Vital Perspective

Bush Lauds U.S.-Israel Relationship; Merkel, Annan Show Support

On Thursday, President Bush spoke at the American Jewish Committee’s Centennial Dinner in Washington with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and UN S-G Kofi Annan. Speaking about the relationship between the United States and Israel, Bush said, "America's commitment to Israel's security is strong, enduring and unshakable."

During the S-G's remarks, he told the AJC that he hopes "that within my lifetime, just as in this country, where Jews are accepted without question as full citizens, by all their fellow citizens, so Israel will be accepted without question as a member by the whole family ofnations."

Full text of Bush's remarks here via the White House, and the S-G's remarks here.

Update on Diplomatic Posturing by P-5 +1 on Iran's Nuclear Program

The Security Council is expected to take up the issue of a Chapter VII resolution on Wednesday requiring Iran to cease its nuclear activities, although it is unclear when Tehran might face penalties. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns has told reporters the U.S., Britain, and France will introduce a Chapter VII resolution soon but he expected drawn-out discussions. State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said on Monday that "specific texts" are being looked at. Such a resolution can carry the punishment of sanctions or even military force, but Russia and China, which have veto power, have repeatedly spoken against such measures.

If the Security Council is unwilling or unable to impose sanctions on Iran, then "I'm sure we would press ahead to ask other countries or other groups of countries to impose those sanctions," Ambassador John Bolton told the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relation on Tuesday.

The P-5 + 1 launched another round of meetings on Tuesday in Paris to discuss the issue (the first among senior representatives of the six countries since the ElBaradai report on Friday), and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet with President Bush later today to discuss the crisis. Merkel is expected to press Bush on opening a direct dialogue with Iranian officials. There is already a chorus of U.S. supporters of a direct dialogue, including two senior State Department officials under Secretary Richard Armitage, Richard Haas of CFR, Senators Bayh, Dodd, Feinstein and Lugar, Gov. Bill Richardson, and the Arms Control Association. Thus far the Administration has resisited such calls.

Despite Technological Leaps, Russia and China Remain Opposed to Sanctions

Despite Tehran's significant technological advances and promises to upgrade its infrastructure, Russia said it remains opposed to sanctions against Iran, and China expressed hope for a negotiated solution as senior diplomats from six countries converged in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the next step toward solving the Iranian nuclear standoff.

The U.S. and Britain have warned that if Iran does not comply with the April 28 deadline to stop uranium enrichment, they will seek a resolution that would make the demand for sanctions compulsory.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin reaffirmed Moscow's insistence on more diplomatic efforts with Iran. "We are convinced that neither sanctions nor the use of force will lead to the solution of the problem," he said, according to the ITAR-Tass news agency.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai, the country's top nonproliferation official, visited Tehran over the weekend and appealed to Iranian leaders to reach a negotiated settlement to the dispute, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

CNNi Reports Western Concerns Over Iran's Nuclear Program as "Hypocritical"

Courtesy of LGF: Here's a CNNi video that sets a new record for vile anti-American bias, as they actually argue that the West is "hypocritical" for not wanting the Islamofascist Republic of Iran to have nuclear weapons: Nuclear Hypocrisy? (There's no way to make a direct link to the video -- from the link provided, type "Nuclear Hypocrisy" in the search box and it will come up).

It’s the suicidal dead end of the touchy-feely, mustn't-offend-anyone mindset. Because after all, it’s better for the world to erupt in a nuclear holocaust than for the West to be "hypocritical."

Foreign Ministers Break From Iran Meetings, Chinese Wary of Distrubing ME

The Berlin meeting of the P-5 +1 has concluded and the various foreign ministers have held a brief session with the press. Each FM said a few words, and then the group took Q&A. What's remarkable is the nuanced differences in the messages out of Russia and China as opposed to the U.S., France, Germany and especially Britain.

The Chinese statement is especially telling of their mindset. Deputy FM Dai said "The Chinese side feels that there has already been enough turmoil in the Middle East. We do not want to see new turmoil being introduced to the region because that would not serve the interests of any party and would only be very detrimental to the interests of the people in [the] Middle East." The diplomatic dance continues... read the whole thing.

Britain Warns Iran of Possible Sanctions, IAEA Chief Says They're a 'Bad Idea'

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Thursday that sanctions could follow if Iran remains defiant and refuses to halt its uranium enrichment program as demanded by the Security Council.

Asked if the Council might pass a legally binding resolution - as opposed to the weak non-binding presidential statement - if Iran did not comply, Straw said, "It can certainly include a resolution before the Security Council and the possibility of measures after that." Asked if such measures could include sanctions, Straw said: "It could do."

However, the IAEA D-G Mohamed ElBaradei did his best on Thursday to showcase the narrow-minded view that Iran poses no imminent threat and that imposing sanctions on it would be a bad idea. As we have repeatedly said (here and here, among others), once Tehran has reached the technological point of no return, it's simply too late, and as of now their rogue program continues advancing unabated.

"Sanctions are a bad idea. We are not facing an imminent threat. We need to lower the pitch," ElBaradei told the Doha Debates forum in the Qatar. "My message to Iran: the international community is getting impatient and you need to respond by arming me with information," ElBaradei said.

P-5 Come to Agreement on Language for Presidential Statement on Iran

BREAKING NEWS - Diplomatic Breakthrough on Iran:

The P-5 of the Security Council reached agreement on Wednesday on how to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions after concessions were made to Russia and China, Britain announced.

"Our colleagues in the P-5 have reached an agreement on a text," Britain's U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry told reporters. The full 15-member council considers the issue later on Wednesday and could formally approve the statement, hours before ministers of the five powers and Germany meet in Berlin.

UPDATE @ 5:09pm: The Security Council has unanimously approved a presidential statement demanding that Iran suspend uranium enrichment, the first time the powerful body has directly urged Tehran to clear up suspicions that it is seeking nuclear weapons. The statement asks the IAEA to report back in 30 days on Iran's compliance with demands to stop enriching uranium.

The document was adopted by consensus and without a vote after a flurry of negotiations among the P-5, which has the power to impose sanctions. In the end, Britain, France and the U.S. made several concessions to China and Russia, Iran's allies, who wanted as mild a statement as possible.

Diplomats: Sanctions Not on Table at P-5 Plus One Meeting in Berlin

The permanent five of the Security Council plus Germany will gather in Berlin this week to discuss Iran's nuclear program and language in a presidential statement - stalled by Russia and China - but sanctions or military options will not be on the table.

"Contrary to what has been said, there is no military option on the table. There is no discussion of sanctions," Ambassador Friedrich Groening, head of arms control and disarmament at the German Foreign Ministry said. "It is still diplomacy and it is not - I repeat - talking about sanctions," he said.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw categorically ruled out military action against Iran.

"As to the possibility of this leading to another Iraq, it won't," he told reporters in London. "I have made clear often enough that I don't regard military action as appropriate or indeed conceivable. Nor do I believe there would be any international consensus on that and I think Russia and China are well reassured on that," Straw said.

Rice to Visit Europe for Talks on Iran as Russia Continues Diplomatic Stall

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will leave Wednesday on a trip to Germany, France and Britain for talks on Iran's nuclear program, a State Department official said Monday.

Rice will meet with officials of the EU-3 at a time when talks within the Security Council on a presidential statement calling Iran to account for its suspected nuclear weapons activities have been stalled by the Russians.

On Sunday, Rice spoke at length about Russia's role in the Security Council negotiations over langauge in the the statement, repeating twice that "we [the international community] do need to speak and speak with one voice."

Rice is obviously feeling that the pressure is building on the nuclear program and that action must be taken quickly. Sitting with Wolf Blitzer on CNN's Late Edition, Rice said "we shouldn't delay. We do need a presidential statement that makes clear to the Iranians what is clear to everyone."

Report: German Firms Involved in Illegal Arms Exports to Iran

Speaking to the German television program "Report Mainz" last week, security experts confirmed that as many as 100 dummy firms in Germany are involved in illegally exporting components for missiles and aircraft to Iran.

Johannes Schmalzl, president of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in the state of Baden-Württemberg, said that the situation wasn't entirely new. "We've been devoting time to the topic since 2002," he said. "And we've concluded that an estimated 100 dummy firms in Germany are involved in it."

"A country, which like Iran intensively works on missiles, only does this in order to be able to put nuclear weapons on the missiles," Oliver Thränert of the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs told the television station. "Iran is certainly far removed from that, but in the end, Iran's goal seems to be to fire nuclear weapons with its missiles."

Most of the exports were designed to refine and perfect Iran's missile program, which is widely considered a key part of Tehran's ambitions to establish itself as a serious nuclear and military power. According to public broadcast station ARD, Iran has been sending agents on shopping trips to Europe and to Germany in order to improve the reach and precision of their missiles for years.