PUTIN SAYS IRANIAN NUCLEAR TALKS DIFFICULT

February 22, 2006 (ISN/XNA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted on Wednesday that ongoing negotiations with the Iran over its nuclear program were proving difficult. ... Two days of negotiations in Moscow between Russian and Iranian officials over a proposal to export uranium enrichment for the Islamic Republic's nuclear program broke up on Tuesday without apparent substantive breakthroughs on major issues.

Which is by way of saying, "busted". Which is by way of lead-in to the below surprise headline.

EU-3, IRAN FAIL TO STRIKE A DEAL IN LAST-MINUTE NUCLEAR TALKS

VIENNA March 3, 2006 (AFP) - European Union powers and Iran failed Friday to strike a deal in last-ditch talks on Tehran's suspect nuclear program ahead of a crucial UN meeting that could open the way to punitive action. "Time is running out," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after the talks in Vienna with Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani. ... Larijani came from talks in Moscow that failed to produce a breakthrough on a Russian proposal to enrich uranium on Iran's behalf, thus giving Tehran the fuel it needs but not the technology.

But, of course, time is not "running out". Not for the Iranians:

But the Iranians sounded an upbeat note Friday, insisting discussions with the Europeans would go on.

"Given the mood of the negotiations, the discussions will probably continue at the highest level," an Iranian official told AFP.

He also said the Moscow talks had produced an "agreed framework to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem and to keep it within the IAEA," the International Atomic Energy Agency. "They also agreed to hold discussions with the other parties, notably the EU-3," he added.

French Foreign Gab-Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy continues to starch his soundbites.

[M. Douste-Blazy] said Iran had to suspend all uranium enrichment activities, including for research purposes.

"It is a question of confidence," Douste-Blazy told reporters. "It is a simple, legitimate requirement which does not hinder the development of Iran. On this point, unfortunately, we could not obtain an agreement with Mr Larijani."

With no Czechoslovakia to give away to Iran, M. Douste-Blazy and Jack have changed strategy and will try French pique for awhile. But having outplayed the EU* time and again and again and again and again and again and again and again, Iran has comfortably taken the position, Quoi-moi, inquiet ? And why, dear skimmer, would the Iranians be inclined otherwise?

The Jack pack, so loathe to acknowledge America's original assessment of Iran's nuclear program, now finds itself trying to out-tough American diplomacy. Iran pares its nails.

HOW WE DUPED THE WEST, BY IRAN'S NUCLEAR NEGOTIATOR

WASHINGTON Marh 5, 2006 (Telegraph) - The man who for two years led Iran's nuclear negotiations has laid out in unprecedented detail how the regime took advantage of talks with Britain, France and Germany to forge ahead with its secret atomic programme.

In a speech to a closed meeting of leading Islamic clerics and academics, Hassan Rowhani, who headed talks with the so-called EU3 until last year, revealed how Teheran played for time and tried to dupe the West after its secret nuclear programme was uncovered by the Iranian opposition in 2002.

"From the outset, the Americans kept telling the Europeans, 'The Iranians are lying and deceiving you and they have not told you everything.' The Europeans used to respond, 'We trust them'," he said.

Yes. Well, the credulity of EU diplomacy is perfectly proportioned to French gullibility.

US SCEPTICAL OVER EUROPE’S APPROACH TO IRAN

PARIS August 5, 2005 (AFP) - "I have to say that the United States has followed our negotiations with enormous scepticism, thinking that it will lead nowhere and that we are being duped by the Iranians," said the [French] diplomat, who was briefing journalists on condition of anonymity. ... "That made our job easier and allowed us to show the Iranians that we had not a backing of the Americans but an understanding of the task," the diplomat said.

"That hasn't stopped the Americans continuing to watch us with deep scepticism. We don't consult them as such, but we are telling the Americans what direction we're going in without providing details on all of our positions," he said.

The officials was speaking after Britain, France and Germany made a package of offers to Iran promising accords in various areas if it agreed to limits that would guarantee its nuclear programme could be used for exclusively civilian ends.

Smug French diplomacy, French mixed messages, endless warnings followed by endless deferments, inept French negotiating, French blustering, and French sandbagging have won the day. And today we find ourselves in Iran's brave new world.

* See our chronicle of the hapless EU dealings with Iran here, here, here, here, here, and here.

