VISITING OSCE HEAD, AZERI OPPOSITION DISCUSS POLLS, KARABAKH

Aytan Feyzullayeva, Ceyhun Asgarov, Samara Quliyeva, ANS.

ANS TV, Baku
5 Sep 05

[Presenter] Visiting OSCE chairman-in-office [Slovenian Foreign
Minister] Dimitrij Rupel has shown more interest in the [6 November
parliamentary] election rather than in the Nagornyy Karabakh
problem. The guest met opposition members and human rights activists
to discuss the polls.

[Correspondent over video of Azeri and OSCE flags] During the talks
in Baku, the OSCE chairman-in-office and Slovenian Foreign Minister
Dimitrij Rupel discussed preparations for the 6 November parliamentary
election and the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. At
his meeting with members of political parties, Rupel talked about
the situation in the run-up to the election.

[Ali Karimli, chairman of the People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party]
We discussed the failure to carry out the proposals put forward by
the OSCE, the Council of Europe and other international organizations
in order to ensure a free and fair election. The discussions also
focused on changes to the composition of electoral commissions and
the electoral code. Rupel said that the Council of Europe Venice
Commission and the OSCE’s bureau in Warsaw had again come up with
joint proposals. They will again insist that changes be made to the
electoral code.

[Eldar Namazov, co-founder of the Yeni Siyasat electoral bloc] I
think that the meeting will yield results. In any case, the other
side [members of the authorities] will convey to the authorities his
opinions about the issues we raised.

[Human rights activist Novella Cafaroglu] Elections to the Azerbaijani
parliament and to the parliament of Naxcivan [exclave] will be
held at the same time. This runs counter to our electoral code,
he [Rupel] noted. Many spoke about the distribution of voters’
cards. For instance, officers are given voters’ cards both at home
and at work. The most important issue today is the need to use ink
to mark voters’ fingers in order to get rid of election rigging and
all other anti-democratic methods.

[Correspondent] The OSCE chairman-in-office also held official
meetings. The meeting with Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov,
held behind closed doors, mainly focused on the situation in the
run-up to the election, preparations for the voting and the Nagornyy
Karabakh problem. They also exchanged views on the results of the
meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian
counterpart Robert Kocharyan in [Russia’s] Kazan.

Following the meeting, Rupel said that he would disclose details of
the talks at a news conference.