Australian Democrats Press Releases

Senator Lyn Allison  Parliamentary Leader and Democrats Senator for Victoria  Australian Democrats spokesperson for Energy and Resources

Senator Natasha Stott Despoja  Democrats Senator for South Australia  Australian Democrats spokesperson for Foreign Affairs

Dated: 12 April 2006

Press Release Number: ivwvudna  Portfolio: Energy and Resources  Related: Foreign Affairs

Call for calm on Iran as Americans get hawkish again



Irans recent announcement that it has enriched uranium for a civilian reactor does not constitute a  weapon of mass destruction and the UN and the Americans must take a far more measured approach to  diplomatic discussions with Iran than it did with Iraq, the Australian Democrats said today.

We call on Iran to adhere to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and to allow International Atomic Energy  Agency inspectors to make a full and thorough report on Irans enrichment processes and a full  disclosure of the plans for the heavy water reactor in Arak, Senator Allison said.

Senator Natasha Stott Despoja, Democrats' Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, has written to the Iranian  Embassy and called on Iran to recognise its obligations under the NPT.

She has also written to the new United States Ambassador to urge the United States to demonstrate  caution in their dealings with Iran.

It is disturbing that America is now using exactly the same sort of hawkish dialogue against Iran that it  used prior to invading Iraq on the pretext of non-existent weapons of mass destruction. The allegation  now is that Iran is determined to make an atomic bomb but this has not been substantiated," Senator  Stott Despoja said.

A recent report in the New Yorker by Seymour Hersch said President Bush was keen to attack Irans  nuclear facilities and that more hawkish elements of his administration would like to see the use of  nuclear weapons against Iran, Senator Allison said.

Its hypocritical that America is supplying Israel with nuclear technology and arms and has also just  signed an export treaty to sell uranium to India which is not a NPT signatory yet thwarts Irans access to  nuclear power. Its not hard to see why Iran sees the Americans as an aggressive interloper in its  domestic affairs, Senator Allison said.



