SCENARIOS CIRCULATE OVER AZERBAIJANI AIR FORCE HEAD’S ASSASSINATION
Hurriyet
Feb 11 2009
Turkey
Several scenarios circulated Wednesday over who was behind the murder
of the commander of the ex-Soviet Azerbaijan air force, Rail Rzayev,
in the capital Baku.
Gunned down outside his home, Rzayev, 63, was the highest ranking
military official to be killed in the oil-rich republic wedged between
Russia and Iran.
According to comments made by Akil Alesker, editor-in-chief of
Azerbaijan’s Yenicag newspaper, to hurriyet.com.tr, intense speculation
surrounds three possibilities.
Alesker claims that it is normal for people to suspect that
the Armenian secret service is likely to be behind the murder,
particularly as the incident came at a time when efforts to solve
the frozen Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were being revived.
"The murder of the general will affect the ongoing peace talks
regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to some extent, although
there is still no official statement yet regarding who is behind the
incident," he added.
Alesker played down claims that Rzayev, who is said to have partners
in the food sector, was killed over an argument involving a venture
that went out of business due to the economic crisis.
Russian media reports claim that Russian arms mafia may have played
a role in the shooting, Alesker also said. Rzayev, who opposed to
Azerbaijan’s purchase of MIG military planes from Russia, persuaded
President Ilham Aliyev to cancel the tender, he added.