Mr. Chair, I am hearing some very strange comments from the other side of the House, comments that are beneath the dignity of this House.
Getting back to this agreement, of course we have to be extremely prudent. Nobody is denying that. We cannot rely on words; we need to rely on actions. As Barack Obama said, this deal is not based on trust; it is based on unprecedented verification. As William Hague, Great Britain's former secretary of state and foreign secretary, said, it is possible to work with Iran and through diplomacy address what appear to be intractable problems. That is the key. When it comes to diplomacy, negotiations are never simple and never easy, but more often than not, they are the only true and long-lasting solution.
I would like to give an example that may not appear to be directly related. I want to talk about the Central African Republic. We learned yesterday that armed groups in the Central African Republic have agreed to release all the children in their ranks and end child recruitment. It is estimated that between 6,000 and 10,000 children have been used as either child soldiers or sex slaves, and all of them have been or will be released. This is huge, and it is thanks to the efforts of UNICEF. That organization did not simply say that those are the bad guys and refuse to enter into dialogue with them. Clearly, it does not agree with what those armed groups are doing, but its representatives sat down and negotiated with them anyway.
Today I spoke with someone from UNICEF who was very proud of what they have achieved. He said that nothing can be done if we do not negotiate. Despite their utter condemnation of the activities of those armed groups, the UNICEF representatives took the time to sit down with them. The final outcome is that between 6,000 and 10,000 children will be released.
A parallel can be drawn with P5+1. Those people did not just say that the Iranians were the bad guys. They sat down, imposed conditions, introduced verification and made sure that they created a regime to move away from any potential nuclear threat from Iran, thereby making the region safer and more peaceful for everyone.
The same is true for human rights. We can achieve things through diplomacy, pressure and sanctions. Those methods are useful.
Through sanctions, dialogue and pressure, we will really be able to help the people of Iran in their aspirations for freedom, peace and democracy.