Saed News: A member of the Expediency Discernment Council stated that "some members had ambiguities and concerns about Iran's accession to the Palermo Convention in the previous session, but the explanations from experts largely alleviated the members' concerns," and added: "My prediction is that this bill will be approved in the Assembly.
According to a report by Saed News, quoting ILNA, Majid Ansari, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, commented on the general atmosphere of the Assembly regarding the two conventions, Palermo and CFT: "Given the detailed expert discussions held in the Assembly's specialized committees, I assess the atmosphere of the Assembly as positive for the approval of this bill."
He continued, "Some members had ambiguities and concerns in the previous session, but the explanations from experts largely alleviated the members' concerns. My prediction is that this bill will be approved in the Assembly."
The Vice President for Legal Affairs further explained the review process of these two bills in the Expediency Council: "The Palermo and CFT bills were approved in Parliament but were referred to the Assembly due to disagreements between Parliament and the Guardian Council. With the suspension of these two bills in the Assembly, when the 14th government came into power, the President sent a letter to the Supreme Leader requesting the review of these two bills in the Assembly, and the Leader agreed."
He emphasized that "the government strongly believes that for streamlining international transactions, investments, and business activities, and facilitating people's affairs, there is a serious need for the approval of these two bills."
Ansari added: "These two bills are important beyond FATF. Failing to join these two conventions has caused problems for economic transactions with various countries, even with neighboring and friendly countries. The countries that have contracts with Iran have joined these treaties, and there are obligations that member countries must comply with. When Iran does not join these treaties, it creates limitations for economic interactions."
The Vice President for Legal Affairs also mentioned that during foreign trips, one of the key recommendations from friendly and neighboring countries is for Iran to join these treaties soon to resolve issues with transactions and economic contracts. He noted that over 190 countries have joined this convention, many of which are Iran's friends and neighbors with whom Iran has bilateral and multilateral relations.
Ansari emphasized that the Palermo Convention deals with combating organized crime, and the Islamic Republic is active in fighting crimes like drug trafficking, human trafficking, and arms trafficking, and is even a victim of some of these actions by international criminal gangs. He stated: "It is not appropriate for the Islamic Republic to avoid joining these conventions, as this would expose Iran to the accusation of not wanting to cooperate with international organizations in this regard. This label is not suitable for the Islamic Republic of Iran."
The member of the Expediency Discernment Council concluded: "In defending the reputation of the Iranian people, we must join these conventions as soon as possible. Of course, all aspects of this matter have been considered, and therefore, joining these conventions will not create any problems in terms of national interests."
