Just Foreign Policy News July 12, 2006
In this issue: 1) Rice Calls Iranian Response Disappointing 2) US, EU Turn Up Pressure on Iran Ahead of Paris Meet 3) Oil Steady Above $74 on Strong Demand Outlook 4) Rice Calls Iranian Response Disappointing 5) Iran, EU End Nuclear Talks with No Sign of Result 6) Iran's Waiting Game 7) Defiant Iran 8) Slovenia's Energy-Minded Premier Shares Hopes for a Solution on Iran 9) Lieberman's Real Problem 10) Army to End Expansive, Exclusive Halliburton Deal 11) Mexico's Calderon Urges Calm, Leftist Urges Recount 12) Calderón Says He Would Accept Partial Recount
Summary: Iran and the European Union ended talks on Tehran's nuclear program on Tuesday with no clear indication of a result. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told a brief news conference they would be in contact to see how to proceed after Solana reports to foreign ministers of the major powers in Paris on Wednesday.
Oil prices rallied on Tuesday after Iran rejected calls for an early response to incentives offered by major powers for it to stop enriching uranium. Iran has said it will respond to the incentives in late August. The United States, which has accused Tehran of working to build nuclear weapons, has said it wants a clear response before the Group of Eight meets this weekend.
Secretary of State Rice will ask foreign ministers from Europe, Russia and China to seek action from the United Nations Security Council in the face of Iran's reluctance to respond to a proposal aimed at resolving a crisis over its nuclear program, the New York Times reports.
Iran has neither accepted nor rejected the offer, "nor even set a date for when it would respond," the New York Times reports, a strange statement given that Iran has said repeatedly that it would respond by August, as has been widely reported in the press. For example, just in today's reporting: "Iran has said it will respond to the incentives in late August" (Reuters); "Iran repeatedly has said it will not respond to the offer before August" (AP); "During his morning meeting with Cheney, Jansa said he learned that Iran would not give its response to Western proposals until August." (Washington Post.) Readers are encouraged to ask the New York Times for a correction: nytnews at nytimes.com.
In meetings Tuesday, Iran's negotiator Larijani asked for unambiguous assurances that the world powers were "sincere," noting that talk about regime change in Iran created an atmosphere of distrust, a European official told the New York Times. Iranian officials have demanded that there be no preconditions - specifically a freeze on its enrichment activities - in advance of formal negotiations. Another demand from Tehran is that it be given guarantees that the incentives will be delivered. Iranian officials have said they have no confidence that the Bush administration will provide sophisticated technology, particularly if there is opposition from Congress.
Iran's deputy foreign minister Manuchehr Mohammadi said on Tuesday Iran was not considering suspending enrichment. "We did it before, we did it for two and a half years. It proved that it didn't work,'' he said, referring to a suspension put in place during previous talks with France, Britain and Germany.
Slovenia is hoping to help mediate efforts to bring Iran on board with a package of proposals regarding its nuclear capability, Nora Boustany reports in the Washington Post. Slovenia imports 40 percent of its natural gas requirements from Russia. Energy security is a priority for Slovenia and it would like to see gas pumped from Iran via Turkey to Europe. Prime Minister Jansa said he learned from meeting with Vice-President Cheney that Iran would not give its response to Western proposals until August. "We had wanted them to decide by the G-8 meeting. But if the decision is positive, we can wait until August. They did not refuse but asked for more time," he said.
Harold Meyerson, writing in the Washington Post, mocks pundits who profess to be mystified by the vigorous challenge that Senator Joe Lieberman is facing in the Democratic primary in Connecticut August 8th. No great mystery enshrouds the challenge to Lieberman, he writes. Lieberman has simply and rightly been caught up in the fundamental dynamics of Politics 2006, in which Democrats are doing their damnedest to unseat all the president's enablers in this year's elections. Lieberman's broader politics are at odds with those of his fellow Northeastern Democrats. He is not being opposed because he doesn't reflect the views of his Democratic constituents 100 percent of the time. He is being opposed because he leads causes many of them find repugnant.
