Senator Brownback proposes quick lifting of sanctions for Azerbaijan
Ranking Foreign Relations Committee member says impact of Section 907 is not in American interests

On September 25, 2001, Senator Sam Brownback spoke on the floor of the United States Senate in support of Azerbaijan and introduced an amendment calling for a lifting of sanctions specified in Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act.

Just prior to publication of this special report on Azerbaijan, Senator Brownback was questioned about Azerbaijan’s reaction to the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, and on his views about Section 907. Excerpts from that interview:

"Number one, the Azeris have been wonderfully supportive of the United States, (and) they’ve done it without reservation. They have given statements with strong words that are very important.

"They’ve given us flyover rights through their airspace. They’ve given us refueling rights, and they’ve shared intelligence. They’ve been a wonderful ally in the fight against terrorism.

"Since 1992, the United States has placed a number of restrictions on assistance and trade with the country of Azerbaijan under Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, in order to bring pressure to resolve land disputes. The problem for the United States is that if we use the landing rights offered to us, because of our sanctions against the Azeris, we cannot train Azeri personnel in security measures to protect our troops and equipment.

"So I have introduced legislation to provide the President with a national security waiver authority on all sanctions the United States has against Azerbaijan. I think the sanctions should be lifted, but the least we should do isprovide for the safety and well-being of our own military personnel.

"Second, I’m really quite hopeful that, because of the war on terrorism, our relationship with Azerbaijan will grow. What is happening in Azerbaijan is what we want to see. It is a moderate Islamic state that is tolerant of other peoples, and of other religions. It is moving in the right direction — towards democracy and observance of human rights. And it seems that these are all the things that we should be encouraging.

"If we can show success in secular Islamic states that are moving towards democracy, that’s the best long-term signal we can send to other states in the area. Just as the success of South Korea is the best signal we could send to North Korea, the best signal we can send to states like Iran and Afghanistan is a successful Azerbaijan, where people are free to practice their faith, where they are progressing politically and economically, and are tolerant of others.

"Azerbaijan could become a critical part of the coalition. It is a nation rich in oil reserves, a nation that borders Iran and could become vulnerable to the same extremist forces present in Afghanistan. We do not know where this war on terrorism will take us - for how long or even how we will fight it. But one thing is clear: We must ramp up our efforts to befriend and be proactive in Central Asia or risk the consequences of emboldening our enemies."

" If 907 is removed, it would level the playing field and send a signal to Armenia to settle (this issue). I do know that the impact of having 907 is harmful to the Armenians. It’s harmful economically to the region, to the Azeris, and to the building of this Silk Road economy linking the Caucasus and Central Asia. This has not done the Armenians any good.

"I do hope we’re at a point now when we can get past the political squabbling on this issue and look at (larger) US strategic interests, which is clearly, clearly to lift 907. "