By NNN-KUNA
Washington : A State Department official has said that targeting Iranian leaders with sanctions is appropriate as a preventive measure again Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
The leaders of Iran are responsible for making the decisions to defy the Security Council, and targeted sanctions against those leaders is appropriate, said Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Verification, Compliance and Implementation Paula Desutter.
UN Security Council Resolutions 1737 and 1747 imposed sanctions on Iran's top officials engaged in proliferation efforts.
Some of the sanctions are aimed directly at increasing the difficulty for the regime to acquire the tools it needs for unacceptable activities, she added noting that these restrictive measures are aimed at Iran's isolation from the international financial community.
Desutter said that these steps are successful so far as Iran is experiencing difficulties in obtaining official export credits, entities and individuals have been denied access to major financial and commercial systems.
Speaking at the 2007 Carnegie International Non-Proliferation Conference dealing with the effectiveness of sanctions as a diplomatic tool Thursday, Desutter said that sanctions are an economic tool that requires the state or states imposing them to make a decision that is likely, especially in the short run, to impose costs on their own economy and commercial entities.
Her State Department's Bureau deals with verifying arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament agreements.
"No one should believe that this is an easy decision for any government to make. It is only when the potential long-term benefits are important enough that it is reasonable to even expect use of that tool," she added, pointing out that the most effective sanctions take aim at the leaders responsible for illicit activity, and not the general public.
"I view Libya as a success story of the proper balance of sanctions and diplomacy, and a model for other states similarly positioned to follow," said Desutter.
After the Libyan government's decision to give up nuclear ambitions in December 2003, Desutter was the coordinator on the American side to oversee the elimination of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Libya.
"Without question, the spread of WMD and their means of delivery remain a grave threat to the United States and our allies," she concluded, noting that President George W. Bush's Administration has adopted a muscular approach in implementing sanctions against WMD proliferators.
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