U.S., Other Nations Meet to Discuss Iran

AP ^ | January 16, 2006 | BETH GARDINER

[West Coast Conservative]

The United States, EU, Russia and China met Monday to discuss Iran's nuclear program, with Washington and the European Union pushing to bring the Islamic state before the U.N. Security Council.

Iran's decision to restart its nuclear program alarmed the West, which fears the regime intends to build an atomic bomb. Iran, which insists it only wants to produce electricity, has threatened to end cooperation the U.N. nuclear watchdog if it is brought before the Security Council.

On Monday, Iran's state-run radio reported that the country has allocated the equivalent of $215 million for the construction of what would be its second and third nuclear power plants.

Iran's first reactor has been built at Bushehr with Russian assistance. Iran plans to build 20 more nuclear plants, and Russia has offered to build some of them.

Speaking before Monday's talks in London, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the "onus is on Iran" to prove its program is peaceful. He said the international community's confidence had been "sorely undermined by a history of concealment and deception" by Iran.

Britain, France and Germany said last week they want Iran referred to the Security Council, declaring more than two years of tense negotiations at a "dead end."

But they need the support of Russia and China, which have close commercial ties with Iran and have resisted such a measure in the past. Straw said talks with the two countries_ which have veto power on the Security Council — was of "crucial importance."

Monday's talks aim to build consensus on what action to take ahead of an emergency board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, expected in February.

The agency has found Iran in violation of an international treaty intended to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology. But it has not yet voted on whether to refer Iran to the Security Council, where it could face possible sanctions.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the vote "ought to be as soon as possible."

"We've got to finally demonstrate to Iran that it can't with impunity just cast aside the just demands of the international community," Rice said Sunday during a trip to Africa.

With the backing of Russia and China uncertain, European diplomats have been unwilling to talk publicly about what sanctions could be imposed on Iran.

China, which is highly dependent on Iran for oil, has warned that referral to the Security Council would escalate the confrontation. But European diplomats say there are signs that Russia, which is deeply involved in building Iranian reactors for power generation, is leaning toward backing the move.

Economic sanctions targeting oil and gas exports are thought unlikely. Iran is OPEC's second-largest producer and preventing it from doing business could disrupt the world's energy markets.

China's Foreign Ministry struck a cautious tone Monday, saying "all relevant sides should remained restrained and stick to resolving the Iranian nuclear issue through negotiations."

Straw again ruled out military action against Iran. "I have ruled it out enough times in the past. Military action is not on the agenda and it is certainly not on the agenda at this meeting," he said.

Monday's talks aim to build consensus on what action to take ahead of an emergency board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, expected in early February.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak will also attend, joined by senior British, French and German diplomats.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran, an Iranian opposition group, called a rally outside Britain's Foreign Office to demand Tehran's referral to the council.

U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak were attending the talks, joined by senior British, French and German diplomats. The director of China's Arms Control Department will represent Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry said. Straw will not attend.

[Semper Paratus]

Looks like were leaving it to the EU & UN to settle.

This will not end well.

[ClaireSolt]

No mention of Hezbollah. That is a mistake.

[in hoc signo vinces]

It's on the "What we do before bombing checklist", because we're the good guys...we'll let the EU and the UN play their little game, then declare diplomacy has failed...which it will...and then use the military option against Iran.

[JasonC]

"Straw said talks with the two countries_ which have veto power on the Security Council — was of "crucial importance."

What he actually means is, "please please please stop us and veto something, because we certainly don't want to actually do anything or we would not have just talked for so long. But the Iranians are making utter fools of us, and unless somebody more respectable steps up and appears to shut us down, the whole world will know what pussies we are."

Sorry Jack, the whole world already knows what pussies you are.

[Mrs. Darla Ruth Schwerin]

Russia? China? Hmmmm. And I thought they were encouraging Iran. Now let's be sure and tell them everything so they can go back to Iran and inform them of what everybody's up to...

[quack]

Wow!Almost right out of Ezekial's playbook.

[white trash redneck]

I am very concerned that Bush's concern over the reaction of the treasonous DemocRATs and their amen corner in the MSM may affect any decisions that he makes over Iran. While the MSM and the RATs have pushed the meme that Bush doesn't listen to others, I think his disastrous nomination of Harriet Miers to SCOTUS shows that, in fact, he does keep an eye on the MSM headlines and the RATs' reactions.

Here, I am concerned that Bush's concern over the reflexive condemnation of military action, particularly if it involves Iranian civilian deaths, by the MSM may tie his hands and affect how he deals with the Iranian mullahs' nuke program.

[theangrygrape]

Iran is turning into N. Korea, as far as the nuclear issue. I think it is clear the Euros, China and Russia don't want to deal with the issue.

The Euros understand they lack the military capacity to put teeth into their complaints. The trips to the UN are their way of staying relevant.

Russia needs the cash. It is just that simple.

China understands this is one more way to tie down the US and thus open opportunities to increase their power in Asia.

At some point, we will have to answer two questions: Will we allow Iran to join the nuclear club and what do we do about it.

[ARCADIA]

Will we allow Iran to join the nuclear club and what do we do about it.

The first thing we can do about it is to get our own affairs in order. Why are we importing energy in the first place? We have plenty of domestic resources that can be developed including nuclear, synthetic fuels, solar energy, our own fossil fuels, and perhaps even an all out alternative to the internal combustion engine. We need to produce our own to help our balance of trade and to weaken these sorts of crackpot tyrants. We might even be able to cut a deal with Russia and Europe to help us accelerate our nuclear roll out in exchange for a bit more political cooperation.

Then we need to focus on destabilizing Chavez in Venezuela. There is still plenty of opposition there and within our own borders to ferment resistance and we can count on help and staging assistance from some of his concerned neighbors. Venezuela has valuable resources and it would be better to bring it back into the fold now, before Chavez's anti-American campaign spreads and grows stronger.

Iraq can probably be control in the short term through a policy of military harassment. Periodically raid to take out some of the key facilities, force them to maintain a high state of alert to exhaust their forces; then, blockade and intercept shipments of contraband at sea, support an insurgency (similar to what they have been doing to us in Iraq), and launch a multi-front economic campaign to discredit the present government in the eyes of the population.

Iran may have an oil weapon, but using it is a little like setting fire to your own house to drive off an intruder. If they use it we will likely benefit at their detriment. It would only serve to accelerate all of the sorts of things that will lead to Irans irrelevancy.

[Mrs. Darla Ruth Schwerin]

"The first thing we can do about it is to get our own affairs in order."

There ya go. If the U.S. is amuck, helping anybody else will only lead to more confusion. This is such a BASIC, BASIC, BASIC, BASIC principle. Get it together here, first!

[EQAndyBuzz]

Wouldn't it make sense for Russia and China to sell Iran all this technology and tell us where it is? Then after they get paid, we bomb it.

Wash, Rinse and repeat as necessary.

[M. Espinola]

"Wow!Almost right out of Ezekial's playbook."

It sounds like a carbon copy, with the nation to the north (Putin's Russia) assisting the 'Persians" with the means to trigger global war. Plus Russia is arming Syria, and some news reports indicate Putin's "advisors" were even "advising" the Hamas death cultists in Gaza.

Shake hands with the devil (which one?)

I'd say the countdown is well under way. Israel will not allow the madman in Tehran to finish the Holocaust.

[Mrs. Darla Ruth Schwerin]

Yes, it would. But the question is, can they be trusted?