Daily Alert Archives

Beware of Iranians Bearing Talks

[Washington Post] Ray Takeyh - The Western world knows Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the rabble-rouser, the Holocaust denier and the election-rigger. This week, they'll come to know another version of Ahmadinejad - a leader propelled by weakness at home, who will say he is willing to talk but may offer only tantalizing, unconvincing proposals. At this week's talks, Iran's representatives are likely to subtly hint of cooperation to come - but only if the talks continue. However, such gestures do not mean Iran is prepared to offer meaningful concessions and impose any restraints on its nuclear ambitions. With Iran, the U.S. should insist on discussing several issues: the nuclear program, of course, but also Iran's sponsorship of terrorism, its interference in the affairs of its neighbors and its human rights record. It is hard to see how Ahmadinejad could use such talks to relegitimize his tainted rule. Ahmadinejad should not be afforded the luxury of international forums and dialogue with the great powers without being held accountable for his country's flawed electoral processes and its entanglements in terrorism, as well as its nuclear violations. The writer, who until last month served as a senior adviser to the Obama administration on Iran, is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
2009-10-02 08:00:00
Full Article