The Micah Report Columns Thoughts Predictions About Micah Archives Contact
The Micah Report

« Will Gaza Border Be Safe? | Main | Palestinian Engineers »

IN IRAN, THEY MEAN WHAT THEY SAY
By Micah Halpern

Monday October 31, 2005

Column:

Why is the Secretary General of the United Nations making an official visit to Iran this week?

Why is Kofi Annan, rather than sanctioning Iran, offering Iran sanction for behavior that is beneath contempt and beyond the pale?

How dare he?!

It is easy to laugh off the comments made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It is easy to call his comments ridiculous. But when Ahmadinejad advocated annihilating Israel by wiping it "off the map" he spoke from the heart. Kofi Annan knows that. To minimize the importance of those words and the sentiment from which they spring is wrong and it is dangerous. It is antithetical to the foundations upon which the United Nations was built and which Annan, as Secretary General, committed to uphold.

Official spokespeople at the United Nations have answers. They know how to explain away the visit of the Secretary General. Officially, the UN says that the trip to Iran has been planned for a long time and that there are important issues that Annan wants to raise with Iran's leadership.

Sometimes, especially in the world of international relations and world diplomacy, current events take precedence. This should be one of those times. It would not be the first time that this Secretary General or his predecessors reshuffled their schedule or outright cancelled their plans– either to make a point or in response to a point or situation made by another party.

I am certain that those important issues the UN Secretary General and the Iranian president will speak about concern nuclear development and international isolation. I am also certain that Annan will not even raise the subject of Ahmadinejad's call for Israel's destruction and demise, I don't need to be a fly on the wall, I am a student of human behavior.

And that is exactly why Annan should cancel the meeting. The here and now of the call for the destruction of Israel should be key on any agenda with the Iranian leader. It should be the reason for calling for immediate meetings within the framework of the United Nations. Kofi Annan is visiting Iran not as a private person but as the public representative of the United Nations.

Punish Iran. Isolate them. Try to influence them. Do not placate them. And certainly do not ignore Iran. Do not ignore Iran in order to attempt to achieve another end, especially a secret agreement.

By visiting Iran, the Secretary General is playing right into the hands of the Iranians.

By virtue of his going to Teheran, Iran will have learned the wrong lesson from UN Secretary General Annan. Iran will learn that they are indeed without peer, that no world leader, no nation or body of nations will dare interfere with them - they will interpret the lack of action or reprimand as fear, not comic disbelief. Even if I am wrong and Annan does bring up the statement in a non-public meeting, there will be no value to it. In Iran, only public announcements and demonstrations are part of the public record.

Annan should cancel his meeting in Teheran. He should instead invite Iranian leadership to his offices in Brussels.

In Brussels, Annan should read the Iranians the complete riot act. He should explain that the only body in the world that will defend Iran or that can protect them from invasion by the United States is the United Nations. He should advise the Iranian government to begin thinking about their place within the world community or the United nations will be forced to withdraw support. Use UN membership as leverage against Iran. The United Nations is the only international body that means anything to Iran, it gives them great cover and much needed aid.

Annan can do it, if only he wants to. The Secretary General can forcibly invite Iran to Brussels and expect them to come. They will not and cannot come to UN Headquarters in New York because that requires a United States visa and the US will not give Ahmadinejad another waiver allowing him to enter on such short notice despite the situation. Ahmadinejad is officially barred from the United States.

The Secretary General take this matter seriously. It is essential to the future balance of power and weapons. He cannot fear Iran, he cannot treat Iran with kid gloves.

Iran does not use rhetoric the way we, in the West, use rhetoric. In Iran, they say what the mean and mean what they say. They believe what they say. The Iranian leader was not merely spewing hatred he was setting forth a goal. And this is the goal.

Iran truly wants to destroy the Israel and the West. Kofi Annan should try to prevent that from happening. To do anything less is to be an accomplice.

4 June 2017 12:14 PM in Columns


Trackback Pings

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://micahhalpern.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/354

Comments


Post a comment




Remember Me?

(you may use HTML tags for style)



Powered by Movable Type     Site design by Sekimori