EU URGED IRAN TO RECOGNISE BOTH ISRAEL AND PALESTINE

TEHRAN 11 Sept. (IPS) In an unprecedented move, the European Union on Tuesday called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to “acknowledge” the existence of State of Israel and reiterated that trade and political cooperation with the 15-members organisation are linked together.

"The EU encourages Iran to exercise its influence to prevent any action that hampers the chances of returning to a political process in the Middle East and to join without reservation the international consensus on the necessary existence of Palestine and Israel", the EU said in a statement faxed to the international media after bilateral talks in Tehran aimed at signing a Custom and Trade Cooperation.

Iranian Political analysts said this is the first time that the EU makes such a bold call on the Islamic Republic, probably Israel’s most radical enemy, to recognise the Jewish State and refers to the Palestinian Authority as a sovereign nation.

As a matter of fact, not only the Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognise Israel, but wants its total eradication. Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the regime’s number two man went even further by urging Muslim nations to drop an atomic bomb over Israel.

"The EU views the trade and cooperation agreement and the political dialogue and cooperation on counter-terrorism as an integrated package", the statement said.
The annual Iran-EU talks began in Tehran one day before the start of ceremonies marking the first commemoration of the 11 September devastating attacks on New York’s World Trade Center twin towers and the Pentagon in Washington D.C.

The United States blame the unprecedented terrorist operation on Osama Ben Laden and his organisation “Al-Qa’eda” and insists that not only Iran has helped members of the group to escape Afghanistan, but it has sheltered several high-ranking Al-Qa’eda members.
Iran denies all charges and reminds that it had arrested at least 160 Al-Qa’eda men with European and Arab countries passports, including 16 Saudi nationals extradited to their respective nations.

Ali Ahani, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister and Arne Petersen, his Danish counterpart, were leading the Iranian and the EU delegations at the talks.
According to the statement, the EU also urged Iran to join the international fight against terrorism and to sign, ratify and fully implement relevant international instruments on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destructions.

But observers said Tehran is the main financial, military and psychological supporter of all Arab organisations opposed to the -- now defunct -- Middle East Peace Process, mostly the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Palestinian HAMAS and Islamic Jihad, urging them to multiply suicide actions against Israel.

The EU directly referred to the delicate issue of human rights and demanded that Iran "without any preconditions" promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms through a relevant EU-Iran dialogue.

On his last visit to Tehran, Mr. Xavier Solana, the Organisation’s “super” Minister for Security and Foreign Affaires, had presented Iranian officials a list of conditions linked with the Trade and Custom Agreement, including the respect of human rights and renouncing support for terrorist organisations as well as acquiring Weapons of Mass Destruction, conditions that analysts said are almost the same as those demanded by the United States for normalising relations with Tehran.

But while Washington has placed the Islamic Republic in the same category as Iraq and North Korea as “evil states” and has abandoned President Mohammad Khatami, branded as “powerless, useless and inefficient”, the EU favours continuing dialogue with the embattled President it describes as “moderate”.

“So far, none of the two methods of dealing with the Iranian theocratic system has worked. The best way is probably a mix of the two and certainly more cooperation between Washington and Brussels”, one Iranian analyst told IPS, on condition of not being named.

According to the statement, Tehran has agreed to a mission by United Nations human rights envoys to Iran in the autumn to check current conditions. The exact date was not given in the statement.

The two sides further discussed a possible military strike by the United States against Iraq and the latest developments in Afghanistan.

On the Iraqi question, there are some similarities between Iranian and the European stands, as both of them, minus Britain, are against any American unilateral attack on Iraq and demand that in case Baghdad’s dictator continue to oppose the return of United Nations experts and inspectors, the Security Council should decide whether to mount an international force to attack Iraq or not.

The EU’s demands places Iran in a very difficult position, as it indicates that without implementing the requests, the Trade and Cooperation which Iran needs it badly, for both political and economic reasons, could be delayed sine die.
The Agreement between the two sides was inked last July in Brussels, and is scheduled to be discussed in October, could be derailed.

Iranian controlled media described the talks as a “victory” for Iran over the United States, ignoring the EU’s conditions, but analysts said they would not be surprised if, on orders from Ayatollah Ali Khameneh'i, the leader of the regime, who has the last word on the conduct of foreign affairs, Tehran decides to postpone the talks. ENDS EU IRAN AGREEMENT 11902