Protest against Iranian Vice-Minister in Berlin

After STOP THE BOMB heard of a non-public event with the Iranian Vice-Minister for Economic Affairs Mohammed Reza Farzin, we called for short-term protests on Oct. 26, 2011. Around 30 people came and made a lot of noise! After the announcement of our protest, Rainer Stinner, foreign policy spokesman of the FDP, canceled his meeting with the Iranian minister because of "scheduling difficulties". On this page you can find the greeting from Rabbi Abraham Cooper (Simon Wiesenthal Center), a press review, our press statement and more.

We'd like to thank all of the supporters of this protest!

An article in Die WELT (German) about the event fully confirmed our rejection of such futile and self-defeating "critical dialogues". We will thus continue to protest against any collaboration with Iranian regime members!

Greeting from Rabbi Abraham Cooper (Simon Wiesenthal Center)

Protest against the invitation of the Iranian Vice Minister for Economic Affairs to the German Foundation DGAP

Islamic Republic of Iran not a partner in Afghanistan - STOP THE BOMB is calling for the cancellation of an event with Mohammad Reza Farzin and Rainer Stinner (FDP)

STOP THE BOMB Press Release, October 24, 2011

The partly state-sponsored German Foundation DGAP is holding an event called „Experts Talk“ with Mohammad Reza Farzin, Vice Minister for Economic Affairs of Iran and Rainer Stinner, foreign policy spokesman of the Free Democrats (FDP), the junior partner in Germany's ruling coalition this Wednesday, 26 October 2011.[1]

It is announced that the talks will address a possible "energy cooperation" with Iran as well as possibilities to partner in „problem solving in Afghanistan“.

„STOP THE BOMB is shocked that members of the German Bundestag in this way are undermining EU sanctions against the Iranian regime, which are aiming particularly at the country's energy sector", says Michael Spaney, spokesperson of the Campaign STOP THE BOMB. „We are calling for a cancellation of the event. Given the recent murder complot of the Iranian regime in the United States this invitation is a dangerous signal of giving in to terrorist methods", Spaney adds. 

STOP THE BOMB warns against the assessment that the West had shared interests with the Iranian regime in Afghanistan. "We consider this to be a dangerous illusion, particularly on the eve of the Afghanistan Conference scheduled for December in Bonn," says Michael Spaney. "The Wikileaks revelations were only the latest proves demonstrating that the Iranian regime is responsible for the killing of soldiers of the ISAF troops in Afghanistan. The regime is also involved in drug trafficking and supports Islamist terror groups in Afghanistan like the Taliban and Al Qaeda." [2]

Paolo Casaca, executive director of the South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF), who is currently accompanying a major delegation of leading Afghan women through European countries to make their voices heard, warns of this approach. "There are no common interests with Islamist forces in Afghanistan. Instead of stabilizing the influence of the Iranian regime in Afghanistan, Western countries should support and strengthen democratic forces inside the country. The significant improvements in the rights and social situation of women and girls in Afghanistan are likely to be reversed if Islamist forces are allowed to have any role in Afghanistan's future", says Casaca.

STOP THE BOMB asked the DGAP to cancel the invitation and will protest against the event on October 26, in front of the DGAP, Rauchstraße 17/18 in 10787 Berlin.

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[1] STOP THE BOMB criticized Rainer Stinner in July 2010, when he travelled to Iranrtly after the passing of European sanctions against Iran. STOP THE BOMB stated that Stinner undermined the sanctions by signalling that there is still time for dialogue. See de.stopthebomb.net/de/stinner.html. The German weekly "Die Zeit" stated: "The liberal foreign policy spokesman Rainer Stinner is visiting Iran. In this way he is torpedoing the Iran sanctions of the EU", see www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2010-08/rainer-stinner-iran-atomstreit.

[2] The DGAP itself states that there is a "financial support of operative Al-Qaeda cells" by the Iranian regime in its recent paper discussion U.S. policy towards Iran: http://www.dgap.org/2011/10/18/von-der-eindammung-zur-entspannung-am-golf/ (p. 16). Information on the Wikileaks revelations: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703700904575391664183556930.html and http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/02/afghan-mps-scholars-iran-payroll?intcmp=239, with links to central Wikileaks documents. In May 2011 the so-called "human rights commissioner" of the Iranian regime, Mohammad Javad Larijani threatened to allow free transit for the smuggling drugs to Europe should the West not stop to criticize human rights violations in Iran. (http://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article13371692/Iran-droht-Westen-mit-Transit-von-Drogen-nach-Europa.html)