US spurned Iranian deal in 2003.
Not too surprising, but still.....
Probably Larry Wilkerson, but when in 2003?
Iran offered the US a package of concessions in 2003, but it was rejected, a senior former US official has told the BBC's Newsnight programme. .... Vice-President Dick Cheney's office rejected the plan, the official said.
Probably Larry Wilkerson, but when in 2003?
posted by mikevotes at
7:38 AM
6 Comments:
hmm reading the article gives the impression that this is some great scoop by newsnight when in fact this story broke quite a while ago in the WaPo or NYT can't remember which. I'll see if I can dig up the article
By
Matteo Tomasini, at 9:54 AM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/17/AR2006061700727_pf.html
and found an actual copy of the letter as well:http://www.armscontrol.org/pdf/2003_Spring_Iran_Proposal.pdf
By
Matteo Tomasini, at 10:02 AM
hmmm for some reason links got cut off:
WaPo article
copy of the letter
By
Matteo Tomasini, at 10:05 AM
(No, the links are there if I maximize the window.)
Funny, I didn't remember that. Thanks.
So, I guess the question is, why would Wilkerson be pushing this now? HE's been applying pressure at key points for Colin Powell, so is it the obvious effort to diminish the admin's credibility with the American people as they try to escalate with Iran?
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 1:03 PM
(whoops didnt know you could extend these types of windows- don't really use windows xp except at the office)
I was wondering that as well, but someone just left a plausible explanation in the comment section of a blog I wrote yesterday: Rice is currently going around the Middle East claiming that the US is more than willing to talk to Iran as long as it is willing to discuss suspending nuclear enrichment. Well the US had this opportunity back in 2003, so kind of makes it doubtful that the US would ever sit down with Iran regardless of what Iran agreed to. The administration is on a mission, maybe to engage Iran in war, who knows, but the point is there going to come up with every excuse possible to make it seem like that mission is the only option.
I can add that Gates is also making excuses for not negotiating with Iran claiming that the US might if it had some leverage: ""Frankly, right at this moment, there's really nothing the Iranians want from us," Gates told reporters in Manama, the capital of Bahrain. "So in any negotiation right now we would be supplicant -- 'we want you to stop doing X, Y and Z'."
Well in 2003, US had this leverage but still failed to act. And etc, etc. BBC is just strategically rerunning the story so that it will have maximum impact. I actually found that BBC radio ran this story back in Fall of 2006, so can now discount the fact that the Beeb thought it was breaking a story.
By
Matteo Tomasini, at 9:49 AM
And, despite the NYTimes' efforts to portray it as such, the leadership in Iran is not the one under huge pressure. On the current trajectory, their position is growing stronger with time.
And, timing is big in these "old stories." If the Bush doing coke 20 years ago story broke right right now, it wouldn't have the impact it would've in 2004. Whereas, a story saying this was the Iraq plan all along would have more impact today.
Mike
By
mikevotes, at 2:07 PM
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