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AZERI PUBLIC EYES OSCE PERFORMANCE

The Azerbaijan public mulled OSCE activities towards the resolution of the Garabagh conflict last week in the aftermath of the OSCE chairman and Minsk Group co-chairs’ visit to the region.

UN part lobbied

Democratic Congress-2 focused on the results of the recent visits by the acting OSCE chairman and the Minsk Group co-chairs to the region in its Wednesday meeting.

Chairman of the Congress Sabir Rustamkhanli told journalists DemCongress-2 was concerned over the secrecy of the terms for the resolution of the Garabgh conflict. The people should know the way the talks are being held, their principles and terms, he said.

The opposition entity maintains that the OSCE MG fails to cope with its mission and lobbies for the UN tackling the solution.

"Azerbaijan should be assertive and demand liberation of its occupied lands. The world should be aware that not Armenia, but part of Azerbaijan, Nakhchivan, has been in blockade", Mr. Rustamkhanli said.

Differing opinions

A roundtable "The 10th anniversary of the OSCE Minsk Group: Threat of a defeatist peace" organized by Democratic Congress-1 was held at the Press Club of Baku Thursday. Among the attendees were executives from opposition-minded political parties, public organizations and independent political analysts.

Opposition differed on the activities of the OSCE MG during the roundtable. Leader of the Musavat party Isa Gambar underscored that the subject of the recent talks between the Group and the Azerbaijan government is being kept secret and the public have no access to the terms proposed. In his words, the proposals rest upon not international principles, but the fact of occupation. Mr. Gambar said the strong Azerbaijan might be able to resolve the Garabagh conflict and this strength could be achieved through free, democratic and fair elections.

Some participants in the meeting, however, maintained that the MG could have settled the dispute had it involved Turkey as co-chair.

It was suggested that the MG still be used for solution to the OSCE as a stand for propagandizing Azerbaijan.

Some of the speakers stressed the alleged pressure of international organizations on Azerbaijan to make it sign a defeatist peace deal, while others said the way out is the unification of opposition and its accession to power.

The participants in the roundtable decided to hold regular debates on the issue.

New proposals unreal

Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev says that the new ideas of the OCSE Minsk Group come short for radical changes to the present-day situation with the resolution of the Garabagh conflict.

Commenting on Armenian president Robert Kocharyan's statement on signing the Paris agreement in Key West, the US, the minister said that the parties hadn't signed any documents in Key West. The Armenian president wants to reassure his people he has still to lead for a year, as he has done nothing sufficient for his nation over four years in office, neither for solution to the conflict nor for strengthening the country's economy, Min. Guliyev said. Touching upon the change to the format of the negotiations, the minister stated that Azerbaijan does not exclude involving experts from the two nations on the condition that bilateral meetings of the two Presidents and the mediation of the Minsk Group should continue.

Women unhappy

Some 15 members of the Woman Coordination Council on Garabagh rallied outside the Foreign Ministry in a move to meet minister Vilayat Guliyev and discuss his statements that Azerbaijan is being forced to be confined to the existing reality, the occupation of Azeri lands. The foreign minister pledged to meet with the women the other week, the MFA said.

The Coordination Council issued a statement Friday, denouncing the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group for having failed to provide a legal and political assessment of Armenia's occupation of Azeri territories and blasted the OSCE chairman for dodging the question on Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.

FORMER MOSQUE LEADER COMPLAINS OF OUSTER

Former religious leader of the Ajdar Bey Mosque, known as the Blue Mosque, Haji Ali Novruz Ibrahimov and his lawyer Adalat Alakbarov held a news conference Monday. H. A. Ibrahimov said he had headed the mosque for about 13 years before Caucasus clerical leader Sheik Pashazadeh expelled him last month. He said he viewed the ouster illegal and would seek being reinstated. A source from the Caucasus Clerical Board told AssA-Irada Monday that Haji Ali Ibrahimov hadn't been expelled, but reassigned for another mosque. "Audits of his mosque have detected serious financial offenses", the source said.