The Army is discontinuing a controversial multibillion-dollar deal with oil services giant Halliburton Co. to provide logistical support to U.S. troops worldwide, a decision that could cut deeply into the firm's dominance of government contracting in Iraq, the Washington Post reports. The choice comes after several years of attacks from critics who saw the contract as a symbol of politically connected corporations profiteering on the war. Under the deal, Halliburton had exclusive rights to provide the military with a wide range of work. Government audits turned up more than $1 billion in questionable costs. Whistle-blowers told how the company charged $45 per case of soda, double-billed on meals and allowed troops to bathe in contaminated water.
Felipe Calderon urged calm on Tuesday ahead of street protests led by his rival Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who again demanded a recount in the Mexican presidential election and said the vote could be nullified. The electoral court must rule on Lopez Obrador's objections to the election result by August 31 and declare an election winner by September 6. The next president takes over on December 1. Calderón said Tuesday that he would accept a partial recount but that a complete recount would be absurd and illegal. He said that he would abide by the decision of the court, even if it orders a recount of as many as 50,000 polling places. Calderón is clinging to a half-percentage-point lead after an official tally last week. By law, the result must be certified by Mexico's special elections court, known as the Federal Electoral Judicial Tribunal, which will also hear López Obrador's challenge. The court has until Sept. 6 to name the winner, and Calderón said Tuesday that he expected the fight to drag out until the deadline. Calderón and his legal team contend that Mexican election law will allow only the reopening and recounting of sealed voting packets that appear to have been altered or have other irregularities.
Articles: 1) Rice Calls Iranian Response Disappointing Helene Cooper And Elaine Sciolino New York Times July 12, 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/12/world/middleeast/12iran.html
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice suggested today that she will encourage foreign ministers from Europe, Russia and China to seek action from the United Nations Security Council in the face of Iran's reluctance to respond to an international proposal aimed at resolving a crisis over its nuclear program. Ms. Rice's remarks as she arrived here a day after Iranian negotiators failed to give a definitive answer yesterday to a package of incentives meant to coax it into abandoning its nuclear ambitions. Last month, the foreign ministers from the world's eight richest nations had called for a formal response before a meeting of international diplomats today.
2) US, EU Turn Up Pressure on Iran Ahead of Paris Meet Reuters July 12, 2006 Filed at 6:02 a.m. ET http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-nuclear-iran.html
PARIS (Reuters) - The United States and European Union stepped up pressure on Iran on Wednesday, warning it could face U.N. Security Council action for not accepting an offer of incentives aimed at defusing a nuclear standoff. Foreign ministers of the world's top powers meet in Paris later on Wednesday to decide how to handle Iran after Tehran said it needed more time to consider the June 6 offer.
3) Oil Steady Above $74 on Strong Demand Outlook Reuters July 12, 2006 Filed at 6:59 a.m. ET http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-markets-oil.html
LONDON (Reuters) - Oil stood firm at above $74 a barrel on Wednesday as the West's energy watchdog forecast accelerating oil demand growth in 2007 and beyond. Prices were supported by expectations that U.S. inventory data later in the day would show robust gasoline demand and by Iran's defiant stance to Western demands for limits on its nuclear ambitions.
4) Rice Calls Iranian Response Disappointing Associated Press July 12, 2006 Filed at 7:05 a.m. ET http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Rice-Iran.html
PARIS (AP) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that Iran has given a ''disappointing and incomplete'' response to an international deal to end suspicious nuclear activities and that world powers may have no choice but to haul Iran before the U.N. Security Council. Iran ruled out responding this week to international incentives to suspend disputed portions of its nuclear program. The United States and other nations wanted an answer by Wednesday on whether Iran would meet terms to begin negotiations on a package of economic and energy incentives for Iran in exchange for at least the short-term end to Tehran's rapidly advancing program to enrich uranium.
5) Iran, EU End Nuclear Talks with No Sign of Result Reuters July 11, 2006 Filed at 8:53 a.m. ET http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-nuclear-iran-larijani.html
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Iran and the European Union ended talks on Tehran's nuclear program on Tuesday with no clear indication of a result. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told a brief news conference they would be in contact to see how to proceed after Solana reports to foreign ministers of the major powers in Paris on Wednesday.
