Fwd: Iran Forum

[Majid Bagheri]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: sto...@sfpirg.ca <sto...@sfpirg.ca >
Date: May 13, 2007 12:56 PM
Subject: Iran Forum
To: stop...@sfu.ca
Cc: sf-pir...@sfu.ca

A Public Forum: North America and Iran: Who
is threatening who?

With presentations by Dr. Mike Wallace (UBC) and
members of the Iranian community, followed by
discussion.

Thursday, May 24, 7pm
at Palestine Community Centre, 1874 Kingsway

Admission by donation.

Organized by StopWar.ca.

***

US Points Guns at Iran: Canadians Must Say NO to War

On March 24/07 the United Nations Security Council
tightened sanctions against Iran after that country's refusal to suspend
its uranium enrichment program. The US and its allies accuse Iran of
developing nuclear weapons; Iran denies this. Meanwhile, the Harper
government has pledged Canada's full support for the new sanctions, which
mark the Security Council's third resolution on the matter.


  The Bush administration has made numerous threats of military strikes
while transferring weapons,

explicitly aimed at Iran, to US allies in the region. At the same time, the
US has sent warships to stalk Iran's coast and Special Forces have
reportedly operated inside Iran as part of a campaign of destabilization.


  The three UNSC resolutions have all declared Iran to be a threat to
international peace and security. Many people see this as a repeat of the
process, which led to the US war against Iraq.


  Despite the accusations aimed at Iran, there is no
evidence that Iran has begun to develop nuclear
weapons. In the past four years, the International
Atomic Energy Agency has issued 20 reports on Iran.
None of them have reported any evidence that Iran is
pursuing nuclear weapons. Undeterred, the Bush
administration has pointed to there being no
definitive proof of the absence of a weapons program
-- something which is impossibility. Again, this
demand echoes the campaign against Iraq in the lead-up to war against that
country.


  In pursuing a civilian nuclear program, Iran is
operating within its rights under the Nuclear
Non-proliferation Treaty, which it has signed. In
contrast, Iran's neighbor - Israel - possesses nuclear weapons and has
not signed the NPT.  Israel and the United states have threatened to use
nuclear weapons against Iran. Yet neither the Security Council nor the US
government are imposing sanctions or threatening military strikes against
those offenders.


  No To War Against Iran

  In January secretary of state Condoleezza rice
stated there was a "new strategic alignment in the
Middle East in which she said Iran, Syria and
Hezbollah had "made their choice and their choice is
to destabilize."

  War against Iran will bring immeasurable suffering
to the people of the Middle East.  Hundreds of
thousands will die and the accomplishments of
thousands of years of civilization will be destroyed.
The threat of war against Iran is real and people in
Canada must respond by demanding that the Canadian
government have no part.

  People in Canada must also demand that all sanctions against Iran be
lifted.  Sanctions serve only to harm the people of Iran.


  Bombs cannot bring progress.  The Iranian people are the only people who
can change their country.


  Call To Action

  The StopWar.ca coalition is calling for emergency
mobilizations in the event of any military strike or
attack against Iran. We are asking all organizations
and individuals to demonstrate on both the day of and the day following any
such attack: 6pm at the

Vancouver Art Gallery (Robson Street Side)

  For more information, email con...@stopwar.ca.