Source: Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII)

Today a delegation will deliver a petition to Gordon Brown urging him to unambiguously endorse the agreement reached between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency aimed at resolving the current stand-off over Iran's nuclear energy programme. The petition also calls on the Prime Minister and not to dismiss the expert views of the IAEA Director, Mohamed ElBaradei, or the 118 member nations of the Non-Aligned Movement who today made a declaration in support of the IAEA-Iran Agreement.

The delegation, timed to coincide with the start of the regular session of the IAEA in Vienna, has been organised by the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII). The meeting at the IAEA will consider the latest report by Dr El Baradei which finds that there is no evidence that nuclear materials at Iran's enrichment facilities have been diverted in any way "and has therefore concluded that it remains in peaceful use".

Over the last two months Iran and the IAEA have formulated a framework for resolving the remaining issues between the two sides. The agreement contains a strict timetable and, according to UN officials, if deadlines are met and Iran provides all the information sought, the agency should be able to close the file on its investigation of Tehran's nuclear activities by the end of the year. So far the agreement is working and the announcement on 27 August in relation to Iran's plutonium experiments – labelled by the US as evidence of Iran’s weaponisation programme - demonstrates both its workability and Iran's commitment to adhere to its NPT agreements.

The 118 nations of the Non-Aligned Movement released a declaration today stating that it respects the recent report by Dr ElBaradei and acknowledges Iran's inalienable right to a nuclear energy programme. This has also been echoed by other nations, most recently Sweden, whose foreign minister said last week that his country strongly supported Iran's right to access civilian nuclear technology, and expressed the hope that Tehran's nuclear issue would be resolved through cooperation with the IAEA.

Yet despite these positive signs, the US continues to block cooperation and pushes for further unjustified UN Security Council resolutions against Iran.

The Bush administration has dismissed the evidence of Iranian cooperation with the IAEA as an attempt to distract from Iran’s intention to develop nuclear weapons. Dr El Baradei dismissed these accusations as "completely untrue" and warned that the outcome of the agreed workplan in the coming months "will be crucial for the overall situation in the Middle East.

Whether we move in the direction of escalation or in the direction of peace."

Stefan Simanowitz of CASMII said today:

"Dr El Baradei's report has not only substantiated the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme but demonstrated that the workplan can enable us to bring political understanding and agreement  through cooperation and dialogue. Iran has shown a clear willingness to adhere to the workplan and stick to its timetable.

The accusations made by the Bush Administration about Iran's nuclear weaponisation programme are reminiscent of the accusations about WMD that were used to justify the war against Iraq. It is absolutely clear that the IAEA is the only international authority qualified to study Iran's nuclear dossier and the nuclear issue in Iran should be resolved by it alone. In the past the US has successfully sought to influence the decisions of the IAEA Board of Governors, as revealed earlier this year by State Department official Stephen Rademaker boasting how the US coerced India’s vote referring Iran to the Security Council in return for US aid with nuclear technology. However it seems that where the IAEA's findings do not tally with the Bush Administrations’ accusations, the US will attempt to completely ignore or discredit and sabotage them.

CASMII is alarmed that military intervention against Iran by the US is not just a possibility but an imminent and near certain reality. Bush-Cheney leadership is clearly intent on using some casus belli to wage an attack against Iran. We therefore call on Gordon Brown to distance himself from the knee-jerk aggression of the Bush administration and join with the majority of the world’s nations in supporting the IAEA in their successful efforts to bring a peaceful resolution to this situation."

It will take place at 12.30 at Downing Street on Monday 10th September

Contact 07799650791 for details

... Payvand News - 9/10/07 ... --