* BTC construction at 1km a day * The constriction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan moves forward 1km a day, while a 7 km-long pipe has been welded and laid in the 2-meter deep trench, a source from the Azerbaijan International Operating Company (AIOC) has told AssA-Irada. * Land treatment work has been carried out in the area of 25 km along the corridor, with 700 pipes welded. * The construction of the BTC was launched near the Sangacal terminal as 39,000, 11 meter pipes will be used for the constr...... полностью

President pardons 106 * President Aliyev has issued a decree to pardon 106 prisoners, Press Service of the President's Office has told AssA-Irada. Under the decree, 97 people have been released from the outstanding period of their punishment, while the imprisonment period of 9 convicts has been reduced. The amnesty has been applied to those who perpetrated crimes against the independence, statehood and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, attempted state cops in Ganca District in October of 1994...... полностью

* Greek president to attend inauguration of European House * Greek President Konstantinos Stephanapulos will visit Azerbaijan over June 30 - July 1. During the trip, President Stephanapulos will meet his Azerbaijani counterpart Heydar Aliyev and top government officials and sign several agreements on economical cooperation. * The visit program includes participation in the opening ceremony of European House, aimed at regulating the relationships between the European Union (EU) and newly indepen...... полностью

* War delays Sah-Daniz inauguration * Presidents Heydar Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Ahmad Nejdet  Sezer of Turkey, and Eduard Shevernadze of Georgia were to participate in the official sanctioning ceremony of the Sah-Daniz project at Gulustan Palace of Baku on March 27. The Georgian embassy in Azerbaijan told AssA-Irada that the event had been rescheduled due to the actions in Iraq and the date of the ceremony to be held in April is being fixed through diplomatic channels. Pressure group to pic...... полностью

* Turkish, Georgian presidents coming to launch Sah-Daniz * Presidents Ahmad Necdet Sezer of Turkey and Eduard Shevardnadze of Georgia are due on a short visit to Baku, to participate in the official ceremony sanctioning the Sah-Daniz project, at the Gulustan Palace on March 27. A Georgian official told AssA-Irada that the ceremony will start at the residence of President Aliyev, where the three heads of state are to witness the document, and will pass on to a ceremonial party at Gulustan Palac...... полностью

* EU visit put on hold over Iraqi crises * A European Union (EU) delegation, including Italian, Greek and French deputy foreign ministers and top EU officials Havier Solana and Chris Patten, has postponed its visit scheduled for March 11-12 to Georgia to be followed by Armenia and Azerbaijan. The postponement is due to growing tension around Iraq with the EU leadership needing to participate in important international forums on the matter, including UN Security Council sessions, a spokesman for...... полностью

* Defense ministers to sign co-op documents * Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov is expected to travel to Azerbaijan over February 25-26. During the visit, two new documents on military-technical cooperation between the two countries will be signed. According to the Russian embassy in Baku, an interaction plan and a treaty on military-technical cooperation between the defense ministries of the two nations for 2003 will be concluded as a result of the visit.  Azerbaijani Defense Minister Saf...... полностью

* 116 alleged political prisoners pardoned * Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev has issued pardons for 116 prisoners. According to the Presidential Administration press service, those pardoned include 36 people convicted of crimes against the independence, statehood and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, while the others were members of illegal armed factions sentenced for participating in a coup attempt in the Ganca region of Azerbaijan in 1994 and members of former special police forces OM...... полностью

* Minsk Group co-chairmen to report to OSCE winter session * Diplomatic sources have informed AssA-Irada that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) will hold its winter session in Vienna, Austria, in the second half of February.   According to Azeri MP Eldar Ibrahimov, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen are expected to present reports during the session to be attended by two Azeri parliamentarians. London forum to highlight investment opportunities * A forum dedicated to the investment ...... полностью

US declares Upper Qarabag as uncontrolled zone * Upper Qarabag was declared as uncontrolled zone at a report submitted to the White House by the US State Department intelligence commission on January 24. Henceforth, Upper Qarabag will be named decontrolled zone in official documents of the US State Department. * This information has been confirmed by the US embassy in Baku. * Decontrolled zone terms such areas as are home to international terrorist organizations and drug traffickers, and nuclear...... полностью