Just saw the following at
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com
Silence the War Drums
by Ron Paul
Before the US House of Representatives, February 16, 2006
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to this very dangerous
legislation. My colleagues would do well to understand that this
legislation is leading us toward war against Iran.
Those reading this bill may find themselves feeling a sense of déjà
vu. In many cases one can just substitute "Iraq" for "Iran" in this
bill and we could be back in the pre-2003 run up to war with Iraq. And
the logic of this current push for war is much the same as was the
logic used in the argument for war on Iraq. As earlier with Iraq, this
resolution demands that Iran perform the impossible task of proving a
negative - in this case that Iran does not have plans to build a
nuclear weapon.
There are a few things we need to remember when thinking about Iran and
this legislation. First, Iran has never been ruled in violation of its
international nuclear non-proliferation obligations.
Second, Iran concluded a Safeguards Agreement more than 30 years ago
that provides for the verification of Iran's fulfillment of its
obligation to not divert nuclear energy programs to nuclear weapons
development. Since this agreement was reached, the International Atomic
Energy Agency has never found any indication that Iran has diverted or
attempted to divert source or special nuclear materials from a peaceful
purpose to a military purpose.
But, this does not stop those eager for conflict with Iran from stating
otherwise. As the Washington Post reported last year, "U.S. officials,
eager to move the Iran issue to the U.N. Security Council - which has
the authority to impose sanctions - have begun a new round of
briefings for allies designed to convince them that Iran's real
intention is to use its energy program as a cover for bomb building.
The briefings will focus on the White House's belief that a country
with as much oil as Iran would not need an energy program on the scale
it is planning, according to two officials."
This reminds us of the quick move to justify the invasion of Iraq by
citing Iraq's "intentions" when actual weapons of mass destruction
could not be found.
The resolution's second resolved clause is a real misrepresentation of
the Iran/EU3 talks. The "efforts of France, Germany, and the United
Kingdom" were not "to seek...suspension of enrichment and reprocessing
related activities..." As the EU3-Iran Paris Agreement makes very
clear, the suspension of enrichment is a purely voluntary measure taken
by Iran and is "not a legal obligation."
This is similar to the situation with Iran's voluntarily observation of
the Additional Protocols (allowing unannounced inspections) without
legally being bound to do so. Suspending voluntary observance of the
Additional Protocols is not a violation of the NPT. But, those seeking
to push us toward war with Iran are purposely trying to connect the two
- to confuse voluntary "confidence building" measures taken by Iran
with the legally-binding Treaty itself.
Resolved clause four of this legislation is the most inflammatory and
objectionable part of the legislation. It lowers the bar to initiating
war on Iran. This clause anticipates that the US may not be successful
in getting the Security Council to pass a Resolution because of the
potential of a Russian or Chinese veto, so it "calls upon" Russia and
China to "take action" in response to "any report" of "Iran's
noncompliance. That is right: any report.
Mr. Speaker, this resolution is a drumbeat for war with Iran. Its logic
is faulty, its premises are flawed, and its conclusions are dangerous.
I urge my colleagues to stop for a moment and ponder the wisdom of
starting yet another war in the Middle East.
February 20, 2006
Dr. Ron Paul is a Republican member of Congress from Texas.
Ron Paul Archives
Find this article at:
http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul304.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iran in Neo-Con Crosshairs:
http://www.warwithoutend.co.uk/zone0/viewtopic.php?t=48856
http://nomorewarforisrael.blogspot.com