Blair refuses to back Iran strike
BRIAN BRADY
WESTMINSTER EDITOR
04/16/06 "The
Scotsman" -- -- TONY Blair has told George Bush
that Britain cannot offer military support to any strike on
Iran, regardless of whether the move wins the backing of the
international community, government sources claimed yesterday.
Amid increasing tension over Tehran's attempts to develop a
military nuclear capacity, the Prime Minister has laid bare the
limits of his support for President Bush, who is believed to be
considering an assault on Iran, Foreign Office sources revealed.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is calling on the United
Nations to consider new sanctions against Tehran when the
Security Council meets next week to discuss the developing
crisis. Blair is expected to support the call for a "Chapter 7"
resolution, which could effectively isolate Iran from the
international community.
But, in the midst of international opposition to a pre-emptive
strike on Tehran, and Britain's military commitments around the
world, the government maintains it cannot contribute to a
military assault. "We will support the diplomatic moves, at
best," a Foreign Office source told Scotland on Sunday. "But we
cannot commit our own resources to a military strike."
Meanwhile, a new report on the Iran crisis has warned that
neo-conservatives in the Bush administration are on "collision
course" with Tehran.
The Foreign Policy Centre (FPC), often referred to as Blair's "favourite
think-tank", will appeal for a greater effort to find a
diplomatic solution in a report to be published later this week.
FPC director Stephen Twigg, formerly a Labour minister,
explained: "It is essential UK policy on Iran is well
informed... We want to engage with the various reformist
elements in Iran, both inside and outside the structures of
power.
"There is potential for political dialogue, economic ties and
cultural contacts to act as catalysts for the strengthening of
civil society in Iran."
While the sense of crisis over Iran has been escalated by the
fiery rhetoric between Tehran and the West - particularly
Washington - many within the British government are now
convinced that the impasse can be resolved by repeating the same
sort of painstaking diplomatic activity that returned Libya to
the international fold.
The approach contrasts sharply with the strategy employed during
the run-up to the war in Iraq, when ministers repeatedly issued
grim warnings to Saddam Hussein over the consequences of not
falling in line with their demands.
"The only long-term solution to Iran's problems is democracy,"
said Alex Bigham, co-author of the FPC report. "But it cannot be
dictated, Iraq-style, or it will backfire. Iran may seem
superficially like Iraq but we need to treat Iran more like
Libya. Diplomatic engagement must be allowed to run its course.
There need to be bigger carrots as well as bigger sticks."
However, the conciliatory language was not reflected in the
approach from Washington, where senior figures in the Bush
administration remain keen to stress the danger of Tehran's
intentions.
In a declaration aimed at America's allies as much as Iran, Rice
claimed the Security Council's handling of the Iranian nuclear
issue would be a test of the international community's
credibility. "If the UN Security Council says: 'You must do
these things and we'll assess in 30 days,' and Iran has not only
not done those things, but has taken steps that are exactly the
opposite of those that are demanded, then the Security Council
is going to have to act."
Rice dismissed Iran's declaration that it is only interested in
enriching uranium for use in civil nuclear power facilities,
saying the international community must remain focused on the
potential military applications of this technology.
"The world community does not want them to have that nuclear
know-how and that's why nobody wants them to be able to enrich
and reprocess on their territory, getting to the place that they
can produce what we call a full-scale nuclear plant to be able
to do this," she said.
Rice reiterated that President Bush has not taken any option off
the table, including a military response, if Iran fails to
comply with the demands of the international community.
©2006 Scotsman.com
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