[WCUSP] Fwd: [Ufpj-leg-action] Direct, Unconditional & Comprehensive Dialogue with Iran

Tue Dec 11 17:52:54 CST 2007

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: sue udry <sue at unitedforpeace.org>
Date: Dec 11, 2007 6:06 PM
Subject: [Ufpj-leg-action] Direct, Unconditional & Comprehensive
Dialogue with Iran
To: ufpj-iran at lists.mayfirst.org, ufpj-congress at lists.mayfirst.org,
UFPJ legislative discussion list
<ufpj-legislative at lists.mayfirst.org>,
ufpj-leg-action at lists.mayfirst.org

Friends --
We just learned that the deadline for signing on to this letter is
TOMORROW.  As congress tries to finish up thier work before coming
home for winter recess.... they seem determined to make more work for
us!  I know many of you worked hard to get calls and some visits to
legislators on the Iraq funding, but please give your Rep. a call
tomorrow and ask them to sign on to this letter.  (capitol switchboard
number is 202-224-3121

Those of you who are joining the moveon.org visits to members home
offices tomorrow may also want to bring along a copy of this letter

Thanks,
Sue

The Intelligence Community Reverses Course on Iran:

And the President Continues his Belligerent Rhetoric

DEADLINE: NOON, WEDNESDAY DEC. 12th

Current Signatories: Welch, DeFazio, Woolsey, Ellison, Kucinich,
Doggett, Farr, Olver, Baldwin, Hirono, McGovern, Lee, Blumenauer.

Dear Colleague:

The National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear ambitions clearly
shows a different story than what the Administration has been
spinning. The nation's 16 intelligence agencies agree that Iran has
not been operating a nuclear weapons program since 2003. But the
President appears to be continuing his hard-line approach.

"President Bush said today that a new intelligence finding that Iran
halted its nuclear weapons work in 2003 had not altered his sense that
Iran remained a danger. The world needed to view the report as "a
warning signal," not grounds for reassurance, he said, and the United
States would not renounce the option of a military response." NY
Times, 12/4/07.

"I have said Iran is dangerous," Bush said a day after the release of
the National Intelligence Estimate, representing the consensus of all
16 American spy agencies, "and the N.I.E. doesn't do anything to
change my opinion about the danger Iran poses to the world — quite the
contrary." NY Times, 12/4/2007.

Please join us in sending a letter to President Bush telling him that
the time has come to begin direct, unconditional, and comprehensive
dialogue with Iran.  The recent cases of Libya and North Korea
demonstrate that "rogue" states can be convinced to halt their nuclear
weapons programs through sustained direct diplomacy with the United
States.

The apparent success of Ambassador Ryan Crocker's discussions with his
Iranian counterparts in stopping the flow of Iranian arms into Iraq
combined with the findings of yesterday's National Intelligence
Estimate demonstrate that diplomacy with Iran can work and, in fact,
is the only effective way to resolve the differences between our
countries.

Please contact Ches Thurber with Rep. Welch (
chesley.thurber at mail.house.gov; 5-4115) or Auke Mahar-Piersma with
Rep. DeFazio ( mahar-piersma at mail.house.gov; 5-6416) to co-sign the
letter.

                                                                Sincerely,

                        /S
                        /S

Peter DeFazio                                                 Peter Welch

Member of Congress                                       Member of Congress

The President

The White House

Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

The release of the National Intelligence Estimate and the success of
negotiations over arms shipments into Iraq clearly demonstrate that
our nation's differences with Iran can and must be resolved
diplomatically.  We write to urge your Administration to engage in
direct, unconditional, and comprehensive dialogue with the Government
of Iran.

As you know, on December 3, 2007, the Director of National
Intelligence released a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) declaring
that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.  According to
the NIE, "the program probably was halted primarily in response to
international pressure." It further concludes that "Iran may be more
vulnerable to influence on the [nuclear] issue than we judged
previously."

Meanwhile, our Generals in Iraq report that discussions between
Ambassador Ryan Crocker and his Iranian counterparts were successful
in demonstrably reducing the flow of arms across the Iran-Iraq border.
 On November 15, 2007, Major General James Simmons stated, "We have
not seen any recent evidence that weapons continue to come across the
border into Iraq…  We believe that the initiatives and the commitments
that the Iranians have made appear to be holding up."

These developments indicate that diplomacy has produced concrete
changes in the Iranian government's behavior.

Furthermore, the progress made with Libya and North Korea under your
Administration proves that "rogue" states can be convinced to abandon
nuclear weapons programs as a result of sustained, direct diplomacy
with the United States.  This model can and must be applied toward
Iran.

We urge you to build upon the progress made by Ambassador Crocker and
upon our own intelligence agencies' positive assessment of Iran's
responsiveness to diplomacy.  It is time to begin direct,
unconditional, and comprehensive negotiations with Iran.

                                                            Sincerely,

                        /S
                         /S

Peter Welch                                                     Peter DeFazio

Member of Congress                                       Member of Congress

-- 
Sue Udry
Legislative Action Coordinator
United for Peace and Justice
301-565-4050 x315
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