By: David Storobin
Source: Global Politician
Lord David Charles Waddington served in the UK Parliament from 1968 to 1974. He returned to Parliament in 1979. Lord Waddington was a junior minister under Margaret Thatcher, Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department of Employment (1981-83), Minister of State at the Home Office (1983-87) and Chief Whip from 1987 until his elevation to Cabinet level, becoming Home Secretary in 1989. In 1990 he was created a life peer as Baron Waddington, of Read in the County of Lancashire. He served as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords until 1992. He later served as Governor of Bermuda. Lord Waddington is currently Chairman of the European Reform Forum. David Storobin, the Senior Editor of the Global Politician, interviewed him on the recent legalization by the UK courts of the Iranian opposition group MeK.
1. The MeK was recently legalized by the UK courts. What is your opinion of the decision?
The Proscribed Organisation’s Appeal Commission, hearing an appeal against the British Government’s proscription of the PMOI/MEK as a terrorist organization carried out an immensely long and detailed examination of the evidence and concluded that the PMOI was not concerned in terrorism and that the decision of the British Government not to de-list the organization was ‘perverse’ and ‘flawed’. I believe the decision was entirely correct.
2. The UK government officially remains opposed to to the MEK. Why?
The UK Government remains opposed to the MEK because it believes in spite of all the evidence to the contrary that the Iranian regime can in some way be persuaded to alter its ways.It was its determination to follow a policy of appeasement that led to the placing of the terrorist tag on the PMOI in the first place, and it is this ill-advised and shameful policy which explains the UK Government’s hostility towards the democratic Iranian opposition which is dedicated to bringing democracy and freedom to the long suffering people of Iran.
3. What effect will the legalization of the MEK have on politics towards Iran by the UK government, EU and the West in general?
The Iranian regime has long seen the PMOI and its democratic ideals as the greatest threat to its existence. The fact that the PMOI will now be free to oppose the Iranian regime can only be good news. The removal of the terror tag from the PMOI also gives the West an opportunity to shed their mistaken policy of appeasement and help others to bring about democratic change.
4. In the United States, the NEI concluded that Iran stopped building nuclear weapons in 2003 and is "moderately" sure that it’s not building them now. How will that effect UN and Western policies towards Iran?
The NEI assessment of Iran’s nuclear weapons programme was deeply flawed. In fact, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) who first exposed Iran’s nuclear programme to the World in 2002 has revealed that Iran resumed its weapons programme in 2004. That in my view is the correct assessment.. But whether the NEI is right or wrong it is surely essential that the West does not weaken in the face of Tehran’s defiance of the UN.If it wished Iran could allay all our fears by allowing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) full access to its nuclear sites and ending uranium enrichment. Until it does so, the West must follow the path of sanctions..
5. Do you personally believe that Iran is building nuclear weapons?
Yes and I say this for a number of reasons. The first is that the Regime hid Iran’s nuclear programme for 18 years, until it was exposed by the Iranian opposition in 2002. Secondly, the Iranian regime has at no point allowed the IAEA full access to all of its nuclear sites. Thirdly, a country such as Iran, which has such a wealth of natural resources, simply does not require peaceful nuclear energy. Finally, the Iranian regime has been offered every deal imaginable, including the terror listing of the PMOI in an attempt to persuade it to come clean about the extent of its program. Iran has rejected each and every one. What also of course has to be recognized is that even if, contrary to my belief and all the evidence, Iran does not currently have a nuclear weapons program,it could convert a full civil programme in to one geared to the production of a nuclear weapon in as little as 6 months.
6. How much support does the MeK have in the UK and Europe?
The MEK’s support in the UK and Europe is considerable and wide. The MEK has gained the support of a majority of members of the British House of Commons and over 200 Members of the House of Lords, and it also has considerable support among Parliaments across Europe. Support among the general public is even greater with the case of the MEK now becoming a major issue for all those looking for a solution to the Iran crisis. In June of last year over 50,000 Iranians gathered in Paris to show their support for the cause of the MEK.
