Gov’t reconciled with Nardaran residents

The head of the Caucasus Muslims Clerical Office, Sheik Allahsukur Pasazada, traveled to the Nardaran settlement of Baku on Sunday in an effort to mediate between the parties. Speaking to some 100 settlement elders at a meeting held in the house of one of the leaders, Allahsukur Pasazada said he had met with President Heydar Aliyev, who prefers to resolve problems through negotiation. Hajji Gulaga a settlement leader, said that Sheik Allahsukur Pasazada had conveyed the president's regards to residents of Nardaran and his call for them to dismantle tents set-up in the settlement square, stop rallies and return to their homes. Following the meeting, Haciaga Nuriyev held a briefing for the media, where he confirmed meeting with Sheik Allahsukur Pasazada. As a result of the meeting, it was clear that no assaults would be made on the settlement, no further arrests would take place and the issue of releasing arrested residents would be eventually settled. Henceforth, Nardaran people will not spend nights in the square, tents will be dismantled, rallies stopped and the remains of burnt vehicles in the square and streets will be removed.
Haciaga Nuriyev stated that residents of Nardaran had fulfilled the commitments they had assumed following the meeting.
On Monday, the settlement dwellers are to select leaders to participate in the talks, where they will demand that innocent arrested residents be freed, the incident be impartially investigated and the social problems of Nardaran be resolved. This step should have been taken long ago. This tension is constructive for neither the government, nor residents. Civil confrontation is dangerous particularly while the country is settling as big a problem as the Qarabag conflict. This standoff favors  enemies of Azerbaijan. Only 10-12 minutes is required to gather people in the square, according to Haciaga Nuriyev.
Another settlement elder, Natiq Karimov, said they would demand in the talks that compensation be paid to residents that had been wounded during the events of June 3.  
Following the briefing, clearing up the remains of burnt vehicles in the square and streets began.
A medical team has arrived in Nardaran to aid a resident, Alimammad Azimov. Having examined him, three doctors of a emergency medical aid station recommended hospitalizing the wounded resident.
Expressing hope to freely breath in Nardaran, some settlement leaders grew emotional.
Background
Previously, a rally, held in the Nardaran settlement of Baku on Thursday, was accompanied by such slogans as Death to officials, feed Nardaran residents wanting jobs, bread, gas, electricity, free arrested people, etc. It was the first time that the rally demanded the  resignation of the government.
Police raid
The rally was organized in  reaction to a police raid carried out in the settlement at 0300 on February 4.
The raid took place between 0300-0400 hours on Wednesday night. Residents of Nardaran have told an AssA-Irada correspondent that some 200 masked people entered a tent on the square of the Imam Hussein mosque. Officers exercised force against residents of the settlement, beating them with gun butts and batons, and starting preventive fires.
17 people are reported to have been injured with eight arrested.
According to eye witnesses, the police squad consisted of five buses, one military vehicle and some 15 cars. Some within the task force were speaking foreign languages.
Official line
According to the Azerbaijani Interior Ministry and Prosecutor-General's office, having located persons accused of widespread illegal activity in the Nardaran settlement of Baku in July last year, the Ministry's Department for combating organized crime carried out a special operation. Despite being offered surrender to the police, they rendered  stiff resistance, shooting and throwing a grenade at police. As a result of the explosion, police officer Sayavus Rustamov was wounded.
Eight people were captured in the operation, with six police and gunmen were injured. The police seized two guns a Makarov a TT and seven grenades from those arrested.