Several British organizations have urged business people to withdraw from the first ever conference in London to encourage trade with Iran.
Some 200 business leaders are set to attend the two-day '1st Europe-Iran Forum' this week at a hotel in London with former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and France's former Foreign Minister Hubert Védrine among the keynote speakers. The forum is organized by the 'European Voice' newspaper, a subsidiary of 'The Economist', and has the endorsement of Iran's President Hassan Rouhani.
In a letter to WPP advertising group CEO Sir Martin Sorell, another prominent participant in the event who is Jewish, the campaigners wrote: "We struggle to understand why you would speak of trade with one of the world's most violent and theocratic regimes, with a long history of anti-Semitism."
The letter was endorsed by the Zionist Federation (ZF), grass roots umbrella organization NILI14, the Israeli Forum Task Force (IFTF) and the UK Friends of Israel. The organizations have also written to other conference speakers urging them to pull out of the event. "For the past nine years, Iran has consistently denied access to weapons inspectors wishing to examine its nuclear facilities," said Zionist Federation Chairman Paul Charney. "Although some sanctions may be lifted on 24 November, it is far too premature to discuss business with Iran, let alone attend a conference sponsored by a state which also sponsors global terror."
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said Iran remained “a substantial supporter of international terrorism and has a woeful record with regard to human rights, particularly of minority groups” and urged businesses to “see this conference in conditional terms”. In a statement, the Board said: “So much could be possible if Iran were to completely renounce a military nuclear program, stop funding international terrorism and end its persecution of minorities”. Board Vice-President Alex Brummer added: “Relaxing sanctions too quickly could allow Iran to return to a path that would allow it to produce nuclear weapons – imperiling the safety of many countries in the Middle East and around the globe. The world must watch very carefully to ensure that there is no backsliding towards an Iranian military nuclear capability.”
Israel came out strongly against the event: “It’s a manipulation orchestrated by Tehran and certain business circles and friends of Iran,” a senior diplomatic official told the 'Times of Israel' on Tuesday. “Their purpose is to create a public atmosphere that would eventually make European governments more amenable to compromise regarding the nuclear negotiations with Iran,” he was quoted as saying, adding: "In recent months, Iran has been trying to present itself as part of the solution rather than part of the problem. They’ve been doing this with ISIS and with Afghanistan, and now they created this honey trap - all while the sanctions are still in place. The point is to exert pressure on Western governments.”
