AZERBAIJAN BETWEEN EAST AND WEST
RIA Novosti, Russia
Nov 8 2006
MOSCOW. (Dzheikhun Nadzhafov for RIA Novosti) – Before coming to
Moscow on November 8, Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev visited the
opposite geopolitical pole, Brussels. He is carrying on his father’s
policy of balancing and maneuvering.
The Azerbaijani president wants to maintain and develop constructive
relations with Moscow, although the country is also trying to strike
a geopolitical balance between East and West. Aliyev has to tread
very carefully so as not to irritate either side. However, it looks
as if relations with the Kremlin are reaching a new level.
Moscow’s influence in Azerbaijan is focused on political factors.
Azerbaijan does not receive Russian state investment, loans or grants,
and Russian capital does not play a major role in the Azerbaijani
economy.
A year ago, Baku signed a framework agreement with Russian aluminum
giant RusAl on the construction in Azerbaijan of an aluminum plant
worth $1 billion, but ground has still not been broken on the project.
In early December, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov will
visit Baku, becoming the first Russian premier to visit Azerbaijan
since Soviet times. His visit should add zest to bilateral economic
relations.
The Kremlin has a strong political standing in Azerbaijan, notably in
settling the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, NATO’s
Secretary General, said during his visit to Moscow that Russia played
a major role in resolving South Caucasian conflicts. He said Russia
was an irreplaceable factor in the efforts to restore peace in areas
of ethnic tension in the former Soviet states.
Some Azerbaijani politicians think NATO might join forces with Russia
to settle the Karabakh problem.
Now that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which bypasses
Russia, has been inaugurated, the West intends to ensure the safe
and uninterrupted flow of oil along it. This calls for settling the
Karabakh problem, which is impossible without Russia.
The pipeline can be described as an American political and economic
project in a region that is in the sphere of Russian interests. The
parties may decide to follow up the oil pipeline with a gas pipeline
from Baku through Tbilisi to Erzurum.
President Aliyev recently made an interesting comment, with Moscow
and Tehran in mind. He said in an interview with the Qatar-based
television channel Al Jazeera: “The [Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan] pipeline
is not spearheaded against anyone. On the contrary, we hope that
it will also benefit our neighbors after we expand it and build a
parallel pipeline.”
He did not specify what kind of “parallel pipeline” might be built
and how Azerbaijan’s neighbors would use it, but he had an important
reason for disclosing the possibility.
In principle, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline will have
sufficient capacity for delivering oil from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan,
which means that Aliyev has offered a purely political project (the
parallel pipeline) to the neighboring oil producers, Russia and Iran.
Russia will be able to use the BTC pipeline to transport its oil
only after 2015-2020, when Azerbaijan’s Azeri, Chyrag and Gyuheshli
oilfields become depleted.
However, the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan will discuss not
only oil projects in Moscow, but also Azerbaijan’s relations with
NATO. Political analysts in Azerbaijan say uncertainty surrounding
Azerbaijan’s admission to NATO is creating problems in the
Baku-Moscow-Brussels triangle.
When Geidar Aliyev, the father of the current president, came to
power in Azerbaijan, he made certain promises to NATO in a bid to
strengthen his own and the country’s position. After the dissolution
of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan intuitively moved toward the West.
But when Russia got back on its feet, Baku halted its incorporation
into NATO.
The current balancing act between Moscow and NATO suits the Azerbaijani
elite, because it offers them a chance to obtain support from both
sides. Moreover, a vague foreign policy allows the government to avoid
“cumbersome commitments.”
So, where will Azerbaijan move? Ilkham Aliyev may have to answer this
question on his trip to Moscow.
Dzheikhun Nadzhafov is deputy editor-in-chief of the Azerbaijani
weekly Obozrevatel.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and
may not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial board.

RUSSIA NOT TO RAISE GAS PRICES FOR ARMENIA
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Nov 8 2006
YEREVAN, November 7. /ARKA/. RA Minister of Finance of Economy Vardan
Khachatryan believes that Russia will not raise the prices for gas
supplied to Armenia. However, he does not rule out transit problems.
“This process is unclear, and it is the people involved in it that
must be asked about it,” the Minister said.
On April 6, 2006, the Armenian Government and the “Gasprom” OJSC
signed an agreement on strategic cooperation for 25 years.
