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Slow Obama stance on Iran nukes worries Israel
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Iran, U.S., Israel News 

Israeli officials are putting together a position paper on talks between the United States and Iran for the new administration in Washington, Israeli officials say. The paper will include a list of reservations about the state of international efforts against Iran's nuclear program. One worry is that negotiations will go on for too long.

The paper states that talks between the United States and Iran should be limited to a short period of time. It also recommends that harsh sanctions be imposed against the Islamic Republic if negotiations fail.

U.S. President Barack Obama, who appointed envoys to the Middle East and Afghanistan within days of his inauguration, has not done so with Iran. An Israeli official in Jerusalem told Haaretz that "this procrastination is very disconcerting."
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Israel and several leading countries in the European Union are concerned about the delay in formulating a U.S. policy on Iran's nuclear program.

About two weeks ago, senior diplomats from the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany met in Berlin to discuss developments on the Iranian front. According to a senior official in Jerusalem, the European delegates were "severely disappointed" by what the American delegate, Under Secretary of State William Burns, had to say.

The official said that when Burns was asked when the United States would forge a final policy on the Iranian issue, he said the matter was being examined and that the process would take about two months. The French, German and British delegates said they were disappointed to hear this and that "the process must be hurried along," according to the official.

He said the French delegates favored an approach whereby talks with Iran would offer Tehran a "one-shot" option. They added that if the American position took two months to formulate, it was advisable to postpone them further, until June when Iran elects its next president.

"There is little sense in investing [effort] in a dialogue with [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad before the elections," the Israeli official quoted a French delegate as saying. "He could be replaced before long." Ahmedinejad, a hardline Islamist, is running against Mohammad Khatami from Iran's reform movement.

An Israeli diplomat told Haaretz that a senior consultant to German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that "it's preferable that Ahmadinejad stays on instead of a smiling president who enjoys the image of a pragmatist like Khatami, who would mislead public opinion in the West and carry on with the Iranian nuclear program."

