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May 17, 2026
On May 26, China, as the rotating chair of the United Nations
Security Council, will convene a meeting under the theme “Upholding
the Purposes and Principles of the UN Charter and Strengthening the
UN-Centered International System.” The meeting will occur with the
world at a historical branching point, where humanity can choose to go
in one of two very different directions. The unprovoked and aggressive
war against Iran, and its ensuing effects, has placed the Middle East
at an impasse and threatens a potentially fatal escalation into a
global economic depression or even global nuclear war. At the same
time, the meetings between President Xi Jinping and President Donald
Trump in Beijing have opened the door to a new level of cooperation
between the world’s two largest economies, creating an opportunity to
implement an entirely different policy than that which created today’s
crisis. Therefore, it is a very precious moment in history, which must
not be missed.
Such a policy was actually discussed and
elaborated at the recent EIR Emergency Roundtable on May 15, “The Iran
War and the ‘Controlled Disintegration’ of the World Economy.”
Speaking there was former Prime Minister of Türkiye Ahmet Davutoğlu,
along with Iranian Ambassador to Mexico Abolfazl Pasandideh, former UN
Special Rapporteur for Palestine Richard Falk, and others. Prof.
Davutoğlu insisted that bilateral U.S.-Iran bargaining cannot resolve
the regional crisis, saying only “a comprehensive regional framework”
can produce sustainable peace. He outlined his recent proposal
consisting of four converging issues, where “progress on any one front
is unlikely without parallel movement on the
others”:
1. The Strait of
Hormuz: Form a coalition of trusted
intermediaries, such as Türkiye, Pakistan, Malaysia, and Indonesia, to
administer the Strait under a UN Security Council
mandate.
2. Nuclear
arrangements: Establish a new agreement whereby
Iran would deposit enriched uranium in Türkiye in exchange for fuel
for civilian use, reaffirm its commitment not to pursue nuclear
weapons, and have its right to peaceful nuclear energy formally
recognized by the U.S. Over time, the region would move toward freedom
from nuclear weapons “including those held by Israel.” (It should be
noted that this was the basis for the 2010 Tehran Agreement, which
Davutoğlu helped mediate, along with Brazil and the IAEA, and which
was rejected by President Obama at the time. Notably, President Lula
of Brazil handed President Trump a copy of this agreement during his
recent May 7 visit to Washington.)
3. Regional security
architecture: A multilayered structure of
confidence-building and regional security would be established,
evolving toward “a Middle Eastern equivalent of the 1975 Helsinki
Accords.”
4. Palestine: Israel
would be offered integration into the architecture—full diplomatic
normalization and formal guarantees—in exchange for recognizing
Palestinian statehood and ending military operations in
Lebanon.
Helga Zepp-LaRouche, founder of the Schiller Institute
and Editor-in-Chief of EIR magazine, had opened the roundtable
dialogue by proposing a complete policy change for Southwest Asia,
namely that the nations of the entire region, from India to the
Mediterranean, from the Caucasus to the Gulf, adopt a joint policy of
“Peace through Development.” An integrated “Extended Oasis Plan,” in
which a program for reversing the desertification of Southwest Asia,
modelled on China’s transformation of Xinjiang province and its
northwest deserts, is combined with the extension of development
corridors throughout Southwest Asia. As in the times of the ancient
Silk Road, the Middle East can become the hub connecting Asia, Africa
and Europe again, with a bright future for all countries which are now
in a state of humanitarian crisis and poverty as a result of
interventionist wars.
When Zepp-LaRouche proposed to add the
Extended Oasis Plan to the proposal put on the table by Davutoğlu,
which is actually very similar to the Tehran Agreement of 2010 signed
by Türkiye, Brazil and Iran, the latter replied:
“I fully
agree. The best way of peace is economic interdependency. There is no
other way. You can sign peace plans, you can make many declarations,
but the best way of peace is economic interdependency. Whenever you
have economic interdependency, nobody will be starting a war. So,
economic interdependency means development.” Davutoğlu added that the
best response to this war is to create a sense of “regional belonging,
supporting each other. And I fully share your opinion; and we can
bring these proposals together, a geopolitical solution framework, as
well as a developmental, visionary project together.”
The
participants in the EIR Roundtable agreed, therefore, to send this
combined proposal to the governments convening the UN Security Council
special session on May 26, requesting that it be taken into
consideration at this meeting. Even as the UN Charter must be upheld,
the UN is nevertheless in urgent need of reform, which would give the
Global Majority a proportionate representation. Part of this reform
must be the establishment of a new security and development
architecture, which must take into account the interest of every
single country on the planet.
A combination of Mr. Davutoğlu’s
proposal and the Extended Oasis Plan can be an indispensable component
of such a new architecture.
Any and all of the participants in
the EIR roundtable stand prepared for further assistance, if so
required.
Sincerely yours,
Helga
Zepp-LaRouche
Founder, Schiller Institute
Editor-in-Chief,
EIR
May 17, 2026
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