Under the agreement, the ArmRosgasprom CJSC is to purchase the 5th
power unit of the Hrazdan TPP from Armenia for $248.8mln. A total of
$188.8mln will be directed to the compensation for the population’s
expenses as a result of rise in gas prices during the next three years,
and $60mln will be paid to the RA state budget.
“Gasprom” pledged to complete the construction of the 5th power unit as
well as construct a gas-turbine plant with a capacity of 140 megawatts
within two years.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA CONCENTRATES ON BALANCING ACT BETWEEN RUSSIA AND GEORGIA
Haroutiun Khachatrian
EurasiaNet, NY
Nov 8 2006
Worsening relations between Georgia and Russia continue to pose a
difficult problem for Armenia, as it tries to maintain some form of
balance in its relations with the two sides.
The effect of these tensions for the Armenian economy remains a
paramount concern. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive.]
Armenian President Robert Kocharian’s October 30-November 1 state
visit to Russia, which included meetings with Russian President
Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, was a case in
point. In remarks to reporters, Kocharian noted that while Russia’s
transportation blockade with Georgia could pose difficulties for
bilateral trade between Russia and Armenia, “serious [Russian]
investment projects” would help compensate Yerevan for any economic
damage done by the Georgian embargo, the ITAR-TASS quoted Kocharian as
saying. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive.]
Those investments appear to be growing. Russian energy giant Gazprom’s
acquisition of a controlling stake in the country’s gas distribution
network and, through this, potential control over an Armenian
section of an Iranian gas pipeline, its recent takeover of the fifth
unit of the Hrazdan electricity plant, and Russian company Rusal’s
modernization of aluminum manufacturer Armenal are among the most
prominent of these “serious” investment projects. Unlike neighboring
Georgia, Armenia will see its current $110 per 1,000 cubic meters
price for Gazprom gas frozen until 2009 in return for transferring
ownership of the Hrazdan unit to the Russian company, the government
has announced. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive.]
On November 3, announcement was also made that the Russian firm
VimpelCom has purchased a 90 percent stake in ArmenTel, the country’s
main mobile telecommunications carrier. The government will retain
the remaining 10 percent stake in the company.
Despite these signs of robust business ties, concerns about Russia’s
position toward Armenia have been growing since mid-October, when
nationalist Russian parliamentarian Konstantin Zatulin, a member
of the pro-Kremlin party United Russia, protested at an October
17 meeting of the Russian-Armenian inter-parliamentary commission
in Yerevan that Armenia “does not support its strategic partner
[Russia]” in its conflict with Georgia. Zatulin, who has previously
cast himself as pro-Armenian on the issue of the disputed territory
of Nagorno-Karabakh, called on Yerevan to choose between “normal
relations” with Russia or Georgia, the daily newspaper Haykakan
Zhamanak reported.
Zatunin’s statements met with almost unanimous protest by the Armenian
political elite, although some, like Armen Ashotian, a member of the
governing Republican Party, have stressed that the remark is the view
of one politician, not the official position of the Russian Federation.
Nonetheless, Armenian officials have continued to address the
Russian-Georgian dispute cautiously. “Current Russian-Georgian
relations are these countries’ internal problem,” Prime Minister
Andranik Margarian said at a joint press conference on October 24
with Belarusian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorski. “Armenia… should
not interfere with the resolution of this problem.”
Margarian, however, has stated that Armenia is ready to “help with
the… solution” for the impasse between President Putin and Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili if asked by Russia or Georgia.
So far, neither Moscow nor Tbilisi has shown interest in mediation.
At a November 1 meeting on the sidelines of a Moscow gathering
of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation, Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian and Georgian Foreign Minister Gela
Bezhuashvili met, but details on the conversation were scarce. In a
succinct statement, the Armenian Foreign Ministry stated that the
two men discussed “issues of bilateral relations, the influence
of Russian-Georgian relations on the region and possibilities for
softening the current tension,” the news service Mediamax reported.
Before the talks, Georgian Ambassador to Armenia Revaz Gachechiladze,
in an October 30 meeting with National Assembly Chairman Tigran
Torosian, thanked Armenia for its “balanced approach.”
Greater speculation about Armenia’s relations with Georgia and Russia
has surfaced in media coverage of the October 10 arrest of Vahagn
Chakhalian, one of the leaders of the Miasnakan Javakhk, or United
Javakhk, non-governmental organization in Georgia’s predominantly
ethnic Armenian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. Chakhalian was jailed
for two months pending trial for having allegedly “illegally” crossed
Georgia’s border with Armenia. On October 30, he was released. Some
local publications have argued that the release was at Russia’s
request.
