Posted on 01/17/2006 7:22:23 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
The United States says Iran's offer to resume negotiations on its nuclear program is mere "diplomatic fog" and has barred new talks without a concrete gesture from Tehran.
"The onus is on the Iranians," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said amid intense diplomatic manoeuvring over Western calls to haul Iran before the UN Security Council for its suspected nuclear weapons activities.
"At this point I don't think that we see anything that indicates the Iranians are willing to engage in a serious diplomatic process," Mr McCormack said.
"It's not on the EU-3 (British, French and German negotiators) or the United States or anybody else to come up with some other neat proposal for them to consider," he said.
"It is on the Iranians now to take actions."
He spoke as Washington's European allies sought to keep up pressure on Iran, dismissing an offer by Tehran to resume negotiations and seeking to overcome Russian and Chinese opposition to UN action.
With the EU-3 seeking an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for February 2-3 in Vienna to discuss referring Iran to the UN Security Council, Tehran has been seeking to restart talks.
The Iranians asked the EU-3 to resume today year-old discussions on economic and other incentives to renounce their nuclear plans.
The top Iranian negotiator also met Sunday in Vienna with IAEA chief Mohamed El Baradei.
But Mr McCormack, while insisting on the US goal of achieving a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis, put little stock in the Iranian efforts to get back to the bargaining table.
"They've started up their diplomatic fog machine here," he said.
The confrontation between Iran and the West came to a head last week after Iran lifted IAEA seals from a key nuclear facility and announced its intention to resume sensitive uranium enrichment research.
The EU-3 declared their negotiations with Iran dead and lined up behind a US call to bring in the UN Security Council. But other countries, notably China and Russia, have been cooler to tough action against Tehran.
Mr McCormack expressed confidence the 35-member IAEA board of governors would send the matter to the UN Security Council even if it was not clear what action the world body executive would take.
"The Iranians asked the EU-3 to resume today year-old discussions on economic and other incentives to renounce their nuclear plans."
Brinkmanship and bluff to gain economic gain?
I am SO glad the Adults are back in charge.
Exactly. Nothing will come from it, as usual. Just another stalling technique. They also know the US cannot go through this BS again and it will look like they are willing to negotiate, but the big bad US won't do it.
Iran's diplomatic fog machine has been operating at top efficiency for months or years. In the form of the EU, IAEA, UN, Russia and China.
....Say, aren't you the terrorist who took over our embassy in '79?...I mean what is there to talk about?
What a misleading headline. We weren't in talks with them before. We haven't talked to them in decades.
In case the press hasn't noticed, the US is the GREAT SATAN. Iran hasn't sent us a Christmas card since the 1970s.
It's time to make the system of rewards and punishments clear.
Some of Iran's missiles from Russia, China and North Korea will be capable of reaching London, Berlin and Paris.
"The onus is on the Iranians," and the Iranians are anuses
We can talk and shoot at the same time...we're Americans...we MULTITASK.
Jimmah Carter will be sent to Iran to smooth things over.
Iran: Show us the money and we will stop. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
The Iranians are using brinkmanship to see what the US, Russia, China position would be worst case. IMO neither Russia nor China will vote to sanction Iran because of mutually beneficial economic considerations
Either him, or Dan Rather. Maybe Dan can get Ahamajadeen (if that's spelled right its accidental) to say "You filthy Great Satan Pig" in English!
JF'enK would have a plan!
But he wouldn't be able to reveal it until after the "election"...
Every hour delayed is another hour those psychos can outfit their missiles with biological, chemical and nuclear warheads.
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