European envoy tells Azeri officials he is not “stupid” – TV
Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
5 Jul 05
[Presenter] The co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee of the PACE
on Azerbaijan, Andreas Gross and Andres Herkel, held a press
conference on the results of today’s meeting of the committee. They
focused mainly on the pre-election situation.
[Correspondent over video of the press conference] I have never said
that the opposition should be given 25 seats in parliament, Gross
said. He said he would like to see the opposition in the parliament,
but it would be wrong to say something like this ahead of the
elections.
[Gross shown speaking to reporters in English with Azeri voice-over] I
have said the opposition should take at least 25 per cent of seats in
the parliament. A parliament where the opposition has less than 25 per
cent of seats is not a good one. Both the government and opposition
should be represented in parliament. But I have never said they [the
opposition] should be given 25 seats. I do not know why my words were
misinterpreted. I am not a stupid man, do not show me as such.
[Correspondent] Gross said he was not happy with the amendments to the
Electoral Code. He said he had told parliamentary officials about this
during a closed meeting.
Gross again expressed his dissatisfaction with the way electoral
commissions are formed. He expressed the hope that the elections would
be free and fair.
Andres Herkel spoke about their planned visit to five districts
tomorrow to see whether the peoples’ right to free assembly is being
exercised.
[Herkel, in English with Azeri voice-over] Azerbaijan does not consist
only of Baku. So we want to visit the districts and see whether people
there are free. I thing that although the peoples’ right to free
assembly has recently been secured in the capital, I regret that this
is not the case in the districts.
[Passage omitted: Herkel welcomed the acquittal of several opposition
leaders and expressed regret that public TV has not yet been formed,
CE rapporteur on Azerbaijan David Atkinson said the Azerbaijani and
Armenian parliaments should also be involved in peace talks]