Enduring America, 17 September: “It’s a stunning if risky move. The Obama Administration is hoping to move the agenda away from specific cases such as Iran towards a wider framework encompassing all existing or aspiring nuclear powers. In the short term, that means dropping the deadline of either September or December for Tehran to give way on all demands regarding its nuclear programme.”
At a historic summit at the United Nations on Thursday, aU.S.-drafted resolution calling on nuclear weapons states to scrap their deadly arsenals was approved by the Security. After the vote, President Obama said:
The historic resolution we just adopted enshrines our shared commitment to a goal of a world without nuclear weapons. And it brings Security Council agreement on a broad framework for action to reduce nuclear dangers as we work toward that goal.
Meanwhile, as Iran continues to be test case of nuclear proliferation for many, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said that the G8 nations are giving Iran until the end of the year to commit to an end of uranium enrichment, thus avoiding new sanctions.
So the continuing manoevuring between Teheran and Moscow appears to be benefitting the Obama Administration, with Russia having no problem with a “wait and see approach” for three months.
Transcript of President Barack Obama’s speech at the UN Security Council:
THE PRESIDENT: I wish to warmly welcome the distinguished heads of state and government, the General — the Secretary General, the Director General of the IAEA, ministers and other distinguished representatives present in the Security Council chamber. Your presence is an affirmation of the importance of the subject matter to be discussed. Read the rest of this entry »
Since we launched Enduring America last November, we’ve had Obama the Muslim, Obama as Hitler, Obama as Stalin, and even Obama the Antichrist, but somehow the 44th President of the US has been able to slip away unscathed.
Last weekend, however, Obama seemed to have been busted. As he stood with other national leaders at the G8 Summit in Italy, it appeared that he was taking far more interest in the backside of a 16-year-old delegate, Mayara Tavares, in Brazil’s youth group.
But, doggone it, it appears that Barack may be off the hook once more. Far from being a Dirty Old Man, it seems he was a Polite, Courteous Chief Exective, helping another lady step down. Instead, it’s Mr Carla Bruni, a.k.a. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who may want to be watching both his headlines and his domestic situation:
1800 GMT: Mehdi Karroubi’s letter to the head of the Iranian judiciary, Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi, has been published on a Facebook page of Mohammad Khatami: “All protesting the election results agree with the original system, but its defenders have confiscated the electoral process.”
1455 GMT: The mysterious of the “Basiji” audio tape (0825 and 1130 GMT): A very helpful reader has listened to four hours of the tapes and offers the following: “Each [of the four] segments is about an hour and on different aspect of protests and how to understand and neutralize it. The audio seems to be from the Revolutionary Guard who criticize the Basiji for ineffectiveness and lack of training. The 4th segment in the audio is creepy and openly talks about why ppeople are talking about a coup, psychological operations, ideology, etc.”
Another reader adds, “This seems leaked audio from immediately after 1999 raids [on the 18 Tir] demonstrations. Still, given ranking figures supposedly in recordings, worth examining.” The first reader, however, points us to a document, “Mechanisms for Suppression of Mobilization”, which seems to correspond to aspect of the audio discussion.
(Again, our gratitude to both sources for assistance above and beyond the call of duty.) Read the rest of this entry »
President Barack Obama, at his press conference after the end of the G8 Summit in L’Aquila, Italy, focused on the environment, global economy, and international security. As for Iran, he reiterated the deep concern of the international community over the extreme violence against demonstrations and stated that the door for negotiation is open to Tehran until September, when the G20 Summit will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the US.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Please, everybody have a seat. I apologize for being a little bit late. Good afternoon.
We have just concluded the final session of what has been a highly productive summit here in L’Aquila. And before I discuss what we’ve achieved these past three days, I’d like to take a moment to express my thanks to Prime Minister Berlusconi, his staff, the people of Italy for their extraordinary hospitality and hard work in setting up this summit. And particularly I want to thank the people of L’Aquila for welcoming us to your home at this difficult time. We’ve seen how you’ve come together and taken care of each other, and we’ve been moved by your courage and your resilience and your kindness. Read the rest of this entry »
After ““L’Aquila Statement on Non-Proliferation Declaration”“: it’s a long name for the G8’s balancing act on the Iranian nuclear programme. This is a diplomatic document seeking common ground through careful language: “We reiterate our unanimous commitment to working for a comprehensive, peaceful and diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue and strongly support ongoing efforts to resolve it through negotiations.” Read the rest of this entry »
Local communist officials have said that the riots in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region, are now under control after thousands of Chinese troops arrived in the city and suppressed all protests. Although ordinary life has resumed both for Han Chinese and Uighurs, people are not feeling safe yet, and many are still carrying sticks or knives.
Li Zhi, the party chief of Urumqi, said, “The small groups of the violent people have already been caught by the police. The situation is now under control.” However, Chinese President Hu Jintao cut short a visit to Italy where the G-8 Summit started on Wednesday.
Enduring America, 17 September: “It’s a stunning if risky move. The Obama Administration is hoping to move the agenda away from specific cases such as Iran towards a wider framework encompassing all existing or aspiring nuclear powers. In the short term, that means dropping the deadline of either September or December for Tehran to give way on all demands regarding its nuclear programme.”
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1800 GMT: Mehdi Karroubi’s letter to the head of the Iranian judiciary, Ayatollah Hashemi Shahroudi, has been published on a Facebook page of Mohammad Khatami: “All protesting the election results agree with the original system, but its defenders have confiscated the electoral process.”
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