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Iranian People Are Our Allies, Pressure on Regime Needed, Experts Testify at House Hearing **
By Martin Rahmani
National Iranian American Council
www.niacouncil.org
Washington, D.C., February 18, 2005 - “Iranian people have not been cowed into submission, they continue to speak out,” said Professor Gary Sick of Columbia University today at a hearing of the House Committee on International Relations “The West must keep its spotlight on Iran and encourage true voices of democracy.”
Sick, who testified via video-teleconference, was joined by former US Ambassador Mark Palmer with the Committee on the Present Danger, and Henry Sokolski, executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center about next steps on US policy toward Iran. The hearing follows statements made by President Bush earlier this week that the United States is conducting a “policy review” of Iran.
“Iran’s people are our allies,” stated Palmer. “We must get behind the democrats and the dissidents in Iran and find all the ways we can to help the Iranian people.”
Steering away from military options for dealing with Iran, Sick added that “the Iranian people are remarkably pro-Western. There is a very good chance that a U.S. attack on Iran would end this internal opposition.”
Given the recent large-scale student demonstrations in Iran, regime change was suggested as an alternative solution by Rep Henry Hyde (R-Il) chairman of the committee. Hyde opened the proceedings by stating “Either the regime will have to go or its nature fundamentally changed.” Hyde did not offer any specific scenarios.
Palmer, recalling the recent Ukrainian election, as well as the Polish and Hungarian liberation efforts, stated that “Iran’s people are our allies. Iranian people want freedom. The mood in the region is in favor of democratization.”
While Rep Tom Lantos (D-Fl), ranking democrat of the committee, favored full diplomatic isolation of Iran, and Congressman Brad Sherman called on U.S. oil companies to divest the 33 billion they currently have staked in Iranian oil fields, Sick and the other panel members, citing the “remarkably pro-American” sentiments of the Iranian people, suggested increasing in diplomatic engagement as a way to “encourage the true voices of democracy.”
Palmer called for a reopening the U.S. embassy in Tehran, and also appointing a top advisor on Iran. Such diplomatic steps would also improve the U.S.’s negotiating position involving the current problems surrounding the Iranian nuclear program.
When asked by Lantos if they believed Iran was developing their nuclear program for peaceful reasons, all three witnesses answered no. “Unless the world intervenes effectively, Iran will become the first state sponsor of terror to possess nuclear weapons,” stated Lantos.
Sokolski blamed the inconsistencies in the language of the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) – of which both Iran and the U.S. are signatories – for permitting countries to gain control over the nuclear fuel cycle
“Iran wants to have the autonomous ability to move to a nuclear weapon,” Sick stated, adding that if the US wants to curb Iranian nuclear development, it will have to play a greater role in the ongoing negotiations.
Unlike U.S. diplomatic engagement with North Korea, through the six-party talks, the U.S. is not a participant in the ongoing EU3 negotiations between France, Britain Germany and Iran on the latter’s nuclear program.
Suggesting the need for a more consistent policy towards Iran, Rep. William Delahunt (D-Ma) expressed concern over, “What kind of impression are we making with the inconsistencies in dealing with Iran and North Korea?”
The Iranian regime’s human rights record was also of concern to the committee.
“We cannot ignore depredations of the regime even if it stays below the nuclear threshold,” commented Hyde.
Sick and Palmer both suggested opening more channels of cultural communication between the U.S. and Iran. “There is a huge interest in Iran for having exchanges and communication,” said Palmer.
Palmer recommended expanding the Voice of America Persian language broadcasting, and providing more funding to independent media companies that broadcast via satellite in the U.S to Iran. Sick outlined the importance of getting American NGO’s to operate within Iran.
niacouncil.org/pressreleases/press249.asp
Iranian People Are Our Allies, Pressure on Regime Needed, Experts Testify at House Hearing **
By Martin Rahmani
National Iranian American Council
www.niacouncil.org
Washington, D.C., February 18, 2005 - “Iranian people have not been cowed into submission, they continue to speak out,” said Professor Gary Sick of Columbia University today at a hearing of the House Committee on International Relations “The West must keep its spotlight on Iran and encourage true voices of democracy.”
Sick, who testified via video-teleconference, was joined by former US Ambassador Mark Palmer with the Committee on the Present Danger, and Henry Sokolski, executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center about next steps on US policy toward Iran. The hearing follows statements made by President Bush earlier this week that the United States is conducting a “policy review” of Iran.
“Iran’s people are our allies,” stated Palmer. “We must get behind the democrats and the dissidents in Iran and find all the ways we can to help the Iranian people.”
Steering away from military options for dealing with Iran, Sick added that “the Iranian people are remarkably pro-Western. There is a very good chance that a U.S. attack on Iran would end this internal opposition.”
Given the recent large-scale student demonstrations in Iran, regime change was suggested as an alternative solution by Rep Henry Hyde (R-Il) chairman of the committee. Hyde opened the proceedings by stating “Either the regime will have to go or its nature fundamentally changed.” Hyde did not offer any specific scenarios.
Palmer, recalling the recent Ukrainian election, as well as the Polish and Hungarian liberation efforts, stated that “Iran’s people are our allies. Iranian people want freedom. The mood in the region is in favor of democratization.”
While Rep Tom Lantos (D-Fl), ranking democrat of the committee, favored full diplomatic isolation of Iran, and Congressman Brad Sherman called on U.S. oil companies to divest the 33 billion they currently have staked in Iranian oil fields, Sick and the other panel members, citing the “remarkably pro-American” sentiments of the Iranian people, suggested increasing in diplomatic engagement as a way to “encourage the true voices of democracy.”
Palmer called for a reopening the U.S. embassy in Tehran, and also appointing a top advisor on Iran. Such diplomatic steps would also improve the U.S.’s negotiating position involving the current problems surrounding the Iranian nuclear program.
When asked by Lantos if they believed Iran was developing their nuclear program for peaceful reasons, all three witnesses answered no. “Unless the world intervenes effectively, Iran will become the first state sponsor of terror to possess nuclear weapons,” stated Lantos.
Sokolski blamed the inconsistencies in the language of the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) – of which both Iran and the U.S. are signatories – for permitting countries to gain control over the nuclear fuel cycle
“Iran wants to have the autonomous ability to move to a nuclear weapon,” Sick stated, adding that if the US wants to curb Iranian nuclear development, it will have to play a greater role in the ongoing negotiations.
Unlike U.S. diplomatic engagement with North Korea, through the six-party talks, the U.S. is not a participant in the ongoing EU3 negotiations between France, Britain Germany and Iran on the latter’s nuclear program.
Suggesting the need for a more consistent policy towards Iran, Rep. William Delahunt (D-Ma) expressed concern over, “What kind of impression are we making with the inconsistencies in dealing with Iran and North Korea?”
The Iranian regime’s human rights record was also of concern to the committee.
“We cannot ignore depredations of the regime even if it stays below the nuclear threshold,” commented Hyde.
Sick and Palmer both suggested opening more channels of cultural communication between the U.S. and Iran. “There is a huge interest in Iran for having exchanges and communication,” said Palmer.
Palmer recommended expanding the Voice of America Persian language broadcasting, and providing more funding to independent media companies that broadcast via satellite in the U.S to Iran. Sick outlined the importance of getting American NGO’s to operate within Iran.
niacouncil.org/pressreleases/press249.asp