John Hallam / Nuclear Weapons Campaigner Friends of the Earth / Australia – 2006-03-13 07:57:19
http://www.envirosagainstwar.org/know/read.php?&itemid=3859
No ‘Military Options; on Iran Say Peace Groups
Friends of the Earth/ Australia
People for Nuclear Disarmament
Australian Peace Committee
(March 12, 2006) — Australian peace groups have urged the Australian government to use its influence to secure a peaceful settlement to the Iranian nuclear dispute, based on a nuclear-free Middle -East. There are no realistic military options. Recent moves to sell uranium to India, with up to 150 nuclear weapons indicates an ‘upside-down’ standard. Instead of simply referring the Iran case to the Security Council, there is a case for referring it to the far more representative General Assembly as provided for under the IAEA statute.
According to Friends of the Earth, People for Nuclear Disarmament W.A., PND-NSW, and the Australian Peace Committee,
“What Australia should be doing instead of talking about selling uranium to a state that in 2003, threatened nuclear war with its nuclear-armed neighbour, is using our very real diplomatic influence to take down the temperature on the Iran nuclear weapons issue, as Mr El Baradei has repeatedly called for.”
“The facts are that Iran currently has no nuclear warheads. In spite of all the accusations, it insists that it has no plans to acquire any. The recent IAEA report, though it has uncovered much that needs clarification, has no ‘smoking gun’ in it, and nothing that looks remotely like one. The ambiguous Iranian nuclear program remains just that – ambiguous. Both Israel and now India are known to have substantial nuclear arsenals. Yet we don’t mention the Israeli arsenal, and we talk of selling uranium to India. This is not so much a double-standard as an ‘upside-down’ standard. ”
“Military action against Iran, from whatever point of view you look at it, could only be a catastrophe for the Middle-East and for the world. Nothing is more certain to convert the ambiguous Iranian nuclear program into an unambiguous nuclear weapons program, than either military action or continued threats of military action. Still worse are the continued rumours of possible use of nuclear weapons against Iran. Let us pray they remain just rumours.”
” Australia is talking about selling uranium to a nation that in 2003 for a full year stood eyeball to eyeball with its nuclear rival, and threatened a conflagration that could have killed up to 150 million people. Whatever you think of the Mullahs, there is clearly one standard for India and Israel and on another for them.”
“Australia could, as it did when India and Pakistan confronted each other, play a constructive role in taking down the temperature and getting both Iran and the US to climb down from entrenched positions, and getting them to talk to each other. Australia could play a real role in facilitating a peaceful and nuclear – free Middle -East, and that is what we should be doing instead of selling uranium to countries with robust nuclear weapons programs.”
Friends of the Earth has coordinated a global Appeal from Parliamentarians and Civil Society signed by over 200 NGOs and parliamentarians, on Iran in Febuary calling for a peaceful solution to the nuclear crisis and for a nuclear- free Middle – East, which has been faxed twice to the Security Council.
Contact:
• John Hallam FOEA 61-2-9810-2598 02-9319-4296
• Cameron Schraner PND-NSW 0415-202060, 02-9319-4296
• Jo Vallentine PND-W.A.,08-9272-4252
• Sue Gilbey APC 0411-413-122
Tell the Security Council: No Military Options on Iran
John Hallam / Nuclear Weapons Campaigner Friends of the Earth Australia
As the meeting of the UN security Council on Iran looms, the possibility of military action against Iran is being talked about more and more.
Military action against Iran would achieve precisely the oppposite of what we would like to achieve.
So called ‘surgical strikes’ against Iran, whether done by the US or Israel, would convert a currently ambiguous and indeed suspicious, program, into an umambiguously nuclear-weapons-oriented program and would result in Iran sparing no effort to acquire nuclear arms.
Military strikes against Iran would not only be completely ineffective and counterproductive as far as preventing the emergence of a nuclear-armed Iran, but would set the entire middle east afire.
A full-scale invasion of Iran would be in all probability completely impossible, and would be a catastrophe for relationships with the middle-east.
Unfortunately these options are being increasingly spoken of by both Israel and the US administration.
