Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
In the
name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful Praise be to God, the Lord of the world. Blessing
and Peace be upon our Prophet Mohammad and his kin and companions.
Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset, I would like to offer my most sincere felicitations on your deserved election
to the presidency of the General Assembly and seize the moment to express appreciation
for the valuable efforts offer distinguished Secretary-General.
Our world today is replete with fear and hope; fear of war and hostile regional and global
relations; fear of deadly confrontation of religious, ethnic and national identities;
fear of institutionalization of violence and extremism;
fear of poverty and destructive discrimination; fear of decay and destruction of life-sustaining
resources; fear of disregard for human dignity and
rights; and fear of neglect of morality. Alongside these fears, however, there are new hopes;
the hope of universal acceptance by the people
and the elite all across the globe of "yes to peace and
no to war"; and the hope of preference of dialogue over conflict, and moderation over
extremism. The recent elections in Iran represent a clear,
living example of the wise choice of hope, rationality and moderation by the great people
of Iran. The realization of democracy consistent with religion and the peaceful transfer of
executive power manifested that Iran is the anchor of
stability in an otherwise ocean of regional instabilities. The firm belief of our people
and government in enduring peace, stability, tranquility,
peaceful resolution of disputes and reliance on the ballot box as the basis of power, public
acceptance and legitimacy, has indeed played a
key role in creating such a safe environment. Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The current critical period of transition in international relations is replete with
dangers, albeit with unique opportunities. Any miscalculation
of one's position, and of course, of others, will bear historic damages; a mistake by one
actor will have negative impact on all others. Vulnerability is now a global and indivisible
phenomenon. At this sensitive juncture in the history
global relations, the age of zero-sum games is
1over, even though a few actors still tend to rely on archaic and deeply ineffective
ways and means to preserve their old superiority and
domination. Militarism and the recourse to violent
and military means to subjugate others are failed examples of the perpetuation of old
ways in new circumstances.
Coercive economic and military policies and practices geared to the maintenance and
preservation of old superiorities and dominations have been pursued in a conceptual mindset
that negates peace, security, human dignity, and
exalted human ideals. Ignoring differences between
societies and globalizing Western values as universal ones represent another manifestation
of this conceptual mindset. Yet another reflection
of the same cognitive model is the persistence of Cold
War mentality and bi-polar division of the world into "superior us" and "inferior others."
Fanning fear and phobia around the emergence of new actors on the world scene is another.
In such an environment, governmental and non-governmental, religious, ethnic, and even
racial violence has increased, and there is no guarantee that the era of quiet among big
powers will remain immune from such violent discourses,
practices and actions. The catastrophic impact of violent and extremist narratives
should not - in fact, must not - be underestimated. In this context, the strategic violence, which
is manifested in the efforts to deprive regional players from their natural domain
of action, containment policies, regime change from
outside, and the efforts towards redrawing of political borders and frontiers, is extremely
dangerous and provocative. The prevalent international political discourse
depicts a civilized center surrounded by un-civilized peripheries. In this picture,
the relation between the center of world power and the
peripheries is hegemonic. The discourse assigning the North the center stage and relegating
the South to the periphery has led to the establishment
of a monologue at the level of international relations. The creation of illusory identity
distinctions and the current prevalent violent forms of
xenophobia are the inevitable outcome of such a discourse. Propagandistic and unfounded
faith phobic, Islamo-phobic, Shia-phobic, and Iran-phobic discourses do indeed represent
serious threats against world peace and human security.
This propagandistic discourse has assumed dangerous proportions through portrayal and
inculcation of presumed imaginary threats. One such imaginary threat is the so-called
"Iranian threat"--which has been employed as an excuse
to justify a long catalogue of crimes and catastrophic practices over the past three
decades. The arming of the Saddam Hussein regime
with chemical weapons and supporting the Taliban and Al-Qaida are just two examples of such
catastrophes. Let me say this in all sincerity before this august world assembly, that based
on irrefutable evidence, those who harp on the
so-called threat of Iran are either a threat against
international peace and security themselves or promote such a threat. Iran poses absolutely
no threat to the world or the region. In Fact,
in ideals as well as in actual practice, my country has
been a harbinger of just peace and comprehensive security.
2 Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, Nowhere in the world has violence been so
deadly and destructive as in North Africa and West Asia. Military intervention in Afghanistan,
Saddam Hussein's imposed war against Iran, occupation of Kuwait, military interventions
against Iraq, brutal repression of the Palestinian people, assassination of common
people and political figures in Iran, and terrorist
bombings in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon are examples of violence in this
region in the last three decades. What has been - and continues to be - practiced
against the innocent people ofPalestine is nothing less than structural violence.
