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Chris Nelson's evening report on the state of play with US-Iran talks:
More analysis from Reuters' Carol Giacomo and Sue Pleming. Posted by Laura at May 31, 2006 06:14 PMStep back a few feet and you can see that the US is now directly engaged with Iran...in negotiating about negotiations. Not a bad first step, and a critical one...certainly a more positive situation than that existing even a week ago.
OK, parse the press conference language of Secretary of State Rice, (noted in detail below) and you will have trouble pinning down anything beyond the basic US position that it’s all up to Iran to agree to the US precondition that it suspend reprocessing and enrichment activities, and get verified as such by the IAEA.
Is the US tacitly recognizing the Iranian regime? Does the US have a deal yet...or one in the works...with Russia and China which would allow sanctions IF the Iranians won’t meet the US conditions? Is the US prepared to talk about Iran’s security concerns? You won’t find clear answers from Rice...which is clearly just what she intended.
But she did make herself clear when she wanted to: “...let’s remember what is not happening here. This is not a bilateral negotiation between the United States and Iran on the whole host of issues that would lead to broader relations between Iran and the United States. This is an effort to reinforce diplomatic negotiations that we believe should succeed and have a chance to seed with the strongest possible way.”
Also, she minced no words on Iran as the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism...and you have to think that on both points, she was talking mainly to US hardliners who still don’t like any part of this Euro-led business of talking to evil.
So where are we? Our expert observers are sticking with the prediction noted in our Bulletin just before noon...don’t expect Iran to accept the US conditions as laid down by Rice today, but don’t be dismayed. Rice’s decision to join the EU-3 now opens the door to real negotiations. The ball is now in Teheran’s court. It will soon be back in Washington’s. That’s how it works.
International sources directly involved in the nuclear talks say to expect Iranian officials to be pleased with the basic US decision to engage, but displeased at the often harsh rhetoric used today by Rice. They also expect that IF a deal is to be had, the US is going to have to accept continued Iranian R&D on enrichment, at some level, under IAEA safeguards. But that’s down the road...