We cannot act as if nothing had happened... [but] we will not slam the door shut.

Angela Merkel,
Kanzler and commissionaire
September 1, 2006 (Times Online)

FRANCE DENIES UN DEADLINE TO IRAN IS ULTIMATUM

PARIS August 31, 2006 (KUNA) - France on Thursday denied that the deadline that the UN Security Council has given to Iran on the nuclear issue, and which expires today, was "an ultimatum"...

LET'S TALK!
France Just Can't Get Enough Of The Iranian Brush-off

[French Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei*] rejected any notion of "ultimatum," saying "it is a deadline set out by Resolution 1696," which demands a response from Iran on a package of incentives offered by the "Six" and which also calls on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and reprocessing.

"Once this deadline expires, a report is expected from the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). We are expecting a communication on this in the afternoon," he remarked.

The IAEA report is expected to be negative on Irans programs.

UNSCR 1696 doesn't demand a response, as in a statement of position, it demands Iran's suspension of the enrichment of uranium, as in "stop what you are doing".

The Security Council... [actionable text] ¶ 2. Demands, in this context, that Iran shall suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, to be verified by the IAEA.

¶ 8. Expresses its intention, in the event that Iran has not by that date complied with this resolution, then to adopt appropriate measures under Article 41 of Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations to persuade Iran to comply with this resolution and the requirements of the IAEA, and underlines that further decisions will be required should such additional measures be necessary.

[Emphases in original.]

Of course, some, like M. Mattei and his boss, M. Douste-Blazy,** will argue, as UNSCR 1441 was argued, that what the resolution plainly says cannot be construed as what the resolution really means. The question is, if the resolution was not intended to make Iran stop its enrichment of uranium, just what was the resolution intended to do? Invite Iran's abuse? Discover Iran's disposition? If UNSCR 1696 was not an ultimatum, well, what was it?

We are oh-so-keen to know.

* Just who is M. Mattei? See footnote here.

** The dimmest bulb in the dark Chirac marquee™.

PFFT (What is this?): Door ajar 5 | More talk 5 | Something to say 0 | Rayonnement français 0

Bonjour,

Il est vrai que les brillantes réussites yankees en Iraq les autorisent à ironiser sur la France.
La France essaie en ce moment de réparer les catastrophes de la politique US au Proche-Orient.
Cet abruti de Bush a brisé avec l ' Irak , le contrepoids naturel à l ' Iran…
Mais tant sont grandes les catastrophes , fruits de la politique imbécile et criminelle US que les solutions semblent bien difficiles à trouver même à l' intelligence française…

Good luck to your country in Irak , dear Milton !!!!!