Time Marches On, But THEY Are Running Out Of Time.
Drudge has this up now, and this has been the talk of the day today.
BERLIN (Reuters) - EU powers began circulating a draft resolution on Wednesday for a February 2 meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog asking it to report Iran to the Security Council, but Russia was seeking moves that stopped short of a formal referral.
The EU draft resolution drew scorn from Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency will hold an emergency meeting that day on Iran's nuclear work at the request of European Union powers, an IAEA spokesman said.
France, Britain, Germany and the United States are expected to push to have Tehran referred to the U.N. Security Council after it resumed research that could be used for generating electricity or making atomic bombs.
But EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said European states were considering a Russian proposal that could delay a formal referral of Iran to the council.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Washington, Solana said Russia had suggested the IAEA emergency meeting should call for a special U.N. Security Council session to debate Iran's case, but that there be no formal referral to the council at that time.
He acknowledged "We're talking to the Russians" about the proposal, which would have the Iran case return to IAEA jurisdiction after the Security Council debate. But he said there were many unanswered questions and no decision.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin did not specify what action they expected the IAEA to take at its February 2 meeting.
"There is the issue of whether it goes to the U.N. Security Council -- this is a question that has to be answered," Merkel said. "I think we have to think step by step, and above all send a signal to Iran that shows the international community won't accept it if Iran doesn't respect the commitments that are expected of it and the promises it has made."
Villepin said a referral to the Security Council could not be excluded "today" but suggested the door remained open for further diplomacy.
Iran slammed the European draft resolution.
"It is clear this is politically motivated," the Iranian president said when asked about the text drafted by France, Britain and Germany that diplomats said had so far only been seen by U.S. and EU officials.
"We are asking them to step down from their ivory towers and act with a little logic," the 48-year-old leader told reporters.
The West suspects Iran is seeking nuclear arms. Tehran says its atomic program aims only to generate electricity.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said nuclear weapons were against Islamic teachings, as well as Iranian interests, but he vowed to pursue atomic energy.
The United States and EU said they saw no point in further talks with Iran and it was time for the Security Council to tackle the issue, ratcheting up diplomatic pressure on Tehran and opening the door to eventual sanctions.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said there was "not much to talk about" and Solana, who she hosted for talks, agreed.
Iran on Tuesday proposed more talks with the Europeans, who called off the negotiations last week after Tehran removed U.N. seals on uranium enrichment equipment.
Rice, speaking before talks with Solana, said the EU had made clear Iran had crossed an important threshold.
But previous EU predictions that the IAEA board would send the Iran dossier to the council as soon as early next month were "looking a bit sick," a top EU diplomat said.
U.S. and European officials say a majority on the IAEA board favors referral, but they want as much support as they can muster from Russia, China and other sceptics.
Iran has begun to lobby developing nations on the IAEA board ahead of any vote. Ahmadinejad is going to Syria on Wednesday, his oil minister is visiting India and other Iranian officials are in Egypt and South Africa.
An EU diplomat said the draft text asks Iran "to help the (IAEA) clarify questions regarding possible nuclear weapons activities" and calls on IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei "to transmit a copy of this resolution to the Security Council."
Some Western officials say simply hauling Iran to the Security Council for censure could prompt a change of heart in Tehran, seen as keen to avoid pariah status.
Any move to use full-scale sanctions against Iran, let alone military action, could send world oil prices rocketing and reopen some of the international rifts opened by the Iraq war.
Iran's clock is ticking. Do I have faith that a Security Council resolution will be a satisfactory end to this coming mess? If I did, I would not be read. Of couse the resolution will not work on Iran; should such means be pursued, we will probably witness another Saddam flouting the UN, the IAEA, and the world community. The problem with this line of logic is that not only is Iran's clock ticking, but so is the world's.
Iran has the drive and desire to make a nuclear weapon. It surpasses what Saddam Hussein ever dreamed of. And they are ahead of Saddam. They have enrichable material now. They are enriching it. They only lack the technical know-how to create an actual bomb. A.Q. Khan had no problems selling them much of their technology, and I would not be surprised if the man sold his knowledge on how to build the bomb, as well.
The detractors of a forceful option on the table have their heads in the sand, and claim Iran is contained, or through resolutions, they can be contained. This could not be further from the truth. The only way that Iran can be "contained" is through the use of force. Not necessarily the force used on Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein, but blockades may be in order, as well as the world telling Iran that they will not be welcome anywhere in the world. No trade. No travel. No nothing.
Because we all know that the day they get the bomb a whole host of things could happen. We could watch Israel disappear under a mushroom cloud. We could even watch a US city disappear under a mushroom cloud; they do have a desire to obtain several ICBMs from Russia's stockpiles. Or, we could witness what the Soviets and Cubans tried a long time ago in nuclear blackmail. We stood up to it then, and we should do so now.
There are no peaceful plans within a nuclear Iran. There is only terror and destruction that will be exported.
The Bunny ;)
Drudge has this up now, and this has been the talk of the day today.
BERLIN (Reuters) - EU powers began circulating a draft resolution on Wednesday for a February 2 meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog asking it to report Iran to the Security Council, but Russia was seeking moves that stopped short of a formal referral.
