August 29, 2006

As Nobel Laureates for Peace, we are extremely concerned about the potential consequences of more war in the Middle East.

The U.N. Security Council offered Iran a package of incentives in exchange for Iran ending its uranium-enrichment work, but an agreement still does not look promising.

But the United States and Iran must not consider armed conflict to resolve their current crisis. Military action would be devastating, not only for the people of Iran -- especially its women and children -- but also for the region and the world. Direct and open negotiation to end the crisis is the best solution for us all.

Lawmakers and civil society groups -- especially those made up of women -- must have a role in finding that negotiated solution. That's why we helped bring together a delegation of such groups, both from Iran and the United States.

In June, we met in Vienna to broaden the dialogue and increase the interaction between the citizens of our two countries. We also met with Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to discuss the U.S.-Iran standoff. He is last year's recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

To resolve this crisis, the United States must refrain from interfering in Iran's internal politics. Most Americans are perhaps unaware of the decades-long history of such interference, beginning with the military coup of 1953 that overthrew Iranian Prime Minister Mossadegh's parliamentary government and installed the Shah, who ruled until the Iranian revolution of 1979.

Iranians don't have such short memories. After all, the authoritarian regime running Iran today owes a great deal to that U.S. intervention. Popular revulsion for the Shah's brutal rule helped create the conditions that brought the theocracy to power.

More U.S. interference in Iran would trigger only increased crackdowns, as the Iranian government would use it as a pretext to continue to oppress people, especially women.

We have already seen that oppression when women have peacefully demonstrated in the capital city of Tehran, calling for an end to laws that discriminate against them.

In fact, one woman in our delegation walked with a limp, her kneecap seriously damaged after being beaten in a previous demonstration. But undeterred by that violence and recognizing the increased volatility inside Iran, she again later demonstrated with other women -- and men -- seeking equality.

Iran must respect the human rights of its diverse population. National security must not be used as an excuse to oppress human rights or to repress internal debate and discussion. Religious beliefs must no longer be twisted to mask political ideologies and curtail rights.

But the United States should not be allowed to use the advancement of democracy as a pretext for war. Political changes must come from within nations, free of external interference.

It's time to recognize that the imposition of democracy through war is anathema to the very fundamentals of democratic governance.

Peace is not a utopian dream, nor is it simply the absence of armed conflict. Governments have a responsibility to provide social and economic equality for women and men alike, or meaningful peace will never take root. And to reach those goals, governments must seek new ways to avoid violent conflict.

The U.S. and Iranian governments can exercise this responsibility by seriously negotiating a solution to the current nuclear crisis -- a solution that must involve the people of our countries.

Peace underpins human rights. Without it, all other rights are at risk.

Shirin Ebadi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. Jody Williams won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997. Earlier this month, the Iranian government banned Ebadi's Center or Human Rights Defenders. Ebadi and Williams are founding members of the Nobel Women's Initiative, and can be reached at pmproj [at] progressive [dot] org.