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Iran’s nuclear program: the need for an effective international response

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 11908 | 06 May 2009

Signatories:
Mr Göran LINDBLAD, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Mr Denis BADRÉ, France, ALDE ; Mr Mátyás EÖRSI, Hungary, ALDE ; Mr Franz Eduard KÜHNEL, Austria, EPP/CD ; Mr Aleksei LOTMAN, Estonia, UEL ; Mr Christos POURGOURIDES, Cyprus, EPP/CD ; Mr Maximilian REIMANN, Switzerland ; Mr Indrek SAAR, Estonia, SOC ; Mr Zoltán SZABÓ, Hungary ; Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD
Thesaurus

Iran is a source of major concern to the international community and to its regional neighbours. As a nuclear weapon-state the entire regional balance of power would tilt in favour of Iran’s radical ideology and would marginalize Europe’s moderate and democratic allies in the region. This would have far-reaching repercussions on international stability as a whole.

The international community's concerns with respect to this threat have been expressed in countless resolutions adopted by its major institutions (notably resolutions by the UN Security Council and the European Parliament). The Council of Europe reached similar conclusions on Iran, as cited in a latest report on Iran to the Assembly (Rapporteur, Mr. Goran Linblad, June 4, 2007): " Iran has so far rejected all attempts to find a comprehensive solution, failed to co-operate in order to respond to these concerns about the nature of its nuclear program and ignored legally binding UN Security Council resolutions…”.

So far, Iran continues to ignore the demands of the international community, and the situation on the ground is rapidly deteriorating:

  • Uranium Enrichment: according to a recent IAEA report (19/2/09) Iran accumulated, so far, more than a 1,000 kg of low grade enriched uranium. This demonstrates that Iran's enrichment program is undergoing significant progress. It is likely that within the upcoming few months, Iran would accumulate material in quantities that are sufficient for the assembly of a nuclear weapon.
  • Ballistic Missiles Programs: Iran continues to develop ballistic missile technology and is pursuing the capability to field intercontinental ballistic missiles, a delivery system suited almost exclusively to nuclear weapons payloads.
  • Increased Violations of Human Rights: Specifically, there is increased evidence of death sentences and executions that are imposed on juvenile offenders and minors.
  • Leads to the deterioration of regional stability: Iran is playing a disruptive and destabilising role in the region in an attempt to destabilize moderate and democratic regimes (e.g., support for Hamas, Hizballah, and terror networks in the region).

Therefore, it is clear that time is of the essence. While the current momentum is rapidly leading towards the establishment of a new threatening and irreversible regional reality, the diplomatic activities need to be modified and augmented in accordance with the increasing threat and with the development of a new approach adopted by the US Administration.

The Assembly ought to gather specific data on the recent developments in Iran and on the nature of the threat that it poses. The Assembly will take into account the time element and the increased urgency of the matter. The Assembly should consider adopting additional effective measures vis-à-vis this threat.

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