Chakhalian’s arrest surprised most Armenians since no visa regime
exists between the two states; the arrest of an ethnic Armenian
for entering Armenia struck many as strange. Some members of the
opposition, including the Dashink Party of former Nagorno-Karabakh
warlord Samvel Babayan, said the arrest had been made at the request
of Tbilisi officials who wanted to curtail United Javakhk’s support
for ethnic Armenians in Samtskhe-Javakheti. (The leader of a rival
non-governmental organization to Miasnakan Javakhk has gone even
further, charging that Chakhalian was working with Georgian special
services to destabilize the region and push ethnic Armenians out
of the area.) The movement’s opposition to the construction of the
Kars-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki railroad, which will connect the region with
Turkey, was seen as the reason for such action.
Both pro-government and opposition publications share strong opposition
to this project. Yerevan fears the line would further isolate Armenia,
currently hemmed in by blockades on its borders with Turkey and
Azerbaijan. On October 19, the pro-government daily newspaper Hayots
Ashkharh published an analysis that argued that the railroad would
damage ties between Armenia and Georgia, and urged the Saakashvili
government not to harm its relations with Armenia for “a $200 million
bribe by Turks and Azeris.”
The opposition newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak, a pro-Western publication
close to former President Levon Ter-Petrossian’s Armenian National
Movement, has taken a different approach. In its October 19 issue, the
paper argued that Russia could use Miasnakan Javakhk to put pressure
on Georgia. The newspaper Iravunk followed that line on November 3,
saying that Miasnakan Javakhk’s “strongly pro-Russian” position and
activities are “certain to worry Armenian Prime Minister… Margarian
and [Defense Minister] Serzh Sarkisian” as they pursue dialogue with
the West.
The government, to date, has not responded to the allegations.
Editor’s Note: Haroutiun Khachatrian is a Yerevan-based writer
specializing in economic and political affairs.

GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS SELLING ITS STAKE IN ARMENTEL TO FUTURE BUYER
By Astghik Bedevian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 8 2006
The Armenian government is likely to sell its 10 percent stake in
the Armenian Telephone Company (ArmenTel) to its future buyer if the
latter vows to end its monopoly on Armenia’s telecom market.
Armenia’s Minister of Transport and Communication Andranik Manukian,
who was entrusted last week to manage the state-held share in the
company, announced Wednesday that the government will not object to
Vimpel-Communications buying the remaining 10 percent share if the
Russian mobile operator rejects all types of monopolies currently
enjoyed by ArmenTel.
“We kept our shares to be able to influence somehow the company’s
decisions during the meetings of its shareholders,” Manukian said,
adding that if the monopoly provisions are reconsidered ‘prices
will result from competition and there will be no question of tariff
policy regulation.’
“It seems to me that the government’s participation with its 10
percent stake will not give anything. For us it is important that the
monopoly provisions be removed,” the minister said, giving assurances
that the government will not give up its stake otherwise.
Vimpel-Communications agreed last week to buy a 90 percent stake in
ArmenTel Greece’s Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA for
341.9 million euros ($436.3 million) plus about 40 million euros
(US$51 million) in debt.
ArmenTel has about 600,000 fixed-line and 400,000 mobile subscribers.
Vimpel-Communications operates phone services in Russia and Kazakhstan
and recently acquired cellular operators in Ukraine, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan and Georgia. The Group’s cellular license portfolio covers
a territory with a population of about 237 million.

KAZAKHSTAN’S AMBASSADOR: KAZAKHSTAN’S POSITION TOWARD AZERBAIJAN’S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY REMAINS UNCHANGED
Author: A. Ismayilova
TREND, Azerbaijan
Nov 8 2006
“Kazakhstan acknowledges the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan”,
Andar Shukputov, Kazakhstan Ambassador to Azerbaijan, has told
journalists today, commenting the information spread by some media
sources concerning Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s alleged
statements concerning his highly appreciation of Armenia’s policy
and his alleged support to Kazakhstan’s entrepreneurs’ involvement to
precious metal mining on the occupied territories of Nagorno-Karabakh
during the official visit of Armenian President Robert Kocharyan,
Trend reports.
