I don't know about the UN's feelings on this, but I bet the White House is sitting in a corner somewhere, angsting like a teenaged emo girl. Why doesn't anyone ever listen to her...uh, them??
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned Iran on Thursday the "international community is united" in the dispute over its nuclear program, but a Tehran envoy defiantly rejected a U.N. call to reimpose a freeze on uranium enrichment.
Really...the UN has a difficult time telling the White House that they shouldn't do something. Did they expect Iran to be easy on the first date?
Rice spoke after a meeting in Berlin among diplomats from the five veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany over ways to press Iran to stop enriching uranium, which can be used for weapons. Iran says its program is peaceful.
In Vienna, Iran's chief representative to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, told The Associated Press that "it is impossible to go back to suspension."
"This enrichment matter is not reversible," Soltanieh said.
And of course, other countries realize that the Middle East is a bomb waiting to go off, but not the U.S. and Britian.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the issue of sanctions was not discussed at the meeting and were not supported by Moscow.
"Russia on principle doesn't think sanctions can achieve a settlement, especially in the Middle East where there's so much going on," he said.
Lavrov's remarks were echoed by China's Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo, who called for a "peaceful solution" and added there was "too much turmoil" in the region.
"This issue is among the most difficult and complicated in today's world, it requires time, persistence and wisdom, and it can only be resolved through peaceful means," Dai said, adding his country would "work together with the other sides."
The United States and Britain used tougher rhetoric.
British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said Iran had "miscalculated."
"The onus is on Iran to show the international community that its program is entirely for civil purposes and for no other," Straw said. "We have shown very great patience with Iran. They in turn have miscalculated.
The Europeans initially proposed a much stronger statement but accepted a milder one to secure the support of Russia and China. Western countries agreed to drop language that proliferation "constitutes a threat to international peace and security." Also gone is a mention that the council is specifically charged under the U.N. charter with addressing such threats.
Russia and China had opposed that language because they wanted nothing in the statement that could automatically trigger council action after 30 days.
The West has refused to rule out sanctions, and U.S. officials have said the threat of military action must also remain on the table.
Well, of course they want it to remain on the table! Bush is just itching to dive into Iran's oil like Scrooge McDuck would dive into his money on Ducktales.
Honestly, I had no idea that the U.S. and Britain tell the rest of the world what to do in every situation. Wow! That's "democracy" in action, kids!
Tags: [Iran], [Bush], [Condoleeza Rice], [White House], [Iran won't give in to UN's demands], [United Nations], [Russia], [China], [British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said Iran had "miscalculated."]
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