Bush heads for UN Brick Wall.
In a move that shows (a) that the American approach to the UN is bearing no fruit, and (b) that the UN itself seems not to understand Iran's position regarding the enrichment of uranium:Britain, France and Germany said Tuesday that they are preparing a package of fresh incentives for Iran -- including affordable energy and greater trade with the West -- that would be granted if Tehran resumed negotiations on its nuclear program and agreed to halt the enrichment of nuclear fuel.
This ignores the fact that Iran considers her nuclear programme a matter of national pride and is also well within her legal rights to continue with it.
This must be a gag, right? Return to what negotiating table? The US have had no contact with the Iranians since 1979.Rice endorsed the new approach, and Tuesday she appealed to Iran to "return to the negotiating table."
"I would just like to say to the people of Iran: Obviously, if there is a way for Iran to accept the will of the international community, to accept proposals for civil nuclear power, this is the time for Iran to take that possibility, because no one wants to isolate the Iranian people," she said.
Fortunately Bush couldn't stop himself from spilling the rationale behind this offer in a speech in Florida:
"I've made the tough decision to commit American troops into harm's way," Bush said. "It's the toughest decision a president can ever make. But I want you to know that I tried diplomacy. In other words, the president has got to be able to say to the American people diplomacy didn't work."
In other words, "I know they're going to reject it and I'm making this offer so I can say I tried to prevent a war."
Now, working on the presumption that even the gaggle of neo-Cons currently inhabiting the White House realise that there is no realistic military option on the table, Bush is obviously hoping that - when the inevitable rejection comes - the Russians and Chinese will be persuaded to impose strict sanctions on the Iranian regime for "non-compliance".
However, even this limited agenda has no chance of success, and Bush remains on a collision course with a UN brick wall as he has at no point proven that Iran have any intentions of building a bomb. And without such proof it is highly unlikely that the Russians and Chinese will change their stance on this issue.
I've always said that this sojourn through the UN is going to result in failure.
Bush will find soon that the lies he told preceding the invasion of Iraq are going to come back to haunt him.
The boy who cried wolf will find there are very few willing to accept the apocalyptic predictions he is making about Iran and "the new Hitler".
Trust squandered is never easily recovered. Bush now has no credibility - and no-one to blame but himself.
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