EU making efforts for release of jailed Azeri opposition leaders – envoy

Yeni Musavat, Baku
29 Oct 04

Musavat on 29 October headlined “The EU is making efforts to release
leaders” and subheaded “Heikki Talvitie, who arrived in Baku yesterday,
said this at a meeting with party leaders”

The EU special representative in the South Caucasus, Heikki Talvitie,
arrived in Baku yesterday [28 October]. On the first day of his visit,
Talvitie met leaders of political parties: the chairman of the Musavat
Party, Isa Qambar; the chairman of the People’s Front of Azerbaijan
Party (“reformers”), Ali Karimli; the chairman of the Azarbaycan Milli
Istiqlal Party, Etibar Mammadov; and the acting secretary-general of
the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, Akif Sahbazov. Leaders of the
Social Democratic Party, the Liberal Party, the Justice Party and
the Islamic Party also attended the meeting held at the French embassy.

We have learnt that the meeting discussed the current situation
in the country. The sides exchanged views on the Karabakh problem,
the situation with democracy, freedom of the press, human rights,
election prisoners [opposition members arrested in post-election riots
in October 2003], political prisoners, as well as preparations for the
municipal elections [on 17 December 2004] and EU-Azerbaijan relations.

Commenting on the election prisoners, including seven opposition
leaders sentenced to prison terms a few days ago, Mr Talvitie spoke
about their [EU] efforts to settle this issue in the near future.