Officials: U.S. Rebuffs Europe on Iran Nuke Talks

[True_Blue]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has rebuffed pleas to join a European diplomatic drive to persuade Iran to give up any ambitions to add nuclear bombs to its arsenal, U.S. officials and foreign diplomats say.

For months, Britain, France and Germany have hoped to improve their bargaining power with the Islamic republic by involving Washington in a proposed accord over an end to its uranium enrichment activities.

That effort has intensified since President Bush's re-election in November, culminating last week with ministerial visits to Condoleezza Rice days before she took up her new post as secretary of state, they said.

So far, the Americans show no sign of giving ground.

more....
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=455754

[reticulatus]

1. Just as well

Bush would only screw up the diplomatic process if he got involved.

[teryang]

2. They are not interested in diplomacy only crisis

If there was some sort of diplomatic success what excuse would they use to justify their military violations of Iran's sovereignty?

[daleo]

3. Exactly, one more proof of their plan to make war on Iran.

Halliburton's temporary withdrawal from Iran is the clincher for me, though.

[Roland99]

4. "The time for diplomacy is now." - Condoleezza Rice

BWA HA!!!!


February 24, 2004

MEMORANDUM TO: OPINION LEADERS

FROM: GARY SCHMITT

SUBJECT: Regime Change for Iran

http://www.newamericancentury.org/iran-20040224.htm

We would like to draw your attention to the following op-ed by Michael McFaul and Abbas Milani in yesterday's Wall Street Journal ("Solidarity with Iran"). In the face of Iranian clerics' assault on the democratic process leading up to Iran's recent parliamentary elections, the authors argue that it is time for the Bush administration to demonstrate that its commitment to democracy in the Middle East extends to U. S. policy toward Iran.

Iran's leaders have begun to make gestures of cooperation with the United States - which is not at all surprising given the presence of American forces in the surrounding countries of Iraq and Afghanistan and the rapidly declining legitimacy of the regime with the Iranian people. Given the Bush administration's goals for stemming the WMD proliferation and reigning in terrorist groups, it may be tempting to pursue closer ties with the powerful clerics. However, as McFaul and Milani note, there is little reason to believe that a commitment made by the Iranian government on these issues would be anything but an expedient retreat or, indeed, that it would be honored at all. In the meantime, by engaging the regime, the administration would "send a demoralizing signal to Iran's democratic forces," who over the long-term could actually provide the U.S. with "more lasting gains."


AIPAC and the PNAC neocons are running the show.