Sunday, November 15, 2009

Clinton on Iranian Nuclear Program

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke to SPIEGEL on topics related to Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. Below are excerpts on Iranian nuclear program and the political situation in the country. [SPIEGEL, 15 November 2009].

SPIEGEL: In the conflict with Iran there is hardly any progress to be seen. The government in Teheran seems determined not to accept the recent offer of negotiations as based on a proposal of the American president.

Clinton : Well, we don't have a formal response from Iran yet.

SPIEGEL: The reason for that is probably that the Iranians would like to renegotiate the deal using their well-known delaying tactics. Is your patience endless?

Clinton : We do not intend to renegotiate. We have been willing to give them more time to work through their internal political debate, because we know there is a lot of turmoil in the Iranian political system. But our patience is not unlimited. We continue to urge them to show good faith, as they had said they would adopt this agreement "in principle." It would provide an opening for us to discuss not just the nuclear program, but other matters as well. We are still hopeful.

SPIEGEL: Iranian politicians keep on saying that they have not seen any real sign of willingness to compromise by the new US government. Why don't you take the military option off the table, the threat of bombing Iranian nuclear installations? Nobody believes that this is a realistic option anyway.

Clinton : We do not take any options off the table. I don't think that strategically it is smart to begin cutting your options when the other side does not move at all. Let's see some good faith from Iran; let's see some action on their part. President Obama has reached out to them, both publicly and privately. But that's not a one-way street; we have to see some reciprocity coming back from Iran.



UPDATE: President Obama on Sunday won the strongest backing yet from Russia on the Iranian nuclear crisis as he warned that Tehran was "running out of time". 
Meeting Obama in Singapore, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said neither he nor the US leader were satisfied with the pace of progress, as Tehran drags its feet over its response to the IAEA nuclear enrichment deal.

"Our goal is clear, it is transparent," Medvedev said. "We are prepared to work further to ensure Iran's nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes,” he said. 
"In case we fail, the other options remain on the table, in order to move the process in a different direction," he added. "As reasonable politicians, we understand that any process should have a final point. The process of talks exists not for the pleasure of talking but for achieving practical goals." [AFP, 15 November].

Update:Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday 16 November that the enemies of Iran’s nuclear program have been defeated.

“Enemies have politicized the nuclear issue using all of their abilities to try to make the Iranian nation surrender, but they have been defeated," Ahmadinejad said [IRIB].

2 comments:

Mark Pyruz said...

SPIEGEL: "The reason for that is probably that the Iranians would like to renegotiate the deal using their well-known delaying tactics. Is your patience endless?"

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That's a really curious question coming from what should be an objective interviewer. I don't think the interviewer was adequately prepared: the person must be unaware of the period encompassing the Tehran Agreement and Paris Agreement (2003-2005), where for two years the EU-3 played a game of stall tactics, which ultimately exposed it as negotiating in bad faith. Moreover, that period was characterized by the EU-3's attempts at moving the goalposts of negotiation and demanding yet more concessions and imposing additional preconditions on Iran.

There is no delaying tactics to the Iranian position on its nuclear program. Iran has consistently stated that it will not give up its enrichment activities; a right it's accorded under the terms of the NPT. The West, on the other hand, has given sometimes conflicting and misleading statements towards this issue. Hence, the history of complications.

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Medvedev's recent statements have been somewhat exaggerated by the MSM. In reality, they actually appear more guarded than US statements on the matter. This is what Medvedev actually said last Saturday:

"If agreements are reached on the programs linked to uranium enrichment and its use for peaceful purposes in Iran, we will with pleasure take part in these programs. If the Iranian leadership takes a less constructive position, then anything is possible, in theory…We would not want this to end in imposing sanctions under international law, because sanctions, as a rule, are a complex and dangerous path,” he continued. “But if there is no forward movement, no one can rule out this scenario."

And what he said today:

"“We are not completely happy about its pace."

Anonymous said...

i believe the deal will not go true they know well be decieved by this tacktical manuver the government of iran know that well in two reason in midacal reseach center require 58kg every year to supplied intire country for cancer theatment totall supplied they have is 340 kg which enough for 7 to8 years why they should give 1200kg to third party in turky in order after 18 month get the 116 kg in level of 20% which require for 20% to transfare from 3.5leu just 800kg. second they have ability to proccess by them self which they argue is.