Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro
de la Prensa-Baszn Özeti
THE INDEPENDENT~
Saturday IS March 2000 __~
• DIPLOMATIC THAW The nation once branded a 'terrorist state' is suddenly
embraced by Washington to bolster Khatami's democratic reforms
America ends
half a century of
hostility to Iran
BY MARY DEJEVSKY
in Washington
THE UNITED States took a
nuijor step towards normalising
relations with Iran yesterday,
announcing the easing of
economic sanctions and coming
close to apologising for past
interventions in Iranian affairs.
The policy shift, which entailed
a comprehensive revision
of the US approach to Iran
over the past half-century, was
set out by the US Secretary of
State, Madeleine Albright.
Ina speech laced with calls
for "a new beginning" to coincide
with the Iranian New Year
next week, Ms Albright announced
an end to the ban on
imports oflranian luxury goods
into the US, including carpets,
pistachio nuts, dried fruit and
caviar - of limited significance
in US economic terms but key
to the Iranian economy. The
Albright: 'Easy to see why
Iranians resent US'
gesture could open the way for
Iran to import US wheat.
Ms Albright, speaking in
Washington at a conference
arranged by a pro-business
group, the Iranian-American
Council, also said the US was
ready to negotiate "a global settlement"
of Iran's outstanding
legal claims against the US, to
include the return of Iranian
assets frozen since 1979.
The tone of Ms Albright's
speech was concIliatorytowards
Iran as an Islamic state. "We
recognise that Islam is central
to Iran's cultural heritage," she
said She spoke of "a growing
number of areas of common interest",
including stability in
the Persian Gulf region.
In a clear overture to Iran's
intellectual community, Ms
Albright offered a critical survey
of US policy towards Iran
over 50 years, which included
references to US involvement
in the coup againstMoharnmad
Mossadegh in 1953,and support
for Iraq in the 1980s Gulf conflict.
While US backing for Iraq
was "shortsighted", she said the
anti-Mossadegh coup "was
clearly a setback for Iran's p0-
litical development and it is
easy to see now why many
Iranians resent US intervention
in their affairs".
The US broke off relations
with Iran in 1979 after the overthrow
of the Shah and the
seizure of its embassy in
Tehran by Revolutionary
Guards. The election 01 Mohammad
Khatami as President
in 1997 led to a very
cautious rapprochement. In
1998, Washington announced it
would ease travel for academics
and sports teams and would lift
sanctions on some exports of
food and medicine to Iran.
Ms Albright conceded yesterday
that "after the election
of President Khatami we bad to
ac\just the lens through whiçh
we viewed Iran". The landslide
election of reformers to parliament
last month sealed the
change ofmood in Washington.
But Washington is still holding
the biggest prize. Earlier
this week, President Clinton renewed
the ban on US invéstment
in Iranian oiffor anollier
year. Itwill be lifted, according
to US officials, when Washington
is satisfied that Iran is
committed to nuclear non-proliferation
and will not obstruct
the Middle East peace process.
1953: Britain
and UShelp
army officers
todepose
Mohammad
Mossadegh,
premier who
wanted to
nationalise the oil industry.
1979: Shah flees after
demonstrations and strikes.
A,yatollah Khomeini (above)
returns from exile and takes
power. Students seize 63
hostages at US embassy.
1980: US bid to rescue
••
•
hostages ends disastrously,
humiliating president
Carter (right). Shah dies.
Iraq-Iran war (ends 1988).
1981: Last US hostages
freed after 444 days.
1985-6: US-Iran talks lead to
arms shipments, allegedly
for Iranian help in releasing
US hostages in Lebanon.
But profits went to
Nicaraguan rebels, in what
became Iran-Contra crisis.
1989: Khomeini dies; Rafsanjani
elected president.
19~91:Rapprochement
with West
hindered by
Khomeini's
1989fatwa
onSalman
Rushdie.
1993: Bill
Clinton takes
office then tries to isolate
Iran, accusing it of terrorism.
1995: US sanctions on Iran.
1997: Muhammad Khatami
elected President of Iran;
later calls for a "dill1ogue
with the American people".
Source: BBC World Service
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