International figures back NCRI provisional government, reject war and appeasement in online conference

An international online conference brought together former ministers, lawmakers, and senior political figures from Europe and North America to voice support for the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the “Provisional Government” it has announced, anchored in Maryam Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan.

Italian Senator and former Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi said the gathering reflected an “extraordinary demonstration” of backing for a “true and necessary democratic alternative,” noting that more than 1,000 parliamentarians, former heads of state and government, ministers, and political leaders worldwide have signed a joint statement endorsing the NCRI’s provisional government framework. He described the endorsement as cross-party and unprecedented, arguing it signals growing international recognition of an organized pathway for a peaceful transition “grounded in the will of the Iranian people.”

Terzi condemned what he called decades of repression and the regime’s export of “domination and terror” across the Middle East. He said tens of thousands have lost their lives and cited a figure of more than 300,000 wounded in recent months, stressing that many were young Iranians refusing to surrender hope for freedom.

Former Canadian foreign minister John Baird argued that “appeasement does not work,” saying it only prolongs the life of a brutal regime. At the same time, he cautioned against foreign military “boots on the ground,” referencing the instability that followed interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Baird said real change requires leadership, organization, and a plan—pointing to Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan, which calls for free elections, universal suffrage, separation of religion and state, gender equality, minority rights, abolition of the death penalty, and a non-nuclear Iran committed to peaceful coexistence. He underlined that the plan “rejects all forms of dictatorship,” including both clerical rule and hereditary rule.

Former Icelandic prime minister Geir Haarde echoed a similar “third way” message, saying history shows appeasement fails and war rarely yields sustainable political change. He urged the international community to recognize the NCRI’s provisional government while supporting calls to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.

Other speakers, including Dutch Senator Frans Van Knapen and former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, stressed the need for structured engagement with Iran’s democratic opposition, arguing that the Ten-Point Plan provides a credible blueprint for a secular, democratic republic—neither a return to the Shah nor continued theocratic dictatorship.