Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Iranian Alert - January 29, 2005 - United States and Europe Differ Over Strategy on Iran
Regime Change Iran ^ | 1.29.2005 | DoctorZin

Posted on 01/28/2005 9:15:31 PM PST by DoctorZIn

Top News Story

United States and Europe Differ Over Strategy on Iran

By ELAINE SCIOLINO


Published: January 29, 2005

PARIS, Jan. 28 - President Bush's second term has barely begun, and Iran is already shaping up as its most serious diplomatic challenge. But conflicting pronouncements by Mr. Bush and his national security team have left Iran frustrated and angry about the direction of American policy, and the Europeans more determined than ever to push Washington to embrace their engagement strategy.

To the outside world, the administration seems divided over whether to promote the overthrow of Iran's Islamic Republic - perhaps by force - or to tacitly support the approach embraced by the Europeans, which favors negotiations and a series of incentives that would ultimately require American participation.

"You need to get everybody to read from the same page, the Europeans and the Americans," said Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in an interview in Davos on Friday.

"This is not a process that is going to be solved by the Europeans alone," he added. "The United States needs to be engaged. If you continue to say they are going to fail before you give them a chance, it will be a self-fulfilling policy."

France's foreign minister, Michel Barnier, echoed those remarks in an interview in Paris on Friday. "I cannot explain American policy to you," he said. "That would be French arrogance and I am not someone who is arrogant. But I think that the Americans must get used to the fact that Europe is going to act. And in this case, without the United States we run the risk of failure." ...

Instead of embracing the initiative, Mr. Bush began his second term with a sweeping pledge to defend the United States and protect its friends "by force of arms if necessary" and a refusal to rule out military action against Iran.

In her Senate confirmation hearings as secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice did not say no when asked whether the goal of the United States was to replace the Islamic Republic in Iran.

Vice President Dick Cheney, too, has put Iran at the "top of the list" of the world's trouble spots and suggested that Israel might attack Iran militarily because of its nuclear program. ...

At one point in her confirmation hearings, Ms. Rice suggested that the United States implicitly supported the European negotiating approach, saying the Bush administration is "trying to see" if it will produce concrete results, though she and other officials in Washington have bluntly told the Europeans they are skeptical.

Ms. Rice also repeated a threat to ask the Security Council for censure or possible sanctions against Iran, and specified that even a complete halt to Iran's nuclear and missile programs would not translate into American support for a policy of engagement and incentives.

There were "other problems" that precluded such an approach: "terrorism, our past, their human rights record," she said. ...

The Europeans have made the determination that any negotiation that slows and perhaps eventually halts Iran's nuclear program is better than the alternatives proposed by the United States.

"Is this approach free of risks? No," said Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief, in a telephone interview. "Does it have a guarantee of success? No. But at this point in time it is the only game in town, no doubt about that. The other options are worse." ...

All of Iran's European negotiating partners have argued that one of the best ways to promote democracy would be to force more transparency into Iran's economy. That could help break the stranglehold of the vast system of government-protected "foundations," most of them the private fiefs of powerful clerics, European officials said.

"You cannot just ask Iran to renounce its nuclear program," said Mr. Barnier. "You have to allow it to be a positive actor, to enter in this constructive logic of stability. It's a 'win-win' deal that we have proposed."

A Daily Briefing of Major News Stories on Iran:



TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: alqaedaandiran; armyofmahdi; axisofevil; axisofweasels; ayatollah; azadi; binladen; cannistraro; china; cleric; elbaradei; eu; freedom; freedomdeficit; germany; humanrights; iaea; insurgency; iran; iranianalert; iraq; irgc; iri; islam; islamicrepublic; japan; journalist; kazemi; khamenei; khatami; khatemi; lsadr; metz; moqtadaalsadr; mullahs; muslims; persecution; persia; persian; politicalprisoners; protests; rafsanjani; religionofpeace; revolutionaryguard; rumsfeld; russia; satellitetelephones; shiite; southasia; southwestasia; studentmovement; studentprotest; terrorism; terrorists; us; vevak; vincecannistraro; wot; zawahir

"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin

1 posted on 01/28/2005 9:15:39 PM PST by DoctorZIn
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Pan_Yans Wife; fat city; freedom44; Tamsey; Grampa Dave; PhiKapMom; McGavin999; Hinoki Cypress; ...
Join Us At Today's Iranian Alert Thread – The Most Underreported Story Of The Year!

