(Corrected) Azeri defence minister happy with US visit

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
29 Mar 04


(Correcting the source of the report to Azerbaijani private TV station
ATV. A corrected version of the item follows.)

Text of report by Azerbaijani private TV station ATV on 29 March

Defence Minister Safar Abiyev's six-day visit to the USA is
over. Assessing his meetings and their outcome as positive, Safar
Abiyev has highlighted US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld's
stance on the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. Mr Rumsfeld said that he
supported Baku's stage-by-stage resolution option.

Washington is content with a phase-by-phase solution to Nagornyy
Karabakh, Donald Rumsfeld told a meeting with Azerbaijani Defence
Minister Safar Abiyev.

A report from the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry about Abiyev's US visit
said that Rumsfeld called for a speedy resolution to the problem.

For his part, Safar Abiyev said that as Armenia was not adhering to
inviolability of borders and not implementing four resolutions of the
United Nations Organization, the world community should exert pressure
on Armenia.

Let us recall that the problem of Nagornyy Karabakh was also discussed
at Abiyev's meetings with other US officials. At a meeting with Mark
Grossman and US Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian
Affairs Lynn Pascoe at the US State Department, Abiyev drew attention
to Armenia's destructive position. At a meeting with Hedi Annabi, an
aide to the UN secretary-general, the Azerbaijani defence minister
spoke about terrorist acts carried out by Armenia and weapons and
ammunition which are being amassed in territories under occupation.

Video showed the Azeri and US ministers