Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Foreign  Affairs and Trade

Julie Bishop

Labor must cancel official visit to Iran

22/08/12

The Prime Minister must immediately cancel the proposed visit to Iran by Australia’s  Ambassador to the United Nations Gary Quinlan and the Prime Minister’s Special  Envoy Joanna Hewitt.

Australia currently imposes a comprehensive range of sanctions against Iran due to  its ongoing pursuit of nuclear technology and its failure to comply with inspections by  the International Atomic Energy Agency.

These sanctions are part of an international effort to isolate Iran.

In addition to concerns about its nuclear program, Iran’s leaders continue to make  bellicose statements with regard to Israel and the regime has been an active sponsor  of terrorist organisations around the world.

Iranian officials will use any visit of senior officials to next week’s meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran to claim greater international legitimacy.

If the visit goes ahead it will be another example of the Labor Government  compromising longstanding foreign policy principles in pursuit of votes for its  campaign for a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council.



This campaign cannot justify any action that potentially undermines the international  effort to convince Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions and its suspected drive to  obtain nuclear weapons.

