Albright Weighs In On Iran, Iraq

As representatives of six world powers met in London Wednesday to discuss a package of incentives and threats aimed at defusing the crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright expressed hopes that the international effort won't be a waste of time.

"The president of Iran has suggested direct talks with the United States," said Albright, commenting in an appearance at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Washington. "I hope we consider direct talks with Iran because we have some very tough messages that we can deliver."

CBS News Radio correspondent Stephan Kaufman reports Albright agrees with the Bush administration on wanting to retain the military option when it comes to Iran.

"One of the things that's kind of boiler plate for any administration to say is that you never take any option off the table," says Albright, who was President Clinton's top foreign policy advisor from 1997 to 2001 and is currently a professor at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service.

Wednesday, John Sawer, Britian's representative to the London talks on the Iranian situation, said there was good progress in efforts to find common ground on how to reward Iran if it gives up its uranium enrichment program – which could be used to make nuclear weapons - or punishing it if it doesn't.

The participants in the talks are Britain, the U.S., Russia, France, Germany and China.

Russia and China have opposed calls by the United States, Britain and France for a resolution that would threaten sanctions and be enforceable by military action.

Among ordinary Iranians, there is skepticism about the usefulness of further discussion of the topic.

"Such meetings and sessions are without value. They hold meetings and confer with each other without any result," said Masoud Kazemi, a university student in Tehran. "It seems unlikely that Iranian people [would] compromise on their rights of benefiting from peaceful nuclear technology."

In Washington state Wednesday, Albright also talked about the war in Iraq, saying it has seriously damaged the international reputation of the United States and our loss is another's gain.

She also commented on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's hope that the country's new government will be able to take over responsibility for the security of Iraq within 18 months.

"I hope that they can take care of it and I hope frankly that what happens is that this government asks us to leave," said Albright. "We work out some agreement with them that we would be available, that it would be very clear that we do not want to have permanent bases."