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"I regret any concern they might have
caused," Harman Tells NIAC
Washington, DC, May 21, 2009 - The
National Iranian American Council (NIAC) welcomes Rep. Jane Harman's
retraction and clarification of her statement regarding the
"separation" of Iran's ethnic groups and regret for the concern it
caused.
"I was not and am not calling for the
creation of ethnic tensions or separation in Iran - nothing would be
less productive," said Harman in a statement to NIAC. "Although my
comments on Iran were taken out of context, I regret any concern
they might have caused."
"My point was that the diversity of
views in Iran should be better understood in order for the United
States to formulate the best strategy for persuading the Iranian
government not to pursue nuclear weapons development," Harman added.
The controversy arose from statements
Harman made during the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
annual conference. While answering a question about how to prevent
Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, Harman said "The Persian
population in Iran is not a majority, it is a plurality. There are
many different, diverse, and disagreeing populations inside Iran and
an obvious strategy, which I believe is a very good strategy, is to
separate those populations."
NIAC initiated a campaign Tuesday
seeking a retraction from the California Congresswoman. Discussions
were held yesterday between NIAC and Harman's office.
"This is an important statement from
Rep. Harman," said NIAC Chairman Reza Firouzbakht. "It makes clear
that while there are many opinions about how to address the Iranian
nuclear challenge, some options are simply not acceptable."
NIAC President Trita Parsi welcomed the
retraction and the Congresswoman's expression of regret. "Though
we take exception to the idea that the statement was taken out of
context, the important thing is that Congresswoman Harman responded
quickly to retract it and stated clearly that she opposes creating
ethnic tensions in Iran. This is a testament both to the
Congresswoman's openness and to the increasing political engagement
of the Iranian-American community."
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