Iran currently has no nuclear weapons. Israel has somewhere between 200 and 400 warheads, Pakistan has around 75, and India over 100.
The Security Council is meeting now or very soon to consider the case of Iran.
Please write to your Security Council representative, urging a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis, based on:
• 1) A nuclear-free middle-east
• 2)No use of or threats of, military action.
Also urge your Security Council representative to facilitate the discussion of the Iran problem by the whole of the UN General Assembly as envisaged in the IAEA charter.
Further information on Iran may be found on the Reaching Critical Will website
http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org
A letter to Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer on Iran is at the very end of this email together with a press-release from Australian groups.
The Parliamentarians and Civil Society Appeal on Iran and Nuclear Weapons, now endorsed by Abolition2000 and Mayors for Peace, is available on the following urls:
PNND website at the following url:
http://www.gsinstitute.org/pnnd/ParliamentariansIranNukes.htm
It is also on the GANA website of Ak Malten at: http://www.cornnet.nl/~akmalten/Iran_Nuclear_letter.html
In french:
Tu le trouveras sur le site d’ACDN : http://www.acdn.net en français et en
anglais.
Important Fax Numbers
Below are some vital fax numbers and emails you may like to use to reach your Security Council representatives (fax is much better than email):
1)Security Council faxes and emails
• USA 1-212-415-4443 usa@un.int
• Russia 1-212-628-0252 1-212-517-7427 rusun@un.int
• China 1-212-634-7626 chinamission_un@fmprc.gov.cn
• Fr 1-212-355-2763 france-presse@un.int
• UK 1-212-745-9316 uk@un.int
• Argentina 1-212-980-8395 argentina@un.int
• Tanzania 1-212-682-5232 tzn@tanzania-un.org
• Congo 1-212-319-8232 drcongo@un.int
• Denmark 1-212-308-3384 nycmis@un.dk
• Greece 1-212-888-4440 info@greeceun.org
• Ghana 1-212-751-6743 ghanaperm@aol.com
• Japan 1-212-751-1966 mission@un-japan.org
• Peru 1-212-972-6975 onuper@aol.com
• Qatar 1-212-758-4952 qatar-e@qatarmission.org
• Slovakia 1-212-286-8419 mission@newyork.mfa.sk
2)Heads of state, ambassadors, and foreign ministers (Fax nos only):
• Iran: MFA 0098-21-6674-3149 UN mission1-212-867-7086
• Mr George W. Bush, President of the United States of America
+1-202-456-2461, +1-202-456-6218, +1-202-456-2883,(all three numbers)
• Senator Joe Biden +1-202-224-0139
• Ms Condoleeza Rice, Secretary of State +1-202-647-6047
• H.E. John Bolton, US Ambassador at the UN +1-212-415-4443,
• Mr Kamal Jharze, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs +98-21-667-43149
• H.E. Zarif-Khonsari, Iran UN Ambassador +1-212-867-7086,
• Iran Geneva mission +41-22-733-0203
• Mrs Tzipi Livni, Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs +97-225-303015
• H.E. Dan Gillerman, Israel UN Mission +1-212-499-5515
• Israel Geneva mission +41-22-716-0555
• Mr Tony Blair, Prime Minister of UK +44-207-925-0918,
• Jack Straw +44-207-270-2833
• UK UN NY mission +1-212-745-9316,
• UK UN Geneva mission +41-22-918-2344
• UK IAEA mission +43-1-716-134900
• M. Jacques Chirac, Président de la République Française +33-1-47-42-24-65
• M. Dominique de Villepin, Premier Ministre +33-1-45-44-15-72
• M. Philippe Douste-Blazy, Ministre des Affaires Etrangères
+31-1-43-174-491 +33-1-45-51-60-12
• Fr UN NY Mission +1-212-421-6889
• Fr UN Geneva Mission +41-22-758-9150
• Ms Ursula Plassnik, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Austria + 43-50-11-59-0
• Herr Horst Köhler, Bundespräzsident Deutschlands +49-030-20-00-19-99
• Frau Angela Merkel, Bundeskanzlerin Deutschlands +49-30-4000-2357
• Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Deutsche Bundesaussenminister +43-1-263-33756 + 49-30-5000-3402
Germany Un NY Mission +1-212-940-0402
