. And third, despite the disruption of the NATO exercises
allegedly because the participation of Armenian officers in them
was impossible, we have managed to avert the threat of hostilities
resuming in Karabakh," the US State Department official told Zerkalo.
In other words, Washington has already taken time out in its foreign
policy with regard to Azerbaijan in order to concentrate on the
forthcoming presidential elections, as the US State Department official
put it, "without taking account of the whims of Baku and Yerevan".
The source added that domestic political processes in Azerbaijan,
unlike those in Georgia and to some extent even Armenia, are not
hugely interesting to Washington at this point.
"And not because we are pleased with the domestic political situation
in Azerbaijan. But because, unlike Georgia and Armenia, there has
been complete public apathy towards domestic political processes
in Azerbaijan since the presidential elections. The opposition is
practically inactive. We have nothing to do there. We will probably
show ourselves in the run-up to next year's parliamentary elections."
However, he hinted that among the opposition leaders, Washington was
giving preference to the PFAP [People's Front of Azerbaijan Party]
chairman, Ali Karimli. But even he should not count on special support
from overseas, at least in the foreseeable future.
Kerry to focus on human rights
The situation, however, can change slightly if John Kerry comes to
power. It transpired in the discussion with the circles close to
Democratic [Party] leaders that John Kerry will put special emphasis
on issues of human rights and democratic principles in his policy
towards the post-Soviet republics.
"There will be no hypocrisy or double standards in this issue, which
today is the main principle of Bush's policy towards the post-Soviet
republics," said a source close to the democratic leaders. But this
does not mean that John Kerry will break off relations with all the
countries, including Azerbaijan, where, as US Democrats think, human
rights and democratic principles are being violated. In the worst-case
scenario, even if John Kerry does not put forward the initiative
to reinstate Section 907 [ban on US assistance to the Azerbaijani
government], he will at least be constantly threatening to do so,
this time stressing the violation of human rights and democratic
principles. This, however, will happen not only to Azerbaijan, but
also to all the post-Soviet states. It is probably for this reason
that practically all leading CIS countries, despite their grudges
against the current White House boss, openly support George Bush.
And here we would like to emphasize quite an important thing. During
his latest visit to the USA to attend a session of the UN General
Assembly, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev drew a wave of criticism
on the part of his political opponents for failing to meet the
leaders of the world's superpowers and meeting instead well-known
Mr George Soros who can hardly be suspected of sympathy towards the
current White House boss or towards Baku. On the contrary, Soros is
doing everything in his power to prevent Bush from winning a second
term in office. In other words, he is John Kerry's ally. Therefore,
it would be naive to view the meeting of the Azerbaijani president
with George Soros as one of ordinary protocol.
Zerkalo, Baku
29 Sep 04
If Democratic candidate John Kerry wins the forthcoming presidential
elections, he may raise the issue of restoring a currently suspended
law banning assistance to the Azerbaijani government, a source from the
US State Department has told the Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo. The
source added that the issue of stationing US forces in Azerbaijan
has almost been resolved. Yet, according to the source, Washington
is accusing Baku of "disrupting" NATO exercises in Azerbaijan and
undermining the USA's international standing. The following is the
text of R. Mirqadirov report by Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo on 29
September headlined "Section 907 may be reinstated" and subheaded
"If John Kerry wins the presidential elections". Subheadings have
been inserted editorially:
Washington displeased with Baku's behaviour
If we were to believe the words of a senior US State Department
official, Washington is utterly dissatisfied with the behaviour
of official Baku, the source told a Zerkalo correspondent who has
recently returned from the USA.
There is an impression in Washington that Baku is trying to play with
both the USA and Russia. Also, the high-ranking US State Department
official said that the "temporary" stationing of US mobile forces in
Azerbaijan is practically a solved issue. He added that only usual
formalities need to be sorted out.
At the same time, however, Washington believes that by "disrupting"
NATO exercises in Azerbaijan, Baku demonstrated its loyalty to
Russia. In doing so, Baku effectively dealt a blow to Washington's
positions in the international arena. Because the USA is the most
consistent supporter of the integration of the S outh Caucasus
countries, first of all Georgia and Azerbaijan, into the North
Atlantic bloc.
Apparently, things did not end with the State Department's well-known
harshly-worded statement. Despite statements by Azerbaijani officials
that the disruption of the NATO exercises will not in any way affect
the country's relations with the North Atlantic alliance and the
USA, the US State Department official said Washington had decided to
minimize official contacts with Azerbaijan.
The US State Department source noted that the developments unfolding
at the present stage both in and around Azerbaijan are not particularly
interesting to Washington.
"We have managed to fulfil three most important tasks. First, the
construction of the BTC [Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan] main export pipeline is
already irreversible. Second, US mobile forces will be stationed in
Azerbaijan. And third, despite the disruption of the NATO exercises
allegedly because the participation of Armenian officers in them
was impossible, we have managed to avert the threat of hostilities
resuming in Karabakh," the US State Department official told Zerkalo.
In other words, Washington has already taken time out in its foreign
policy with regard to Azerbaijan in order to concentrate on the
forthcoming presidential elections, as the US State Department official
put it, "without taking account of the whims of Baku and Yerevan".
The source added that domestic political processes in Azerbaijan,
unlike those in Georgia and to some extent even Armenia, are not
hugely interesting to Washington at this point.
"And not because we are pleased with the domestic political situation
in Azerbaijan. But because, unlike Georgia and Armenia, there has
been complete public apathy towards domestic political processes
in Azerbaijan since the presidential elections. The opposition is
practically inactive. We have nothing to do there. We will probably
show ourselves in the run-up to next year's parliamentary elections."
However, he hinted that among the opposition leaders, Washington was
giving preference to the PFAP [People's Front of Azerbaijan Party]
chairman, Ali Karimli. But even he should not count on special support
from overseas, at least in the foreseeable future.
Kerry to focus on human rights
The situation, however, can change slightly if John Kerry comes to
power. It transpired in the discussion with the circles close to
Democratic [Party] leaders that John Kerry will put special emphasis
on issues of human rights and democratic principles in his policy
towards the post-Soviet republics.
"There will be no hypocrisy or double standards in this issue, which
today is the main principle of Bush's policy towards the post-Soviet
republics," said a source close to the democratic leaders. But this
does not mean that John Kerry will break off relations with all the
countries, including Azerbaijan, where, as US Democrats think, human
rights and democratic principles are being violated. In the worst-case
scenario, even if John Kerry does not put forward the initiative
to reinstate Section 907 [ban on US assistance to the Azerbaijani
government], he will at least be constantly threatening to do so,
this time stressing the violation of human rights and democratic
principles. This, however, will happen not only to Azerbaijan, but
also to all the post-Soviet states. It is probably for this reason
that practically all leading CIS countries, despite their grudges
against the current White House boss, openly support George Bush.
And here we would like to emphasize quite an important thing. During
his latest visit to the USA to attend a session of the UN General
Assembly, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev drew a wave of criticism
on the part of his political opponents for failing to meet the
leaders of the world's superpowers and meeting instead well-known
Mr George Soros who can hardly be suspected of sympathy towards the
current White House boss or towards Baku. On the contrary, Soros is
doing everything in his power to prevent Bush from winning a second
term in office. In other words, he is John Kerry's ally. Therefore,
it would be naive to view the meeting of the Azerbaijani president
with George Soros as one of ordinary protocol.