100 AZERI DOCTORS TO WORK IN SAUDI ARABIA

The competitive selection of Azeri doctors to work in Saudi Arabia has completed, with 100 medical men chosen out of 400, chief of the department for external labor migration under the Ministry of Labor and Social Security Rauf Taghiyev said Monday.

The Azeri doctors will leave for Saudi Arabia in early April to work on a contract there, getting a monthly salary of $1300. The first group of 100 Azeri doctors went to Arabia in 1998 and has been working there since then. Mr. Taghiyev said some 100 Azeri specialists of other profiles would be sent to the Arabic nation. 6 entities have been licensed for selection of them.

AZERI SCHOLAR GAINS US HONOR

Worker of the Azerbaijan Institute of Petrochemical Processes Rasul Guliyev has been awarded the prestigious US Medal of Honor, President of the US Institute of Biography has told the Azeri University. The International Research Board of the American University voted the for Azeri scholar in heated discussions for his contributions to the development of science and society. Earlier in September, 2001, the Institute announced Doctor of Science, Prof. Rasul Guliyev the Person of 2001 for contributions to the development of society. The Azeri scientist is among the ground breakers for reconstruction of production of oils in refineries, supervising preparation of technological data for projecting and construction of facilities for selective purification and hydro purification. Besides, he has guided creating technologies for oils synthetic and polysynthetic lubrication oils.

INT’L TRAINING FOR JOURNALISTS

German Society for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and the Open Society Institute - Assistance Foundation (Soros) are going to organize free training for Azeri journalists.

The GTZ is offering courses on legal media issues as part of the "Court and legal reforms" project.

The project is implemented following the intergovernmental agreement "On technical cooperation" between Azerbaijan and Germany.

Both local and foreign experts will provide lectures on media legislation, court practice and other themes. Imitated court processes will also be held.

3-hour long training will be underway from early April once a week within three months.

Certificates will be issued after the training courses.

The Soros Foundation is going to hold training for women journalists on "Gender sensitivity and new successes in journalism". Conducting the training will be specialists from Moscow, coordinator of the Soros woman program Gulnara Mammadova said Saturday.

Both women from media and students may partake in the training, underway from March 18 till 20.

US-AZERI POST GRADUATE COURSES PROPOSED

President Aliyev received head of the communication system of the Silk Road, the renowned scholar and public figure, Russian Academician Roald Sagdeyev Monday.

Recalling the September 11 terror attacks on New York and Washington, the visitor said that the acts have radically affected international developments and US mentality. President Aliyev said the position was due to Azerbaijan's understanding the threat of terrorism, especially global one. "Something should have happened for the world to realize the menace of terrorism", the President said.

R. Sagdeyev said the establishment of a common telecommunication system is a kind of assistance for informational propaganda of Islamic states. This has been especially topical after the September 11 and new military operations in Afghanistan, he said. The scholar reminded that the Azeri delegation led by President of the National Academy of Sciences Mahmud Karimov held a number of meetings with US officials, particularly the Presidential advisor on science in the US.

The Academician came up with an initiative of setting up US-Azeri courses on management, economics and information science jointly with the US International Development Organization. The postgraduates would get half of education in Azerbaijan and the other half in the US, receiving the diplomas of the two nations.

Touching upon some education issues in Azerbaijan, President Aliyev instructed the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to resolve international standards.

Taking part in the reception were NAC President Mahmud Karimov, chairperson of the Presidential Secretariat Dilara Seyidzadeh, etc.

FRENCH AMBASSADOR VISITS GANJA

By Rovshan Novruz Azernews Contributor

French ambassador to Azerbaijan Chantal Poiret has been to Ganja, where she and her delegation paid tribute to the grave monument to the renowned Azeri poet Nizami Ganjavi. The French diplomats then met with head of the Ganja executive body Eyvaz Babayev, who presented a carpet featuring N. Ganjavi to Mrs. Poiret. The French ambassador voiced satisfaction with the visit. Ambassador Poiret saw the sights of Ganja and toured the Ganja automobile plant, whose construction is still to be completed, negotiating the prospects of cooperation with French Renault. The diplomats heard a concert of songs by Michelle Chovrit, Clement Robin and Silvin Dupret. The French diplomats also visited Ganja University and met the students in the French Faculty there.