Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06BAKU1811
2006-12-12 13:08:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Baku
Cable title:  

ANS TV AND RADIO RESUME BROADCASTS

Tags:  PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM KPAO AJ 
pdf how-to read a cable
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C O N F I D E N T I A L BAKU 001811 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR AND DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM KPAO AJ
SUBJECT: ANS TV AND RADIO RESUME BROADCASTS

REF: BAKU 1713

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Jason P. Hyland per 1.4 (b,d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAKU 001811

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR AND DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/12/2016
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KDEM KPAO AJ
SUBJECT: ANS TV AND RADIO RESUME BROADCASTS

REF: BAKU 1713

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Jason P. Hyland per 1.4 (b,d).


1. (C) At a December 11 press conference, National TV and
Radio Council (NTRC) Chair Nushiravan Maharramli announced
that independent media group ANS would be allowed to resume
television and radio broadcasts on December 12. (ANS
broadcasts had been suspended on November 24, when the NTRC
decided not to renew ANS' broadcast license on grounds that
ANS had violated broadcasting regulations, see reftel).
Citing appeals made by "Azerbaijan's intelligentsia, sports
figures, leading media outlets, and (GOAJ human rights)
ombudswoman," Maharramli said the decision to resume ANS
broadcasts had been made at a December 11 NTRC meeting,
attended by ANS representatives Mirshahin Agayev and Seyfulla
Mustafayev. Maharramli noted that this decision would not
restore ANS' license; he said that ANS must participate in
the NTRC's ongoing tender for ANS' frequency in order for the
license to be restored. ANS VP Seyfulla Mustafayev confirmed
to PAO today that ANS would participate in the tender, adding
that ANS had been told that is "the way to resolve the
problem."


2. (U) ANS resumed FM radio broadcasts in the early morning
hours of December 12, and resumed its television broadcasts
with its regularly scheduled 12:00 pm news program on
December 12. It also ran its regularly scheduled 3:00 pm
news program. Embassy staff who watched both broadcasts
report that they were up to ANS' usual independent standards,
reporting issues of interest both to the government and the
opposition. Other programming during the day has focused on
historical films, as December 12 is the third anniversary of
Heydar Aliyev's death and all television channels are showing
cultural or historic broadcasts in deference to the occasion.


3. (C) There is widespread speculation among Baku's
political commentators about the possible reasons for the
decision to allow ANS to resume broadcasts pending the
outcome of the tender for its license. The decision
represents a major about-face for NTRC Chairman Maharramli,
who publicly excluded this possibility on December 8. Some
observers have hailed the decision as the positive result of
public and foreign pressure on the GOAJ since the November 24
suspension took effect. It was clear to all, even at the NTRC
and the Presidential apparat, that the shutdown of ANS was
highly unpopular along ordinary Azerbaijanis and the
international community alike. Some pro-opposition newspapers
speculate that the decision came after the ANS issue was
uncomfortably raised with First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva during
her visit to Washington last week. Other observers worry
that ANS will not be quite the same, and will no longer be as
independent a media voice as it has been, after the pressure
applied to it. We have reliable reports that when the
Director of Turan news agency Mehman Aliyev and former
Presidential adviser Eldar Namazov both called ANS VP
Seyfulla Mustafayev after the announcement to ask him whether
they should congratulate him or offer their condolences, he
responded "condolences." We heard separately from a reliable
source that a businessman close to the President purchased a
majority stake in the television in return for making ANS'
political problems go away. Finally, the whole issue of the
tender still needs to be worked out.


4. (C) Comment: In Azerbaijan's murky political world, only
one this is certain: ANS is broadcasting again. The
resumption of ANS broadcasts is a welcome development and we
will continue to urge the GOAJ to resolve the outstanding
legal issues pertaining to its license. We will also monitor
the station closely over time to determine whether the new
ANS is the same ANS that was shut down on November 24. For
now, Azerbaijanis are delighted to see their most popular
source of news and other programming back on the air.
HYLAND