Sarkozy disses Obama on nukes, press snoozes:
“President Obama dreams of a world without weapons … but right in front of us two countries are doing the exact opposite.
“Iran since 2005 has flouted five security council resolutions. North Korea has been defying council resolutions since 1993.
“I support the extended hand of the Americans, but what good has proposals for dialogue brought the international community? More uranium enrichment and declarations by the leaders of Iran to wipe a UN member state off the map,” he continued, referring to Israel.
The sharp-tongued French leader even implied that Mr Obama’s resolution 1887 had used up valuable diplomatic energy.
“If we have courage to impose sanctions together it will lend viability to our commitment to reduce our own weapons and to making a world without nuke weapons,” he said.
Mr Sarkozy has previously called the US president’s disarmament crusade “naive.”
Honestly, if Sarkozy ever needs to get more attention from the American press, he should enlist the aid of his wife. And that sofa. And maybe those boots.
I’ll be in my bunk.
Is it Rule 5 Sunday already?
Still the same problem: what the hell are we going to do about it? Still the same solution: not much, since we don’t want the Persian Gulf oil to be even slightly delayed. The real problem of Iran having nukes? More political than anything, since Iran is less a threat to its neighbors (and even that kid down the block, Israel) than is Pakistan. And as long as Russia and Iran are on speaking terms, the Security Council resolutions will remain watered-down tsk-tsks rather than anything substantial even by the already low UN resolution standards.
When the French are lecturing you on being weak and naive on foreign policy, you are officially the Second Coming of Jimmy Carter.
If someone had told me 10 years ago, that there would come a day when the Premier of France would take a harder line on restraining foreign tyrants than the US President, I would have laughed in their faces. Looks like the joke is on me, and 200,000,000 other Americans, now.
Reminds me of the Ms. Foreign Affairs pic from Dr. Strangelove.
Did any of you bother to read Sarkozy’s full comments? You might want to before you decide to cozy up to the French again. He’s not mocking Obama, he’s applauding his courage. Bush? Not so much. Here’s the full text for those who prefer their news not cherry picked: http://www.franceonu.org/spip.php?article4170
“Since 2005, Iran has violated five Security Council resolutions. Since 2005, Secretary-General, the international community has called on Iran to engage in dialogue. An offer of dialogue was made in 2005, an offer of dialogue was made in 2006, an offer of dialogue was made in 2007, an offer of dialogue was made in 2008, and another one was made in 2009. President Obama, I support the Americans’ outstretched hand. But what did the international community gain from these offers of dialogue? Nothing. More enriched uranium, more centrifuges, and on top of that, a statement by Iranian leaders proposing to wipe a UN member State off the map.”
“[t]his is what I believe, in full support of President Obama’s initiative. What I believe is that by having the courage to strengthen sanctions, together, against countries that violate Security Council resolutions, we will give credibility to our commitment to a world whose future holds fewer nuclear weapons and perhaps, one day, no nuclear weapons.”
Heh. Why am I not surprised.