Report of planned Kerry Iran trip denied

Report of planned Kerry Iran trip denied

www.upi.com

BOSTON, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- A spokesman for Sen. John Kerry has denied a Wall Street Journal report that the Massachusetts Democrat is considering an emissary trip
to Iran.

"John Kerry has no plan to travel to Iran,'' spokesman Frederick Jones told The Boston Globe.

Such a trip would make Kerry the first high-level emissary to visit Iran since the 1979 hostage crisis soured relations between the two countries, the Journal said Thursday.

As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kerr

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Thank god his visit has been denied. This would have been a propaganda dream for the regime if he had gone. When the regime is on the brink of collapse you don't offer them anything to cling onto, and you definitely don't offer them any form of legitimacy.

After all of the Iranian people who have given their lives for freedom over there, and pathetic people like Obama and Kerry may still want to talk to dictators.

There's no need to resort to bombing either, as a collapsed regime at the hands of Iranian's won't be able to continue enriching Uranium. Let's hope that the regime doesn't launch a war against one of their neighbours before they collapse.

Read this earlier reportedly from twitter, and since this weekend we are expecting the biggest protests so far, it seems credible:

Today 250,000 ppl in Najafabad are still holding town, they vowed to revolt starting tomorrow. They plan to topple Government in Najafabad & then march towards Isfahan to help topple Government there as well. All Government forces are on retreat & last Bastion of Government is now Tehran. Tehran Gov struggling to get force fr other provinces but none are left.

www.upi.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 26-12-2009 by john124]

hotair.com...

The Iranian people have gone into the streets once again to protest against the tyranny of the mullahs after the death of dissident cleric Hossein Ali Montazeri. The Iranian government fears the reaction enough to ban any more memorials for Montazeri after protests erupted in Qom. Will the Obama administration finally show some support for Iranian opposition and refuse to grant any legitimacy to the mullahcracy, which has also defied global calls for an end to its nuclear-weapons program?

Nope:

Sen. John Kerry has suggested becoming the first high-level U.S. emissary to make a public visit to Tehran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, a move White House officials say they won’t oppose.

The offer comes as mass protests against Iran’s regime are resurfacing and a U.S.-imposed deadline nears to broach international sanctions against Iran.

“This sounds like the kind of travel a chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee would — and should — undertake,” said a White House official, adding it would be at Sen. Kerry’s own behest. …

The Obama administration hasn’t decided whether to make Sen. Kerry its official representative if he goes, but as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Kerry can visit if the White House and Tehran both approve.

How do opposition leaders view this visit? As a betrayal, and as an endorsement for tyrants:

Many opponents of Tehran’s regime oppose such a visit, fearing it would lend legitimacy to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a time when his government is under continuing pressure from protests and opposition figures. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets again this week to voice their opposition to the government following the death of a reformist cleric.

Well, what do they know? Let’s ask the peace activists, the ones who believe that talking always solves problems. Surely this idea will get them excited, especially coming from the Hope and Change administration, right? Right?

“We’ve eschewed high-level visits to Iran for the last 30 years. I think now — when the Iranian regime’s fate is less certain than ever — is not the best time to begin,” said Karim Sadjadpour, an Iran analyst at Washington’s Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“The wrong message would be sent to the Iranian people by such a high-level visit: The U.S. loves dictatorial regimes,” said Hossein Askari, a professor at George Washington University and former adviser to Iranian governments.

In other words, everyone outside of the White House and Magic Hat Land agree that this would be a bad idea.

The truth is that we don’t have any good options on Iran and its nuclear-weapon program. Sanctions won’t work, because the Russians and the Chinese conduct too much trade with Iran. The Chinese won’t agree to them, and the Russians will cheat to get around them. Military strikes sound good, but Iran has significant military capabilities of its own that can hit us in Iraq, the Straits of Hormuz, and throughout the Persian Gulf — and Iran has dispersed its nuclear program to avoid having it destroyed by airstrikes. Invasion would be almost impossible, thanks to the terrain and the 72 million Iranians that would resist it.

The best option we have in dealing with the Iranian nuclear and terrorist threats is regime change. Replacing the radical mullahs with almost anything else would improve the situation, and a popular uprising that replaced the theocracy with a secular republic like Turkey would be the best outcome. Instead, Obama seems intent on regime strengthening. We should be encouraging the democratic activists in Iran not just for the sake of democracy but also to relieve two of the greatest threats to regional stability.

[edit on 26-12-2009 by john124]

Just to be clear, it does not say that the trip itself has been denied... just that Kerry's people have denied that he was/is planning on going.

online.wsj.com...

The Kerry mission would also look like a panicky effort to persuade the Ayatollah Ali Khamanei to accept the increasingly plaintive U.S. offers of engagement. Mr. Obama has set the end of this month as his latest deadline for progress on nuclear talks before he says he'll seek tougher sanctions against Iran at the U.N.

It seems no one listens to Obama's deadlines... and, it does seem like a panicky move...

reply to post by john124


A trip by Kerry would be a good move in my opinion. Dialogue needs to continue to prevent any kind of attack on Iran from Israel. The Iranian people will overthrow this Government, if thats what they really want. I think it is important to recognize that the current Government has alot of support as well as some oppisition within Iranian society.

If everyone within Iran were against the Government and wished to see it overthrown it would have happened already. I do not believe the election was rigged to the extent that Ahmadenejad only won as a result. There were many polls before the elction signalling his victory by a significant margain.

Kerrys trip can only be good for the region if it is a genuine attempt by both sides to sort out the nuclear issue on fair terms. The most important matter is that Iran are allowed to develop Nuclear energy for their power needs and preventing an Israeli attack which would inflame the region I.E Hezbollah, Hamas, Israeli response.

[edit on 26-12-2009 by Peruvianmonk]

[edit on 26-12-2009 by Peruvianmonk]

reply to post by Peruvianmonk

If everyone within Iran were against the Government and wished to see it overthrown it would have happened already

Living under a veil of fear means that many people who are against the govt. will still be unwilling to protest. As more outer areas of cities fall the inner cities will follow.

Even if Kerry were to go there, what would they talk about that hasn't already been said - nothing could be achieved. I could try talking to the wall every day in the hope that it responds, but at some point you have to accept that it achieves nothing.

I hope the regime falls in the next few days, as recent reports suggest Israel have gained intelligence which they probably believe, saying that Iran can produce a nuke within a few weeks. It's a race against time, but the opposition still have some time, and they should be given as long as possible.

Please contribute to the ongoing thread

John Kerry ponders visitng Iran.

Closing

Thank you

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