| Author | Message | | Alpha | | Posted: Thu Dec 25, 2008 7:27 am Post subject: U.S. congressman: Give talks with Iran no more than 3 months |
| http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1048341.html
Last update - 03:33 21/12/2008
U.S. congressman: Give talks with Iran no more than 3 months
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
The Obama administration should devote no more than about three months to dialogue with Iran, the chairman of the United States' House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, Howard Berman, has told Haaretz.
Berman says that if negotiations fail, the United States will have to "buy in for a crippling level of sanctions."
A California Democrat, Berman came to Israel last week to meet with government leaders and take part in discussions at Tel Aviv's National Institute for Security Studies, which focused on U.S.-Israel relations after the political transitions in both countries.
Berman says President-elect Barack Obama's policy of dialogue with Iran should be conducted quickly to prevent the Islamic Republic from attaining a nuclear capability.
"If the goal is to keep them from being a nuclear-weapons-capable state you cannot let dialogue become a trap that goes on and on and allows them to enrich and expand their centrifuges and who knows what they are doing with weaponization that is easier to conceal," Berman said. "You cannot talk about a longer dialogue than eight to 12 weeks."
Berman said "pulling together key parties" to support sanctions involving bilateral trade and refined oil products would work on Tehran because "it is sensitive to public opinion." He added: "It is a lot different than what we are doing now¬ certain people can't fly, and minor sanctions on certain kinds of nuclear-related technologies."
Berman says the Bush administration's major mistake was that it did not unite the international community against Iran, and that dialogue with Iran will be another chance to do so.
Russia he said, was key in this respect. He criticized the Bush administration for "not prioritizing Iran" among the issues the United States has with Russia. "The Russians fully well know how important that is for us, and at the same time watch us pushing policies that they deeply resent ¬ in the content of the deployment of the (missile defense) system without the collaboration with them that they felt entitled to get. I think when you look at all issues together, the potential of nuclear cooperation with Russia is big."
Berman suggested that modifying the missile defense system's terms of deployment could increase cooperation with Russia. "I don't know, but I think there is a chance to get a level of cooperation. It's hard for me to believe they want to see Iran get nuclear weapons," Berman said.
He added that one proposal on the table was to allow the Russians to place monitors at missile bases to show them that the system was not directed against them, but against Iran.
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Berman on Israel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6-BGY7X1ro
Howard Berman represents the Israeli Defense Forces in the Congress:
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20060718_tom_hayden_things_come_round/
Here is a tiny URL for the above one:
http://tinyurl.com/9evd5o
Yes, There Is a Guerrilla War Against Zionism in the U.S. What Should Jewish Institutions Do?
http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2008/02/portrait-of-a-h.html
Call for former CIA field officer (and Ron Paul's foreign policy advisor) Philip Giraldi which is linked over at NEOCONZIONISTTHREAT.COM and mentioned George Tenet and AIPAC operative Dennis Ross as well:
http://tinyurl.com/5vvxb9
Listen to the 'Liberty Hour' interview with Philip Giraldi via the 'Hour 1' link at the following URL:
http://tinyurl.com/5gdquy
Israel's 'Get Out of Jail Free' Card
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/giraldi.php?articleid=13906
Philip Giraldi
U.S. Middle East policy motivated by pro-Israel lobby
http://www.warwithoutend.co.uk/wake-up-america-your-government-is-hijacked-by-zionism/2006/03/17/u-s-middle-east-policy-motivated-by-pro-israel-lobby.php
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