Bush Admin Backs Off Threat of Pre-Emptive Nuclear Strike Against Iran in Letter to Markey

BUSH ADMIN BACKS OFF THREAT OF PRE-EMPTIVE NUCLEAR STRIKE AGAINST IRAN IN LETTER TO MARKEY

Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA), the Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Taskforce on Nonproliferation, released a letter from the State Department indicating that the Bush Administration has backed off its unwise threats of first use of nuclear weapons against Iran. The letter from Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Jeffrey T. Bergner came in response to a June 19, 2006 letter sent by Rep. Markey and 14 other Members of Congress urging President Bush to rescind his public threats of a preemptive nuclear strike against Iran, and instead focus on diplomatic solutions to the problem of Iran's nuclear program.

"It seems that the Bush Administration has finally recognized that loose talk about pre-emptive nuclear strikes is not the way to address the current crisis of Iran's efforts to acquire a uranium enrichment capacity that would allow them to become a nuclear weapons state," said Rep. Markey. "Congress, the American people, and the international community have sent the Administration a strong signal that it's time to give diplomacy a chance for success."

The State Department letter released today said that, "Both the President and Secretary Rice have said that the United States is committed to a peaceful, multilateral, diplomatic resolution to this issue." The letter also indicated that the Bush Administration's was now willing to enter into negotiations with Iran should it suspend uranium-enrichment activities. The letter also noted that the Administration was seeking to "build a consensus that sends a strong message to the Iranian regime: it must either work on a solution, or become further isolated from the international community." The letter also stated that "We will continue to work with the international community to seek an end to Iran's efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction, and to counter Iran's support for terrorism in Lebanon and elsewhere."

"Threats of a preemptive U.S. nuclear strike are counterproductive to our security goals because they will harden Iran's negotiating position. Such threats also damage our larger nonproliferation efforts by undermining long-standing U.S. policy guaranteeing non-nuclear states that we won't use our nuclear weapons against them," Markey concluded.

http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1958&Itemid=141