Nation

PRESIDENT LEAVES SACKED PROSECUTORS' APPEAL UNANSWERED

A group of high-ranking prosecutors dismissed by Prosecutor General Zakir Garalov in July - N. Orujov, A. Agayev, Kh. Rustamov, Ch. Mustafayev, H. Husseinov, etc. - met with journalists at the Press Club Tuesday. Among the sacked are two MAs, four PhDs, two generals of justice, and others with work record of over 20 years.

Speakers indicated that the staff cut was carried out by the Prosecutor General under dictation of Justice Minister Fikrat Mammadov and head of the President's office department for law-enforcement bodies Fuad Alasgarov.

The fired prosecutors stated that their constitutional rights are still being infringed upon, as they are denied to meet with the Prosecutor General, to obtain copies of their dismissal orders, etc. They said they had appealed to President Aliyev on July 16, but have not been answered.

CUSTOMS DISCOVER MILITARY EQUIPMENT

The Astara customs checkpoint has detained 12 sets of ultra short- wave radio stations, 14 sets of spare parts for R-173 radio stations and antennas, 91 units of spare parts for T-55 tanks and other military equipment in the trailer of a truck traveling from Georgia to Iran.

The Yalama checkpoint of the Azerbaijan customs has detected 4 units of "Saiga-410K" guns, 60,000 pistons, 1,800 cartridges, 67 kg of gunpowder and a large supply of miscellaneous medial preparations.

Investigations are underway.

INFOTERMINAL BEGINS WORK

On August 1, 2001 one of the leading non-governmental organizations in Azerbaijan International Eurasia Press Fund with the financial support of the Danish Refugee Council started to implement the "Multifunctional Infoterminal of the NGOs in Caucasian Region" project.

This project is one of the main issues in the activity of the NGOs of the Caucasus countries. The implementation of this project covers such leading principles as facilitation and development links between NGOs within the Caucasus countries and region and streamlining the flow of information. Infoterminal will become a mirror of events occurring in the Caucasus, reflection of activity of the Third Sector, will ensure availability of the relevant and unbiased information by its inputting onto web-site, created specially for this purpose.

LITTORAL COUNTRIES TO FIGHT POACHERS VIA INTERPOL

Caspian littoral countries are going to fight the illegal poaching of sturgeons with the aid of Interpol, according to "Echo" newspaper. Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan have attended a meeting on sturgeon reserves of the Caspian organized by UNEP in Geneva and agreed to maintain cooperation in preservation and rational utilization of fish resources. This decision is first of all necessitated by the widespread poaching and trading of sturgeons.

EU/TACIS has assisted coastal countries in developing an agreement on preserving Caspian bio-resources. Also to be designed is a program of large-scale maritime expeditions to study the resources.

Besides, the emergency activities plan envisions the involvement of Interpol in analyzing the illegal trade of sturgeons.

CONVICTED JOURNALIST's MOTHER ASKS PRESIDENT FOR MERCY

Atlas Mammadova, mother of Rahim Namazov, a correspondent of "Alillar" (Handicapped) newspaper sentenced for 6 years in prison, told a news conference Thursday that her son had worked for 3 years in the newspaper writing stories on education and rights of the handicapped people. She said he had never been opposed to the state. She described her son's arrest as something unseen in the world.

The mother added that she had twice met with her son and that his health had seriously deteriorated since he was put behind bars. She announced her intention to ask the president for mercy.

R. Namazov was arrested during the February street march of the Garabagh war handicapped, which ended with clashes with police.

IRANIAN MINISTER ADMITS DAMAGE CAUSED BY US SANCTIONS

Iran's oil and gas industry is in need of foreign specialists, because the level of local oil-workers prevents the country from hiking output, Iranian oil minister Bijan Nandar Zangane was quoted by the Persian bureau of Israeli radio as saying, the Union for Integral Azerbaijan said Monday.

There are currently 150 specialists with a very low scientific degree in Iran and just 5 professors teaching at oil-related higher education institutions. Therefore, it is impossible to increase oil and gas production, he said.

The minister admits for the first time that his country has suffered a lot from US economic sanctions, while Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mr. Asefi said Sunday that prolongation of anti-Iranian sanctions would actually isolate America itself.

Iran starts military training

Iranian armed forces have launched a major military training, with a mobilization regiment involved in the maneuvers, the Union for Integral Azerbaijan told Azernews Monday.

According to an Iranian navy spokesman, the maneuvers are intended to improve coordination of military operations by the army, air force, navy, and ground troops.