AIPAC Conference Comes Amid Turmoil

[laststeamtrain]

POLITICS-US: AIPAC Conference Comes Amid Turmoil
By Daniel Luban and Ali Gharib

<snip>

But the main focus of the conference is expected to be Iran rather than Israel-Palestine.

Netanyahu has argued that dealing with Iran’s nuclear programme should be a higher priority than the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and hawkish elements in the so-called "Israel lobby" in the U.S. have tended to support Netanyahu’s position.

But Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rejected that argument in congressional testimony in late April, arguing that progress on the Iran and Palestine fronts must go "hand-in-hand".

Conference attendees will go to Capitol Hill to lobby for House and Senate bills that would let the president step up sanctions against foreign companies that sell gasoline and other refined petroleum products to Iran, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported. Iran, despite vast reserves of crude oil, lacks refining capability and is reliant on imports to meet its domestic energy demand.

The bills were introduced last week in the Senate by Sens. Kyl, Evan Bayh, and Joe Lieberman and in the House by Rep. Howard Berman. Berman has stated that he will hold his sanctions bill in committee pending the administration’s negotiations with Iran.

Nonetheless, critics have denounced the bills for sending mixed messages that would undercut the administration’s diplomacy.

<more>

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46704

[aquart]

1. Wouldn't sanctioning refined products CAUSE a stepup in nuclear activity?:

If they require outside imports because they don't refine, wouldn't nuclear energy solve that problem for them? Wouldn't sanctions speed up the program?

[mmonk]

2. Well of course Iran is going to be the focus.

Duh. It was slated to be the next Iraq.

[livefreest]

3. Chinese companies would be happy to do business with Iran

wouldn't they? A whole market, huge reserves would be essentially dominated by a chinese monopoly. we still have an upper hand in that America still has the biggest market for energy. It can't be replaced... for now. Let's engage diplomatically now with Iran while we still have the upper hand. If the Ayatollahs don't see any economic interest in improving relations with Israel and the US, which will happen if US companies can't do business in Iran thus leaving the market to Chinese companies, there will not be any improvement in Israel's and our security.