EU agrees to go beyond U.N. sanctions on Iran

July 31, 2008 by Stevoh

Britain, Germany and France are now looking to implement sanctions which were negotiated away in Security Council Resolution 1803 to appease Russia and China. I wonder why Russia and China are dragging their feet, even supplying financial, military and technological support to the rogue regime of the Islamist Mullahs. Perhaps it’s the oil? Perhaps it’s a regional power play by Russia, whom without US financial assistance would have gone through even worse shortages of basic essential needs at the time of the fall of the USSR. Now oil rich themselves, and ripe with corruption and with Putin still calling the shots from the sidelines, are rattling their sabers again. If sanctions have any chance of working, both China and Russia had better change their ways. Without an about face by these two nations with horrendous human rights violations of their own, the option of a diplomatic settlement will be impossible.

Why the hell are we not boycotting the Olympics in China? Tibet anyone? Prisons filled with political dissenters?

I strongly favor John McCain’s proposal of a new world body comprised of democracies, and not the corrupt dictatorships of the non-aligned nations and the evil Tiger and Bear regimes. Perhaps the world would have a chance of truly becoming a better place. I mean the African Union can’t even get it together to fully condemn the madman Mugabi, or agree to arrest Bashir in Sudan. The UN has become a joke. Has been since the seventies. Time to wave farewell and begin anew. If I’m going to have my taxes pay for that building on the East River, it better have a health club and tennis courts for me to use.

“Britain, France, Germany and Italy wanted to be robust and go beyond (U.N. Security Council resolution) 1803 and implement what they had to sacrifice to Russia and China to get it through the Security Council,” he said.

The U.N. text calls upon states to “exercise vigilance in entering into new commitments for public provided financial support for trade with Iran”, but the EU regulation will urge member states to exercise “restraint”.

The U.N. resolution also mentions only inspection of cargoes to and from Iran of aircraft and vessels owned or operated by two named Iranian companies, whereas the EU rules will allow checks on all cargoes to and from Iran.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana asked Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili at a meeting on July 19 to give a clear answer within two weeks to the offer of formal negotiations if Tehran freezes uranium enrichment.

The West suspects the enrichment is designed to give Iran a nuclear weapons capability. Tehran insists it is purely to generate electricity for civilian purposes.

While EU diplomats said no formal reply had yet arrived, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, vowed in remarks quoted by state radio on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic would pursue its nuclear path.

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Comments

  1. Posted by Fred on August 3, 2008

    Well, U.S. government is not boycotting China’s Olympics probably because it is so indebted to China and probably because most of the goods sold in U.S. (and elsewhere) are being manufactured in China .

    U.N. (may) have a numerous flaws, but it is still only existing body where all nations can come to discuss their problems and grievances and try to resolve their conflicts.

    U.N. is constantly undermined by actions of US and other powerful members.

    Unilateral actions and pressure which is excerted on its institutions and member countries is one of the reasons why U.N. is losing its ability to make a difference.

    But, U.N. is still place where all nations, no matter how small their territory, population, GDP, or might of their military is have a possibility to voice their opinion. And that’s the ultimate point for exictence of U.N. - a body to give a voice to all people of the world (not only powerful).

    I agree with one point - U.N. needs reorganization - the U.N. security council first - no nation should have permanent vote on the U.N. security council.

    You easily dismiss over 100 countries from Non-align movement. You see, a number of those countries are democracies (if you count democracies as those countries who have free elections). India, Mongolia, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, South Africa, Guatemala, Grenada to name a few. Most of the countries are former
    colonies which still struggle to find their way in post-colonial age. Most of the countries are “third-world”, pure countries - it is easy to dismiss them, right?

    So, your and McCain’s take on the U.N. problems would be to create a new world body with only democracies as its members. Sounds Orwelian to me.

    But, who would be democracies you are talking about? And what would be criteria for membership to this elite club?

    You see, many countries have established right to their citizens to cast a vote.

    But is that enough for real democracy?

  2. Posted by behzad(green boy) on September 8, 2009

    ahmadinejad is not my president, stop this killer

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