Russia says UN plan for Iran is 'first step to war'
As President Bush might have put it, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me a second time... and you can't be fooled again".
It would appear that the Russians have heeded this advice and are now applying it to the negotiating techniques of John Bolton at the UN.
John Bolton, the US ambassador to the UN, said last week when Britain, France and the US tabled the draft: "The fundamental point is for Russia and China to agree that this is a threat to international peace and security under Chapter VII."
It is on this very point that the Russians are refusing to play ball. And for very good reason, as they demonstrated:
Yury Fedotov, the Russian ambassador in London, said his country opposed the Chapter VII reference because it evoked memories of past UN resolutions on Yugoslavia and Iraq that led to US-led military action which had not been authorised by the Security Council.
Russia's partners in the Security Council had argued in the past that the reference was needed to obtain "robust language," he said. But "afterwards it was used to justify unilateral action. In the case of Yugoslavia, for example, we were told at the beginning that references to Chapter VII were necessary to send political signals, and it finally ended up with the Nato bombardments."
Oh dear, those pesky Russians are on to Bush's game! How many times did Bush think he could play the same set of cards and continue to get away with basically employing the same old trick?
Mr Fedotov said: "Our position is not much different from Britain and the US. We want Iran's nuclear programme to remain in a peaceful framework, and we need clarification on its past programmes on the questions raised by the International Atomic Energy Agency [the UN nuclear watchdog]. But on tactics we have our own views, based on past experience regarding Iraq and Yugoslavia.
"We have serious doubts sanctions would work. [They] could pave the way to a military action. The military option is a nonsense. It's [an] adventure that could threaten international stability in this region and beyond."
Maybe I'm asking too much of Bush and Co., but one would hope that at some point they will see why their previous illegal behaviour was inadvisable. Now everyone suspects their motives and no-one trusts Bush when he says he needs a resolution "to send a signal." He's trapped himself in a corner of his own making.
Trust, once squandered, can never be regained.
No-one trusts Bush and his UN adventure, as I've always said, is doomed.
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