The OREGONIAN: Don't bomb Iran, Portland City Council votes

Portland is the second U.S. city to urge diplomacy to resolve tension over nuclear technology
Thursday, March 22, 2007 -ANNA GRIFFIN



Never shy about expressing their opinions about national or world affairs, Portland City Council members voted Wednesday to urge President Bush and Congress not to bomb Iran.

Portland becomes the second U.S. city, behind Berkeley, Calif., to demand a diplomatic solution to escalating tensions over Iran's continuing exploration of nuclear technology. Peace activists hope to spur a national call for a nonviolent end to the increasingly heated debate.

"We believe a military escalation is not the right way to go, and we believe the current conversations have far too much similarity to what was clearly a duplicitous effort to lead the world into war in Iraq," said Commissioner Erik Sten, who authored the resolution on behalf of Portland's American Iranian Friendship Council. "If we can spark a conversation in city halls across the country, we can have a real political impact."



With its 4-0 vote, the City Council asked members of Congress to vote for the Iran Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 2007, an effort to block President Bush from spending taxpayer money for military action against Iran "in the absence of an imminent threat." The fifth council member, Sam Adams, was at the International Global Cities conference in Montreal.

During Wednesday's hearing, more an affirmation than an actual debate, a dozen activists and immigrants testified that conditions for Iranian women, scholars and political activists have improved in recent years. They described the violence and extremism that resulted from the 1953 CIA-backed coup of Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh. They talked about similarities between the U.S. buildup before the Iraq war and what's happening now in and around Iran.

They found a willing and enthusiastic audience in the City Council.

Mayor Tom Potter said the United States should focus on restoring relationships and infrastructure in the Middle East, much as the Marshall Plan helped rebuild Europe after World War II. Commissioner Dan Saltzman said he supports peace in Iran, though he is troubled by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's insistence that the Holocaust did not happen.

Commissioner Randy Leonard called on Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., to read the resolution on the floor of the Senate. Smith originally backed the Iraq war but has broken with the Bush administration and was one of two Republicans who voted last week to support bringing most U.S. troops home.

"The United States . . . should be a force for good," Leonard said. "Instead we find us using our resources to get a foothold in oil and preserve our industrial engine."


In recent years, Leonard and his colleagues have voted to call for an end to the Iraq war, to condemn abuse of the U.S. Patriot Act and to deplore the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward homosexuality.

Although they followed Berkeley's lead on Iran, Portland council members have not gone as far as leaders of California's famed liberal hub: On the same day they passed a similar Iran resolution last week, Berkeley City Council members encouraged Germany to indict former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld for war crimes.

City of Portland's Resolution

RESOLUTION No. 3.14.071
Session 263 – 3/21/07 10:15 AM
Urges the federal government to seek positive diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States of America instead of escalating tensions

WHEREAS, President Bush has called for dual escalation of troops to increase their numbers inside Iraq and potentially to expand into Iran; and

WHEREAS, the Bush administration has expanded its concerns about Iran to include nuclear ambitions without showing any evidence that can be considered an imminent threat to the US security; and

WHEREAS, it has not been demonstrated that Iran has a nuclear weapon and has not verbally or actually threatened to attack the US; and

WHEREAS, the U.S., in threatening to use low yield nuclear weapons against Iran, is directly undermining the no-first-use doctrine that has prevented nuclear war since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; and

WHEREAS, a preemptive nuclear attack, or even the threat of such an attack on Iran is an explicit violation of the NPT, the UN Charter, and the U.S. Constitution; and

WHEREAS, the National Academy of Sciences has determined that the use of such weapons would "create massive clouds of radioactive fallout that could spread far from the site of the attack,” and become deadly for hundreds of thousands Iranians and citizens of surrounding countries; and

WHEREAS, the long-term instability generated by such a strike would be against long-term United States interests in the region; and

WHEREAS, independent polls show that more than 70% of Iranians support better relations with the US; and

WHEREAS, there is a significant population of Iranians from all professions and expertise who call Portland home, and have brought a broad mix of cultural and artistic talents into the cultural mosaic of the City of Roses; and

WHEREAS, there are historic relations between Portland, “the City of Roses” and Shiraz, Iran, “the city of Roses and Nightingales” as reflected in works of Portland’s own story teller the late Terrance O’Donnell; and

WHEREAS, a group of Americans and Iranians have come together in order to foster the friendship between the two countries by advancing Human to Human relations;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, that the city Council of the city of Portland, on behalf of the people of Portland urges the United States government to change the course in escalating the tensions with Iran; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council of Portland challenges the possibility of a new war in Iran, and urges the Congress of the United States to maintain pressure on the administration against both an escalation of troops within Iraq and a geographic expansion into Iran while continuing to call for a complete and immediate end to the war in the region; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council of Portland urges support for the Iran Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 2007 (H. R. 770), prohibiting the use of funds for “any covert action for the purpose of causing regime change in Iran or to carry out any military action against Iran in the absence of an imminent threat, in accordance with international law;” and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council of Portland will work with the local Iranian community to build people to people ties between Americans and Iranian citizens, to foster better understanding between the two nations and to embrace a spirit of diplomacy; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City Council of Portland supports exploration of a sister City initiative between the city of Portland and the city of Shiraz, Iran, in order to strengthen the friendship relations between the two cities that started more than forty years ago by the late Portland writer Terrance O’Donnell; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a suitable copy of this resolution shall be sent to George W. Bush, President of the United States, the members of the Oregon Congressional delegation, the leaders of the Oregon State legislature and Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski.

