UN Nuclear Watchdog Calls Trident Hypocritical (UK)

The Telegraph (uk) ^ | 2-20-2007 | David Blair

[blam]

UN nuclear watchdog calls Trident hypocritical

By David Blair, Diplomatic Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:34am GMT 20/02/2007

Britain cannot expect other countries to refrain from acquiring nuclear weapons if it upgrades the Trident deterrent, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said yesterday.

Mohammed ElBaradei, who has led the United Nations' nuclear watchdog for 10 years, cast doubt on his own moral authority in seeking to curb the ambitions of countries like Iran, suspected of seeking nuclear weapons.

"They are told nuclear weapons are counter-productive because they do not protect your security," said Mr ElBaradei in a lecture at the London School of Economics.

"But when they look to the big boys, what do they see? They see increasing reliance on nuclear weapons for security, they see nuclear weapons being continually modernised."

He also condemned the "unfairness" of a world in which nine countries seek to maintain their monopoly of nuclear weapons.

"How do they expect this system of haves and have nots to be sustainable? How do I go to country X and say 'you should keep your obligation not to develop nuclear weapons', when the big powers are making no progress towards their obligations for disarmament?"

The nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which came into effect in 1970 and which Mr ElBaradei is legally obliged to enforce, bans all signatories from using atomic power for military purposes.

In addition, the declared nuclear powers are obliged to disarm — but no deadline is given for this to take place.

Mr ElBaradei said that Britain cannot "modernise its Trident submarines and then tell everyone else that nuclear weapons are not needed in the future".

Iran continues to enrich uranium — a process which could create the material for a nuclear bomb — in defiance of UN resolutions.

The Security Council has set a deadline of tomorrow for Iran to halt this work, and Mr ElBaradei is due to meet Ali Larijani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, in Vienna today.

"My assessment of the risk of Iran is that it's not an imminent danger for tomorrow," Mr ElBaradei said.

Iran, he added, was two or three years away from having enough enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb, and between four and eight years away from having an operational weapons system.

Concluding that nuclear weapons should ultimately be abolished, Mr ElBaradei added: "We need to treat nuclear weapons the way we treat slavery or genocide. There needs to be a taboo over possessing them."

[Cicero]

The answer is simple: Resign, Jehadi pig.

[Texas_Jarhead]

How many nuclear weapons from our arsenal have we dismantled in the last 15 years? Anyone know?

[Bahbah]

"My assessment of the risk of Iran is that it's not an imminent danger for tomorrow," Mr ElBaradei said.

Friday, however, could be another matter.

[Army Air Corps]

"We need to treat nuclear weapons the way we treat slavery or genocide. There needs to be a taboo over possessing them."

The UN empty suit seems to forget that many Muslim countries prcatice both. Ooops, I forgot that they are exempt from any criticism.
Further note to the UN, the UK is not threatening to nuke Israel into oblivion or vapourise its neighbours (unlike a certain country that has Tehran as its capitol).

[Jaysun]

Concluding that nuclear weapons should ultimately be abolished, Mr ElBaradei added: "We need to treat nuclear weapons the way we treat slavery or genocide. There needs to be a taboo over possessing them."

This is absurd. Nuclear weapons are on earth to stay. The only question is who will have them. The moment the world disarms, some tyrant will begin blowing sh*t up.

And there's a huge difference between Western nations having nukes and other nations, such as those ruled by despots, having them.

[mkjessup]

ElBaradei needs a ride on one of those Trident D-5 missiles.

Strap his Islamic ass to the nose cone and let 'er rip!

[Sergio]

Mohammed ElBaradei needs to understand that a western country having nuclear weapons is like giving a loaded gun to a trained, responsible, adult. Allowing an Islamic theocracy to have nuclear weapons is like giving a loaded gun to someone residing in a mental institution.

[donmeaker]

The difference: the US and Britain don't want to make the world safe for Conventional war. China, may seek to use their nuclear threat to secure freedom for conventional invasion against Taiwan, a nation that has never been ruled by the Communist Chinese.

Iran, in my opinion, is seeking nuclear weapons to prevent the Arab and Azerbajani sectors from separating from the oppressive Persians.

Consider Pakistan, now providing sanctuary to the Taliban, protecting their fecklessness with their nuclear capabilities, and India who sought nuclear ability to protect them and their ally Nepal from threats by China.

It isn't the switchblade, it is the thug. Not the rifle, but the murderer. It isn't the weapon, but rather the horrific murderers who seem to rise to take control of nation states.

Of course the UN refuses to recognize free nations as more worthy, nor to identify murderous thug nations as untrustworthy.

[Thrownatbirth]

Nobody protests Trident for too long. The time for action was in the 80's.

I haven't seen a hippie outside a main gate in years.

[The Pack Knight]

The UN hasn't done anything useful since 1950, and that's just because we took advantage of the Russians boycotting the Security Council. Every year, the UN slides further and further into irrelevance, and good riddance.

Mark my words, the UN is a relic of the Cold War, and is on its way out, preferably with a GI boot print on its ass. It won't exist in any significance in 25 years.

[Army Air Corps]

Indeed.

I look forward to a future where the yet-to-be born grand-kids of AAC ask, "Grampa, what was this thing called 'the UN'?"

[BenLurkin]

Nuclear weapons are for adults only -- not the backwards and primitive.

Nukes? Yes.

Nukes? NO!

[familyop]

Britain should not be giving attention to former Moslem, colonial troublemakers. Erect those missiles to keep them in line.

[The Pack Knight]

Holy Shiites, Batman! Nothing like the warm family traditions of Ashura to remind us what a peace-loving religion Islam is.

If there's any use for a "nuclear watchdog" that can't tell the difference between civilization and barbarism, would someone tell me what it is? Here's a good standard for El'Baradei.. you can have 20th century weapons if and when your country enters the 18th century at least.