Iran: The all new Russia and China game
As we get closer to the scheduled 6 nation meeting in London on
Monday, January 30th, that is supposed to discuss a draft
resolution to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for its
secret nuclear weapons program at the next meeting of IAEA board
of governors on February 2nd, Tehran Mullahs anxiously, as they
did not expect this to happen until March, are trying to somehow
join up with Russia and China to stop the matter from escalating
further.
Russia and China are two permanent members of the UN Security
Council and have veto power along with France, Briton and the
United States.
Europeans disenchanted after three years of going back and forth
with Iran and after Iran resumed its operation of Natanz nuclear
plant, now have joined in with the US to call on IAEA to refer
Iran's dossier to the Security Council.
The new game Iran has been playing, the so called Russian plan,
is supposed to be an alternative for Iran to develop a full
nuclear fuel cycle while leaving a critical step, uranium
enrichment, which could lead to bomb production in the hands of
Russians outside of Iran. This would enable the International
Atomic Energy Agency to monitor the enrichment process where
Iran has no control.
ElBaradei, the head of IAEA and 2005 Noble peace price winner,
praised the new development in the standoff and said he was
encouraged that all parties still were discussing a diplomatic
solution.
Trying to help its second major oil supplier after Saudi Arabia,
China said that it opposes sanctions to resolve the quarrel over
Iran's nuclear program. "We oppose the habitual use of
sanctions, or threats of sanctions, to solve problems. This only
complicates problems," Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said
after meeting with Iran's top national security official,
Larijani, Thursday, January 26th.
President Bush said he believes Iran should have a civilian
nuclear program as long as the material used to power the plant
is manufactured in Russia and delivered under IAEA supervision,
and the waste from the plant is returned to Russia. "The
Russians came up with the idea, and I support it," he said
Thursday.
Yet Iran is using the Russian proposal as a way to defuse the
showdown next week, February 2nd, in Vienna as envoys to the
IAEA consider referring Iran's case to the U.N. Security Council
for possible punitive action.
Iran is not making any promises regarding the Russian plan and
it has postponed further talks regarding the plan to February
27th emphasizing that if it is referred to the Security Council
at the London meeting, talks about Russian Plan would be off.
Obviously, this is just another excuse for the mullahs to keep
this game going for just a little longer. Time is what this
regime is trying to buy and it is exactly what it should not be
given. Russian plan or not, the IAEA must refer Iran to the
Security Council on February 2nd.
What Iran needs is a firm stand and strong action and not more
appeasement. Iran would never agree to give up its nuclear
program unless it is forced to do so and the only way to apply
force is through the Security Council.