Montag, 14 Oktober 2019, 18:30, Festsaal

Panel discussion

Welcome:
Susanne Keppler-Schlesinger
Deputy Director of Vienna School of International Studies
Yongsoo Lee
Deputy Ambassador of the Republic of Korea

Panel:
Baek Yoon-jeong
Director, Inter-Korean Policy Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea
Heinz Gärtner
Professor of Political Science; Member of the Advisory Board, International Institute for Peace
Thomas Seifert
Deputy Editor-in-Chief and head of EU and world desk, Wiener Zeitung

Moderation:
Christoph Prantner
Senior Editor Opinion Pages, Der Standard

>>> Registrierung

Talk by Heinz Gärtner at the 3rd East Asia Peace Forum in Taipei

Neutrality of Korea: the Austrian example

Heinz Gärtner

The concept of neutrality has proven time and again that it can adapt to new situations. What are the big new challenges after the end of the Cold War? They are the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD); terrorism, which potentially holds new dangerous dimensions in combination with WMD proliferation; fragile and dysfunctional states, which can be breeding grounds for terrorism, a source of uncontrolled immigration, and a source for the development and dissemination of organized crime. They also contribute to the loss of important economic areas. Neutral states are well suited (in many ways better than other states) for making an important contribution to the fight against these new dangers. Neutral states sometimes show higher acceptance than members of alliances.

Summary: Iran is withdrawing step by step from the Nuclear Agreement (JCPOA). It does so openly and not in secret. According to the paragraphs 26 and 36 of the agreement, Iran has the right to reduce its commitments if other parties to the agreement have violated it. Since the US abandoned the agreement last year, the sanctions imposed by the US on Iran remained not only in place but have been ratcheted up what is a clear violation of the agreement. Economically, it is understandable that Iran wants to put pressure on the other signatories to lift the sanctions. The idea is that the Europeans compensate the losses of the US-sanctions and also put pressure on the US to return to the JCPOA. These tactics will not work because the Europeans themselves are afraid of US-secondary sanctions.

Iran zieht sich weiter aus der internationalen Vereinbarung zum iranischen Atomprogramm zurück. Was ist sein Ziel und was werden die Europäer unternehmen, um eine Eskalation zu vermeiden? Der Sicherheitsexperte Heinz Gärtner vom Wiener Friedensinstitut nimmt dazu Stellung in einem Sputnik-Gespräch.

„Der Iran glaubt, wenn er sich weiter zurückzieht, wird er die Europäer unter Druck setzen können, dass sie ihre Verpflichtungen im JCPOA (‚Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action‘) einhalten, beziehungsweise dass die Europäer die USA und Trump unter Druck setzen, wieder in das Abkommen zurückzukehren. Rechtlich hat es Argumente auf seiner Seite, weil Artikel 36 und 26 des JCPOA einem Partnerland des Abkommens ermöglicht, daraus auszusteigen, wenn es andere auch tun. Und die USA haben es verlassen“, sagte der österreichische Politikwissenschaftler.