The Toothless Tiger Strikes Again

That favorite of favorite institutions of the neocoM kind has once again sprung into action.

The U.N. Security Council refused to approve a statement Friday that would condemn remarks about Israel's impending destruction attributed to Iran's hard-line president because of objections from Indonesia, council diplomats said.

Qatar, the only Arab nation on the council, said it had no instructions, which also meant approval on Friday was impossible, the diplomats said. The statement must be approved by all 15 council members.

France's U.N. Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, who called for condemnation of the remarks attributed to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said it was unfortunate that the council could not act immediately. But he said he would try again on Monday to get all 15 council members to approve the statement.

Read it all.

U.N. Springs Into Action on Hostage Crisis

Well, it only took six days, but the cesspool of corruption and thievery known as the U.N. has now expressed grave concern over the kidnapping of 15 British sailors.

The U.N. Security Council expressed "grave concern" Thursday over the capture of 15 British sailors and marines and called for an early resolution of the problem, including their release.

Britain failed to win support for a stronger statement deploring weeklong Iran's detention of the Britons and calling for their immediate freedom, primarily because of Russian opposition.

Britain sought Security Council help as Iran rolled back on its promise to release Faye Turney, the sole woman among the captives, and a senior Iranian official suggested all 15 Britons might be put on trial.

Iran's military chief, Gen. Ali Reza Afshar, said that because of the "wrong behavior" of the British government, "the release of a female British soldier has been suspended," the semiofficial Iranian news agency Mehr reported.

I'm sure the Iranians are quaking in their boots. Surely, condemnation and a strongly worded letter of more concern are to follow.

U.N. Useless in Hostage Crisis

Curious how silent the U.N. is on the British sailors being held hostage by the maniacs in Iran. Counterterrorism Blog suggests the U.N. should demand immediate access to the hostages, but I won't hold my breath.

But even if the Iranian seizure were legal under international law, the lack of access by British embassy officials to the hostages is not. That issue should be the subject of an immediate statement by the new U.N. Secretary-General during this, the first international crisis which started on his watch. After all, another spokesperson said today that the U.N. has asked the Saudi government to grant a visa to all reporters traveling with the Secretary-General, including a French-Israeli journalist whose visa has been denied thus far (which says a lot about the Saudis' continued intolerance of all things Israeli). The Secretary-General could have addressed the lack of access in an off-the-cuff press conference after a meeting yesterday on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, but didn't use that opportunity.

So the U.N. stands up for reporters' visas but not for the hostages' right to meet with their embassy. The least the Secretary-General could do is demand that the Iranians allow a U.N. representative to meet with the hostages. On top of the weak resolution, the silence indicates to me that we shouldn't expect much statesmanship from the U.N. or the new Secretary-General at any point in this affair.

Meanwhile, The BBC say the Brits are in discreet talks with Iran.

The government is attempting to "discreetly" talk to the Iranians to secure the release of 15 Royal Navy personnel, Downing Street has said.

Tony Blair's spokesman said that if the talks were unsuccessful, the government may have to become "more explicit".

He said they were "utterly confident" the 15 had been in Iraqi, not Iranian, waters, when they were captured.

This report notes some U.S. maneuvers off the Iranian coast.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Navy began its largest demonstration of force in the Persian Gulf since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, with warplanes from two aircraft carriers flying simulated attack maneuvers off the coast of Iran.

U.S. commanders insisted the exercises were not a direct response to the seizure of the British sailors and marines, but they also made clear that the flexing of the Navy's military might was intended as a warning to Iran.

Things are heating up. Who blinks first?

Ahmadinejad Chickens Out of UN Appearance

Looks like the hairy little munchkin got cold feet and is using some lame excuse about visas for his flight crew not being ready in time.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has canceled his trip to New York to address the U.N. Security Council before a vote on whether to impose further sanctions against his country for refusing to stop enriching uranium, the Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday.

Mohammed Ali Hosseini, the spokesman, told Iranian state television that the trip was scrapped because of "America's obstruction in issuing visas" to the Iranian delegation that was to travel to New York.

A diplomat on the Security Council said Ahmadinejad would instead send his deputy foreign minister Saturday to address the Security Council before the vote. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because there had not been an official announcement.

Just one problem with that story: visas indeed were issued.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had earlier claimed on Iranian state-run radio that the U.S. government had not issued a visa for Ahmadinejad.

But Daniel Wendell, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Switzerland said Ahmadinejad's and other Iranian officials' passports had been handed over in Bern on Friday. Another 31 other passports for support staff were to ready later in the day. The passports would then be taken by courier to Tehran in time for the Iranians to fly to New York.

Zarif told reporters "the visas for (Ahmadinejad's) crew were not ready yet."

Weak. Very weak.

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