‘Nuke-free ME in US, Iran interest

Press TV has conducted an interview with Alfred Lambremont Webre, international lawyer, about Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to New York.

The following is an approximate transcript of the interview.

Press TV: It is interesting to note that Obama has called this an important opportunity in Washington’s foreign policy, but how much of this opportunity can you see Obama converting into real actions?

Webre: I think that there is tremendous potential here.

If we look at the tweets coming out the phone meeting – I’ll read one, it says, quote, “In regards to the nuclear issue, with political will there is a way to rapidly solve the matter and this is both President Rouhani and President Obama speaking to each other.”

Here is the place where action can really take place. President Rouhani reiterated Iran’s position that Israel must join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and bring about a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East, which Iran has been pursuing now for 40 years. That is a position, which is entirely consistent with Mr. Obama’s position and the position of the United States.

So this is a time that President Obama who is firmly committed to nuclear non-proliferation and Iran can come together and for the first time in 40 years create the conditions for a nuclear weapons-free Middle Eastern zone, including Israel where Israel signs the Non-Proliferation Treaty and joins in the weapons-free zone and begins to de-acquiesce its own nuclear weapons cache.

I can remember speaking to Mordecai Venunu whom I interviewed in the 1980s. He was the whistleblower who made it known to the world that Israel had in fact a cache of nuclear weapons, which is against the intent of the nuclear weapons free zone.

So I think that this is an opportunity for President Rouhani, which he suggested; and for President Obama, because it’s in his interests to pursue nuclear non-proliferation to make that comprehensive agreement – finally the nuclear weapons Middle East free zone.

Press TV: This opportunity has been present for Obama in the past as well. Iran has time and again has called for a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East; and a world without nuclear weapons so to speak. What has changed now that Obama is more willing to go forward?

Webre: Yes. what has changed is Syria. Syria is where the American people by 99:1 spoke up and said no we’re not backing you on and that’s where the end of the imperial wars of aggression ended.

And that’s why Obama went to the Congress because he knew that it wouldn’t pass and that it would go to the UN where today the Security Council voted unanimously for a diplomatic solution in Syria.

So actually, here he has diplomacy in two tracks: one with Iran and one with Syria. And President Rouhani is actually helping President Obama because he is helping show him and show the US Congress and the right wing forces in the US that they’re achieving their objectives without war and with diplomacy, which is what the American people want.