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Putting Iran on Notice

[Los Angeles Times] Editorial - Three little-noticed aspects of the UN resolution tightening sanctions against Iran deserve closer scrutiny. First, unlike its two predecessors, Resolution 1803 wasn't sponsored by the U.S. It was a European draft (watered down by the Russians and Chinese), and it was French President Nicolas Sarkozy who worked all weekend persuading the four Security Council members who voiced objections on Friday. Monday's vote was unanimous, and only Indonesia abstained, under intense pressure from its vast Muslim population. Second, the sanctions are narrow, and that's smart. They punish two banks, Melli and Saderat. Third, the evidence of nuclear warhead designs found in an Iranian laptop is said to have stiffened the spines of the Russians, Chinese and Europeans, who genuinely fear an Iranian bomb but who aren't willing to risk war to prevent it. This resolution finally passed in part because President Bush is so weakened by the latest National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, by domestic economic woes, and by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, that the Russians, Chinese, and Europeans no longer fear that he'd attempt to take advantage of a tougher UN stance to justify a military attack on Iran.
2008-03-05 01:00:00
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