Canada Annouces Sanctions Against Iran
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lawrence Cannon expanded on the Prime Minister's announcement this morning that Canada would be moving forward with sanctions against Iran as passed by the U.N. Security Council with resolution 1929, adding that the government was considering adding more of its own.
The current round of sanctions are specifically designed to restrict Iran's access to nuclear material and technology, although most observers do not believe that this round of sanctions alone can stop the Iranian government from developing a nuclear weapon. Cannon added a giant caveat, saying that these measures were aimed at what he called the regime and not at the people of Iran, referring to the Green movement and the upholding of human rights and freedom of speech. The sanctions were said to target Iran's capability to acquire uranium material and technology through their normal international business channels as well as through third parties.
Iran is a signatory of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and as such is expected to live up to its responsibilities, however as recently as this week Iran has denied access to two nuclear inspectors. The Persian nation seems determined to build a weapon under the guise of nuclear energy production, however recent events have even long time allies, China and Russia, siding with sanctions even if reluctantly.
Despite the growing consensus around tightening the isolation of Iran's government, Israel is still the wild card on the proverbial chess board. Officially, the Israeli government has not taken military strikes off the table to slow down Iran's research, I say slow down because strikes won't completely stop progress toward higher enrichment capabilities. In fact the argument goes, that even while the Green movement has largely gone underground they still exist, and a military strike would only galvanize support for the Ahmadinejad government and, as Fareed Zakaria said over the weekend, destroy the resistance.
In any event, it's a positive development that even this level of sanctions could be agreed upon on an international scale, a nod to the seriousness of the threat, but this won't be the final chapter to this story.
Read the Prime Minister's statement below:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement today announcing that Canada is now fully implementing its obligations under United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1929, which imposes further sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran:
"The Iranian regime continues to violate its international obligations by ignoring successive UNSC resolutions to suspend its enrichment-related activities and refusing to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"Our Government therefore welcomed UNSC Resolution 1929 on June 9, 2010. Today, we have fulfilled our obligations by establishing the necessary regulations to implement the decisions in UNSC Resolution 1929, and have amended our existing regulations to include these latest sanctions. These include measures that further limit Iran's access to uranium, nuclear materials and technology both directly and through third parties, such as key members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
"These sanctions are designed to restrict Iran's nuclear program and are in no way intended to punish the Iranian people.
"Instead, these targeted measures are meant to send a strong signal to Iran that the international community expects Iran to meet its international nuclear obligations. They send a message to all states -- particularly those with nuclear aspirations -- that international standards cannot be flouted without consequences.
"Canada strongly urges Iran to agree to a constructive dialogue with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States in order to reach a diplomatic solution as soon as possible.
"Canada will continue to use its G-8 Presidency to maintain international focus on Iran's nuclear program, and we stand ready to implement additional sanctions, as necessary, to promote regional and international peace and security."
The current round of sanctions are specifically designed to restrict Iran's access to nuclear material and technology, although most observers do not believe that this round of sanctions alone can stop the Iranian government from developing a nuclear weapon. Cannon added a giant caveat, saying that these measures were aimed at what he called the regime and not at the people of Iran, referring to the Green movement and the upholding of human rights and freedom of speech. The sanctions were said to target Iran's capability to acquire uranium material and technology through their normal international business channels as well as through third parties.
Iran is a signatory of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and as such is expected to live up to its responsibilities, however as recently as this week Iran has denied access to two nuclear inspectors. The Persian nation seems determined to build a weapon under the guise of nuclear energy production, however recent events have even long time allies, China and Russia, siding with sanctions even if reluctantly.
Despite the growing consensus around tightening the isolation of Iran's government, Israel is still the wild card on the proverbial chess board. Officially, the Israeli government has not taken military strikes off the table to slow down Iran's research, I say slow down because strikes won't completely stop progress toward higher enrichment capabilities. In fact the argument goes, that even while the Green movement has largely gone underground they still exist, and a military strike would only galvanize support for the Ahmadinejad government and, as Fareed Zakaria said over the weekend, destroy the resistance.
In any event, it's a positive development that even this level of sanctions could be agreed upon on an international scale, a nod to the seriousness of the threat, but this won't be the final chapter to this story.
Read the Prime Minister's statement below:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued the following statement today announcing that Canada is now fully implementing its obligations under United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1929, which imposes further sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran:
"The Iranian regime continues to violate its international obligations by ignoring successive UNSC resolutions to suspend its enrichment-related activities and refusing to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"Our Government therefore welcomed UNSC Resolution 1929 on June 9, 2010. Today, we have fulfilled our obligations by establishing the necessary regulations to implement the decisions in UNSC Resolution 1929, and have amended our existing regulations to include these latest sanctions. These include measures that further limit Iran's access to uranium, nuclear materials and technology both directly and through third parties, such as key members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
"These sanctions are designed to restrict Iran's nuclear program and are in no way intended to punish the Iranian people.
"Instead, these targeted measures are meant to send a strong signal to Iran that the international community expects Iran to meet its international nuclear obligations. They send a message to all states -- particularly those with nuclear aspirations -- that international standards cannot be flouted without consequences.
"Canada strongly urges Iran to agree to a constructive dialogue with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States in order to reach a diplomatic solution as soon as possible.
"Canada will continue to use its G-8 Presidency to maintain international focus on Iran's nuclear program, and we stand ready to implement additional sanctions, as necessary, to promote regional and international peace and security."
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