Some 2 years ago, there was a powerful earthquake in rural Iran and the US send a small, but significant aid package. Well, a few days ago, Iran offered to return the gesture: sending $20 mil. of oil to the US if the sanctions prohibiting any transactions between the two are lifted. I am not sure if the oil can be shipped with the embargo on, though. At any rate, the US rejected the offer as "conditional".
So what do you think? Is this an earnest gesture from Iran or more of an attempt to wiggle out of the embargo?

Source: link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050907/ap_on_re_mi_ea/katrina_iran_hk3;_ylt=Ah.Q.2BeP8GrRB4THOmVrdRvaA8F ;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl)

[ September 08, 2005, 22:24: Message edited by: Taluntain ]

It doesn't really matter at this point, as the US has yet to accept any offer from anyone anyway. Over 50 nations have offered aid to the US, and while none of them have been outright rejected at this point, none of them have been accepted either. You would think that at a time like this, with massive budget defecits, a little help from the outside would be a welcome relief. I mean, it's not like the U.S. doesn't help out when disaster strikes in other parts of the world, so what's the shame with accepting aid when disaster hits home?

Well, think how that would play in the press: "Bush administration driven to accept aid package from Sierra Leone" . Can't have something like than, now :)

Tell that to the people in New Orleans.

They should accept the aid. They help other countries, other countries help them. Where's the shame in that?

Well, there's no such thing as free lunch, especially in politics. The country giving aid always expects something in return sooner or later. The US is no different when it offers aid. So I guess Bush is afraid that if someone would send over a sizeable amount of aid, he'd be indebted to the sender, even if only in a small, courtesy way. I imagine having to swallow something like that when you consider yourself to be the leader of one of the richest and most powerful countries on earth is just too much for Bush to handle.

So, like the leaders of many countries hit by the tsunami, he'll rather haughtily refuse aid to appear stronger and independent, even if the aid is badly needed. It's just too bad that the people who need it the most have no say in this.

Well, here's the latest. We have accepted (http://edition.cnn.com/2005/US/09/06/international.aid.flows/) many, many offers from every corner of the globe.

... or buckle under public pressure and swallow down pride and accept. This should have been done the day the disaster struck, not nearly 2 weeks later when all other options were exhausted and the public outrage has reached a critical point.

I wholeheartedly agree. A day late and a dollar short...but in this case a couple of thousand lives short -- possibly.