If you haven't caught on, France is preparing the way for a nuclear armed Iran. Jack's "driftings" of last month -- retracted after making headlines, making headlines anew -- were calculated to set up international sighs of resignation.

And the pitiable resignations soughed on cue.

IRAN ON COURSE FOR NUCLEAR BOMB, EU TOLD
Original FT headline: TOO LATE TO HALT IRAN’S NUCLEAR BOMB, EU IS TOLD

BRUSSELS February 12, 2007 (FT) - In an admission of the international community’s failure to hold back Iran’s nuclear ambitions, [an internal European Union document] – compiled by the staff of Javier Solana, EU foreign policy chief – says the atomic programme has been delayed only by technical limitations rather than diplomatic pressure. "Attempts to engage the Iranian administration in a negotiating process have not so far succeeded," it states.

Breathtaking meiosis from the EU (and here and here and here and here...∞).

... "At some stage we must expect that Iran will acquire the capacity to enrich uranium on the scale required for a weapons programme,” says the paper, dated February 7 and circulated to the EU’s 27 national governments ahead of a foreign ministers meeting yesterday.

"In practice . . . the Iranians have pursued their programme at their own pace, the limiting factor being technical difficulties rather than resolutions by the UN or the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"The problems with Iran will not be resolved through economic sanctions alone."

EU GLOOM OVER IRAN NUCLEAR WORK

February 13, 2007 (BBC) - [German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter] Steinmeier said after the EU foreign ministers' meeting on Monday that both [he and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana] had the impression "that in Iran there is a new ambition to return to the negotiating table".

However, Mr Solana warned: "The possibilities are not immense."

Jack now has moved on from drifty conjectures to fuzzy excuses for resignation.

CHIRAC BACKS EASING PRESSURE ON IRAN TO PROTECT UNIFIL TROOPS

February 15, 2007 (Haaretz) - French President Jacque Chirac has announced his support for lessening pressure on Iran to stop its nuclear program, for fear Hezbollah will strike at French troops serving in Lebanon, according to information recently received in Jerusalem. According to reports, Chirac proposed sending a special envoy to Tehran to reach understandings that would protect the French soldiers serving in in the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Who believes this utter twaddle? Letting Iran trade up to nuclear armaments to protect a huddle of French troops -- utter twaddle. French troops in Lebanon are empowered to do little (and here) other than sit around as big French targets. If Jack wants to protect French troops in Lebanon, pull them out of Lebanon. French troops that can't protect themselves are useless. And useless French troops won't be missed -- unlike in Afghanistan where pulled French troops -- when given the chance -- had made themselves useful.

Jack has other reasons for readying the world for a nuclear armed Iran. One is the diminution of America's staunch ally Israel. Another is to make France the beneficiary of Iranian commercial preferment. And another is to banjax American policy in the region.

A government source said Chirac's position is controversial in Paris, with the French Foreign Ministry continuing to support a hard line with regard to the Iranian nuclear program, a position also expressed Wednesday by the French ambassador to Israel, Jean-Michel Casa, in an interview with Haaretz ("As far as we are concerned, the possibility of Iran having a bomb is completely unacceptable. That is a threat to the world and not just to Israel and the region.").

Oh, we are so reassured.

PFFT (What is this?): The brave new world of nuclear militant Iran 3 | Rayonnement français 0