EU-Digest/Salon: IRAN - Bush's real lie about Iran - ( Should EU disassociate itself from US Middle East policy?)

For the complete report from Salon.com click on this link

IRAN - Bush's real lie about Iran -(Should the EU disassociate itself from US Middle East Policy?) - Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett

"The latest National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear program raises questions once again about the Bush administration's veracity in describing a nuclear threat. But President Bush's worst misrepresentations about the Iranian nuclear issue do not focus on whether Tehran is currently pursuing a nuclear weapons program or when Bush knew the U.S. intelligence community was revising its previous assessments. Rather, the real lie is the president's claim that his administration has made a serious offer to negotiate with the Islamic Republic, and that Iranian intransigence is the only thing preventing a diplomatic resolution. Negotiations over Iran's nuclear activities started in the fall of 2003, initiated not by the United States, but by the "EU-3" -- Britain, France and Germany. Iran, for its part, agreed to suspend its nuclear activities as talks proceeded. But, contrary to Bush's statement at his press conference this week, the United States did not "facilitate" these negotiations. Indeed, the Europeans had launched the talks to fill a diplomatic vacuum, after the Bush administration cut off its post-9/11 dialogue with Iran over Afghanistan and rebuffed an Iranian offer to negotiate a comprehensive resolution of U.S.-Iranian differences earlier that year.

On the day the EU-3 and Iran announced the opening of their negotiations, one of Salon staff was in Paris, meeting with a senior advisor to then-French President Jacques Chirac. This official said forthrightly that the point of the European effort was to "drag" the Bush administration into talks with Iran that it had refused to enter on its own. For more than two years, the Europeans tried to "drag" the administration in, but to no avail."

Note EU-Digest: "There are some interesting developments going on in the Middle East. Europe and Iran throughout the years have always been natural allies and the ties could again be renewed based on mutual respect and cooperation. In the past Iran's leaders, Mohammed Mosaddeq and the Ayatollah Khomeini both had close ties with Europe (France). In contrast, Iran's present relationship with Russia is more one out of necessity than friendship. Russia was the last nation to occupy Iran, and the Persians have a long memory and an outstanding score to settle. The American's also have had a very turbulent relationship with Iran. On August 19, 1953 a coup d'état supported and funded by the British and U.S. governments, and orchestrated by the CIA overthrew the democratically elected government of Mosaddeq. Later during the Ayatollah Khomeini's rule there was a failed rescue attempt of US prisoners on Iran territory by US President Jimmy Carter . The US also supported Saddam's Iraq during their 1980 - 1988 war with Iran. At that time Ted Koppel reported on ABC's Nightline, "It is becoming increasingly clear that George Bush Sr., operating largely behind the scenes throughout the 1980s, initiated and supported much of the financing, intelligence, and military help that built Saddam's Iraq into an aggressive power and the "Reagan/Bush administrations permitted — and frequently encouraged — the flow of money, agricultural credits, dual-use technology, chemicals, and weapons to Iraq.” The above also emphazises that it does not matter if the Republicans or Democrats are in power in America. The US Middle East Policy basically will always remain the same and is not of long term benefit to the Middle East.

In the meantime all eyes should also be on Israel. The new US view, that Iran is acquiring the nuclear technology that could produce weapons but has given up its specific weapons program, and in any event probably could not produce a weapon until 2015, is the opposite of the Israeli assessment. Jerusalem believes Iran will have enough nuclear fuel for a weapon by 2010 at the latest. Senior Israeli officials warned today they were still considering the option of a military strike against Iran. Matan Vilnai, Israel's deputy defense minister, told Israel's Army Radio : "No option needs to be off the table."

Putting all these facts together, which the Iranians are obviously doing, they must also realize that in fact they can really only count on the EU as a true ally, which if persued will eventually allow them to become part of a European strategic regional alliance to benefit the whole region."