October 04-2013
As Iran and the United States were nuzzling up to each other last Friday, Canada publicly announced that it will once again introduce a resolution at the United Nations to condemn Iran for human rights violations.
Canada has done this every year for the last decade. It normally just does it without any formal announcement, least of all by the foreign affairs minister himself.
The visibility this year—and the timing—was seen as a very public and pointed rejection by Canada of America’s new soft approach to the Islamic Republic.
The UN vote—normally taken in mid-December—will likely have much more significance this year than ever in the past because it will reveal what countries are willing to pull back on criticism of Iran based on Iran’s promises to change its ways without waiting for any actual shifts.
The negotiations over the text are also likely to be much more sensitive this year as countries that want to appease Tehran seek softer language and Ottawa must decide what modifications to accept and what to reject.
Canada’s government is now run by a Conservative Party majority that has adopted a take-no-prisoners attitude toward Tehran. Its rhetoric is routinely harsh and rings more of Ahmadi-nejad than Obama. And, based on the announcement Friday, it seems to have decided that its is going to continue to be the curmudgeon at the UN on the Iran human rights issue.
The issue that is on the front burner for Washington is the nuclear topic, with human rights and terrorism on back burners. Ottawa has little involvement with the nuclear issue and it is the human rights topic that has been on the front burner for a decade ever since Zahra Kazemi, a dual Iranian-Canadian national, was beaten to death in Tehran.
Speaking to a group of Persian Gulf foreign ministers during a special luncheon meeting at the UN Friday, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said it is “sustained international attention and pressure that will foster change” in Iran.
“We, therefore, encourage you to support the Iran human rights resolution when this item is considered by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly in November” and the full General Assembly in December.
Baird has been soliciting support for the resolution this week in meetings with foreign representatives on the sidelines of the United Nations in New York.
Baird’s announcement came just three days after Iran freed Hamid Ghassemi-Shall, a naturalized Canadian who spent five years in Evin prison until his release last Tuesday.
The slap down of Iran just 72 hours after Shall’s release showed the Canadian government doesn’t consider that release sufficient to improve relations with Iran one iota. Two other Iranian-born men with Canadian ties are still detained in Iran.
On Monday, Baird addressed the UN General Assembly and very pointedly warned the 193 UN member states not to be taken in by any Iranian charm offensives._Baird evoked the memory of the failed appeasement of Nazi Germany in the years before the Second World War.
“Some observers see encouraging signs. But sound bites do not remove threats to global security,” Baird said. “Kind words, a smile, and a charm offensive are not a substitute for real action.”
Canada will welcome reform, but will judge the Iranian regime by whether it delivers results and elevates the standard of living of its people, he said. In the meantime, Baird said tough sanctions must be maintained.
