[Peace-discuss] Just Foreign Policy News - July 12, 2006

[Robert Naiman]

[I particularly recommend item 9, in which Harold Myerson, writing in
the Post, amusingly mocks the pundits who profess to be mystified by
the strong challenge to Lieberman.]

Just Foreign Policy News
July 12, 2006

In this issue:
1) Rice Calls Iranian Response Disappointing
2) US, EU Turn Up Pressure on Iran Ahead of Paris Meet
3) Oil Steady Above $74 on Strong Demand Outlook
4) Rice Calls Iranian Response Disappointing
5) Iran, EU End Nuclear Talks with No Sign of Result
6) Iran's Waiting Game
7) Defiant Iran
8) Slovenia's Energy-Minded Premier Shares Hopes for a Solution on Iran
9) Lieberman's Real Problem
10) Army to End Expansive, Exclusive Halliburton Deal
11) Mexico's Calderon Urges Calm, Leftist Urges Recount
12) Calderón Says He Would Accept Partial Recount

Summary:
Iran and the European Union ended talks on Tehran's nuclear program on
Tuesday with no clear indication of a result. Iran's chief nuclear
negotiator Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told
a brief news conference they would be in contact to see how to proceed
after Solana reports to foreign ministers of the major powers in Paris
on Wednesday.

Oil prices rallied on Tuesday after Iran rejected calls for an early
response to incentives offered by major powers for it to stop
enriching uranium. Iran has said it will respond to the incentives in
late August. The United States, which has accused Tehran of working to
build nuclear weapons, has said it wants a clear response before the
Group of Eight meets this weekend.

Secretary of State Rice will ask foreign ministers from Europe, Russia
and China to seek action from the United Nations Security Council in
the face of Iran's reluctance to respond to a proposal aimed at
resolving a crisis over its nuclear program, the New York Times
reports.

Iran has neither accepted nor rejected the offer, "nor even set a date
for when it would respond," the New York Times reports, a strange
statement given that Iran has said repeatedly that it would respond by
August, as has been widely reported in the press. For example, just in
today's reporting: "Iran has said it will respond to the incentives in
late August" (Reuters); "Iran repeatedly has said it will not respond
to the offer before August" (AP); "During his morning meeting with
Cheney, Jansa said he learned that Iran would not give its response to
Western proposals until August." (Washington Post.) Readers are
encouraged to ask the New York Times for a correction:
nytnews at nytimes.com.

In meetings Tuesday, Iran's negotiator Larijani asked for unambiguous
assurances that the world powers were "sincere," noting that talk
about regime change in Iran created an atmosphere of distrust, a
European official told the New York Times. Iranian officials have
demanded that there be no preconditions - specifically a freeze on its
enrichment activities - in advance of formal negotiations. Another
demand from Tehran is that it be given guarantees that the incentives
will be delivered. Iranian officials have said they have no confidence
that the Bush administration will provide sophisticated technology,
particularly if there is opposition from Congress.

Iran's deputy foreign minister Manuchehr Mohammadi said on Tuesday
Iran was not considering suspending enrichment. "We did it before, we
did it for two and a half years. It proved that it didn't work,'' he
said, referring to a suspension put in place during previous talks
with France, Britain and Germany.

Slovenia is hoping to help mediate efforts to bring Iran on board with
a package of proposals regarding its nuclear capability, Nora Boustany
reports in the Washington Post. Slovenia imports 40 percent of its
natural gas requirements from Russia. Energy security is a priority
for Slovenia and it would like to see gas pumped from Iran via Turkey
to Europe. Prime Minister Jansa said he learned from meeting with
Vice-President Cheney that Iran would not give its response to Western
proposals until August. "We had wanted them to decide by the G-8
meeting. But if the decision is positive, we can wait until August.
They did not refuse but asked for more time," he said.

Harold Meyerson, writing in the Washington Post, mocks pundits who
profess to be mystified by the vigorous challenge that Senator Joe
Lieberman is facing in the Democratic primary in Connecticut August
8th. No great mystery enshrouds the challenge to Lieberman, he writes.
Lieberman has simply and rightly been caught up in the fundamental
dynamics of Politics 2006, in which Democrats are doing their
damnedest to unseat all the president's enablers in this year's
elections. Lieberman's broader politics are at odds with those of his
fellow Northeastern Democrats. He is not being opposed because he
doesn't reflect the views of his Democratic constituents 100 percent
of the time. He is being opposed because he leads causes many of them
find repugnant.

The Army is discontinuing a controversial multibillion-dollar deal
with oil services giant Halliburton Co. to provide logistical support
to U.S. troops worldwide, a decision that could cut deeply into the
firm's dominance of government contracting in Iraq, the Washington
Post reports. The choice comes after several years of attacks from
critics who saw the contract as a symbol of politically connected
corporations profiteering on the war. Under the deal, Halliburton had
exclusive rights to provide the military with a wide range of work.
Government audits turned up more than $1 billion in questionable
costs. Whistle-blowers told how the company charged $45 per case of
soda, double-billed on meals and allowed troops to bathe in
contaminated water.

Felipe Calderon urged calm on Tuesday ahead of street protests led by
his rival Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who again demanded a recount in
the Mexican presidential election and said the vote could be
nullified. The electoral court must rule on Lopez Obrador's objections
to the election result by August 31 and declare an election winner by
September 6. The next president takes over on December 1. Calderón
said Tuesday that he would accept a partial recount but that a
complete recount would be absurd and illegal. He said that he would
abide by the decision of the court, even if it orders a recount of as
many as 50,000 polling places. Calderón is clinging to a
half-percentage-point lead after an official tally last week. By law,
the result must be certified by Mexico's special elections court,
known as the Federal Electoral Judicial Tribunal, which will also hear
López Obrador's challenge. The court has until Sept. 6 to name the
winner, and Calderón said Tuesday that he expected the fight to drag
out until the deadline. Calderón and his legal team contend that
Mexican election law will allow only the reopening and recounting of
sealed voting packets that appear to have been altered or have other
irregularities.

Articles:
1) Rice Calls Iranian Response Disappointing
Helene Cooper And Elaine Sciolino
New York Times
July 12, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/12/world/middleeast/12iran.html

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice suggested today that she will
encourage foreign ministers from Europe, Russia and China to seek
action from the United Nations Security Council in the face of Iran's
reluctance to respond to an international proposal aimed at resolving
a crisis over its nuclear program. Ms. Rice's remarks as she arrived
here a day after Iranian negotiators failed to give a definitive
answer yesterday to a package of incentives meant to coax it into
abandoning its nuclear ambitions. Last month, the foreign ministers
from the world's eight richest nations had called for a formal
response before a meeting of international diplomats today.

2) US, EU Turn Up Pressure on Iran Ahead of Paris Meet
Reuters
July 12, 2006
Filed at 6:02 a.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-nuclear-iran.html

PARIS (Reuters) - The United States and European Union stepped up
pressure on Iran on Wednesday, warning it could face U.N. Security
Council action for not accepting an offer of incentives aimed at
defusing a nuclear standoff. Foreign ministers of the world's top
powers meet in Paris later on Wednesday to decide how to handle Iran
after Tehran said it needed more time to consider the June 6 offer.

3) Oil Steady Above $74 on Strong Demand Outlook
Reuters
July 12, 2006
Filed at 6:59 a.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/business/business-markets-oil.html

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil stood firm at above $74 a barrel on Wednesday
as the West's energy watchdog forecast accelerating oil demand growth
in 2007 and beyond. Prices were supported by expectations that U.S.
inventory data later in the day would show robust gasoline demand and
by Iran's defiant stance to Western demands for limits on its nuclear
ambitions.

4) Rice Calls Iranian Response Disappointing
Associated Press
July 12, 2006
Filed at 7:05 a.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Rice-Iran.html

PARIS (AP) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that
Iran has given a ''disappointing and incomplete'' response to an
international deal to end suspicious nuclear activities and that world
powers may have no choice but to haul Iran before the U.N. Security
Council. Iran ruled out responding this week to international
incentives to suspend disputed portions of its nuclear program. The
United States and other nations wanted an answer by Wednesday on
whether Iran would meet terms to begin negotiations on a package of
economic and energy incentives for Iran in exchange for at least the
short-term end to Tehran's rapidly advancing program to enrich
uranium.

5) Iran, EU End Nuclear Talks with No Sign of Result
Reuters
July 11, 2006
Filed at 8:53 a.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-nuclear-iran-larijani.html

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Iran and the European Union ended talks on
Tehran's nuclear program on Tuesday with no clear indication of a
result. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and EU foreign
policy chief Javier Solana told a brief news conference they would be
in contact to see how to proceed after Solana reports to foreign
ministers of the major powers in Paris on Wednesday.


