Today, Azerbaijan
June 9 2006

Tahir Taghizadeh: “CIA secret jails reference due to “Azerbaijan’s
strategic location”

09 June 2006 [10:46] – Today.Az

The fact Azerbaijan was included in a report of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) concerning secret jails
presumably run by the US Central Intelligence Agency in Europe is due
to its strategic geographic location, the Foreign Ministry spokesman
Tahir Taghizadeh has said.

“A number of [important] routes lie through the country,” he said,
emphasizing that Azerbaijan does not allow violations of human rights
and relevant international conventions.

According to AssA-Irada, the head of PACE’s special commission, Dick
Marty, stated in the report that 14 European countries cooperated
with CIA or allowed it to run secret jails for suspected terrorists
and to transport them.

Azerbaijan was included in the list only among category B countries,
which are suspected of having their territories used for take-off of
planes, as well as planning and coordination of personnel.

“If the Council of Europe puts forth an initiative, we will cooperate
with the organization openly and transparently,” Taghizadeh said. He
reminded that the country is one of the most active members of the
international anti-terror coalition. Azerbaijan is cooperating with
the other members on technical issues and exchange of information,
the Foreign Ministry official added.

We recall that Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis said
earlier that CIA may be running secret prisons in 46 European
countries.

/AzerNEWS/

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