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Bolton: Iran, N. Korea Face Stark Choices
Iran is confronted with choosing between negotiations with the United States and its European allies and being increasingly isolated, U. S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton told Lou Dobbs on last night’s Lou Dobbs Reports.
Commenting on Dobbs’ remark that Iran faces a very stark choice Bolton said "If they choose one path, they have the possibility of the United States sitting down at the table with them to talk about their nuclear program. "If they choose the other path, then they are going to be increasingly isolated internationally, with increased economic and political pressure. So, that's why the president really has put the ball back in their court and said, we're waiting for an answer.”
President Bush today warned Iran it is taking too long to respond to international demands that it suspend its nuclear program, Dobbs said. When he mentioned August as a deadline Bolton said: "That's too many weeks. That gets into months. You know, this proposal was presented to the Iranians by European Union Commissioner Javier Solano on June 6th. So we're already at two weeks and counting. I think we're going to need an answer fairly soon. ”
He later added "we've been very careful and it's sometimes frightening, frustrating to be at this point of waiting for a definitive response from Iran. Today's response from president Ahmadinejad [that he wanted to wait until August] we don't take as definitive but I think the president brushed it back very clearly, saying we aren't going to wait that long.”
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He added, "In addition, each day that goes by allows the Iranians to do more work on their nuclear program, to perfect their technology. You have to worry about that.”
When Dobbs asked Bolton if he is convinced that Russia and China are now solidly with the United States and Europe on this issue, Bolton said, "I think Russia and China are committed to the proposition that Iran should not be allowed to have nuclear weapons. That's the most important strategic area of agreement. "They've also committed to Secretary Rice that if Iran chooses the wrong path, that they'll support measures against them. "Now, the test will come if Iran does choose the wrong path and we get to the Security Council. That's something we've been prepared for, we remain prepared for, but it will be a test of the Security Council to see whether it can deal with an Iran that doesn't want to give up that nuclear program.”
Turning to North Korea, Bolton said: "The principal thing that we're focusing on right now is convincing North Korea not to launch that missile and a variety of governments in the region and around the world have all made the same point. I don't think there's any support for North Korea proceeding with that test. "But what we've made clear is, if they do, we're beginning preliminary discussions in the Security Council, the launch of a missile, particularly if it goes over Japanese territory, is clearly a threat to international peace and security, something we can't accept.”
Dobbs commented that the Japanese government has said straightforwardly that a missile over in Japan would be considered an act of war. He asked Bolton about the Pentagon’s announcement that it was taking the missile defense system operational from its test basis. "This is something that's very serious,” Bolton said. "We don't know exactly what North Korea has in mind. Nobody can read Kim Jong-il's mind and we don't spend a lot of time trying to do it. "It could be this is an exercise, it could be it's a provocation, it could be it's a real preparation for a launch. We don't know what's under the nose cone of that missile, just for starters. So, I think it is entirely appropriate to take this seriously and to say, as we're trying to say to North Korea, don't go there. Dobbs asked Bolton about China’s position in the matter and if in his opinion China was being helpful. Said Bolton "They have explained to us that they have tried to persuade North Korea not to do this test launch, but they say, as they frequently do, you know, we don't have a lot of influence over North Korea. We think they do, we hope they'll exercise it.”
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