Pundit urges Azeri government to demand permanent withdrawal of US aid ban

Yeni Musavat
17 Jan 05

Text of report by Anar in Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni Musavat on 17
January headlined “Section 907 was again not abandoned”, subheaded
“Hikmat Hacizada connected this with the strength of the Armenian
lobby and the government’s negligence”

US President George Bush has signed a decree prolonging for one more
year the suspension of Section 907 to the Freedom Support Act. To
recap, the section banning US aid to the Azerbaijani government was
adopted in the US Congress a few years ago. It is interesting why the
document running counter to the interests of Azerbaijan – which is
cooperating with the USA in the fight against international terrorism
– has not been withdrawn once and for all.

Answering our question, political scientist Hikmat Hacizada connected
this with the strength of the American [as published, presumably
Armenian] lobby.

“This means that the Armenian diaspora is still enjoying its power of
influence. The US government is reckoning with the Congress because it
needs to be mindful of the Congress. Azerbaijan is not such an
important country for the USA that it would fight with Congress
because of us.

“There are some notes of insincerity as well. Because Azerbaijan is
the US ally in the fight against international terrorism. They use our
aerodromes and fly to Afghanistan via our territory. From this
standpoint, the Azerbaijani authorities have the opportunity to demand
the withdrawal of the document once and for all and it should do so,”
Hacizada said.