Iran an obstacle to US goals: Rice

WASHINGTON—Iran is a major obstacle to the U.S. vision of a Middle East in which nations will “trade more, invest more, talk more and work more constructively to solve problems,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says.
“The Iranian government is pursuing policies which are detrimental to the long-term interests of its neighbors, of the region, and of the Iranian people themselves. It need not be this way,” Rice said in remarks prepared for delivery Wednesday to a House panel. The Associated Press obtained a copy of her testimony.
Rice’s testimony, before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, comes amid increased frustration by Republicans and Democrats alike that the Bush administration is not doing enough to deter Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Last month, the House passed, by a 397-16 vote, legislation aimed at blocking foreign investment in Iran, in particular its lucrative energy sector. The bill, sponsored by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., would specifically bar the president from waiving U.S. sanctions. Rice said the administration shares Congress’ goal of making sanctions tougher on Iran, but urged caution.
“We simply want to be certain that our collective efforts do not undermine our multilateral strategy, where we will have a maximum chance of success,” she said. President Bush says a U.S.-linked missile defense system is urgently needed in Europe to protect against a potential Iranian strike. Plans for such a system have strained U.S. relations with Russia, which estimates Iran’s capability to be less mature and has close financial ties with Tehran.
On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Bush administration has told Moscow it may delay activation of the system until it has proof that Iran poses a missile threat. “We would consider tying together activation of the sites in Poland and the Czech Republic with definitive proof of the threat — in other words, Iranian missile testing and so on,” Gates said.
Rice planned to tell the House committee Wednesday that in addition to nuclear ambitions that undermine stability in the region, Tehran has provided “lethal assistance” to extremist groups in Lebanon, Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories, as well as Iraq.
In particular, she noted, activities in Iraq by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds force “are inconsistent with the Iranian government’s obligations and stated commitment to support the Iraqi government.”
A “two-state solution” in the Middle East is in jeopardy after a series of events including Iran’s recent efforts to support Palestinian Hamas militants, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday. Accordingly, the Bush administration decided to convene an upcoming peace conference in Annapolis, Md., to keep from losing a window of opportunity, she told a House panel.
“Our concern is growing that without a serious political prospect for the Palestinians that gives to moderate leaders a horizon that they can show to their people that indeed there is a two-state solution that is possible, we will lose the window for a two-state solution,” Rice told the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Rice’s testimony was punctuated by angry anti-war protesters, including one female who rushed Rice as she entered the room and waved her hands — painted red to look like blood — in front of the secretary’s face. She shouted that Rice was a “war criminal” and should be taken to the Hague, a reference to international war tribunals.
Rice was stoic and proceeded with business as normal as the protester was immediately spirited from the room. Other protesters were likewise escorted away at the behest of Committee Chairman Tom Lantos, D-Calif.
Despite the protesters’ effort to focus on the war, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict dominated much of the hearing. Sharp questions included ones from Lantos on whether the Bush administration was doing enough to pressure Egypt to crack down on Hamas sympathizers and another on the question of whether Bush was calling for the peace conference to salvage his political legacy.
Rice dismissed suggestions that the conference was a political ploy. “There are probably easier foreign policy tasks to take on than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” she said. “The timing comes down to what it is we need to do to give moderate forces in the region a boost and to deal a blow to forces of extremism.”—Agencies