Biden speaks on Middle East, Iran in first major speech

Munich/Tehran: US Vice-President Joe Biden delivered a clear message to Iran on Saturday, saying the US was willing to talk but will act to isolate and pressure Tehran if it does not abandon its nuclear ambitions and support for terrorism.

In a wide-ranging speech to international leaders and security experts that effectively repudiated former president George W. Bush's "with us or against us" foreign policy, Biden said the US will strive to act preventively and avoid having to choose between the risks of war and the dangers of inaction.

But he also held out the option that the US could take pre-emptive action against Iran if necessary to stop crises before they start. The US, Biden added, will "continue to develop missile defences to counter a growing Iranian capability, provided the technology is proven and it is cost effective".

At the same time, the US Vice-President said if Tehran gives up its nuclear programme and stops backing terrorists, there will be meaningful incentives. "We will draw upon all the elements of our power - military and diplomatic, intelligence and law enforcement, economic and cultural - to stop crises from occurring before they are in front of us," he told a security conference in Munich.

Biden's 25-minute address emphasised diplomacy over military power but also urged allies to shoulder more of the burden in tackling global crises. "We will engage. We will listen. We will consult. America needs the world, just as I believe the world needs America."

Biden also vowed that the US would work to achieve a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. "It is past time for a secure and just two-state solution. We will work to achieve it, and to defeat the extremists who would perpetuate the conflict," he said.

Biden's comments on Iran clearly marked a break between President Barack Obama and his predecessor, who once labelled Tehran a member of the 'Axis of Evil'. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Tehran that diplomacy could not drag on as it has for several years. "We need to be ready for tougher sanctions," she said.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, also attending the conference, said: "It is not going to get any better than this. It's not going to get better than an American administration saying we want normal relations with Iran.".

Israel has a nuclear weapon, but no one talks about it. Biden is talking about Bush's policies Against Islamic nations. Where are the weapon of mass destruction in Iraq?
Abdul
Zwolle,Netherland
Posted: February 08, 2009, 17:47