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Baku disgruntled with US meddling
Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:16:19 GMT

AH-1W Super Cobra helicopters at a US military base.

The Pentagon’s interference in Azerbaijan’s defense issues has hit a
nerve in the former Soviet Republic’s parliament, an Azeri lawmaker
says.

Aydin Mirzazadeh, the deputy Chairman of the defense and security
committee in Azerbaijan’s Parliament, rebuffed the strategic
preparations by Washington to provide military support for his
country.

Mirzazadeh told reporters on Monday that the Republic of Azerbaijan
"is not in need of other parties’ support and can resolve its problems
through domestic potentials".

"Our military is perfectly capable of defending the country and we
will never seek other parties’ help in protecting our sovereignty,"
the Azeri official added.

The Azeri parliament member said the Pentagon has been holding
sessions to analyze military plans for defending Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity in the event of an Iranian attack on the
country.

"Holding such sessions without the knowledge and presence of military
officials in Baku is a questionable matter," Mirzazadeh added.

The former Soviet republic is an important ally in Washington’s
declared war on "Islamic extremism" and is also a key refueling point
for US planes bound for Afghanistan.

The remarks by the Azeri official came amid growing speculation that
the United States is gearing up to support an Israeli attack on Iran
over the country’s long-disputed nuclear program.

Western military experts have speculated that a US-backed Israeli war
on Iran would prompt an Iranian military reaction against US interests
in the region.

The large American military presence in Azerbaijan has also given rise
to fears that the country could be used as a launchpad for an attack
on Iran.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in 2008 that Tehran has
never waged war against any nation and does not intend to do so.
However, Iranian officials have warned that in case of an attack
against their interests, the army would not hesitate to take all
necessary measures to protect the country’s sovereignty.

Earlier in July, an aide to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution,
Mojtaba Zolnour warned that Iranian Armed Forces would target the
heart of Israel and 32 US bases if the country comes under attack.

"If the US or Israel fire one bullet against Iran, the Iranian Armed
Forces will not hesitate to target the heart of Israel and 32 US
military bases in the region before the dust settles," Zolnour said.