Dr. Kamal Kharrazi addressed the 3rd Annual Summit of the Leaders for Peace Foundation, which was held virtually this year due to the corona outbreak.

He said the root cause of malfunctioning of multilateralism should be sought in the excessive demands and hegemonic tendencies of the United States. “The United States has been trying to reinforce its hegemony and domination over others.”

The SCFR President said unilateralism is a dreadful poison for the international community and would further jeopardize the present situation. “We have witnessed the destructive impacts of the unilateral policies of the US administration during the past several years which have resulted in the intensification of international tensions and crises.”

Dr. Kharrazi said the effective control of Covid-19 is accessible only through solidarity and cooperation at the global level under the auspices of the World Health Organization. In this respect, he noted, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and many states have unavoidably called for a truce in conflicts around the world as well as the lifting of sanctions against countries such as Iran that are badly in need of financial resources for the purchase of medicine and equipment to fight coronavirus.

“Another important point I would like to draw your attention to is the need to oppose the pressure of great powers on international bodies such as the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and others. As global institutions fall under the influence of great powers, the countries of the south would lose their confidence in those organizations. For instance, under the pressure of the United States, the IMF has refused so far to provide Iran with facilities required to combat Covid-19.

Dr. Kharrazi said: “I firmly believe that in the new multilateral order the approach of the great powers should be changed to not look down on the other countries, but treat them on equal footing. This, of course, is not easily achievable.”

The SCFR President, referring to the problems of African countries, said: “I believe the reasons and conditions emanating from the era of colonialism in Africa should not be ignored in our assessment and analysis.”

He noted: “This is an important point as no one should decide for African people, but they should be helped through education, dialogue, and respect to be able to make their own appropriate decisions.”

Today, the third annual conference of the Leaders for Peace Foundation, chaired by Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former Prime Minister of France and President of the Foundation, was held via video conference.

At the event, which was attended by 37 officials and political and international figures, including former prime ministers and former foreign ministers, after Raffarin’s inaugural speech and the presentation of the draft report for 2020, participants shared their views on the report and issues on the agenda, corona, multilateralism,  prosperity and sustainable development in Africa.

The full text of this speech comes as follows:

Your Excellency, Mr. Raffarin
I appreciate Your Excellency’s decision and your colleagues’ efforts to organize this video conference, although it is a pity we could not meet in presence due to the coronavirus pandemic. I would also like to thank Ambassador Vimont for preparing the draft annual report of the foundation.

Mr. President
In addition to the points I raised in response to your letter dated 10^th April 2020, I would like to present the following remarks concerning the draft report:

–    As I reiterated in the last year’s meeting in Paris, and it has been also emphasized in the annual report, unilateralism is a dreadful poison for the international community and would further jeopardize the present situation. We have witnessed the destructive impacts of the unilateral policies of the US administration during the past several years which have resulted in the intensification of international tensions and crises.

–    I deem it necessary to remind you that malfunctioning multilateral order should not be blamed for the interruption of talks between Iran and the United States within the 5+1 framework, as mentioned in the annual report. But it has been the unilateral withdrawal of the United States, violation of Resolution 2231, the primary and secondary sanctions imposed on my country, and the US interventions which have led to the termination of talks.

Dear Friends
–    The root cause of malfunctioning of multilateralism should be sought in the excessive demands and hegemonic tendencies of the United States. The United States has been trying to reinforce its hegemony and domination over others. This has led to the policy of “America First” and the resurgence of unilateralism. This is while China profited from globalization and outperformed others in the economy and technology and proved successful.

–    The damage to the US global status and reputation is caused by the disobedient economic liberalism, protectionism and the breach of multilateralism by the Trump administration, while the rise of the global status of China and its national impetus is achieved in light of the policy of controlled liberal economy and seize of opportunities created by globalization and multilateralism.

–    The malfunctioning order of the present world demonstrates the necessity of formation of a “new multilateralism” and a kind of “new international solidarity” in which the voice of all nations, especially the south would be heard, and emergent players would have their share in the global governance, proportionate to their weight and caliber. In other words, we need to form a “global democracy”.

Mr. President

As it is pointed in the annual report, the effective control of Covid-19 is accessible only through solidarity and cooperation at the global level under the auspices of the World Health Organization. In this respect, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and many states have unavoidably called for a truce in conflicts around the world as well as the lifting of sanctions against countries such as Iran that are badly in need of financial resources for the purchase of medicine and equipment to fight coronavirus.

Another important point I would like to draw your attention to is the need to oppose the pressure of great powers on international bodies such as the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and others. As global institutions fall under the influence of great powers, the countries of the south would lose their confidence in those organizations. For instance, under the pressure of the United States, the IMF has refused so far to provide Iran with facilities required to combat Covid-19.

Dear Friends
The report reads that the new multilateral order should follow a realistic approach and should not put itself in a difficult position with great powers. I firmly believe that in the new multilateral order the approach of the great powers should be changed to not look down on the other countries, but treat them on equal footing. This, of course, is not easily achievable.

As with preventing crises and clashes inside countries or between countries, and the urgency of terminating all conflicts and promotion of peace, good suggestions have been made in the report. However, with the proviso that great powers do not intervene in other countries and the United Nations and regional organizations play a more active role in the settlement of conflicts.

I believe the reasons and conditions emanating from the era of colonialism in Africa should not be ignored in our assessment and analysis. Therefore, I suggest this part of the report be amended.

This is an important point as no one should decide for African people, but they should be helped through education, dialogue, and respect to be able to make their own appropriate decisions.