This House believes that Iran poses the greatest threat to security in the region
Tuesday March 28 2006
MOTION REJECTED
by 36% to 64%
Details
Iran escaped censure as the greatest threat to the Gulf region during a Doha Debate held on March 28th.
Despite persistent questions about Tehran’s nuclear intentions, the audience voted almost two-to-one against a motion that would have singled out Iran as the major danger to regional stability.
Sadegh Zibakalam, Professor of Political Science at Tehran University, ridiculed the notion that Iran wanted to build weapons of mass destruction. “To have nuclear weapons for what? To use them against whom?” he asked.
He was strongly opposed by Dr. Mustafa Alani, Director of the Security and Terrorism studies department at the Gulf Research Centre in Dubai. Dr. Alani dismissed Iran as “an interventionist power” and said the country had refused to live up to its international obligations.
Nazenin Ansari, Diplomatic Editor of the London-based Kayhan newspaper cited environmental concerns about Tehran’s nuclear programme. She also said the country was unstable and spoke of growing unemployment and poverty.
But Michael Axworthy, former head of the Middle East Department at the British Foreign Office refused to label Iran as the major danger. He said its nuclear programme might become a threat in the future, but it “was several years away from the ability to produce nuclear weapons”.
The motion ‘This House believes that Iran poses the greatest threat to security in the region’ was defeated by 63.7% of the audience with 36.3% voting in favour.
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