MINISTER DENIES USA HOLDING “TERRORISTS” IN AZERI PRISONS

Trend news agency, Baku
25 Jun 04

Azerbaijani National Security Minister Namiq Abbasov has denied the
local media reports which quote the foreign mass media as saying that
the USA is holding some of the arrested international terrorists
outside Baku. According to Trend, Abbasov told journalists on 25 June
that this was not true.

(Passage omitted: reported details)

Abbasov also described as realistic the statements about the
possibility of exchanging an Armenian citizen recently detained near
the Azerbaijani border for Azerbaijanis held in Armenian captivity.
“We do not have Armenian hostages. But Armenia might give us hundreds
of hostages. This is realistic if they hand them over,” the minister
said.

Touching on the plight of Armenian fugitives Roman Teryan and Artur
Apresyan who are being held at the National Security Ministry’s remand
centre, he said: “The issue will be resolved soon.”

(Passage omitted: minor reported details)