Azernews.Az

A senior US official has come under fire from Azerbaijani opposition parties after reportedly saying that power is unlikely to change in the country following the 2008 presidential elections.
Musavat issued a strongly-worded statement last Wednesday, expressing concern over the remarks by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza.
Bryza, who co-chairs the OSCE Minsk Group brokering settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, said he did not expect major changes in the country after next year's vote. "There could be some candidates running for presidency but the picture is quite clear, and we can already say who will be elected," he was quoted by local media as saying.
Musavat pointed out that the diplomat's statement was inconsistent with the United States' considering itself a beacon of democracy and efforts to promote it in other parts of the world.
The party emphasized that one of the key duties of democratic countries is to support free and fair conduct of elections.
"From this standpoint, the co-chair's views come close to the United States' interfering with the election of authorities in Azerbaijan and cause lack of public confidence in elections, democratic values and the free world.
"We believe the co-chairmen's utterances run counter to the norms of political ethics and demand that the US government express its position on this irresponsible statement," the party said.
After the publications came out, Bryza moved to ease the tensions, saying his remarks had been misinterpreted.
"I never said that the outcome of the presidential elections is pre-defined and that there will be no change of power in Azerbaijan," he told local Turan news agency. "What I said was that 10 months remain till the vote, and it is unknown at this point who will be elected. But regardless of who becomes president, succession in the negotiated settlement of the Garabagh conflict and adherence to its basic principles will be maintained."