The SCFR President attended the second annual meeting of the Leaders for Peace Forum in Paris, initiated by former French Prime Minister Jean Pierre Raffarin Monday morning.

At the meeting, first, the main points of the draft report for the Leaders for Peace Forum were explained by Mr Vimont.

The report, which is based on the main purpose of the forum, namely strengthening multilateralism and preventing diplomacy, focuses on the following three axes:

1. Reviewing the Global Challenges and Promoting Multilateralism
2. Preventing wars and conflicts in different parts of the world
3. Collective security at the global and regional levels.

After presenting the report, the participants expressed their views on the content of the report for its inclusion and completion. Dr Kharrazi, as the first speaker, described his views on the report, which was welcomed by the audience.

Dr Kharrazi, referring to some of the issues raised in the report, which need to be corrected and points to be included in the report, stated: “In an era where certain countries consider violation of international laws and withdrawal from international treaties to fulfil their own wishes and impose their interests on others and even ignore the rights of their allies, multilateralism has been on the decline and is now on the track of elimination.”  

He added: “Unfortunately, in recent years, we have seen on many occasions that when big powers fail to obtain the approval of the UN Security Council to take military action, they form coalitions outside the Security Council to make a military intervention in different regions to secure their interests. An example is the military intervention of the US and its allies in Iraq, Libya and Syria.”

Criticizing the US approach, Dr Kharrazi noted: “The US administration contrary to the approvals of the UNSC has taken hostage the world’s banking and financial system by misusing the conditions globalization and dependence of global economic powers on the US have created. The US is imposing primary and secondary sanctions on countries, companies and banks that do not follow its orders and threaten them with financial punishment and severance of relations.  The most recent example is unilateral coercive measures applied against Iran and secondary sanctions imposed on other beneficiaries. Can we call such measures anything other than financial imperialism?”

He added: “These examples indicate that multilateralism is now on the brink of extinction as a result of the unilateral measures of the US administration. However, without a doubt, the demise of multilateralism should be immediately prevented, as it is the only reliable approach to reduce problems and resolve regional and international crises.”

Pointing to some problems in the current world order, the SCFR chief said: “Without doubt, multilateralism in its present form which is ignoring the role of the others is unable to resolve global problems. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the roots of the failure of multilateralism and make collective efforts to give birth to neo multilateralism.”

Dr Kharrazi added: “Neo multilateralism should be all-inclusive and encompass not only the demands and interests of big powers and the so-called countries of the North, but it should also guarantee the interests of the countries of the South as well as emerging powers and players at the global level. In this way, multilateralism could play its role as an effective tool to eradicate the existing problems and crises of the world. 

“For neo multilateralism to be formed, first of all, it is necessary to stop following those powers that intend to impose their unilateral interests on others by ignoring international laws and secondly to promote consultations and exchange of views among thinkers, researchers and freethinking pundits as well as think tanks in the North and South and other geographical regions to devise and present a fair plan.”

Dr Kharrazi laid emphasis on the following three axes in order to achieve and realize neo multilateralism: 1) Confronting unilateralism and adopting stronger stances against governments which are challenging the world order by adopting unilateral approaches, violating international agreements and imposing illogical and illegal decisions on others as well as pressuring other nations through economic terrorism; 2) Reforming the United Nations Security Council and its decision-making mechanisms; It is the time to review the structure and the decision-making mechanisms of the Security Council to make it democratic and prevent it from guaranteeing only the interests of big powers; 3) Changing the top-down approach and unfair behaviour of big powers and the North countries towards the South in international relations and giving equal roles to emerging powers and new players in the new world order.

In continuation, the President of the Strategic Council for Foreign Relations said the report of the forum refers to the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Syria which needs some explanations.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is not seeking rivalry with Saudi Arabia or other countries in the region. The fact of the matter is that terrorist groups were trying to overthrow governments of Syria and Iraq. Therefore, they requested Iran to help them in their combat against terrorism and maintain stability and territorial integrity of these countries. This is while Saudi Arabia by supporting terrorist groups intended to overthrow the governments in Syria and Iraq. This is not called rivalry; it is the question of Saudi support for terrorism and fighting terrorism by Iran.”

Dr Kharrazi said when the United States designates as terrorist the Islamic Revolution Guards Corp which has played a determining role in the combat against terrorist groups such as Daesh and Al-Nusra in the region, this means the US and its puppet regimes are not only using terrorism for their strategic goals but also are prescribing a force which has played the main role in fighting terrorists. 

He reminded that the report of the forum highlights the nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the P5+1 and the existing challenges of its implementation. However, he said, the report could have also highlighted the unlawful US withdrawal from the nuclear deal and its violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 as well as imposing unilateral sanctions against Iran and other countries. Mentioning another issue cited in the report of the forum on the inefficiency of the peace process in the Middle East, he said during the past decades, various initiatives have been taken to end the crisis in the Middle East. However, he added, none of them has been successful for various reasons.

“In addition to previous plans, the new initiative by the US government entitled the Deal of Century, would further exacerbate the crisis as it only concentrates on the interests of Israel and is, in fact, another gift to Israel to destroy Palestine,” he said.

Dr Kharrazi said the main reasons for the failure of these plans and initiatives are that those plans are unrealistic in nature, they do not consider the roots of the crisis, they do not cover the right to return to their homeland of Palestinian refugees and their right to self-determination, and they are unilaterally in favour of the Zionist regime.

 Referring to the report of the forum which focuses on collective security and regional stability, he said: “Notwithstanding, sustainable security and stability in any region depends on political determination and common understanding among the countries of the region as well as trustworthy dialogue between the governments and civil societies and believe in the democratic principle of one-man-one-vote in all the countries of the region. Such conditions are presently missing in the Middle East, as many of its governments are authoritarian and lack the least signs of democracy.”

The SCFR President added: “Another issue which has not been highlighted in the report of the forum is the problem of terrorism and religious extremism which is seriously threatening the global community. Terrorist groups such as Daesh with Takfiri-Wahhabi tendencies have quickly spread in different parts of the world and grown with the financial and ideological support of some governments. Daesh is now stationed in various parts of the world and is, unfortunately, resorting to violence and terrorist attacks in the name of Islam. If Daesh had not been defeated in Iraq and Syria and had succeeded in forming a Caliphate, then the international community could have faced a major political and security catastrophe.

In conclusion of his statement, Dr Kharrazi noted: “Effective confrontation with the complicated phenomenon of terrorism and extremism requires the serious will and determination of the international community as well as cutting their financial and ideological support.