International

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel has urged foreign minister Bernard Bot to do all in his power to curb growing tension between Israel and Iran and prevent an attack by the Israelis. The British newspaper The Sunday Times, yesterday revealed that senior Israeli cabinet ministers last month gave their approval to preparations for an attack on a nuclear reprocessing facility in the Iranian town of Natanz.

A model of the Iranian factory has been constructed in Israel for the purpose of training their soldiers for an attack. “It is extremely ominous that military pressure on Iran is being stepped up. It is high time that sensible political decision-makers intervened,” said Mr van Bommel. Israel plans to undertake an attack if the current diplomatic attempts of three European countries to persuade Iran not to proceed with the constriction of an atomic bomb fail.

Iran, which unlike Israel has signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), is allowed by the terms of the Treaty to enrich uranium. However, the suspicion is that the Iranians plan to use the resulting enriched uranium in the secret production of an atomic bomb. France, the United Kingdom and Germany are attempting, within the framework of the NPT, to dissuade Iran from any such plan.

The United States has to date attached little value to the three countries’ efforts, but last week promised to await the outcome of talks. In exchange for this promise, it appears that the EU has in turn promised to involve the United Nations Security Council if negotiations with Iran fail to deliver. Such a move could also constitute a step in the direction of war. American officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney, have made it clear that the US could attack Iran even without the approval of the Security Council. .

It has now been revealed that Israel, which has not only failed to sign the NPT but is known to have secretly constructed numerous nuclear weapons, has drawn up concrete plans for an attack on Iran. “It is of the greatest importance,” Mr van Bommel stressed, “that an end be put to all this sabre-rattling. The Netherlands should take the lead in dismantling this dangerous political bomb. We shouldn’t forget that Iran was able to make progress on the basis of Dutch technology which reached Iran via Pakistan through a spy from that country. We shouldn’t tail-end the Americans, but should do all we can to prevent an Israeli attack and bring about disarmament in the Middle East. It gives every appearance of being five to midnight.”