Activities of Lars ADAKTUSSON related to 2015/2274(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU strategy towards Iran after the nuclear agreement (debate)
Amendments (17)
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Believes that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), otherwise known as the Iran Nuclear Deal, was a notable achievement for European diplomacy in particular, and that Europe isresult of international diplomacy, and that the parties are now responsible for not simply ensuring its strict and full implementation, butand also for maintaining the spirit of negotiations in a way that benefits the peoples of both Iran and the EU; recalls, at the same time, the Iranian Government's previous treatment of the observers from the IAEA and the international community, and the Iranian regime's attempt to conceal large parts of its nuclear technology programme from the outside world;
Amendment 75 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Insists on the importance of developing the parliamentary dimension of EU-Iran relations as part of the strategy for re-establishing mutual trust; reiterates its support, in this regard, for the proposal discussed between Parliament and the Majlis for an inter-parliamentary dialogue on counter-terrorism; condemns Iran's previous and on-going support for international terrorism; welcomes the renewed political dialogue between the EU and Iran, including on human rights; recognises that while there is suspicion and mistrust on both sides, there is also a long history between many Member States and Iran and that Iran has a strong ambition to have good relations with Europe, which provides the potential for a relationship based on mutual trust and respect; reiterates that the EU does not seek to interfere in internal political choices in this country or in any other, but seeks cooperation based on mutual respect for international standards and principles; believes that the full normalisation of relations can only occur by means of regular and sustained dialogue and that the immediate priority should be to broaden the scope of EU-Iran relations in areas where there is common agreement to do so; believes, however, that the ultimate aim must be one of partnership between Iran and the EU;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recognises that differences exist between the EU andCondemns Iran onfor the use of the death penalty; nevertheless believes cooperation on anti-narcotics programmes and on the question of juvenile executions, in line with Iran’s own commitments, could provide a common agenda for addressing this question; between 2005 and 2015, 73 minors were executed, according to Amnesty International; according to the UN, in 2016 some 160 young people are still on death row, awaiting execution; the UN also states in a report of 2016 that the number of executions increased substantially in 2015; many of the people executed had been convicted of drugs offences and belonged to one or another of the country's ethnic minorities, and in some cases they were convicted after confessions had been extracted from them by means of torture; in total, more than 600 people may have been executed – far more than the official figure of 369; most of the people executed belonged to ethnic minorities, including Kurds and Balochs; notes that, since Hassan Rouhani became President, at least 2 400 death sentences have been carried out by the regime;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls on the EEAS to explore the possibility of establishing an institutional framework for cooperation with Iran, such as a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) or a Framework Agreement. in order to initiate negotiations about this, however, human rights, democracy and a complete halt to all forms of support for terrorist organisations are needed;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recalls the impact that extraterritorial US sanctions, in particular US-related sanctions on banks, have on businesses willing to invest in Iran, while noting that the sanctions are a response to Iran's support for international terrorism; insists on the need to address this and other financial matters to create the necessary conditions for businesses to prosper in Iran and contribute to Iranians feeling relief from sanctions in their everyday lives;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Expresses concern about growing militarisation in the wider region and supports efforts towards greater arms control, while recognising legitimate defence concerns, but within a context of seeking to promote full respect for sovereignty of all countries in the region itself; recalls Iran's destructive involvement in the majority of the conflicts in the region and its support for terrorist organisations such as Hamas and Hezbollah;
Amendment 287 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Believes EU-Iran political dialogue should call on Iran to play a constructive role in solving the political crises in Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Afghanistan, based on respect for international law and the sovereignty of these countries; calls, in this regard, for a model of EU diplomacy based on political rather than religious differences and on the principle of ensuring respect, safety and security for peoples in all countries in the Middle East, without exception; condemns Iran's economic, military and moral support for terrorist organisations such as Hamas and Hezbollah;
Amendment 303 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Condemns the Iranian regime's radical, official hatred of Jewry, Zionism and the State of Israel, which is a central element in the leadership's ideological convictions and policies;
Amendment 317 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. WelcomNotes Iran’'s readiness to support the current efforts to bring stability to Iraq, and calls for additional efforts to bring all the militias operating in the countryinvolvement in Iraq, and calls for all Iranian militias operating in the neighbouring country to be brought under the authority of the Iraqi army; welcomes Iran’s contribution to the fight against ISIS/Da’esh; notes the agreement between Iran and Australia to share intelligence on the fight against ISIS/Da’esh;
Amendment 333 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Believes that regional rivalries are an underlying factor in conflicts in several countries in the region; calls for active EU diplomacy to de-escalate tensions between Tehran and Riyadh, including confidence building, track II diplomacy and de- escalation measures in the normalisation of their relations; calls on the EU to work with the US and Russia to that end and, in particular, in supporting the development of a new regional security infrastructure that takes into account Iran and Saudi Arabia’s threat perceptions and legitimate security concerns and provides security guarantees both to Iran and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council; stresses that cooperation on maritime security in the Persian Gulf, including the signing of a charter on free navigation, could be a first confidence-building measure in developing regional trust and cooperation;
Amendment 344 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 6
Subheading 6
Socio-economic issues, rule of law, democracy and the lack of respect for human rights
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Believes that Iran’s revolutionary legacy and its constitution as an Islamic State must nothas hitherto been an impediment for finding common ground on matters related to democracy or human rights;
Amendment 359 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)
Paragraph 26 a (new)
26a. Condemns the regime's treatment of religious minorities; notes that, according to the 2016 annual report of the US Commission on Religious Freedom, the preconditions for freedom of religion have continued to deteriorate in the past year; religious minorities such asBaha’is, Christians (including converts to Christianity), Sunni Muslims and Sufi Muslims are subject to systematic harassment, arrest and detention; the report also notes that, since Hassan Rouhani was elected President in 2013, the number of people from religious minorities who have been imprisoned on account of their faith has increased; the Pew Research Center identifies Iran as one of only 16 countries with very stringent public restrictions on religious worship;
Amendment 380 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Notes with concern that Iran has the highest level of death-penalty executions per capita in the world; stresses that eliminating the death penalty for drug- related offences would dramatically decrease the number of executions; welcomes, in this regard, the possibility that the newly-elected Majlis is considering legislation to exclude some drug-related offences from the list of crimes punishable with the death penalty; notes at the same time that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is extensively involved in drug smuggling and that the US Department of Finance has placed the Revolutionary Guard's commanding officer, Esmail Baghbani, on its sanctions list for his role in drug smuggling;
Amendment 405 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
Amendment 421 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Calls on Iran to live up fully to its commitments under the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by ensuring the enjoyment by its citizens of individual rights without discrimination as to sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, or other status, as provided for in these instruments; points out that this includes a basic right to equality before the law, as well as the right of equal access to education, health care and professional opportunities; notes that increased pressure is being brought to bear on the people with regard to religious prescriptions and rules concerning people's private lives; notes that, in the spring of 2016, a ceremony was held under the supervision of Ayatollah Khamenei in which 7 000 new officers for the so-called morality police were examined, whose task it is to arrest, detain and beat people who are not considered to be complying with the strict dictates of Islamic law;
Amendment 440 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)
Paragraph 29 a (new)
29a. Calls for all citizens who were arrested during the election protests of 2009-2010 (also known as the Green Revolution) to be released unconditionally and for those within the regime and the security forces who have been responsible for violence, murder and mass arrests to be brought to trial;