Coll 28/112B Persia. Tabriz. Monthly dispatches of internal situation in Azerbaijan, & misc: reports.’ [‎147r] (294/451)

Paragraph 3 or the agreement signed
^ by the Persian ^ rime minister and the soviet i^ahassador on April
4ttu stated that *ae the Azerbaijan question was an internal
Iranian ail air, a peaceful settlement would be sought between the
Central Government and the Azerbaijan people on the basis of the
existing laws and in a spirit of solicitude for the welfare of the
Azeroaijan people*♦ ^hile no reliable information about the con
sultations between .avam and datchikoff on tais subject was
available here, it was believed that a basis of settlement had
been agreed between the two and that this basis was expressed by
the *'riut© Minister 4 8 ’Seven i oint ^o.maunique ’ which was issued on
April 25rd. The Azerbaijan democrat reply to this was simply that
it was not enough* ^ut as the end was obviously foreordained the
democrats accepted the ^mmunique as a basis for negotiation and a
delegation headed oj Jaafar ^ishavari, the Azerbaijan brime minister,
went to Tehran on April 28th.
.tviter more ti*an a fortnight’s discusioa no result was
obtained, r'ieriavari blamed not .avam but ’certain reactionary
members of Ms Cabinet* lor this, it certainly seemed that someone
in Tehran jibbed at playing the role assigned to him in this farce
of negotiation, and it can scarcely have been Satchikoff or Qavatt
or ^ishavarl who were presumably the joint authors of the piece.
The Azerbaijan delegation, on its return to Tabriz,
published the exchangee of draft agreements and, in commenting on
trie negotiations# Tlshavari praised ^avam aiid did not strilce an
altogether despairing note* A month later ( J une 11th.) a dele
gation headed ay *rince ^usaflir Tiruz arrived in Tabriz and in
two days had signed an agreement with daafar Tiahavari.
A Governor-Gcmoral and heads of local government depart
ments were i mediately proposed by the fraesidium of the Tabriz
Assembly, as provided for in the Agreement, and accepted by Tehran.
The Governor-General designate returned with Prince i'iruz to Tehran
and was still there at the end of dune.
6 . Tae .rwv--.^t . The Agreement, on paper, represnts little if any
loss of real autonomy to Azerbaijan. The taVx about complete
Independence or separation was a red herring. The speeches and
press articles of the democrats from the beginning show that their
consistent claim was for ’local autonomy * within the framework of
the A ranian state. Far from demanding separation from Jran,
Aisnavarl more than once declared that if the demands of Azerbaijan
were not satisfied the Azerbaijanis would go to Tehran and set up
a liberal government there. The -’emocrats always claimed to be
working for tne liberation of all Iran, and tae Russians, undoubted
ly, were not going to break off a part if they could swallow the
whole•
The Agreement, as distinct from its interpretation - which
remains to be seen - leaves the Azerbaijan democrats in as strong a
position as ever. It concedes to Tehran the hollow ceremony of
confirming in office the Governor-General and all other officials
(except of the department of communications) chosen oy the Provin
cial Council, but it leaves that body and its Araesidiua which is
the real seat of power entirely in the Ge^oorats* hands, and it
gives the Provincial Gouncil the disposal of 75;- of the Province’s
revenues.
The most important question of all - the Azerbaijan Army -
had been settled, it seemed at the end of June, by being shelved,
for up to that time there was no si-n of the mixed commission which
is to decide tue details of the Army s organization. It is even
possible that the matter will be deferred until the Fifteenth ^ajlis
meets in order to make sure that findings of tne oo.uaission favour
able to Azerbaijan are not rejected jy the Central Government. what
ever tne eventual solution may be it is reasonable to suppose tnat
it will be one which leaves the armed lores in Azerbaijan susceptible
/to