6) Iran's Waiting Game David Ignatius Wednesday, July 12, 2006; A15 Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101203.html
"To jaw-jaw is better than to war-war," Winston Churchill said famously in 1954 about negotiations to end the Korean War, and the Bush administration embraced this precept in proposing talks with Iran over its nuclear program. But yesterday, the Party of Jaw hit an Iranian obstacle -- forcing all sides to consider less pleasant alternatives.
7) Defiant Iran A moment of truth for Russia and China Editorial Washington Post Wednesday, July 12, 2006; A14 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101328.html
TWO MONTHS ago Russia and China blocked action at the United Nations against Iran's nuclear program. In deference to Russian and Chinese concerns, the United States and the European Union agreed to give diplomacy another chance, even though Iran had spurned an earlier attempt at negotiation. Yesterday, Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, rejected the idea of negotiation once again. "The Iranian nation will not retreat one iota on its way to realizing all of its rights, including complete nuclear rights," he declared, even as his top nuclear diplomat turned aside a European package of political and economic carrots that includes access to civilian nuclear technology.
8) Slovenia's Energy-Minded Premier Shares Hopes for a Solution on Iran Nora Boustany Washington Post Wednesday, July 12, 2006; A09 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101509.html
Iran was high on the agenda of Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa , who made his first visit to Washington as head of government this week and is hoping to help mediate efforts to bring Tehran on board with a package of proposals regarding its nuclear capability. "We are a nuclear energy country. We use atomic energy for 20 percent of our electricity," he said over lunch at the Willard Hotel yesterday. He met with President Bush on Monday and with Vice President Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday.
9) Lieberman's Real Problem Harold Meyerson Washington Post Wednesday, July 12, 2006; A15 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101204.html
I am about to become a traitor to my class. Among my estimable colleagues in the Washington commentariat, the idea that Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman is facing a serious challenge from a fellow Democrat over Lieberman's support for the Iraq war seems to evoke incredulity and exasperation. On the op-ed pages of leading newspapers, we read that Lieberman is "the most kind-hearted and well-intentioned of men" (that's from the New York Times' David Brooks), a judgment that cannot credibly be disputed -- though if ever a road to hell was paved with good intentions, it would start with the anti-Saddam Hussein interventionism of pro-democracy advocates and end in downtown Baghdad today.
10) Army to End Expansive, Exclusive Halliburton Deal Logistics Contract to Be Open for Bidding Griff Witte Washington Post Wednesday, July 12, 2006; A01 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101459.html
The Army is discontinuing a controversial multibillion-dollar deal with oil services giant Halliburton Co. to provide logistical support to U.S. troops worldwide, a decision that could cut deeply into the firm's dominance of government contracting in Iraq. The choice comes after several years of attacks from critics who saw the contract as a symbol of politically connected corporations profiteering on the war.
11) Mexico's Calderon Urges Calm, Leftist Urges Recount Reuters July 12, 2006 Filed at 1:59 a.m. ET http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-mexico-election.html
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The conservative winner of Mexico's contested presidential election urged calm on Tuesday ahead of street protests led by his leftist rival, who demanded a recount and said the vote could be nullified. Leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who says last week's vote count was manipulated in favor of ruling party candidate Felipe Calderon, showed reporters videos of alleged ballot stuffing. He also suggested some of his party representatives may have been bribed and repeated a demand for a complete recount.
12) Calderón Says He Would Accept Partial Recount Winner of Disputed Mexican Vote Chides Bush Aide on Border Wall Comment Manuel Roig-Franzia Washington Post Wednesday, July 12, 2006; A01 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101534.html
MEXICO CITY, July 11 -- Felipe Calderón, a free-trade booster who was declared the winner of Mexico's disputed presidential election last week, said Tuesday that he would accept a partial recount but that a complete recount would be "absurd" and illegal. Calderón's main opponent, Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the Democratic Revolutionary Party, has alleged widespread election fraud, called massive street protests and asked Mexico's special electoral court to order a recount of votes cast in all 130,000 polling stations. In his first international media interview since being declared winner, Calderón said Tuesday that he would abide by the decision of the court, even if it orders a recount of as many as 50,000 polling places.
-- Robert Naiman Just Foreign Policy