A story in last weekâs WW, âCablegate,â mentions Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) as the only member of Oregonâs congressional delegation mentioned up to that point in the cables leaked to Wikileaks.
So far Wikileaks has published only about 2,000 out of a total of 250,000 cables in its possession. But the latest batch has another Oregon connection.
If youâre expecting a blockbuster, prepare to be disappointed. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)âthe past president of the World Affairs Councilâmakes an appearance in the context of a February meeting with a national security adviser, Shivshankar Menon, on Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.
âMenon agreed with Senator Jeff MERKLEYâs (D-OR) assertion that a nuclear Iran would be bad for everyone,â the cable reads. âMERKLEY had supported the Obama Administrationâs efforts to seek dialogue with Iran, but it was now clear the Islamic Republic was not open to dialogue. Menon replied that âthe last thing we want is another nuclear power in our neighborhood.ââ
Also: âMERKLEY praised Menonâs role in helping to conclude the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, and inquired about progress on implementation. Menon mentioned planned Reprocessing Consultations March 2-4 in Delhi, adding, âIf we could accomplish the 123 Agreement, I donât see how this can stop us.â Menon said unequivocally, âWeâre introducing liability legislation to the next Parliament.ââ
WWeek 2015