China urges restraint in Iran nuclear crisis

[cal04]

China again called for restraint in the Iran crisis on Thursday, with no sign of international consensus yet on the West's drive for the U.N. Security Council to take charge of efforts to curb Tehran's nuclear program. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began a visit to Syria in a signal to the world that the two regional allies, each facing threats of referral to the council, will not be cowed. Ahmadinejad has scorned a resolution drafted by Britain, France and Germany asking the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to report Iran to the top world body for failing to remove suspicions that it is seeking nuclear arms.


China said it had not seen the draft, so far only shared with the United States and European governments, and reiterated its preference for a diplomatic way out of the crisis. "We hope all parties will exercise restraint and patience and appropriately resolve the Iran nuclear issue through peaceful means," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said. Iran, which says its nuclear projects are for electricity, not bombs, is waging a high-stakes diplomatic battle with the West to head off any Security Council censure or sanctions.

China and Russia, both permanent Council members with veto powers like the United States, France and Britain, have big trade interests in Iran and are wary of any full-scale embargo, as are several developing nations with seats on the council or on the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors. The board will hold an emergency session on February 2 to debate whether to refer Iran to the council after its removal last week of U.N. seals on uranium enrichment equipment prompted Britain, France and Germany to abandon two years of negotiations.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Wednesday European states were considering a Russian proposal that the IAEA should simply ask the council to debate Iran's case before returning it to the U.N. nuclear watchdog to be dealt with. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin also did not specify what action they expected the IAEA to take at its February 2 meeting. "I think we have to think step by step, and above all send a signal to Iran that shows the international community won't accept it if Iran doesn't respect the commitments that are expected of it and the promises it has made," Merkel said

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=fundLaunches&storyID=2006-01-19T115334Z_01_L18188832_RTRUKOC_0_US-NUCLEAR-IRAN.xml

[ixion]

1. Iran crisis?

geez, talk about manufactured urgency.

[rodeodance]

2. for once I agree with China---keeping the rhetoric toned down will do more

to prevent a terrible outcome.

[EuroObserver]

5. US constitutional, economic crisis n/t

[cliss]

3. It's a shootout at the O-K Corral.

There's an article over in the Editorials section called "The US takes on a battle it can't win" meaning with Iran.

Would we do that? Would we start moving towards war against a sovereign country, knowing that we could not win it?

For the answer, I went to Counter Punch. There is an article there that explains that the U.S. "has been losing consistently in diplomatic matters, large and small". We've lost in negotiations in Central & South America. We've walked away with nothing in roundtable meetings and negotiations that should have been easy.

The author called it High Stakes Gambling, meaning that we're going for the long odds of winning, and we're staking everything.

Would a prudent, fiscally responsible country do this? Answer = no.

[MrPrax]

4. There is NO crisis...

More war rhetoric from the so-called professional journalists...