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January 31, 2006
And so it begins
As I noted over a week ago, "There is something of 1914 in the air."
And as Iran is referred to the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear development program, that sense of foreboding is reinforced:
The Guardian - Iran papers reveal 'uranium warhead instructions'
That pressure increased today when Russia and China joined US and European efforts to refer Iran to the UN security council. A London meeting of foreign ministers from the council's five permanent members - the US, Britain, France, Russia and China - agreed to consider a report in March from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tehran's activities.
Ali Larijani, Iran's senior nuclear negotiator, said such a move would put an end to efforts to resolve the crisis peacefully. "Reporting Iran's dossier to the UN security council will be unconstructive and the end of diplomacy," he said.
This is just the sort of scenario Bush will be slavering over. And this time Blair will be able to claim U.N. support for any action against Iran.
What I find surprising is that Russia and China should come around to the position of referral so quickly. This is significant given the scale of their trade links with Iran, not to mention the offer by the Russians to carry out fuel enrichment for the Iranians.
A French government official told the Associated Press that the Russian and Chinese ministers had been persuaded of the need to show a united front.
I can't help wondering just what sort of persuasion was used. Are we once again going to see a network of dodgy deals and agreements lock us in to an inexorable path to war?
Posted by Clive on January 31, 2006 3:33 PM in the category War