President Heidar Aliyev of Azerbaijan dismissed his prime minister, Suret Huseinov, on Thursday, accusing him of masterminding an armed rebellion that was crushed a day earlier and which the president described as an attempted coup, according to agency reports.
The uprising, by police troops in Azerbaijan's capital Baku and second city Gyandzha, was put down by government forces Wednesday morning, leaving at least three dead and 129 arrested.
Quoting a highly placed source on the president's staff, Interfax said Aliyev sacked Huseinov, his only serious political rival, and Ali Omarev, the public prosecutor, at a meeting Thursday afternoon.
A spokesman for the government press service in Baku said Thursday he could not confirm Huseinov's dismissal as the Milli Majlis, the parliament, was debating the matter. But the news was also carried on the Azeri news agency, Turan.
However Huseinov, present during the debate, insisted he would not resign.
"I demand airtime to inform the population about these events. I refuse to answer any questions. I remain prime minister," he told deputies.
Aliyev had accused Huseinov of implicitly supporting the attempted coup, which he said had been headed by one of Huseinov's relatives in Azerbaijan's second largest city Gyandzha, The Associated Press reported. On Tuesday night riot police in Gyandzha had taken control of municipal buildings and the airport.
Huseinov has denied involvement in the uprising and appeared beside the president before a huge crowd in the center of Baku on Wednesday. Earlier he told reporters Aliyev had deliberately tried to compromise him.
"I haven't participated in any conspiracy,'' he said, AP reported. "They are trying to draw me into dirty political games.''
The removal of Huseinov and Omarov and even the entire "coup" is being interpreted by some Western analysts as a move by Aliyev, 71, a wily former member of the Soviet Politburo and an ex-KGB general, to strengthen his personal power.
"Presumably the president is enhancing his own position and feels strong enough to remove these men now, something he presumably could not do two days ago," said a senior analyst at London's Institute of International and Strategic Studies who preferred to remain anonymous.
"The president's position has been greatly strengthened," Gabil Huseinli, an adviser to Aliyev told Reuters on Thursday.
The Russian government sharply rejected widespread reports that it might "enemies from within and abroad" were responsible for the revolt.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Demurin read out a government statement condemning the revolt Thursday, saying suggestions in the press that the Kremlin was implicated were "unconfirmed speculations which have no foundation."
Demurin said there was no link between the Baku events and Russia's objections to a $7 billion oil deal signed less than two weeks ago between Azerbaijan and mostly Western oil companies.
A western diplomat in Baku went further, suggesting the police raid on the Public Prosecutor's Office in Baku on Tuesday, led by Deputy Interior Minister Rovshan Javadov, was a set-up.
"I wonder if Heidar Aliyev didn't simply create Javadov as a way to deal with Huseinov, who is his main nemesis," the diplomat told Reuters.
Government forces crushed the uprising and regained control of the airport and city buildings in Gyandzha at 8 or 9 A.M. on Wednesday morning, Farkhat Agamaliev, press attach? at the Azerbaijan embassy in Moscow, said.
Three government soldiers were killed in the fighting in Gyandzha and 129 rebels arrested, Interfax reported.
"The crisis has been defused," Agamaliev said Thursday. "Government forces are in control and continuing to stabilize the situation," he said.
"The situation in the city is calm," a staff member of the British embassy in Baku said Thursday.
Riot police who stormed the Public Prosecutor's Office in Baku on Monday remained in their headquarters in Baku on Thursday, Agamaliev said. "Javadov declared his willingness to cooperate with the president," he said, adding that government forces surrounding the base had withdrawn.
Aliyev announced a 60-day state of emergency Monday to combat what he called a coup. Huge rallies were held in Baku's main square in support of Aliyev.
Aliyev publicly reprimanded Huseinov in front of a crowd Wednesday, vowing that "an event like this will never happen again." Standing behind him, Huseinov stared straight ahead in sullen silence, Reuters reported.
The uprising, by police troops in Azerbaijan's capital Baku and second city Gyandzha, was put down by government forces Wednesday morning, leaving at least three dead and 129 arrested.
Quoting a highly placed source on the president's staff, Interfax said Aliyev sacked Huseinov, his only serious political rival, and Ali Omarev, the public prosecutor, at a meeting Thursday afternoon.
A spokesman for the government press service in Baku said Thursday he could not confirm Huseinov's dismissal as the Milli Majlis, the parliament, was debating the matter. But the news was also carried on the Azeri news agency, Turan.
However Huseinov, present during the debate, insisted he would not resign.
"I demand airtime to inform the population about these events. I refuse to answer any questions. I remain prime minister," he told deputies.
Aliyev had accused Huseinov of implicitly supporting the attempted coup, which he said had been headed by one of Huseinov's relatives in Azerbaijan's second largest city Gyandzha, The Associated Press reported. On Tuesday night riot police in Gyandzha had taken control of municipal buildings and the airport.
Huseinov has denied involvement in the uprising and appeared beside the president before a huge crowd in the center of Baku on Wednesday. Earlier he told reporters Aliyev had deliberately tried to compromise him.
"I haven't participated in any conspiracy,'' he said, AP reported. "They are trying to draw me into dirty political games.''
The removal of Huseinov and Omarov and even the entire "coup" is being interpreted by some Western analysts as a move by Aliyev, 71, a wily former member of the Soviet Politburo and an ex-KGB general, to strengthen his personal power.
"Presumably the president is enhancing his own position and feels strong enough to remove these men now, something he presumably could not do two days ago," said a senior analyst at London's Institute of International and Strategic Studies who preferred to remain anonymous.
"The president's position has been greatly strengthened," Gabil Huseinli, an adviser to Aliyev told Reuters on Thursday.
The Russian government sharply rejected widespread reports that it might "enemies from within and abroad" were responsible for the revolt.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Demurin read out a government statement condemning the revolt Thursday, saying suggestions in the press that the Kremlin was implicated were "unconfirmed speculations which have no foundation."
Demurin said there was no link between the Baku events and Russia's objections to a $7 billion oil deal signed less than two weeks ago between Azerbaijan and mostly Western oil companies.
A western diplomat in Baku went further, suggesting the police raid on the Public Prosecutor's Office in Baku on Tuesday, led by Deputy Interior Minister Rovshan Javadov, was a set-up.
"I wonder if Heidar Aliyev didn't simply create Javadov as a way to deal with Huseinov, who is his main nemesis," the diplomat told Reuters.
Government forces crushed the uprising and regained control of the airport and city buildings in Gyandzha at 8 or 9 A.M. on Wednesday morning, Farkhat Agamaliev, press attach? at the Azerbaijan embassy in Moscow, said.
Three government soldiers were killed in the fighting in Gyandzha and 129 rebels arrested, Interfax reported.
"The crisis has been defused," Agamaliev said Thursday. "Government forces are in control and continuing to stabilize the situation," he said.
"The situation in the city is calm," a staff member of the British embassy in Baku said Thursday.
Riot police who stormed the Public Prosecutor's Office in Baku on Monday remained in their headquarters in Baku on Thursday, Agamaliev said. "Javadov declared his willingness to cooperate with the president," he said, adding that government forces surrounding the base had withdrawn.
Aliyev announced a 60-day state of emergency Monday to combat what he called a coup. Huge rallies were held in Baku's main square in support of Aliyev.
Aliyev publicly reprimanded Huseinov in front of a crowd Wednesday, vowing that "an event like this will never happen again." Standing behind him, Huseinov stared straight ahead in sullen silence, Reuters reported.
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