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Empty Nuclear Talks with Iran

(Washington Post) Editorial - The talks with Iran in Geneva this week appear to have produced little. Iran did not respond substantively to the concerns raised about its nuclear program. The only agreement reached - to meet again in Istanbul in late January - benefited Tehran in two ways: It advanced its aim of introducing Turkey, which opposed the last round of UN sanctions, into the negotiations, and it provided a means to postpone further international pressure. According to reports by international inspectors, Iran has the capacity to enrich another 150 kilograms of uranium - a quarter bomb's worth when fully processed - between now and the next meeting. The Obama administration's assessment is that Iran's very participation in the talks shows that its policy is working. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the BBC: "I think Iran comes to the table with a much more sober assessment of what isolation means, what the impact on their economy has been, and we hope that will cause them to have the kind of serious negotiation we are seeking." There was no evidence of that in Geneva. Instead, Iranian negotiator Saeed Jalili declared that "halting uranium enrichment" - the West's principal objective - "will not be discussed at the Istanbul meeting." And on the eve of the talks, Iran announced that it had begun producing its own processed uranium ore, or yellowcake - another step toward creating an autonomous production line for bombs.
2010-12-09 09:36:50
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