AZERI OPPOSITION LEADER OFFERED SERIOUS POST OVER KARABAKH DEVELOPMENTS
Yeni Musavat
Nov 6 2008
Azerbaijan
An Azerbaijani opposition paper has said that an opposition leader
has been allegedly offered a post in the government.
On 6 November, the opposition daily Yeni Musavat quoted a "reliable"
source in the government as saying that "the authorities want one of
its political opponents to be represented in the Security Council". The
paper added that the main reason for this was the situation around
Nagornyy Karabakh and serious developments taking place in this sphere.
"The Azerbaijani authorities are on the threshold of a serious decision
to be made on behalf of the nation and state. They intend to share
the responsibility for this serious and historic decision with the
people in the person of the opposition. The Azerbaijani president has
got an important opportunity and does not want to miss his chance,"
Yeni Musavat quoted the source as saying.
Those in the government think that the situation and processes are
very advantageous for Azerbaijan and important decisions may be made
at an international level in connection with the vacation of occupied
districts around Nagornyy Karabakh, the report said.
The paper believes that the point which the government is
concerned about is "a compulsion to agree to the deployment of
Russian peacekeepers in the region and hold a referendum on Nagornyy
Karabakh’s status".
"It was decided to involve the opposition in the process and give
it a role in the national issue because of these dangerous and
responsible steps and on the recommendations of Russia and Turkey,"
Yeni Musavat said, adding that parliamentary hearings on Karabakh with
the participation of the opposition are expected in the near future.
The Security Council includes the Azerbaijani president,
prime minister, parliament speaker, the head of the presidential
administration, heads of power-wielding ministries, heads of ministries
of strategic importance and the ministries of economy, and directors
of the Azerbaijani National Bank.