Nation

President praises Salvation festivities
"The high-level festivities organized on the occasion of Salvation Day actually mirrored the country's stable political situation and the public mood," President Heydar Aliyev said in a meeting with governmental officials at the Presidential Palace on Monday. The President watched the concert on TV organized in the National Park, expressing his delight with its program.
However, he did not conceal his dissatisfaction with poor fireworks show of the festivities. The President noted that he also observed the celebrations dedicated to the 10th  anniversary of the Salvation Day by New Azerbaijan Party at the Opera and Ballet Theater.
Speakers at the event, head of the President's Office Chief-of-Staff Ramiz Mehdiyev, Baku City Mayor Hacibala Abutalibov and others, stressed the festivities arranged testified to the nation's respect to their President and were a manifestation of their support for Heydar Aliyev in the upcoming presidential elections.              
For the first time in two months the President appeared on TV with a tie since he underwent medical treatment.

North-South corridor under discussion
An Iranian delegation comprising chairmen of several parliamentary commissions and two deputy transport ministers are on a two-day working visit to Baku since Tuesday to discuss issues of bilateral cooperation in the sphere of marine transport and North-South transport corridor.
The Iranian guests met with Azerbaijani Transport Minister Ziya Mammadov and Head of the Caspian Shipping Company Aydin Basirov on Tuesday to consider opportunities for expanding co-operation in the marine transportation. Iranian embassy has told AssA-Irada the Iranian mission is also planning to conduct meetings at the Milli Maclis (parliament) during the visit.
Iranian appeal
At the meeting on Wednesday with the Iranian delegation, chairman of the parliamentary commission on agrarian issues Eldar Ibrahimov, touching upon the implementation of the agreement reached between the two countries on the division of the Caspian Sea into national sectors, voiced his hope that Iran will take a constructive position towards the issue.
Head of the Iranian delegation Mustafa Khanzadi, in his turn, recommended approaching the issue carefully, since it is under the two countries' spotlight.
The Iranian guest voiced his hope that the national interests of Iran and its people will be taken into consideration while determining the Caspian legal status, underlining the possibility of settlement of the problem through bilateral and multilateral negotiations.
The Iranian delegates left for Moscow on the same day.

Greece to report on EU chairmanship activities
Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Ioannis Magriotis is scheduled to arrive in Baku on Wednesday on the instruction of his country's Foreign Minister Georgios Papandreou following his Yerevan and Tbilisi visits, the Greek embassy has told AssA-Irada.
The diplomat will deliver a report to the Azerbaijani state officials on work done in cooperation between Azerbaijan and Greece over the past six month-period of the latter's chairmanship in the European Union (EU). The reports will be made on "EU-Azerbaijan cooperation", "Expanding Europe's new neighbors", "Regional conflicts-Upper Qarabag", and "EU-BSECO relations".
The Greek diplomat will also meet with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayat Quliyev, Minister for Economic Development Farhad Aliyev and Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sarifov prior to a news conference on the outcomes of his Baku mission to be arranged at the International Press Club of Baku.

Official accuses CE rapporteur of bias
Addressing a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Committee on Human Rights in Paris on June 5-6 with report prepared on the outcomes of his visit to Baku, Political Committee Rapporteur for Azerbaijan George Cleyfite blamed Azerbaijan for non-fulfillment of the CE commitments, making accusations on the issue of inmates.
Commenting on the issue, Head of the Foreign Relations Department under the Presidential Administration Novruz Mammadov has told Azernews he is still perplexed about what happened to Mr. Cleyfite on early hours of January 1, 2001.
Mr. Mammadov went on saying that even in 1996-1997, when Azerbaijan was invited as observer to the CE, Mr. Cleyfite was a CE rapporteur for Azerbaijan, being one of the authors of the report on legal issues. "Mr. Cleyfite's attitude towards Azerbaijan over this period was relatively understandable, we accepted some of his claims, though did not consider him right and just. After a sudden change in his standpoint he even sent a letter to the Presidential Administration criticizing the negative facts in Azerbaijan. However, visiting the country a week ago on December 20-25 he stated his satisfaction with the reforms carried out in the country. Therefore, we cannot agree with his opinions on Azerbaijan, as he takes bias standpoint," Mammadov noted.

Turkish-Azerbaijani women leaders network to be established
An eight-member delegation led by Head of the Woman Politicians Circle Yurdsever Arig arrived in Baku on Monday. During the visit the delegation including ex-MPs, professors of higher schools and heads of women organizations is planned to meet Azerbaijani women MPs, Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova and chairwoman of the State Committee on Women Problems Zahra Quliyeva, as well as heads of women NGOs. A source from the Azerbaijani Society of Woman Rights after Dilara Aliyeva has told AssA-Irada the visit is aimed at establishing a Turkish-Azerbaijani leader women network.
The Turkish guests are also expected to tour the countryside within the visit organized by the Open Society Institute - Assistance Foundation (Soros Foundation) under the Society's project . Azerbaijani women are planned to pay a return visit to Turkey under the project.

Great Establishment Party declared
Ex-deputy chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), Fazil Qazanfaroglu, declared the foundation of the Great Establishment  Party in a news conference at the Baku Press Club on Monday. According to him, Rasulzada-Elchibey political thoughts and establishment theory applied by renowned scientist Xudu Mammadov in science are the fundamental philosophy of the party. "Great Establishment will be always the authority of the nation, it will be in the opposition to the authorities, contradicting the national will. The party strives to be a leader of this struggle, and become an organization undertaking "national fight", a statement undersigned by Fazil Gazanfaroglu says.
The Party will set up an organizational committee soon to convene a Constituent Conference.

