23:32, 28 October 2004

Azerbaijan authorities deny participating in US operation against Iran

The Baztab website, close to Iranian special services, spread information yesterday about the gathering of Azerbaijan troops on the border with Iran. According to the report, 10 radars and 5 helicopters are stationed on the Azerbaijan-Iranian border now. "Azerbaijan bought 15 T-82 tanks from Ukraine to reinforce the army and negotiates the buying of another 10 tanks," reads the report. The helicopters, located in Lenkoran, collect information and transmit it to the United States, asserts Baztab.

In his interview with the Caucasian Knot correspondent, spokesman for the Azerbaijan Defense Ministry Ramiz Melikov called such reports disinformation. Staff of the Iranian Embassy to Azerbaijan have also pointed out that such information may prove to be "a journalist invention."

Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Elmar Mamediarov said: "I've got no such information, and there're no talks in this direction."

Earlier Azerbaijan media outlets published an article, referring to the Canadian outlet Cmag, claiming that official Washington can launch an attack on Iran before the US presidential election.

Author: Zaur Rasulzade, CK correspondent

Source: Caucasian Knot