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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

26 July 2002

Text: Senate Resolution Says U.S. Should Seek Genuine Democracy in Iran

(S. Res. 306 urges U.S. not to legitimize current regime in Tehran)
(1606)
The United States should not legitimize the current regime in Tehran,
but should rather follow a policy that seeks a genuine democratic
government in Iran, according to a Senate resolution.
Senator Sam Brownback (Republican of Kansas) submitted Senate
Resolution 306 (S. Res. 306) to the Senate July 25. The proposed
resolution was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
S. Res. 306 said that legitimizing the regime in Iran "stifles the
growth of the genuine democratic forces in Iran and does not serve the
national security interest of the United States."
The proposed resolution adds that positive gestures of the United
States toward Iran "should be directed toward the people of Iran, and
not political figures whose survival depends upon preservation of the
current regime."
S. Res. 306 adds that it should be the policy of the United States "to
seek a genuine democratic government in Iran that will restore freedom
to the Iranian people, abandon terrorism, and live in peace and
security with the international community."
The proposed resolution had bipartisan support with co-sponsors
Senator Ron Wyden (Democrat of Oregon), Senator Susan Collins
(Republican of Maine), Senator Byron Dorgan (Democrat of North
Dakota), Senator Robert Smith (Republican of New Hampshire) and
Senator Barbara Boxer (Democrat of California).
"It is time that we recognized that the forces of extremist clerics
and their allies have so completely dominated the government of Iran
that there is no means to achieve political liberalization within the
current system," Wyden told fellow senators.
"The State Department must cease lending legitimacy to the current
regime and pursue a policy of fundamental democratic change; this
administration must seek ways to aid and sustain those movements that
will effect that change, to the benefit of the Iranian and American
people alike," he added.
Following is the text of Senate Resolution 306 from the July 25
Congressional Record along with the speech of Senator Ron Wyden in
support of the proposed legislation:
(begin text)
SENATE RESOLUTION 306
EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE
CONCERNING THE CONTINUOUS REPRESSION OF FREEDOMS
WITHIN IRAN AND OF INDIVIDUAL HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES,
PARTICULARLY WITH REGARD TO WOMEN
Senate
July 25, 2002
Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself, Mr. WYDEN, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. DORGAN, Mr.
GRASSLEY, Mr. CONRAD, Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire, and Mrs. BOXER)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Relations:
S. Res. 306
Whereas the people of the United States respect the Iranian people and
value the contributions that Iran's culture has made to world
civilization for over 3 millennia;
Whereas the Iranian people aspire to democracy, civil, political, and
religious rights, and the rule of law, as evidenced by increasingly
frequent antigovernment and anti-Khatami demonstrations within Iran
and by statements of numerous Iranian expatriates and dissidents;
Whereas Iran is an ideological dictatorship presided over by an
unelected Supreme Leader with limitless veto power, an unelected
Expediency Council and Council of Guardians capable of eviscerating
any reforms, and a President elected only after the aforementioned
disqualified 234 other candidates for being too liberal, reformist, or
secular;
Whereas the United States recognizes the Iranian peoples' concerns
that President Muhammad Khatami's rhetoric has not been matched by his
actions;
Whereas President Khatami clearly lacks the ability and inclination to
change the behavior of the State of Iran either toward the vast
majority of Iranians who seek freedom or toward the international
community;
Whereas political repression, newspaper censorship, corruption,
vigilante intimidation, arbitrary imprisonment of students, and public
executions have increased since President Khatami's inauguration in
1997;
Whereas men and women are not equal under the laws of Iran and women
are legally deprived of their basic rights;
Whereas the Iranian government shipped 50-tons of sophisticated
weaponry to the Palestinian Authority despite Chairman Arafat's
cease-fire agreement, consistently seeks to undermine the Middle East
peace process, provides safe-haven to al-Qa'ida and Taliban
terrorists, allows transit of arms for guerrillas seeking to undermine
our ally Turkey, provides transit of terrorists seeking to destabilize
the United States-protected safe-haven in Iraq, and develops weapons
of mass destruction;
Whereas since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and despite
rhetorical protestations to the contrary, the Government of Iran has
actively and repeatedly sought to undermine the United States war on
terror;
Whereas there is a broad-based movement for change in Iran that
represents all sectors of Iranian society, including youth, women,
student bodies, military personnel, and even religious figures, that
is pro-democratic, believes in secular government, and is yearning to
live in freedom;
Whereas following the tragedies of September 11, 2001, tens of
thousands of Iranians filled the streets spontaneously and in
solidarity with the United States and the victims of the terrorist
attacks; and
Whereas the people of Iran deserve the support of the American people:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) legitimizing the regime in Iran stifles the growth of the genuine
democratic forces in Iran and does not serve the national security
interest of the United States;
(2) positive gestures of the United States toward Iran should be
directed toward the people of Iran, and not political figures whose
survival depends upon preservation of the current regime; and
(3) it should be the policy of the United States to seek a genuine
democratic government in Iran that will restore freedom to the Iranian
people, abandon terrorism, and live in peace and security with the
international community.
Mr. WYDEN. Madam President, today we are resolved to see a new,
rational foreign policy toward Iran, a policy that will engage the
proud people of that nation and support their aspirations to be free
of the theocratic state that abuses and oppresses them.
It is time that we recognized that the forces of extremist clerics and
their allies have so completely dominated the government of Iran that
there is no means to achieve political liberalization within the
current system. While President Khatami has often spoken of
liberalization, the last 5 years show that either he is unwilling or
unable to effect any democratic change.
In fact, the record of his administration has been increasing
censorship, religious vigilantes and intimidation, and wide-spread
political repression. The State Department has identified systematic
abuses including summary executions, disappearances, and wide-spread
use of torture and other forms of degradation.
Student dissidents within Iran have become increasingly better
organized, and have been faced with greater repression. The frequent
demonstrations by these students, women, and even religious
dissidents, as well as the growing movements of expatriates show that
there is a yearning for democratic change within the Iranian people.
It should be a core value of our foreign policy to encourage and
support any people who seek only the fundamental human freedoms laid
out in our own bill of rights.
There is also self-interest involved in this move. The Iranian regime
has been supplying arms and cadre to terrorist movements attacking our
allies in Turkey, Armenia, and Israel, and has striven to be a
destabilizing force throughout the middle-east and central Asia. This
is not the fault of the Iranian people, but of a criminal class that
dominates them and strangles their hopes for a peaceful and
progressive future. In the days following the tragedy of September 11,
it is the people of Iran who spontaneously filled the streets in
shared grieving over the loss of American lives.
In dealing with Iran we must focus all of our efforts on the people,
and their hopes for a free and democratic nation. The Voice of
America, Radio Free Europe, and Radio Liberty must redouble their
efforts to provide uncensored truth to the Iranian people. The State
Department must cease lending legitimacy to the current regime and
pursue a policy of fundamental democratic change; this administration
must seek ways to aid and sustain those movements that will effect
that change, to the benefit of the Iranian and American people alike.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



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