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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
EU wimps out on Iran under Russia, China pressure
2005-09-23
VIENNA - The European Union’s three main powers dropped a demand on Thursday that the UN nuclear watchdog immediately report Iran to the Security Council over its atomic plans, following opposition from Russia and China.

Moscow and Beijing have warned the United States, France, Britain and Germany against stepping up the nuclear standoff with Iran, undermining the Western drive to haul Teheran before the UN’s highest body for possible sanctions. The new draft, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, carefully omitted any explicit plea threat that the mad mullahs Iran would be referred to the impotent Security Council but cautiously implied that the impotent IAEA board could or could not choose to issue a stern note refer the matter to the Council in the future but we repeat ourselves.

“The history of concealment of Iran’s nuclear activities ... and the resulting absence of confidence that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes have given rise to questions that are within the competence of the Security Council...,” the draft said.

It also declared that Iran had been in “non-compliance” with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which normally requires the IAEA board to notify the Council.
But not this time.
EU diplomats said they hoped to get unanimous support for what they called a very tough and fair draft resolution. But it was unclear oh it's clear allright if the Russians and Chinese were prepared to support it. If Moscow and Beijing opposed it, EU diplomats said the IAEA board would put the original tougher resolution, which had at least a simple majority of support, to a vote despite Russian and Chinese opposition.

Iranian negotiator Javad Vaeedi said opposition from Russia and China helped stop the EU from taking Teheran to the Security Council. “Our firm stance, China and Russia’s backing and also a lack of legal basis caused the EU’s withdrawal,” the official IRNA news agency quoted Vaeedi as saying.

US Ambassador to the IAEA Gregory Schulte said that “a solid and growing majority of the IAEA board now also agrees on the need to report Iran to the UN Security Council. “We support the European Union’s effort to continue to develop the broadest possible consensus to find Iran in non-compliance and to prepare a report to the UN Security Council,” Schulte said.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said there was still room for dialogue to resolve the issue. He called for a resumption of EU-Iran talks that collapsed after two years when Teheran resumed uranium processing work at a plant in Isfahan last month.

Top EU foreign ministers insisted Iran was not off the hook.
And then their lips fell off.
In a letter published in the Wall Street Journal, the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Britain and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Teheran had shown no sign of flexibility despite repeated offers of cooperation by the EU.
And why should they?
“The spotlight is now on the IAEA Board of Governors to wuss out respond,” the article said.
Posted by:Steve White

#7  Meanwhile Ahmedinejad calls up Manmohan Singh.

Indian PM holds talks with Iranian President

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had a telephonic conversation with Iranian President Ahmedinejad on Friday night during which he asked him to adopt a "flexible position" and make concessions on the nuclear issue to avoid confrontation.

Ahmedinejad called up Singh and raised the issue of Iran's nuclear programme at the International Atomic Energy Agency, an External Affairs Ministry statement said.

"The Prime Minister advised him that Iran should consider taking a flexible position so as to avoid a confrontation," the statement said.

The Prime Minister repeated the necessity for Iran to make concessions to this end, it said.

"India supports resolution of all the issues through discussion and consensus in the IAEA," it said.

Prime Minister and Ahmedinejad also reviewed bilateral relations.
Posted by: john   2005-09-23 19:05  

#6  The Chicoms need Iranian oil, so they will always oppose any negative action against Iran. If Iran gets nukes, it's no problem to the Chicoms, as it is the West's problem (for now). A weakened West is a happy West. The US (and Israel to a degree) is the only thing holding back the MMs. Russia is backing Iran because constructing Iranian reactors brings in cash. (bunch of ho's).

Ball is in the US' court.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2005-09-23 10:45  

#5  "EU wimps out"
In other surprising news:
Dog bites man
Sun rises in east
"We're smarter than you," experts say
Posted by: Mike   2005-09-23 10:16  

#4  as Germany moves toward a govt likely to be less friendly to Putin.

How is anarchy less friendly to Putin? That'll give the Russians more freedom to reconstruct the near-abroad.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2005-09-23 10:12  

#3  one of tow outocmes - russia backs down,both at IAEA and at UNSC, and sanctoms are passed.

Or Russia stops it, and alienates the EU, just as Germany moves toward a govt likely to be less friendly to Putin.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2005-09-23 10:09  

#2  Iran's history of deception regarding its nuclear program is, to understate the situation, problematic. For years Iran hid critical aspects of its uranium enrichment processes. But Teheran now claims to have come into compliance with Article III of the NPT. Iran says it will accept all safeguards, including on-site inspections. However, The IAEA draft memo declared that Iran had been in “non-compliance” with the NPT. This requires the IAEA board to notify the Security Council. The EU-3 now has dropped their demand to fulfill that requirement. Is this turnabout designed to give more time for diplomacy with Moscow and Beijing? Or is there a legitimate question as to if Iran is formal breach of their obligations to the NPT?
Posted by: DepotGuy   2005-09-23 10:06  

#1  No surprise here - the issue is how Russia-China will use their veto.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2005-09-23 02:16  

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