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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| ElBaradei warns against striking Iran |
| 2007-09-18 |
| Invoking the war in Iraq, the chief UN nuclear inspector criticized talk of attacking Iran as "hype" Monday, saying such options should only be considered as a last resort and only if authorized by the UN Security Council. "I would not talk about any use of force," said Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in an indirect response to French warnings that the world had to be prepared for the possibility of war in the event that Iran obtains atomic weapons. Saying only the UN Security Council could authorize the use of force, ElBaradei urged the world to remember Iraq before considering any similar action against Teheran. "There are rules on how to use force, and I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons," he told reporters. He was alluding to a key US argument for invading Iraq in 2003 without Security Council approval - that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear arms. Four years later, no such arsenals have been found. ElBaradei, speaking outside a 144-nation meeting of his agency, urged both sides to back away from confrontation, in comments addressed both to Iran and the US-led group of nations pressing for new UN sanctions on Teheran for its refusal to end uranium enrichment. "We need to be cool," he told reporters, adding: "We need not to hype the issue". |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #18 Abazaid is not a crypto-Muslim or a traitor. His father, by the way, was a Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy. He is open, however, to charges of having become a comfortably bureaucratic general rather than a warfighter. Before Petraeus led the surge, he led the 101st in Mosul. Under his command, the city was both quiet and the attitude of the locals to US troops was reasonably good. Under his successor the damned place fell apart. Petraeus is a damned good leader, from what I've heard. Abazaid is smart, skilled in many ways, but maybe more of an intellectual that Petraeus (who's plenty smart and book learned too, but more action oriented). Abazaid commanded via a desk for most of his career. |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-09-18 18:20 |
| #17 where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives Tarzan Uleamble6134, I believe the British medical journal The Lancet, whose editor has gone on marches against the U.S. invasion of Iraq, not long ago put total deaths due to the U.S. invasion and occupation at 65,000. The 700,00 figure has all the trustworthiness of well-ironed, wet toilet paper. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-09-18 18:11 |
| #16 #8: "Can anyone name a country that the UN has wanted to prevent There - fixed that for ya', Spot. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2007-09-18 17:01 |
| #15 Rambler, Thank you for the link to the Wikipedia article. In the course of my readings I've come across the term of art "islamo-christian". To be labeled as such is not a compliment. Said term of art gives me pause. Assuming Gen. Abizaid (ret.) was quoted accurately, I now have further cause for pause. Nothing Abizaid is said to have said in the article I read gives me an ounce of comfort. |
| Posted by: Mark Z 2007-09-18 17:01 |
| #14 Kind of makes you wonder why his father left his beloved Lebanon to seek out a female 'WASP' in the good ole USA? The apple hasn't fallen to far from the tree...somebody please ask Abizaid, if he would consider returning to his family roots in Lebanon; a country soo warm and close and neighborly with Iran? |
| Posted by: smn 2007-09-18 16:18 |
| #13 Mark, according to Wikipedia, he was born in California to a Lebanese Christian father and an American mother. |
| Posted by: Rambler 2007-09-18 15:02 |
| #12 I read a disturbing article today at LGF quoting retired Gen. Abizaid: How I stopped worrying and learned to love the (Iranian) Islamic Bomb. Abizaid and El Baradei may be two peas in a pod. I know El Baradei is muslim. Anyone know anything about Abizaid's ...uh...religious affiliation? |
| Posted by: Mark Z 2007-09-18 12:17 |
| #11 Can we please push the UN into the sea and be done with it? |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-09-18 09:49 |
| #10 So long as we keep paying for the UN this is exactly what we deserve. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-09-18 09:37 |
| #9 Do the Iranians have this guy on retainer? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2007-09-18 09:03 |
| #8 Can anyone name a country that the UN has prevented from acquiring nukes? I thought not. The UN just gives cover to dictators the world over for anything they want to do. He also should know better than to repeat the "700,000" civilian casualties BS. FOAD. |
| Posted by: Spot 2007-09-18 08:17 |
| #7 I can understand his position. It would really put a crimp in his efforts to help the Iranians get nuclear weapons. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-09-18 07:06 |
| #6 Thats right Tarzan; Saddam had from 1991 to 2003 to 'come clean' with the UN, and "W" still gave him 48 hours to 'surrender' or leave Iraq! During all of this, where was Mohamed ElBaradei? Why didn't I hear an impassioned plea from him to Iraq to immediately comply to the sanctions? ElBaradei needs to be fired if he doesn't resign, and before the war break out with Iran; Elbaradei should go back to Egypt, hang his Nobel on the wall,eat his oatmeal and stay out of the 'west's hair', as he has nothing to offer but prevailing Islamic doctrine, and concern for his 'brethren'. |
| Posted by: smn 2007-09-18 04:18 |
| #5 Mohamed ElBaradei Mohamed ElBaradei Mohamed ElBaradei Ahahahahahah stfu. |
| Posted by: Tarzan Uleamble6134 2007-09-18 02:52 |
| #4 "There are rules on how to use force, and I would hope that everybody would have gotten the lesson after the Iraq situation, where 700,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives on the suspicion that a country has nuclear weapons," he told reporters." Actions speak louder than words - so i am quite glad that someone (The Americans) decided to take action instead of sitting around at some table talking crap and not getting anywhere. Nukes or no nukes, Iraq's proven itself to be worthy of being attacked by foreign forces. |
| Posted by: Tarzan Uleamble6134 2007-09-18 02:51 |
| #3 Had ElBaradei spent more time instilling the fear of God into the Iranians and the Norks after seeing his failure with Saddam, we'd probable have a better chance of half hearted compliance on their part by now. However on the other hand, his method and style of acquiescent obsolescence has triggered the acceleration the West needs, to meet the delimma headon! |
| Posted by: smn 2007-09-18 02:04 |
| #2 The El Badguy that even looks like one. |
| Posted by: Duh! 2007-09-18 01:32 |
| #1 Will someone please push a slug into this terrorist tool?!? |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-09-18 00:11 |