Iran vows no nuclear retreat
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has said Iran would not halt sensitive nuclear work, brushing aside vows from the US, UK and France this week to seek harsher sanctions.
Ahmadinejad, who is due to attend the UN's general assembly debate next week, also said he was willing to meet with both US presidential candidates while in New York.
"We are ready for talks that are completely free and in front of the media and at the site of the United Nations with America's presidential candidates," he told a news conference.
But Washington says Tehran must first suspend uranium enrichment before the two sides can sit down and talk about nuclear and other issues.
Major powers have offered a package of trade and other incentives if the Islamic Republic stops enriching uranium, a process the West believes Iran is seeking to master to build nuclear warheads.
Tehran denies the charge.
Believe it or not, I always admired Ahmadinejad simply because he is one of the worlds best political players. He has nothing but his Cheney in his hand and yet, commands so much attention and respect from his people, the UN, international; negotiating teams, Russia and the USA.
He says the Holocaust never happened, the world puts him on the front page. He says he is here, in the US and willing to talk to two candidates that are part and parcel of a government that are not allowed to formally negotiate with him and the newspapers across the Middle East scream that he is willing to talk but the west is not.
And, Europe frets with each wild statement as the consessions grow in value. He knows the US can't negotiate formally at this point, neither can they attack him as he hasn't done anything, his offer however is purely for home and world public consumption to show that he is trying to talk to the US but they won't, instead preffering to endorse sanctions and the like.
The US knows that he won't have a weapon and so does he however, the threat of it keeps him on the front page and, Europe coming to him to offer more and more. In reality, his military can't fight their way out of a wet paper bag beyond their borders and the Gulf couldn't be closed for any more than a couple of days with the ramifications being the destruction of Iran's navy and half it's military.
You have to ask yourself what he is after. Not talks, not a bomb, so what? If he ever gets official talks with the US, his political situation at home will be celebrated 'only Ahmadinejad could bring the US to the table and recognize his legitimacy.'
He's shrewd and, a player.
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