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      1.   This is what they say about Israel and Bibi 02:15  |  Ben 15/02/09
      2.   Total and utter rot 02:22  |  Chris Linthwaite 15/02/09
      3.   King Log and King Stork 02:29  |  Colin Wright 15/02/09
      4.   Israel dictating policy to the US? 02:39  |  Michael N 15/02/09
      5.   Israel is zero! 02:45  |  fritz t. 15/02/09
      6.   The Iranian and American administrations have something in common 02:57  |  Obi 15/02/09
      7.   Iranian nukes are a reality. 03:04  |  KMX 15/02/09
      8.   What is obvious here... 03:23  |  Marlene N. 15/02/09
      9.   Colin Wrong..........this is not revenge..... 04:12  |  `The Punisher` 15/02/09
      10.   West has strong interest engaging Iran 04:34  |  John English 15/02/09
      11.   Little correction #2 04:34  |  Michael N 15/02/09
      12.   ZIONIST`S NUKES! 04:37  |  Latin Lover. 15/02/09
      13.   Dd Hitler belive his crap about Jews? 04:45  |  Mark Lincoln 15/02/09
      14.   Go ahead..solve your differences..US stay neutral 04:45  |  Biddut Miah 15/02/09
      15.   U.S. colony of Israel 04:55  |  Ed 15/02/09
      16.   stop! 04:56  |  mike 15/02/09
      17.   Stop worrying about dc;obama is going to sit idly by,just as he 05:01  |  glenna 15/02/09
      18.   What do you expect from a Pro-Arab leftist defeatist like Obama 05:18  |  Kayla 15/02/09
      19.   BUG OFF: Americans support dialogue with Iran 05:36  |  WE WON 15/02/09
      20.   Israel & EU Need Not U.S. To Take Down Iran Weapon Nuke Program 06:04  |  Joseph.E 15/02/09
      21.   # 16 mike 06:17  |  Joseph.E 15/02/09
      22.   Where is the Israeli peace plan? 07:51  |  binny 15/02/09
      23.   You`re a wonderful one 07:56  |  Marvin Gaye 15/02/09
      24.   # 19 BUG OFF 07:59  |  Joseph.E 15/02/09
      25.   Time has come for decisions. 09:56  |  Jean Van Daem 15/02/09
      26.   WHY WORRIED ABOUT OBAMA`S STANCE 10:04  |  indrajaya 15/02/09
      27.   Obama`s stance 10:19  |  DT 15/02/09
      28.   No gunboat diplomacy here. 10:23  |  Stephen. 15/02/09
      29.   What does everyone want? 10:35  |  H 15/02/09
      30.   U.S interest vs Israeli interest at odds 10:35  |  Cliff 15/02/09
      31.   # 13 Marc Lincoln 10:40  |  Bob 15/02/09
      32.   israel`s bloodlust is going to end up alienating it from the u.s. 10:59  |  eric 15/02/09
      33.   israel has to live with it 11:10  |  Imad 15/02/09
      34.   Procrastination 12:07  |  A.N. 15/02/09
      35.   # 25 Jean Van Daem 12:23  |  Joseph.E 15/02/09
      36.   Obama will end Americas mideast wars, not add to them 12:38  |  Natallie Durson 15/02/09
      37.   WHOS EVER IRANIAN LEADER, ITS CANT STOP NUCLEAR PROJECT !!! 13:00  |  A KHAMENEI IS LEADER 15/02/09
      38.   Don`t repeat the Durban conference error! 13:04  |  Manny Goldstein 15/02/09
      39.   #20 Joseph E 13:06  |  Chris Linthwaite 15/02/09
      40.   Israeli officials flushed and raring to go 13:30  |  allang 15/02/09
      41.   i predict a new naïve us diplomacy will fail and will weak US 13:49  |  delbey 15/02/09
      42.   The problem is not Iran; it`s the OCCUPATION, Einstein! 14:23  |  Ivar 15/02/09
      43.   It`s Time To Consider MAD 14:37  |  Jeff Northridge 15/02/09
      44.   israel is in no position to dictate to us period! 18:01  |  padraic buckley 15/02/09
      45.   Article not quite right 18:04  |  MichaelF 15/02/09
      46.   #36 - Natallie Durson 18:06  |  MichaelF 15/02/09
      47.   #42 - Brainless Ivar 18:13  |  MichaelF 15/02/09
      48.   20 Joseph E - Everything???? 2nd try 19:05  |  Mark of Lewiston 15/02/09
      49.   20 Joseph E - Everything???? 2nd try 19:05  |  Mark of Lewiston 15/02/09
      50.   #2 Chris Your comment is utter rubbish 19:07  |  Sarah 15/02/09
      51.   israel is a reality 19:53  |  john stephens 15/02/09
      52.   #50 Sarah 20:10  |  Chris Linthwaite 15/02/09
      53.   # 51 Answering your rubbish does not take 5 minutes 20:42  |  Sarah 15/02/09
      54.   #53 Sarah, just shouting `rubbish` does not make `rubbish` 21:50  |  Mark B. 15/02/09
      55.   To Chris Linthwaite (# 2 & 52). 21:51  |  flyingdoc57 15/02/09
      56.   Mark of Lewiston # 49 A Novel Approach 21:52  |  Jeff Northridge 15/02/09
      57.   #47 MichaelF - have you read this? 22:03  |  mythology 15/02/09
      58.   procrastination and stalling on a palestinian state has done 22:12  |  Buick from Boca 15/02/09
      59.   The end of Israel 01:55  |  ben 16/02/09
      60.   IVAR Who was the last king of Palestine? What Palestnian currency 05:16  |  PETER SM 16/02/09
      61.   Kayla re Obama 05:48  |  Persian Kitty 16/02/09
      62.   Buckley, please tell me 06:06  |  john and the TRUTH! 16/02/09
      63.   #25 Jean Van Daem`s abuse of the english language 06:12  |  Johnboy 16/02/09
      64.   Slow Obama Stance on Iran nukes 06:20  |  F Newman 16/02/09
      65.   #56 I think I see a few flaws, Jeff 06:28  |  Johnboy 16/02/09
      66.   #43 I`m curious, Jeff.... 06:36  |  Johnboy 16/02/09
      67.   # 57 to mythology re: mythology 07:03  |  eric 16/02/09
      68.   For MichaelF, Peter, the History of the Southern Levant 07:09  |  Ivar 16/02/09
      69.   For MichaelF, Peter, The History of the Southern Levant 07:12  |  Ivar 16/02/09
      70.   WEWON Who is objecting to diplomatic relations 07:17  |  PETER SM 16/02/09
      71.   #32, eric 07:35  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 16/02/09
      72.   I AGREE WITH JEFF THIS TIME 07:39  |  indrajaya 16/02/09
      73.   #40, allang 07:41  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 16/02/09
      74.   #42. CORRECT, Ivar! 07:45  |  LATIN LOVER 16/02/09
      75.   32 Eric, Well said... 07:58  |  Dutch 16/02/09
      76.   ERIC you want blood lust Explain why you people never notice 09:48  |  PETER SM 16/02/09
      77.   DORIS The US are disgusted by what they see in the USA 09:58  |  PETER SM 16/02/09
      78.   #19, "WE WON" 10:05  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 16/02/09
      79.   IVAR now you are changing your story. 10:27  |  PETER SM 16/02/09
      80.   The Israeli ambassador in the USA must summon the... 10:41  |  zmogus 16/02/09
      81.   # 71 exactly true cipora; a "regional threat" 14:18  |  eric 16/02/09
      82.   OBAMA 19:52  |  The Teacher/Instruct 16/02/09
      83.   Peter SM # 77 yes the US is disgusted by what we see here! 14:35  |  American in NY 17/02/09
      84.   #21 Yes, they bombed Israel on the Lord`s day 15:54  |  Tyra 17/02/09
      85.   # 77 to peters m re: a P.S. to american in ny post # 83 08:45  |  eric 18/02/09
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