In today's NY sun, President Ahmadinejad of Iran said it is “unlikely” the U.N. Security Council will take action over his country’s nuclear program.
Iran has so far rejected a Security Council request that it suspend uranium enrichment by August 31. Mr. Ahmadinejad did not mention this deadline in remarks to reporters yesterday.
Mr. Ahmadinejad yesterday challenged President Bush to a live and “uncensored” televised debate on “ways to get out of the standoffs.” Iran is willing to open a dialogue with America, the Iranian leader said, if the Bush administration changes its “attitude.”
If the August 31 deadline passes without an Iranian agreement to halt uranium enrichment, the U.N. Security Council will then be faced with the problem of whether to impose economic sanctions. China and Russia, permanent members of the council with France, Britain, and America, have expressed caution about taking such a step.
Russia and China expressed caution? Hey c'mon now fellas. Russia says it opposes sanctions on Iran. And China........ not happening. France? France is all geared up to start talking .....again. Yeah, cheap French double talk, that's the ticket to saving the free world.
The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna said June 8 that it cannot be sure that Iran is not hiding a nuclear-weapons program. Iran concealed nuclear work from IAEA inspectors for 18 years until 2003.
In other words, the IAEA doesn't know it's ass from its elbow - Iran could have nukes as we speak. But then again, maybe not.
Iranian president Ahmadinejad’s offer to President Bush for a debate “on how to end world predicaments” is a farce, said Dr. Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute. “The Iranian regime is the world’s leading sponsor of the Islamic totalitarian movement that terrorizes us, and it is eagerly pursuing long-range missiles and nuclear warheads with which to terrorize us further. The only way to “end world predicaments” is for this regime to cease to exist. We must defeat Ahmadinejad and his regime--not debate them. Yaron Brook, Ayn Rand Institute
Hat tip to Pete at ihillary for making me the graphic. Excellent.
UPDATE: Lebanon, Iran's proxy, speaks. No peace with Israel.
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Prime Minister Saniora said Wednesday that he refused to have any direct contact with Israel and Lebanon would be the last Arab country to ever sign a peace deal with the Jewish state.
"Let it be clear, we are not seeking any agreement until there is just and comprehensive peace based on the Arab initiative," he said.
He was referring to a plan that came out of a 2002 Arab League summit in Beirut. It calls for Israel to return all territories it conquered in the 1967 Mideast war, the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem _ all in exchange for peace and full normalization of Arab relations with Israel.
