Iran: Rather, it is the Aligned Movement Summit!

By Tariq Alhomayed / www.asharq-e.com

It would be absurd to say that participating in the forthcoming summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Iran is part of diplomatic protocol, or that this is in order to promote the concept that this movement is based on. The Non-Aligned Movement was established in 1961 in order to confront the hegemony of the superpowers on the international scene. It would be particularly absurd if the regional powers and Arab leadership attended this summit for the above reasons, especially under the current circumstances facing our region.

The Non-Aligned Movement summit is set to take place in Iran, which for its part is primarily non-aligned with the notion of regional stability and security; this is not something new, but has been present over the past decades. This summit is also taking place at a time that Iran is non-aligned with the Syrian people, instead supporting the criminal of Damascus, Bashar al-Assad. This is no secret, for here we can see Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi announcing that Tehran has a proposal regarding the situation in Syria, and that it will announce this during the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. He added “we believe that the proposal is acceptable, rational and principled” and “it will be very difficult to oppose.” This means that Iran wants to exploit this summit to defend al-Assad, under the cover of the Non-Aligned Movement, at a time when more than 4,000 people have been killed in Syria this month alone at the hands of the forces of the criminal al-Assad. So after all this, can we say that the Tehran summit is truly a non-aligned one? This is absurd, of course.

Even Vali Nasr – an American of Iranian origin – said that the Tehran summit is “Iran’s way of breaking the diplomatic embargo”. This is the embargo that has been placed on Tehran over its ambitions to possess nuclear weaponry, something that threatens the security of the region as a whole, and places the interests of Arab states at risk, politically, economically and socially. More importantly, this is something that would strengthen Iran’s chances of influencing and controlling the Arab states, including Iraq, Lebanon and Syria! As for the claims that the Non-Aligned Movement summit aims to confront the superpower’s hegemony over the international scene, this is pathetic! For what must be confronted today in our region is the Russian, Chinese and – firstly – Iranian alignment with Syria, against the unarmed Syrian people. What we must confront is Iran’s extending influence in our region, not to mention Iranian nuclear arms. Indeed confronting the superpower’s hegemony is something that cannot happen today, particularly as the presidents of all Arab Spring states, without exception, are looking for Washington to recognize their election victories, or looking for the International Monetary Fund [IMF] to provide them with aid and support. Therefore they cannot seek to gain legitimacy from the US or Europe, and then go to Iran to confront American and western influence – this is a political lie in the same manner as the “resistance”, “pan-Arabism” and [Muslim Brotherhood slogan] “Islam is the solution”. For reality and facts tell us that there is no such thing as non-alignment in politics, for non-alignment is an alignment in itself. Security, stability, social peace and preventing bloodshed are duties, and we cannot deal with this based on non-alignment.

Therefore, merely participating in the forthcoming Tehran summit represents non-alignment with the unarmed Syrian people, and support for Iran, which is a partner in shedding the blood of the Syrians and supporting the criminal of Damascus, Bashar al-Assad.