Presidential election round-up
So far the following eight candidates have declared themselves to be running for the post of president in the Autumn elections: Yunus Oguz (from the National Union), Ilyas Ismayilov (Adalat Party), Elsad Musayev (Great Azerbaijan), Araz Alizada (Social Democrat), Ali Karimli (PFPA-reformers), Qudrat Hasanquliyev (PFPA-unifiers), Lala-Sovkat Haciyeva (Liberal), and Etibar Mammadov (PNIA) have also been nominated for presidency. The leading opposition party Musavat is expected to announce their candidate, leader, Isa Gambar, later today.

CEC chairman, deputy and secretaries elected
The Central Election Commission (CEC) discussed organizational issues in its meeting on Saturday, as Mazahir Panahov was re-elected chairman of CEC through hand-show (with 10 pros and 5 cons). The meeting also re-elected Svetlana Qasimova deputy chairman, while Inqilab Nasirov (from the Motherland Party) and Vidadi Mahmudov (Musavat Party) were unanimously elected secretaries.
Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov was participating in the gathering as an observer.

Date fixed for presidential elections
The Central Election Commission (CEC) passed a decision in its Saturday meeting to fix the date for presidential elections on October 15, 2003. The registration of the presidential hopefuls will be held from July 1 until August 6, while work on the propaganda of candidates for presidency will be conducted from August 6 to October 14.

British ambassador welcomes commission formation
British Ambassador Andrew Tucker welcomed on Monday the formation of the Central Election Commission (CEC) with the participation of representatives from various political parties. This is a good first step in implementing the new Unified Election Code, an Embassy source has told AssA-Irada. 
"I hope that the members of the Election Commission will work together cooperatively in order to fulfill their first duty, which is to ensure the people of Azerbaijan can exercise their democratic rights to participate in choosing their leaders," Mr. Tucker said.

22bn AZM budgeted for presidential elections
22bn manats has been allocated from the state budget to conduct presidential elections in Azerbaijan, chairman of the Central Election Commission Mazahir Panahov has told AssA-Irada. According to him, 5,000 transparent voting-boxes are to be placed at 125 constituencies for the elections. Mr. Panahov went on saying that the media will have an opportunity to closely observe the elections. Starting on Tuesday, the presidential hopefuls may apply to the CEC for registration. The commission will check up the applications within five days and issue a certificate certifying the registration of candidates for presidency.

Liberal party deprived of seats
The Musavat, Liberal, National Independence, and Democratic parties held a lottery in a ceremony at the Press Club of Baku on Thursday to select three candidates from four opposition parties, which failed to take seats at the parliament, to be represented in the Central Election Commission. The ceremony with the representatives from OSCE and IFES, as well as media representatives deprived the Azerbaijan Liberal Party (ALP) of getting a seat in the CEC.
ALP Executive Secretary Avaz Temirxan has told journalists following the event that the lottery was fair and transparent. Thus, the Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP) and the Musavat Party will for the first time be represented in the CEC. The Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan (PNIA) held two CEC seats during the 2002 parliamentary elections.

Opposition to picket CEC
Opposition parties are expected to picket the Central Election Commission (CEC) today, as the protesters demand free elections, formation of CEC and election commissions on an equal basis and equal conditions for presidential hopefuls, according to the Azerbaijan Democratic Party (ADP).
The opposition parties have appealed to Baku's Mayoral Office for permission to hold the protest.

Ruling party to go to polls with its leader   
The New Azerbaijan party has nominated President Heydar Aliyev for the presidency at its congress, the President's Office Chief-of-Staff Ramiz Mehdiyev has told AssA-Irada commenting on the party's possible change in its nominee for the presidential elections.
According to him, the election campaign will be launched after the composition of the Central Election Commission (CEC) is approved, its chairman and secretary elected, as well as the presidential hopefuls get registration papers and the signature papers of electorates. Touching upon the opposition-minded  MPs' boycotting the parliamentary discussions on the Law "On Election Code", Mr. Mehdiyev said there was no use kicking up a row.

Party nominates President and son
The Ana Vatan Party (AVP) held its fourth congress with 450 representatives from 46 district branches participating, at the conference hall of the Confederation of Azerbaijani Trade Unions on Wednesday.
The congress nominated the candidacies of President Heydar Aliyev and his son Ilham Aliyev, First Vice-President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic, in the upcoming presidential elections.

Parliament approves CEC composition
Parliament decided the composition of the Central Election Commission together with substitutes in its session on Friday. However, the meeting was disrupted by chairman of the PFPA (unifiers) Qudrat Hasanquliyev MP, who protested the representation of the PFPA (reformers) led by Ali Karimli in the CEC. Mr. Hasanquliyev suggested that the parliament reject the issue unless the official statement by the Ministry. The opposition-minded MPs nominated for the CEC walked out of the hall after the MPs began criticizing the opposition. Then taking the floor, the Speaker said the representation of the PFPA (reformers) came as a compromise. Though the issue was thrice put on voting, no decision was made due to the lack of quorum. Chairman of the CEC Mazahir Panahov invited the "offended" MPs to the hall. After the voting held for the fourth time the composition of the CEC with 15 members and 12 substitutes was approved.
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The CEC seats are distributed thus:
ruling, New Azerbaijan Party - 6
opposition, Popular Front and
Civil Solidarity parties - 2
opposition, Musavat, ADP, PNIA
and Liberal parties - 3
unaligned, Communist Party - 1
The pro-government Motherland and Social Welfare parties with the In the Name of Azerbaijan alliance and
independent MPs - 3.