DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
February 20, 2008 Wednesday

IRAN SUGGESTS MILITARY ALLIANCE ESTABLISHED;
Azerbaijani experts do not think that Baku should swallow it

by Safarov, Aliyev

IRAN SUGGESTS A REGIONAL MILITARY ALLIANCE; Iran suggests a broad
military alliance of 25 countries.

IRNA reports that Iranian Prosecutor General Gurban Ali Dorri
Najafabadi suggested establishment of a regional military alliance
for the purpose of collective defense from foreign aggression. The
idea is to unite 25 countries – Kazakhstan, Islamic Republic of Iran,
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, Yemen, Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan, Iraq, Oman, Kyrgyzstan, Syria, Tajikistan, Jordan,
Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, Georgia, Armenia, Palestine,
Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon, Cyprus, and Bahrain.

"A powerful military alliance in the region will discourage
foreigners from ever trying to meddle in the domestic affairs of
these countries," Najafabadi said. He added that the special
geopolitical status of the region made these efforts on external
forces’ part inevitable. The Iranian executive also suggested
establishment of the regional parliament and non-governmental
organizations. For some reason, the idea was broached by prosecutor
general, an official who is supposed to see to law and order in his
respective country and not to the existence of regional parliaments
much less military alliances.

Press Secretary of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Hazar Ibragim,
denied the existence of any formal proposals from Iran. "No comments
before official documents are received," he said. Rauf Rajabov of 3rd
View agency in the meantime warns Baku against joining any such
alliances. "Moreover, Azerbaijan has already chosen its immediate
future, and that means an integration into Europe," Rajabov said.
"Integration into European structures will undoubtedly involve
integration into NATO."

"As for this particular suggestion, and particularly one made by
Iranian prosecutor general, it is only a feeler, an attempt to gauge
the reaction, analyze comments, and so on. Along with the nuclear
umbrella, Iran also aspires for a military-political shield in the
form of membership in a military alliance. Tehran once hoped that the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization could be it, but China wouldn’t
have the structure transformed into a military-political alliance.
Iran was forced to explore other avenues… All in all, what it
suggests comes down to establishment of an alliance against the
United States, Great Britain, France, and Germany that admit nowadays
that chances of a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear program
diminish fast. The situation being what it is, Iran wants an alliance
with its neighbors that will spare it whatever the United States and
its allies may undertake," the expert continued. Rajabov does not
even expect Persian Gulf countries to take Tehran’s offer seriously.
"Not one of them will go for it," he said. "This offer stems from
Iran’s imperial ambitions. It is how Iran is trying to avert a
military operation possible this May."

Fikret Sadykhov, the head of the Center for Analysis and
International Contacts, was surprised to hear what Iran suggests.
"What is surprising about it all is that we are urged to join an
alliance in order to protect ourselves and our territorial integrity
>From nobody knows whom. Say, Armenia, who still has some Azerbaijani
territories, is an ally of Iran, a country whose official invites us
into an alliance," Sadykhov said. "Moreover, it is impossible for
Azerbaijan to go for it because we’ve been integrate into European
and international structures for years, because we’ve been embracing
European values in the spheres of education, culture, and so on. I do
not think that any such proposal will attract Azerbaijan."

Neither does Sadykhov expect countries of the Persian Gulf and
Central Asia to accept or act on the idea. "Kuwait is thoroughly
pro-American and pro-Western. And so is Oman which is the West’s
ally. Ditto the Central Asian region. President of Uzbekistan, Islam
Karimov, has set him certain priorities and they will certainly
prevent him joining the project… Or Kazakhstan, by the way, a
country that has numerous contracts with Western and American oil
corporations. It will never join a military alliance established as a
means of defense from the American threat. I’m convinced that this is
exactly what the Iranian offer comes down to," Sadykhov said.

Source: Ekho (Baku), February 15, 2008, EV

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress