dpa June 26, 2010 – Tens of thousands of Iranian exiles from all over the world gathered on Saturday in the Paris suburb of Taverny to call for “true democratic change in Iran.” In a statement, the participants supported “more international sanctions against the regime.” They also demanded the West to support regime change. According to the participants, the declaration was signed by 3,500 parliamentarians from Europe and North America. 200 of them are German members of parliament.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran estimated the number of participants to be 100,000. According to a spokesman, 35,000 people participate at the event from Germany, which has the largest Iranian exile community. They were transferred there using 1400 buses and numerous personal cars. Among the speakers were former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton.
The keynote speaker, Maryam Rajavi said that after the 2009 popular uprising, the Iranian regime “has lost its capability for appeasement.” She added, “Years of negotiations with the regime only bought more time fro it. The new round of UN sanctions was necessary but not enough.” The president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran addressed western powers, saying, “We demand a suspension of purchasing oil and gas from this regime immediately.”