Presence Of Secret CIA Prisons In Azerbaijan Seems Credible
American mass media confirm that Azerbaijan is involved in illegal transfer of people suspected for connections with extremist groupings.
Official Baku denies accusations of Western press resources, connected with the scandal over secret American prisons. In a large number of publications Azerbaijan was accused of assistance to American special services, dealing with secret transfer of people, suspected for connections with extremist groupings.
The Minister of Justice of Azerbaijan calls groundless the information that a secret prison, functioning on the territory of Azerbaijan, illegally keeps people who are not sentenced to imprisonment. Despite the assurance of Baku leaders, Azeri journalists have already started discussing the forms and terms of possible sanctions applied by European structures, in case the information of Western mass media is found to be true.
American journalists have good grounds to believe that Azerbaijan has to be included in the list of countries where secret CIA prisons might be functioning. It is noteworthy that according to "Washington post" such prisons have been created in seven Eastern European countries - "from Romania to Azerbaijan". Continuing the journalistic investigation, reporters of "Associated press" have established that in January 2003 a suspicious "Golfstream IV" plane, supposedly transporting captives, made an intermediate landing in Frankfurt and flew to Baku. The "Boston Globe" paper managed to find out that the owner of the reactive plane was the vice-chairman of "Boston Red Sox" baseball team - Philip Morse. Later on Morse confirmed that he had leased his plane to a company, which, as it became known later, worked on CIA. Informed sources reported to "Seattle Times" paper that the "plane's passengers were handcuffed people". According to the same sources the airliner has been seen all over the world, from Pakistan and Jordan to Azerbaijan and Morocco. Those facts give grounds to suppose that the leaders of Azerbaijan have directly participated in the illegal forced transfer of people whose blame was not proved by the court. Those facts also provoke the anxiety of the European Union and European Council. At the end of November, EC Secretary General Terry Davis sent official inquiries to the governments of the organization's member states and made an appeal to check reports on the presence of American prisons and secret transfer of captives. Official Yerevan informed that nothing of the kind was found and could be found on the territory of Armenia. The Armenian government's reply seems to be convincing for the leaders of European structures, since Yerevan has been above suspicion from the very beginning of the story. However, the same cannot be said about Azerbaijan. The doubtful secret deals between Azeri leaders and American special services have long ago aroused the suspicion of EU and EC. In Brussels and Strasburg they are alarmed at the fact that Azerbaijan has extradited to USA people, suspected for terrorism without court decision. Meanwhile, according to EC obligations, assumed by official Baku in 2001, Azerbaijan had no right to do that. Azerbaijan does not have the right to extradite suspects to countries where death penalty is practiced, without written guarantees from the government that the extradited person will not sentenced to death. However, during the past years, Azerbaijan has extradited more than 30 people suspected in terrorism to USA, Egypt and Turkey. Thus, it can be noted that American special services have good grounds to count on the pliability of Azeri leaders even in cases with open violations of international norms.
Azerbaijan is not the only country, involved in the scandal. There are little doubts about the involvement of Romania in the scandalous story. Bucharest is usually mentioned in this context more often than the other Eastern-European capitals. In Brussels they say, that if accusations are proved EU will refuse Romania's full membership. Azerbaijan does not pretend to become a EU member yet, but hopes for success in the negotiations on the development of a plan of actions with EU within the frames of New Neighborhood policy. So, what will be if it turns out that Azerbaijan was really connected with the secret transfer of captives or if secret CIA prisons really exist on the territory of Azerbaijan? This question is answered by Azeri journalists. Baku-published "Zerkalo" paper writes: "In case the information is confirmed, European structures will apply serious sanctions against the country and Azerbaijan will risk its «European future". Though currently the information on secret CIA prisons in Azerbaijan is hypothetic, it does not exclude the possibility of international investigation and confirmation of that information in future."
American journalists have good grounds to believe that Azerbaijan has to be included in the list of countries where secret CIA prisons might be functioning. It is noteworthy that according to "Washington post" such prisons have been created in seven Eastern European countries - "from Romania to Azerbaijan". Continuing the journalistic investigation, reporters of "Associated press" have established that in January 2003 a suspicious "Golfstream IV" plane, supposedly transporting captives, made an intermediate landing in Frankfurt and flew to Baku. The "Boston Globe" paper managed to find out that the owner of the reactive plane was the vice-chairman of "Boston Red Sox" baseball team - Philip Morse. Later on Morse confirmed that he had leased his plane to a company, which, as it became known later, worked on CIA. Informed sources reported to "Seattle Times" paper that the "plane's passengers were handcuffed people". According to the same sources the airliner has been seen all over the world, from Pakistan and Jordan to Azerbaijan and Morocco. Those facts give grounds to suppose that the leaders of Azerbaijan have directly participated in the illegal forced transfer of people whose blame was not proved by the court. Those facts also provoke the anxiety of the European Union and European Council. At the end of November, EC Secretary General Terry Davis sent official inquiries to the governments of the organization's member states and made an appeal to check reports on the presence of American prisons and secret transfer of captives. Official Yerevan informed that nothing of the kind was found and could be found on the territory of Armenia. The Armenian government's reply seems to be convincing for the leaders of European structures, since Yerevan has been above suspicion from the very beginning of the story. However, the same cannot be said about Azerbaijan. The doubtful secret deals between Azeri leaders and American special services have long ago aroused the suspicion of EU and EC. In Brussels and Strasburg they are alarmed at the fact that Azerbaijan has extradited to USA people, suspected for terrorism without court decision. Meanwhile, according to EC obligations, assumed by official Baku in 2001, Azerbaijan had no right to do that. Azerbaijan does not have the right to extradite suspects to countries where death penalty is practiced, without written guarantees from the government that the extradited person will not sentenced to death. However, during the past years, Azerbaijan has extradited more than 30 people suspected in terrorism to USA, Egypt and Turkey. Thus, it can be noted that American special services have good grounds to count on the pliability of Azeri leaders even in cases with open violations of international norms.
Azerbaijan is not the only country, involved in the scandal. There are little doubts about the involvement of Romania in the scandalous story. Bucharest is usually mentioned in this context more often than the other Eastern-European capitals. In Brussels they say, that if accusations are proved EU will refuse Romania's full membership. Azerbaijan does not pretend to become a EU member yet, but hopes for success in the negotiations on the development of a plan of actions with EU within the frames of New Neighborhood policy. So, what will be if it turns out that Azerbaijan was really connected with the secret transfer of captives or if secret CIA prisons really exist on the territory of Azerbaijan? This question is answered by Azeri journalists. Baku-published "Zerkalo" paper writes: "In case the information is confirmed, European structures will apply serious sanctions against the country and Azerbaijan will risk its «European future". Though currently the information on secret CIA prisons in Azerbaijan is hypothetic, it does not exclude the possibility of international investigation and confirmation of that information in future."
