Shouldn't Rice be meeting with the Iranians in Iraq? Isn't that her job?

[NNN0LHI]

http://usinfo.state.gov/is/Archive/2006/Jun/04-829348.html

Rice Gives Iran Weeks, not Months, To Decide on Nuclear Talks

International community offers Iran incentives to abandon nuclear program

By David Shelby
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Iran has weeks, not months, to respond to the proposals from the international community to resolve the diplomatic impasse over Iran's nuclear activities, according to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

“{W}e can't wait for months while Iran again says on the one hand maybe they're interested in negotiating, on the other hand maybe they're not. They need to make a choice and the international community needs to know whether negotiation is a real option or not,” Rice told reporters in Vienna, Austria, June 2.

The international community is putting forth a package of incentives and penalties aimed at persuading the Iranian government to suspend its uranium enrichment activities and return to negotiations about its nuclear program. (See related article.)

“I hope that the Iranian government will take a little time to think about the proposal that is being presented to it. This is a way out of the impasse if Iran indeed wants a way out of the impasse,” she told a CBS News reporter.

Iran has been at loggerheads with the international community over its nuclear program since January, when it ended a 14-month moratorium on its uranium enrichment activities and abandoned talks with United Kingdom, France and Germany (the EU-3).

Foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States met in Vienna June 1 to draw up detailed plans for two possible courses of action with regard to Iran.

“One is a path that would give Iran considerable benefits, including civil nuclear power. The other, though, is a path that goes to the Security Council again and can use then the full weight of the Security Council to isolate Iran,” Rice said.

Officials refused to reveal the details of the package before Iran has had time to consider it. “Because of the nature of the diplomacy and because of the delicate aspect of the negotiations that will now ensue with Iran, I am not going to be giving you the details of the package that was agreed to,” Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns told reporters in Vienna.

A civil nuclear power program would be central to any future negotiations, as Iranian officials consistently have claimed that this is the sole aim of their nuclear research activities. Within the past year, however, Iran has rejected offers from both the EU-3 and Russia that would have provided it with nuclear power facilities but avoided the proliferation risk of having uranium enrichment on Iranian soil.

U.S. officials showed little concern at Iran’s initial dismissal of a U.S. offer to join the Iranian-European negotiations. Iranian officials have rejected the demand that Iran suspend its nuclear activities as a condition for the resumption of negotiations. Rice said the Iranians do not yet have the full set of proposals from the international community and that they should be allowed time to consider the alternatives they face.

Transcripts of Rice’s comments to the press can be found on the State Department Web site:

• Interview by Andrea Mitchell of NBC News

• Interview by David Ensor of CNN

• Interview by David Wright of ABC News

• Interview by Michele Keleman of National Public Radio

• Interview by Thalia Assuras of CBS News

The full text of Burns’ remarks in Vienna also is available on the State Department Web site.

For additional information on U.S. policy, see Middle East and North Africa and Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.


Created: 02 Jun 2006 Updated: 02 Jun 2006

[saltpoint]

1. Condi Condi Condi

"I'm a Russia expert, you know. And I play the piano."

"Do you like my shoes?"

"Airplanes? What airplanes?"

[Eugene]

2. That was 9 months ago. Condoleezza Rice has changed her tune.

A lot has happened since that statement, most notably
the 2006 elections and the Baker-Hamilton Report.

They administration is at least going through the motions.
There will be a ministerial level conference in Turkey
next month and Rice will attend. It remains to be seen
how serious the Bushies are about talks however.

[NNN0LHI]

3. I would say the most notable happening since Rice made this statement was Iran called her bluff

Thats how it appears to me anyway. Even with Bush sending carrier groups there to threaten Iran they still didn't back down. After seeing what Bush did to the Iraqis the Iranians don't see any advantage to backing down. They realize that if they are next in line for Shock and Awe anyway backing down certainly won't help them. Might even hurt them.

Don