Palestine is under occupation; the basic rights of the
Palestinians are tragically violated, and they are deprived of the right of return and
access to their homes, birthplace and homeland. Apartheid
as a concept can hardly describe the crimes and the
institutionalized aggression against the innocent Palestinian people.
The human tragedy in Syria represents a painful example of catastrophic spread of
violence and extremism in our region. From the very outset of the crisis and when some
regional and international actors helped to militarize
the situation through infusion of arms and intelligence into the country and active support
of extremist groups, we emphasized that there was no military solution to the Syrian crisis.
Pursuit of expansionist strategies and objectives and
attempts to change the regional balance through proxies cannot be camouflaged behind
humanitarian rhetoric. The common objective of the international community should be a
quick end to the killing of the innocent. While
condemning any use of chemical weapons, we welcome
Syria's acceptance of the Chemical Weapons Convention, and believe that the access by
extremist terrorist groups to such weapons is the greatest danger to the region that
must be considered in any disarmament plan. Simultaneously,
I should underline that illegitimate and ineffective threat to use or the actual use
of force will only lead to further exacerbation of
violence and crisis in the region. Terrorism and the killing of innocent people
represent the ultimate inhumanity of extremism and violence. Terrorism is a violent
scourge and knows no country or national borders. But, the violence and extreme actions
such as the use of drones against innocent people
in the name of combating terrorism should also be condemned. Here, I should also say
a word about the criminal assassination ofIranian
nuclear scientists. For what crimes have they been
assassinated? The United Nations and the Security Council should answer the question: have the
perpetrators been condemned? Unjust sanctions, as manifestation of structural
violence, are intrinsically inhumane and against peace. And contrary to the claims
of those who pursue and impose them, it is not the
states and the political elite that are targeted, but rather, it is the common people who are
victimized by these sanctions. Let us not forget millions ofIraqis who, as a result
of sanctions covered in international legal jargon, suffered
and lost their lives, and many more who continue 3to suffer all through their lives. These
sanctions are violent, pure and simple; whether called
smart or otherwise, unilateral or multilateral. These sanctions violate inalienable human
rights, inter alia, the right to peace, right to development,
right to access to health and education, and above all, the right to life. Sanctions, beyond
any and all rhetoric, cause belligerence, warmongering and human suffering. It should
be borne in mind, however, that the negative impact is not merely limited to the intended
victims of sanctions; it also affects the economy and
livelihood of other countries and societies, including the countries imposing sanctions.
Mr. President, Excellencies, Violence and extremism nowadays have gone
beyond the physical realm and have unfortunately afflicted and tarnished the
mental and spiritual dimensions of life in human
societies. Violence and extremism leave no space for understanding and moderation as
the necessary foundations of collective life of
human beings and the modern society. Intolerance is
the predicament of our time. We need to promote and reinforce tolerance in light of the religious
teachings and appropriate cultural and political approaches. The human society should be
elevated from a state of mere tolerance to that of collective collaboration. We should
not just tolerate others. We should rise above mere
tolerance and dare to work together. People all over the world are tired of war,
violence and extremism. They hope for a change in the status quo. And this is a unique
opportunity - for us all. The Islamic Republic of
Iran believes that all challenges can be managed - successfully - through a smart, judicious
blend of hope and moderation. Warmongers are bent
on extinguishing all hope. But hope for change for the better is an innate, religious, widespread,
and universal concept. Hope is founded on the belief in the universal
will of the people across the globe to combat violence and extremism, to cherish
change, to oppose imposed structures, to value choice, and to act in accordance with human
responsibility. Hope is no doubt one of the greatest
gifts bestowed upon human beings by their All-Loving Creator. And moderation is to think
and move in a wise, judicious manner, conscious
of the time and the space, and to align exalted ideals with choice of effective strategies
and policies, while cognizant of objective realities.
