Iran opposition group complains of not being invited to US-sponsored conference on Iran
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A spokesperson for the Kurdistan Democratic Party – Iran (KDP-I) told Kurdistan 24 on Thursday that he was against the decision to not invite Iranian opposition parties to participate in a US-backed summit on Iran that will be held in Warsaw, Poland in mid-February.
The official, Dr. Asso Hassan Zadeh, said, “In parallel with US efforts to address Iran's security threats in the Middle East, democratic and moderate forces within Iran should be associated in the reflections on a better future for Iran and the whole region.”
He argued that, among these forces, the Kurdish movement in Iran is an important element. “The Kurds of Iran, because of their political experience and the constructive vision they defend, can contribute greatly to the future of this country.”
The conference is called the “Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East,” and will focus mainly on Iran. It is designed to be “a forum for countries concerned about instability in the region to share their assessments and offer ideas on a better way forward,” the US State Department announced on January 11.
Hassan Zadeh stated that, according to the “broad character of the title and the program of said conference, no one doubts that the Islamic Republic and the future of Iran is the main stake of this conference."
“We understand the nature and legal and political constraints of an interstate ministerial conference,” he added.
“However,” he continued, ”it is unfortunate that the main interested party, the only one capable of changing the behavior of the Islamic Republic, namely the Iranian people, is not somehow associated with the international discussions on Iran.”
Tehran has made it clear that it is not happy with the event being held at all.
“The Warsaw meeting is an American move with specific goals, not necessarily about Iran, but it pursues specific goals and I think that one of its major goals is sowing discord and differences among the European states,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi was quoted as saying by the Fars News Agency.
The Trump administration announced the first stage of the re-imposition of economic sanctions on Iran that had ended with the 2015 nuclear deal in August 2018.
Other parties to the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), including France, Germany, the UK, Russia, and China, objected to the US decision and have told Iran they will do their best to preserve the JCPOA.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif compared the upcoming conference to the 1996 “Summit of Peacemakers,” held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
“Reminder to host/participants of anti-Iran conference: those who attended last US anti-Iran show are either dead, disgraced, or marginalized,” he tweeted. ”And Iran is stronger than ever.”
Editing by John J. Catherine