China and Russia refuse to back US over Iran

[thetruth]

China and Russia refuse to back US over Iran
US president fails to win support from Hu and Medvedev at APEC summit as he seeks to rein back Iran's nuclear ambitions.

China and Russia refuse to back US over Iran - Americas - Al Jazeera English

Last Modified: 13 Nov 2011 21:38



President Obama's call for tougher action on Iran at the Hawaii summit went largely ignored by China and Russia [EPA] Barack Obama's push for consensus over renewed concerns about Iran's nuclear programme have had a lukewarm response from the Russian and Chinese leaders attending the APEC summit in Hawaii.
The US president had sought support from Dmitry Medvedev and Hu Jintao as he seeks to rein back Iran's nuclear ambitions, but he got no public endorsement from either of them.
Obama met his counterparts on Sunday on the sidelines of the summit in Honolulu, the capital of his home state, where he discussed a UN nuclear watchdog report that said there was "credible" information that Tehran may have worked on developing nuclear weapons.
Al Jazeera's Patty Culhane, reporting from Honolulu, said there was "absolutely no consensus" between the leaders on how to deal with Iran following the International Atomic Energy Agency's report.
"This was President Obama's first face-to-face meeting with Hu and Medvedev since the IAEA report came out. The US believes that it needs China and Russia to get on board with sanctions and it was fairly clear ... that he did not get any reassurances," she said.
"You've heard him say that they agreed to find a common strategy. That's far from agreeing to more sanctions. What they say they're going to do now, is to wait for the board of governors' meeting at the IAEA."
Russia and China are reluctant to back the US in its push to tighten international sanctions on Iran. Both are veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council and have shown no sign that the new report will change their stand.
Alongside Medvedev, Obama said the two "reaffirmed our intention to work to shape a common response" on Iran.
Shortly after, Obama joined Hu, in a run of back-to-back diplomacy with the heads of two powers that hold complicated and at times divisive relations with the US.

Medvedev silent
Obama said that he and the Chinese leader want to ensure that Iran abides by "international rules and norms".
The US president's comments were broad enough to portray a united front without yielding any clear indication of progress.
Medvedev, for his part, was largely silent on Iran during his remarks, merely acknowledging that the subject was discussed. Hu did not mention Iran at all.
White House aides insisted later that Russia and China remain unified with the US and other allies in preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, and that Obama, Hu and Medvedev had agreed to work on the next steps.
Ben Rhodes, the US deputy national security adviser, said the new allegations about Iran's programmes demand an international response.
"I think the Russians and the Chinese understand that," he said. "We're going to be working with them to formulate that response."
Iran, which said it would review its co-operation with the UN nuclear watchdog after the report, has insisted its nuclear work is in peaceful pursuit of energy and research, not weaponry.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum brings together 21 economies in an annual summit focused on economic growth, free trade and investment.
This year's summit was dominated by fears over the eurozone crisis and talks on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a US-led free trade deal that knock down trade barriers across the Pacific Ocean.
After leaving Hawaii on Monday, Obama will celebrate 60 years of security ties with Australia and make the first visit by a US president to the East Asia summit, set for Bali next week.

[thetruth]

Smart thinking nations will realize that it is beneficial to develop business and strategic ties with these nations. For Afghanistan in particular, the nation must observe the way Iran has developed on track and mimic this. For an Eastern country, relations with the Eastern powers appear to be a must. It is therefore not only logical, but apparently the only meaningful way forward for independence, peace and prosperity.

There is no use to have ties with toxic nations and economies as those will be harmful to the future growth of any nation and to peace. China will also in 50 years collapse, but smart thinking nations should benefit from their rise, and get concessions from them. These nations should be on the right and winning side of history, and do away with the failed side.

[randolph85]

the thing is that they are not as pro iran as the west is anti iran. look at what happened in iraq. the russians and chinese didn't lift a finger. like iraq, iran is out of their geopolitical sphere and the only investment they have with the state is economic. ayotollahs or no ayotollahs, they will still do business with iran.

russia already buckled under pressure a while back and blocked the sale of s-300's to iran.

[thetruth]

Russia is building nuclear power plants in Iran. http://www.pashtunforums.com/world-n...nt-iran-22859/ Russia or China did not invest in nuclear power plants for Iraq. Iran states it is developing these nuclear power plants for peaceful purposes (peaceful purposes being deterrence). Iran is completely different from Iraq that the present state started by a revolution which overthrew the US-backed Shah. Hence, there is no comparison. Saddam was once an ally of the West before he isolated himself. At one time, the US supplied him with gas nerve agent to use against the Kurds.

Hence, Iran's example of independence is therefore a framework of a state that is shielded from meddling. Obviously, a nation can only be strong on its own terms, and in order to promote peace and prosperity throughout the world must prevent war supporting nations in the West from starting wars. Iran, like Pakistan, are secure enough to prevent wars and promote regional peace and prosperity. Had Daud Khan not been assassinated, Afghanistan would have been like this too.

