Source: Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (May 9, 2006)

Former Deputy Commander-in-Chief of British Land Forces, General Sir Hugh Beach, joined veteran campaigner and former Cabinet Minster, Tony Benn, yesterday on a delegation to Downing Street opposing military intervention in Iran. The delegation organised by CASMII (the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran), delivered two letters to Tony Blair from eminent British and American physicists warning that the military intervention and the use of nuclear weapons would have disastrous consequences for the security of Britain and the rest of world.

The letters carried the signatures of academics, politicians and scientists including some of 5 physicists who are Nobel Laureates. The letters were delivered to the Prime Minister by Mr Tony Benn, Professor Abbas Edalat and General Sir Hugh Beach. General Beach became Deputy Commander-in-Chief of United Kingdom Land Forces in 1976.

Jack Mr Straw, who was invited to join the delegation, was unable to attend due to diary constraints. However his office requested that information about the campaign be sent to him and CASMII will invite Mr Straw, whose opposition to military intervention in Iran was reportedly the reason for his recent demotion, to join them in future petitions.

The letter signed by scientists in the UK states;
"There is no proof that Iran has a weaponization programme, and therefore no justification for the use of force. Any pre-emptive attack led by the US against Iran will no doubt take place without any explicit UN approval and thus in violation of the UN Charter and international law. It will lead to a major conflagration in that volatile region of the world and is bound to result in a sharp escalation in anti-Western sentiments as well as in extremism, fundamentalism and terrorism."

Professor Abbas Edalat, CASMII's founder, said today;
"We hope that yesterday’s presence of a military general who was second-in- command of all British Land Forces will not be ignored and the concerns of some the world’s most eminent scientists will not be dismissed. The assurances by Tony Blair and Margaret Beckett that they currently have “no intention” of attacking Iran are as hollow as those promises made in the run up to the invasion of Iraq. The public are now becoming aware that military action against Iran is not merely possible but imminent. According to the renowned journalist Seymour Hersh, plans to attack Iran are already in their operational phase and the use of tactical nuclear weapons is still on the table."

For photos of the delegation and copies of the letters to Tony Blair from British academics, and a letter to George Bush from US physicists are available from www.campaigniran.org  

CASMII is an independent international campaigning organisation committed to opposing military attacks against Iran.

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