Feinstein urges “robust diplomacy”

NIAC Conference: Feinstein urges “robust diplomacy” with Iran without preconditions

Shadee Malaklou
Apr 09, 2008

Washington, DC, April 9, 2008 – Panelists yesterday urged against US-backed sanctions on Iran, and instead encouraged direct talks—without preconditions—between the US and Iran as a way to curtail Iran’s nuclear program.

“I believe we should begin to pursue a robust, diplomatic initiative with Iran on all issues and without preconditions,” Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said in her keynote address.
The National Iranian American Council’s half-day conference, held at 325 Russell Senate Office Building , featured two panels and a keynote address by Senator Feinstein. More than 200 people attended, including accredited media, congressional members and staff, and the academic community.

The California Senator pointed out that previous efforts to pursue negotiations have been inadequate. “These [past] offers have been presented with preconditions and without the full engagement of the United States ,” Feinstein said. “We need a fresh approach and fresh ideas.”
According to panelists, Iran ’s March 14 parliamentary (Majles) elections have not changed Iran ’s nuclear ambitions. Instead, the ascension of hardliners will likely make a nuclear compromise more difficult.

“Sanctions… have not caused people in Iran to change their ways, but increased their defiance,” Scott Peterson (Christian Science Monitor) said.

Peterson, who spoke on the event’s first panel, was joined by Barbara Slavin, a Fellow at the US Institute of Peace and Senior Diplomatic Reporter for USA Today; and Dr. Ahmad Sadri, Professor of Sociology and Chair of Islamic World Studies at Lake Forest College .
Sadri commented that since the Iranian government has made nuclear rights a common denominator among Iranians, Washington must shift its approach. His recommendation was echoed by Dr. Hans Blix, former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in the second panel.

“To ask Iran to suspend its enrichment program as a precondition to talks about its enrichment program seems curious,” Blix said. He expressed skepticism about the Bush Administration’s argument that Iran had forfeited its right to enrichment by failing to live up to the safeguard agreement, describing it as a “thin legal argument.”

Blix was joined by Ambassador Thomas Pickering, co-author of a March 20 proposal in the New York Review for a multinational enrichment facility inside Iran ; and Dr. David Albright, President of the Institute for Science and International Security.

The Pickering-Luers-Walsh proposal suggests preventing an enrichment-capable Iran from building a nuclear weapon by increasing transparency through inspections and verification. Though zero-enrichment is ideal, Pickering argued, the likelihood of achieving it has become increasingly remote and alternative solutions must be explored.

“We should not let the perfect become an enemy of the good,” Pickering said in reference to Washington ’s insistence on zero-enrichment.

Blix, who called Pickering ’s proposal a “welcome contribution,” offered an alternative: a fuel cycle-free zone in the Middle East . Under this model, no country in the Middle East would enrich uranium, including Israel . It would, however, not address existing stockpiles of nuclear weapons in the region.

The former head of the IAEA also raised questions about the utility of an enrichment suspension as a non-proliferation tool. Full suspension without adequate inspections and verification would be less safe than a fully inspected and verified enrichment program, Blix argued.

Albright expressed cautious support for the Pickering proposal, but remained pessimistic about its feasibility due to Tehran ’s unwillingness to compromise.

“One of the reactions I have to the various compromises that have been proposed over time… is that unfortunately Iran is never interested,” Albright said.

The conference comes at an important crossroads in US-Iran relations. Because the sanctions path has failed, it is imperative to develop alternative non-proliferation strategies.
But negotiations should not be limited to the nuclear file alone.

“Iran recently proved helpful in brokering a cease-fire between Prime minister al-Maliki and Muqtada al-Sadr’s JAM militias in Basra ,” Senator Feinstein said, pointing to Iran ’s influence in Iraq . “Clearly a more positive relationship with Iran might be helpful in stabilizing Iraq.”
“The next administration must…evolve a new approach—one based on robust diplomacy rather than threat of war,” the Senator concluded.

Honorable Senator Dianne Feinstein:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yeI7KVh6rk

IN THE NAME OF MY FATHER
Imperial Iranian Unsung Heroes Armed Forces
www.sarbazan.com , shneshat@aol.com, P.O.Box 16166 , Beverly Hills , CA 90209 , USA
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Saturday April 12th, 2008

Honorable Senator Dianne Feinstein
United State Senate
331 Hart Senate Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
Ph: 202-224-3841
Fax: 202-228-3954

Via: E-mail

Honorable Senator Dianne Feinstein:

RE: Exporting Marxist-Islamist Revolution

In 1979, the Islamic Republic was incepted in Iran under core philosophy of Marxist-Islamist utopia with hostile intention of exporting its revolution to the world and the US . The Marxist and Islamist core philosophies are sharing same value of exporting their cause around the world by means of using force, fear and fraud. Initially, it was unclear how Marxist and Islamist were contemplating to export their revolution to the world and the US . Today, there is a clear understanding how the cleric regime is exporting their revolution to the world and the US by forming unholy alliance with the US ¢s left wing minded individuals.

The cleric regime in Iran has been chanting death to America and death to Israel since 1979, and has been promising to their mind liked individuals total annihilation and domination of West by sword of Islam. Interesting, there is no longer need for a sword to spread Islam globally and the US , the cleric regime in Iran have nuclear capability which is just matter of pushing a bottom.

The cleric regime is in position to spread its agenda in the US by forming National Iranian American Council in the US soil which is acting as an invisible hand of the cleric regime. The National Iranian American Council has formed alliance with the democrat party and the left wing groups in the US so that they can endorse best interest of the cleric regime in the legislative body of the US while ignoring the real fact that the cleric regime in Iran has no legitimacy to govern its subjects. Simply approaching from economic aspect that in 2006, Export Development Canada reported 10% of population is possessing 75% of Iran ¢s wealth and 90% of population is possessing 25% of Iran ¢s wealth, and there is a pervasive social inequality in Iran due to the cleric regime¢s internal policy of maintaining status quote. Thus, the cleric regime does not have support of Iranian people and by applying more economic pressure like sanctions on the cleric regime would motivate Iranian people to rise against the cleric regime which is chanting death to America and promise of wiping Israel off the map, Iranian people would revolt against the state in Iran and will topple the Islamic Republic in Iran without US intervention in Iran.

The bottom line, Iranian people are not citizens of the cleric regime, Iranian people are subjects of the cleric regime, and subjects do not have any kind of rights. Despite above reality of life in Iran, the US senator, politicians, as well as, those who call themselves think tank that they are inclined toward left side of political spectrum have decided to work closely with the National Iranian American Council which is acting as the invisible hand of the cleric regime in the US so that the cleric regime would export its revolution in the US. Consequently, there is a matter of safety and security of everyone here at stake and no longer Senator Dianne Feinstein action can be tolerated and you need to resign from office so a competent person can do the task.

Thank you,

Kind regards

Signed

Shirin NESHAT