____________________
"Everywhere you turn, it is the policy of Iran to foment
instability and chaos, no matter the strategic value or cost
in the blood of innocents," Gates said
"The estimate clearly has come at an awkward time. It has
annoyed a number of our friends. It has confused our allies
around the world in terms of what we're trying to
accomplish," he said.
____________________
First he falsely accuses Iran of crimes for which the US is guilty as sin, and
then he bemoans the fact the rug has been pulled out from under White House
policy.
I guess Gates is one of those going down with Bush. Note how Cheney has
gracefully faded from the scene.
rkm
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Original source URL:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/08/AR2007120800894.html
Iran Aims 'To Foment Instability,' Gates Says
Nuclear Program Could Be Restarted, Defense Chief Warns
By Ann Scott Tyson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 9, 2007; Page A27
MANAMA, Bahrain, Dec. 8 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates argued forcefully
at a Persian Gulf security conference Saturday that U.S. intelligence indicates
Iran could restart its secret nuclear weapons program "at any time" and remains
a major threat to the region.
Tough and at times sarcastic, Gates said the Iranian government also is
supplying weapons to insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, backing the radical
Islamic movements Hezbollah and Hamas, and developing medium-range ballistic
missiles.
"Everywhere you turn, it is the policy of Iran to foment instability and chaos,
no matter the strategic value or cost in the blood of innocents," Gates said in
a speech to defense leaders from 23 countries attending the Manama Dialogue, a
security conference organized by the London-based International Institute for
Strategic Studies.
Gates acknowledged that the recent release of a U.S. National Intelligence
Estimate on Iran, which determined that the country halted its secret nuclear
weapons program in 2003, was awkward and frustrating for the Bush
administration. He explained that the CIA director decides on the content and
release, without influence from Congress or the executive branch.
"The estimate clearly has come at an awkward time. It has annoyed a number of
our friends. It has confused our allies around the world in terms of what we're
trying to accomplish," he said.
International pressure is the only impediment to Iran restarting its nuclear
weapons program, Gates said. "Iran is keeping its options open and could restart
its nuclear weapons program at any time -- I would add, if it has not done so
already."
Gates urged countries around the world to demand that Iran "come clean" about
its past nuclear weapons development and insist that it suspend uranium
enrichment, pledge not to develop nuclear weapons in the future and agree to
inspections. Until it takes those steps, he suggested, engaging Iran in talks
would not be productive.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful energy purposes.
At one point, Gates, a former head of the CIA, spoke mockingly of the Iranian
government's agreement with the intelligence report.
"Astonishingly, the revolutionary government of Iran has this week, for the
first time, embraced as valid an assessment of the United States intelligence
community," Gates said. "I assume that it also will embrace as valid" U.S.
intelligence showing Iran is training militias in Iraq, backing terrorist
organizations and carrying out other hostile acts, he said.
Iranian officials decided Friday not to attend the conference.
In questions following Gates's speech, attendees voiced both approval and
suspicion. Some accused the United States of a double standard for failing to
object to Israel's possession of nuclear weapons. Asked whether he thought
Israel's nuclear arsenal posed a threat to the region, Gates initially gave a
four-word answer: "No, I do not."
Another questioner asserted that the intelligence report had "totally destroyed"
any unanimity of the international community to pressure and sanction Iran on
the nuclear issue.
Gates urged Gulf nations to shift their focus from bilateral military ties with
the United States toward multilateral cooperation to better counter Iran and
other threats. Specifically, he called for a collective effort to develop
regional air and missile defense systems, as well as a shared monitoring of
waters in the region for terrorism, piracy, drug trafficking and smuggling.
On Iraq, Gates said President Bush's troop increase over the past year has
helped quell violence and demonstrated an enduring U.S. commitment to
stabilizing the country. But he said the decline in U.S. troop levels starting
this month represents "risks and opportunities for the whole region."
Arab nations should back the Iraqi government, Gates said, because if Iraq fails
as a state, the repercussions will be felt first and most profoundly in the
Middle East.
--
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