An Anti-American-Ophile
By Javid Ghorban-Oghli, Iran’s former ambassador to South Africa and political analyst
Three interconnected developments, all revolving around the nuclear issue, have taken place in the recent days. Despite the puffery about ’great victory of Geneva talks’, these incidents will not remain hidden from the political observers.
One. While Ahmadinejad claimed that the nuclear dispute is over and the Iranian delegation will only discussed its proposal package in Geneva talks, on the sidelines of Geneva talks, chief Iranian nuclear negotiation Saeed Jalili met William Burns. This was the first encounter between senior officials of Iran and the United States in thirty years. So far, no information has been provided to the public, not even to the government’s die-hard supporters. Unlike the Iranian side which has adopted the ’silence policy’, the Americans have leaked some news about the talks for the public opinion. It seems that Obama is more committed to his electoral slogans, unlike the Iranian administration who needs the people only when it needs the ’nuclear energy is our definite right’ to be chanted.
After years of negotiation, and while Khatami’s negotiation team was inundated with accusations, we have returned to the point we were four years ago. The only difference is the change of leadership on the other side. Now it is the United States that controls the situation, not the Europeans.
Two. In an unprecedented move, after the UN General Assembly, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki made a trip to Washington ’in order to visit Iran’s interests section’. According to the U.S. law, Iranian officials attending UN General Assembly cannot move beyond a forty-mile radius in New York, unless having the administration’s authorization.
US State Department spokesman said that Mottaki has been granted the request to visit Washington. As the Iranian proverb says ’nothing should be said but the true, not every true should be said’, the Americans preferred to remain silent on the intentions of Mottaki’s visit and authorization of his trip. News leaked from this high-profile visit –and not denied by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs- reported that Mottaki has also met a member of Council of Foreign Relations. The meeting may have had been the true motive of the trip, masked with a visit of Iran’s interests section administered by the Pakistan.
In diplomacy, smiles and frowns also have significations. They say that diplomats never get sick unless they want. Requesting a trip to Washington with the lame excuse of visiting the interests section is serving neither Iran’s prestige nor the ’dignity-oriented’ slogans of Ahmadinejad’s administration. Visiting the interests section is a responsibility of the Consulate Office or the Deputy for Administrative and Financial Affairs, not the Foreign Minister. If we don’t consider people as insiders, then it is also better not to give preposterous excuses.
Third. The most important development: Ahmadinejad has proposed upgrading the level of 5+1 talks and turning it into a summit. That implies a request for direct talks with the United States. of course, despite his controversial discourse against West which has severely harmed our national interests, Ahmadinejad has frequently sent clear signals for West, especially the United States, for reconciliation (sending an unanswered letter of congratulation to Obama, announcing preparedness to debate (read negotiate) with the American president etc.), all of which have received Washington’s cold shoulder. His recklessness (and enthusiasm) in taking such stances has even prompted the criticism of his companions. Ahmadinejad’s latest proposal, which we would better call ’Iran’s request’, has once again been slighted by the Americans.
Although it is hard to believe that there was no plan behind these three developments, but we try to wear the optimistic glass until there comes a response from the Americans. Relations with the United States were once a taboo in our foreign diplomacy, but apparently it has turned into an innocuous act at the present.
However, it surprises me that in dealing with his domestic critics, Ahmadinejad turns into an unscrupulous politician ready to cross all the lines to knock out his opponents, but when it comes to dealing with the enemy, he handles them the dignity of a nation in the golden tray. Here, he is not even a ’fox’, let alone the ’lion’ he is in domestic politics.
In two weeks, we have the anniversary of 4th of November; the day Iranian students occupied American Embassy in Tehran. I would really like to know how the Iranian president will invite people to chant anti-American slogans, while he is craving to resume relations with the power once we called imperialist, criminal and ’the world-eater’. May be we find the answer on that day.
One. While Ahmadinejad claimed that the nuclear dispute is over and the Iranian delegation will only discussed its proposal package in Geneva talks, on the sidelines of Geneva talks, chief Iranian nuclear negotiation Saeed Jalili met William Burns. This was the first encounter between senior officials of Iran and the United States in thirty years. So far, no information has been provided to the public, not even to the government’s die-hard supporters. Unlike the Iranian side which has adopted the ’silence policy’, the Americans have leaked some news about the talks for the public opinion. It seems that Obama is more committed to his electoral slogans, unlike the Iranian administration who needs the people only when it needs the ’nuclear energy is our definite right’ to be chanted.
After years of negotiation, and while Khatami’s negotiation team was inundated with accusations, we have returned to the point we were four years ago. The only difference is the change of leadership on the other side. Now it is the United States that controls the situation, not the Europeans.
Two. In an unprecedented move, after the UN General Assembly, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki made a trip to Washington ’in order to visit Iran’s interests section’. According to the U.S. law, Iranian officials attending UN General Assembly cannot move beyond a forty-mile radius in New York, unless having the administration’s authorization.
US State Department spokesman said that Mottaki has been granted the request to visit Washington. As the Iranian proverb says ’nothing should be said but the true, not every true should be said’, the Americans preferred to remain silent on the intentions of Mottaki’s visit and authorization of his trip. News leaked from this high-profile visit –and not denied by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs- reported that Mottaki has also met a member of Council of Foreign Relations. The meeting may have had been the true motive of the trip, masked with a visit of Iran’s interests section administered by the Pakistan.
In diplomacy, smiles and frowns also have significations. They say that diplomats never get sick unless they want. Requesting a trip to Washington with the lame excuse of visiting the interests section is serving neither Iran’s prestige nor the ’dignity-oriented’ slogans of Ahmadinejad’s administration. Visiting the interests section is a responsibility of the Consulate Office or the Deputy for Administrative and Financial Affairs, not the Foreign Minister. If we don’t consider people as insiders, then it is also better not to give preposterous excuses.
Third. The most important development: Ahmadinejad has proposed upgrading the level of 5+1 talks and turning it into a summit. That implies a request for direct talks with the United States. of course, despite his controversial discourse against West which has severely harmed our national interests, Ahmadinejad has frequently sent clear signals for West, especially the United States, for reconciliation (sending an unanswered letter of congratulation to Obama, announcing preparedness to debate (read negotiate) with the American president etc.), all of which have received Washington’s cold shoulder. His recklessness (and enthusiasm) in taking such stances has even prompted the criticism of his companions. Ahmadinejad’s latest proposal, which we would better call ’Iran’s request’, has once again been slighted by the Americans.
Although it is hard to believe that there was no plan behind these three developments, but we try to wear the optimistic glass until there comes a response from the Americans. Relations with the United States were once a taboo in our foreign diplomacy, but apparently it has turned into an innocuous act at the present.
However, it surprises me that in dealing with his domestic critics, Ahmadinejad turns into an unscrupulous politician ready to cross all the lines to knock out his opponents, but when it comes to dealing with the enemy, he handles them the dignity of a nation in the golden tray. Here, he is not even a ’fox’, let alone the ’lion’ he is in domestic politics.
In two weeks, we have the anniversary of 4th of November; the day Iranian students occupied American Embassy in Tehran. I would really like to know how the Iranian president will invite people to chant anti-American slogans, while he is craving to resume relations with the power once we called imperialist, criminal and ’the world-eater’. May be we find the answer on that day.