Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
April 15 2006

Section 907 may be repealed soon: US Congressman

Baku, April 13, AssA-Irada
The Section 907 to the Freedom Support Act banning US government’s
direct assistance to the Azerbaijani government may be repealed soon.
The issue may be tabled during President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to the
United States late this month, said James Kolbe, who leads a
delegation of US Congress members on their visit to Baku.
`But this depends on on the Congressmen and the US Congress
Subcommittee on Foreign Operations I am heading. I believe that at a
time a solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) conflict is
not far off, we can hope for a complete repeal of the Section.’
Kolbe said he was not represented in the mentioned Subcommittee when
this legislation was passed. Over the past five years, the Section,
applied on other countries as well, has been frozen.
`I was one of those who voted for freezing Section 907. The main
thing is not to keep it in force but to freeze it. We have used such
amendments on a number of countries. This resembles a situation of a
glass half-full and half-empty. I believe the glass is half full
now,’ the Congressman said.*