Transcript
US “fully supports” Ukraine NATO bid
US Vice President Dick Cheney said today that Ukraine should not live in fear of invasion, and that the U.S. “fully supports” that country’s bid for NATO membership.
He said, “We believe in the right of men and women to live without the threat of tyranny, economic blackmail or military invasion or intimidation,” adding: “The United States fully supports the right of Ukraine to build ever-stronger ties of cooperation and security throughout Europe and across the Atlantic.”
But Russia today criticized Cheney’s travels in the former Soviet states, especially his remarks yesterday in Tbilisi, where he voiced support for Georgia’s entry into NATO.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Andrei Nesterenko told reporters that Cheney’s statements promising NATO membership “only bolster such a dangerous sense of impunity within [President Mikheil] Saakashvili’s regime, and encourage its aggressive ambitions.”
McCain vows to “shake-up” Washington, “secure the peace”
Republican Senator John McCain accepted his party’s nomination before supporters in Minneapolis Minnesota last night.
McCain acknowledged the effect of tough economic conditions on Americans and Vowed to “shake-up Washington”, with the help of his vice presidential running mate Sarah Palin, if he wins the presidential elections in November.
McCain, who praised US troops for their efforts to reduce violence in Iraq, said neighboring Iran was “the chief state-sponsor of terrorism and on the path to acquiring nuclear weapons.”
But, he assured his audience: “I know how to work with leaders who share our dreams of a freer, safer and more prosperous world, and how to stand up to those who don't. I know how to secure the peace.”
Iran rejects Sarkozy nuclear claims as “baseless”
Iran today dismissed as “baseless” allegations by France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy that Tehran’s controversial nuclear program had a military aim.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hassan Qashqavi said: “Nuclear weapons have no part in Iran’s defense doctrine.”
Speaking in Syria yesterday, Sarkozy warned Iran that it is at risk of an Israeli strike if it continues with its nuclear program.
Iran insists that its program is purely peaceful and legal under the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty, rejecting accusations by Western powers that the country is seeking to acquire nuclear arms.
Qashqavi said: “The Islamic Republic of Iran, along with many other nations, has wanted nuclear disarmament of all nuclear-possessing countries and the destruction of their arsenals.”
In an interview earlier this week, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said that Iran would have to leave the NPT and expel IAEA inspectors before it begins to produce a nuclear weapon.
Secretary Rice arrives in Libya on historic visit
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Libya’s capital Tripoli today, the first visit by a US secretary of state to the North African country in 55 years.
The White House today said that Rice’s trip signifies a “new chapter” in US-Libyan relations, which were suspended in 1981.
Rice, who will meet with Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, said that her visit proves the U.S. has no “permanent enemies”.
