French PM rules out force on Iran
French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has said that military action is not the solution to the international standoff over Iran's nuclear program."My conviction is that military action is certainly not the solution," Villepin said at a monthly news conference. "We have already lived through this type of scenario and we know that not only does it settle nothing, but it can raise risks. We have seen this in the most clear way with Iraq."
Villepin -- who made a famed speech at the United Nations against the war in Iraq in 2003 when he was French foreign minister -- urged "unity" and "firmness" within the international community in dealing with Iran.
Saying Iranian statements about its growing nuclear capabilities were "worrying," Villepin said Russian and Chinese support for any U.N. resolution was necessary "for the credibility of our action, the pressure on Iran."
France and other western nations circulated a U.N. Security Council resolution Wednesday that would demand Iran abandon uranium enrichment or face the threat of unspecified further measures -- a possible reference to sanctions. China and Russia oppose the measure.
The resolution is the latest effort to pressure Iran to stop what the United States, France and others say is a clandestine nuclear weapons program. Iran says it is developing nuclear technology purely for energy.
Source : Here.
With France ( China and Russia) holding a permanent position on the United Nations security council it seems we can be assured that the only way that military force is going to be used against Iran is by an illegal attack by the United States or Israel. Still at least they will find this one easier to justify if only by replacing the Q with an N and using the same excuses we heard with Iraq.
As per usual in this very strange political climate it seems we will be depending on China,France and Russia to bring sanity to the debate.
posted by _H_ at 1:17 pm
5 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Renaud and ancient cloud , Thank you for your comments. Although it is not easy we do try to keep comments at least slightly on topic so your messages have been removed
feel free to post again on topic
Sorry, I realized it had more to do with your overall banner than this exact topic but I wasn't sure where to put it and it was sort of topical if you understood it fully.
But I understand what you mean trying to keep the comments clean and flowing.
no worries. Thank you.
Ancient Clown
surprise surprise... the original seat of "Enlightenment and Philosphes" (aka appeasment) has ruled out force...
I's swear this like part 8 of the same movie... hostile force from (pick a nation) directly threatens western interests, French politician (chose name and position) uses "diplomacy" until it fails, but then still rules out use of force... Next should be where they get invaded and/or their interests attacked and they either capitulate or call on their western allies to save them.
I commend the intelligence and rationale of the French government. They were the only ones during the build up to Iraq to recognise that the US presentations to the UN General Assembely and Security Council were hevily manipulative, in order to promote the percieved threat from Iraq. This is somthing that has since been varified - that the war was always the goal.
Its not appeasement G. Its debate. Appeasement would be giving in to the US - merely one actor in international relations do you forget? The world is not configuered around the US.
The Iran 'crisis' can be dealt with through the conditions of the NPT and the UN General Assembely (or failing that, the UNSC).
Even if Iran is trying to obtain nculear weapons (which there is no proof), it wouild be completely rational for them to do so given the stance of the US. Iran is not a threat to 'Western values.' If anything, the US is the threat here in its unfounded insistance that Iran is acting illegally. Iran, unlike the US and UK, is acting within the framework of the NPT). Iran - a modern nation - has as much right as the US to defend itself from what it percieves to be the preludes to aggression.
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