

Julie Bishop MP

Shadow   MINISTER  FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Labor must cancel official visit to Iran

Details

Published on Wednesday, 22 August 2012 05:06

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.



