Rumsfeld in Azerbaijan for talks

Agence France-Presse
August 11, 2004

BAKU, Aug 11 (AFP) – US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived here
Wednesday for talks with leaders of Azerbaijan, the only predominantly
Muslim country with troops in Iraq.

Rumsfeld, who flew here from Afghanistan, was expected to meet Thursday
with President Ilham Aliyev for talks on issues ranging from maritime
security in the oil-rich Caspian to efforts to prevent proliferation of
nuclear materials.

He also was expected to thank leaders here for sending troops to
missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, and supporting US
counter-terrorism efforts since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the
United States, officials said.

Azerbaijan was Rumsfeld’s third stop on a trip that began in Oman.