Posted on 09/23/2006 11:46:49 PM PDT by familyop
BERLIN, Sept 23 (Reuters) - France, Britain and Germany would be willing to begin talks with Iran even if it has not suspended its nuclear enrichment programme first, but Washington would not take part, a German magazine reported on Saturday.
So far Iran has refused to suspend its uranium enrichment programme, which could refine uranium for atom bombs, saying its nuclear fuel ambitions are limited to fuelling power stations. Western countries suspect Tehran wants to produce weapons.
Citing unnamed German diplomatic sources, weekly Der Spiegel said the goal of this new strategy would be to lure Tehran to the negotiating table to discuss a package of incentives offered by six world powers in June in exchange for a suspension of Iran's uranium enrichment programme.
The six powers that made the offer to Iran -- the United States, France, Russia, China, Britain and Germany -- said the package was negotiable but conditioned any negotiations on a suspension of enrichment, a process of purifying uranium for use as fuel in nuclear power plants or atomic weapons. In a preview of an article to appear on Sunday, the magazine said a decision by the "EU3" to begin preliminary talks with Iran would require a positive outcome of discussions between European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani.
The United States would not join in any talks with Iran until a full enrichment suspension was in place, the paper said.
After several delays, Solana and Larijani are expected to meet somewhere in Europe next week, diplomats have said. Der Spiegel said the meeting would probably take place in Brussels.
The six powers have agreed to give Solana until early October to reach a deal with Tehran for starting negotiations.
The new plan was discussed at a meeting of senior officials of the six countries and the EU in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Der Spiegel said.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice voiced no direct approval to this strategy but signalled she could tolerate it, the magazine reported.
If this plan does not result in a breakthrough in the West's years-long nuclear standoff with Iran, the six countries will have no choice but to begin debating serious sanctions of the kind Washington wants imposed on the Islamic republic, it said.
Fine with me--we can all pretend the US is the one carrying the big stick and waiting outside in the school yard.
Three totally ineffective non-players in this world.
France is going to talk about what? Capitulation.
What a joke. They won't sanction Iran ever. The Europeans are cowards...China and Russia are the enemy... that's why they have not already started sanctions, which is what they should be doing right about now. Our so called allies somehow see to it that everything we try to do gets FUBAR then goes nowhere. What gets me is that the Europeans don't keep their word and see nothing wrong with not keeping their word.
Words nearly fail me.
The goal is to lure them to the negotiating table, huh? Not, say, to stop them from actually getting nukes. Gosh, what a clever strategy! They will never be ready for it! It is sure to outflank them. Why, the EU negotiaters are genuises!
But they will be lured to discuss. Not to accept, mind, can't have a goal like that, since it might not happen. Just to discuss. Discuss their disarmament? Discuss say whether the holocaust happened, end times kookiness, the nature of heresy and the precise Islamic crime of "innovation"? Nooo. Just discuss "incentives".
You'd think the incentives would be for something the strategy aims at, but no, it is the other way around. The strategy aims at getting them to discuss the incentives.
The best part though, the absolute side splitting howler, is that little unassuming "offered... in June". So, their strategy - no, sorry, the *goal* of their strategy, is to *lure* the Iranians into *discussing* large giveaways that were already spurned with contempt 3 months ago!
Can you say "humiliated"? How about unclear on the concept of strategy? How about desperate and hopeless and begging to be lied to again in return for tribute? Please Mr. Ahmad, please stop humiliating us. We promise to be good and help you against the Americans. We'll give you all kinds of trade aid and investment, promise! You don't even have to follow through on any of it - I mean, you didn't the last 3 times and here we still area making larger and larger offers, right? (nervous laugh)
And Ahmadinejad will look intrigued, his face will flood with compassion, he will smile and beam and looking kindly upon them all, until they get rather excited at the impending "breakthrough". And then his eyes will narrow to points and he will lean forward ever so slightly, and quietly say - "No." Then recline, positively glowing with satisfaction and self righteousness.
""Three totally ineffective non-players in this world.""
Excuse me? Britain is an 'ineffective non-player' in this world?
Care to tell that to the families of brave British soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan these last 3 year you ungrateful idiot?
The above post was aimed at Darkwolf377, and not ChiMark.
Apologies ChiMark. My anger rushed my posting.
France will try to force Iran to accept Surrender Training from its millions of experts.
I would also say that I am very happy indeed to have those Brits in Iraq. And the Poles, as well.
Welcome to FR.
Almondjoy ran his bluff and France fell for it, Germany and Britain joined them and lost their nerve also.
How about"Tactical Nuclear Attacks On Iran Begin Without Gernmany And France. U. S Goes It Alone."?
Whatever happened to the Bush doctrine of preemptive war? Iran has provided weapons that have killed, and are killing, Americans in Iraq. They've sent troops and intelligence agents to Iraq. When the hell are we going to smoke the b*stards? After the pop a nuke in the Gulf of Hormuz or Israel?
Time for some BAD COP to ballance all the good cop stuff.
Ever wonder why France and Russia went along with UN resolution 1441 penalizing Iraq, even opening the door to invasion with that vote?
They only had two choices, go along with the chance of keeping some of their lucrative deals with Saddam, or stand firm, and lose them all when the US invaded unilaterally.
Ditto Iran.
It's not time to play hardball yet.
First the election, then Iran.
Numerical simulations show Iran can cause problems if they utilize their assets to greatest effect, though the outcome is not in doubt, militarily at least.
Look for an interesting winter and spring.
""Perhaps you might relax a bit.""
Pretty hard to do that when you get insulting comments aimed at your country.
""It is debatable if Britain is a real "World Power," I would say that she is not that.""
But that wasn't the issue. The other poster called Britain a ""totally ineffective non-player"".
I would ask him what on earth he thinks Britain has been doing during this war of terror these last few years as well as their role in Iraq and Afganistan. Non player? The British?????? If it wasn't for the British the Americans would be all alone in this. If Britain is a 'non player' then how come Britian is now a major Islamic terrorist target due to their side by side stance with the U.S.A?
He call say what he likes about France and Germany but it is an absolute insult to accuse Britain (the U.S.A's only real ally in this world) of being an "ineffective non player".
""I would also say that I am very happy indeed to have those Brits in Iraq. And the Poles, as well.
Welcome to FR.""
Thank you.
He call say what he likes about France and Germany but it is an absolute insult to accuse Britain (the U.S.A's only real ally in this world) of being an "ineffective non player".
The brits are not really playing anything. The US planned, the UK obeyed like the rest.
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.