Ahmadinejad declares Iran is now a powerful nation

[Wetzelbill]

Iran now a powerful nation: President

Atul Aneja

"The Iranian nation is a powerful one and we are going to have a dialogue with the world from a position of power," he said


DUBAI: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Iran would now hold negotiations on its controversial nuclear programme from a position of strength, as it had now become a "powerful" nation.

"Today, thank God, the Iranian nation is a powerful one and we are going to have a dialogue with the world from a position of power," he said during a speech in northeast Iran. Mr. Ahmadinejad's remarks come within days of his declaration that Iran had successfully carried out nuclear enrichment on its own. It also follows the visit to Iran by International Atomic Energy (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei on Thursday.

Soon after arrival in Teheran, Mr. ElBaradei had told reporters that during his talks, he would try and persuade Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment activities "until outstanding issues are clarified."

IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told CNN in an interview broadcast from Teheran late on Thursday that Iran had not made any commitments to suspend enrichment "at this point."


http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/15/stories/2006041505841400.htm

[951-Riverside]

1. All Hail President George Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Bush

...I really wish the both of them would go on a huntin' trip with Dick Cheney.

[Wetzelbill]

2. strictly speaking none of them can shoot for shit

:)

Yeah, Ahmadinejad and Bush, both products of their own times and own idiocy. Peas in a pod. :)

[still_one]

3. couldn't agree with you more

that is just what the world needs two idiots playing with thermonuclear war

[oblivious]

4. But Iran is not developing nuclear weapons.

If you read the Iranian English papers, read the leaders' speeches, look at the reports from the IAEA inspections and whatever else you want to do, there is no indication whatsoever that Iran wants or is secretly developing nuclear weapons.

[still_one]

5. sorry, I am not as trusting as you

no one knows whether their enrichment program is being used for peaceful or non-peaceful means, but when their president is a Holocaust denier, and an extreme anti-Jewish bigot, this makes him less than trustworthy.

I am not for any pre-emptive strike against Iran, and believe that dialog is always the best course, but if he continues to fuel the flames, it is NOT going to matter what any of us want. He has directly threatened to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. That in itself is against the UN charter for one member nation to threaten another member nation.

[oblivious]

6. Just leave Iran in peace.

Iran's nuclear program is peaceful. There is not the slightest evidence that it is not. Iran's program has been transparent since 2003. They have adhered to the NPT, signed the additional protocol and even voluntarily postponed uranium enrichment for two years, which they weren't obligated to do under the NPT.

He's wavering a bit on the Holcaust denial these days, and indication that it's all rhetoric to try to appeal to a certain sector at home.

There is no indication he is an anti-Jewish bigot. He is clearly anti-zionist.

In fact he has very little power in Iran, so his bluster is basically meaningless.

He has never threatened to wipe Israel off the map. He has only said that Israel should be wiped off the map and renamed Palestine. That's a far cry from threatening to bomb another country as the US and Israel have done to Iran.

[LynnTheDem]

7. Amen.

:hug:

[still_one]

10. First of all I never said Iran should be attacked

second, he did say Israel should be wiped off the map. You can gloss over his anti-Jewish sentiments, but the fact remains he is anti-Jewish.

The fact also is that most of the Arab countries, and recently the non-Arab country Iran has been using the Palestinians to keep their oil prices high, by not working toward a resolution in the Israelli/Palestinian issue.

Even a little of the money from the oil producing countries could have helped build intrastructure, and housing, along with trying to find a solution to the problem instead of trying to destroy Israel in at least 3 wars.

It is a fact that about 60% of both the Israellis and 60% of the Palestinians want a negotiated, two state solution.

You have no idea what Iran will be using the uranium enrichment for. Just because a leader indicates that it will be for peaceful purposes, DOES NOT MAKE IT SO. Look how many leaders, including bush have lied. Whether Iran is violating the NPT is hardly the point, especially after bushco is pushing to violate the NPT themselves through India.

The most important point is to engage ALL PARTIES in discussions to stop the insanity.

Unfortunately, I do not believe it will happen.

In my view the current administration does not care whether the repukes win congress in 2006 or not, they have an agenda that they need to finish, and that agenda will be vulnerable after the 2006 election. Unless the Democrats AND THE republicans stop them, I believe that we are extremely close to major war and economic collapse...

[Tempest]

17. He did NOT say Israel should be wiped off the map

Christ, I thought this was long since settled.

The American translation of his comments were dead wrong, just as the translation of his last speech were wrong.

He has never threatened Israel in his speeches.


Also, he has never said anything about Jews, just Zionists.


What 3 wars are you referring to? Iran has never attacked Israel in modern history.


I hate to say it, but most of the stuff you posted comes right from the AIPAC web site.

[tatertop]

13. Amen to that!

[Tempest]

16. The U.N. knows

And they say Iran is has no weapons development programs.

I'll believe the U.N. considering their record on WMD production.

[teryang]

8. Much more powerful since we dismembered Iraq

Not only did we destroy a natural check on their power, we increased their strategic and economic value to the rest of the world. We can't attack them, without destroying the current international system.

As many military professionals have stated, the Iraq war was probably the greatest blunder we have ever been involved in.

[still_one]

11. That is one of the reasons why bush senior never invaded Iraq

or directly tried to touple Hussein.

The balance is now destroyed, and unfortunately Iraq is now in the middle of a civil war. The whole region is extremely vulnerable because of these people in the white house

The saddness of it all was if enough people, such as powell, who knew better spoke up, it could have been stopped. Unfortunately, powell, who at one time did have credibility with the country told the truth, the Iraq war could have been prevented.

Now is only defense is,

"I was only following orders"

[Wetzelbill]

14. definitely

it cannot be overstated, just how much the Iraq War benefitted Iran. Easily the greatest blunder the U.S. has ever been involved in. It was so stupid it was surreal having to live through the runup to war. I kept thinking "Am I missing something here? How can so many people try to rationalize something so obviously stupid?" I'd see guys like Richard Holbrooke on tv talking about removing Saddam etc. It was odd. Just to see the whole Foreign Policy establishment fall in line like that. Brent Scowcroft and Zbigniew Brzezinski were about the only ones who made any sense at all. Everyone else went mad. Now look where it's all gotten us.

[0007]

9. Time will tell.......Our track record isn't so hot!

[admsitio]

12. Hope the iranis loves the childrens too

I dont have many positive expectations on this issue.I can't believe in such people like George Bush, Condoleezza Rice or Donald Rumsfeld, at least i don't know nothing about this irani president... but who knows? maybe is another liar, or a terrorist or maybe not, maybe the fingers are wrong directed... i dont know.
All can happens... time will tell, I DONT WANT A WAR, STOP THE KILLING, NO MORE WAR, STOP BUSH!

[Vidar]

15. This should be left to the Israelis who have far better intelligence,

much more at stake & a far more competent military. But Halliburton wouldn't make as much that way.