-= 907 =-

[MosJan]

SENATE APPROVES MORE THAN $90 MILLION IN ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA AND LIMITED WAIVER OF SECTION 907

The US Senate approved on Friday the FY2002 Foreign Operations Bill including more than $90 million in aid and military assistance to Armenia and a limited, conditional waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act.

 

 

The Armenian Assembly applauded the Bill's passage, which now goes to President George W. Bush for his signature. The Senate action follows a similar one in the House Thursday, which also approved the Bill by a vote of 357-66. The Assembly praised all Members of Congress for their leadership in assisting Armenia and strengthening U.S.-Armenia relations.

 

 

"The passage of this bill, which includes $94.3 million for Armenia, and first-ever U.S. military assistance to Armenia, will strengthen the U.S.-Armenia relationship in the military sphere and ensures that Armenian communities in the Caucasus are safeguarded from Azeri aggression. I would like to particularly commend the outstanding leadership and tenacity of Senator McConnell," said Assembly Government Relations Director Bryan Ardouny.

 

 

The Assembly was advised shortly after September 11 that given the current international crisis, presidential waiver authority of Section 907 would be granted in some form. The Assembly opposed both repeal and blanket waiver of this important legislation and worked to ensure that favorable conditions were included in the temporary and conditional 907 waiver.

 

 

The final agreement includes strong language emphasizing that any assistance to Azerbaijan cannot be used for aggressive purposes against Armenian communities in the Southern Caucasus. Congress also reserves the right to review the conditional waiver to Section 907 in the Fiscal Year 2003 Bill.

 

 

© Copyright AZG

 

[ January 30, 2002: Message edited by: PandukhT ]

[MosJan]

GEORGE BUSH DOES NOT HURRY TO WAIVE SECTION 907 APPREHENDING AZERBAIJAN WOULD BE EXPELLED FROM CE

07.01.2002

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The forecasts that the U.S. President will exercise the authority given to him by Congress to waive sanctions against Azerbaijan before the end of 2001 did not prove to be correct. George Bush has not signed the corresponding document until now and judging from the information from Washington and Baku, he does not intend to do it in the near future. Baku sources report the prudence of the American President is conditioned by the prospect of depriving Azerbaijan of the status of Council of Europe full member. As it is known a number of deputies of the Parliamentary Assembly of the CE, who represent the countries of the Western Europe, have come out with an initiative of waiving Azerbaijan membership in the organization, as official Baku did not fulfill a significant part of the obligations undertaken. The U.S. President will find himself in an awkward situation, if a few days after waiving sanctions against Azerbaijan the country is expelled from the Council of Europe. In the opinion of some Baku commentators, Bush is procrastinating the time, waiting for PACE final decision concerning meeting the commitments made by Azerbaijan. "Zerkalo" newspaper being published in Baku possesses information that "the American diplomacy does not sit on its hands: on the one hand it prompts official Baku to fulfilling the obligations, on the other it is trying to convince its allies in Western Europe that imposing too strict sanctions against Azerbaijan is not expedient."

 

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[MosJan]

AZERBAIJAN CONCERNED OVER DELAY OF 907 SECTION REPEAL

A Baku-based daily Echo writes that Azerbaijan is concerned with the delay of the official repeal of the Section 907, which prohibits the US government from providing direct aid to Azerbaijan.

 

 

"Though President Bush has been given the authority to waive the Section 907 and he was primarily expected to ratify the repeal before the end of 2001, but he does not seem to be hurrying to do it. Now the US administration says the Section will be repealed before the end of January 2002," it writes.

 

 

Citing unnamed diplomatic sources, the Azeri daily blames the delay on the OSCE parliamentarians, who demand that Azerbaijan should fulfil its commitments towards the Council of Europe, especially the one regarding political prisoners.

 

 

Furthermore, the daily writes, some members of the OSCE suggest that Azerbaijan should be temporarily deprived of its Council of Europe mandate for refusing to meet its obligations. In a letter, sent to Azerbaijani president Aliyev, the Council of Europe secretary general Schwimmer writes that even one political prisoner is already a serious breach for a Council of Europe member country.

 

 

© Copyright AZG

[MosJan]

U.S. PRESIDENT SIGNED DOCUMENT ON SECTION 907 REPEAL

12.01.2002

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.S. President George Bush signed a document concerning waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which banned U.S. Administration from rendering aid to Azerbaijan until it lifted the blockade of Armenia and Nagorno Artsax. A special recommendation should be prepared by the lawyers of U.S. President's Administration for the document to come into effect. The recommendation should substantiate the necessity for repeal of Section 907. Then the U.S. President will have to sign the document again. The process is expected to take no less than two weeks.

 

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[MosJan]

WASHINGTON CONSIDERS TEMPORARY WAIVER OF SECTION 907 TO DO GOOD TO Artsax CONFLICT SETTLEMENT

30.01.2002

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Temporary waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act will positively tell on the process of Artsax conflict settlement," – US National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack stated today. In his words, signing the decree on temporary waiver of sanctions against Azerbaijan, President Bush took into consideration the fact that official Baku seconded the United States antiterrorist campaign.

 

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[MosJan]

US ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE ELIZABETH JONES WAS IN BAKU

30.01.2002

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yesterday US Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Jones was in Baku on a short-term stay. She held a meeting with Azeri President Heydar Aliyev, in the course of which a number of regional and bilateral problems were discussed. Jones said that after the repeal of Section 907 new opportunities for strengthening and developing bilateral relations in all spheres had opened. On behalf of US President Bush, Vice-President Cheney and Pentagon head Rumsfeld she thanked Aliyev for active participation and support of US campaign against international terrorism. Assistant Secretary of State also showed interest in the results of Heydar Aliyev's visit to Moscow. Elizabeth Jones stayed in Baku for only four hours. Just after the meeting with Heydar Aliyev she departed for the airport to start on her journey to the Central Asian countries.

 

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[MosJan]

AZERI FOREIGN MINISTRY DOUBTS POSSIBILITY OF EXTENDING MORATORIUM ON APPLYING AMERICAN SANCTIONS AGAINST THE COUNTRY

30.01.2002

 

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Having soberly viewed the decision of US leadership concerning waiver of sanctions against Azerbaijan, official Baku set about a campaign, aiming at total repeal of Section 907. "Suspension of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act has created conditions for its total abolition," – Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Mahmud Mamed-Kuliyev stated yesterday. He noted that the foreign department was carrying out work in that regard. As it is known, Congress has given the President the authority to freeze the Section for only a year. It means that if the legislators do not pass a decision to extend the moratorium on application of the sanctions, the US Administration will be deprived of the right to render aid to Azerbaijan beginning January 2003. It is hardly possible for the political situation to the end of this year to be as favorable for Azerbaijan as in autumn 2001. Thus, it is hardly to believe in extension of the moratorium. Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry doubts it, too. "It is not known whether it will take place a year later," – Mahmud Mamed-Kuliyev stated.

 

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