July 31, 2003 - 18:27 AMT
HEYDAR ALIYEV HAD DIED ALREADY JULY 26, AZERI MEDIA HOLD
Azeri president Heydar Aliyev had died in "Gulhane" military hospital in Ankara July 26 at 7:30 p.m., Caspian News Agency reports referring to "Azadlyg" Azeri opposition newspaper. According to the source, July 15 the president returned to Bina Baku airport, where he felt bad again. In a few minutes Aliyev was sent back to the Turkish hospital aboard the same plane. As reported by "Eni Musavat" opposition newspaper, Azeri authorities have urgently brought in special troops to Baku, explaining it by the recent complication of the situation at the border with Nagorno Karabakh. As supposed by analysts, the authorities had resorted to troops to prevent any opposition attempts to destabilize the situation in Azerbaijan. In their opinion, recent arrests of leaders of opposition and independent media apparently prove the Azeri president's death. It should be reminded that already July 23 anonymous diplomatic sources told "France Press" agency that, in the opinion of doctors in charge of the case, the Azeri president has two or three days to live.