POSSIBLE US STRIKE ON IRAN MAY TOP ALIYEV-BUSH TALKS

AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
April 13 2006

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is expected to meet US counterpart
George Bush in Washington on April 28 for talks many say will
focus on the possible US campaign against Iran and the settlement
of a long-standing Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh. This will be Aliyev’s first official visit to the United
States since he became president in 2003.

The details of President Aliyev’s visit were discussed during
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov’s meeting with Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice in the United States on Friday. Rice said that
during the visit, the two countries would continue the dialogue on
expanding strategic ties. Some Azeri experts say Washington is likely
to focus on efforts to draw Azerbaijan into an international coalition
against Iran over what the West describes as this country’s ambition
to develop a nuclear weapon.

The head of the President’s Office international relations
department, Novruz Mammadov, said that during meetings with the Bush
administration, the parties will discuss democratic development,
cooperation in the South Caucasus, energy and security issues and
combat against terrorism. Commenting on the statements by some
experts that the US-Iranian tensions will be tabled in Washington,
Mammadov said most political analysts tend to make certain allegations
without bothering to substantiate them. He said the repeal of Section
907 to the Freedom Support Act, which bans US government’s direct
assistance to Azerbaijani government, will be one of the priority
issues during President Aliyev’s meetings. Mammadov described the
document as being unfair. “This sanction should not be applied
against Azerbaijan. On the other hand, whether or not it will be
upheld is not a concern for us. We may not need assistance any more,”
Mammadov told Lider TV channel. The official said the legislative
process in the US is so complex that its government is apparently
unable to lift the section. “But the Azerbaijani president’s visit
may facilitate the process of repealing it,” he added. The head of
the President’s Office socio-political department, Ali Hasanov, has
brushed aside the allegations that the US-Iranian tension would be
discussed during the visit. “I don’t believe Iran will be the main
topic of the talks between the two countries. Our ties with Iran are
just as good as those with the United States. Iran is a neighboring
country and we share a common culture. Our citizens have close ties
with this country.” Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov dismissed
reports suggesting that Azerbaijan plans to be part of an international
coalition against Iran. “The reports are untrue.

Moreover, how can this happen in the absence of such a coalition?”

Azimov added that the country is not interested in joining such
a group even if it is formed in the future. The official did not
rule out that US-Iranian relations would be free of third-party
involvement. Online edition Day.az approached well-known politicians
and pundits to examine reasons for President Aliyev’s visit to the
U.S. and the feedback of the Azeri opposition which maintains that
the visit has not taken place so far due to alleged problems over
the Azeri leader’s legitimacy. Deputy chairman of an opposition
Democratic Party, Sardar Jalaloghlu, said the invitation to the head
of state to pay an official visit to the U.S. is explained by the
US-Iranian stand-off and the attempts by the Bush administration to
lure Azerbaijan into an international anti-Iranian coalition. “As for
the opposition’s reaction, the United States has already stated its
feedback on the 205 Azeri parliamentary election in a State Department
report. Besides, we understand that the problem with Iran is currently
much more important for the USA than democratization in Azerbaijan,”
said Jalaloghlu. MP Anar Mammadkhanov said the president’s visit to
the U.S. will undoubtedly be one of the most significant events in
the country’s socio-political life. “The visit has been expected for
a long time, especially considering the very high level of US-Azeri
ties,” he said. Mammadkhanov went on to say that a special emphasis
would be laid on the settlement of the Garabagh conflict during the
visit. “We recall that in late last year many analysts were predicting
that 2006 would be a watershed in the conflict resolution. I hope
that the outcome of the president’s visit to the U.S. will show how
realistic those projections were. As for the opposition’s reaction
to this, I have said on many occasions and can repeat now that there
is no opposition in Azerbaijan. I am not being sarcastic and am just
stating the facts. They are just a group of people that call themselves
opposition. What they will say about President Ilham Aliyev’s visit is
of no interest to the Azeri public or even their closest cohorts.” A
well-known political analyst Ilgar Mammadov said that after the
opposition’s failure in last year’s elections, the U.S. no longer
has any reason to postpone the Azeri leader’s visit. Moreover, the
US-Azeri relations are currently on a very high level, he said. “As
for the opposition’s feedback, its most intelligent representatives
will simply keep silent. But there will be others that will lambaste
the United States over this, which will be another ridiculous action
by the opposition and an attempt to pin the solution of their own
problems on others. Besides, it is not ruled out that during the visit,
the U.S. will suggest to President Aliyev that the authorities soften
their stance toward the opposition, which we will probably witness
upon his return from the United States,” Mammadov added.