PFFT (What is this?): Confuse-a-cat diplomacy 4 | Making the world safe for France 0 | Rayonnement français 0

Bonjour,

France sceptical over US'approach to Dubai.

cf "Le Figaro".

En fait ce quotidien de Droite dénonce l'attitude raciste et protectionniste de l'Empire américain dans l'affaire des ports susceptibles de passer sous contrôle musulman.
Il est quand même comique que les USA qui ont déchaîné le libre-échange trouvent des prétextes aussi odieux pour protéger leur marché.
Les Européens suivent cette affaire avec inquiétude et au cas où les Yankees maintiendraient cette politique protectionniste et en fait raciste ,des mesures de rétorsions seraient prises.

Foutus Socialistes yankees ouvrez vos marchés

Bonjour, ABAY

I’m glad to see that you agree with President Bush on the port deal.

A couple of other items here as well.

I see that your lovely bunch of pals down south in Bolivia are at it again... Yes, Bolivia’s Foreign Minister has recommended that school-children be fed coca leaves instead of milk for breakfast. Least you think I’m making this up, you can read it here. Seems they need someone to actually use all the coca that they will now be producing under your hero Morales.

Now, I also see that the woes of the French wine industry continue. It seems that France’s wine exports dropped 11%, according to the latest 5 year figures, while America’s rose 49%. And, France’s share of world wine exports also dropped from 25% to 19%... It doen’t stop there: sales of wine in France are also down, resulting in a decline of [demand for] Bordeaux, which had a surplus of 200 million unsold bottles last year. Read about an interesting garagistes here.

So, here is my plan. France and Bolivia could get some sort of “socialist free trade” deal going on to solve these problems. Trade Bolivian coca for French wine. French Wine for Bolivian coca. You both need markets for you products, so this is a great solution!

And, best of all, since the muslim port company now needs something to do, you could let them run the port in Marseilles to handle these “transactions”. It's a win-win-win situation!

I’m going to post here, since you have a thread on India below and Iran here, but since Bush/India meetings these two threads are very much related. Yes, an "on topic" post!

In thread 2 down it says A pact between India and France is dependent on a successful deal between New Delhi and Washington as that could allow the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a informal group of nations that controls atomic trade, to let members do business with India. Singh said India would fully honour its nuclear deal with the United States.

I am under the impression that a successful deal was reached with India and US. And, in the article the thread links to it reads: …firm deal that would give New Delhi access to French atomic supplies as India is yet to finalise a plan to put its civilian nuclear facilities under international safeguards.

So, I am now under the impression that because of the deals, the US/India promise of sales of American reactors is in jeopardy. (Am I correct in this?) I think that is the only downside of the India deals.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is going to be gone, but since the EU3/Iran talks that treaty was not worth a darn anyway.

I think it means we see where we will be looking in the future. And it will not be in Europe. Hello, India.

Bonjour,

Mon pôvre Andy cela fait 2000 ans que la France fait du vin (relisez Ausone) ! Votre infâme piquette ,résultat de quelques années à peine d' expérience ,ne peut satisfaire que les parvenus que vous êtes...
Le vin américain a plus à voir avec le Coca Cola qu'avec le Chevrey-Chambertin surtout depuis les délires de Mr Parker !
Un riche américain ne vous offrira jamais de vins US:sur sa table on ne voit que Bordeaux et Bourgogne et pour cause !
D'ailleurs pour la santé de nos consommateurs, j' espère que l'on empêchera votre piquette d'entrer en France puisque qu'avec votre attitude raciste sur les ports , le protectionnisme est de nouveau d'actualité.
Vous voulez protéger vos ports des Musulmans ,nous devons protéger nos consommateurs de la mal bouffe américaine (veaux aux hormones ,vins trafiqués etc…).
Le corps de vos adolescents montre assez les résultats de l'alimentation US….

Good luck for your country in Irak !!!
Good luck withs muslims in Irak !!!!
And now good luck with muslims in Baltimore !!!

(Il est plein d'intérêt de lire les forums islamistes : ils se réjouissent de cette nouvelle sur les ports ...vous devriez les lire:en tout cas , nous ,nous ne sommes pas assez cons pour tolérer une telle situation en France.En fait, vous êtes pris au piège de votre grotesque idéologie..)

Bonjour,

I find your post most interesting….especially the use of these three words: pôvre, parvenus, and riche. To me, when juxtaposed together they form quite a poetic picture…I’m not sure if you intended it that way….

