U.S. Could Wait For "Proof" Of Iran Threat

Gates: Proposed Missile Defense Sites In Europe Might Be Frozen Pending "Definitive Proof"

(CBS/AP)  The United States might delay activating its proposed missile defense sites in Europe until it has "definitive proof" of a missile threat from Iran, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday.

At a news conference after meeting Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, Gates said this was a proposal to the Russians - who strongly oppose U.S. missile defense - that has yet to be worked out in detail.

"We would consider tying together activation of the sites in Poland and the Czech Republic with definitive proof of the threat - in other words, Iranian missile testing and so on," Gates said with Topolanek at his side.

The United States wants to build a missile interceptor base in Poland and a radar site in the Czech Republic, but details have yet to be negotiated.

"We have not fully developed this proposal, but the idea was we would go forward with the negotiations, we would complete the negotiations, we would develop the sites, build the sites, but perhaps delay activating them until there was concrete proof of the threat from Iran," the defense chief said.

U.S. officials have said that the proposal tying activation of the European sites to proof of an Iranian threat was presented to the Russians by Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice earlier this month. But Gates' remarks in Prague were the most specific and clear that such a proposition raises the prospect of delay.

Iranian officials insist their nuclear effort is entirely peaceful - designed to produce energy only - but the Bush administration and some of its allies suspect Tehran of covering up a clandestine weapons program.

Much of the disagreement between Washington and Moscow over missile defense in Europe has centered on the question of when Iran's missile program would reach the stage where it could threaten all of Europe and the United States. The Russians say that is a far-distant prospect; the Americans say it is coming soon.

Gates described a related proposal to the Russians that might mean permitting a Russian presence at U.S. missile defense bases, including at the Polish and Czech sites. He said this was presented to the Russians in the interest of making as transparent as possible to Moscow how the missile defense sites operate.

Asked whether having Russians on his territory would be acceptable to the Czech government, Topolanek pointedly declined to say. "No comment," he said through an interpreter. Prior to the breakup of the Soviet empire, Czechoslovakia was part of the Warsaw Pact that opposed the U.S.-led NATO alliance.

Gates stressed that any proposal that involved allowing a Russian presence on Czech soil as monitors or inspectors of the radar site would be presented first to the Czech government and would not be negotiated with the Russians unless the Czechs agreed. Topolanek nodded his head.

Meanwhile, Iran's new top nuclear negotiator was to hold his first meeting with the EU's foreign policy chief over Tehran's contentious nuclear program on Tuesday in Rome.

Saeed Jalili, a little known diplomat, was appointed his country's chief negotiator after Ali Larijani stepped down this weekend. The departure of the moderate Larijani was seen as a victory of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that could push the Islamic Republic into an even more defiant position in its standoff with the West.

However, Larijani was set to attend the Rome talks Tuesday alongside Jalili and the EU's Javier Solana, according to Iran's Foreign Ministry. The talks had been scheduled before Larijani's replacement.

On Tuesday, officials in Solana's office declined to confirm the meeting's agenda, saying only that the discussions aim to push Tehran to enter formal negotiations on its nuclear program.

The U.N. Security Council has imposed two sets of sanctions over Iran's refusal to suspend uranium enrichment.

The U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, with E.U. support, agreed last month to delay until November any new U.N. resolution to toughen sanctions, giving Iran more time to cooperate with an investigation into past nuclear activities by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Larijani was viewed as more moderate compared with Ahmadinejad, and the two often clashed over how to negotiate with the world on the nuclear issue.

[tbweb]

Posted by ziparmux at 04:33 PM : Oct 24, 2007,,,

It''s not just Iran, Iran is just one extreme example. The real problem of which Iran is the "poster child" as they say, is any government anywhere administered by a Religion! There should be a separation between Church and State everywhere. The State should be concerned with the welfare of all its subjects equally, without prejudice and removing Religion from the equation goes a long way to guaranteeing equality. It''s not even about being against any Religion, it''s just that many Religious agendas infringe on the rights of non-members unintentionally and most are so caught up in their Religion they don''t even realize it!

[ziparmux]

I agree! But the major difference is that Iran crosses the line, goes too far, takes everything it does to the extreme!

Posted by tbweb at 03:45 PM : Oct 24, 2007

Yes they have historically done so, don''t know if your old enough to remember the 1980 London Iranian Embassy ''problem'', we had to send in the SAS etc, and well yes, if Iran was a gay guy I''d say he was a right drama queen lol.

Iran is I think quite a ''toughy'' in respect of us here to actually understand where the heck they are coming from. I am 50 years of age, don''t tell anyone though, I am and have always been from a very young age a global political ''watcher'' as it were, and Iran has kinda evaded my ability to understand it, even during the days of the Shah at the time supposedly a close ally of the UK, I have to admit it''s one part of the world I really don''t ''get'', in fact I feel driven to go there now to understand it better.

[toolmangler-2009]

You see, people with nothing to lose and 72 virgins to gain don''''t care about anything but their own wishes.
Posted by ToolMangler at 04:17 PM : Oct 24, 2007


And that! Ladies and Gentlemen is the ''REAL'' horror of extremist religion. (anybodys)

[toolmangler-2009]

get real and stop believing all the bullsh$t that that G W Bush is perpetuating.

Posted by ziparmux at 01:44 PM : Oct 24, 2007



He is not afraid of Iran using the ''Bomb'', He is afraid of Iran giving the ''Bomb'' to the really death-wish extremist of some terrorist group that is trying to force the hand of "Allah/GOD" into (Armegeddon).
You see, people with nothing to lose and 72 virgins to gain don''t care about anything but their own wishes.

[tbweb]

What a most interesting comment, what you said could be said for every nation on earth, as we all have our secret darkside, it''''s called international diplomacy. USA/UK/France/India/Even the Pitcairn Islands are at it lol, etc etc, were all at it because at this time we lie to each other all the time, there''''s no trust, how do you expect developing nations and the Middle East to trust us ?

Posted by ziparmux at 03:13 PM : Oct 24, 2007,,,

I agree! But the major difference is that Iran crosses the line, goes too far, takes everything it does to the extreme! The classic example of Iran''s extreme behavior which has continued since the current Islamic government came to power is the way Iran sacked the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held American Diplomats hostage blindfolded for 444 days before releasing them! Any normal sane government would have closed the U.S. Embassy and asked the American Diplomats to leave their country, but not extreme Iran, Iran is extreme in everything it does and operates well outside established international norms. What''s even worst, every nations Diplomats and their cargo are exempt, that''s the way it works, but not in extremist Iran!!

[ziparmux]

The World needs to look at both faces of Iran at the same time to deal with Iran properly, see Iran correctly and clearly in order to address the real collective Iran! Iran is the master of duality and deception and that''''s the problem!

Posted by tbweb at 02:38 PM : Oct 24, 2007

What a most interesting comment, what you said could be said for every nation on earth, as we all have our secret darkside, it''s called international diplomacy. USA/UK/France/India/Even the Pitcairn Islands are at it lol, etc etc, were all at it because at this time we lie to each other all the time, there''s no trust, how do you expect developing nations and the Middle East to trust us ?

[tbweb]

The reason people are so confused about Iran is because there are 2 Iran''s! The official government of Iran, news media innocent Iran and the unofficial terrorist supporting Iran which operates behind the scenes, the dark side of Iran! When talking about Iran you can always tell which view of Iran is being spoken too, the Bush administration is locked on to the unofficial dark side of Iran because it knows about Iran''s dirty deeds, but it''s not what you know, it''s what you can prove and Iran is very good at keeping its hands clean officially while it supports, finances and trains terrorist behind the scenes unofficially! The World needs to look at both faces of Iran at the same time to deal with Iran properly, see Iran correctly and clearly in order to address the real collective Iran! Iran is the master of duality and deception and that''s the problem!

[ziparmux]

We don''''t have the money to be building sites in foreign countries, we can''''t even afford SCHIP health insurance for American kids !! The inmates are running the asylum!!!

Posted by atpay1 at 02:05 PM : Oct 24, 2007

Tell that to G W Bush & Co, they will just get your privately owned federal reserve bank to print an untold amount of dollars, regardless of the health of the children of your nation or care about the value of your dollar, I would quickly as posible transfer any dollar assets into Pesos, and move to Mexico, because you''re heading into fiscal financial oblivian, courtesy of G W Bush, gaurantee his assets are not tied up in the NYSE & NASDAQ.

[atpay1]

We don''t have the money to be building sites in foreign countries, we can''t even afford SCHIP health insurance for American kids !! The inmates are running the asylum!!!

[ziparmux]

The point is, if Europe is content to live with a nuclear and missile armed Iran, we should be too.


Posted by ozilot at 12:50 PM : Oct 24, 2007

You know the horror of an actual nuclear strike/war and the nuclear arms race resulted in nearly 60 years of relative global peace in this world, do you think for one moment that the Iranians are so stupid to believe that having a nuclear capability would make them safe ? The people in Iran are like you and I, they have to eat/work/live as we do, they are not that different from us. As stated in previous postings we do not need the US to protect us from Iran we can do it for ourselves, we here in the UK alone have 160 BILLION dollars worth of nuclear submarines armed to the teeth, and of course we would use them if we were in imminent danger respecting Iran. Iran is not that bloody stupid, get real and stop believing all the bullsh$t that that G W Bush is perpetuating.