LETTER TO PETER DUVEEN FROM CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, AND PETER DUVEEN'S
RESPONSE
May 11, 2007
Mr. Peter Duveen
1341 Railroad Avenue
Bridgeport, Connecticut 06605
Dear Peter:
Thank you for contacting me expressing opposition to the United States
using military force against Iran. I appreciate you taking the time to
share your views with me, as well as your patience awaiting my reply.
Although I do not support U.S. military action against Iran, it is an
option we must consider and a concern Iran needs to have. Given the
hard-line rhetoric of Iran's President and mullahs, it seems to me
negotiating a solution through diplomacy will be far more difficult if
they do not believe their intransigence may be met with serious
consequences. The United States must demonstrate that we take very
seriously Iran's failure to cooperate with international nuclear
regulators and its state support for terrorism.
I support the recommendation of the Iraq Study Group to engage Iran
diplomatically. Despite the very serious concerns we have about Iran's
state support for terrorism, threatening statements from its President
and horrid human rights record, we won't solve anything by refusing to
communicate directly with Iran's diplomats.
I am hopeful the ongoing discussions between the Iranians and the
United Nations to craft a permanent nuclear agreement will be
successful. Such an agreement should involve Iran's permanently
suspending its uranium enrichment program in return for international
agreements that allow Iran to gain access to research and technology
under strict and comprehensive supervision by the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA). The Iranians and the international community
should also revisit a Russian proposal under which Russia would import
nuclear fuel to an Iranian nuclear energy reactor and subsequently
remove the spent fuel for storage in Russia.
If an acceptable agreement is not reached, the Security Council should
enact comprehensive and multilateral sanctions against Iran.
When Iran will have a nuclear weapon is not the right question. Rather,
we need to focus on when Iran will have the indigenous capability to
produce nuclear fissile materials. This is the point of no return and
should be our benchmark regarding the urgency of addressing Iran's
behavior.
It is an undisputed fact Iran is pursuing nuclear capabilities. It is a
fact Iran is the world's must egregious exporter of terrorism. The
seriousness of these facts was made clear when Iran's president
threatened to "wipe Israel off the map" and when Ayatollah Khamenei in
April told another one of the world's worst human rights abusers,
Sudan, that Iran would gladly transfer nuclear technology.
On September 28, 2006, I supported H.R. 6198, the Iran Freedom Support
Act, which passed the House by voice vote. This legislation, which was
signed into law by the President on September 30, codifies current U.S.
sanctions, controls, and regulations against Iran into law, and
requires the President to report to Congress before they can be lifted.
This legislation also strengthens the sanctions of the Iran and Libya
Sanctions Act of 1996 and authorizes the President to provide financial
and political assistance to eligible foreign and domestic individuals
and groups that support democracy in Iran and that are opposed to the
Government of Iran.
Military action, while not off the table, must be an absolute last
resort. That is why it is so critical our government utilize the tools
at our disposal including economic and diplomatic sanctions and the
appropriate distribution of foreign aid as suggested in H.R. 6198, to
deter the threat Iran poses to global security. It is also appropriate
for us impose pressure on the other nations of the world who prop up
the Iranian government and the extremists at its helm by investing
heavily in that nation.
The bottom line is, in defiance of its assurances to the contrary, Iran
remains committed to a nuclear weapons program. The United States must
be unequivocal in its rejection of these ambitions.
Please do not hesitate to contact my office again. Because mail is
delayed by Anthrax screening, e-mails, phone calls, faxes, and
in-person visits are the most effective ways to communicate with my
office. I also have a periodic e-newsletter and would be happy to send
it to you. To request this e-newsletter, and for other information,
please visit my website at www.house.gov/shays.
Sincerely,
Christopher Shays
Member of Congress
CS:jp
Christopher Shays
US Representative from Connecticut
April 24 2007
Dear Mr. Shays:
Thank you for replying to my email letter on Iran by your reply of May
11, 2007.
Of course I am very pleased that you wish to engage Iran
diplomatically. Military action there would be a disaster, not only for
Iran and the region, but also for Americans, who would one again be
forced to participate in a belligerant action, create a humanitarian
crisis, and have the blood on its hands of hundreds of thousands of
innocent civilians as it has in Iraq.
The American people voted for change in the last elections. They do not
want expensive and bloody wars to be carried out in their name by
foreign policy specialists who have lost their love of humanity and
think the only legitimate goal of America is to pursue power and money
for the few that are crafting our policies.
The Iraq war bas been carried out on the backs of the middle class
taxpayer, getting our nation deeper into debt and creating a legacy for
America that will be like Germany's and Japan's after World War II.
I am alarmed by today's news that a fleet of Navy ships carrying 17,000
military personnel has just steamed into the Persian Gulf. I am alarmed
as well by another news report that President Bush has authorized a new
covert action against the Iranian government. This is not a way to
forge a constructive peace. Short of Iran attacking us, military action
should be OFF the table, and that
you would entertain such action for any other reason is, I must say, a
very unfortunate development in our congress and in the Bush
administration's foreign policy.
Just recently, former President Carter has lambasted the Bush
administration for its doctrine of pre-emtive war. This doctrine is not
a post 9-11 phenomenon. The changing of the NATO charter to allow its
member nations to mount an attack against other nations that have not
attacked a NATO nation was already crafted in the 1990s, and led to the
NATO bombing of Serbia.
9-11 was merely used as an excuse to expand this doctrine. Lies will no
longer cover up for the incredible trail of lies that our foreign
policy experts have crafted to justify the barbaric policies that have
now been adopted by the Bush administration. People see through it and
will vote against it.
I support the candidacy of Ron Paul, a conservative, and a fellow
member of the House of Representatives. I hope you listen to what he is
saying, and take note. Please support peaceful engagement with Iran,
which is not a state supporter of terrorism--another lie concocted by
the foreign policy estabishment that is driving destabilization in the
Middle East via the Bush administration.
Our congress should not be hi-jacked by the shennanagans of the few
wealthy in this country that attempt to pull all the strings.
Please engage Iran peacefully and productively.
I look forward to meeting you personally, and working with you on
creating a peaceful and productive policy toward Iran and the Middle
East.
Kindest regards,
Peter Duveen
1341 Railroad Avenue
Bridgeport CT 06605
P.S. Please respond by email
when the occasion arises,
as I am currently traveling abroad.
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