It is also interesting to note that you insult the parvenu American, yet sing the praises of the rich American, who would have the class to serve a French wine. But I would think the two would be diametrically opposed—it would be the “social climber”, the Nouveaux riche, who would want to try and impress by having the French wine grace this table. The riche American would know enough not to try and impress; he would simply serve the American wine and impress.

Also interesting that you, in the short time span of two posts actually agree with Bush on the ports, and think that rich Americans do have some redeeming qualities! :)

Now, about Mon pôvre Andy….well, I can only say Riche d'espoir et povre d'autre bien

----Part two
Not letting the Arabs run the ports is about many, many different issues, not just the “racism” that you say.

The biggest reason is that after six years of getting their heads bashed in about being “Weak on fighting terrorism”, the Democrats now act like they care about national security, and are using the port issue to fight this perception. This whole issue is much more political than racial.

In my reading the other day I came across this quote by your countryman Voltaire: cet Othello, qui est un nègre, donne deux baisers à sa femme avant de l'ètrangler. Cela paraît abominable aux honnêtes gens; mais des partisans de Shakespeare disent que c'est la belle nature, surtout dans un nègre.

Voltaire makes assumptions on how Othello will act, just because he is black, true to his nature. You seem to always make assumptions that the US will always act in a racist manner; one you say is our nature. Not always so, as this case does prove.

As for the muslim forums, I do not think they had much good to say about America even before this port deal….

@Andy

Bonjour,

1)Je prends bonne note que les Yanks qui ont déchaîné la mondialisation (je vous rappelle une citation de VOTRE Galbraith:
"La mondialisation n'est pas un
concept sérieux. Nous l'avons inventé pour faire
accepter notre volonté d'exploiter les pays
placés dans notre zone d'influence"
Citation qui a beaucoup de succès en ce moment en France (elle sert de porte-drapeau à notre grand linguiste Claude Hagège dans sa lutte contre l'américanisation forcené de notre pays))
Donc je prends bonne note que les Yanks qui ont répudié toute notion d' "intérêt vital" en matière économique reprennent leur parole.
Nos dirigeants sauront s' en souvenir lorsque des groupes US comme Carlyle ou In-Q-Tel menaceront nos intérêts vitaux.

2)Quant à Voltaire, La France n'est pas raciste comme le sont les USA.

3)Parlez nous plutôt de votre pithécanthrope Larry Summer viré de Harvard pour ses déclarations ahurissantes sur les Femmes.C'est votre problème ,les Yankees ,d' un côté un féminisme outrancier et grotesque (Judith Buttler ,Kate Millet et ) de l'autre des pithécanthropes ultra-sexistes comme Larry Summer …Cela doit venir du puritanisme.Pas étonnant que Bush s' entende si bien avec les tarés wahabbites:un même culture en sorte.

Good luck for your country with muslims and womens !

Good luck for your country in Irak !!

(Je pense que vous n'allez pas tarder à nous demander notre aide en Irak.Il faut dire que vous ne comprenez rien au monde arabe.Quand je pense que vous êtes aidés en Irak par des POLONAIS !!!! mdr)

Bonjour,
Long day, leads to short answers.
1.Without free trade, oops there goes the wine market. Of course, if the muslims control the ports how long before they stop shipping wine..and pork?

2.La France n'est pas raciste comme le sont les USA.
Yes, France is. Maybe a different kind of racism, but racism none the less. Certainly there is cultural racism. No doubt.

Je pense que vous n'allez pas tarder à nous demander notre aide en Irak
No, the time has passed already. Why should we? No offence, but I don’t really see what France has to offer at this point. I think you are meaning more political help than military, but either way...

Quand je pense que vous êtes aidés en Irak par des POLONAIS !!!!

Yes, but it keeps the “Polish Plummer” out of France :)

Bonjour,

"Je pense que vous n'allez pas tarder à nous demander notre aide en Irak
No, the time has passed already. Why should we? No offence, but I don’t really see what France has to offer at this point. I think you are meaning more political help than military, but either way..."

Why should we ?
Il suffit de lire les journaux sur vos brillantes réussites.
Vous n'avez aucune connaissance du monde arabe.
Baer ,l' homme de la CIA , décrit dans nos journaux l 'état catastrophique de la CIA sur ce sujet:pas un traducteur d'arabe dans les services !!!

En Français on dit:
"Ne jamais dire ,fontaine je ne boirai pas de ton eau"...
Et Bush n'est pas éternel...