AZERBAIJAN LEADER VOWS ‘TOTAL OFFENSIVE’ AGAINST ARMENIA

Agence France Presse
October 13, 2008 Monday 2:44 PM GMT

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on Monday vowed a policy of
"total offensive" against neighbouring Armenia during a hardline
speech ahead of the presidential election this week.

"As long as our territory is under occupation, we will follow a policy
of a total offensive against Armenia in the political, economic,
military and transport sectors," Aliyev said.

Azerbaijanis take to the polls on Wednesday to elect a new president
and Aliyev, the son of the country’s first post-Soviet president,
is the favourite since the opposition is boycotting the vote.

Nagorny Karabakh, a mountainous territory of 150,000 inhabitants,
declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1991. The conflict over
Karabakh killed tens of thousands and forced a million people to
leave their homes.

Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a ceasefire in 1994 but have broken
off all economic and diplomatic relations pending a resolution of
the province’s future status. Skirmishes along the border are frequent.