Elbaradei: U.S. Should Set Nuclear Disarm Example

Reuters ^ | 8/26/03 | Louis Charbonneau

[TastyManatees]

Elbaradei: U.S. Should Set Nuclear Disarm Example
Tue August 26, 2003 11:52 AM ET

BERLIN (Reuters) - The head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog called on the United States Tuesday to set an example to the rest of the world by cutting its nuclear arsenal and halting research programs. "The U.S. government demands that other nations not possess nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, it is arming itself," Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told Germany's Stern weekly.

Criticizing President Bush's plan for a national missile defense shield, he said: "Then a small number of privileged countries will be under a nuclear protective shield, with the rest of the world outside."

"In truth there are no good or bad nuclear weapons. If we do not stop applying double standards we will end up with more nuclear weapons. We are at a turning point," ElBaradei told Stern in the interview released ahead of publication.

The IAEA director, who has overseen inspections of nuclear sites in Iraq, North Korea and Iran over the past year for half a decade said the world's five original nuclear powers -- the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China -- should send a clear message to the world that they were disarming.

"Otherwise, we must live with the consequences. At the moment we are, at best acting, like the fire brigade. Today Iraq, tomorrow North Korea, the day after Iran. And then?" ElBaradei said.

Under the terms of the 1968 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the global pact aimed at stopping the spread of atomic weapons, the five original nuclear powers were permitted to keep their nuclear arsenals but agreed to negotiate terms for full global disarmament in good faith.

Nuclear nonproliferation experts have complained that Washington is undermining the goal of global disarmament with statements about its interest in exploring smaller scale atomic weapons, like nuclear "bunker-busters."

(Additional reporting by Louis Charbonneau in Vienna)

[TastyManatees]

Wow.

Tasty Manatees

[NeoCaveman]

Is ElBaredi Arabic for Dumba$$??

[ASA Vet]

No, he's correct. We should reduce the numbers of our Nukes.
It's not to late to send them to the places where they should have gone 9/12/01.

[Sir Gawain]

LOL. Good guys put down your guns first.

[Monty22]

I dunno why they mind bunker busters, when we could just use 1.2 megaton B83's to get the job done too.

[NeoCaveman]

Good point.

[kinghorse]

He's right. You have to be kind of a egocentric dipwad not to see that. We don't need em. Nobody needs em. It's hard to be a convincing preacher holding a nuclear howitzer behind your back.

[Monty22]

You're kidding I hope.

[kinghorse]

and since it's the fastest way to parity with the USA you would think we'd pursue that avenue. That's a slap upside the head that I had never received. Wow.

[kinghorse]

no. We don't need them. We have a far superior standing military. I figure we are the next to be on the receiving end of a nuke. Us or Israel. And it'll result in a billion of deaths in Islamakazi land. I figure the end time will have Israel unleashing some nukes in response to their destruction along with their secret arsenal of genetically specific mutagens. Israel is probably more hip on developing those as the response than nukes. Too much desert and too many targets for nukes to obliterate their enemy. Only a pandemic can get the job done.

[Monty22]

Well you're wrong. China and north korea and whatever islamic nation next will load up on them, regardless of what we do. And if we disarm, just wait until they get lobbed our way.

This is the same idiocy I heard in the 80's. Was stupid then, is stupid now.

[truth_seeker]

"Otherwise, we must live with the consequences. At the moment we are, at best acting, like the fire brigade. Today Iraq, tomorrow North Korea, the day after Iran. And then?" ElBaradei said."

After that, perhaps Syria, Egypt, Saidi Arabia, Sudan, Libya, Pakistan, Indonesia, Yemen etc.

Any warning from a muslim for me to disarm, is BS. They outnumber us by 3 or 4 to one.

[gaspar]

Neither ElBaraei, his wife, his daughter or his son live in Egypt, his birthplace. Now why is that? Could it be that Egypt under the military is a very scarey place to live? Would ElBaradei suggest that Egypt have nuclear weapons, just to even things out a bit? I'll bet not. As an educated Egyptian, albeit a bureaucrat (something the Egyptians have been working at for 5,000 years), he must be perfectly aware that the Muslim mind-set has not moved much beyond the 12th Century.

Now ElBaradei can babble away, as Egyptians will, but it scares me to think that Islam might be now rushing pell-mell into the 14th Century.

[colorado tanker]

So that chowderhead hasn't heard about the recent agreement between the U.S. and Russia for still futher reductions in nuclear arms? Or about the closure of the Rocky Flats nuclear arms plant?

[dead]

We don't need them. We have a far superior standing military. I figure we are the next to be on the receiving end of a nuke.

So you’re advocating that we bring our “far superior” knife to the upcoming gun fight?

I will not vote for you, should you choose to run.

[Weimdog]

Hey ElBaradei, ever read this -

Article II

Each non-nuclear-weapon State Party to the Treaty undertakes not to receive the transfer from any transferor whatsoever of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices or of control over such weapons or explosive devices directly, or indirectly; not to manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices; and not to seek or receive any assistance in the manufacture of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.

http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/npt/text/npt2.htm

It's called the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, you're in charge of enforcing it.

For those interested, there is some great background here -

http://www.usun-vienna.rpo.at/npt1.htm

[Eric in the Ozarks]

A couple of Saudi towns come to mind...

[Blood of Tyrants]

Criticizing President Bush's plan for a national missile defense shield, he said: "Then a small number of privileged countries will be under a nuclear protective shield, with the rest of the world outside."

Typical response of the leftists, America haters. Since they are completely unable to make the world safe, they propose to make therest of the world equally unsafe.

We can either live in a world of unequal freedom and happiness, vast difference in wealth, and varying degrees of safety or we can live in a world where except for a few elites, everyone is equally enslaved, miserable, poor, and unsafe.

[Salgak]

That's right. . .in the words of an old squadron T-shirt. . .

An empty bomb bay. . .a mushroom-shaped cloud. . .and NOW, it's Miller Time !!!!

(until Miller Brewing objected, and threatened to sue. . .after which, production moved to South Korea and the Phillipines. . . .)

[kinghorse]

If your gun fight is a nuke fight then what exactly is the point? The destruction of the world? I doubt we will respond with Nukes if and when the challenge is made in the form of a nuke detonated here. Therefore, what is the deterrent when the opponent is illogical.