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Rice Says World Must Act Fast Against Iran (to go to the UN)
The Star ^ | Jan 17, 2006 | Sue Pleming

Posted on 01/17/2006 10:10:01 AM PST by robowombat

Rice Says World Must Act Fast Against Iran

Sue Pleming, The Star: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Monday Iran "crossed the threshold" with its recent nuclear actions and the world must act fast to send Tehran to the U.N. Security Council.

The Security Council's five permanent members and Germany are holding talks in London on Monday in search of a common strategy to tackle Iran's resumption of atomic fuel research and development after a two-year moratorium.

Rice said the United States wanted the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to hold an emergency meeting as soon as possible, fearing if IAEA members waited until a scheduled meeting in March this would give Iran a chance to further "obfuscate" over its nuclear weapons plans. READ MORE

"We just can't let them do that," she told reporters traveling with her to Liberia for the inauguration of Africa's first woman president.

Tehran denies Western accusations it is trying to build nuclear weapons under cover of an atomic power programme and says it only wants to generate electricity.

Rice said she had "very good" conversations with many IAEA foreign ministers over the weekend and she was optimistic of their support in referring Iran to the Security Council where it could ultimately face sanctions.

"We have got to finally demonstrate to Iran that it can't with impunity just cast aside the just demands of the international community," Rice told reporters, without specifying which ministers she had spoken to or which countries backed an immediate referral.

"There is some work to do because you would like there to be a strong consensus for a vote. But whatever the numbers of the vote, I don't think there is any doubt that people are quite clear that Iran has crossed the threshold," she added.

The United States and European powers taking the lead against Iran -- France, Germany and Britain -- need the support of Russia and China to get Iran referred to the Security Council.

Rice would not be drawn on whether she thought the U.S. had the support of Russia or China, but she said Moscow voiced strong disappointment after Iran removed U.N. seals at its uranium-enrichment plant and resumed nuclear fuel research last week.

In addition, Iran had spurned Russia's offer to help Tehran meet its civilian nuclear needs without increasing proliferation risks, she added.

While countries might have "various tactics" in dealing with Iran, she said no nation had spoken out in favour of Iran. "They are getting nothing but condemnation."

On Sunday, Republican U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona said the United States might ultimately have to undertake a military strike to deter Iran.

Asked about military options and whether force should be used now or at least threatened against Iran, Rice reiterated that the current focus was on diplomacy.

"I don't think it helps really to speculate. We have said all along that the president always keeps all of his options but the course that we are on is the diplomatic course."

She said it was unlikely that Iran could stand the kind of isolation that would result from Security Council action.

"They are putting a lot at risk here and I am hopeful and hoping with others that when this regime recognizes or faces the fact that it is about to be really pretty fundamentally isolated that they will reconsider their options," said Rice.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: china; iran; irannukes; rice; russia
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She said it was unlikely that Iran could stand the kind of isolation that would result from Security Council action.

"They are putting a lot at risk here and I am hopeful and hoping with others that when this regime recognizes or faces the fact that it is about to be really pretty fundamentally isolated that they will reconsider their options," said Rice.

There, that'll have mullahs quaking in their curleytoed slippers.

1 posted on 01/17/2006 10:10:02 AM PST by robowombat
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To: robowombat

What exactly would a strong note of condemnation from the UN Security Council accomplish?


2 posted on 01/17/2006 10:12:42 AM PST by sono (You can't convert people in pink dresses)
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To: robowombat

Yes, I'm sure another Oil for Food program will be just fine with Iran.

Who's going to keep China from buying oil directly from Iran? The French?


3 posted on 01/17/2006 10:13:58 AM PST by rightinthemiddle (I might be wrong, but I'm always right.)
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To: sono
It makes liberals happy because it shows we are part of one happy worldwide multicentric community of well wishers
4 posted on 01/17/2006 10:14:16 AM PST by Flavius (Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum)
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To: rightinthemiddle

you bet, china will buy all 2.5M per day with no sweat...

and sleep well at night


5 posted on 01/17/2006 10:14:53 AM PST by Flavius (Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum)
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To: sono
What exactly would a strong note of condemnation from the UN Security Council accomplish?

Hand Blix being fed to the sharks?

6 posted on 01/17/2006 10:17:50 AM PST by Ashamed Canadian (America - please invade us now!!)
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To: robowombat
Rice Says World Must Act Fast Against Iran (to go to the UN)

And going to the UN makes her position completely incongruous. The UN is the playground of oppressors and dictators - going there with global problems is as useful as taking the problem to a colony of wood nymphs and hoping for a sound resolution.
7 posted on 01/17/2006 10:19:04 AM PST by DustyMoment (FloriDUH - proud inventors of pregnant/hanging chads and judicide!!)
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To: robowombat

You have to go through the process...the Israelis are watching the real timetabel...What's really interesting about the Iran mess, is that with Bolton pushing things along at the UN, this is going to come to full blown crisis mode just before the November elections..which doesn't spell good things for the dems...


8 posted on 01/17/2006 10:23:34 AM PST by ken5050 (Ann Coulter needs to have children ASAP to pass on her gene pool....any volunteers?)
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To: DustyMoment
"And going to the UN makes her position completely incongruous. The UN is the playground of oppressors and dictators - going there with global problems is as useful as taking the problem to a colony of wood nymphs and hoping for a sound resolution."

Possibly that is exactly W's strategery; will clearly point out their (UN's) powerlessness.

9 posted on 01/17/2006 10:25:10 AM PST by Thom Pain (Supporting the Constitution is NOT right wing. It is centrist.)
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To: sono

Right you are.

This Iran nuclear business has gone on too long - perhaps FAR too long for the US or anyone else to do anything meaningful to slow it down or completely arrest it.

A recent report from the US Army War College indicates that Iran has become quite expert, over the years, at hiding it nuclear facilities. Indeed, it may be impossible for the US to have sufficient targeting info that would assure that a military strike would be successful. And, if we don't get all the facilities, how are we to know that the Iranians can't develop a bomb in a few months or a year or two under a ramped-up development program. Indeed, how do we know that haven't already got a weapon ready to deploy?

The UN Security Council? The UN Security Council couldn't frighten the local postman, let alone a bunch of militant mullahs bent on reducing the middle east to an Iranian sphere of influence.

Talking won't stop this Iranian process of nuclear capability.

It seems that the only reasonable thing the US can do, in accord with other middle east nations, is to convince Iran that failure to severely amend its nuclear program will result in a significant and collective military strike against its military and oil facilities. And that course is also lumpy with problems if those strikes are not largely successful.

Time is on the Iranian side. Not ours and that is a King Kong-sized problem.


10 posted on 01/17/2006 10:28:15 AM PST by RexBeach ("There is no substitute for victory." -Douglas MacArthur)
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To: sono
What exactly would a strong note of condemnation from the UN Security Council accomplish?

You mean other than completely hamstring us from taking action on our own lest we appear hypocritical? Not much. Anyone who still thinks this is a stick-it-to-the-UN administration seriously needs to work on ways of stretching his attention span to accomodate more than just soundbites.

11 posted on 01/17/2006 10:34:52 AM PST by inquest (If you favor any legal status for illegal aliens, then do not claim to be in favor of secure borders)
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To: inquest


Go ahead, make my day...
12 posted on 01/17/2006 10:41:49 AM PST by sono (You can't convert people in pink dresses)
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To: Thom Pain
Possibly that is exactly W's strategery; will clearly point out their (UN's) powerlessness.

To whom exactly would this be "clear"? Answer: to people who already see the UN as powerless. Do you seriously think the media will be presenting it that way? Of course not. They'll say that Bush was willing to play by the UN's rules until the UN didn't do what he wanted it to do, and so then he decided he'd take his ball and go home. It'll be the same damn thing all over again that we went through with Iraq.

It's long past time for Bush to dispense with the "strategery" and focus instead on just doing the right thing and, if necessary, explaining his case directly to the American people. It seemed to work well when he finally got around to speaking candidly to the American people on Iraq, so that's where success lies, not through trying to manipulate public opinion with shifty little stunts.

13 posted on 01/17/2006 10:49:29 AM PST by inquest (If you favor any legal status for illegal aliens, then do not claim to be in favor of secure borders)
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To: sono
So that's where Gilligan wound up...
14 posted on 01/17/2006 10:51:08 AM PST by inquest (If you favor any legal status for illegal aliens, then do not claim to be in favor of secure borders)
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To: robowombat

What's the over/under at which resolution # we or the Israelis have to blast them to rubble?


15 posted on 01/17/2006 10:56:27 AM PST by JackHawk ("Some Times; War is the answer!")
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To: robowombat
She said it was unlikely that Iran could stand the kind of isolation that would result from Security Council action.

I smell a profit opportunity for the world government operatives at the UN.

16 posted on 01/17/2006 11:20:40 AM PST by Protagoras (If jumping to conclusions was an Olympic event, FR would be the training facility.)
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To: robowombat

So what's it to Rice??? Iran's target would be Israel...And we know what Rice thinks of Israel...Our gov't has allowed N Korea to develop nuclear warheads...What's the difference with Iran???


17 posted on 01/17/2006 11:41:13 AM PST by Iscool (Start your own revolution by voting for the candidates the media (and gov't) tells you cannot win.)
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To: robowombat

How is Going To The UN classified as "Acting?" Taking something to the UN is throwing it into a hole where it instantly decomposes.


18 posted on 01/17/2006 12:52:51 PM PST by arthurus (Better to fight them OVER THERE than over here.)
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To: robowombat

This is how we played it out with Iraq until our military assets were in place for the invasion.


19 posted on 01/17/2006 12:54:33 PM PST by Semper Paratus
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To: ken5050

I would hope we are are just trying to get the UN to "do something" real before the Israelis do something real. On the other hand I am not at all optimistic that Israel can gather the gumption needed for one more survival strike.


20 posted on 01/17/2006 12:56:58 PM PST by arthurus (Better to fight them OVER THERE than over here.)
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