7. How much support does it have inside Iran?
Within Iran an indication of support for the MEKis punishable by death and obviously one cannot conduct an opinion poll of the Iranian population. But we do know that 120,000 MEK supporters and members have been killed by the Iranian regime, and that in itself indicates how very strong has been MEK support. Furthermore, the ability of the MEK to expose Iran’s nuclear programme and terrorist activity means there is a widespread network of support for the MEK within the Country prepared to help it by furnishing information about the regime.The Regime would not be devoting so much time and money to trying to suppress the MEK and its supporters if it was not aware of its popularity and influence..
8. Has Iran been involved in helping Syria destabilize Lebanon?
There are two forces competing against each other at present.;democratic and nationalistic Lebanese groups which the West backs and more reactionary groups aligned with the Iranian Regime.The majority of the Lebanese people support the democratic alternative , and Saad Hariri’s political party has a Parliamentary majority . In summer 2006 the Regime was instrumental in masterminding Hezbollah’s standoff with Israel , to the detriment of Lebanon. Hesbollah’s leaders have all pledged allegiance to the Iranian Regime’s supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. According to the PMOI -whose intelligence has proved reliable time and time-the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force[IRGC-QF] has several hundred personnel stationed in Lebanon with the aim of helping Hezbollah take over all the various levers of power there, so that the country can serve as a terrorist hub for the mullahs of Iran to spread their ideology of Islamic fundamentalism further.
9. Do you support total and complete international sanctions against Iran’s economy and sports teams, similar to the embargo of apartheid South Africa?
Yes. Countless trade deals with the Regime have failed to persuade the mullahs to respect their nuclear obligations.Very recently the Regime was earning $100 per barrel of oil- a massive source of income for the second largest exporter of oil in the OPEC oil cartel. Yet much of the Iranian population are living in poverty, and since 2007 the regime has had in place gasoline rationing. The fact is that Iran’s massive wealth is being spent on its illegal nuclear weapons programme and on meddling in Afghanistan, Iraq and throughout the Middle East. Comprehensive sanctions would force the Regime to think twice before continuing any further on its nulcear projects and its meddling in Iraq.
10. If Israel chooses to bomb Iran nuclear installations believing they are meant for military use, will you personally condemn it for doing so?
I do not think it helpful to speculate as to what may or may not occur in the future and how one might react to particular events were they to occur.. The message that must be got across to the entire international community is that in order to end the crisis surrounding Iran’s nuclear weapons programme we must adopt a firm policy of comprehensive sanctions coupled with supporting the Iranian people and their resistance. The solution lies with the Iranian opposition and not any military intervention.
11. What effective non-military action can be taken against Iran to prevent it from supporting terrorism in Iraq and Lebanon, as well as re-starting the nuclear program?
I would suggest that the West listens to the wise advice of the Iranian’s Resistance’s President-elect Mrs Maryam Rajavi who rules out both foreign military intervention in Iran and appeasement of Tehran’s clerical leaders as viable policy options. Instead she has put forward a practical and sensible third option – and one with which I agree – supporting the Iranian people and their Resistance as they work to bring about democratic change in Iran. Of course this should be coupled with comprehensive UN Security Council sanctions against the regime.
12. Would it be preferable if the Ayatollahs fell from power in Iran?
It is not only preferable but essential that they should. The Iranian people have suffered long enough.
13. Is MeK alone capable of bringing down the Ayatollahs?
It is not a question of the MEK bringing down the Ayatollahs alone. It is the Iranian people who will bring down the Ayatollahs with assistance from the MEK. What is certain is that the MEK which has seen 120,000 of its members and supporters executed has popular grass roots support in the Country and is able to give the support to the people.
14. How should the UK, the US and the EU help the MeK to bring about change in Iran?
There is no need for any nation to help the MEK. Simply remove all restrictions from the group and they will do the rest with the support of the Iranian people.
15. What other opposition groups can help make a positive change in Tehran?
The MEK is the largest member group of a Parliament in exile, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which is lead by Mrs Maryam Rajavi, a charismatic leader with all the credentials necessary to lead the people of Iran towards democracy. The NCRI consists of a number of different groups and individuals who can all play a positive role in achieving democracy in Tehran.
David Storobin is a New York lawyer who received Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Rutgers University School of Law. His Master’s Thesis (M.A. – Comparative Politics) deals with the historical causes for the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. He’s been interviewed on radio and cited in books as a political expert. Mr. Storobin is also a practicing Criminal Defense and Family Law attorney.
