Die Welt: If Merkel and EU follow Bush's lead on Iran, results could be "incendiary"

[BurtWorm]

http://www.watchingamerica.com/diewelt000014.shtml

We Must Not 'Blindly Follow' America Into a New War with Iran

"Chancellor Merkel cannot hide behind the Americans. If Germany and the E.U. blindly follow America's lead, we will have no capacity to deescalate the situation.”

By Fritz Kuhn, Member of the Bundestag

Translated By Hartmut Lau

January 30, 2007
...


Because we must prevent Iran from soon acquiring nuclear bombs, we need a strategy that combines sanctions on the one hand with frank and open discussions on the other. During my visit to Tehran last week it became clear that the U.N. Security Council's sanctions resolution has resulted in an ambivalent reaction from Iran's political leadership. On the one hand, it was above came as a surprise that the community of nations - including Europeans, Russians, and Chinese - closed ranks against Iran's nuclear program. This has made it difficult for the Iranians to talk of an American plot. On the other, Iranian leaders see the resolution as an attack on Iranian sovereignty in an attempt to deny Iran what it couldn't or wouldn't deny to Pakistan, India or Israel. And that causes the Iranians to close ranks.

I am convinced that the Security Council resolution, if combined with discussions and offers to negotiate, can have a positive effect on Iran's policies, precisely because the Council displayed moderation by limiting the sanctions to nuclear cooperation. The Iranian government has basically three objectives: keeping itself in power, being recognized by the USA and becoming an important regional power. In the medium term, the political class in Iran - including the so-called reformers - expected to achieve these objectives by pursuing Iran's nuclear program. Now the first doubts about this strategy are coming to the fore.

The key now, based on the Security Council resolution, is to return to the negotiating table. The Iranians say they want nuclear power for energy production only. The international community of states doubts this, and there are many indications that Iran wants to create a military-nuclear potential. Iran has essentially mastered nuclear technology. This fact cannot be denied. But in the medium term, Iran doesn't yet have the nuclear power plants it needs to produce enriched uranium. There would therefore be a good chance to get them to suspend enrichment and use the time for negotiation and building confidence.

The political leadership has the task of making partners of their opponents rather than enemies. At this juncture, Chancellor <Angela> Merkel cannot hide behind the Americans. If Germany and the E.U. blindly follow America's lead, we will have no capacity to deescalate the situation. The concept "working toward peace between Palestinians and Israel and escalating the conflict with the Iranians" is an illusion. Europe has a key role, which concerns negotiations with Iran. Therefore the European Union must talk with Iran and also the Syrians, about the Iran's nuclear program, Lebanon, the Palestinian question and about human rights. The easiest topic to discuss could be Afghanistan, because there are many common interests there. Negotiations are not appeasement. But not trying again and again could be incendiary.

[Karenina]

1. I LOVE "Die Welt!!!"

They are SO ON IT ALL OF THE TIME!!! Never mind it takes me a WEEK to get through the articles. The time spent is worth it for the content (AND for improving my language skills. ;-) )

[BurtWorm]

2. Believe me, I didn't read this in the original!

:crazy:

But it is at the link if you want to give it a go.

:toast:

[JackRiddler]

3. This is not "Die Welt"

It is a column by Fritz Kuhn, a leader of the Green Party, writing in Die Welt.

And I'm sorry if I don't share your enthusiasm, but I would guess you perhaps simply don't know that Die Welt is the flagship of the Springer-Presse, the German home-grown version of the Murdoch empire, which also includes the best-selling tabloid BILD. They have a long history of red-baiting and smearing everything to the left, in the 1960s becoming the nemesis of the student movement. They supported the US line on most issues, including the Iraq invasion (at a time when Schroeder basically got himself reelected by running against Bush - and more power to him, as far as that went).

[Karenina]

4. Well, I check their front pages regularly.

FAZ I simply cannot comprehend, WAY too RW and the language is viel zu kompliziert for a non-native speaker such as myself. Dumont-Carre ("Express" OWNS this city) rises to the level of the National Enquirer although a dictionary is of NO USE. I've often found VERY thought-provoking articles and HYSTERICALLY FUNNY front-page illustrations in Die Zeit. BILD is bullshit, but everyone KNOWS that. Express or Bild we're talking tits on the front page. I do wish I'd saved the headline:

"WIR SIND PAPST." :rofl:

Hey Jack, I LIVE HERE. I speak and read Deutsch.

[JackRiddler]

5. Ich aber nicht

Ach, du bist Koelnerin. Bald ist Karneval! Die schoenste, beste Stadt. Habe ich 5 Jahre dort gewohnt, dann 10 in Berlin. Ich war Uebersetzer bei der FAZ, leider gibt's keine englische Version mehr. Leider wohne ich seit Jahren wieder in die Staaten.

[Karenina]

6. DUUUU!!!

Komm zurück!!! Das leben hier, Du weisst schon... Es hat aal immer vigger jon! ;-) KRIEG ist UNKÖLSCH!!! (So sagt der Pfarrer; Rebbe und Mullah auch).