(State Department) William J. Burns - U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William J. Burns told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday: "The passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929 two weeks ago establishes the most comprehensive international sanctions that the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has ever faced. It reinforces the determination not only of the United States but of the rest of the international community, to hold Iran to its international obligations, and to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons." "A nuclear-armed Iran would severely threaten the security and stability of a part of the world crucial to our interests and to the health of the global economy....These risks are only reinforced by the wider actions of the Iranian leadership, particularly its longstanding support for terrorist groups; its opposition to Middle East peace; its repugnant rhetoric about Israel, the Holocaust, and so much else; and its brutal repression of its own citizens." "We must prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. We must counter its other destabilizing actions in the region and beyond. And we must continue to do all we can to advance our broader interests in democracy, human rights and development across the Middle East. President Obama has made clear repeatedly...that we will stand up for those rights that should be universal to all human beings, and stand with those brave Iranians who seek only to express themselves freely and peacefully." "We have sought to intensify the costs of continued defiance, and to show Iran that pursuit of a nuclear weapons program will make it less secure, not more secure." "Last year, we embarked on an unprecedented effort at engagement with Iran....Engagement has been both a test of Iranian intentions, and an investment in partnership with a growing coalition of countries deeply concerned about Iran's nuclear ambitions....Unfortunately, what appeared to be a constructive beginning in Geneva was later spurned by the Iranian leadership. Instead, Iran pursued a clandestine enrichment facility near Qom; announced plans for ten new enrichment facilities; flatly refused to continue discussions with the P5+1 about international concerns about its nuclear program; [and] provocatively expanded enrichment to 20%, in further violation of UN Security Council resolutions. "Iran's intransigence left us no choice but to employ a second tool of diplomacy, economic and political pressure....There is growing international pressure on Iran to live up to its obligations - and growing international isolation for Iran if it does not."
2010-06-23 08:37:36Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive