THE NATIONAL HISPANIC CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE SUPPORTS LEGISLATION STRENGTHENING DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS TO PREVENT A NUCLEAR IRAN
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, (NHCLC) supports the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2013 (S.1881), authored by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), and cosponsored by a broad bi-partisan coalition of Democratic and Republican Senators which would strengthen American diplomatic efforts to prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapons capability.
Previous sanctions passed by Congress brought Iran to the table. The possibility of further sanctions serves as additional inducement for Iran to negotiate an acceptable final agreement. Iran continues to advance its nuclear program as the talks continue. Tehran recently announced it is pressing forward on the development of a new generation of advanced centrifuges to enrich uranium, highlighting the need for additional sanctions legislation.
The legislation will: give the president the time for negotiations to achieve a final agreement without requiring additional sanctions during the talks; expand U.S. sanctions on Iran if it fails to negotiate a final agreement on its nuclear program; provide guidance to the administration for the acceptable contours of a final agreement between Tehran and the permanent five members of the U.N. Security Council (The United States, France, Great Britain, Russia and China) and Germany.
Congressional proponents of the sanctions, as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have said that sanctions forced Iran to the negotiating table and should be upheld to extract meaningful concessions.
Pastor Mario Bramnick, NHCLC Regional Vice President, stated, "Sanctions must be in place to pressure Iran to halt and dismantle its nuclear program. It is critical for Congress to outline its views concerning an acceptable final deal while diplomacy is underway."
The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, as America's largest Hispanic Christian organization with 40,118 member churches representing millions of Hispanics across the nation, calls for additional sanctions to halt its nuclear program, particularly its centrifuge manufacturing. To do less is, as Prime Minister Netanyahu said, a 'historic mistake.'
Bramnick concluded, "The NHCLC believes that we have a moral, biblical and strategic obligation to stand united in efforts to protect the safety of the nation of Israel, our closest ally in the Middle East, and thereby protecting our own American interest. We also urge the Senate to take immediate action on the Nuclear Weapons Free Iran Act of 2013."
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The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the nation's largest Christian Hispanic organization, which serves millions of Hispanics and represents more than 40,000 churches, emphasizing "seven directives" of Life, Family, Compassionate Evangelism, Stewardship, Justice, Education and Youth. For additional information, visit http://www.nhclc.org.
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