03 octobre 2009
ElBaradei to Iran this weekend
The International Atomic Energy Agency on Saturday confirmed that its director general will visit Iran this weekend. Mohamed ElBaradei and the Iranians will discuss a broad range of issues, including a covertly built enrichment facility that it recently revealed, the UN nuclear watchdog said. The announcement came two days after Iran and six world powers put nuclear talks back on track at a landmark session in Geneva that included the highest-level bilateral contact with the US in years. US President Barack Obama characterized the meeting as a "constructive beginning," following Iran's apparent agreement to open its nuclear facilities to inspection, to meet again later in the month and in principle to have a third party provide it with nuclear energy. Iran will have two weeks, Obama said, to follow through on the commitments Western officials announced following the seven-way Geneva meetings, the first in which the United States held substantive direct discussions on the Iranian nuclear program with Teheran. Israel, though, had no expectation that Thursday's talks, which EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said would continue with at least another session before the end of the month, would culminate in any dramatic development. Rather, one government official said, this is another round in a more than decade-old process to stop Iran's nuclear development. While Israel is skeptical overall with regard to the talks, assessments in the IDF are that Iran, while radical, is still a practical country that would be open to the possibility of reaching a deal with the West. (20,04)
02 octobre 2009
Erekat denies PA to withdraw support of Goldstone report
Top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat denied on Friday reports that the Palestinian Authority has decided to withdraw its bid to adopt the Goldstone report on alleged war crimes in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. Erekat said there is no truth to the report. "We are not members of the Human Rights Council. We are there as observers. The council of Islamic states is working in order to have to body adopt the report. The decision stands, and this report is untrue. There has been no change in our position." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli ministers had previously said adopting the report would also hurt the democratic regime's war on terror. Leshno Yaar told Ynet that Netanyahu's remarks contributed to the PA's decision, as have Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's diplomatic efforts to "undermine this political report." Richard J. Goldstone, the South African judge who led the inquiry into Operation Cast Lead rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claim that the report would compromise the Middle East peace process. "I think he got wrong what our report is all about. He talked about Israel's right to self-defense. That is not what the report was about," Goldstone told reporters in Washington Thursday. (11,35)
01 octobre 2009
EU: Iran nuclear talks 'cordial and businesslike'
Talks between Iran and six world powers are proceeding in a "cordial and businesslike" atmosphere with the main focus on Iran's nuclear program, the spokeswoman for European Union policy chief Javier Solana said Thursday. "There is a good will of the international community to have a serious relationship with Iran," Cristina Gallach told reporters. "At the same time there are important clarifications to be obtained." She said Iran's nuclear program was the most important aspect of the talks, which are being hosted by Switzerland at a villa in the Geneva countryside. Iran's nuclear negotiator touched on the country's nuclear program in his opening statement at talks with six world powers in Geneva, a Western diplomat close to the meeting said Thursday. He said that Iran's nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili mentioned Tehran's disputed nuclear program "in a general way" in his opening statement, even though Jalili and other Iranian officials had said they would not be willing to discuss Tehran's "nuclear rights" at the one-day talks in Geneva. "The EU3 (Britain, France and Germany) restated that the July 2008 offer is still on the table," the diplomat, who was present at the talks, said on condition of anonymity. American sources said Wednesday that the talks will fail if Iran maintains its refusal for meaningful dialogue of the nuclear issue. While some officials have said they are coming to the table with a "positive attitude," others have expressed an unwillingness to discuss the nuclear program. Talks have been held between Iran and the United States in the past on a variety of issues, including Afghanistan and Iraq, but this is the first time in many years delegates of the two countries will sit at a table to discuss shared concerns, leading with the question of Iranian nuclear capability. The American delegation to Geneva is headed by William Burns, the undersecretary of state for political affairs. Solana is representing the three EU states at the talk, while Russia, France and Germany are also represented by the directors-generals of their foreign ministries. The Iranian delegation is by Supreme National Security Council chief Saeed Jalili, who also holds the nuclear portfolio in his government. (15,48)
Poll: 56% of American Jews think U.S. should strike Iran
One day ahead of talks in Geneva between Iran and six major powers - the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany - on Tehran's controversial nuclear program, a national poll finds that 56 percent of American Jews support a U.S. military strike against Iran. The annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion, commissioned by the American Jewish Committee, revealed a 14 percent rise in the number of U.S. Jews in support of such a military strike, whose aim would be to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. 36 percent of those polled - self-described adult Jews ? were against such an attack. Asked whether Israel should attack Iran, 66 percent of those polled said they would support such a move. At this time, 49 percent of those polled said that they support the policy of U.S. President Barack Obama toward Iran. Obama has expressed desire to resolve the standoff with Iran with diplomatic measures, recently adding that should the diplomacy fail, steps would have to be taken. 35% of those polled said they oppose Obama's policy. Despite the general liberal stance of U.S. Jews, 58 percent of those polled said that they believed that within the framework of a permanent peace agreement with the Palestinians, Israel should not compromise on the status of Jerusalem as a united city under Israeli jurisdiction. 75 percent also said that they agreed with the statement "The goal of the Arabs is not the return of occupied territories but rather the destruction of Israel." Only 19 percent said that they disagree with the above statement. The poll also revealed that 51 percent of those polled oppose Obama's call on Israel to freeze all settlement construction (as opposed to 41 percent in favor.) However, 52 percent said that Israel must dismantle some of the West Bank settlements under a peace agreement, 8 percent said all the settlements must be dismantled, and 37 percent said that none should be dismantled. 70 percent of those polled said that they would characterize relations between Israel and the United States as somewhat positive (only 11 percent said they though they were very positive while 2 percent characterized them as negative.) The question regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state split the American Jewish community almost down the middle, with 49 percent saying they were in favor, and 41 percent against. (07,30)
Iran: We'll buy enriched uranium from third party
Iran is willing to purchase uranium enriched to the grade it requires for its Tehran reactor from a third party, rather than carry out the enrichment itself, the French news agency AFP quoted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying on Wednesday. His remarks, ahead of Thursday talks in Geneva with six major world powers about Iran's nuclear program, represent the first time Tehran has agreed to discuss specifics of its enrichment operations with the powers. "One of the subjects on the agenda of this negotiation is how we can get fuel for our Tehran reactor," the president was quoted by Iran's ISNA news agency as saying. "As I said in New York, we need 19.75 percent-enriched uranium. We said that, and we propose to buy it from anybody who is ready to sell it to us. We are ready to give 3.5 percent-enriched uranium and then they can enrich it more and deliver to us 19.75 percent-enriched uranium," Ahmadinejad explained. The five megawatt plant was supplied by the United States before the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed shah. The reactor is under IAEA supervision. Last week, Iran revealed that it had built a secret uranium enrichment plant near the holy city of Qom, saying the facility was months away from becoming operational. U.S. representatives have held talks on a range of issues with Iranian officials in the past, including Afghanistan and Iraq, but Thursday's planned Geneva meeting will be the first time in years that the two countries will sit around one table and discuss topics relating to both, specifically Iran's nuclear program. On Wednesday, senior Obama administration officials said that the United States would not threaten Iran with sanctions over its nuclear program at Geneva talks but will be prepared to pursue them if necessary. "This is the engagement track tomorrow, not the pressure track," one senior official said. But the official said the United States has been preparing "a range of areas" in which to pursue sanctions against Iran should Tehran ignore Western entreaties about its nuclear program. "We've looked at various contexts in which they could be applied, whether it be at the United Nations Security Council level or with coordinated national measures among nations," the official said. "And it's an ongoing project for us." Earlier Wednesday, a U.S. official said that he thoguht "it's pretty safe to predict that this is going to be an extraordinarily difficult process." "Our first task tomorrow is to establish whether the Iranians are ready to engage on the nuclear issue. Another urgent task for all of us is to support the IAEA in ensuring that Iran lives up to its obligation to full and unfettered access to the Qom site, the [recently revealed] clandestine facility, as well as to people and documents connected to that facility. Iranian officials have said in recent days that they're going to offer transparency, but what we need to see now are not just words, but actions," the official continued. (07,28)
30 septembre 2009
PM Netanyahu: UN Gaza report spells death for peace
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said that allowing the International Criminal Court in the Hague try the war crimes alleged in the recently compiled Goldstone Commission report on the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas, would deal a death blow to the peace process.
The report, which accuses both Israel and Hamas of war crimes during the Israel Defense Forces' three-week offensive in the Gaza Strip this January, was formally presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council Tuesday.
Speaking during a meeting with ambassadors from Asia and the Pacific islands, Netanyahu said that the Goldstone report and itThe principle that a democratic nation has a legitimate right to respond to terror has been crushed by a body belonging to the United Nations, Netanyahu said. "This is a serious blow to the UN," he went on to say. "It [the UN] could revert back to the days when it compared Zionism to racism. It's starting in Israel, but it will reach other nations and it will hurt the UN."
"Anyone who supports the Goldstone report and its conclusions is in effect against peace," the prime minister continued, "since no country, and no people, would be willing to take risks for the sake of peace if their right to self defense was taken away."
"If the report reaches the international court in Hague, it will bring the peace process to a halt because Israel won't take the risks necessary to achieve peace if it is not assured the right to defend itself. Anyone who desires peace must stop this report right now," the prime minister concluded, asking the ambassadors to pass the message along to their respective governments.
Earlier Wednesday, Netanyahu announced plans to present a proposal to his cabinet for the establishment of an investigative commission to probe the findings of the Goldstone report.
s conclusions could impede peace and make it difficult for democratic nations around the globe to fight terror.(21,28)
Shalit family welcomes breakthrough in negotiations leading to videotaped sign of life from soldier captive
"We wait breathlessly to receive a first authentic sign of life from Gilad," members of the Campaign for the Release of Gilad Shalit announced hours after news of the deal according to which Israel will receive a videotape proving Shalit is alive were made public."The Shalit family welcomes the significant achievement made by the current negotiations team headed by Hagai Hadas and led by the German team and the Egyptian team, headed by Egyptian Intelligence Minister Omar Suleiman," the campaign's statement read. The Shalit family also released a statement which referred to the current deal as "a first step in the right direction on the way to release Gilad." The statement further promised that the family will not rest, with the support of the devoted activists and the general public, until Gilad is home, after nearly 1,200 days in Hamas captivity. The Shalit campaign addressed both sides of the negotiations calling them to move ahead in a process which began with great determination and consistency until the final result is quickly achieved. The deal was approved by the Political-Security Cabinet, and a joint statement was issued at the same time in Jerusalem, Cairo and the Gaza Strip. According to details negotiated with German and Egyptian mediation, Israel will receive Friday a videotape containing verification that Shalit is indeed alive. In return, 20 female Palestinian prisoners held in Israel will be released. The German mediator has already watched the tape and a Hamas source said it was one minute long. The list of prisoners due to be released was published in the Israel Prison Service's website. It will allow for petitions for their release to be filed during the 48 hours until the deal is fulfilled.(18,00)
29 septembre 2009
White House: Iran must prove it is not developing nukes
Iran said on Tuesday it would not discuss a previously secret nuclear plant at international talks this week, but Washington vowed to bring it up and demanded Tehran prove it is not developing an atomic weapon. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, asked about Iran's insistence it would not discuss the facility in the Geneva talks, declared: "They may not, but we will." "What is undeniable is that a plant was constructed in violation of their obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, something they've signed with the IAEA, as well as UN Security Council resolutions," said Gibbs. "We will demand that IAEA inspectors have unfettered access to the facility, to personnel, to documents surrounding the facility," he added. I think it will show the world, and I think the onus is on the Iranians to show the world, that the program that they have is for - is a peaceful program to create energy, rather than a secret program for nuclear weapons," said Gibbs. "I think if the Iranians are unwilling to discuss something that should have been reported to the IAEA years ago, I think that's quite telling." Iran meanwhile cautioned Western powers it could curb cooperation further if they repeated "past mistakes". Iranian MP Mohammad Karami Rad suggested parliament might seek withdrawal from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if Thursday's Geneva talks with major powers fail and "if the Zionists and America continue their pressure on Iran" - a reference to policies including economic sanctions. The Islamic Republic's nuclear energy agency chief said on Tuesday that Iran would not discuss any issues related to its nuclear "rights" at its meeting with six world powers in Geneva on Thursday. Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, made clear this included a newly disclosed uranium enrichment plant which has drawn Western condemnation. His comments seemed certain to disappoint the United States which has called on Iran to come clean about its nuclear program. Israel, the U.S. and other Western nations suspect the program is aimed at making bombs; Tehran insists it is for purely civilian purposes. (22,28)
Erekat plays down upcoming talks in US
The chief Palestinian negotiator on Tuesday played down expectations for President Barack Obama's latest attempt to restart peace talks, saying key differences with Israel make it difficult for negotiations to resume. The negotiator, Saeb Erekat, spoke ahead of talks in Washington this week with Obama's Mideast envoy, George Mitchell. The former US senator is holding separate meetings with Israeli and Palestinians teams in hopes of reviving the long-stalled peace talks. Erekat reiterated the Palestinians' insistence that Israel stop all settlement construction in the West Bank, and stressed there would be no direct talks with the Israelis during this week's trip to Washington. "There will not be Palestinian-Israeli negotiations in Washington," Erekat said. "There will be parallel American-Israeli negotiations and Palestinian-American negotiations." The talks in Washington are meant to follow up on Obama's summit last week with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in New York. Obama urged the sides to move beyond the two main sticking points - continued Israeli settlement construction and the framework for resuming talks. Israel has agreed to slow building in the West Bank, captured by Israel during the Six-Day War, but has rejected a total halt to construction. Israel pledged to stop settlement building in a 2003 US-backed peace plan but has not done so, saying that the Palestinians have not carried out their obligations. (21,40)
UK court rejects petition urging arrest warrant for Ehud Barak
Westminster Magistrates court in central London rejected on Tuesday a petition urging the issuance of an arrest warrant for Defense Minister Ehud Barak on the grounds that he committed "war crimes" due his part in IDF Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip, last January. The court sided with arguments submitted by the British Foreign Ministry, which stated that the defense minister was a state guest, and therefore was not subject to such lawsuit. Earlier, it was reported that the court postponed the hearing to an unspecified date, but proceedings began less than two hours later. In the first case of its kind since the publication of the Goldstone Report, a group of Palestinians had appealed to the court seeking Barak's arrest. (21,38)