Posted on 02/09/2005 5:41:19 PM PST by blam
Rice criticises Britain for not laying down the law to Iran's leaders
By David Rennie in Brussels
(Filed: 10/02/2005)
Condoleezza Rice issued a thinly veiled rebuke to Britain and other European allies yesterday for failing to lay down the law to Iran over nuclear weapons.
Her remarks cast a chilly air over a whirlwind European tour that has otherwise been dominated by swooning coverage of the new US secretary of state, from her expensively-tailored suits to her life story as the first black woman to reach such high rank in American history.
In an interview that was aimed at domestic American television viewers, Miss Rice told Fox News that Iran should be warned it faces United Nations sanctions unless it accepts a last-minute European Union diplomatic deal on scaling back its nuclear activities.
"[The] Iranians need to hear that if they are unwilling to take the deal, really, that the Europeans are giving … then the Security Council looms," she said.
"I don't know that anyone has said that as clearly as they should to the Iranians," she added.
The remarks put pressure not only on Iran, but also on the trio of EU nations - Britain, France and Germany - behind the attempted diplomatic settlement.
Speaking later after a meeting with European commissioners in Brussels, Miss Rice struck a more emollient tone.
She preferred to stress what she called a "unity of purpose" shared by Europe and America over the need to promote a peaceful "positive" future for Iran, and for China - another source of tension - with the EU planning to lift an arms embargo on Beijing imposed after the 1989 Tiananmen massacre. But in Teheran, President Mohammed Khatami said that no Iranian government would ever give up what he insisted was a "peaceful" nuclear programme.
The president defended what he said was Iran's "clear right" to pursue uranium enrichment. He warned the EU that if Iran felt that the promises made to it were being broken, then it would walk away from the EU deal, and might adopt an unspecified "new policy", which would have "massive consequences".
I didn't see anything nearly as candid as I would like. It is so easy to hurt the feelings of lefties. That is one of their tactics, hurt feelings.
Go Condi!!! These flaky Euros are reeling in the wake of a real AMERICAN PRESIDENCY which they have not had to deal with since Reagan. These lilly-livered liberal weaklings had better learn to stand up to tyranny before it OVERRUNS THEM...are they so BLIND!!!!!
but it matters more what she is saying behind the scenes than what she says in a speech.........
Isn't it the truth. You would think all of the world would know that by now.
With respect, bollocks. We don't have the resources for a protracted campaign in the Persian interior. The Iranians know this. We may, through sanctions and propaganda, be able to hollow out the regime, but knocking it over by force is out of the question.
Be Seeing You,
Chris
A protracted campaign isn't necessary to stop the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons. Rather, only some high explosive ordnance at strategic locations.
In addition, the US is attempting to remove the head of the the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, perhaps as early as the end of this month. GWB's team considers IAEA head Mohammed El Baradei too soft on the Tehran leadership.
It appears to me that the groundwork is being set to get serious about Iran's nuclear ambitions. You may think the cost is too high now, but if we don't act, the cost in the long run will likely be much greater. Can you imagine 9/11 with nukes? Or the risk in attempting to remove Saddam Hussein from Kuwait back in GWI if he had had nukes then?
The torch of freedom is in GWB's hands and he cannot be reelected. He only needs to focus on doing what's right: protecting the sacred flame of liberty. As Ronald Reagan said:
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.
Don't get me wrong. I agree with your sentiments. So do the Iranians. They have learned the lessons of Osirak, and have dispersed their R and D facilities over several dozen different locations. Be Seeng You,
Chris
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