Bolton: World Must Confront Iran

AP on Yahoo ^ | 3/5/06 | Foster Klug - ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Sunday told an influential pro- Israel lobbying group there is an urgent need to confront Iran's "clear and unrelenting drive" for a nuclear weapons program.

John Bolton, speaking before a crowd of 4,500 gathered for an American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, said that a failure by the U.N. Security Council to address Iran would "do lasting damage to the credibility of the council."

"The longer we wait to confront the threat Iran poses, the harder and more intractable it will become to solve," Bolton said.

At issue is Iran's ability to enrich uranium to the point it could be used for a nuclear weapon. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and only meant to generate power. Many in the West, however, fear Iran is aiming to develop atomic weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency will meet in Vienna, Austria, on Monday to discuss Iran's nuclear program and its compliance with an IAEA demand that it renounce uranium enrichment. The U.N. agency's board of governors may at that time send the file to the Security Council for further action.

Iranian officials were in Moscow last week, negotiating an offer by Russia to enrich uranium for Iran to be used for energy. The spent fuel would be returned to Russia, easing fears that Iran could use it for weapons.

Bolton said the Russian proposal lets Iran "reap the benefits of civil nuclear power while addressing concerns that they are really pursuing nuclear weapons."

But he said Iran has been engaging in "doublespeak" during these negotiations by saying with one voice it welcomes discussion, but with the other "flatly refusing" to give up access to technology and material to eventually develop nuclear weapons.

Iran "must be made aware that if it continues down the path of international isolation, there will be tangible and painful consequences," Bolton said.

[NormsRevenge]

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, speaks during the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) annual Policy Conference in Washington, Sunday, March 5, 2006. Bolton told the AIPAC conference that a failure by the U.N. Security Council to deal with Iran's drive for nuclear weapons would 'do lasting damage to the credibility of the council.' 'The longer we wait to confront the threat Iran poses,' Bolton said, 'the harder and more intractable it will become to solve.' (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

[pcottraux]

Go get 'em, tiger.

[MilesVeritatis]

CAPTION: "Hey, Kofi! My moustache alone could kick your pathetic, corrupt behind!

[zarf]

"do lasting damage to the credibility of the council."

ROTFLMAO!

[lizma]

"The longer we wait to confront the threat Iran poses, the harder and more intractable it will become to solve,"

If you look at history this seems to be the hardest concept for man to comprehend. Sometimes I'm surprised we made it this far.

[zarf]

Iranian nukes would probably be less of a threat to Israel's existance than the Israeli left and the Israeli Supreme Court.

[MaineVoter2002]

Iran with nukes... hmmm... now that's scary. USA has become so PC it's shameful. I supported Bush all the way through the 2004 election. It's time he does what he ran on. This PC crap has to go. We need to secure Iraq so we can move on to Iran. PC is slowing this down.

http://jednet207.tripod.com/PoliticalLinks.html

[advance_copy]

World Must Confront Iran"

"World must confront Iran", my bodingus. Screw the UN! President Bush is being a wimp when it comes to Iran. He should tell them to stop the daggone enrichment today, or the bombing starts tomorrow. It is time to stop pussyfooting around with these Islamist maniacs. They invaded our embassy in 1979 and we let them get away with it. And now, President Bush is acting like Jimmy effin Carter. He should bomb them if they don't stop this idiocy, and bomb them without dancing this stupid UN dance. It is time to stop messing around.

[Echo Talon]

I agree with the message 100%, but not sure if he should have used this forum as a platform for it. On the other hand, maybe it really doesn't matter given the rhetoric coming out of Iran toward Israel.

[Joe Boucher]

You are right unfortunately.

Look what capitulation did for the jews during and before WWII. For the most educated folks in the world these jews are either real stupid or just real sissy men.

[diverteach]

it doesn't matter who or how tough our UN ambassador is, the UN will issue a strongly worder statement followed by another strongly worded statement followed by resolution after resolution.

China and Russia will veto useless sanctions all the while Iran achieves it's goals.

The entire UN needs to be made up of Bolton's, unfortunately there a bunch of PC spineless pansies.

Iran is laughing at the world right now. They have already basically called us duped chumps.

UN, what a f'ing joke.

[Kakaze]

" John Bolton, speaking before a crowd of 4,500 gathered for an American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference, said that a failure by the U.N. Security Council to address Iran would "do lasting damage to the credibility of the council." "

How can an organization with a history of appeasement loose what it never had?

I would hope this is just Bolton setting them up to be dissovled.

[humint]

Iran "must be made aware that if it continues down the path of international isolation, there will be tangible and painful consequences," Bolton said.

yes.... PAINFUL CONSEQUENCES!

[wolfcreek]

I love how MSM has shifted away from the dangers of Iran, saying that they don't have the current technology available to build a bomb. IMO, that's BS! Not only do they have the tech. but, they have increased their missile production.

[SJackson]

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[Sam Gamgee]

That’s why I shake my head at liberal Israelis who are more than happy to disenfranchise their West bank brothers for peace. Remember the Warsaw Ghetto. You don’t broker peace with genocidal maniacs.

[Joe Boucher]

Very familiar with what happened in Warsaw during the war.
Heros each and every one who withstood it.

Actually so were the Russians who also FINALLY stood up to the Nazis after their buddies stabbed them in the back.