According to the Kazakhstan Ambassador, the information was
misrepresented by those media sources who handed over it.
“That concerned the work of Kazakhstan’s entrepreneurs on the territory
of Armenia. Kazakhstan’s position toward the territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan remains unchanged”, stated the Kazakhstan diplomat.

OVERVIEW: EU STANCES ON TURKEY
Cafe Babel, France
Nov 8 2006
With the EU progress reports on Turkey coming out this week, the
country is in the spotlight. Where do the EU members stand on its
membership bid?
Roughly there are three groups. Those who are in favour of Turkish
entry, those who are against and those who are stuck in the middle.
The United Kingdom and Finland are two countries in favour of Turkish
membership. The Finnish Presidency has for months been engaging
in ´sauna diplomacy´, trying to find a solution to the problem of
Cyprus, that is to say the opening of Turkish ports and harbours to
Cypriot ships and planes. In December the Council is expected to say
whether or not Turkey has made sufficient progress on this issue,
but Commission President Barroso has stated he expects trouble ahead.
France and Germany are against. In Germany, the coalition government
is split, with the SPD in favour of membership and the CDU in favour
of a ´privileged partnership´ with Turkey, stopping short of full
membership. In France, elections are upcoming. The likely candidate
for the right, Nicolas Sarkozy, is against Turkish membership As for
the left, it is still unclear, but it was the Socialist party which
introduced a bill making it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered
genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks after the first world war.
France will have a referendum on Turkish membership before negotiations
are concluded.
Others, mostly the new member states, seem undecided. Poland, while
inclined to listen to Pope Benedict´s claim that Turkey is perhaps
not culturally a part of Europe , is demanding fair treatment of
candidate states, Turkey among them.
–Boundary_(ID_7eD9QU69DYrC3YITapz/gw)–

SABANCI: EUROPE NEEDS TURKEY MORE THAN TURKEY NEEDS EUROPE
Anatolian Times, Turkey
Nov 8 2006
ANKARA – “In the long run and in economic terms Europe needs Turkey
more than Turkey needs Europe,” Sabanci Holding Chairman Guler Sabanci
has indicated.
In her article published in Financial Times, Sabanci stated, “Turkey
has been an integral part the twists and turns of European history
for 700 years. We should remember this long history of engagement
when discussing Turkey’s European Union membership and negotiations,
which formally began just last year. An EU report on the progress of
the talks, due to be released tomorrow, is being seen by some as a
‘breaking point’.”
She underlined, “the progress report is an interim document that
underlines what still remains to be done, as opposed to celebrating
what has been achieved. By its very nature it cannot do justice to
the profound importance of these talks when it comes to facing the
global issues of tomorrow.”
“The main challenges facing humanity over the coming century cannot
be tackled at the level of a single nation state. Climatic changes,
potential pandemics, the gap between rich and poor, security and
immigration all are problems that require a governance system that
covers significantly more than current sovereign areas. The EU is a
vaguely understood, but courageous, search for such a new governance
structure. My country has to be a part of this. Turning inward and
trying to close the world out is a backward step, both for the EU
and Turkey,” Sabanci indicated.
She noted, “the strategic importance of Turkey within Europe is
undeniable. Its experience with multi-ethnic and multi-denominational
governance structures, geographic position, historical ties with
and knowledge of areas to its south and east, its young population,
access to energy and control of water resources make Turkey a critical
player in the emerging EU.”
“The main problem is political. Economic fears are often cited but
those arguments are quite empty. For sure, the current rules of the
EU would require a transfer of resources to Turkey for about 10 to 15
years. However, in plain business terms the discounted present value
of Turkey’s contributions to an ageing Europe beyond that period is
greater than the outlay. In the long run, in economic terms Europe
needs Turkey more than Turkey needs Europe,” Sabanci stated.
“We are moving towards a lofty goal but the road there is narrow and
leaves little room for manoeuvre. After 700 years of dealing with
each other, all parties can point to historical reasons for caution.
As the process is not really one of “negotiating” but checking to
see if Turkey fulfils certain conditions for entry, it is by its
very nature unilateral. Any unilateral process is open to all sorts
of misunderstandings that need a conscious effort to prevent or undo.
There are some principles to follow that will make this process
easier,” she noted.
“First, unilateral does not – should not – mean ‘arbitrary’ or
‘variable’. If it is seen that way the ‘candidate’ may lose interest.
