War-war,
or jaw-jaw?:Le
Monde argues today that as far as the Iran
nuclear program is concerned, the latter was by far the better course.
Iran Negotiations:
A Promising Deal Achieved without War and Death (Le Monde, France)
"Diplomacy
works - and in general, rather better than war. Certainly twelve years of arduous talks
which were extremely technical in nature and with deadlines that were
constantly pushed back, it was certainly less 'glamorous' then a nice little
remote bombing campaign. However, it is a more effective way of resolving a
difficult and fundamental issue like Iran's nuclear program. … Nothing is
guaranteed, but the agreement may … encourage Iran to help resolve regional
conflicts in which it is one of the most aggressive players - from Iraq to
Syria to Lebanon. This would allow for diplomacy, that slow, ungrateful and
oh-so-boring practice - to continue scoring points."
Diplomacy works - and in general, rather better than war.
Certainly twelve years of arduous talks which were extremely technical in
nature and with deadlines that were constantly pushed back, it was certainly
less "glamorous" then a nice little remote bombing campaign. However,
it is a more effective way of resolving a difficult and fundamental issue like
Iran's nuclear program.
We therefore welcome with both hands the agreement on
controlling Tehran's nuclear activities announced on Tuesday, July 14 in
Vienna, with Iran on one side and on the other, the P5+1 - China, the U.S.,
France, Britain, Russia and Germany. The United Nations empowered the P5+1 to
put the Islamic Republic's nuclear program under supervision to ensure that it
is not permitted to develop nuclear weapons.
That objective will be achieved if the document isn't torpedoed
by "hardliners" in Washington and Tehran. The credit belongs to the
two men who took the risk of renewing a dialogue between their countries, which
have been in a state of quasi-belligerence since 1979: Presidents Barack Obama
and Hassan Rouhani.
Over a period of ten to fifteen years, the Iranian program
will be curbed - controlled so that if it deviates from the agreement, the
Islamic Republic would then need a year to enrich enough uranium to make a
nuclear bomb. This in turn would allow the P5+1 to respond. Today, given the
very advanced stage of Iran's nuclear development, the "breakout
time" is only two months.
To appreciate the significance of the agreement, one needs
to grasp the situation that has prevailed in recent years. Suspected of
violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - to which it is a signatory,
the Islamic Republic is subject to heavy penalties. However, although they have
severely damaged its economy, such penalties have not prevented Iran from
continuously boosting its capacity to enrich uranium: in 2003, at the beginning
of these negotiations, the country had 180 centrifuges. Today it has in excess
of 20,000. The Vienna agreement halts Iran's march toward obtaining more such
equipment – a trend that was growing more dangerous by the day.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
There is so much content about the Iran nuclear deal in the Israel press today, all we can do is give you a...
The agreement isn't perfect. Iran will only partially dismantle
its nuclear facilities. While it has agreed to put them under surveillance,
Tehran will receive a progressive lifting of sanctions in return. The challenge
is to curb proliferation in a region plagued by war where Iran already has
three more-or-less close neighbors that are illegal nuclear powers: Israel,
India and Pakistan
Opposed to Iran, the leader of the Shiite-Muslim world, the
Arab Gulf States have always criticized this agreement. A declared enemy of the
Islamic Republic which has called for its elimination, Israel is in the same
position. Both fear that lifting the sanctions will provide Iran with
additional means that will serve its regional expansion. Only neither of the
two, both of whose security depends on the United States, has any alternative.
Nothing is guaranteed, but the agreement may gradually lead
to Iranian-American normalization and encourage Iran to help resolve regional
conflicts in which it is one of the most aggressive players - from Iraq to
Syria to Lebanon. This would allow for diplomacy, that slow, ungrateful and
oh-so-boring practice - to continue scoring points.
