From The Editor-in-Chief

Iran before a precipice?
Scenes from past signal change in Iran
Students of Tehran University for over a week have gone out into streets to protest against Iran's clerical regime, with most of the teachers joining them. The protesters clashed with the police and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, with several reported killed and injured. Tensions are growing.
Dark clouds hang over Iran like 25 years ago, stimulating the people to protest. People in Iran are unwilling to live under current rules, while the authorities are unable to enforce them. The results are developments leading to changes in society and revolution. Then the students of Tabriz University launched the movement to protest the Shah's regime. In the late 70's the people, who were fed up with living under the Shah's regime, stood up and overthrew the Shah with his army and supporters.
At that time I was working in Baghdad and closely observing the developments. Then Iran's religious figures deceived the crowds, giving them promises of power and then establishing a clerical regime in the country. The democratic people with new thoughts left Iran for other countries, especially Europe and America. And this process is still ongoing. The modern people with free ideas left the country to protest.
The Azerbaijani Turks make up the majority of them. Now, most of the Iranian population has become repulsed by the rule and order in the country. In Iran, which is regarded as a country of flowers, black is preferable and people are always in mourning. Mostly mourning days are marked in Iran instead of holidays. The fanatics are in mourning for weeks and months for genuine imams who were grandchildren of the last prophet Mohammed and those who call themselves imams. I met with one of these fanatics in Tehran in 1994. A young girl in a black veil took the tie of the Director of the Philosophy Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Baku, the old scientist and said: "You mustn't wear a tie in Iran".
But now we are living in 2003. The people have been bored with living a dual lifestyle. Most of the Iranians behave in streets and in public one way, while act indoors and among their relatives in another way. Women and girls put on black veils when going out, while wear clothes to the latest fashion indoors, dance and have fun. The Azeris living in Iran (They number more than 30 million), even mullahs change their clothes and visit entertainment places when arriving in Azerbaijan. Actually, Iran is on the threshold of changes. I wonder, how will the country survive the changes? With intellect, without blood or...?
The Iranian authorities relate the internal confrontations to foreign factors, especially the direct interference of the United States.  
No US attack plans
There have been media reports and broad public discussions over the past three weeks over the overthrow of the clerical regime in Iran by the United States and use of Azerbaijan's territories as a bridge-head for this purpose. The cause of these discussions was versions claimed in media reports in the "Nezavisimaya Gazeta" of Russia late in May. Azerbaijani authorities made their quick and acute reactions towards the reports. Head of President's Office International Relations Department Novruz Mammadov regarded the media reports as "a political order by certain circles that are interested in complicating Azerbaijani-Iranian relations".
Commenting on the claims laid in media reports on Azerbaijan, Foreign Minister Vilayat Quliyev said they are groundless and provocative. "The reports on alleged agreement between the Pentagon and the Azerbaijani government on the deployment of the US military units in Azerbaijan are false and groundless. Azerbaijan is in close co-operation with the United States. However, this co-operation absolutely doesn't envision the deployment of US military units in Azerbaijan. At the same time, the reports on Iran sending depecha to Baku related to this issue are also untrue. Iran is one of our most important neighbors in the region and we co-operate with this country in all spheres". According to Mr. Quliyev, such reports serve to the interests of separate political forces and make the situation in the region more complicated.
US ambassador to Azerbaijan Ross Wilson, in his turn, disproved the reports on alleged deployment of the Pentagon's military bases, as well as placement of a US military contingent of 15,000 people withdrawn from Germany, in the territory of Azerbaijan to use them in the bombardment of Iran. Commenting on the information spread by Iranian intelligence services, Mr. Wilson told AssA-Irada that the US government doesn't intend to station the Pentagon's military bases in Azerbaijan, or to bomb the Iranian territories.
All these denials are soothing as the diplomats speak of the developments that have happened so far. However, nobody guarantees what will happen tomorrow or next year. No changes for the better are being observed in Iran's relations with the United States and various European and Asian countries. The Iranian regime has put itself into a desperate situation. The activities of the Iranian regime leaders are the reverse of "Saddam Hussein medal". They "export" their ideologies to a number of Islamic states, even struggle for Iran's hegemony in the Islamic world. I have been familiar with a series of references by Iranian "scientists" who propagandize religion and desecrate holy Islamic values. They are all nonsense. It is common knowledge that the Iranian authorities have turned Islam into the instrument of Iran's state policy, as it is obviously seen from the religious mottoes brought into line with the state policy. The overwhelming majority of people are dissatisfied with the regime's policy and countless prohibitions that violate human rights and freedoms. The regime leaders are either unaware of real processes circulating in the world or behave as if they don't see anything. But the world is being re-established and those, who don't keep up with this situation, lose.
Azerbaijan’s position
Azerbaijan is in close touch with Iran and Turkey, as historic roots, cultural and religious values are the same. About 30 million Azerbaijani Turks are living in Iran. Azerbaijanis, who struggle for their survival, language and national values, have been subjected to repressions by the Iranian regime for a century. The national liberation movements took place in the first half of the 20th century led by Sattarxan, Xiyabani, Bagirxan, and Pisavari were suppressed ruthlessly. In the second half of last century, most of the successors of the national liberation movement emigrated to Europe, America and far Australia. They united in different organizations to continue their struggle for freedom. One of them, Dr. Mahmudali Cehreganli, who got rid of the Iranian custody and left for abroad, has been leading the South Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement (SANAM) for a few years. Dr. Mahmudali Cehreganli in his interview last week with Washington-based Voice of America (VOA) said: "Our struggle for national liberation started with the Sattarxan movement from 1905 is still underway."
What future is in store for tens of millions of Azerbaijani Turks, on the whole, South Azerbaijan if the US-Iranian confrontation turn into an open military interference and a new government is established in Iran?
Both in South and North Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan Republic) they regard this as a chance given to the Azerbaijani people, who were divided into two parts to take a maximum advantage of it. Such chances are given in history in every century.