Japan to support sanctions against Iran (Financial Times)
Japan has told the US it is ready to freeze bank accounts held by Iran and its leadership in support of an America-led coalition preparing sanctions in the event that Iran refuses to halt its nuclear fuel programme, officials have told the Financial Times.
Japan's decision to join the "coalition of concerned countries" will be seen as a serious setback for Iran, which has tried to exploit divisions within the international community over how to respond to its alleged development of nuclear weapons. Iran provides more than 10 per cent of Japan's oil imports.
Tokyo's move reaffirms the close relationship between Junichiro Koizumi and President George W. Bush, who will host the Japanese prime minister at the White House next week.
I posted the above story over at the
European Tribune as a quick diary, but
Migeru went digging and found a few instances when that expression had been used in the past.
For the most part, it seems that it is the Financial Times that has been using it in recent weeks (the only exception being a speech by the Australian foreign minister back in February 2003), after having been impressed by a declaration (in front of an unidentified thinktank) by Nicholas Burns, Undersecretary of State using the same words back in March when the prospects for military action seemed to be dimming.
Migeru notes in his research that Dick Cheney seems to be behind the whole thing.
I did a diary on that story then ('Ira() has nukes, will use them - we must strike first') where I pointed out all the similarities between Iraq and Iran and the apparent desprate thirst for war of some. I duly flagged the "Coalition of the Concerned" expression, noting that these countries did not even need to be "willing" anymore.
That declaration by Japan, obviously a diplomatic coup for the hardass wing in the White House, and the reappearance of this "Coalition of the Concerned" words would suggest that some are still at it, trying to put pressure on Iran to get it to eschew diplomacy (or to be seen to do so - by setting the bar at an unrealistic level) in order to get a pretext for "action".
I am not sure how far that can go- after all, Russia and China are ever less keen on any sanctions, let alone war, and Europe will not easily give up the perspective of negotiations - but we need to remain vigilant.