Azerbaijan supports US stance on Iraq

Top presidential official outlines Gov’t position on a range of issues
Azerbaijan supports the US position on current global developments, including the Iraqi issue, as it considers the US to be a strategic ally, the head of the international relations department of the Presidential Administration, Novruz Mammadov stated at a news conference on Friday.
He said Iraq must comply with UN Security Council resolutions to the letter so that the process did not damage both Iraq and the region as a whole.
According to Novruz Mammadov, the potential refugee influx from Iraq to Azerbaijan was zero.
He brushed aside a statement by Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, "We have sold radar systems to Azerbaijan and maybe it has re-sold them to Iraq", as absurd. Mr Mammadov added that Azerbaijan was maintained purely humanitarian cooperation with Iraq as bilateral relations were confined to religious ties and exchange visits by individuals.
Qarabag settlement
Settlement of the Upper Qarabag conflict depended entirely on whether Armenia took a constructive stance on the issue, according to Mammadov.
He added that Azerbaijan would never accept a solution which violates its territorial integrity. He does not consider the forthcoming presidential elections in Armenia will impair resolution of the dispute. He did not rule out movement by Armenian President Kocharyan, towards settling the conflict if re-elected, adding that this step should be carefully considered and constructive. Azerbaijan will not accept any solution contravening its national interest. Touching upon the US government's next decision to allocate funds to Upper Qarabag, Novruz Mammadov said this represented the double standards applied by the US to Azerbaijan.
Atomic concerns
The leasing of the Armenian Metsamor atomic power plant to Russia has triggered great concern in Azerbaijan, according to Presidential official. He regretted that Russia had taken a long-term lease of the obsolete atomic power plant, while Azerbaijan has been exerting immense pressure to shut down the facility. Novruz Mammadov expressed disappointment that the international community failed to influence Armenia on this issue.