BAKU/01.06.06/TURAN: The situation in Southern Azerbaijan remains tense. Military subdivisions and police have been deployed in almost every densely populated area. However the protests do not stop, TURAN was told in an exclusive interview with the leader of the national Awakening Movement of South Azerbaijan Mahmudali Chehraganli.
Law enforcement bodies fail to stop the actions of protest. Therefore, recently the Iranian authorities have begun hiring gunmen to suppress the actions. In some cities people with masked faces and guns tried to disperse people.
They have opened fire and killed several people. Some of them were detained, and it was revealed that the gunmen were Palestinians from the terrorist organizations "Hisbullah" and "Jihade Islami". "This again proves that the Iranian regime sponsors international terrorism and uses its services," Chehraganli said.
Approximately 60 percent of the Iranian army and up to 40 percent of police and the security forces "Sttelat" and "Sipa" are ethnic Azerbaijanis. Most of them refuse to open fire against rally participants and even support them. In such a situation the ruling regime cannot rely upon its force structures, Chehraganli said.
There is an opinion that Iranian authorities intentionally provoked the "cartoon" scandal in order to neutralize the "fifth column" represented by Azerbaijanis on the eve of the unavoidable attack on the part of the United States. Chehraganli said such statements are "not serious." The policy of Persian chauvinism has existed in Iran for more than 100 years, on every day and at the state level.
The offensive cartoon of Azerbaijanis is only one of numerous examples of the chauvinist attitude toward Azerbaijanis. It is incorrect to think that Azerbaijanis are people ready to carry out the orders of external forces and overthrow the government. "We want only to protect our human rights, but measures taken by Teheran worsen the situation and may lead to the downfall of the ruling regime. If this happens it would be a logical end to Tehran's policy," Chehraganli said.
The Azerbaijani population demands that those regulations of the Iranian Constitution which guarantee equal rights and freedom for all citizens of Iran be fulfilled, Chehraganli said. "If 35-million people do not have universities teaching in their native language, do not have the right to elect people to parliament, are always subjected to humiliation and called cockroaches, why it should stand it?" Chehraganli said, talking about the ruling regime in Iran.
If it impossible to control the situation, will Tehran introduce martial law and suppress protests by shelling, as was done in 1946? Responding to this question Chehraganli said that if authorities could do this they would. However the present situation differs from the situation in 1946. Pishevari's regime relied on economic and military support from the USSR. As soon as this stopped the regime destroyed.
There is external support at present, and Azerbaijanis in Iran are well organized. Taking into account the police and army's national structure the authorities will not be able to suppress national protests. Besides, the present geopolitical situation greatly differs from the situation in 1946.
How does Iran assess the chances of Rza Pehlevi Shah's son who stated that he was ready to take over power of the country? He has no chances, because Pehlevi's son does not have a social base or support from the population. Only part of Iranian emigrants support him. Therefore the statements that Pehlevi is ready to give independence to South Azerbaijan if he comes to power is only empty words, Chehraganli said.
Being asked what do Iranian Azerbaijanis want from international organization Chehraganli said that first of all Baku and Ankara must express their official attitude. "As blood-brothers and neighbors these countries must raise their voices for the protection of our rights," Chehraganli said.
Concerning the international community, UNO, OSCE and other authoritative Organizations, they must intervene and convince Iranian authorities not to use force in resolution of the Azerbaijanis' problems. "We understand that most states have to close their eyes to these events because due to economic and geopolitical interests. But, at the same time, "this policy of the West in 1978 caused creation of the religious authoritarian regime in Iran, which today blackmails the world with nuclear weapons," Chehraganli said.
Commenting on the information about his upcoming trip to Baku, Chehraganli said that he would be in Istanbul on June 5, and on June 15-16 he has planned a short visit to Baku, because he must return to the USA on June 20. "If Azerbaijani authorities allow me to come to Azerbaijan I will come," Chehraganli said.
* Mahmudali Chehraganli is a former teacher of Tebriz University. He became famous after the parliamentary elections in 2001, when he was elected a member of parliament from Tebriz. However, Iranian authorities did not allow him to enter the parliament and cancelled the results of the elections. For several years he was persecuted, and arrested by the security forces and Iranian court. Under the pressure of international publicity Iranian authorities had to allow Chehraganli to leave Iran. Now Chehraganli lives in the West.-02B
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