"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin”

2 posted on 01/28/2005 9:17:18 PM PST by DoctorZIn (Until they are Free, "We shall all be Iranians!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DoctorZIn

If the EU will get out of the way and let Bush handle this all will work out.


3 posted on 01/29/2005 5:37:45 AM PST by Mind-numbed Robot (Not all things that need to be done need to be done by the government.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DoctorZIn

( From : Sen. Biden, Iran Minister Clash Over Nukes – The Associated Press)

"Biden said he favored a commitment from the U.S. administration "that we are not interested in regime change" in Iran in exchange for concessions by Tehran that would banish suspicions about its nuclear programon its nuclear program.?

Why doesn't he realize that if the regime was replaced by a friendly gov't, we wouldn't have to worry about nukes?
Might it have something to do with the company he keeps?


4 posted on 01/29/2005 5:39:22 AM PST by nuconvert (No More Axis of Evil by Christmas ! TLR)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: nuconvert

May be he has special benefits in existence of the current regime and he doesn't want to lose his opportunities and benefits...???!!!


5 posted on 01/29/2005 7:06:03 AM PST by Khashayar (We are the champions, No time to lose us!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: freedom44; nuconvert; parisa; RaceBannon

Carter and the Shah in the eve of the Jan 1st, 1978 in Tehran, Iran.

What do you think Carter was thinking about in this photo? I bet he was thinking of how to weaken the Shah

6 posted on 01/29/2005 9:25:53 AM PST by Khashayar (We are the champions, No time to lose us!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Khashayar

Yes. I think he was thinking about how he'd like to get rid of the Shah.


7 posted on 01/29/2005 9:47:17 AM PST by nuconvert (No More Axis of Evil by Christmas ! TLR)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Mind-numbed Robot
If the EU will get out of the way and let Bush handle this all will work out.

I agree. Besides going it alone will mean we do not need to share bullets and bombs with "the allies." Iam sure we will fimd more evidence of eurpean and chinese collaboration with the mullahs in iran.

8 posted on 01/29/2005 9:48:02 AM PST by Paul_Denton (Shoot first and ask questions later)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: nuconvert; freedom44; AdmSmith; MLedeen

Do you believe reports about U.S. war plans against Iran?

-- Yes, no doubt about it 23.13 % (139)
-- Not sure 24.79 % (149)
-- Washington is bluffing 52.08 % (312)

Total Votes: 60

http://www.iranian.com/Poll/index.php


9 posted on 01/29/2005 1:01:37 PM PST by F14 Pilot (Democracy is a process not a product)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: nuconvert; freedom44; parisa; Reza2004; sionnsar

The first wife of the Shah of Iran died today in Switzerland.
Fowziyeh was an Egyptian princess who married the Shah in late 1930s and divorced the Shah in mid 40s.


10 posted on 01/29/2005 1:03:39 PM PST by F14 Pilot (Democracy is a process not a product)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: DoctorZIn

Was Biden lobbied by mullahs, because regime change is what Iranians want. Why are these bozo’s not getting it.


11 posted on 01/29/2005 4:42:40 PM PST by Reza2004
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Reza2004

Was Biden lobbied by mullahs, because regime change is what Iranians want. Why are these bozo’s not getting it. ...

Dr. Jerome Corsi's new book, Atomic Iran, may provide some insight into this.

