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Europe's Iran illusions - -

By Amir Taheri

EUROPE'S IRAN ILLUSIONS
by Amir Taheri
New York Post
June 6, 2005

June 6, 2005 -- IN his recent visit to Washington, Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told his American interlocutors that the European Union's initiative on Iran was heading for an impasse. But when asked what the next move should be, all that Straw had to say was: Keep talking until after the Iranian presidential election.

The Europeans said a similar thing last year when talks on Iran's alleged nuclear ambitions had hit another brick-wall. At that time, the advice was to keep talking until after the Iranian parliamentary election. Well, that election took place without producing any evolution in the Iranian position except that the Islamic Republic may now be a year closer to the "surge capacity" it needs to become a nuclear power.

The latest round of talks, slated to continue until after the Iranian presidential election, is equally unlikely to change in Tehran's position. It will continue to use the talks as a diplomatic smokescreen while driving a wedge between Europe and the United States.

Nevertheless, it would be wrong to blame Iran for this state of affairs. The Europeans are victims of their own delusions. Their policy on Iran is based on a logical contradiction and a number of illusions.

The contradiction is this: Europe assumes that Iran has been lying about its nuclear program for two decades, and invites the Iranians to stop lying. But to do that, they would first have to admit that they had been lying. The Europeans are asking Iran to stop doing what Iran insists it is not doing at all. Thus to satisfy the Europeans, Iran must first confess doing what it says it is not and then stop doing it in a verifiable way.

What about the European illusions?

One is Straw's belief that the results of the Iranian presidential election will have an impact on Tehran's position. "We have to wait and see who wins," he told U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.



    
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