6) Iran's Waiting Game
David Ignatius
Wednesday, July 12, 2006; A15
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101203.html

"To jaw-jaw is better than to war-war," Winston Churchill said
famously in 1954 about negotiations to end the Korean War, and the
Bush administration embraced this precept in proposing talks with Iran
over its nuclear program. But yesterday, the Party of Jaw hit an
Iranian obstacle -- forcing all sides to consider less pleasant
alternatives.


7) Defiant Iran
A moment of truth for Russia and China
Editorial
Washington Post
Wednesday, July 12, 2006; A14
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101328.html

TWO MONTHS ago Russia and China blocked action at the United Nations
against Iran's nuclear program. In deference to Russian and Chinese
concerns, the United States and the European Union agreed to give
diplomacy another chance, even though Iran had spurned an earlier
attempt at negotiation. Yesterday, Iran's president, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, rejected the idea of negotiation once again. "The Iranian
nation will not retreat one iota on its way to realizing all of its
rights, including complete nuclear rights," he declared, even as his
top nuclear diplomat turned aside a European package of political and
economic carrots that includes access to civilian nuclear technology.

8) Slovenia's Energy-Minded Premier Shares Hopes for a Solution on Iran
Nora Boustany
Washington Post
Wednesday, July 12, 2006; A09
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101509.html

Iran was high on the agenda of Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa ,
who made his first visit to Washington as head of government this week
and is hoping to help mediate efforts to bring Tehran on board with a
package of proposals regarding its nuclear capability. "We are a
nuclear energy country. We use atomic energy for 20 percent of our
electricity," he said over lunch at the Willard Hotel yesterday. He
met with President Bush on Monday and with Vice President Cheney and
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday.

9) Lieberman's Real Problem
Harold Meyerson
Washington Post
Wednesday, July 12, 2006; A15
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101204.html

I am about to become a traitor to my class. Among my estimable
colleagues in the Washington commentariat, the idea that Connecticut
Sen. Joe Lieberman is facing a serious challenge from a fellow
Democrat over Lieberman's support for the Iraq war seems to evoke
incredulity and exasperation. On the op-ed pages of leading
newspapers, we read that Lieberman is "the most kind-hearted and
well-intentioned of men" (that's from the New York Times' David
Brooks), a judgment that cannot credibly be disputed -- though if ever
a road to hell was paved with good intentions, it would start with the
anti-Saddam Hussein interventionism of pro-democracy advocates and end
in downtown Baghdad today.

10) Army to End Expansive, Exclusive Halliburton Deal
Logistics Contract to Be Open for Bidding
Griff Witte
Washington Post
Wednesday, July 12, 2006; A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101459.html

The Army is discontinuing a controversial multibillion-dollar deal
with oil services giant Halliburton Co. to provide logistical support
to U.S. troops worldwide, a decision that could cut deeply into the
firm's dominance of government contracting in Iraq. The choice comes
after several years of attacks from critics who saw the contract as a
symbol of politically connected corporations profiteering on the war.

11) Mexico's Calderon Urges Calm, Leftist Urges Recount
Reuters
July 12, 2006
Filed at 1:59 a.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-mexico-election.html

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The conservative winner of Mexico's contested
presidential election urged calm on Tuesday ahead of street protests
led by his leftist rival, who demanded a recount and said the vote
could be nullified. Leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who says last
week's vote count was manipulated in favor of ruling party candidate
Felipe Calderon, showed reporters videos of alleged ballot stuffing.
He also suggested some of his party representatives may have been
bribed and repeated a demand for a complete recount.

12) Calderón Says He Would Accept Partial Recount
Winner of Disputed Mexican Vote Chides Bush Aide on Border Wall Comment
Manuel Roig-Franzia
Washington Post
Wednesday, July 12, 2006; A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/11/AR2006071101534.html

MEXICO CITY, July 11 -- Felipe Calderón, a free-trade booster who was
declared the winner of Mexico's disputed presidential election last
week, said Tuesday that he would accept a partial recount but that a
complete recount would be "absurd" and illegal. Calderón's main
opponent, Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the Democratic Revolutionary
Party, has alleged widespread election fraud, called massive street
protests and asked Mexico's special electoral court to order a recount
of votes cast in all 130,000 polling stations. In his first
international media interview since being declared winner, Calderón
said Tuesday that he would abide by the decision of the court, even if
it orders a recount of as many as 50,000 polling places.

--
Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy