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U.S. wins a united front on Iran
WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | October 3, 2006

Posted on 10/03/2006 5:36:49 AM PDT by nuconvert

U.S. wins a united front on Iran

Nicholas Kralev

WASHINGTON TIMES

October 3,2006

The United States is confident that Russia and China will join it in pushing for U.N. sanctions against Iran if it does not agree to suspend enriching uranium this week, a senior U.S. official said yesterday.

R. Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs, also said the U.N. Security Council will insist on a clear answer to its demand that Iran suspend its enrichment activity. A "maybe" will be considered a "no," he said.

"For four months now, we've been waiting for an answer," Mr. Burns told editors and reporters at a luncheon at The Washington Times. "We've said, if they don't suspend enrichment, we'll take them to the Security Council and sanction them. We do believe we have Russian and Chinese support for that."

The five permanent council members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- along with Germany on June 1 offered Iran a package of economic and political incentives if it suspends enrichment and asked for an answer by the end of July.

When there was no answer, the council passed a resolution threatening sanctions under Article 41 of Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter and gave Tehran another deadline, Aug. 31. But Iran began negotiating "seriously" with the Europeans only in mid-September, Mr. Burns said, and the Bush administration decided to wait a little longer.

At a dinner in New York on Sept. 18, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her five counterparts agreed that the first week of October would be the absolute deadline for Iran "to say yes or no," Mr. Burns said.

"She agreed with the Russians, Chinese and Europeans," he said of Miss Rice, "if Iran said no, we would all go to sanctions

(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bombirannow; bombiransoilwells; bombiranspipelines; china; eu; iran; nukes; russia; un; us
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1 posted on 10/03/2006 5:36:49 AM PDT by nuconvert
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To: nuconvert

Russia constructing Iran's nuclear arms program with Chinese support. Why would they sabotage their own international terror project?


2 posted on 10/03/2006 5:44:25 AM PDT by gafusa
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To: gafusa
Why would they sabotage their own international terror project?

Russia get a free hand in Georgia...I don't know what we are giving the chinese.

3 posted on 10/03/2006 5:48:19 AM PDT by Dosa26
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To: Dosa26

I think Russia was promised WTO acsension. My guess is something with banking and China.


4 posted on 10/03/2006 6:10:26 AM PDT by steel_resolve (Do you know what a bigot is? Someone winning an argument with a liberal.)
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To: Dosa26

Free hand with Taiwan?


5 posted on 10/03/2006 6:15:17 AM PDT by rahbert
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To: nuconvert

"The United States is confident that Russia and China will join..."

Won't happen.


6 posted on 10/03/2006 6:16:34 AM PDT by ryan71
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To: rahbert; steel_resolve
Free hand with Taiwan?

I doubt we'ld sell ROC out for such a pittiance. steel_resolve is guessing some arcane monetary sceme...sounds good to me...barring future news.

7 posted on 10/03/2006 6:22:08 AM PDT by Dosa26
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To: Dosa26
I don't know what we are giving the chinese.

An increase in Wal-Mart purchases.
8 posted on 10/03/2006 6:31:02 AM PDT by reagan_fanatic ("In America, women can vote but horse cannot. It is other way around in my country" - Borat)
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To: Dosa26

My guess...more pressure by the Chinese on North Korea vis-a-vis nukes. I think this is why North Korea is threatening a test, to get it in before they make a concession to the Chinese in an effort to mask their ultimate backing down to pressure from the Chinese, the US, Japan, and others.


9 posted on 10/03/2006 7:02:36 AM PDT by LachlanMinnesota
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To: nuconvert
The United States is confident that Russia and China will join it in pushing for U.N. sanctions against Iran if it does not agree to suspend enriching uranium this week, a senior U.S. official said yesterday.

Ooooo...sanctions! I'm sure that will get Iran's attention!

...NOT.

10 posted on 10/03/2006 7:03:14 AM PDT by Prime Choice (True Conservatives don't vote for Liberals just because they have an 'R' by their name.)
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To: LachlanMinnesota

NK...When I look at Kim Jong Ill, I see a man that is sick. He will die in the next 10 years probably. He knows the comforts of western living, and I think he wants it for his people. Yes I am an optomist...He knows that all that he has to do is capitulate and his country will be rebuilt without even a war. He needs to save face and I think the bomb test is the face he wants to save. He might have even settled for the missile launch if it hadn't failed. He still favors himself a god even though he knows it isn't so, and will demand a slow transformation of his country till he dies. That is when I see a new beginning for NK. Again, yes I am an optimist...


11 posted on 10/03/2006 7:31:06 AM PDT by Dosa26
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To: nuconvert
"...We do believe we have Russian and Chinese support for that."

And Lucy will definitely hold that football for Charlie Brown to kick too!

12 posted on 10/03/2006 8:06:20 AM PDT by theDentist (Qwerty ergo typo : I type, therefore I misspelll.)
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To: nuconvert

This is all based on the assumption that we can verify they have stopped enriching. Do we really know where every facility is?


13 posted on 10/03/2006 11:01:50 AM PDT by Zhangliqun (The fetal position has yet to scare a bully.)
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To: gafusa
Russia constructing Iran's nuclear arms program with Chinese support.

