Petitioners Tell the Islamic Republic of Terrorists to Stop its Warmongering Rhetoric

IPS: more than 300 political activists, journalists, commentators, political analysts and dissidents, in an unprecedented petition, urged the “highest authorities” to accept IAEA’s Chief proposals for a “mutual suspension”.

During last month’s World Economic Forum of Davos, Switzerland, the UN nuclear watchdog Chief Mohammad ElBaradei proposed a “time off” in the Iranian nuclear standoff, suggesting that both Iran and the Security Council suspend “mutually and at the same time” the resolution 1737 passed last December against Tehran in the one hand and Iran suspending its nuclear activities on the other.

Iran indirectly rejected the proposal, which had been backed by Moscow as well as the European Troika of France, England and Germany.

The petitionnaers, among them Ezzatollah Sahabi, from the Nationalist-religious groups, Issa Saharkhiz and Masha'allah shamsolva'ezin, journalists, Ahmad Shirzad, lawmaker, Sa'id Hajjarian, the "architec" of the reformistsy, Mostafa Tajzadeh, a former deputy minister, Hojjatoleslam Mohsen Kadivar and ahmad Montazeri, the son of the Grand Ayatollah Hoseynali Montazeri, also called for the start of “open, limpid and direct” negotiations between Tehran and Washington, describing it as “one of the best ways to stop “war and bloodshed, further unrest and troubles in the (Middle East) region.

In a clear critic of hard line and fanatic President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nezhad’s policies, the petitioners, quoted by the Prague-based Radio Farda, the 24 hours Persian service of the Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty say: “The continuation of antagonizing policies, provocative actions and speeches by the Government’s representatives inside the country and in international instances have made the wall of no confidence thicker, helping White House plans for creating an international consensus against Iranian territorial integrity and detriment to the interests of Iranian people”.

“The highest responsible authorities must understand that they can not, by turning the nuclear energy and enriching uranium into a national, security and prestige issue, prevent the citizen of this nation and political groups from the right of expressing their views on such an important question and by increasing censorship and auto-censorship, deprive the press and journalists from taking up this vital national affair”, they concluded. ENDS PETITION 14307