Azeri parliament critical of US envoy’s visit to regions

Space TV, Baku
12 Apr 05

[Presenter] MPs subjected the US ambassador to Azerbaijan, Reno
Harnish, to a barrage of criticism at today’s session of the Milli
Maclis [Azerbaijani parliament]. The speaker [Murtuz Alasgarov] said
that the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry is investigating the
ambassador’s visit to regions and that everyone would be put in their
place.

[Correspondent over video of the Milli Maclis session] Although the US
ambassador’s visit to Azerbaijani districts and his meetings with
members of the opposition were not on the agenda, they became the main
subject of discussion in the Milli Maclis. The ambassador came in for
heavy criticism from MPs over his meetings with the opposition.

[MP Zahid Oruc] I reckon that the ambassador’s visit to the regions
and his meetings with representatives of several parties against the
general background of the [November 2005 parliamentary] elections are
a reason for criticism.

[Passage omitted: words indistinct]

[Correspondent] Another MP, Rauf Qurbanov, agreed with his colleague
and said that US ambassadors played a major role in all the countries
that recently experienced a revolution. Although the ambassador said
he was visiting the districts to help establish a dialogue between the
authorities and the opposition, he had meetings only with one side –
the opposition, Elman Mammadov also said in protest.

[Passage omitted: Mammadov’s words indistinct]

[Correspondent] Musa Musayev said that the US ambassador has to
clarify the issue.

[Musayev] The US ambassador to Azerbaijan must definitely clarify this
so as to close all these issues. There is actually some concern in
Azerbaijan. Some citizens think that what the ambassador said here may
be the view of the American government.

This is definitely not true, and I believe that if the US embassy has
taken such a stance, it should certainly give it up.

[Correspondent] Qulamhuseyn Alibeyli said that all ambassadors
coordinate all their steps with officials of the country in which they
live. Therefore, criticism should be levelled at the Baku government,
not at the ambassador.

Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov said that there are no grounds for
dissatisfaction – no-one will be allowed to meddle in Azerbaijan’s
internal affairs.

[Alasgarov] The Foreign Ministry is dealing with this issue in
earnest. I hope that measures will be taken at the highest level and
no-one will try to change the stability and political system
established in Azerbaijan. There was a velvet revolution in Azerbaijan
in 1993 and [the late] President Heydar Aliyev came to power. That’s
it. Do not expect another velvet revolution in Azerbaijan.

[Correspondent] Mais Safarli spoke about another issue. He said that
with the support of the diaspora, the Armenians stridently mark the
anniversary of the false genocide on 24 April every year. We should
respond to this, the MP said.

[Passage omitted: Safarli suggested closer cooperation with the
Turkish parliament to counter the Armenians]

[Correspondent] At today’s session, MP Qulamhuseyn Alibeyli said that
people have been denied freedom of assembly. Alasgarov said that
rallies can be permitted in the run-up to the parliamentary elections.

[Alasgarov] The rallies are not allowed because there was an outrage,
arbitrariness, state property was damaged and so on. So let the
radical opposition clean up their act first, consider their conduct
and assess it. I reckon that rallies can be permitted in the run-up to
the parliamentary elections.

[Correspondent] After that, the MPs discussed issues on the agenda.