[Mb-civic] FW: Senator Lugar: " Time for action on Iran's plans"

[Golsorkhi]

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From: "Farhad Sepahbody" <sepa at sedona.net>
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 2004 09:18:14 -0700
To: <grgolsorkhi at earthlink.net>
Subject: Fw: Senator Lugar: " Time for action on Iran's plans"

 
----- Original Message -----
From: Shahla Samii <mailto:shahla at thesamiis.com>
Sent: Sunday, September 12, 2004 5:19 PM
Subject: Senator Lugar: " Time for action on Iran's plans"


The Washington Times
Time for action on Iran's plans


By Dick Lugar
Published September 12, 2004

Nearly two years have passed since the world discovered Iran has been
cheating under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Despite repeated
denials by Tehran, an indisputable mass of evidence since uncovered makes it
clear Iran seeks to build a nuclear bomb.
    For almost as long, many in the international community have tried to
avoid direct confrontation with Iran over this illegal program by offering
deals and second chances.
    This has not worked. Iran has walked away from its nearly year-old
commitments to three European countries to cease and desist from enriching
uranium usable in a nuclear weapon.
    Iran has announced it will resume enrichment activities and the
International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear watchdog, has confirmed Iran
is making uranium hexafluoride, a key step in creating bomb-grade uranium.
    The international community has dithered long enough. It is time for
decisive action. When the IAEA meets this week, it should vote to report
Iran's violations to the United Nations Security Council, which has
authority to impose diplomatic and economic sanctions and, if necessary,
call for the use of force.
    The world has been more than patient in the face of Iran's repeated
violations of the NPT and lies to the IAEA. It secretly built a large pilot
uranium enrichment complex, a far larger, weapons-scale underground
enrichment plant, and conducted a clandestine laser isotope separation
program, all clearly banned by the treaty. It has also conducted plutonium
separation experiments and is reportedly seeking deuterium, both primarily
useful in nuclear weapons. As an oil-rich state with a single, unfinished
nuclear power plant, there can only be one explanation: Iran is constructing
a weapons complex. 
    Last year, Britain, France and Germany tried to coax the ruling mullahs
off their weapons path by offering a trade deal if all enrichment and
reprocessing halted. Iran initially agreed but now has reneged, violating
every promise to the Europeans.
    Failure to act now will bring us one step closer to a nuclear-armed
Iran, which already has an advancing ballistic missile program that could
threaten Israel as well as Europe. Iran may be less than two years away from
a bomb, according to some experts. Even if it doesn't use such weapons,
merely possessing them would strengthen Tehran's ability to undermine
American policy throughout the Middle East.
    Moreover, an Iran with nuclear weapons could trigger a wave of
proliferation, pressuring Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria, Turkey and Algeria to
develop their own nuclear forces, and would hamper efforts to rein in
Pakistan's nuclear weapons program.
    Not only does Iran itself have extensive and well-documented ties to
terrorists, such a dispersal of weapons technology would increase
exponentially the threat of nuclear terrorism from any number of Muslim
extremists in the region.
    Failure to act now also would deal a blow to the already fragile
nonproliferation regime. The safeguards and inspections under the NPT have
succeeded, albeit belatedly, in proving Iran's failure to comply with the
treaty. Only by prompt enforcement can the treaty stop the spread of nuclear
weapons. 
    Despite the flagrant violations, some Europeans are searching for new
reasons to avoid a diplomatic showdown. They argue Iran doesn't pose an
immediate threat and if the case is taken to the Security Council, Iran may
walk out of the NPT.
    But keeping Iran in the treaty is not an end in itself -- the aim is to
stop the spread of weapons. A vote by the IAEA to enforce the NPT would be a
step toward that goal.
    Following a familiar pattern of cheat and retreat, Tehran has at the
last minute offered the Europeans another deal. It promised to stop some --
but not all -- of its enrichment activities in return for trade concessions,
apparently hoping to put off an IAEA vote until the next meeting in
November. This is worse than the bargain it struck -- and broke -- last
year. 
    The Europeans should reject it out of hand. The international community
understandably wants to avoid a military confrontation. It must realize the
best way to do so is to face the Iranian violations today. Putting it off
does not buy time; it only buys greater risk in the future.
     
    Dick Lugar, Indiana Republican, is chairman of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee.
    
---
Copyright © 2004 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20040911-110006-4877r.htm

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