• The Hon. John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia 6273-4100, 9251-5454
• The Hon. Alexander Downer, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australia
6273-4112, 8237-7950, 6261-2151
• Aust UN NY Mission +1-212-351-6610
• Aust IAEA Mission +43-1-504-1178
• China UN NY Mission +1-212-634-7626
• China Geneva UN Mission +41-22-793-7041
• China IAEA Mission +43-1-370-6626
• Russia Ministry for Foreign Affairs +7-095-244-9248
• President Putin +7-095-244-4112
• Russia NY UN Mission +1-212-628-0252
• Russia Geneva Mission +41-22-733-1031
• Russia IAEA Mission +43-1-280-5687
• Norway Min Foreign Affs +47-2224-9580
• Norway NY UN Mission +1-212-688-0554
• Norway Geneva Mission +41-22-918-0410
• Norway IAEA Mission +43-171-26552
• Sweden Min Foreign Affs +46-8-723-1176
• Sweden NY UN Mission +1-212-832-0389
• Sweden Geneva Mission +41-22-908-0810
• Sweden IAEA Mission +43-1-217-53370
• Canada Min Foreign Affs +1-613-992-2482
• Canada NY UN Mission +1-212-848-1195
• Canada IAEA Mission +43-1-531-383-903
• Brazil IAEA Mission +43-1-513-8374
• Brazil Geneva Mission +41-22-788-2506
• Mr Kofi Annan, General Secretary of the United Nations +1-212-763-7055 (fax did not work in spite of repeated attempts)
• IAEA Vienna +43-1-2600-7, +43-1-2600-29610
• IAEA – UN Mission +1-917-367-4046
• IAEA Geneva +41-22-917-0066
(All addr to El Baradei)
• Algeria IAEA Mission +43-1-369-8856
• Cuba IAEA Mission +43-1-8778-19830
• Egypt IAEA Mission +43-1-3708-10427
• Indonesia IAEA Mission +43-1-4790-557
• Libya IAEA Mission +31-1-3677-601
• Rep South Africa IAEA Mission +43-1-3206-493-51
• Syria IAEA Mission +43-1-5334-632
• Venezuela IAEA Mission +43-1-715-3219
WAR WITH IRAN: SAMPLE LETTER
To Australian Foreign Minister Downer. Prime Minister John Howard and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Kevin Rudd.
Dear Mr ______,
In recent months there have been increasing rumours of military action and preparations for military action, against Iran.
I am writing to convey my extreme concern over this possibility,and that the Australian government may be drawn into this.
Australia should in to way support or encourage any use or any threat of use of any military option with respect to Iran and must visibly do its utmost to discourage our great and powerful ally from any such course of action.
Limited, so called ‘surgical’ military strikes against Iran can be gauranteed to produce exactly the opposite result to that desired.
So-called ‘surgical’ strikes will transform a nuclear program that is ambiguous into an unambiguously military program designed to obtain nuclear weapons at any cost, and will accellerate rather than prevent, Iran developing nuclear weapons.
Even talk of military action inevitably pushes the Iranian government toward the nuclear weapons option that we say we do not want them to take.
An invasion of Iran will be a catastrophe. Occupation and pacification of Iran will prove impossible and lead to never-ending war in which there cannot be a victory. Even an attempt to occupy Iran’s oil-rich western province will only be successful in provoking an all out war against the occupying forces.
There are even reports in some quarters that the use of nuclear weapons may be contemplated. These rumours/threats must be stopped immediately, and Australia must be visible in calling for them to stop. Australia must make it clear that this possibility, however remote, is absolutely unacceptable and would place the US outside the community of civilised countries.
The Australian government must do all that is in its power including in the leadup to the meeting of the UN Security Council, to press this message as strongly as possible. Australia should lobby both its ally and the Security Council itself to ensure that military options and talk and planning for military options are entirely excluded.
Signed….
