HARD LINERS REJECTED LATEST US OVERTURES, BUT DID THEY?
TEHRAN 18th March (IPS) The Islamic Republic rejected Saturday vehemently new proposals by the United States, describing parts of a speech delivered in Washington by the US State Secretary Mrs. Madeleine Albright as "gross, repugnant, shameful interference in Iranian internal affairs".
In a speech pronounced Friday at the American-Iranian Council in Washington, Mrs. Albright announced the lifting on the ban on import of Iranian luxury goods such as caviar, carpets and pistachio and proposals for the settlement of the outstanding claims between the two countries.
She said the decision was taken in the light of recent developments in Iran and was aimed at strengthening the hands of President Mohammad Khatami in his struggle against ruling hard liners.
However, she reiterated that Washington would continue with the boycott of the vital Iranian oil industries.
Condemning forcefully Mrs. Albright's suggestion that the easing on sanctions were taken to help the reformists, Hojatoleslam Hasan Rohani, the Secretary of the Supreme Council on National Security (SCNS) said "this is a new form of meddling in Iranian interior affairs and we reject it outright".
Mr. Rohani's strong statement made directly to the leader-controlled Radio and Television followed another one issued by the Revolutionary Guards (Pasdaran).
Considering that Radio and Television, the Revolutionary Guards and the SCNS are all controlled by Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i, the staunchly anti-American leader of the Islamic regime, other political analysts speculated that the harsh declarations were aimed at preventing the president and the reformists who backs him to voice support for normalisation with Washington.
But as he did not opposed the legalisation of import of Iranian non-oil goods into US lucrative markets, some Iranian observers suggested that the drum beating was "monkey business" aimed at better preparing the public opinion for normalisation with the "Great Satan".
However, observers noted that this was the first time that the SCNS and the Revolutionary Guards (that under the Constitution are not allowed to intervene in the nation's political affairs) replaces the government in formulating foreign policy, a sign of deep discrepancy between senior policy makers, particularly President Khatami and Ayatollah Khameneh'i.
"The United States is once again interfering in our internal affairs but under a new mask", Mr. Rohani observed, adding that since the US has kept intact the ban on Iranian oil industries, what they are proposing is "insignificant".
He termed as "insulting" Mrs. Albright's pledge that the new overture was aimed at helping foster Iranian nascent democracy but considered as "encouraging" her admission of US past mistakes and interference in Iranian affairs, including the CIA-backed coup against the nationalist Premier Dr. Mohammad Mosadeq and the vital help provided to Saddam Husein in the Iran-Iraq war.
For all these reasons, I consider as negative the United State's proposals and we must condemn this new, this repugnant and unacceptable speech", said Mr. Rohani, who is also vice-speaker of the Majles (parliament) and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the outgoing Majles.
The Pasdaran condemned Mrs. Albright's opposing to Iran acquiring arms of mass destruction, saying it would reserve for the "opportune moment" the right to provide proper answer to US provocation.
Reminding that Mrs. Albright has acknowledged US's past interfering in Iranian internal affairs, the Guards asked for compensations, citing the coup against Dr Mosadeq, the assistance to the Iraqis during the eight years of the war and the hundreds of thousands of Iranian martyrs.
The statement by the Pasdaran also repeated arguments brought by Mr. Rohani, saying Mrs. Albright's proposal was a prove to "mounting American meddling in Iranian affairs".
Earlier another leading conservative MP gave a guarded welcome to Washington's decision to lift bans on imports of Iranian caviar, carpets, nuts and dried fruit and swiftly resolve the issue of billions of dollars of Iranian assets frozen in the United States since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
"This statement is something new and, as such, merits careful examination," said Mohammad-Javad Larijani, an MP close to the conservatives who is also Mr. Rohani's deputy on the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Washington is "beginning to understand the realities and wake up to the fact that it's the one that has been isolated by its attempts to isolate Iran," Larijani said, adding that Mrs. Albright's acknowledgement of past US policy errors was "interesting".
Acknowledging that what the US has proposed was "a step forward", some Iranian analysts suggested that Tehran should reciprocate "accordingly and without any complex of inferiority, accepting that the United States is the world's strongest, richest and dominant power", said one analyst who asked for anonymity.
"We have to admit that the Palestinians are discussing with the Israelis to recover their sovereignty. We must accept that this is a step towards restoring peace in the region and therefore support this struggle", he added.
He regretted that statements such as those made by Mr. Rohani or the Pasdaran prevents the establishing of a "logical dialogue" with Washington, the source expressed the hope to see that the official reaction to the latest move made by the US towards Iran be voiced by the Foreign Affairs Ministry rather than unofficial and irresponsible elements. ENDS IRAN US REACTION 18300