The "light-water" reactor Russia sold Iran is not a nuclear arms program. Additionally, China does not have one thing to do with this program.
14 posted on 10/03/2006 2:19:59 PM PDT by GarySpFc (Jesus on Immigration, John 10:1)
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To: GarySpFc
Bushehr is considered a key part of Iran's nuclear program, and it could be used to produce plutonium,
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iran/bushehr.htm
Plus that one project is not the entirety of Russian involvement, Russia has provided various nuclear technology and technical advice.
As far as China goes
http://www.heritage.org/Research/AsiaandthePacific/wm1042.cfm
Massive technology transfers, including nuclear technology, among other things.

Both are allies with Iran, and support them militarily,economically, and politically and provide them the technology for their program. Russia is behind it, like it or not. Putin is an ex-KGB thug, and he obviously wants Iran to have nukes. It is a war against us through proxies, like the Cold War.
15 posted on 10/03/2006 3:27:12 PM PDT by gafusa
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To: nuconvert

...until such time as the U.S. actually decides to take action action against Iran.


16 posted on 10/03/2006 4:02:53 PM PDT by dr_who_2
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To: gafusa
Bushehr is considered a key part of Iran's nuclear program, and it could be used to produce plutonium,

The article you posted states, US opposition to Russian construction of Bushehr rests on three issues; first that weapons grade plutonium could be extracted from the reactor allowing the Iranians to construct nuclear weapons.

Nonsense! Your need to do your research.

Light Water Reactors and Nuclear Weapons in North Korea: Let's Be Fair With Our Comparisons

I quote:

Plutonium Production

If the two light water reactors (LWRs) slated to be built in North Korea are operated to optimize power production, they will discharge about 500 kg of reactor-grade plutonium a year in highly radioactive spent fuel. However, this plutonium cannot be used in nuclear weapons until it is separated from this radioactive fuel. Typically, such separation occurs inside heavily shielded chemical processing plants, often called reprocessing plants. North Korea's existing reprocessing plant, which is shut down and under on-site IAEA monitoring under the freeze mandated in the Agreed Framework, would require extensive and difficult modification to separate all this plutonium. Alternatively, North Korea could build another one in secret, though such a step would violate the Agreed Framework, be difficult to accomplish, and the resulting plant would be relatively large. In fact, many advanced industrialized countries, such as Britain and France, experienced intensive challenges in making the jump to facilities that could reprocess irradiated fuel from LWRs, even after accumulating years of experience reprocessing irradiated fuel from gas-graphite reactors like those currently in North Korea.

Separated reactor-grade plutonium can be used to make nuclear explosives, and typically eight kilograms are enough to make a crude nuclear explosive. Using this amount, the LWRs could produce enough plutonium for about 60 weapons per year, relatively close to the estimate cited by Rep. Cox. However, weapon designers prefer weapon-grade plutonium to make nuclear explosives. The two reactors at Yongbyon, and likely the third larger reactor at Taechon, were designed to make weapon-grade plutonium. If all three reactors were producing weapon-grade plutonium, and they would have all been capable of doing so by about 2000, then they could produce about 180-230 kilograms of weapon-grade plutonium per year. Because less weapon-grade plutonium is needed per nuclear weapon, this quantity is enough to make about 35-45 nuclear weapons a year.

Note:

Instead of reactor-grade plutonium, a LWR could produce significant quantities of weapon-grade plutonium. To do so on any large-scale, however, the reactors would need to be run at less than economically optimized levels. This is the type of activity that would be easy to detect. For example, IAEA safeguards, which North Korea must agree to before the reactors are even built, could easily detect such unusual reactor operations.

Note especially, the light water reactors are not the problem, but the heavy water reactor which Iran has been building on their own at Arak. Iran's Heavy Water Reactor at Arak
17 posted on 10/03/2006 4:05:27 PM PDT by GarySpFc (Jesus on Immigration, John 10:1)
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To: gafusa
"Russia constructing Iran's nuclear arms program with Chinese support. Why would they sabotage their own international terror project?"

They wouldn't be. Russia, France and Germany all signed on to the arms embargo to Saddam as well...and continued to sell him sanctioned weapons under the table and probably for a higher price.

18 posted on 10/03/2006 4:07:58 PM PDT by CWOJackson
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To: CWOJackson

Good point, Chief.


19 posted on 10/03/2006 4:11:11 PM PDT by gafusa
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To: GarySpFc
"US opposition to Russian construction of Bushehr rests on three issues; first that weapons grade plutonium could be extracted from the reactor allowing the Iranians to construct nuclear weapons.

"Secondly, the US fears that the Russians and the Iranians are using Bushehr as a cover for the transfer of other sensitive technology that would normally be prohibited."
What about that?

"Finally, the US is concerned that the knowledge gained by Iranian scientists working at Bushehr could further Iran's nuclear weapons program."
Expertise from Bushehr goes to Arak.

I think I believe the US govenrmtn over your article, which is not even about Bushehr. Your article is based on the DPRK and not on Bushehr, mine is on Iran. Mine obviously takes precedence, as it refers to the specific reactor in question. Arak is based heavily on Russian and Chinese tech, they are using the tech provided by those countries. Obviously, since they have Russian and Chinese tech, they will use it. Bushehr is considered dangerous, that US is worried about it is a fact, the whole point of the article. Bushehr is dangerous, or else why would a security organization write articles on it, and the US be worried by it? Look at those three points. Plus Bushehr, is only one part of Russia's massive support to Iran. Russia is Iran ally, openly, you cannot deny that. Russia is the key to Iran nukes.
20 posted on 10/03/2006 4:36:44 PM PDT by gafusa
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