The Iranian people, in a judiciously sober choice in the recent elections, voted for
the discourse of hope, foresight and prudent moderation
- both at home and abroad. In foreign policy, the combination of these elements
means that the Islamic Republic ofIran, as a regional
power, will act responsibly with regard to regional and international security, and is
willing and prepared to cooperate in these fields, bilaterally
as well as multilaterally, with other responsible actors. We defend peace based on democracy
and the ballot box everywhere, including in Syria,
Bahrain, and other countries in the region, and believe that there are no violent solutionsto
world crises. The bitter and ugly realities of the
human society can only be overcome through recourse
to and reliance on human wisdom, interaction and moderation. Securing peace and democracy
and ensuring the legitimate rights of all countries in the world, including in the Middle
East, 4cannot - and will not - be realized through
militarism. Iran seeks to resolve problems, not to create
them. There is no issue or dossier that cannot be resolved through reliance on hope and prudent
moderation, mutual respect, and rejection of
violence and extremism. Iran's nuclear dossier is a case in point. As clearly stated by the
Leader of the Islamic Revolution, acceptance of the
inalienable right ofIran constitutes the best and the
easiest way of resolving this issue. This is not political rhetoric. Rather, it is based
on a profound recognition of the state of technology in
Iran, global political environment, the end of the era of
zero-sum games, and the imperative of seeking common objectives and interests towards
reaching common understanding and shared security. Put otherwise, Iran and other actors should
pursue two common objectives as two mutually inseparable parts of a political solution
for the nuclear dossier ofIran.
1. Iran's nuclear program - and for that matter, that of all other countries - must
pursue exclusively peaceful purposes. I declare here, openly and unambiguously,
that, notwithstanding the positions of others, this has been, and will always be,
the objective of the Islamic Republic ofIran. Nuclear weapon and other weapons
of mass destruction have no place in Iran's security and defense doctrine, and
contradict our fundamental religious and ethical convictions. Our national
interests make it imperative that we remove any and all reasonable concerns about
Iran's peaceful nuclear program. 2. The second objective, that is, acceptance
of and respect for the implementation of the right to enrichment inside Iran and enjoyment
of other related nuclear rights, provides the only path towards achieving the
first objective. Nuclear knowledge in Iran has been domesticated now and the
nuclear technology, inclusive of enrichment, has already reached industrial
scale. It is, therefore, an illusion, and extremely unrealistic, to presume that the
peaceful nature of the nuclear program ofIran could be ensured through impeding the
program via illegitimate pressures. In this context, the Islamic Republic ofIran,
insisting on the implementation of its rights and the imperative of international respect
and cooperation in this exercise, is prepared to engage
immediately in time-bound and result-oriented talks to build mutual confidence and removal
of mutual uncertainties with full transparency.
Iran seeks constructive engagement with other countries based on mutual respect and
common interest, and within the same framework does not seek to increase tensions with the
United States. I listened carefully to the statement made by President Obama today at
the General Assembly. Commensurate with the political
will of the leadership in the United States and hoping that they will refrain from following
the short-sighted interest of warmongering pressure groups, we can arrive at a framework
to manage our differences. To this end, equal 5footing, mutual respect, and the recognized
principles of international law should govern the
interactions. Of course, we expect to hear a consistent voice from Washington.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, In recent years, a dominant voice has been
repeatedly heard: "The military option is on
the table." Against the backdrop of this illegal and ineffective contention, let me say loud
and clear that "peace is within reach." So, in
the name of the Islamic Republic ofIran I propose, as a
starting step, the consideration by the United Nations of the project: "the World Against
Violence and Extremism." (WAVE) Let us all join this "WAVE." I invite all states, international
organizations and civil institutions to undertake a new effort to guide the world in this direction.
We should start thinking about "Coalition for Enduing Peace" all across the globe instead
of the ineffective "Coalitions for War" in various
parts of the world. Today, the Islamic Republic ofIran invites
you and the entire world community to take a
step forward; an invitation to join the WAVE: World Against Violence and Extremism. We
should accept and be able to open a new horizon in which peace will prevail over war, tolerance
over violence, progress over bloodletting, justice over discrimination, prosperity over
poverty, and freedom over despotism. As beautifully
said by Ferdowsi, the renowned Iranian epic poet:
Be relentless in striving for the cause of Good
Bring the spring, you must, Banish the winter, you should.
Notwithstanding all difficulties and challenges, I am deeply optimistic about the future. I
have no doubt that the future will be bright with the entire world solidly rejecting violence
and extremism. Prudent moderation will ensure
a bright future for the world. My hope, aside from
personal and national experience, emanates from the belief shared by all divine religions
that a good and bright future awaits the world. As
stated in the Holy Qur'an: And We proclaimed in the Psalms, after We
had proclaimed in the Torah, that My virtuous servants will inherit the earth.
(21:105) Thank you Mr. President