WASHINGTON, DC, United States (UPI) -- Gen. Wesley Clark is concerned by Iran`s nuclear ambitions and cautioned the Islamic republic to take U.S. warnings 'very, very seriously.'
In a private conversation with this reporter, the former warrior-turned-politician at the same time admitted being worried by the Bush administration`s strong-arm policies in the Middle East.
'I`m concerned,' said Clark, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe -- SACEUR -- (from 1997 to 2000) and a potential Democratic presidential candidate in the 2008 race for the White House. Clark, who commanded Operation Allied Force in the Kosovo War, is worried that the rising tension between the United States and Iran could escalate to a point of no return. As a former soldier who has seen his share of action from Vietnam to Kosovo, Clark is not someone who scares easily.
But the Iranians, too, have reason to be concerned, says Clark. Speaking to United Press International Friday after addressing a meeting of the Democratic National Committee in Washington, Clark said that the Iranians should take 'very, very seriously the prospect of air strikes and missile strikes as well as other operations directed against Iran`s nuclear capacities and all other elements of their military power.'
When it comes to war Clark has an advantage over other presidential candidates. He has tasted the ugliness of war; he knows firsthand what it means seeing men -- sometimes boys hardly old enough to shave -- killed in battle.
'I know what it is to plan and prepare for war and to send the cream of our youth on a mission from which they may not return,' Clark told the group of assembled Democrats a short while earlier. 'I know first hand the struggles of domestic politics and international diplomacy to accomplish a difficult peace after the shooting stops.'
As many people who have lived through the hell called combat, war is the last resort they want to turn to. So what would be different in his policies should Wes Clark be elected president? How would he stop the war in Iraq, for example?
'I would use diplomacy first ... I would find common ground,' said the former soldier.
Isn`t this a tad over-simplifying an over-complicated issue? What if the political track fails?
Clark insists the political track will not fail. 'You have to force them or induce them into the political track,' said Clark. 'You have to use `carrots and sticks.`'
And how do you accomplish this?
By including all countries in the region in accepting a 'statement of principals' which would guarantee the security of each nation, taking into account their needs for secure borders, while promoting and opening up the region to commerce, trade and tourism.
Does 'all countries' in the region include Syria and Iran? Would Clark, as president, establish dialogue with Damascus and Tehran?
'Yes,' he says.
'As I look at the discussions ongoing inside Iran as best I can follow them from here, it`s clear that there are different sectors of opinion in the leadership and I think the leadership needs to understand that it is seriously at risk,' said Clark.
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Said Clark: 'I speak to you today as the only person who will take this podium before you having actually done the things we need to do to succeed in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.
'Good Morning. I`m Wes Clark. I`m a soldier and I`m fighting for my country.'
And although he didn`t quite come out and say it, Wes Clark could just as well have added, 'And I want to be the next president of the United States.'
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