Rice Says U.S. Involvement Not Needed in EU-Iran Drive

[lovuian]

http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/redir.php?jid=d64e012ff090c89a&cat=c08dd24cec417021

Rice Says U.S. Involvement Not Needed in EU-Iran Drive Thu. 3 Feb 2005



Reuters

LONDON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday there was no need for U.S. involvement in European attempts to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear program.

Her comments were likely to disappoint Europeans who would like the United States to throw greater weight behind its efforts to persuade Iran to give up nuclear activities in return for political and economic incentives.

"The Iranians know what they need to do. It's not the absence of anybody's involvement that is keeping the Iranians from knowing what they need to do," Rice told reporters en route to London for her first foreign trip as secretary of state.

"They need to live up to their obligations, they need to agree to verification inspection, they need to stop trying to hide activities under cover of civilian nuclear power."


more...

Rice is something else...EU get out of our way... We don't need you!!!
Is she for real!!!

[Up2Late]

1. Here's the BBC Report

Friday, 4 February, 2005, 04:03 GMT

Rice rules out diplomacy on Iran

Iran agreed to halt enriching uranium last November
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she sees no need to get involved in European efforts to persuade Iran to drop its nuclear programme.

She was speaking on her way to London at the start of a tour which will see her visit a number of European countries and the Middle East.

European officials have repeatedly asked Washington for closer cooperation in dealing with the programme.

But Ms Rice said Tehran knew what it needed to do.

"It's not the absence of anybody's involvement that is keeping the Iranians from knowing what they need to do," she said.

"I don't think anybody thinks that the unelected mullahs who run that regime are a good thing for the Iranian people and for the region"
-- Condoleezza Rice

(more at link)
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4235121.stm>

[moobu2]

2. I thought shrub said just the opposite last night n/t

[VegasWolf]

3. Hell, I can't keep track of shurb's changing positions from day to day.n/t

[Oilwellian]

7. He sure did

President Bush said: “We are working with European allies to make clear to the Iranian regime that it must give up its uranium enrichment program and any plutonium re-processing, and end its support for terror. “

FACT: Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, “on Friday urged the United States to join forces with the EU to persuade Iran to give up atomic processes that could be used to make weapons.”

FACT: Just three months ago, Undersecretary of State John Bolton mocked the very notion of diplomacy with Iran. At a conference in London, Bolton “responded to a question about whether he would support Europe’s attempt to offer Iran incentives with the terse one-liner: ‘I don’t do carrots.‘”

http://www.thinkprogress.org/

[leesa]

4. Wow. What a surprise...no diplomacy from the chief diplomat.

[Javaman]

5. condi, I haven't had an original thought, rice is up to her same old..

none thinking self. And we are surprised by this because????

Frankly, I'm looking for the moment when she tries to come up with and original idea and firmly plants her foot in her mouth. It should be interesting.

[TexasLawyer]

6. Diplomacy is SO five years ago!

we want war, says Condi.

[greyXstar]

8. Isn't this dereliction (sp?) of duty??

If our cheif diplomat refuses to be diplomatic, then she should be recalled.

And if our official stance is that we're not working with the Europeans on this, then this is proof that the Dimson lied to Congress. But of course...he's the supreme dictator.
:eyes: