[NYTr] Gates Says Iran "Seeks to Cause Chaos" (Look Who's Talking)

Sat Dec 8 16:57:04 EST 2007

[These people are certifiably insane just for thinking that anyone will
believe anything they say any longer.  Iran wants to cause chaos
everywhere?  This is the word from the regime that has caused chaos
everywhere?  Iran must "swear to give up desire for nuclear weapons"
too. Or else what? They will use nuclear weapons on them? He is
likening Iran with Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Imperial Japan, the
now-destroyed USSR. Just plug in "USA" every time he says "Iran" and 
you've got an accurate assessment of our Global Asylum without the
Kool-Aide. And speaking of the Soviet Union, exactly WHICH country was
it that gave seed money to al-Qaeda in Afghanistan to get them
started on a war to destroy the Soviet Union, anyway?There was
this guy named Brzezinski who thought that turning those Muslims into
militant anti-commies armed to the teeth was a great way to bleed the
USSR. Hell, it worked when they assigned the Pope to help fund the
"dissidents" in the Captive Nation of Poland. Why not the Muslims in
Afghanistan? -NYTr]

AP via Yahoo - Dec 8, 2007
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071208/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/gates_iran

Gates says Iran seeks to cause chaos

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press Writer

Pentagon chief Robert Gates lashed out at Iran on Saturday for seeking
to cause chaos "everywhere you turn" regardless of the blood spilled
and said its neighbors must demand that Tehran renounce any intention
of pursuing nuclear weapons.

At the same time, the defense secretary endorsed the idea of setting up
an independent consortium that, under controlled circumstances, would
give countries access to uranium enrichment for civil or development
purposes. That process can produce fuel for a nuclear reactor or a
weapon.

"We ought to be thinking creatively about how the international
community could provide such a thing," Gates said at a global security
conference marked by the abrupt pullout of Iranian officials.

In his speech, Gates appealed to Persian Gulf nations to support
penalties designed to force Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment.
Those nations, he said, also should demand that Iran "openly affirm
that it does not intend to develop nuclear weapons in the future."

Iran says its program is aimed at using nuclear reactors to generate
electricity. Tehran has rebuffed U.S. demands that it cease enrichment,
saying it has a right to do so under the Nuclear Nonproliferation
Treaty.

Speaking to a divided group of national leaders and security officials,
Gates said Gulf countries must pressure Iran to come clean about its
nuclear activities. He said Iran delivers arms to terrorists in Iraq
and Afghanistan, continues to develop long-range missiles that could
carry weapons of mass destruction, and supports Hezbollah, Hamas and
other militant organizations.

Members of the audience challenged his rebukes of Tehran, evidence of
the divide among Arab nations over the Bush administration's tough
stance. Asked if the U.S. would be willing to talk with Iran, Gates
said the behavior of Iran's current leadership "has not given one
confidence that a dialogue would be productive."

"Everywhere you turn, it is the policy of Iran to foment instability
and chaos, no matter the strategic value or cost in the blood of
innocents — Christians, Jews and Muslims alike," Gates said in his
address at the event organized by the London-based International
Institute for Strategic Studies.

"There can be little doubt that their destabilizing foreign policies
are a threat to the interests of the United States, to the interests of
every country in the Middle East, and to the interests of all countries
within the range of the ballistic missiles Iran is developing," he said.

A U.S. intelligence estimate released this past week concluded that
Iran actually had stopped atomic weapons development in 2003. That was
in stark contrast to a 2005 estimate that said Tehran was continuing
its weapons development.

The principal deputy director of national intelligence for the U.S.
released an unsolicited statement Saturday defending the latest
assessment. "The task of the intelligence community is to produce
objective, ground truth analysis. We feel confident in our tradecraft
and resulting analysis in this estimate," Donald M. Kerr said.

Iran's president hailed the new finding as a "declaration of victory"
for his country. President Bush said last week the latest conclusion
would not lead him to discard the possibility of pre-emptive military
action against Iran. Nor, he said, would the United States change its
policy of trying to isolate Iran diplomatically and seek to impose
penalties.

"Look, Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous and Iran will be dangerous
if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon," he said
after the estimate was released. In October, he had said people
"interested in avoiding World War III" should help work to prevent Iran
from gaining such information.

His administration has acknowledged that the report may make it harder
to build international support to persuade Iran to give up its
enrichment program. Gates said in Bahrain the analysis "has annoyed a
number of our good friends, it has confused a lot of people around the
world in terms of what we are trying to accomplish."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday in Belgium that the
U.S. would not relent in pushing for new penalties against Iran, a
position endorsed by NATO and other European allies. Russia ignored
such talk.

At the security conference, Gates urged Gulf states to back steps that
would force Iran to suspend enrichment and to demand that Iran "openly
affirm that it does not intend to develop nuclear weapons in the
future."

In a complex region where partnerships do not come easy, Gates said the
countries need to pull together and develop regional air and missile
defense systems. He also said Gulf nations should cast aside their
sectarian differences and support the struggling new government in Iraq.

"The progress is real. But it is also fragile," he said. "The Iraqi
government must use this breathing space bought with the blood of
American, Coalition and Iraqi troops to pass critical legislation."

Gates ended his speech with a grim warning against underestimating the
United States.

Some countries, he said, "may believe our resolve has been corroded by
the challenges we face at home and abroad. This would be a grave
misconception."

Nazi Germany, imperial Japan, Fascist Italy and the former Soviet Union
all made that miscalculation, Gates said. "All paid the price. All are
on the ash heap of history."

On the Net:
International Institute for Strategic Studies: http://www.iiss.org