[quote]
The Europeans are victims of their own delusions. Their policy on Iran is based on a logical contradiction and a number of illusions. The contradiction is this: Europe assumes that Iran has been lying about its nuclear program for two decades, and invites the Iranians to stop lying. But to do that, they would first have to admit that they had been lying. The Europeans are asking Iran to stop doing what Iran insists it is not doing at all. Thus to satisfy the Europeans, Iran must first confess doing what it says it is not and then stop doing it in a verifiable way. For over a year, Straw and his German and French colleagues have been talking to a certain Hassan Rouhani, a junior mulla with the title of secretary of The High Council of Islamic National Defense. By all accounts Rouhani is a bonviveur with a sense of humor. His friends say that, in his lighter moments, he does a good imitation of the German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. But anyone with the slightest knowledge of how things work in Tehran would know that Rouhani has no decision-making powers even on procedural matters. If Iran has decided to get the bomb, it is not going to stop because Straw talks to a junior mullah. Nor would the promise of investment and trade persuade them to change course. As for the threat of “referring” them to the United Nations, Asefi described it as “laughable”. The European initiative is not only useless but could also be dangerous. By fostering Tehran’s illusion that Iran could take the major powers for a ride, the European initiative strengthens the hands of those in the camarilla who believe, or pretend to believe, that their war of attrition against a “corrupt, cowardly and moribund West” is winnable. There are many ways of dealing with the Khomeinist challenge. The European imitative, now heading for another failure, is the worst. [/quote]
nypost.com/postopinion/opedc … /45057.htm
Well, at least in this whole mess, I for one would love to see that imitation of Joschka Fischer!
So, more “negotiations?” Gosh. It seems like, oh, I don’t know, three years or so. Anything delivered so far? No? But more “dialogue” should be required? Is this how pathetic European “leadership” has become? What is the point? Even if this is referred to the UN, Iran knows it took 12 years and even then, the US had to act against the whole gamut of corrupt interests.
