NAVO geen rol in stoppen nucleaire ambities Iran, volgens De Hoop Scheffer

"Scheffer said that NATO did not have a direct role to play in the issue, but said he was worried that the United Nations had failed to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions."

Waarom heeft de NAVO hier geen directe rol in? Het krijgt straks wellicht wel met de gevolgen te maken. Er lijkt een soort sfeer te zijn waarin iedereen de hete aardappel doorschuift, en niemand zelf wil handelen. En met handelen bedoel ik niet alleen of vooral militair, want er zijn (nog) alternatieven zoals echt stevige sancties, waarvoor bepaalde landen zwaarder onder druk moeten worden gezet en van de ernst van de zaak doordrongen.

 

RP

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NATO chief: Given Iran nukes, we can't ask Israel to disarm

By Reuters
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1026981.html

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on Monday he was not certain the world can stop Iran from building a nuclear bomb.

Scheffer told a conference in southeast France that given Iran's nuclear activities, he would never expect Israel to abandon its own, "supposed nuclear arsenal". Israel is widely believed to have the Middle East's only nuclear weapons, but has never formally said so.

"As we all know, Israel never admits to what it has, but I do not see very many arguments for the Jewish state to abandon its potential," he said.
Scheffer said that NATO did not have a direct role to play in the issue, but said he was worried that the United Nations had failed to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions.

"It is a major challenge to prevent Iran from continuing to strive to get the bomb," Scheffer told a World Policy Conference organized by France's IFRI foreign affairs think tank.

"I am not positive about the world being able to stop Iran from fulfilling its ambitions," he added.

"My concern is that the Security Council, as we speak, is rather incapable of coming to further conclusions on further sanctions," Scheffer said.

Scheffer added that he was equally concerned about Iran's drive to develop its missile capabilities.

"What is as dangerous [as the nuclear program] is the missile technology which [Iran] is also developing at a fast pace," he said. "This becomes an element for the security of the United States and of course Europe.

Iran has a series of medium-range missiles, which experts say could target Israel. Tehran has also said it is working on long-range missiles.
Iran delivered a letter to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana later Monday which Tehran said stressed that pressure would not resolve the dispute over the Iranian nuclear program.

The letter was handed to Solana, who has represented six major powers in talks with Iran over its controversial nuclear program, by Iran's ambassador to the European Union, Solana's spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said.

"I do not know what is in the letter ... but the letter is now in the hands of Mr. Solana," she said.

Iranian media reported that the letter, from Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili to the foreign ministers of the six powers, said pressure would not resolve the nuclear issue.

Iran says its uranium-enrichment program is only for electricity generation, but is under United Nations' sanctions over past undeclared activity and its failure to prove its intentions are wholly peaceful.

The UN Security Council last month again ordered Iran to "comply fully and without delay" to demands it stop enrichment, but failed to introduce any new sanctions as sought by the United States and its Western European allies.


Met dank aan:
http://zionism-israel.com/israel_news/2008/10/passing-buck-nato-chief-implies-nato.html