ANTI-IRANIAN IRREDENTIST GROUP STEPS UP ACTIVITIES IN BAKU.

Meeting on April 11 in Baku, the United Azerbaijan Association’s Central Council expanded its membership to 143, decided to launch a press organ ("United Azerbaijan") and appointed its editors, created a youth branch of the UAA, and approved a directive of the organization’s leader, Abulfaz Elchibey, to set up local chapters of the UAA. The organization strives for unification of the Azeri-populated northern Iran with Azerbaijan. It describes the two territories as "southern Azerbaijan" and "northern Azerbaijan." (Turan, April 11 and 13)

Elchibey, the former president of Azerbaijan, currently heads the Popular Front and the multiparty coalition Democratic Congress, as well its the UAA. Founded in 1997 by several nationalist and pan-Turkic groups in Azerbaijan, the UAA has intensified its activities in the context of Elchibey’s expected candidacy to the post of president of Azerbaijan in this year’s election.

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