Ambassador Bolton: Hanging on the Telephone

It was an honor to be invited to join in on a blogger conference call with John Bolton today.  Others in attendance were Scott Johnson of  Powerline,   Tom at Real Clear Politics, and Jay of National Review Online.

Here's the audio; Download BoltonBlogCall.mp3 [Paul tip of the ole hat, thanks for the MP3 transfer] 

The Ambassador kicked off the call with the  UN reform process. Decisions have to be made  and steps have to be taken on reform this week. Ambassador Bolton and the adminsitration had hoped the expenditure cap would be a powerful inducement to reform - by reform he means the three broad categories
a) Mandate reviewing  process - all programs (peacekeeping, relief programs, conferences - the actual product of the UN)
b) Management reform - personnel, procurement, IT, etc
3)Accountability and transparency- real whistle blower protection
sadly though, very little has changed - despite Bolton's Herculean efforts. The expenditure cap is going to be lifted this week, which is unfortunate - because precious little reform was accomplished. Bolton imagines that lifting the cap will be painted by those at Turtle Bay as a sign of significant reform, But that is entirely untrue. I can See Kofi and co. making great hay of the removal of the expenditure cap.

He then went on to open up the call to any and all questions and did not confine us to any one issue.

Scott Johnson asked Ambassador Bolton what Bush meant when he said the Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons was "unacceptable." Bolton emphatically stated that Bush is a man of his word and when he says "it's unacceptable, he means it's unacceptable." Iran, in a matter of days, has to make a choice between our very generous offer or face increasing international isolation.

"It takes off the table all of the arguments Iran or its supporters can make that we haven't been willing to talk to the Iranians, all of these process issues are intended to distract from the central point which is  that Iran has been and continues very actively to seek nuclear weapons."

" Time is not on our side.........and that's why we feel a certain sense of urgency and why the President said last week when he was in Europe that he couldn't understand when Ahmadinejad said you'll hear back from us August 22nd, that's not acceptable."

Solana presented the package back on June 6th. Weeks --- not months. This is not an unlimited offer to negotiate. Bush knows what he is dealing  with...........

Ahmadinejad conducted a conference last year with the fascinating title "The World without the United States" followed this year by a conference "World without Israel" ....this is the prototype of the kind of leadership you don't want to have with their finger on the nuclear button."

I continued on the Iran nuclear question. Was this "very generous offer rewarding rogue behavior, allegedly increasing Ahmadinejad's popularity with his people?  Did the Administration consider the stall tactic in any way connected to the anniversary of the return of the 12th Imam Mahdi, November 22-23rd?"

Ambassador Bolton concurred that Iran has all but admitted to duping the Europeans. Under the guise of talks and negotiations, they pursued illegal nuclear activity. He never touched the 12 Imam though.
He did impress upon us, the time delays will not be acceptable. The risk,  through one device or another, Ahmadinejad will try to engage in discussions about discussions while he continues to spin the process out. Which is why we have to hold them and the Europeans to a very specific time frame.

I did question the value of sanctions. "Are sanctions going to do it?"
Bolton:"We don't know the answer to that question." But it is a necessary step in the world community and there are sanctions we can impose outside the UNSC.

Scott Johnson asked about the absurdity of the UN (most excellent question) - with Bolton referring to his work environment as the twilight zone.............at the UN there is an "entitlement mentality."

There's more , much more on 1979 hostage crises, The New York Times, Mallach Brown "The US will not be a well bred doormat," Darfur, Somalia, and the unraveling of Africa. Listen to it all.

What did I come away with? Frankly, Iran is the crushing issue of the day. There is no way, no way, the enormity of the threat of that kind of government getting their hands on nuclear weapons can be underestimated.

Thanks Mr. Bolton. It was indeed an honor,

WRITE YOUR LEGISLATORS info here. NOW.

UPDATE: Scott Johnson has a great write- up here;

I asked about how the United States felt it should deal with Ahmadinejad given his leadership role in the 1979 seizure of American hostages at the American embassy in Tehran. He said that Americans should not forget and that he himself had met with three former hostages this past September 30, one of whom was especially emotional about Ahmadinejad's role in his ordeal.

Tom Bevan asked about the New York Times's disclosure of the administration's terrorist finance tracking program. Ambassador Bolton stated that the disclosure of the program was hard to defend in that it revealed an effective means of tracking how terrorists move and launder money. He regretted the demise of a World War II spirit in such matters.

Ambassador Bolton is an extraordinarily straightforward and plainspoken diplomat and a great advocate of America's cause. We have not seen his like since Jeane Kirpatrick occupied the post in the first term of the Reagan administration. I hope to check in with him again on the subject of Iran next month.

UPDATE: Tuesday's New York Sun;

The American ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said yesterday that Congress would be justified in withholding funds from the United Nations if the world body failed to make substantial reforms.The challenge to legislators to take the initiative in demanding U.N. reform came though the Bush administration wants Congress to pay America’s part of the dues owed to Turtle Bay.    Both Congress and the U.N. General Assembly are debating issues related to the world body’s funding. Some legislators said yesterday that they would follow Mr. Bolton and oppose further funding unless reform is clearly demonstrated.

A mighty good thing too.

Comments

[gcarlston]

Pamela, I converted the file to mp3. I can email it if you like. Let me know, and keep up the great work!