- The House of Representatives on overwhelmingly passed
a resolution which "expresses the concern of Congress over Iran's
development of the means to produce nuclear weapons" and "calls
upon all State Parties to the Treaty on the Non Proliferation of Nuclear
Weapons (NPT), including the United States, to use all appropriate means
to deter, dissuade and prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons."
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- The legislation, originally introduced by Rep. Tom Lantos
(D-CA) and Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Il), passed by a margin of 376-3, with 14
members voting "present."
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- Speaking on the floor of the house, Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN)
said the bill "enumerates a series of steps that should be undertaken
to, number one, hold the Iranian regime accountable for its nuclear program;
and, two, establish a clear precedent that such proliferation efforts,
efforts which clearly threaten international peace and security, will not
be tolerated."
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- Rep. Lantos (D-CA) added, "A nuclear Iran threatens
us all. Driven by its extremist ideology, it might attack and surely could
blackmail our friends in the region. Iran's nuclearization would spell
the end of the nuclear nonproliferation regime. We must not let that happen."
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- Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in
International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.
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- http://www.truthnews.net/world/2004050032.htm
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