US could go it alone on Iran, North Korea, Rice

News, June 2003, Al-Jazeerah.info

US could go it alone on Iran, North Korea, Rice
Rice warns of ‘Made in America’ solution

Compiled by Daily Star staff, 6/28/03

LONDON: US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice indicated that the United States is ready to act alone against Iran and North Korea if European countries do not cooperate in stopping them from developing nuclear weapons, the Daily Telegraph reported Friday.
“If we do not want a ‘Made in America’ solution, let’s find out how to resolve the issues of North Korea and Iran,” the paper quoted Rice as saying during a visit to London Thursday.
Rice sought to play down the prospect of a war against Iran, saying: “We do not ever want to have to deal with the proliferation issue as we did in Iraq.” However, according to the right-wing Telegraph, her comments had echoes of the blunt talking that surrounded the debate before the Iraq war.
Rice accused Iran of seeking secretly to build nuclear weapons, and vowed that North Korea would not be allowed to “blackmail” the world with threats to resume its nuclear program, according to the newspaper.
But she said the US sought international cooperation and that Iran’s program was best dealt with by convincing Tehran to agree to intrusive inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Addressing the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, Rice said North Korea was best addressed by regional powers exerting pressure.
But she did not rule out military action, the Telegraph reported. “The avoidance of war is not in itself a final goal,” she said. “Sometimes one has to fight wars to deal with tyrants.” Later she added: “We want a multilateral solution. But we do want a solution.
“Post Sept. 11, the sense of urgency to have solutions to these problems has grown,” she said, in reference to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States. “The absence of action is not a solution. Sometimes multilateralism is code for not acting.”
Also Friday, Japan joined the United States and Europe in pressing Iran to allow full inspections of its nuclear facilities. The request was made by Japanese Senior Vice-Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi when he met Iranian Ambassador to Japan Ali Majedi, a Foreign Ministry official said.
“Japan for its part has strong concern as it gives the top priority to the reinforcement of the nuclear nonproliferation regime,” Motegi was quoted as telling the envoy.
But the Iranian ambassador reaffirmed Tehran’s position that Iran’s nuclear program is strictly for “peaceful purposes.”
Majedi promised to convey Japan’s concern to his home government, the official said.
Motegi also called on Iran to fully cooperate with the IAEA and to unconditionally sign and implement an additional protocol on nuclear inspections with the UN nuclear watchdog. Agencies

Earth, a planet hungry for peace

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).

The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03).

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