John Metzler Archive

Iran rants at nuclear talks answered with silence, inaction

Thus the “Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)” was off and running with a near-rhetorical yawn, save for the ranting and raving of Iran’s president against the USA and the “Zionist entity” Israel.

Hillary Clinton was widely praised for admonishing Ahmadinejad saying he “offered the same tired, false and sometimes wild accusations against the United States and other parties at this conference.” She predicted, “Iran will not succeed in its efforts to divert and divide.”

Yes, but then Hillary faltered, by not specifically naming North Korea rather referring to it as among a few “outliers,” the Obama Administration’s deliberately fuzzy and ambiguous term for rogue regimes. By not directly citing Pyongyang’s proliferation, she may be trying to offer political “face” for Beijing which remains North Korea’s sole comrade. China has pressured Pyongyang to return to the floundering “Six Party Talks,” on nuclear disarmament.

Equally the U.S. courts China’s support in the Security Council showdown on Iran. Beijing, at long last, may be willing to back a weak sanctions package.

Clinton later conceded that “We also recognize our responsibility as a nuclear weapons state to move towards disarmament.” This is playing to the audience.

Here’s the challenge as listed by the left-leaning Carnegie Endowment, “The principal weakness of today’s nonproliferation regime is enforcement. Specifically, the international community seems unable to authorize and implement quick and robust action when a state breaks the rules.” NPT’s role remains disarmament, non-proliferation, and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

In other words when the quaintly titled Democratic People’s Republic of Korea withdrew from the NPT in 2003, there was hand wringing but nary a slap on the wrist. North Korea has since become a nuclear weapons state. Islamic Iran’s continuing under the radar proliferation in the race to build a bomb, has produced “deep concerns” among many delegations but still not the critical political mass to seriously confront the odious regime in Tehran.

Still the Treaty which went into force in 1970, has notable successes; Ukraine’s ongoing and transparent nuclear disarmament since the 1990’s of its inherited Soviet atomic arsenal, the world’s third largest, is a particular achievement. .

While the Conference’s first day started off with heavy hitters, it soon became ho-hum, pro-forma, drone which characterizes such events. Russia sent its Deputy Foreign Minister. France and Mainland China had their Ambassadors deliver the speech. Russia’s delegate stayed silent on Iran, as did China and Turkey.

Western countries are clearly on board over the clear and present danger coming from Islamic Iran and communist North Korea. Even European neutrals such as Austria and Ireland specifically cited the danger of both Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

The French delegate cited Iran and clearly stated, “that dialogue is not an end in itself. It must produce results.” Germany called for tougher sanctions on Iran.

Still, the Carnegie Endowment, warned in a report, “Similarly, reactions to Iran’s safeguards violations also illustrate a worryingly permissive attitude toward non-compliance with non proliferation agreements.”

This is alarmingly true. The majority of speeches while singing the praises of a nuclear weapons free world and the needs for non-proliferation, tellingly did not even mention the Tehran’s ongoing transgressions. There’s far less consensus than we may imagine on these proliferation threats.

Brazil a growing player on the global stage, and not surprisingly is seeking a permanent seat on the Security Council stated, “The NPT is an intrinsically unfair Treaty which divides the world between the Haves and Have-Nots.” The Brazilian delegate did not mention either Iran or North Korea either.

Building consensus in a multi-national forum such as the United Nations is difficult at best. For the Obama Administration, getting the long-sought and overdue tough sanctions package on Iran through the UN Security Council may be marginally closer.