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'AZERBAIJAN MUST RESPECT ITS COMMITMENTS', COE SAYS
Council of Europe Secretary General Walter Schwimmer expressed Friday his alarm at the worsening situation of the media in Azerbaijan. During the last few weeks, journalists have reportedly been imprisoned or placed in custody and the authorities have closed a number of newspapers. The Secretary General stressed that the authorities must guarantee freedom of expression and journalistic independence.
EU CONTENT WITH AZERBAIJAN RELATIONS
A delegation of EU regional directors arrived in Baku Friday after paying similar visits to Tbilisi and Yerevan. The delegation led by EU Chairmanship official Philip Nivenhughs include EU Secretariat official Michael Swen, a member of the EU European Commission, Reinhold Brender and an official from Spain, a country that will assume chairmanship within the EU, Fermin Zelada. The visitors updated journalists in a news conference Friday of the meetings at the President's office and Foreign Ministry, where the parties centered on the relations between Azerbaijan and the EU, regional conflicts, the role Azerbaijan plays in the region, the combat against international terrorism, etc. Mr. Nivenhughs said that the Garabagh conflict had also been in focus during the negotiations in Baku.
According to him, the EU supports both countries' arriving at compromises and pushing ahead with direct talks on the one hand and will press the OSCE Minsk Group to devise a solution option that would be beneficial for both parties on the other. He said the EU is ready to assist restoration operations after the conflict is resolved. The EU top official also underscored the necessity of cooperation among the Caucasus nations.
The EU dignitaries are expected to leave Baku Saturday.
IRAN NOT TO JOIN US ANTI-TERROR OPERATION
Iran's spiritual leader Ayatolla Khamneyi said his country would not give a hand to the US and its allies in the impending military attack on Afghanistan. The reason, he thinks, is that it is not fair of the US to lead a global anti-terrorist movement, a source from the Union for Integral Azerbaijan told Azernews Thursday. Iran, however, will join the anti-terrorist crusade if it is led by the UN.
Meanwhile, the US national security advisor Condoleeza Rice said last week that the US sees no need for the UN to engage in the combat against terrorism.
MP TO ATTEND CIS INTER-PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY SESSION
An Azeri parliament delegation left for St. Petersburg Sunday to attend a session of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on October 1. Head of the delegation Mr. Timoshenko told Azernews Friday that the parties would focus on cooperation issues and joint combat against terrorism. Mr. Timoshenko is expected to address the session with a presentation on anti-terrorist combat. He added that political and economic sanctions must be imposed on countries funding and harboring terrorists.
INTERNET USERS SUE TELECOM MINISTRY
The Multimedia Center, the NGO Forum, the Trade Union of Journalists, and the Union of Free Consumers have filed a suit to the Economic Court against the Ministry of Communications. Executives of the organizations told a news conference Friday that AZM20,000 monthly Internet and fax subscription fees introduced by the Ministry on October 1, 2000 is illegitimate. Their numerous appeals to the Ministry over the past year have given no fruit and authors have decided to go to court.
According to the chairman of the NGO Forum Azay Guliyev, not a single country in the world practices such things.
BIO-DIVERSITY PROBLEMS ALONG BAKU-SUPSA IN FOCUS
The mammal researchers society of Azerbaijan has embarked on implementation of the program of studying bio-diversity problems along the Baku-Supsa oil pipeline.
This is the second part of the program, as the first was carried out in January-May. Georgian researchers are engaged in a similar study on the territory of Georgia. Results of the investigation will be released in early 2002.
GUUAM FREE TRADE ZONE TREATY TO BE INITIALED SHORTLY
The draft agreement on setting up a free trade zone within the framework of GUUAM has been prepared. Experts of the international organization, which includes Georgia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova, will meet in Tbilisi shortly to initial the document, according to a diplomatic source.
The document will then be forwarded to the GUUAM presidents.
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Issue No.N40 (222) October 3 – 9, 2001, 2001
Baku rules out co-op with Armenia until lands liberatedAzerbaijan, georgia finally sign transit dealNews digestNationParliament newsOpposition newsBusinessOil & gas news
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