Azeri, Georgian leaders reportedly discuss opposition activist’s arrest

Yeni Musavat, Baku
8 Aug 05

Text of M. Hacibayli’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni Musavat on
8 August headlined “Are Aliyev and Saakashvili in talks?” and
subheaded “President reportedly asked his Georgian counterpart for
softening an expected statement on the Basirli incident”

Official Tbilisi will comment on a claim of the Azerbaijani
Prosecutor’s Office that the Armenian special services have allegedly
recruited Ruslan Basirli, a citizen of Azerbaijan [and leader of the
Yeni Fikir youth movement], in Georgia.

The Georgian special services have already launched a relevant
investigation into the incident. It is expected that a relevant
statement will be issued soon.

According to unofficial information we obtained from diplomatic
sources, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Georgian
counterpart, Mikheil Saakashvili, had twice telephone conversations
over the Ruslan Basirli incident.

Saakashvili first telephoned Aliyev to get additional information
about the statement issued by the Azerbaijani Prosecutor-General’s
Office. Second time Aliyev telephoned his Georgian counterpart and
asked him to relatively soften Georgia’s expected statement on the
incident. Aliyev also came up against damaging the ties between the
two countries over this incident.