Open Letter by STOP THE BOMB to the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and the Austrian Federal Government
Vienna, May 27nd, 2008
To the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs and the Austrian Federal Government
On February 19th, the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (Ministry for Foreign Affairs) sent an unsolicited letter to “STOP THE BOMB – Coalition against the Iranian extermination program”. (see: attachment) In this letter signed by Thomas Mayr-Harting, Political Director of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, an implicit attempt was undertaken to legitimize the support shown by the Austrian Federal Government for conducting business with Iran – a position strongly opposed by the Platform STOP THE BOMB with the support of Elfriede Jelinek, Beate Klarsfeld, Leon de Winter, Imre Kertéz, Elie Wielsel, and more than 4.300 people from more than 60 countries. Considering statements given by Iranian opposition groups, that at present a high-ranking delegation of OMV is staying in Iran, to negotiate the concern’s planned 22 billion Euro deal with the Regime and concerning the still maintaining support of this deal by the Austrian Federal Government, please allow us to answer you with the enclosed open letter.
In your letter dated 19th February to the Platform STOP THE BOMB you deny the apparent fact that Austria is actually conducting an appeasement policy towards the Iranian regime. In reality, the encouragement and support given by the Austrian Federal Government and the ruling coalition parties for this intended multi-billion Euro deal of OMV with Iran is much more upsetting than the appeasement policy which erroneously is thought to be an effective means to wrest good manners from the Iranian regime by making generous concessions to it. The government support for the OMV business which is consciously not mentioned at all in your written communication is a clear-cut step towards direct cooperation with this regime. The focus on the future multi-billion Euro deal of OMV would promote the Iranian theocracy not only to the status of one of the key commercial partners of Austria, but at the same time upgrade it to an important strategic partner for the whole of Europe. It is self-evident that the conclusion of a business transaction of such enormous proportions would result in both a propagandistic and a political and economic success for the Islamic apocalypticists in Iran. Moreover, profits derived from foreign trade are known to serve for the support of international terrorism – a circumstance lately pointed out also by the Financial Action Task Force who issued a warning in this respect.
The true character of the Iranian regime cannot be doubted. You yourself are pointing to its blatant violations of human rights, the annihilation threats uttered against Israel, the antisemitism, the Holocaust denial and the violation of obligations under international law. What distinguishes this regime from other despotic regimes shaped by Islam is a peculiar kind of Islamic ideology formed by a combination of messianistic and apocalyptic visions, an openly declared anti-Israel hostility, and the aspiration to acquire technologies of mass destruction. Regarding the Middle East conflict, the Mullah dictatorship is not so much concerned with the improvement of the living standards of the Palestinians, a two-state solution or any other kind of conflict settlement or compromise – its declared goal is the annihilation of Israel.
To counter such a regime it is just not enough to content oneself with verbal criticism and minimal sanctions you refer to in your letter. It is precisely Austria with her track record – having already once participated in antisemitic mass murder – which cannot make excuses by referring to and hiding behind the “international community”, the United Nations or EU decisions. On the contrary, she should take the lead and cooperate with those who consistently embark on a course of action against Tehran, and not lend herself to the role of a pathfinder for such people who, while condemning the terror propagated by the Iranian ayatollahs, at the same time ensure that a flow of multi-billion sums is being pumped into the treasury of a regime which for nearly 30 years has been bullying and harassing its own population and has forced millions of Iranians into exile, a regime which strives for the annihilation of Israel.
Instead, in your letter you continue putting your hope on a dialogue whose failure has become overly evident in the course of the past few years, being exactly the kind of dialogue that is stabbing the Iranian opposition in the back, and is openly welcomed by the Iranian rulers as a gain of time in regard to their nuclear program. In your letter you describe “Iran's promise to disclose within four weeks relevant information concerning open questions put forward by the nuclear inspectors as to the character and volume of its nuclear program” as a “positive approach” and a “first confidence-building step”. Now, putting aside for a moment that there have been countless such “promises” in the past ten years leading to absolutely no results whatsoever, we are convinced that even you, eight weeks into that statement, can no longer assert Iran’s compliance with that commitment.
The comportment of the Federal Government indicates its willingness to defy criticism of its policy vis-à-vis Iran by using implausible and unconvincing arguments. Thus, Federal Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer repeatedly stated that, OMV being a private company, the Austrian state would not interfere with their business affairs. Since undoubtedly even the Federal Chancellor knows that over 30 percent of OMV is owned by the state – which, by the way, has to set the necessary framework conditions for enterprises and companies to conduct or not to conduct business with other countries – these assertions appear to serve as a means to dodge political responsibility for business with Iran, at the same time furthering such transactions.
In this grave moment of utmost threat to Israel, we demand from the Austrian Federal Government deeds, not the same constantly articulated words of solidarity with Israel. We call upon it to
– withdraw its support to OMV and other Austrian companies for their business dealings with Iran, and to unilaterally impose comprehensive sanctions and
– replace the dialogue with the Mullah regime by a dialogue conducted with those in the Iranian opposition who constitute a true alternative to the present regime and are fighting for a secular Iran governed in accordance with the rule of law.
Yours faithfully,
STOP THE BOMB – Coalition Against the Iranian Extermination Program