Posted on 09/12/2007 3:48:08 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
BERLIN - Germany does not want to rush into a third round of U.N. sanctions against Iran for defying Security Council demands that it freeze its nuclear enrichment programme, diplomats said on Wednesday.
Germany and the five permanent U.N. Security Council members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- have been key players in efforts to ratchet up pressure on Tehran to halt its programme and cooperate more with U.N. inspectors.
German officials have repeatedly warned that unless Iran heeds the demands of the United Nations and suspends its nuclear fuel programme, which the West fears is aimed at producing atomic weapons, it would face further sanctions.
But one European diplomat said Germany wanted to delay any sanctions drive in order to give a chance to an August 21 deal between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meant to bring transparency to the Iranian nuclear programme.
"They are reluctant to go for more sanctions without having given it a chance to work," the diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
"Germany would prefer to wait until at least the November IAEA report on Iran comes out to see if progress is being made on the (Iran-IAEA) action plan," he said.
He noted that Russia and China were strongly opposed to further sanctions against Iran, which says its nuclear programme is intended solely for the peaceful generation of electricity.
The United States plans to host a meeting of key world powers on September 21 to discuss broadening sanctions against Iran.
A German government official and European Union diplomats in Brussels also said that Germany was leaning towards delaying preparation of a third sanctions resolution.
France and Britain are ready to press for a new sanctions proposal, but they too fear Moscow and Beijing, which wield Security Council vetoes, would block it, the EU diplomats said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed Iran with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday, diplomats said.
This morning on Fox cable news, they were stating that Germany would publically denounce any actions, but would praise them behind the scenes. Well, now that everyone knows the game plan....
How does one spend money when dead?
It just shows that diplomacy is and always was a waste of effort.
Germany is on board.
Germany? That seals it. Iran already has the bomb!
LOL
“A German government official and European Union diplomats in Brussels...”
That piece of a sentence says all you need to hear.
Anyone who is paying attention knows that 1)the Iranians are just playing for time,
2) That the Europeans just want to be seen as serious and important players in this, even though in the end they will “have serious doubts” about anything approaching real military action and will end up doing nothing but hand wringing and verbal puffery, and
3) When the excrement hits the fan only the US and maybe the Brits and Aussies will do any heavy lifting at all.
What other way can they be expected to respond?
If they know they’re too weak to provoke the Iranians directly, and they know that the America is the only country that -can- afford to attack....
...then if the Germans recognize the diplomacy and sanctions are at an end....then what else can they do but say “We stop” and (you guys go ahead.)
The Deutschmark is no longer around. They use the EURO.
With Iran? You have a strange definition of being on board.
They could back real sanctions and add a few squadrons of aircraft for the strike.
It peeves me when people and countries play the “what else can I do game”.
No, Germany is on board our train. They aren’t going to delay the “proceedings” any further with an attempt to get more sanctions.
Much of what you see in international diplomacy is a show. Most of these meetings and pronouncements are fairly well scripted before they step on stage.
Getting out of the way and playing a duplicitous game of “you go ahead and I’ll watch from a safe distance but will still try and have it both ways so I will continue to cash in any way I can” is not exactly what I would call an ally.
It sounds more like a small dog barking through the screen door at a would-be murderer while trying to eat out of the murderers hand at the same time.
Yeah. Really courageous Realpolitik.
Yes..I know...I know.I just wanted to make my post a little more "Germanic".
Angela Schroeder?
So the Germans have very craftily scripted a lack of support against Iran diplomatically and militarily. Yea, I get it.
The notion that they have agreed to silently back us, while castigating us openly is nothing but an honest admission of cowardice.
If they are this weak and anxious to condemn us for show, it hardly matters to us whether we have their tacit approval or not.
If they were on board, we wouldn't be having this discussion.
“We are a very proud third-word country that once had grand aspirations. But now we prefer comfort, and have also let immigration get out of our control. So we may secretly side with you, but we have to sit on the sidelines so as not to risk what little we have left.”
Sound familiar? /sarcoff, I think...
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.