Brussels, 02/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Monday Pat Cox, the President of the EP, expressed the Parliament's "respect and understanding" for the decision by reformist members of the Iranian Parliament, the Madjlis (123 at the time the statement went to press) to resign, having been prevented from standing at the elections of 20 February. We support our colleagues' efforts to ensure a democratic election, he said, warning: "otherwise, we are convinced that EU-Iran relations would be severely damaged and the continuing dialogue hampered, not only on the parliamentary level".
A delegation of the EPP-ED group, led by Ilka Suominen and comprising Michael Gahler, rapporteur on Iran, and Jacques Santer and Paul Rübig, which returned from a visit to Iran on 27 January, made a similar warning, noting that if Iran strays from the road to democratisation, there will be no "business as usual". The MEPs, who pronounced themselves in favour of an EP-Madjlis Standing Delegation, also voiced hopes that the Iranian Parliament will soon ratify the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (see EUROPE of 27 January, p.8, on the recent visit to Iran by a Socialist group delegation).