July 25, 2008 - 17:07 AMT
WSP assists leaders of Asian states in meeting with U.S. administration for good fee
Worldwide Strategic Partners consulting corporation founded by well-known U.S. lobbyist Stephen Payne assists leaders of Asian states in meeting with the U.S. administration for good fee, The Sunday Times reports.

"Houston-based Worldwide Strategic Partners Inc. arranged for the president of Azerbaijan to visit the United States and meet with President Bush ... (and) arranged a private phone call between the vice president of the United States and the president of Azerbaijan. It also states that he "developed" and placed a series of op-ed pieces written by influential U.S. officials to boost positive U.S. public perception about Azerbaijan," the report says.

WSP also "worked" with members of the Helsinki Committee to smooth the wording in the American press regarding the outcomes of the 2006 presidential election in Azerbaijan and helped a media campaign to discredit the Azeri opposition.

A series of editorials and comments by famous U.S. politicians was published to create a positive image of Azerbaijan.