Brussels, 19/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 18 December, Tarja Cronberg (Greens/EFA, Finland), the leader of the European Parliament delegation to Iran, said upon her return that the Iranians she met want to re-establish links with the EU, but criticise the EU for not understanding Iran. “They are ready to cooperate on everything. There is no obstacle at that level”, she said. “The Iranians are ready to discuss human rights but this must be done as partners on an equal footing. We can discuss the universality of human rights but not impose our values”, Cronberg continued. The delegation discussed human rights - including the political prisoners and executions. Cronberg said that Iran has made a “citizens' charter”. “The society is complex and full of ambiguity”, she said, noting that, while access to the internet is banned, Iran's leaders spend their time on Twitter. And although there is no revolution, the society is gradually being transformed.
Cronberg stated that the delegation was welcomed by people in the street, which shows that “the isolation is broken. There is a window that is opening - perhaps just for a short period of time, but it exists. This is a good thing. “There are considerable hopes and expectations, and the people are looking towards the future”, in Cronberg's view.
In February, the European Parliament is due to adopt a report on the strategy to implement on Iran. Cronberg also invited a delegation from the Iranian Parliament to come to the European Parliament.
During their trip, the MEPs met members of the Iranian Parliament, the minister for foreign affairs and the deputy minister for foreign affairs, NGOs, human rights campaigners and the 2102 Sakharov Prize winners - Nasrin Sotoudeh and Jafar Panahi. The delegation is the first to visit Iran since 2007. (CG/transl.fl)