Ronald S. Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), today welcomed Tuesday’s announcement by the chief executive of the German group Siemens AG, Peter Löscher, that Siemens would not seek new business in Iran until Tehran fully complies with United Nations demands regarding its nuclear program.
NEW YORK/BRUSSELS – Ronald S. Lauder, the president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), today welcomed Tuesday’s announcement by the chief executive of the German group Siemens AG, Peter Löscher, that Siemens would not seek new business in Iran until Tehran fully complies with United Nations demands regarding its nuclear program. “This is a timely and courageous decision by Mr. Löscher, for which he deserves praise, especially because a lot of money is at stake for Siemens,” Lauder said, adding: “Here, we have a businessman who clearly understands the lessons of the past and who is well aware that German companies like Siemens bear a responsibility for not letting evil happen again.”
Siemens is Europe’s largest engineering conglomerate. The group produces high-tech machinery, trains, telecommunications equipment, medical equipment, nuclear technology and domestic appliances, and it generated annual sales of US$ 700 million from its Iranian operations in 2009, which represented 0.7 percent of the firm’s total sales. In 2008, German companies exported goods worth US$ 5.5 billion to Iran, but this figure shrank by 8.8 percent in the first nine months of 2009.
Lauder expressed hope that other European companies would follow Siemens' decision and also halt trade operations with Iran as that would send a clear signal to the Iranian regime that it must stop its nuclear program. “We need a coalition of responsible companies that recognize the threat posed by Iran,” he declared.
On Wednesday, the WJC president also appealed to the members of the United Nations Security Council and asked them not to further delay tough new sanctions against Iran. “Last year, we were promised that sanctions would be enacted swiftly if diplomacy did not succeed. Yet months later, nothing has happened yet. The world is waiting for strong UN action. It is high time that Iran was prevented from messing about the international community,” he said.
Ronald S. Lauder and other WJC leaders will participate in the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week and raise the Iran issue with businessmen and statesmen.
The World Jewish Congress is the international organization representing the Jewish communities in 92 countries around the world. The WJC serves as the diplomatic arm of the Jewish people to governments and international organizations.
