Transatlantic alliance is all harmony - just don't mention Iran - by Quentin Peel
The transatlantic relationship between Europe and the US is no longer on life-support. It is alive and thriving. At least, that is what the leading politicians and officials charged with making the old alliance work would have us believe.Forget Iraq, and the bitter differences exposed by America's military intervention at the head of a "coalition of the willing". Forget conflicts over global warming, the International Criminal Court, the secret "rendition" of suspected terrorists, and the extra-legal detentions of Guantánamo Bay.
On Iran both sides may agree on broad aims, such as stopping Iran getting nuclear weapons, but they differ greatly on how those ends should be accomplished.A senior European diplomat said "it is clear that EU member states do not want a really harsh sanctions regime imposed on Iran, and are relying on Russia and China to block it. "The Europeans pretend to be tough for the Americans, and soft for the Russians," he said. A German analyst said it even more bluntly: "If it comes to US military action against Iran, you can bid farewell to the transatlantic relationship."
No comments:
Post a Comment