The
face of Iranian defiance: Demonstrators on the streets of
Tehran
during the bloodiest day of protests yet, June 20.
[news@gooya.com]
Le Figaro, France
Obama Hardens Line
on Iran - and May Have to Again
"The
sensitive management of the nuclear issue has compelled the American president not
to depart from a certain caution … The judgment of many observers is that
Obama's Iran policy, founded on the gamble of extending his hand to Teheran, will
not escape reevaluation.
By Alain Barluet
Translated By
Sandrine Ageorges
June 22, 2009
France - Le Figaro - Original Article
(French)
Washington: The sensitive
management of the nuclear issue has compelled the American president not to depart
from a certain caution.
After first having adopted a
low profile, Barack Obama is changing his tone. Saturday, the U.S. president called
on the Iranian government to "stop all violent and unjust actions
against its own people. … The Iranian government must understand that the world
is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost." says the
statement released by the White House. "The universal rights to assembly
and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who
seek to exercise those rights," he added. At the same time, several
hundred demonstrators were gathered in front of the White House, in Washington,
but also in New York and Los Angeles, to support the demonstrators in Iran.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
The clarification intervenes after
several days of raging debate in Washington as to what attitude to adopt in the
face of events in Iran and during which strong criticism had been leveled at
Obama for his previous remarks - deemed too "mild." Last Tuesday, the
fourth day of demonstrations in Iran, he said he was "very concerned"
about presidential election of June 12 but felt that it wouldn’t be "productive"
for the United States to be seen meddling in Iranian domestic policies.
'THE WORLD IS WATCHING'
All last week, the Republican
opposition mounted the barricades to deplore the president’s "silence"
and urge him not to miss a historic turning point. "No Comment is Not an Option,"
declared former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, in an uncompromising
editorial published by the Washington Post.
Fellow
demonstrators struggle to stop the bleeding of a young girl
shot
down by plainclothes members of Iran's Basij - vigilantes
that
act
as enforcers for the Iranian regime. The video shows the blood
gushing
from her head and neck as life slipped away. This video is
not
for children: CLICK HERE OR CLICK PHOTO TO WATCH 
Friday night by a crushing majority,
both houses of Congress finally passed a resolution in support of Iranians who,
"embrace the values of freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and the
rule of law." In due course during an interview with CBS
News, Barack Obama warned the Iranian government that "the world is watching."
However, he took care not to condemn the Iranian regime or denounce electoral
fraud, as many European leaders have.
Even if he's aware that he mustn't
remain passive in the face such a dramatic turn of events, Barack Obama remains
committed to a cautious approach considered too "timid" by his Republican
adversaries. This is a line that can be explained in at least two ways. First -
the fear that his words could weaken the opponents of Mahmoud Ahamadinejad, as he
could label them pro-American at a time when relations with Washington are a
subject of extreme sensitivity in Iran.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
But the key issue
of nuclear power also justifies the cautious attitude of Barack Obama. In
Washington, people remain convinced that Mir-Hossein Mousavi remains as committed
as Mahmoud Ahamdinejad to continuing Iran's nuclear program, the fate of which remains
firmly in the hands of the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
SEE ALSO ON THIS:
L'Orient Le Jour, Lebanon:
Mr. Obama's Push of Dialogue and Openness Kicks In
Dar al-Hayat, Saudi Arabia:
'Let Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader Continue'
Dar al-Hayat, Saudi Arabia:
Worrying Times for Iran's Supreme Leader
Les Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace, France:
'Iran's Ayatollahs are Doomed'
Gazeta, Russia:
Kremlin Balanced 'Between Two Chairs': Iran's and the West's
Yemen Times, Yemen:
'Zionists and Their Puppets' Assail Barack Obama
The Asia Times, Hong Kong:
Beijing Cautions
the U.S. Over Iran
Jerusalem Post, Israel:
Iranian Protesters 'Cast
Adrift' By Obama and E.U.
Debka File, Israel:
White House
is Divided on Iranian Protests
It was the Supreme Leader's
decision to endorse Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election that persuaded the White House chief to raise the tenor of his criticism, according to American
news analysts. The judgment of many of these observers is that Obama's Iran
policy, founded on the gamble of extending his hand to Teheran, will not escape
reevaluation.
CLICK HERE FOR FRENCH VERSION
[Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US June 22, 3:29pm]
