Green Energy
That's right, Barack Obama will even go over the heads of the vaunted international body of the United Nations. I guess he doesn't feel his policy has to pass "the Global Test."
From Amir Taheri:
May 21, 2008 -- BUOYED by their modest electoral success last month, critics of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's provocative foreign policy were preparing to launch a series of attacks on him in the Islamic Majlis, Iran's ersatz parliament. But then Ahmadinejad got an unexpected boost from Barack Obama.
Ali Larijani, Iran's former nuclear negotiator and now a Majlis member, was arguing that the Islamic Republic would pay a heavy price for Ahmadinejad's rejection of three UN Security Council resolutions on nukes. Then the likely Democratic presidential nominee stepped in.
Obama announced that, if elected, he wouldn't ask Iran to comply with UN resolutions as a precondition for direct talks with Ahmadinejad: "Preconditions, as it applies to a country like Iran, for example, was a term of art. Because this administration has been very clear that it will not have direct negotiations with Iran until Iran has met preconditions that are essentially what Iran views, and many other observers would view, as the subject of the negotiations; for example, their nuclear program."
"Talking without preconditions" would require America to ignore three unanimous Security Council resolutions. Before starting his unconditional talks, would Obama present a new resolution at the Security Council to cancel the three that Ahmadinejad doesn't like? Or would the new US president act in defiance of the United Nations - further weakening the Security Council's authority?
President Bush didn't set the preconditions that Obama promises to ignore. They were agreed upon after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran was in violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Acting in accordance with its charter, the IAEA referred the issue to the Security Council.
Dismissing the preconditions as irrelevant would mean snubbing America's European allies plus Russia and China, all of whom participated in drafting and approving the resolutions that Ahmadinejad doesn't like.
Such a move would make a mockery of multilateral diplomacy - indeed, would ignore such diplomacy in exactly the way that critics claim the Bush administration has.
Barack Obama is a Unilateralist. He is a cowboy.
Go read the whole thing.
- Sarkozy: Obama's Stance On Iran "utterly Immature" And "empty Of All Content"
From Weasel Zippers: French President Nicolas Sarkozy is very critical of U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's positions on Iran, according to reports that have reached Israel's government. Sarkozy has made his criticisms only in closed...
- Iran Sets Preconditions For Us Meeting
Barack Obama may intend to meet with Iran without preconditions (yes, he did say it, no matter how he tries to deny it now), but Iran isn’t granting Obama the same courtesy:Iran’s Vice President Sets Two Preconditions for Talks with US.They’re...
- The Broken Clock Is Right: Ahmadinejad And I Agree
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the NIE Report is a "declaration of surrender" on the part of the United States. I'd say he's got that about right: TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's president said on Sunday the publication of a U.S. intelligence report...
- Annan Says Amadinejad Wants To Talk Some More
Is Kofi Annan so stupid he buys this crap, or is he working for the other side? TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants negotiations on Iran's nuclear program but won't halt uranium enrichment ahead of talks, U.N. chief Kofi Annan...
- Ahmadinejad Announces "we Are A Nuclear Country" - Could Have Bomb In 16 Days
Look where our diplomacy has gotten us. From Associated Press: TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Thursday that Iran won't back away from uranium enrichment and said the world must treat Iran as a nuclear power....
Green Energy
Obama Would Ignore UN Rules To Negotiate With Ahmadinejad
That's right, Barack Obama will even go over the heads of the vaunted international body of the United Nations. I guess he doesn't feel his policy has to pass "the Global Test."
From Amir Taheri:
May 21, 2008 -- BUOYED by their modest electoral success last month, critics of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's provocative foreign policy were preparing to launch a series of attacks on him in the Islamic Majlis, Iran's ersatz parliament. But then Ahmadinejad got an unexpected boost from Barack Obama.
Ali Larijani, Iran's former nuclear negotiator and now a Majlis member, was arguing that the Islamic Republic would pay a heavy price for Ahmadinejad's rejection of three UN Security Council resolutions on nukes. Then the likely Democratic presidential nominee stepped in.
Obama announced that, if elected, he wouldn't ask Iran to comply with UN resolutions as a precondition for direct talks with Ahmadinejad: "Preconditions, as it applies to a country like Iran, for example, was a term of art. Because this administration has been very clear that it will not have direct negotiations with Iran until Iran has met preconditions that are essentially what Iran views, and many other observers would view, as the subject of the negotiations; for example, their nuclear program."
"Talking without preconditions" would require America to ignore three unanimous Security Council resolutions. Before starting his unconditional talks, would Obama present a new resolution at the Security Council to cancel the three that Ahmadinejad doesn't like? Or would the new US president act in defiance of the United Nations - further weakening the Security Council's authority?
President Bush didn't set the preconditions that Obama promises to ignore. They were agreed upon after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran was in violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Acting in accordance with its charter, the IAEA referred the issue to the Security Council.
Dismissing the preconditions as irrelevant would mean snubbing America's European allies plus Russia and China, all of whom participated in drafting and approving the resolutions that Ahmadinejad doesn't like.
Such a move would make a mockery of multilateral diplomacy - indeed, would ignore such diplomacy in exactly the way that critics claim the Bush administration has.
Barack Obama is a Unilateralist. He is a cowboy.
Go read the whole thing.
- Sarkozy: Obama's Stance On Iran "utterly Immature" And "empty Of All Content"
From Weasel Zippers: French President Nicolas Sarkozy is very critical of U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's positions on Iran, according to reports that have reached Israel's government. Sarkozy has made his criticisms only in closed...
- Iran Sets Preconditions For Us Meeting
Barack Obama may intend to meet with Iran without preconditions (yes, he did say it, no matter how he tries to deny it now), but Iran isn’t granting Obama the same courtesy:Iran’s Vice President Sets Two Preconditions for Talks with US.They’re...
- The Broken Clock Is Right: Ahmadinejad And I Agree
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the NIE Report is a "declaration of surrender" on the part of the United States. I'd say he's got that about right: TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's president said on Sunday the publication of a U.S. intelligence report...
- Annan Says Amadinejad Wants To Talk Some More
Is Kofi Annan so stupid he buys this crap, or is he working for the other side? TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants negotiations on Iran's nuclear program but won't halt uranium enrichment ahead of talks, U.N. chief Kofi Annan...
- Ahmadinejad Announces "we Are A Nuclear Country" - Could Have Bomb In 16 Days
Look where our diplomacy has gotten us. From Associated Press: TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed Thursday that Iran won't back away from uranium enrichment and said the world must treat Iran as a nuclear power....