Foreign military intervention is not the solution for the Iranian crisis

On Monday, October 1, 2007, Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance addressed the meeting of the group of European People’s Party (Christian Democrats) at the Parliamentary Assembly of the 47-nation Council of Europe.

“Foreign military intervention is not the solution for the Iranian crisis. To view firmness towards the mullahs as warmongering, is nothing more than repeating the mullahs’ propaganda and political deception. To continue to negotiate with the mullahs, would only give them the opportunity to acquire the nuclear bomb,” said Mrs. Rajavi. The following is the full text of her speech:

Speech by  Maryam Rajavi at the EPP/CD Group meeting

Mr. President,

Distinguished members,

I am delighted to be among the representatives of the people of Europe. I thank you Mr. President for giving me the opportunity to be here.

The objectives of the Council of Europe represent the true desire of the people of Europe: “Upholding human rights, rule of law and pluralist democracy”. I believe all human beings share these same objectives. In the world today, these values are indispensable to peace and security in the world.

Today, I would like to talk to you about my homeland, Iran. A country with ancient civilization and a rich culture, but enchained by a religious dictatorship. Over the past 26 years, 120,000 people have been executed for demanding freedom.

Since July, the regime has announced 170 executions, 30% of which have been carried out in public.
Why are victims hanged in public? Does not the regime’s leaders know that these scenes would further enrage the public? Yes, they do. But they need it to survive.

Mr. President, we are meeting at a very critical time. One year ago I said in this building that, the world is facing a dangerous cross road. On one hand, the religious dictatorship is about to obtain the nuclear bomb, and on the other, there is the possibility of a war in the region.

I said that the danger of the Iranian regime’s meddling and terrorism in Iraq is a hundred times more dangerous than its nuclear threat.

I warned about export of fundamentalism, terrorism and crisis in the region. Today, I want to tell you that the situation is much more critical. Iraq is de facto occupied by the mullahs’ regime.

The mullahs’ regime is at the heart of the crisis in the region: War mongering in Lebanon, fomenting chaos in Palestine, spreading terrorism in Afghanestan and inciting civil war in Iraq, are all parts of the same strategy. The mullahs have become so emboldened that they are saying they are ready to fill in the vacuum in Iraq. Concerning the nuclear issue, the regimes’ president said recently, “every time Iran took one step forward, foreign powers took one step backwards.”

European governments must be accountable to their own people. Why do they submit to the mullahs for economic interests? The mullahs have rejected three Security Council resolutions. The EU, however, continues to pursue dialogue with the mullahs. Dialogue over what? So that the mullahs would have more time to obtain the nuclear bomb? we have new information that, while negotiating, the mullahs’ regime has constructed more clandestine sites.

European governments are mistaken to think that the Iranian regime could play a constructive role in the region and across the world. They are mistaken to think they can contain the mullahs’ terrorism and fundamentalism. Through the policy of appeasement they are preparing the grounds for a catastrophic war.

I would like to ask you; What are the options? Should the nuclear-armed mullahs be accepted as the new regional power? Or should another catastrophic war break out in the region? Foreign military intervention is not the solution for the Iranian crisis. To view firmness towards the mullahs as warmongering, is nothing more than repeating the mullahs’ propaganda and political deception. To continue to negotiate with the mullahs, would only give them the opportunity to acquire the nuclear bomb.

In my December 2004 address in the European Parliament, I said, “The world does not have to choose between appeasement and military intervention. There is a third option, to bring democratic change in Iran by relying on the Iranian people and their resistance.”

Distinguished Members of Parliament,

In addition to ruthless suppression at home, the barrier to change in Iran is Europe’s policy of appeasement. This policy results from three factors: Economic interests, the failure to recognize the nature of the regime and the belief in the myth of moderation, and the failure to understand Iran’s political landscape and the key role played by the Iranian people and Resistance.

Western government’s submission to the mullahs’ demand to include the PMOI, the main component of the Resistance, in terrorist list has been at the core of this policy. This label allows the Iranian regime to justify the execution of its opponents. Above all, this label has caged the main actor for change in Iran.

Last December, the Court of First Instance annulled the decision by the Council of the European Union to include the PMOI in terrorist list. The Council refused to comply with the judgment of the Court. Most eminent jurists, such as Lord Slynn of Hadley, former judge at the European Court of Justice,
described maintaining the PMOI in the list as illegal.

Today, maintaining the PMOI in the list is a crime against the Iranian people. It denies the Iranian people the chance for democratic change. Not only this; Proxies of the Iranian regime in Iraq are using the terrorism label to further exert pressure on the PMOI members residing in Ashraf in Iraq. On the other hand, 5.2 million Iraqis have expressed their support for the PMOI as the barrier to mullahs’ fundamentalism.

In the United Kingdom, 35 members of both houses have taken legal action against the Home Secretary for proscribing the PMOI. During the course of the hearing in the court, a Foreign Office official acknowledged “foreign policy considerations have played a part in decisions relating to the proscription of the PMOI.” He added that Iranian ministers and officials had “chosen to discuss the PMOI with their counterparts from the UK and other EU member states on countless occasions”. Discussion about what? Suppression of the opposition under the pretext of terrorism? The European Union must put an end to this political scandal.

Mr. President, Allow me, if you will, to quote a word or two from one of your earlier comments “The Council of Europe is a community of values, of politically responsible people who cannot remain silent when it is time to speak out, nor remain passive when action is needed.”

Mr. President, today, that time has come. Now is the time to speak up against this shameful deal with the mullahs’ regime.

Now, it is time to protest against the violation of the law and injustice against Iranian people.

The European Union must comply with the law and remove the PMOI from terrorist list. Comprehensive sanctions must be imposed against the Iranian regime. Europe must stand with the Iranian people and their desire for peace and freedom.

I have come to the House of Democracy in Europe to seek an end to this injustice against the Iranian people. I call on you to speak up against violation of the rule of law by the Council of the European Union. I expect you to demand from the EU the implementation of the Court’s ruling.

And finally I like to say; we shall continue our fight for democracy and peace. For gender equality, for eliminating discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities, a fight for ending Islamic fundamentalism and the misuse of Islam.

We believe in the separation of church and state. We have declared that we will end capital punishment in tomorrow’s Iran. We will respect international conventions. We believe in a free market economy. We want a nuclear-free Iran. We want relations with all countries. We want a free and democratic Iran. Along this path, I seek the help of all freedom-loving people and all of you.

Thank you