Posted on 03/06/2006 6:37:30 PM PST by blam
Russia 'to break ranks' in Iran nuclear row
By Anton La Guardia, Diplomatic Editor
(Filed: 07/03/2006)
Western countries were alarmed last night by signs that Russia was ready to break ranks and agree to Iran's demand to continue nuclear "research and development", fearing that this would make it easier for Teheran to develop nuclear weapons.
Briefed about the latest Russian proposals, Mohammed ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expressed the hope that a compromise could be reached "in the next week or so".
Mohammed ElBaradei: diplomacy
But Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, was expected to deliver a firm rejection of the Kremlin's blueprint at a meeting in Washington with her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov last night.
"He is going to get a strong response from the Americans," said one western source. "The Russians are testing the waters and are desperate for a deal. But any kind of research or development will allow the Iranians to take significant steps towards mastering the technology."
The row threatens to undermine the fragile international unity reached last month, when America, Russia, China and European countries agreed that Iran should be reported to the UN Security Council over its nuclear programme.
Diplomats said that the UN might start discussing the issue next week. But the apparent change of heart by Moscow, which is a vital trading partner of Iran and a veto-wielding member of the Security Council, greatly complicates the strategy.
Speaking at the start of a meeting of the IAEA's board of governors in Vienna, Mr ElBaradei appeared to be playing for more time for a diplomatic solution.
"Everybody understands that escalation is not going to help a situation that is highly, highly volatile right now in the Middle East," he said.
Iran says that it is seeking to develop nuclear power for "peaceful purposes" but western countries suspect that it is trying to make nuclear weapons.
Last year Teheran ended its "voluntary" suspension of uranium enrichment, a process involving technology that could be used to produce nuclear fuel for power stations as well as fissile material for bombs.
As retaliation for an IAEA resolution that it should report Iran to the Security Council, Teheran also scaled back its co-operation with nuclear inspectors.
Western countries have supported a Russian initiative to resolve the crisis by moving the enrichment facilities from Iran to Russia, where the work would be overseen by Russian engineers to ensure that it produces only low-enriched uranium, for up to 10 years.
They had trusted Moscow to respect the "red line" that Iran should not be allowed independently to carry out any enrichment, including "research and development".
But diplomats say that Mr Lavrov is now proposing that Iran should be allowed to carry out small-scale research on a "cascade" system of up to 164 inter-connected uranium enrichment centrifuges.
This would make it difficult for Iran to produce useable quantities of enriched uranium, which usually requires thousands of machines to operate.
But western experts say that any work on enrichment will bring Iran closer to the ability to make weapons, perhaps at secret locations.
"Everybody understands that escalation is not going to help a situation that is highly, highly radioactive right now in the Middle East," he said.
The time to act is NOW.
"But Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, was expected to deliver a firm rejection of the Kremlin's blueprint at a meeting in Washington with her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov last night."
Crush their nuts Condi!
Enough already from the Ruskies!
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lietuvos.net/istorija/communism/communism_photos1/2Orsha1918.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lietuvos.net/istorija/communism/&h=551&w=401&sz=9&tbnid=Ff13sGJOLt0J:&tbnh=130&tbnw=94&hl=en&start=2&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%2Bcannibalism%2Brussia%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8
Therefore, he seeking to goad the US into spending its resources to take on Iran by itself. When the dust settles, he intends to step in and pick up the pieces.
Very astute. Cold War strategy in reverse...force the US to drain it's resources in an endless struggle of swatting mosquitos.
Of course, Bush is no dummy when it comes to high stakes poker either.
What a shocker.
No F'ing way, and we're willing to go to war over it.
Our very survival is at stake. The Mullahs have sentenced this nation to death.
I find it harder and harder to believe that people still think that the Soviet Union was "defeated". The Soviet Union never went away. It simply changed its appearance and switched tactics.
But perhaps we did not win. Perhaps we merely witnessed a sea change in how Russia presents itself to the world. While I do not subscribe to the theory that communism still lurks in full vitality hidden deep in the bowels of present-day Russia, waiting for the day to reclaim its iron control over the old Soviet empire, I do agree that Russia has lost none of its "bite" and still considers the US its primary rival on the stage of human history.
The day of nuclear reckoning and holocaust may yet come, and when we least expect it.
I don't necessarily subscribe to the theory that communism is still alive and well in Russia either. I do, though, believe that the Russian situation has not fundamentally changed at all. Call it czarism, imperialism, dreams of taking the title of the world's only superpower, or whatever else you want to call it. The bottom line is, communist or not, Russia is NOT our friend and our government should realize this.
Remember, the Russians starved all of Eastern Europe, promised they would crush us, worked endlessly to expand their empire no matter what the consequences, armed the North Koreans and North Vietnamese, put nuclear weapons in Cuba, and enslaved half a continent for no other real reason than to stand against us. Does anyone really believe that they just collectively woke up one day and decided to do a complete turnaround and become our friend? Isn't the fact that the ex head of the SOVIET KGB, our sworn enemy, is their leader enough of a clue?
What do you think?
The UN is completely WORTHLESS!!!
A conflict in Iran,Iraq, and Afghanistan at the same time would leave huge hole in strategic position around the world. Not to mention the cost, which now stand at nearly a half trillion dollars. Afghanistan was a necessary war, and a direct defense of US interests, but Iraq wasn't necessary. It was moral and Utopian blind alley. Sure Russia would love to make Iraq/Iran be the final straw the chases us out of the oil rich Southwestern Asia. Seeing the US helplessly tangled up like the proverbial fly in the spider web would be victory for both the Chinese and the Russians. America engaged in small wars that have no end in sight a historical irony given the Russian adventures in Chechnya and Afghanistan.
" China could probably annex Russia's Far East today. "
And China would turn into a radioactive crap heap the very same day. Russia still has 15,000 nuclear warheads.
China might just wait... in 50 more years, many of those nuclear warheads wouldn't even launch out of the silos. Russia's population in the RFE would have declined to a pathetic number. Anything is possible when you are militarily weak.
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