AIFC took part in the March 18th and 19th Peace marches and services in Portland

As one of the members of the March 18 rally coalition, AIFC was invited to speak and Jackie Spurlock spoke to the rally that brought approximately 15,000 people to the South Park Blocks in downtown Portland. Thousands stopped at the AIFC table, asked questions and purchased buttons and bumper stickers. We also distributed thousands of post cards with the "No War on Iran" message. It was very amazing to see people who have served in the past in Iran, come and talk to us, wanting to support our cause.
Gabriele Ross one of our active member has this to share:"

...to all of you for coming yesterday. I am sure I am not the only one who encountered an amazing mix of people, many with surprising connections to Iran. Two examples that struck me the most:

There was a young woman from Bulgaria who introduced herself by saying: "In my country everybody knows Iran is next." I must have looked a bit puzzled. She then explained to me that many of the US bases that used to be in Western Europe and were closed due to pressure from the populous there, were moved to Eastern Europe. Bulgaria has many of those bases now, and apparently there has been a tremendous increase in activity in recent weeks. She said "New bombers are arriving every day." According to this woman there is an open discussion in the Bulgarian press about this activity laying the groundwork for bombing Iran and the implications this may have for Bulgaria.
The other person that really touched me was a young man who came to donate his posters at the end of the march. There were beautiful photos of people and places in Iran and he had written things like "Is this your enemy?" on them. Turns out he is the child of an Iranian and an American parent, born in the US, went to Iran for the first time 3 months ago, met the relatives, learned Farsi - and fell in love with the place. He was very disturbed by the possibility of an attack and relieved to find AIFC."

AIFC also had a representative at a Peace sermon at the First Unitarian Church that afternoon and at March 19th, the 4th anniversary of the Iraq War event the next day.

PRESS RELEASE

The Portland City Council will consider a resolution in support of friendship between Iran and the United States and in opposition of an escalation of the Iraq war into Iran on Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 10:15 AM.

Persian New Year or NowRuz takes place at the exact moment of spring equinox, which this year will be at 4.07 PM on March 20. Persians, Afghans, Kurds, Tajiks, Belouchis, Parsis and Azeris alike celebrate this pre-Islamic tradition, and there will be many NowRuz events in the Portland metropolitan area.

Unfortunately the date also marks the fourth anniversary of the war on Iraq and an increasing likelihood of military intervention in Iran. The City Council of Portland has recognized the high costs of a futile war by passing a resolution calling for gradual troop withdrawal from Iraq.

On Wednesday, March 21 at 10.15 AM, the Portland City Council will hear a resolution asking to support friendship between the people of the United States and Iran and opposing an escalation of war into Iran. The resolution will be introduced by Commissioner Erik Sten and is co-sponsored by Commissioner Randy Leonard.

There is a history of positive and fruitful relations between people of Iran and Portland, Oregon, which is home to many Iranians. This friendship is reflected in the works of Portland’s deceased historian and story teller Terrance O’Donnell. Many others have served in Iran as volunteers or participated in recent citizen to citizen delegations. Some of these friends of Iran and local Iranian immigrants have founded the American Iranian Friendship Council (AIFC). The Council has worked in collaboration with the city on the proposed resolution.

In addition to encouraging human to human relations between Iran and the US “to foster better understanding between the two nations and to embrace a spirit of diplomacy”, the proposed resolution states “that the City Council of Portland challenges the possibility of a new war in Iran, and urges the Congress of the United States to maintain pressure on the administration against both an escalation of troops within Iraq and a geographic expansion into Iran while continuing to call for a complete and immediate end to the war in the region;” and further indicates “that the City Council of Portland urges support for the Iran Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 2007 (H. R. 770), prohibiting the use of funds for “any covert action for the purpose of causing regime change in Iran or to carry out any military action against Iran in the absence of an imminent threat, in accordance with international law;” “


Although there have been proclamations for Iranian New Years issued by mayors in the past, for the first time in Portland history NowRuz will be acknowledged by Mayor Potter in a city hall ceremony at noon, after the council hearing.

The NowRuz ceremony will include presentations by local Iranian musicians, Persian pastries and the traditional Iranian New Year’s display Haft Sin: a symbolic assembly of seven items starting with the Persian letter ‘s.’

We welcome the public to express our mutual desire for peace and to celebrate NowRuz with us.