Azerbaijani officials said Mr. Polyanichko was out of Baku and unavailable for an interview.

Azerbaijani high-ranking officials have praised Safarov's extradition and pardon giving him a hero's welcome.

Meanwhile, the ceasefire appeared to be holding early Tuesday despite reports of isolated gunfire, Armenian and Azerbaijani officials said.

But he claims slow success in building new contacts with Azerbaijani officials on a quiet basis.

All 22 people aboard were killed, including several top Azerbaijani officials.

Azerbaijani officials in Baku were difficult to reach, and by late evening Soviet operators reported that the telephone connections with Kirovabad were severed.

Azerbaijani officials want lower tariffs than the World Bank believes Georgia should get for carrying the natural gas across its territory.

In contrast to the Georgian response, Azerbaijani officials gave the Armenians a warm welcome.

Azerbaijani officials said they had found six MIG-21 fighters, broken down to fit in the transport plane, and almost twice as many people on board.

In recent weeks, Azerbaijani officials seem to have abandoned efforts at public control, as mobs in several cities set out to settle old grievances.