The EU draft resolution drew scorn from Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency will hold an emergency meeting that day on Iran's nuclear work at the request of European Union powers, an IAEA spokesman said.
France, Britain, Germany and the United States are expected to push to have Tehran referred to the U.N. Security Council after it resumed research that could be used for generating electricity or making atomic bombs.
But EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said European states were considering a Russian proposal that could delay a formal referral of Iran to the council.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Washington, Solana said Russia had suggested the IAEA emergency meeting should call for a special U.N. Security Council session to debate Iran's case, but that there be no formal referral to the council at that time.
He acknowledged "We're talking to the Russians" about the proposal, which would have the Iran case return to IAEA jurisdiction after the Security Council debate. But he said there were many unanswered questions and no decision.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin did not specify what action they expected the IAEA to take at its February 2 meeting.
"There is the issue of whether it goes to the U.N. Security Council -- this is a question that has to be answered," Merkel said. "I think we have to think step by step, and above all send a signal to Iran that shows the international community won't accept it if Iran doesn't respect the commitments that are expected of it and the promises it has made."
Villepin said a referral to the Security Council could not be excluded "today" but suggested the door remained open for further diplomacy.
Iran slammed the European draft resolution.
"It is clear this is politically motivated," the Iranian president said when asked about the text drafted by France, Britain and Germany that diplomats said had so far only been seen by U.S. and EU officials.
"We are asking them to step down from their ivory towers and act with a little logic," the 48-year-old leader told reporters.
The West suspects Iran is seeking nuclear arms. Tehran says its atomic program aims only to generate electricity.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said nuclear weapons were against Islamic teachings, as well as Iranian interests, but he vowed to pursue atomic energy.
The United States and EU said they saw no point in further talks with Iran and it was time for the Security Council to tackle the issue, ratcheting up diplomatic pressure on Tehran and opening the door to eventual sanctions.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said there was "not much to talk about" and Solana, who she hosted for talks, agreed.
Iran on Tuesday proposed more talks with the Europeans, who called off the negotiations last week after Tehran removed U.N. seals on uranium enrichment equipment.
Rice, speaking before talks with Solana, said the EU had made clear Iran had crossed an important threshold.
But previous EU predictions that the IAEA board would send the Iran dossier to the council as soon as early next month were "looking a bit sick," a top EU diplomat said.
U.S. and European officials say a majority on the IAEA board favors referral, but they want as much support as they can muster from Russia, China and other sceptics.
Iran has begun to lobby developing nations on the IAEA board ahead of any vote. Ahmadinejad is going to Syria on Wednesday, his oil minister is visiting India and other Iranian officials are in Egypt and South Africa.
An EU diplomat said the draft text asks Iran "to help the (IAEA) clarify questions regarding possible nuclear weapons activities" and calls on IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei "to transmit a copy of this resolution to the Security Council."
Some Western officials say simply hauling Iran to the Security Council for censure could prompt a change of heart in Tehran, seen as keen to avoid pariah status.
Any move to use full-scale sanctions against Iran, let alone military action, could send world oil prices rocketing and reopen some of the international rifts opened by the Iraq war.
Iran's clock is ticking. Do I have faith that a Security Council resolution will be a satisfactory end to this coming mess? If I did, I would not be read. Of couse the resolution will not work on Iran; should such means be pursued, we will probably witness another Saddam flouting the UN, the IAEA, and the world community. The problem with this line of logic is that not only is Iran's clock ticking, but so is the world's.
Iran has the drive and desire to make a nuclear weapon. It surpasses what Saddam Hussein ever dreamed of. And they are ahead of Saddam. They have enrichable material now. They are enriching it. They only lack the technical know-how to create an actual bomb. A.Q. Khan had no problems selling them much of their technology, and I would not be surprised if the man sold his knowledge on how to build the bomb, as well.
The detractors of a forceful option on the table have their heads in the sand, and claim Iran is contained, or through resolutions, they can be contained. This could not be further from the truth. The only way that Iran can be "contained" is through the use of force. Not necessarily the force used on Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein, but blockades may be in order, as well as the world telling Iran that they will not be welcome anywhere in the world. No trade. No travel. No nothing.
Because we all know that the day they get the bomb a whole host of things could happen. We could watch Israel disappear under a mushroom cloud. We could even watch a US city disappear under a mushroom cloud; they do have a desire to obtain several ICBMs from Russia's stockpiles. Or, we could witness what the Soviets and Cubans tried a long time ago in nuclear blackmail. We stood up to it then, and we should do so now.
There are no peaceful plans within a nuclear Iran. There is only terror and destruction that will be exported.
The Bunny ;)
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 10:21 PM
1 Comments:
It's seldom mentioned but Iran also has Islam on it's side. I agree, nothing short of destroying their facilities will deter them and then only until they are rebuilt. The Iranian people aren't about to rise up in revolt. I can't see an embargo working. They have oil to sell and there's buyers for it although we aren't one. In the process of destroying their facilities, it wouldn't hurt my feelings if the President and the other guy meet Allah. Rawriter
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