Ahmadinejad to Address U.N. Conference on Nuclear Proliferation

James Phillips / April 30, 2010

Although Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has found little time to reciprocate the Obama Administration’s diplomatic engagement efforts, he apparently is eager to engage an international audience at a U.N. forum next week.  He is planning to travel to New York City on Monday to address the U.N. conference reviewing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.  This is the same treaty that Iran is subverting by exploiting loopholes to advance its nuclear weapons program.

Ahmadinejad’s appearance will be a major embarrassment for the U.N., which has failed to take decisive action to pressure Iran to comply with its nuclear safeguards obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.  The U.N. Security Council has passed three resolutions imposing weak sanctions on Iran, but has failed to agree on western proposals to impose another round of stronger sanctions, despite the fact that Iran again was caught cheating on its obligations under the treaty when it admitted last September that it had started building a secret uranium enrichment plant. (more…)