AZERI EXPERT SAYS ARMENIANS MAY ATTACK REGIONAL RAILWAY

Day.az website, Baku,
10 Feb 07

Text of report by Azerbaijani website Day.az on 10 February

10 February: "Armenians might resort to consistent
military intervention to prevent the construction of the
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway," Mubariz Ahmadoglu, director
of the Centre for Political Innovations and Technologies, said while
commenting on possible problems in the construction of the railway.

"Yerevan has already made statements that it will use all political
means to prevent the construction of the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku
railway. Such a statement can be described as terrorism," the political
expert said.

He said that Azerbaijan and Georgia had earlier managed to prevent
threats to the construction of pipelines. "Now that the two countries
have become stronger both politically and economically, they will be
able to eliminate any attacks from outside."

In the view of the political expert, in this situation the problem
is related to Akhalkalaki Armenians. Although they will make money
on the construction of the railway, they oppose this project because
it bypasses Armenia.

"While the obstacles were political, financial and geopolitical
in nature during the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline, in this case there is a threat of an armed confrontation,"
Ahmadoglu said, adding that "not terrorist acts, but consistent armed
attacks are possible. Terrorism and a consistent armed fighting are
different things".