متن کامل انگلیسی

His Excellency,

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, 

António Guterres

Twenty years ago, the resolution on proclaiming the year “2001”, the launch of the third millennium BC, as the UN Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations was proposed and adopted unanimously at the UN General Assembly’s meeting, and there was the hope that the world would not go through the past painful experiences of war, crime and oppression again in the Third Millennium. 

The efforts of the kind-hearted and thoughtful Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, in that time, along with offering positive and practical recommendations and his determining two five-year periods for detailed consideration of the program and appointing a special representative for its implementation, opened the door to peace and dialogue instead of war and conflict. 

Hatred, discrimination and tyranny, stemming from the paradigm of conflict and using force, instead of reason, in the twentieth century resulted in two world wars, the Cold War, regional wars, occupations, repression and homelessness as well as violent inter- and intra-ethnic, religious and inter-group conflicts, poverty, ignorance, tyranny and the worst of all, threatening the human dignity and destroying the concept that man should be in control of his/her destiny and enjoy a good and secure life. The evil and cruel face of terrorism, which at times puts on a sacred disguise, stroke again in the most dreadful and destructive manner. 

While living our lives in such a world of chaos, the Dialogue Among Civilizations provided us with a paradigm based on which contention, violence, sanctions and war were replaced with dialogue, listing to diverse voices in the human world and showing tolerance, respect and peace. 

There was the hope that such developments would push the way forward and let free the oppressed people, including the nations of Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Lebanon as well as the people in any other occupied, war-torn, disputed and/or invaded territories.

At that time, when the idea was introduced, although brutal and inhumane regimes used to exist in some countries, like Afghanistan and Iraq, but these two countries were not under occupation yet. 

Although the world was filled with terror, but the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center had not yet been turned into the burning furnace of the terrorists’ rage, and at the heart of the so-called free world of Europe and the USA, even though assassination and rape were committed, but the new terrorism had not yet the chance to lift the veil to reveal its cruel and terrible face completely. 

But suddenly the world changed; terrorism, with a new organization, threatened the whole world in its most violent and cruel shape. Warmongers also encouraged aggression and forged alliance for war, and therefore, spread the chaos further. Unfortunately, the complementary plan for the Dialogue Among Civilizations (in autumn 2001) which put forward the recommendation for an alliance for justice-based peace faded away in a state of unrest and turmoil. 

Since then continuing violence, escalating war, widespread homelessness of the people, and tyranny at the hands of oppressive governments have further tainted the human history, and we have seen what happened to what is known as Arab Spring. Military and undemocratic governments came to power again or the hope for freedom, democracy, and progress were replaced with war, violence, and chaos and the flames of war, genocide, expansion of the occupation, and invasion were fueled more than ever. 

The oppressed people of Iraq and Afghanistan were attacked. ISIS terrorist attacks rapidly spread throughout Iraq and Syria, while occupying the whole Middle East into perspective and employing the most ruthless methods of massacre and destruction. Israel, pleased more than ever with this situation, entered a new stage of its crime and cruelty against the oppressed Palestinians. The oppressed nation of Yemen is battered by the storm of invasion, famine, and genocide. All in all, more than ever before, the whole Middle East and West Asia were suffering from crises caused by war, crime, and insecurity, and such predicament, more or less, was prevailing over the most parts of the world. 

Iran, which as well had just been lashed by the huge waves of terrorism and invasive war, was getting ready to feel the breeze of freedom and reformation coming off the Islamic uprisings and the Iranian nation was given fresh hope. Today, Iran is facing with the most violent sanctions and economic blockades, and the the U.S. military threats against Iran are more explicit. Although, in a joint endeavor, the Iranian nation and government succeeded in using a dialogue policy instead of creating dangerous situations and witnessed a new agreement on coexistence and cooperation as well. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was a valuable experience of paving the way for opening a peace dialogue which was opposed by the new government of the U.S.A. 

I believe that the United States’ withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was not only an opposition to the Iranian nation and government but also a total disrespect to the basic principle of dialogue for peace, and yet again, agreement and understanding are replaced with persecution and sanctions. 

The tragic fate of the Dialogue Among Civilizations – which has been recognized by distinguished scholars and public benefactors around the world –, and also the agreement and alliance for establishing justice-founded peace, at the end of the second decade of the third millennium BC., points out to the great difficulties encountered by the UN and all other humanitarian organizations and the peace-seekers of the world in discharging their duties or responsibilities. 

The key question is that would the world have lived a better life, if the United Nations – created at the end of World War II as an international peacekeeping organization – had been able to stay committed to its primary assignment and its constructive role had not been neglected by the bullying powers, who prevented this organization from transforming the notion of peace into practical plans and policies?

While recognizing all the limitations of the United Nations, I believe that we can look forward to the doors reopening to a better future, if His Excellency, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, truly decides to foster the positive developments. 

I would like to modestly ask all public benefactors, peacemakers, scholars, artists around the world over and above the international pacifist organizations and all civil institutions at the national, regional and international levels, even politicians – who truly represent their nations and are not derided by vanity, illusion of power and dependence – to re-invite the people to create a world clear of violence, war and hatred and to build up alliance for justice-based peace as a prelude to make the world economically and ethically a better place for everyone.

Your Excellency,

 the Secretary-General of the United Nations, since failure of the international community and the United Nations, as a fundamental international institution, to control the tensions and crises may cause irreversible damages, I beg you to lead an initiative for controlling the violence, invasion and crisis as well as bring about justice, convincing the parties to get back to the negotiating table and saying no to war. 

Best regards, 

Seyed Mohammad Khatami