World Press on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (April 20, 2011)

The Guardian has published an article on the current tense political situation in Azerbaijan. According to the author, after widespread protests in the Middle East and North Africa, democracy activists and journalists have taken to the streets to demand democratic reform and improved human rights, most recently on 17 April. The government has responded by clamping down on freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. To mark the anniversary of the imprisonment of award-winning investigative journalist Eynulla Fatullayev and to express solidarity with the scores of Azerbaijani citizens arrested, attacked and harassed in recent weeks, protesters will gather outside the Azerbaijani embassy in London.

The agency also published an analytical article touching on the Libyan situation. The author considers NATO's military involvement in the civil war in Libya to be deepening with each step the coalition takes. There are now two options, the author continues: The first is to dig in for the long haul, in the expectation that the rebels will one day become a fighting force. This would mean that the steps we saw yesterday would not be the last, as NATO ratchets up its presence in the air and on the ground. The second option is to go back to pursuing a diplomatic initiative, of the type proposed by the African Union or Turkey. As the balance of power now stands, one or other of the Gaddafi clan might well remain in power. Neither option is appealing, but from the logic of the UN resolution it is surely the second route that would stop the suffering of civilians sooner. To the rebels in Benghazi, Gaddafi's son Saif has shed his role as the public face of human rights reform. He has become as unacceptable as any other member of the Gaddafi clan. And yet, in the absence of the collapse of the regime, he may end up as the face diplomats have to deal with.

Iran’s parliament is telling President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to obey an order from the country’s supreme leader to reinstate Iran’s intelligence minister, The Washington Post reports. The statement from lawmakers deepens the high-level political battle over Heidar Moslehi, who resigned on Sunday over an apparent rift with Ahmadinejad. But Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei quickly ordered Moslehi to remain.

The agency also comments on recent violent events in Turkey, saying that the ruling by the Supreme Electoral Board was a serious blow to the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, which is backing independent candidates in the June 12 national election in order to overcome a 10 percent threshold for political parties to enter the 550-seat Parliament. Armed with firebombs and slings, Kurdish protesters clashed with Turkish police in two cities on Tuesday and the main Kurdish party threatened to boycott the upcoming election because of a decision to bar some Kurdish candidates.

Iran's state-run Press TV agency informed its readers that Iran is fully prepared to deter aggression. Addressing Iranian foreign military attachés present at a ceremony marking Iran's National Army Day in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Tuesday, Commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Forces, Brigadier-General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, said Iran's armed forces are equipped with a formidable arsenal of state-of-the-art weaponry, developed and produced locally. The article continues, saying the senior Iranian commander pointed out that the arrogant powers and the Israeli regime will greatly suffer and witness their vital interests 'effectively targeted,' should they attempt an attack on Iran's sovereignty.

According to The Jerusalem Post news agency, the “Arab Spring” sweeping the region could turn into an “Iranian Winter”, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned in an AFP interview published on Monday. Netanyahu warned that the Iranians were trying to exploit the tide of unrest sweeping the region, and – referring to his demand that any peace agreement with the Palestinians include an Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley – said: “We need a physical barrier to prevent penetration by Iran and its operatives.”