(JTA) Ron Kampeas - With enhanced U.S. sanctions to deter Iran's nuclear ambitions increasingly likely by early next year, opponents and supporters agree that the case was finally made - by Iran itself. The key to the accelerated path to a sanctions bill that insiders now believe will land on President Obama's desk within a month was Iran's belligerent rejection of a Western offer to substantively enhance its peaceful nuclear program in exchange for greater transparency. The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, a politically and denominationally diverse umbrella organization consisting of more than 50 groups, issued a statement over the weekend urging both chambers of Congress to pass sanctions legislation by the end of the year if possible. "The timing for this vote is especially significant," said Presidents Conference chairman Alan Solow and executive vice chairman Malcolm Hoenlein in the statement. "Should the IRPSA legislation pass the House, it has the potential to seriously impact the Iranian economy. The prospect of the sanctions in this bill and the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act, which overwhelmingly passed the House in October, are essential to pressing Iran, the leading violator of human rights and state sponsor of terrorism globally, against pursuing a nuclear weapons capacity."
2009-12-09 08:27:56Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive