Posted on 05/05/2008 1:19:05 PM PDT by freerepublic_or_die
World powers very soon will present Iran with a revised package of incentives to give up its sensitive nuclear work, U.S. officials said on Monday, but expectations for a positive response are low.
"I think this will move very quickly," said a senior U.S. official, when asked when the incentives package agreed on by major powers in London last Friday would be formally offered to the Iranians.
Top government officials in China, Russia, the United States, France, Britain -- the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- and Germany are now reviewing the decision made in London and an approach would be made soon to Tehran, the official said. France has said it could be within days.
The incentives are based on an offer first made to Iran in June 2006, which diplomats say has been "refreshed" to include enhanced nuclear cooperation but do not differ substantially from the first one.
"It is not a major step forward, frankly, because we think it was a very good offer in the first place. We simply don't understand why the Iranians have not put more interest in it," the senior U.S. official told Reuters.
"It doesn't augur well for a reaction, given what they have said already," he added, anticipating Iran's formal response.
Iran said on Monday it would not consider any incentives that violated its right to nuclear technology, ruling out a precondition to halt atomic work the West believes is aimed at making bombs. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful power purposes.
"It is nice to see, I guess, that they are keeping such an open mind about this by rejecting it before they have even seen it," said State Department spokesman Tom Casey when asked about Iran's comments
(Excerpt) Read more at ap.google.com ...
That is the title verbatim.... "Very Quickly". I would have to say that this double entendre is unintentional, unintentionally funny.
Let's all hope they get the only "incentives" they're really ever going to respond to, a glorious mushroom cloud over Towel-headed Tehran.
Meanwhile “Ayatollah: Iran won’t stop nuke program”.
the best incentive would be a ring of steel (US and British Navy ships) and a heavy cover of US and friendly aircraft.
Nothing in, nothing out.
mobilize and arm the Iranian students - they’re ready!
then stand back
Condi, sweetheart, read the tag line.
I always thought the best incentive package offer was “Stop your nuclear work, or we go nuclear on you.”
Of course, diplomats don’t think that way...
Well, all you highly-paid Harvard-educated GS-18s at the State Department ought to be able to understand you're not offering them something to which they'll respond - but they will respond to force, like a bombing campaign ...
At least there is one person in the State Department with some common sense (and sense of humor).
Are we such morons ?
“I think this will move very quickly,” said a senior U.S. official, “almost as quick as the strike force amassing in the gulf ready to strike Iran if they refuse.”
Didn’t we learn ANYTHING from N. Korea and their tactics?
I’m with ya bro. LOVE that title. I only wish it had the steel behind it that is implied.
bttt
when I read the title I was thinking the same thing and started laughing to myself.
And therein lies the problem.
That's too bad. If they did this world would be much more peaceful.
Though it reads like it, I seriously doubt that there's really any problem in "understanding" on the part of the "senior US official." It looks to me like a bit of diplo-speak, designed to elicit exactly the sorts of responses we've seen on this thread.
Pretty much everybody does understand the Iranian position ... but diplomats -- whose job is to negotiate settlements short of war -- can't afford to get too specific too soon. The threats need to come from a different quarter.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.