BBC, 24 March – Interview with Hussein Abedini, member of Foreign Affairs Committee of NCRI on BBC 24 hour programme.
Anchor – I’m joined by Hossein Abedini, who’s a member of the Iranian opposition movement which is based here in London. Welcome, thanks for joining us. Let’s just go back to the start of this; do you think this was a mistake and misunderstanding or do you think this was a seizure of British military personnel ordered from Tehran?
Hossein Abedini – I think this was a completely planned issue by the Iranian regime; and by seizing the British marines and sailors, the Iranian mullahs, in an act of desperation, are trying to put pressure on the western nations in order to prevent the adoption of a second United Nations Security Council resolution.
Anchor – But yet they must know that it wouldn’t work?
Hossein Abedini – Well exactly, But the regime has shown that they are not respecting the will of the international community and this was a complete repeat of what happened in 2004 which was in total breach of international law.
They are trying actually to cover up, through these hollow shows of force, the widespread demonstrations and protests against the regime as well as popular discontent which have arisen in the past several months in Iran. So these actions are also meant to gain the regime further concessions from the west over its nuclear weapons program, over its increased middling in Iraq, and to prevent a firm action against its mercenaries in Iraq and to the imposition of pressure on EU governments on Iran’s democratic opposition movement.
Anchor – So how can this be resolved?
Hossein Abedini – Well I think that brings us to the question of policy vis ÃÂ vis the regime. I think the British people have a right to ask and to question the British government’s continued appeasement of the Iranian regime. At a time when a senior military officer in Iraq said that 90 percent of attacks on British forces are carried out by groups who are founded and armed by the Iranian regime. But still the British government is adopting an appeasing policy vis ÃÂ vis the regime.
Anchor – But you aren’t suggesting military action against Iran by Britain and America?
Hossein Abedini – No. Actually, the president elect of the Iranian resistance, Mrs Maryam Rajavi, has presented a third option. We believe that this Iranian crisis has got an Iranian solution. But we are against the military action and we think that this appeasement policy has been totally destructive and counterproductive. So there has to be once and for all, an end to this appeasing policy. Unfortunately the British government on the contrary has put the main Iranian opposition movement, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, in its terror list. And even when the European Court of Justice has ruled that the PMOI should be removed from the terror list, the British government is spearheading and pushing to keep the PMOI in the list so we believe that the democratic opposition, together with increased sanctions against the Iranian regime is the right policy.
Anchor – I understand that. In a very, very short term, are you sure that the sailors will be well treated, will be comfortably treated by the Iranian government?
Hossein Abedini – Well I think it’s very agonizing for the families of the sailors and we believe and we hope that they will be absolutely safe. But we still think that the only option available for the British government is to adopt a firm policy against this dictatorial government.
