(Wall Street Journal) Stuart E. Eizenstat - Can the EU and the U.S. use the legal umbrella of UN sanctions to create a coordinated sanctions strategy to put the squeeze on Iran? The EU must put aside its traditional commercial relations with Iran and take firm action to prevent Tehran from going nuclear. Iran skillfully exploits the differences in various countries' sanctions regimes to finance its nuclear activities. Thus it is crucial that the EU and U.S. harmonize the disparities between their sanctions regimes, and then push their allies to adopt the same policies. Harmonized transatlantic sanctions offer the last, best chance of avoiding two unpalatable alternatives: Bombing Iran's nuclear infrastructure, or conceding that Iran will become a nuclear weapons state. The writer was ambassador to the EU in the Clinton administration.
2010-07-02 10:06:24Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive