From: farid@mem.odu.edu (F. H. Miandoab)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.turkish
Subject: -->>> News - Azerbaijan <<<-- Jan. 25
Date: 26 Jan 1993 23:26:58 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
Reply-To: Turkish Cultural Program List <TRKNWS-L%USCVM.BitNet@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU>
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

The following news from Turan News Agency in Baku-Azerbaijan
is brought to you as a service of the:

                  <Azerbaijan Aydinlig Association>
                         P.O. Box 14571
                       Berkeley, CA 94701
                      FAX: (804) 490-3832
                    Email: farid@mem.odu.edu

P L E A S E make a hard copy of the news available to an Azerbaijani near you!
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


CHARGES AGAINST THE AIWA'S LEADER DISMISSED

   BAKU (25 JAN.) TURAN: Charges against chairman of the aiwa
(association of independent workers of azerbaijan), neymat
panahli, are dismissed. But it is not yet known when he will be
released from the bailov prison.
   Earlier all arrested activists of the aiwa were released.
   Panahli was arrested on the eve of the new year for an
attempt to conduct unsanctioned meeting in baku on december
31. He was charged with organizing of mass disorder and
investigated according to article 121 of criminal code of the
azerbaijan.
   Panahli is known in azerbaijan as one of the leaders of the
national-liberation movement. He has called for dissolution
of both the parliament and the cabinet of ministries as these
bodies were created under the former regime.--0--


RISE IN DRUG ABUSE

   BAKU (25 JAN.) TURAN: According to statistics of the azeri
minister of internal affairs, the number of drug abusers in the
country increased. 2,479 Cases of drug abuse has been registered
by january 1, 1993 by the ministry of internal affairs. This
figure represents a 13.5 Percent increase from 1991 data.--0--


DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER OF IRAN ARRIVES IN BAKU

   BAKU (25 JAN) TURAN: Deputy foreign minister of the islamic
republic of iran, meliki, will arrive in baku for an
official visit.
    The press-service of the azerbaijani foreign ministry
informs that the iranian diplomat's visit has been urged by the
necessity to discuss a number of matters regarding the
bilateral cooperation in the region.
    Observers do not rule out that the meliki's visit is related
with the resumed efforts by the csce to settle the azeri-armenian
conflict, in particular, with the recent visit of chairman of the
minsk peace conference for nagorno-karabakh, mario rafaelli to
baku.--0--



PARTY FOR NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE STARTS STRUGGLE FOR POWER

    BAKU (25 JAN.) TURAN: " If till the summer of 1993
parliamentary elections are not held, new government formed
and the state structures of new type created, then the
catastrophe is inevitable", chairman of the party for national
independence of azerbaijan, a leader of opposition, etibar
mamedov, warned today at the press-conference. He thinks that
the current government repeats the mistake once made by the
ex-president mutalibov as they are delaying parliamentary
elections. " The mess is observed not only in economy but in
foreign policy also", stressed mamedov and outlined that at the
bottom of this policy lie the absence of a program, lack of
agreement and confusion in the operation of the hierarchy of
power.
    "The forthcoming elections are going to prove the weakness
of the current leadership's stand, but everything would be done
to juggle with an outcome of the elections", announced etibar
mamedov.
    Regarding the prospects of his party for the parliamentary
elections, the leader of opposition classified them as "very
bright".
   Observers think that today's press-conference marks the
beginning of the pre-election campaign by the party for national
independence and its leader.--0--



BAKU STATES: THE WEST DISPLAYS NO CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE

   BAKU ( 25 JAN.) TURAN: Today at the press-conference held in
baku, the presidential advisor, vafa guluzade, expressed his deep
concern in connection with the observed policy of the western
countries, aimed at backing up armenia. " The recent attempts
to urge agiotage over the blockade of armenia are regarded in
baku as an absence of the constructive stand. It is not
azerbaijan that blockaded armenia, but the war unleashed by
armenia ", declared he.
   Guluzade outlined that "the consultations with mario
rafaelli showed rather clearly that the west wishes not so much
to settle the conflict as to hold ter-petrosyan in power."
   The adviser said that in the course of the january 24
consultations, mario rafaelli marked the positive changes, taken
place recently in the armenian approach to the conflict. In its
turn, azerbaijani side requested an official announcement about
it.
   Guluzade also stressed that at present armenia occupies one
tenth of the azerbaijani territory. " And azerbaijan must do
everything in its power to change the situation".
   The adviser outlined the azerbaijani leadership's wish to
find diplomatic and political solution to the conflict. But he
thinks that armenia must display an act of good will and void
the acts for joining karabakh to armenia, passed by the
armenian government.--0--


AZERBAIJAN'S OBSERVER ROLE IN CIS

   BAKU (25 JAN.) TURAN: "The participation of azerbaijan as an
observer in the cis frame is necessary and the summit of
the heads of states in minsk showed once again, that we followed
a correct policy ", - says the adviser of the azeri president on
international issues, vafa gulizade, at the press-conference
devoted to the results of the minsk summit.
   "This decision has a principal nature and in future will
promote the strengthening of the positions of azerbaijan", he
said.
   Gulizade considers that cis can have positive perspectives,
if participation in this organization would be of deliberative
nature. "No one republic will allow others to interfere in its
internal affairs. And it was evident when the ukraine and
byelorussia refused to sign the declaration for human's rights,
which provided a collective measure towards the republic,
considered as a violator of human's rights", - marked guluzade.--0--


EXPLOSION IN BARRACK

   BAKU (25 JAN.) TURAN: Turan agency was credibly informed
that one of the barracks of the azerbaijani armed forces
suffered from a huge explosion last night. As a result, 17
people were killed and 35 wounded.
   According to preliminary information, there are reasons to
think that sabotage took place there. An inquiry into the
incident has started.--0--


COMBATS CONTINUE

  BAKU (25 JAN.) TURAN: Reports received from the combat zone
inform that there are no serious military changes in the region.
  Intense combats are reported on the north of karabakh, where
azerbaijani units are conducting the operation for liberation of
the territory along the river of khachin-chay.
  The town of agdam came under shelling this morning from the
positions in askeran, a child was killed in the shelling.--0--

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