Albright, Berger Say Obama Should Avoid Tit-for-tat With Iran
“We need to stand beside the opposition; we dont need to get in the middle of this,” former national security adviser Sandy Berger said in a joint interview with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright for Bloomberg Televisions “Political Capital With Al Hunt.”
Albright said Obama has struck the right tone with statements strong enough to support Iranian protesters alleging the election was rigged without giving the regime evidence that the U.S. is interfering.
“Obviously his sentiments and those of the American people are with the demonstrators,” said Albright, who served with Berger under President Bill Clinton. “On the other hand, we do not want to be part of this story and give the Iranian leadership excuses.”
The prospect of the regime regaining control through a crackdown might leave Obama with little choice except to negotiate with Ahmadinejad. A protracted battle for power in Iran would create the risk of losing time as Iran enriches uranium, a process that can open the way to an atomic bomb.
Regime Shift
Berger, 63, said the Iranian regime is bound to emerge in a different position after the election turmoil.
“The veil of legitimacy has been stripped away from this government,” Berger said. A regime that “portrayed itself as a theocracy with democratic aspects is now a police state.”
The regime seems to be prevailing for the moment, Albright said.
“They are being totally brutal,” Albright, 72, said. “On the other hand, I think the demonstrations will continue.”
On North Korea, Albright and Berger said it is difficult to know for certain the dynamics of any potential transfer of power from dictator Kim Jong Il.
Circumstances suggest Kim, 68, is grooming his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, to take control, said a South Korean government official who briefed reporters this week on condition of anonymity. The official said there is no concrete evidence the son has support from the countrys elite, setting the stage for a possible power struggle.
North Korea conducted a nuclear-bomb test on May 25 and followed with launches of short-range missiles, prompting the U.S. to rally support for a United Nations Security Council resolution criticizing the moves and imposing further sanctions. The U.S. is tracking a North Korean ship on suspicion that it is carrying illicit weapons technology.
“Its obviously, in the midst of this succession, a time of great unpredictability and danger with respect to the North Koreans,” Berger said.
On the Middle East, Albright said she was surprised at the cancellation of a meeting that had been set this week in Paris between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. special envoy George Mitchell.
An official traveling with Netanyahu and speaking on condition of anonymity said the prime minister wanted to do more work to prepare for the talks.
Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are pressing for a peace agreement that would establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel. They have said Israel must contribute by halting construction in settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Settlements Dispute
Netanyahu has agreed to maintain a hold on expansions yet says building must be allowed for “natural” growth to make room as children are born and families expand in existing settlements.