Speech at the plenary session of the European Parliament, February 15, 2006 - Strasbourg

Tobias Pflüger (GUE/NGL). - Mr. President! The common draft resolution is very problematic. In paragraphs 7 and 4, the escalating position of the EU-3 (vis-à-vis Iran) is supported. The EU-3, this time around, contribute essentially to exacerbating the tension. Jacques Chirac's statement that he is ready to employ nuclear weapons against so-called terror states is a scandal. The historical comparison by Angela Merkel also is completely unacceptable. The Iranian nuclear programme is not the only danger. The atomic weapons in the EU - France, Great Britain -
and in the USA as well have to be dismantled following the nuclear weapons' ban treaty. The use of nuclear energy in itself is problematic.

Citing Iran before the UN Security Council is the first step towards a military attack against Iran. Any military option must be excluded. Here, the German SPD chairman Matthias Platzeck is completely right. Obviously, the Iraq war serves as blueprint for the conflict with Iran. Neither the unspeakable utterances of the Iranian president against Israel nor the violations of human rights in Iran should be used to tread off a war policy against that country.

Original: Newsletter Tobias Pflüger, February 15, 2006
Translated by Carla Krüger, February 16, 2006