U.S. and Iran Hold First Bilteral Talks in 25 Years

Posted on May 28, 2007

In one of the few positive international developments lately, today the U.S. and Iran held the first bilateral talks between the countries in 27 years. The sole subject for discussion was the deteriorating security situation in Iraq. This meeting was recommended by the Iraq Study Group, chaired by Howard Baker. It's an excellent first step towards a more diplomatic approach to the disastrous situation in Iraq.

Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, told reporters after the session that his four-hour meeting with Iranian Ambassador Hassan Kazemi Qomi had been business-like and "proceeded positively" and that both sides wanted to move toward a stable, federal Iraq. But he said at a press conference that he made clear that the United States wants "Iranian actions on the ground to come into harmony with their described principles."
"I laid out to the Iranians direct, specific concerns about their behavior in Iraq and their support for militias that are fighting Iraqi and coalition forces," including the imports of explosives from Iran into Iraq that have been used against U.S. and Iraqi forces, Crocker said. He added that the Iranians accused the United States, which invaded Iraq in March 2003 to topple the government of Saddam Hussein, of acting as a colonial power.
The Iranians, Crocker disclosed, have suggested a tri-lateral security mechanism that would include U.S., Iraqi and Iranian efforts. Crocker gave few details about that proposal but said he was referring it to Washington for consideration. In a separate meeting with reporters, Qomi said he told Crocker that Tehran would train and equip the Iraqi army and police to create "a new military and security structure," the Associated Press reported. He did not provide details of that plan or how the Americans responded to the offer.
Crocker said the meeting focused solely on the situation in Iraq. No other matters were on the agenda, including the contentious issue of Iran's nuclear program or Iran's recent detention of a handful of U.S. citizens. Crocker also added that the Iranian ambassador proposed a second meeting. The United States will consider that, he said, but the "purpose of this meeting was not to arrange other meetings." Qomi told an AP reporter after his news conference, that he expected such a meeting within the month. The meeting took place in the offices of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone--the walled, high security enclave in the center of the capital that is the seat of the Iraqi government and headquarters for U.S. forces.
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The United States and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution, when revolutionaries led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini overthrew the U.S.-backed shah and established an Islamic state in Iran. Khomeini supporters sacked the U.S. Embassy and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. The two countries have numerous complaints against each other, fueled by years of hostility and suspicion. In particular, the United States accuses Tehran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons and is leading an international effort to force Iran to stop enriching uranium. Iran claims that it has the right to develop peaceful nuclear technologies and says its nuclear programs is strictly for electric power.

Expectations for the meeting were low and no agreement was reached today. But it's an excellent first start. Iran claims its nuclear ambitions are strictly to provide power, and has emphatically denied that it is funneling money to terrorists in Iraq. Very wisely, Washington decided to hold these talks without demanding that the nuclear issue be tied to it. Because, as the Iraq Study Group concluded, no peace in Iraq is possible without the cooperation of the surrounding Muslim countries, whose porous borders are contributing to the violence.

Iran's nuclear ambitions are unclear, but it's safe to assume that the country -- like every other country in the Middle East -- would love to have nuclear weapons in its arsenal. Science and information want to be free and it is simply not possible to keep every unstable regime from gaining a nuclear weapon. With all the ex-Soviet talent available today, any country with enough money can begin research on a nuclear program. Our goal should be to delay the unstable countries' plans as long as possible, while pouring money into research into a missile shield or space laser that could quickly and easily shoot down any weapon aimed at the U.S. and its allies. The country with the most advanced technology will be able to protect itself from any threat, from space.