France urges strong Iran sanctions to avoid Israeli strike

Israel Today

French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday urged the international community to approve strong sanctions against Iran over its defiant nuclear program in order to avoid an Israeli strike against the Islamic Republic.

Sarkozy and other Western leaders have increasingly used Israel as a scapegoat to justify their own hardening positions toward Iran, a fact that Israeli leaders have little problem with.  In that vein, Sarkozy, who is attending a US-hosted nuclear summit in Washington, told CBS News that he "would not want the world to wake up to a conflict between Israel and Iran, quite simply because the international community has been incapable of acting." 

"The best way to avoid this disaster scenario is to take measures in order to get Israel to understand that we are determined to ensure its security," Sarkozy continued. 

The French leader said that while he would love to have a unanimously approved package of sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council, the sanctions must have some serious bite to them. He was referring to US President Barack Obama's efforts to get China on board with new sanctions amid fears that Beijing will insist on watering down any punitive measures against its Iranian allies.

Sarkozy also took the opportunity to leverage the Iran nuclear issue to press Israel to make more concessions to the Palestinians. He suggested that the lack of a final status peace deal leading to the creation of a Palestinian state only increased Iran's belligerence and made international efforts to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions more difficult.

Note:  Sarkozy, like most of the world leaders, cannot comprehend the fact that Israel must do what is best for Israel and that conflicts with the pipe dreams of those who prefer to give the entire ranch - by appeasements and concessions to the Palestinians.  Israel gave up Gaza - it no longer flourishes; gave up Sinai; froze settlements due to the demands of the United States Obama administration and the polls taken yesterday say the Palestinians have no intentions of discussing peace with Israel ... same, typical response from the Muslims!   

Hold your ground, Israel!  Bee Sting

Lebanon urges France: Help prevent Israel from attacking us

Haaretz.com
By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday asked France to wield its power in the international arena and take a stance against any possibility of an Israeli attack on Lebanon.

During talks with the president of France's senate, Gerard Gérard Larcher, Berri said the world must force Israel to abide wholly by United Nations Resolution 1701 - which put an end to the 2006 war with Hezbollah - in order to ensure the security of the entire Middle East.

Syria last month vowed to stand by Lebanon's side in the case of an Israeli attack, but Israel has declared that it has no intention go to war with its norther nneighbor"The State of Israel is not looking for any kind of confrontation with Lebanon," Netanyahu said in a statement released by his office in January, adding, "Israel seeks peace with all of its neighbors."

Also last month, Hezbollah on Saturday lashed out at French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner over his recent comments condemning the group and linking it to Iran.

"Israel is our friend, and if there was a threat to Lebanon, it will only come from a military adventure carried out by Hezbollah in the best interest of Iran," Kouchner reportedly told the Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri during a visit to Paris.

In response, Hezbollah declared: "Kouchner's statement carried clear echoes for the Israeli voice and a full denial for France's history and its legacy in resisting aggression and occupation."

"This stance is an attempt to acquit Israel and to cover up its relentless violations of Lebanese sovereignty, the thing which represents a shield for its occupation and an encouragement for it to pursue its aggressions," Hezbollah said.
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China won't veto fresh Iran sanctions

			China won't veto fresh Iran sanctions By Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz CorrespondentI NEW YORK - Senior United Nations officials told Haaretz that a Security Council resolution tightening the sanctions on Iran has become more likely, and that the resolution is probably going to be approved. Observers in both New York and Washington estimate that China will think twice about using its veto on a resolution after Russia recently threw its support behind a move against Iran. A veto could expose Beijing as isolated and out of touch with its fellow Security Council members. China could also abstain from voting and allow the decision to be made by a simple majority. However, the sources told Haaretz, the United States is still trying to obtain Chinese support for the sanctions. Ahead of its push for international sanctions at the UN, the U.S. sought on Wednesday to ratchet up pressure on Iran by imposing its own sanctions on elements of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Western intelligence officials believe is spearheading Iran's nuclear program. The Treasury Department said it was freezing the assets in U.S. jurisdictions of Revolutionary Guard Gen. Rostam Qasemi and four subsidiaries of a previously penalized construction firm he runs because of their alleged involvement in producing and spreading weapons of mass destruction. U.S. officials said the measures were intended as a model for wider action at the UN. "The United States is seeking to reach a consensus between the five permanent members of the UN Security Council on the sanctions issue," one of the sources said. "This would allow it to present the five superpowers as a united coalition, which would increase the impact of the sanctions." According to estimates in Washington and New York, a first American draft for the new resolution will be circulated among Security Council members in early March at the latest, and the vote will take place at the end of the month. "To be honest, nobody knows for certain at the moment what China is going to do," a senior official in New York told Haaretz. "But at the end of the day, China is sensitive about its position as a superpower, and will not be able to ignore the position of other superpowers, including Russia, who support tightening the sanctions. It's not going to go against them by undermining the resolution." The New York Times on Wednesday quoted officials in the Obama administration who said the U.S. president has been applying the same persuasion tack with China he earlier successfully used with Russian president Medvedev. According to the daily, Obama has placed sanctions on Iran at the top of his priorities in recent contacts with Beijing. Experts, however, warned that the same tactics that brought success with Russia may not work with China. A scheduled White House visit by the Dalai Lama has infuriated the Chinese, as did a recent arms deal between the United States and Taiwan. The Americans had earlier planned to begin promoting the resolution in February. France, which supports a tough line on Iran, is this month's president of the Security Council.

French PM says wants strong sanctions against Iran

It’s not too late to use diplomacy to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear military capacity, but time is pressing,' Fillon tells French Jewish association

Reuters

Published:

02.04.10, 08:52 / Israel News

France will press for “strong sanctions” against Iran at the United Nations with time running out for a political solution to the standoff over its nuclear ambitions, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Wednesday.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Tehran is ready to send its enriched uranium abroad in exchange for more highly enriched fuel to produce medical isotopes.

But the launch of a satellite rocket on Wednesday has fuelled western fears it is planning to build a nuclear weapon, despite its assurances it seeks only to generate electricity.

“The Iranian government has not wanted to accept our offer of dialogue. It has instead rushed forward headlong. So the moment has come to act,” Fillon told a dinner of the French Jewish association Crif.

“I think it’s not too late to use the political process to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear military capacity, but I acknowledge that time is pressing,” he said.

“We are going to seek the adoption of a new resolution at the United Nations incorporating strong sanctions and the European Union must also accept its responsibilities,” he said. Fillon’s comments echo remarks from President Nicolas Sarkozy who said last month that the United Nations had to adopt strong measures against Iran to persuade it to start meaningful negotiations over its nuclear program.