Iran: Beckett drops 'inconceivable' from vocabulary
independent: New Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett today said no-one intended to take military action against Iran, but stopped short of adopting the strong language of her predecessor Jack Straw.
Just three days after getting the job she was thrown in at the diplomatic deep end, heading to New York for her first meeting with her US counterpart Condoleezza Rice and discussions with other foreign ministers aimed at finding a common approach towards Tehran.
Mrs Beckett said she, the American Secretary of State and their colleagues from France, Germany, Russia and China had not discussed the text of a proposed resolution demanding Iran ends its uranium enrichment work - a key step in developing a nuclear bomb.
But she said they were all agreed that no-one wanted Iran to have nuclear weapons and that it should stop enrichment work.
Officials had a "good deal of work" to do when they come back to the negotiating table this morning to try to reach an agreement on a resolution, against the background of "clear common ground" on objectives, she added.
Asked whether she believed a military strike on Iran was inconceivable - the word used repeatedly by Mr Straw - Mrs Beckett said: "No-one has the intention to take military action.
"That was not discussed, it's not an issue.
"What people are concerned to do is to get Iran to recognise the strong view and the clear will of the international community that they should comply with the IEAE (International Atomic Energy Agency) board."
She added: "You're inviting me to tread down the path of talking about military action - I'm not going to do that.
"Everybody expresses their views, their stance, in their own way. The way that I choose to express it is that it's not anybody's intention to take the course of military action.
"That I think is simple and straightforward and clear."
Yesterday, Prime Minister Tony Blair dismissed as "utterly absurd" claims that Mr Straw had been sacked as Foreign Secretary because of his unequivocal policy on Iran.
Mr Blair said he had no doubt that foreign policy would "not change one iota" under Mrs Beckett. Link
db: Is it significant that Beckett has chosen to refrain from the use of the word 'inconceivable'? Does this represent an 'iota' of change - just 12 odd hours after Blair promised otherwise? Watch that space.
On the one hand we are told - without any evidence to support it - that Iran intends to build nuclear weapons. On the other we are told - without any supporting evidence - that there is no intention to attack Iran.
"No-one has the intention to take military action.That was not discussed, it's not an issue."
Clearly it is an issue - clearly plans exist - as Bush has stated 'all options are on the table'. That these plans have not been discussed with Beckett - who no doubt is seen as a 'political pygmy' by the US - means nothing.
Intention
1. A course of action that one intends to follow.
2 a. An aim that guides action; an objective.
Intend
1. To have in mind; plan: We intend to go. They intend going. You intended that she go.
2 a. To design for a specific purpose.
2 b. To have in mind for a particular use.
3. To signify or mean.
inconceivable
1. Impossible to comprehend or grasp fully: inconceivable folly; an inconceivable disaster.
2. So unlikely or surprising as to have been thought impossible; unbelievable: an inconceivable victory against all odds.
Not one iota
Not even the smallest amount
Just three days after getting the job she was thrown in at the diplomatic deep end, heading to New York for her first meeting with her US counterpart Condoleezza Rice and discussions with other foreign ministers aimed at finding a common approach towards Tehran.
Mrs Beckett said she, the American Secretary of State and their colleagues from France, Germany, Russia and China had not discussed the text of a proposed resolution demanding Iran ends its uranium enrichment work - a key step in developing a nuclear bomb.
But she said they were all agreed that no-one wanted Iran to have nuclear weapons and that it should stop enrichment work.
Officials had a "good deal of work" to do when they come back to the negotiating table this morning to try to reach an agreement on a resolution, against the background of "clear common ground" on objectives, she added.
Asked whether she believed a military strike on Iran was inconceivable - the word used repeatedly by Mr Straw - Mrs Beckett said: "No-one has the intention to take military action.
"That was not discussed, it's not an issue.
"What people are concerned to do is to get Iran to recognise the strong view and the clear will of the international community that they should comply with the IEAE (International Atomic Energy Agency) board."
She added: "You're inviting me to tread down the path of talking about military action - I'm not going to do that.
"Everybody expresses their views, their stance, in their own way. The way that I choose to express it is that it's not anybody's intention to take the course of military action.
"That I think is simple and straightforward and clear."
Yesterday, Prime Minister Tony Blair dismissed as "utterly absurd" claims that Mr Straw had been sacked as Foreign Secretary because of his unequivocal policy on Iran.
Mr Blair said he had no doubt that foreign policy would "not change one iota" under Mrs Beckett. Link
db: Is it significant that Beckett has chosen to refrain from the use of the word 'inconceivable'? Does this represent an 'iota' of change - just 12 odd hours after Blair promised otherwise? Watch that space.
On the one hand we are told - without any evidence to support it - that Iran intends to build nuclear weapons. On the other we are told - without any supporting evidence - that there is no intention to attack Iran.
"No-one has the intention to take military action.That was not discussed, it's not an issue."
Clearly it is an issue - clearly plans exist - as Bush has stated 'all options are on the table'. That these plans have not been discussed with Beckett - who no doubt is seen as a 'political pygmy' by the US - means nothing.
Intention
1. A course of action that one intends to follow.
2 a. An aim that guides action; an objective.
Intend
1. To have in mind; plan: We intend to go. They intend going. You intended that she go.
2 a. To design for a specific purpose.
2 b. To have in mind for a particular use.
3. To signify or mean.
inconceivable
1. Impossible to comprehend or grasp fully: inconceivable folly; an inconceivable disaster.
2. So unlikely or surprising as to have been thought impossible; unbelievable: an inconceivable victory against all odds.
Not one iota
Not even the smallest amount
posted by exoplanet at 1:42 PM
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