Third world and developing nations as well as the UN are probably observant of the fact that neither Iran nor North Korea can ever be attacked.
.

[randolph85]

well of course russia is helping iran to develop nuclear plants. they get paid billions to do so, its not out of kindness. russia doesn't care if the US or israelis bomb them because they are already getting paid. russias recent refusal to go through will sales of s-300 anti air craft systems just goes to prove it. russia and china would rather there not be military action against iran because it would disrupt their business interests in the short term, but they would pick right back up if there was a new iranian govt.

and wtf are u talking about pakistan promoting regional peace and prosperity? is that a joke??

[thetruth]

what is meant is that all people and nations of the East have unified against Western meddling in the region. The only valid opposition to Pakistan is for their continued support for the US war, nothing else. In that regard, Pakistan has been preventing peace and prosperity in the region by supporting the US war at the get go and ferreting Karzai into Afghanistan from Pakistan abroad American aircraft.

All peace and freedom loving nations of the East are setting the way forward for a new era of peace in the world. Islamic spring from Tunisia to Egypt has set the stage of the rise peace and freedom loving nations. A free world has begun and can not be stopped or challenged. Oil prices will most likely sky rocket and there is nothing that can be done about it.

[Maiwand]

This could cause a big war between the two blocs, anyway, if that happens, we the real muslims and the mujahideen will remain the most victorious, because they will use atomic weapons against each other and destroy each other. Something like this was predicted in the ahadith of the prophet (pbuh) about the End of Times.

[al-arab]

The Iranian state must be destroyed they are enemies of Islam and they have already done enough harm in Lebanon, Iraq, Bahrain and they are trying to divide Muslims. The Muslim and Arab world must unite against them and stop their heresy.

[thetruth]

In interest of regional interests of opposition to Western interference and meddling, it appears that Iran has taken a 360 degree turn, reluctantly. They thought Karzai could give them a pro-Shiite government in a mostly Sunni Afghanistan, but what was in conflict with their interest was their eventual and complete opposition to the US presence.

It appears they have forgotten about that goal now, and have appeared to downgrade ties with the Karzai government completely, knowing fully that his government will not last at all.

[AFG21]

This could cause a big war between the two blocs, anyway, if that happens, we the real muslims and the mujahideen will remain the most victorious, because they will use atomic weapons against each other and destroy each other. Something like this was predicted in the ahadith of the prophet (pbuh) about the End of Times.

Are you really that dum or you just pretend to be one. Using atomic boms means a lot of dmage and inocent peopel that leaves in Iran would die and Afghanistan is a neigbour the radiation and toxic can rich our land too. And your fagets would also die ( not that I care). Just becouse you leave in the west you talk like that, if you were leving in Afghanistan you would be totaly difrent. I so hoope that they will trow a bom on you or on you family members than we will see if you steal will be talking this **** what you are talking now. Khaar!!!!!!!

[randolph85]

if anyone thinks that major powers will go to war with each other because of iran, u really don't know how the world works. the major powers are dogs, iran is an ant compared to them. dogs dont fight each other over ants.

[thetruth]

Which major powers are you speaking of? US is a power which according to the historical record only has wars with nations that lack any meaningful air defense, cruise missiles, IBMS, and such. This is the reason why despite the many threats, the US may never in fact target Iran simply because Iran has IBM and cruise missiles. Iraq did not have this, and neither did Afghanistan or Libya.

I do not know about Syria, but Iran does have moderate defensive and offensive capabilities. Another case in point would be last months threats of a unilateral incursion into Pakistan which appear to have yielded no results whatsoever, and in fact completely backfired. ts hard to count how many warnings or threats that have been made to Pakistan to do a North Waziristan operation. If a nation repeatedly makes threats, and never falls through, other nations will cease to take that nation seriously. The game of bluff appears to no longer work, and regional nations are not going to clap or applaud US interests which directly conflict with their interests. Instead they will continue to work towards their own interests, and see that theirs are met.

Despite massing troops in Khost, and having their planes fly above in concert with the many threats Obama and Clinton made, it resulted in nothing. Clinton came away with nothing. Obviously, Pakistan has their own interests and will not budge on those interests for the sake of the US. No regional nation will budge on their interests.

The regional nations have their own interests in seeing to that the US occupation end in Afghanistan and for it to be a failure. Afghans (not Karzai) have also obviously their own interests in obtaining their independence and freedom from occupation.

If Iran could have been attacked, it would have already happened.


In any case, further threats against these regional countries have only brought them all on board on the same page, especially in regard to a free and independent Afghanistan. At the recent Istanbul summit as well as the SCO summit, China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, as well as other central asian states made it clear that there can be no US occupation in Afghanistan as that is the sole barrier to peace.