Friday, September 14th 2012
Rally against father of the Iranian bomb in Vienna
STOP THE BOMB criticizes visit of Abbasi Davani and asks to follow the Canadian example of cutting relations with Iran
STOP THE BOMB will rally on Monday, September 17th at 9 AM at the Vienna International Center (Muhammad Asad Square) to demonstrate against Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, the mastermind of the Iranian nuclear bomb. Abbasi-Davani is scheduled to attend the opening of the General Conference of the IAEA. He was appointed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as head of the Iranian nuclear program and one of his deputy presidents in 2011. Due to his direct involvement in the Iranian nuclear weapons program, he has been subject to UN sanctions since 2007 and his name is mentioned in the EU sanctions resolution passed in 2010. Nonetheless, the travel restrictions were lifted for his visit to Austria due to special regulations for international organizations.
Simone Dinah Hartmann, spokesperson of STOP THE BOMB, hopes that Austrian politicians will make clear statements and take concrete steps against the regime: "It must no longer be possible that the mastermind of the Iranian bomb that represents an existential threat to Israel and also threatens Europe, is present in Vienna. We demand that the EU countries follow Canada's example and finally severe relations with the Iranian terror regime. The expulsion of the Iranian ambassadors would be a clear signal that Europe no longer is willing to accept the delay and obfuscation tactics concerning Iran's nuclear program and the continued harassment of the Iranian people."
Regarding the announced tightening of EU sanctions against Iran planned for mid-October, Hartmann stresses that this is a step in the right direction but that these decisions are not sufficient to prevent the Iranian regime from continuing his projects: "Only a complete trade embargo with humanitarian exemptions in combination with a strong political isolation of the Iranian regime would bring the rulers in Tehran seriously in trouble."
