"BRUSSELS (AFP) Feb 09, 2005
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday took a swipe at European countries negotiating to halt Iran's nuclear drive, saying they had
failed to make sufficiently clear the threat of UN sanctions.
Rice made her remarks concerning the negotiations led by Britain, France and Germany in an interview with Fox News to be broadcast a day after she
made a major appeal for transatlantic unity following the divisions over the Iraq war.
"The Iranians need to hear that if they are unwilling to live with verification measures... then the Security Council referral looms," she said.
"I don't know that anyone has said that as clearly as they should to the Iranians."
The negotiations over Iran's suspected nuclear ambitions have been a major issue throughout Rice's eight-nation tour of Europe, her first trip as
chief US diplomat since taking over from Colin Powell last month.
The United States accuses Iran of trying to obtain nuclear weapons under cover of developing a civilian atomic energy programme, and has not excluded
a military option against Tehran.
However, Washington has so far supported the three EU countries' diplomatic efforts, which have focussed on getting Iran to promise not to make the
bomb in return for trade privileges with the 25-nation bloc.
"The international community has got to be certain to speak with one very tough voice to the Iranians that it is not going to be acceptable for Iran
to build a nuclear weapon under cover of civilian nuclear power," Rice told Fox.
She said the United States had believed all along that Iran should be referred to the UN Security Council for violating international
non-proliferation norms."
www.spacewar.com...
Go Condi Go. Beat those mullahs back................