Something of this nature has been happening to Turkish public opinion,
in particular with respect to Cyprus. After the accession of a
divided Cyprus to the EU – in spite of the Greek Cypriot rejection of
the United Nations plan supported by the EU – the agreement whereby
sanctions on North Cyprus were to be lifted as a first step seems to
have been forgotten. Yet the demands on Turkey remain,” Sabanci said.
“Second, there is a need to find a way of providing ‘wiggle room’ for
all parties to allow politicians to win the support of their public.
It is in no one’s interest to push any party into a corner from which
they cannot emerge,” she noted.
Sabanci indicated, “third, the EU must avoid blatant asymmetry.
Turkey can not be chastised for parts of its penal code that may
inhibit freedom of expression while member states try to criminalise
historical debate about what happened to Armenian and Turkish
communities during the first world war in a manner that inhibits free
speech and research to expose the truth.”
“Fourth, there is a need to keep ‘pressure’ in the system to ensure
that the requisite reforms are being implemented, in particular the
legal protection of the individual. This should not be hard as there
are many non-governmental organizations in Turkey pushing for such
reforms irrespective of the EU talks,” she said.
Sabanci added, “most important there is a need for sincerity,
an honest effort on both sides to arrive at a successful result,
Turkey’s accession as a full member.”

“RESOLUTION IS EU PARADOX”
Sabah, Turkey
Nov 8 2006
Social democrat leader Bos who is anticipated to become the Prime
Minister of Holland in the election on November 22nd spoke to Sabah
about Turkey’s road to the EU; and the Armenian genocide and law
preparations regarding this.
Wouter Bos stated that the issue of the Armenian Genocide is always
on the agenda of Turkey’s relationship with the EU. Bos stated that
this issue can not be put forward as a preliminary condition to
Turkey. He said: “this issue which could not be solved for a century
should be discussed openly and confidently. Barristers should decide
the definition of genocide and whether it is planned and proven.” The
French Parliament’s accepting the legal bill of denial of genocide
is an approach opposite to the freedom of expression. While Turkey is
asked to take steps regarding human rights and freedom of expression,
one EU country accepts such a bill limiting this liberty; which is
a paradox for the EU. This, in turn ruins the dependability of the
European Union.”

GOING UP IN SMOKE?
By Times Team
Kenya Times, Kenya
Nov 8 2006
Security: Mp Laments Insecurity Has Reached Unprecedented Levels,
Cites Incidents Ranging From Carjackings, Raids To Ethnic Clashes
THE Government was yesterday put on notice over rampant insecurity
amid claims that the controversial Armenian brothers Artur Margaryan
and Sargarsyan could be back in the country.
Ndhiwa MP Jodhua Orwa Ojodeh (Narc) raised the issue in parliament,
demanding that Internal Security and Provincial Administration minister
John Michuki provides comprehensive statement on what the government
was doing to address insecurity in the country and to either confirm
or deny that the Armenian brothers are in the country.
The MP gave a chronology of unabated criminal incidents in the country
that included the Mathare flare-up as well as the recent raid on
Michuki’s Kangema home that also left a chief shot dead and sought
to know what the Government was doing about them.
Ojodeh raised the question parliament only hours after four armed
gangsters casually walked into Mombasa’s Moi Avenue Post Bank branch
and walked away with Sh 7.5 million.
He did not, however, give any more details regarding the Artur brothers
who were deported from the country in June after causing a security
scare at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). The two had
drawn a gun to force into the country a passenger and luggage without
being inspected.
Mr. Michuki was not in the House, but his assistant Kingi Kahindi
promised to issue a statement later.
Speaker Francis Ole Kaparo who was in the Chair concurred with the
MP that the issue being raised was of grave concern and asked the
government to take the matter seriously.
Mr Michuki is under pressure following a sharp upsurge in incidents of
insecurity in the recent past with flare ups in Mathare, Kuresoi and
Kuria-Transmara border as well as spiralling cases of, bank robberies
and car-jackings.
In Mathare’s case, six people were killed on Monday night while
thousands were left homeless as bloody violence continued to
escalate. Police reports indicate that three of the people were hacked
to death during the violence while three others were shot dead by
intervening officers.
Even as Nairobi Provincial Commissioner Joseph Waweru slapped a 7.00
pm to 7.00 am curfew on Mathare residents, hundreds of them were by
yesterday evening fleeing their homes in fear of reprisal attacks by
members of outlawed gangs Mungiki and Taliban gangs, whom the police
yesterday attributed the violence to.
A contingent of General Service Unit (GSU) was last evening dispatched
to the sprawling slums as the regular and administration police
officers who had been stationed there were withdrawn following
accusation of alleged complicity.
In Kuresoi, latest reports say police gunned down four suspected
arsonists as renewed wave of ethnic skirmishes entered its fourth
day in the troubled division of Nakuru District, bringing to eight,
the number of lives so far lost since Sunday.
According to the Rift Valley Provincial Police Officer, Everret Wasige,
the four were caught up with by security personnel torching houses at
Gacharage Farm while armed with bows, poisoned arrows and pangas which
they allegedly used to attack the police when challenged to surrender.
Two weeks ago, assistant minister, Dr Wilfred Machage, escaped death
by a whisker around the same area when an arrow aimed at him hit a
wallet on his chest pocket leaving him with only minor bruise.
According to reports, two of the dead men involved in the Mathare
flare-up were killed by suspected members of the outlawed Mungiki
sect while the others were shot dead by police who found them wielding
panga’s and other crude weapons.
Besides these incidents, the rate of car-jackings and theft in the
city and the country in general have risen sharply with the latest
being the weekend theft at City Hall in which the Deputy Mayor’s
chain was stolen, the attempted car-jacking and shooting at a car
being driven by Kisumu Rural’s MP Prof Anyang Nyong’o’s wife Dorothy
and the raid in Michuki’s home.
In Parliament, Ojodeh expressed grave concerns over the contradicting
reports attributed to the Police Commissioner Ali and Mr Michuki
after the attack at the minister’s home.
“Was the raid at Michuki’s home stage managed?”, he posed. “Police
Commissioner says no raid, but Michuki confirms the attack in his
home”.
“In 1975 before former MP J.M Kariuki was murdered, there were planned
bomb attacks at OTC bus stage and Norfolk Hotel. Are Kenyans safe or
is there planned assassination of prominent persons?,” he questioned.
The MP cited other insecurity incidents among them the mayhem in
Kibera three weeks ago.
In Mathare yesterday, a vehicle belonging to one of the residents and
a private clinic operated by an International NGO were set ablaze by
irate mob. Upendo clinic and the pick up car were burnt yesterday in
the morning.
According to the residents, the violence which begun on Sunday has
spread to neighbouring villages in the slum due to alleged incitement
by unnamed politicians and police laxity to patrol the affected
villages at night.
They said the initial conflict revolved around Mungiki adherents and
traders of illegal brew “Chang’aa” over payment of bribes.
Yesterday, Nairobi Provincial Police Officer King’ori Mwangi led a
contingent of administration and regular police officers in the area
to diffuse tension. It was, however, evident that irate residents
were uncomfortable with police presence, accusing them of patrolling
the slums during the day and deserting then at night when the enemies
attack.
Several people have been injured in the skirmishes that begun on Sunday
when a group of chang’aa traders clashed with Mungiki adherents. The
traders accused sect members of demanding at least Sh100 to operate
the illegal trade.
The skirmishes have also sucked in police officers in the area who
are accused of offering protection to alleged known gang members.
Over 200 houses have been reduced to ashes since Sunday as a number
of shops and houses were looted during the night violence.

PRIME MINISTER MEETS WITH HIS JORDANIAN COUNTERPART
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Nov 8 2006
After Azerbaijan’s Prime Minister Artur Rasizade and visiting Prime
Minister and Defense Minister of Jordan Marouf al-Bakhit met behind
closed doors, the meeting continued in the presence of the two
countries’ delegations.
Mr. Rasizade said he welcomes the level of political cooperation
between the two countries.
He expressed gratitude to Jordan’s Government for supporting Azerbaijan
within various international organizations.
The Premier also spoke of Azerbaijan’s economic progress, adding his
country is the initiator of the global energy and transport projects
in the region.
Artur Rasizade also spoke of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan’s efforts towards finding a peaceful
solution to the dispute.
Jordanian Premier Marouf al-Bakhit stressed the importance of enhancing
the bilateral economic ties, adding establishment of inter-departmental
commissions will contribute to this.
The meeting ended with the signing of a number of interparliamentary
agreements, including ones on economy and tourism.