West, Bidding Time In Nuclear Talks With Iran: Indian Analyst

Tehran, June 23, IRNA – The western sides of nuclear negotiations with Iran are bidding time due to their financial and economic problems, senior journalist for international affairs at Sahara India Media Corporation Arti Bali said on Saturday. Sahara India Media is a branch of Sahara India Pariwar, an Indian conglomerate company headquartered in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Its diversified business has interest in finance, infrastructure and housing, media and entertainment, consumer merchandise retail venture, manufacturing and information technology. The Indian analyst made the remarks in an email-interview with IRNA correspondent Hamdollah Emadi in Tehran. Q: What is your view on the west's approach toward Iran’s nuclear program? A: The West has not recognized Iran's right for uranium enrichment even for medical and civilian use and is adamant on imposing economic and oil sanctions. The nuclear program is in fact being used as an excuse for undermining Iran's oil exports to affect Iran's economy. Q: How a deal between Iran, G5+1 can become possible in regard with the proposed step by step model? A: In the step-by-step model proposed by world powers, Iran was in fact required to completely halt its uranium enrichment program in- exchange for modest economic concessions. This proposal could never be agreed to by Iran and thus required meaningful negotiations. Q: How do you see the role of a third part called the occupying force of Zionist regime in the Moscow negotiations? A: Israel did not play any constructive role in the Moscow negotiations. It only played a spoiler role by virtue of its extraordinary influence on US due to the Jewish state's lobby on US economy. Instead of recognizing Iran's legitimate right for civilian nuclear program, it repeatedly pressurized US to adopt a tough stance against Iran, even threatening a military action. Q: Are the G5+1 states united in dealing with Iran’s nuclear issue and continuation of more pressure on Tehran? A: The repeated talks between Iran and World powers show that there is no consensus among G5+1 countries; Russia and China have business interests in Iran, while the other nations involved in this group have virtually no convergence in the sense that these are themselves seriously engaged in their own dire economic and financial crisis. US is having a tough time in bringing its economy to its original position. The Euro zone countries are faced with the prospects of collapse of their single currency that may spell financial and economic disaster for Euro zone block. Q: What is your comment on the effect of elections in US, and Palestinian occupied lands on G5+1 talks? A: According to estimates, the US is set to enforce a fiscal tightening of 5 percent of its GDP after the presidential election in November that can tip its economy back towards recession. In such a scenario, it will have serious problems in dealing with the emerging situation in Middle East. However, Obama and Israel want to assure their respective populations that they have done enough to prevent what they allegedly call as Iran’s danger. Q: Is the West wasting time as Iranians say? A: Yes, they are only bidding time due to their financial and economic problems. But they are adamant that Iran should agree to their pre-determined conditions of abandoning nuclear program instead of constructively negotiating the real issues. Q: How much do you think issues like US financial crisis or oil price can affect the talks? A: US policy appears aimed at undermining Iran's oil exports to other countries in order to isolate and adversely affect its economy. But Iran appears already seriously engaged in bilateral agreements with various countries to off-set such effect. Q: What would be the view of West in regard to Iran's offers for talking on common grounds for cooperation including the issues like Syria and Bahrain political crises? A: Basically, the US wants to curtail the influence of Iran in Mideast. They are against Bashar al-Assad's administration in Syria and they have shown concerns about a spillover effect of the Syrian unrest to the neighboring countries. The US wants to solve the Mideast unrest through the way it wants in order to show its leadership role in this region and provide its national interests. They will not therefore like to see Iran's leadership role developing in this region in any form. Q: Since the West used all kinds of pressures against Iran, what would be their last bullet in their gun if upcoming talks would failed? A: Simply, they will threaten Iran with military action which they have not so far analyzed as it is a difficult and a bad choice, considering the global economic scenario. Q: Has the West's red line against Iran’s nuclear issue changed? A: No red lines; their sole agenda is to isolate Iran to reduce its influence in the Mideast region, to somehow try to influence Russia, China and other friendly neighbors against Iran and to weaken the country economically. Q: What kind of encouragement packages, the west may propose to urge Tehran to stop its 20 percent enrichment? A: First of all, the west should start with some real concession packages for Iran to kickstart the negotiations' process. The package should include easing of economic sanctions. Iran in turn should respond equally, so that the decade-long issue may be resolved amicably. Q: Why the west doesn’t accept a nuclear Iran, while its Supreme Leader has issued an unchangeable religious decree (fatwa) about the prohibition of nuclear weapons' related activities? A: Israel and US always say that they do not want a nuclear Iran for a peaceful Mideast. On the contrary, Iran's Supreme Leader has reiterated that Islamic values prohibit the use of nuclear weapons. Lack of trust appears to be the reason behind this. The steps should be taken to remove this trust deficit from both sides. Ultimate peace can only be achieved if all the Mideast countries, including Israel would sign a nuclear disarmament pact. Q: Western media claim that Iran is washing off the traces of nuclear activities in Parchin military base, can Tehran wash off its activities? A: Iran has so far refused to grant the IAEA access to the Parchin facility as part of the UN agency's long-stalled investigation into suspected nuclear research in the Islamic Republic. The IAEA inspectors visited Parchin twice in 2005. Media claiming that Iran is trying to clean the sprawling site of any incriminating evidence before possibly allowing IAEA inspectors to go there is untenable./end