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IAEA says that Iran is working on Nuclear bomb. Let the Wrangling Over Sanctions Begin!
The much anticipated IAEA report was officially released on Tuesday. And while it probably should not come as a surprise that Iran is in hot pursuit of a nuclear weapon, the fact that the IAEA (as opposed to, say the USA or Israel) is making these allegations is certain to ratchet up the international pressure on Iran. The diplomacy over Iran sanctions begins: “Following yesterday’s report, the administration said it hasn’t abandoned talks. Still, the Treasury Department is drafting new sanctions aimed at commercial banks or front companies that may be imposed this month, while the EU is considering its own financial sanctions, according to U.S. and European officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss measures that haven’t been implemented. The efforts stop short of penalties that would hit Iran’s leadership hardest — sanctioning the country’s central bank, imports of refined gasoline or oil exports, steps that may rock world markets and hurt the Iranian public, the officials said…Russian officials have said further sanctions would be counterproductive, and Russian and Chinese officials sought to water down the IAEA report before its release, according to U.S. and European officials who weren’t authorized to discuss the diplomatic negotiations. China and Russia, both veto-wielding UN Security Council members, questioned the timing and outcome of the IAEA report.” (Bloomberg http://buswk.co/tRjbzv)
Haitian Cholera Victims Plan on Suing the United Nations
The Cholera outbreak in Haiti has killed over 6,000 people and sickened hundreds of thousands. Now, victims and their families are seeking redress with the United Nations. “The U.S.-based Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (I.J.D.H.) in Haiti delivered the petition to U.N. headquarters last week and presented the U.N. mission in Haiti, known as MINUSTAH, with a copy as well. The group says both entities are liable for the outbreak because they failed to adequately screen and treat peacekeepers arriving from countries experiencing cholera epidemics. The petition also says untreated waste from a U.N. base was dumped into a tributary of the Artibonite River – Haiti’s longest and most important waterway – and that officials then failed to adequately respond to the subsequent epidemic. I.J.D.H. attorney Brian Concannon shared details of the petition with reporters on Tuesday. ‘They are asking for $50,000 for every person who has become sick and did not die, [and] $100,000 for every victim of the U.N.’s cholera that did die,’ he said. ‘In terms of action, it is asking for effective medical treatment for people who do get cholera, but more importantly building the infrastructure that you need, especially clean water and sewage, to stop the epidemic. And third, the victims are asking for acknowledgement and an apology from the United Nations.’ (VOA http://bit.ly/uGbjhq)