Check out a preview of it on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1581824580/qid=1106080238/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/002-5085434-0640031?v=glance&s=books


12 posted on 01/29/2005 5:39:10 PM PST by DoctorZIn (Until they are Free, "We shall all be Iranians!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Reza2004

Meal whets appetite for Iran clash

CNN
Jan 29th, 04

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) -- A World Economic Forum dinner designed to promote dialogue between Iran and the United States began with a comic strip series of diplomatic and gastronomic blunders, and ended with a sharp exchange over nuclear weapons.

With Iran's vice-president and foreign minister in the room, the organizers of the dinner on Friday night began by announcing they had disinvited Swiss cartoonist Patrick Chappatte, one of the listed panelists, because the issues were too serious.

The star guest, U.S. Senator Joe Biden, ranking Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, was missing. The organizers kept saying he was on his way.

Moderator David Ignatius, a Washington Post columnist, apologised for the fact that wine had been served, upsetting the Muslim guests. Waiters cleared the offending glasses.

They also removed the menus since the hotel had planned to serve non-hallal meat, breaching Islamic dietary rules. Even the soup spoons were withdrawn -- erroneously, it transpired.

One participant asked whether different cultures could not tolerate each other's dietary customs. Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi responded that tolerance was fine but it did not mean people should not respect each other's religious values.

If wine was served, his delegation could not participate in the meal, he said.

Self-sufficiency
The questioning quickly focused on Iran's disputed nuclear program and the risk of a U.S. or Israeli military strike on its atomic facilities.

Kharrazi swore anew the program was purely for peaceful, civilian purposes, contrary to U.S. and Israeli charges that it is a front for a secret drive to build nuclear weapons.

The minister insisted Iran had every legal right to develop its scientific potential, including by mastering the enrichment of uranium, a process that can help make a bomb.

"We want to be independent. That's why we developed our nuclear technology. It has become a matter of national pride," he said.

Asked whether it might be in Iran's national interest to foreswear nuclear enrichment rather that risk isolation, tougher economic sanctions and military action, he said maintaining scientific self-sufficiency was one of Tehran's highest goals.

"Iran cannot be ignored. Its rights cannot be denied. Such a country with so much potential has to be given room to play its role," Kharrazi said.

Perhaps feeling the atmosphere was becoming too heated, hotel staff opened the windows, sending a blast of icy alpine air (outdoor temperature -15 C) through the room.

Biden finally arrived an hour and 20 minutes late, having gone to the wrong hotel. His wife's figure-hugging leather pants and a top that left her arms bare from the shoulders were in stark contrast to Vice-President Masoumeh Ebtekar's all-enveloping chador, although both wore black.

Biden, who had a long private meeting with Kharrazi at Davos last year, said Washington should join three major European nations in trying to negotiate a deal under which Iran would end nuclear enrichment in return for security and economic benefits.

He cast doubt on Kharrazi's assurances, saying he could understand why there could be consensus in Iran on the need for nuclear arms because it lived in a dangerous neighborhood.

Both Iran and the U.S. administration must "grow up" and talk to each other to get off "the course of unintended consequences," Biden said.

The Bush administration should be willing to give assurances that Washington did not seek "regime change" in Iran if Tehran agreed to remove suspicions about its nuclear program.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/01/29/davos.iran.reut/index.html


13 posted on 01/29/2005 5:57:55 PM PST by Khashayar (We are the champions, No time to lose us!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Khashayar

Thank you Doctor. Atomic Iran is a must read for me. Merci Khashayar.


14 posted on 01/29/2005 7:16:18 PM PST by Reza2004
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: DoctorZIn

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1331680/posts
CHINA PRODUCES MISSILES FOR IRAN


15 posted on 01/29/2005 9:08:14 PM PST by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DoctorZIn
This thread is now closed.

Join Us At Today's Iranian Alert Thread – The Most Underreported Story Of The Year!

"If you want on or off this Iran ping list, Freepmail DoctorZin”

16 posted on 01/30/2005 2:46:53 AM PST by DoctorZIn (Until they are Free, "We shall all be Iranians!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson