What’s ElBaradei Up To?
- 05.09.2008 - 10:19 AMIAEA Director General Mohammad ElBaradei has again shown whose side he is on. Less than a week after the Permanent Five and Germany issued a statement announcing a new incentives’ package for Iran, ElBaradei called on the U.S. to show more flexibility with Iran. The details of the new offer are not publicly known, but French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner defined them as “very generous.”
This proposal expands on an already-generous offer made two years ago, which Iran turned down. One would hope that, this time, the P5+1 does not follow the same course of action–despite the fact that the 2006 offer was meant to expire, the P5+1 kept it alive in the hope that Iran would change its mind–only to produce a better package two years later. One can only assume that the terms are even more advantageous for Iran: more details on nuclear technology that the West would offer Tehran, more details of the security guarantees that Iran would get in the region, more assurances about the stability of Iran’s regime, more incentives on trade. One can also assume that in Tehran the lesson being learned is that by making no concessions and being stubborn much can be gained.
Now, aside from the fact that Iran has already dismissed the offer, this history of dialogue with Iran teaches us two things: one, that the international community, U.S. included, has shown great flexibility with Iran; and two, that Iran has systematically exploited this flexibility to gain time and advance its nuclear program. Any responsible representative of the international community should not call on the U.S. to be more flexible. It should call on Iran to be more reasonable and remind them that time is running out. That ElBaradei called on the U.S. to make more concessions at a time when the U.S. is already backing yet more concessions to an inflexible and uncompromising Iran indicates that maybe the IAEA–and certainly its director–are not doing their best to stem the tide of nuclear proliferation.
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May 9th, 2008 at 10:23 AM
Iran doesn’t want your offers, or your “perks”, it wants to gain the knowledge itself without your help and without being indebted or reliant on the west. That, last time i checked is not a crime.
here in the US and in the western world you laud ingenuity and the drive for success…..well Iran has that same drive, it wants to succeed without anyone’s help or instructions. Iran has the RIGHT to gain nuclear technology for whatever purposes it desires. Last I checked, the US and Europeans did NOT have a patent on nuclear technology, and did not have the right to deny or approve anyone from having it.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:27 AM
Sam, if you substitute for “Iran” the name of any aggressive dictatorial power of the last century, you’ll see how farcical your comment above is.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:49 AM
Bob Miller is right Sam. You say that “Iran has the RIGHT to gain nuclear technology for whatever purposes it desires.” Well, their “desires” are to wipe Israel from the map. They’ve said so. So is that ok? I suppose so since we wouldn’t want to infringe upon Iran’s “rights.”
May 9th, 2008 at 10:49 AM
Bob,
If you substitute “US” for the name of what I have posted, you will see that your country is the greatest threat to world peace and not Iran.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:52 AM
Richtie
its funny how you keep on listing talking points with regards to that line about wiping israel off the map…..
those words were uttered by the president of iran. he does not have any power over the military, or over the regligious establishment. he is good at giving speeches with a lot of rhethoric to rally his base…thats all. get over it.
When the supreme leader came out and said that Ahmadinejad’s words were not indicative of Iranian foreign policy, people like you ignored it and kept on repeating the talking points you are used to.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:57 AM
Sam, what is the difference between ‘wiping Israel off the map’ and ‘this cancerous tumor of a state should be removed from the region’, which is what Khamenei said not so long ago about Israel?
May 9th, 2008 at 11:01 AM
It’s called RHETHORIC!! Its not meant to be literal. When your president comes out and calls countries part of an “axis of Evil” its ok, but when other countries use the same language to talk about your allies that way, its not ok.
If you can’t take it, then don’t dish it out.
Besides, you cannot deny the fact that iran, or any country for that matter has the RIGHT to any new technology it wants, as long as it can work toward it. And that any country must act in its self interest. When countries like Israel, the US and wester Europeans have nuclear weapons pointed toward Iran…whats wrong with iran getting the same weapons and pointing them toward you…..oh wait, i forgot, this country is mired in hypocracy, and self delusion, thats why you won’t address my point.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:05 PM
just like I thought, Emanuele ignores my point, and refrains from posting a response. When you are faced with a logical point which you cannot refute, you choose to dissapear and hope people forget your cowardice and lack of content in your argument.
Thanks for playing.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:21 PM
Emanuele stood pat because his comment was perfectly to the point.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:34 PM
Sam - some people work for a living - I do at least. Do you? You appear to have much time at hand to defend Iran’s regime.
As to your question: Iran cannot pursue any technology that it wants - not nuclear technology, because it has signed the NPT and as a signatory Iran is committed to its terms. Iran’s nuclear quest violates those terms.
As for pointing weapons, I leave in Europe, and it is the first time I hear Europe has nuclear missiles pointed at Iran. The fact is, we don’t. But if Iran were to acquire nuclear weapons, some of its missiles would put European capitals within range. That, especially given the lack of European threats to Iranian security, I take to be a hostile action. It speaks volumes that you don’t.