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Parleys Won't Stop Iran's Nukes
(Jerusalem Post) Gerald M. Steinberg- With time running out, the International Atomic Energy Agency is increasingly faced with the obligation of finding Iran in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and asking the UN Security Council to take action. But the IAEA leadership fears that economic sanctions or authorizing the use of force will lead Iran to renounce the NPT, and destroy what is left of this structure. In the background are some unverified reports of preparation for unilateral military action in the event that the IAEA and UN fail to act. Thus, although economic sanctions authorized by the Security Council, and with the full support of the U.S., EU, and Russia, will be difficult, the alternatives are far worse. IAEA head Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei is planning a conference on Nuclear Weapons-Free Zones around the world, including the Middle East. No purpose will be served by yet another forum in which Egypt and the Arab states - whose territory, populations, and resources dwarf those of Israel - again demand that Israel give up its main source of deterrence.