Iran has attacked no one, yet both the United States and Israel continue to threaten Iran with a military attack unless Iran agrees to halt uranium enrichment. While it appears that the imminent danger of war has receded, during the most recent Presidential debate, President Obama flatly denied reports that the U.S. had agreed to hold direct talks with Iran, declaring “…the clock is ticking, if they do not meet demands of the international community, we will take all options necessary.” Tell the President and Congress to “take ‘all options are on the table’ off the table”!
Israeli and U.S. threats of war on Iran are being justified in the name of preventing nuclear weapons proliferation in the Middle East. Yet, the
| Click here to sign the Open Letter to President Obama and the U.S. Congress |
International Atomic Energy Agency and U.S. National Intelligence Estimates have repeatedly concluded that Iran has no nuclear weapons and has made no decision to build them. In fact, it is nuclear-armed Israel and the U.S. that are responsible for the presence and proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region, in total disregard for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and thirty years of United Nations resolutions calling for the establishment of a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone in the Middle East.
Whether or not one agrees with Iran’s interpretation of its rights under the NPT, this is a matter to be resolved by diplomacy, not war. Unilateral threat or use of military force against Iran, including covert force, would be a violation of International Law and of the U.N. Charter. We want no part of another illegal war in the Middle East.
A very significant opportunity for a diplomatic breakthrough is on the horizon. The May 2010 5-year review meeting of the NPT called for a UN-sponsored conference in 2012 to establish a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction, to be attended by all States in the region. The proposed Conference is scheduled for mid- December, in Helsinki, Finland.
The United States’ lack of visibility in promoting this conference is unacceptable and a cause of deep concern. The Helsinki Conference provides an opportunity for a Middle East without nuclear weapons. It can lead to further discussions for securing a lasting peace in the Middle East.
Tell the President and Congress to stop threatening and start talking! Click here to sign the Open Letter to President Obama and the U.S. Congress, calling on them “to actively, and visibly, support the Helsinki Conference for a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction.” We are seeking as many organizational and individual signatures as possible – please help us spread the word! We are planning to “deliver” and publicize this letter the first week of December.
United for Peace and Justice believes that the problem of nuclear weapons in the Middle East must be solved regionally, as well as globally. We support the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear and all other weapons of mass destruction in parallel with a global call for immediate negotiations to abolish all nuclear weapons.
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