Rice Offers Iran Prospect of Normal Ties

Reuters ^ | 01/23/08 | Sue Pleming

[cowdog77]

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday she believed the nuclear stand-off with Iran could be resolved diplomatically but that Tehran must not be allowed to become a nuclear weapons power.

Just one day after getting agreement on a draft U.N. Security Council resolution against Tehran, Rice offered the incentive of a "more normal relationship" and expanded trade if Iran gave up sensitive nuclear work, according to the prepared text of her speech to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

"Ultimately, though, we believe that we can resolve this problem through diplomacy," Rice said according to the text, which was distributed by conference organizers.

"If Iran would suspend its uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities - which is an international demand, not just an American one - then we could begin negotiations, and we could work over time to build a new, more normal relationship," she said.

Rice said this new relationship could be defined not by fear and mistrust but growing cooperation, expanding trade and exchange, and the peaceful resolution of differences.

In a conciliatory note after weeks of anti-Iranian rhetoric by the Bush administration, Rice said the United States had no desire for Iran to be a "permanent enemy".

"Iranians are a proud people with a great culture, and we respect the contributions they have made to world civilization," she said.

But she said Washington had real differences with Iran's government, from its pursuit of a nuclear weapon to support for terrorism and what the United States sees as Tehran's destabilizing policies in Iraq.

Rice said that agreement reached between foreign ministers of major powers in Berlin on Tuesday for a third sanctions resolution showed that the world remained united over not wanting Iran to become a nuclear weapons power.

"We will continue to hold Iran to its international obligations," said Ric

[weegee]

Less than a year left in office. This won’t amount to anything lasting.

[sappy]

new world order i guess, condi.

[Cold Heat]

This is simply a reiteration of our current and only public policy.

It was prompted by the recent butt whooping that the real power in Iran gave to president Amanutjob.

It will likely be ignored by Iran's High Council, but the true audience was the Iranian people.

IMO, this is a good policy.

[mojito]

Diplomats always believe everything can be resolved through negotiations: meetings, meetings, more meeting, a press statement, and still more meetings. For the State Department mind, there is no difference between inertia and resolution. Fanatics taking action to bring about the things that they say and believe is just too crude and unwashed. Besides, they never get invited to Davos to sit on a self-important panel to discuss important global events.

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

Diplomats always believe everything can be resolved through negotiations: meetings, meetings, more meeting, a press statement, and still more meetings. For the State Department mind, there is no difference between inertia and resolution. Fanatics taking action to bring about the things that they say and believe is just too crude and unwashed...

Ping to wisdom. Well said mojito!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

You’re entirely too cynical, Mojito. Just look at all the successes Secretary Rice has had at, ah...well...

[BlueDragon]

"Rice Offers Iran Prospect of Normal Ties"

yeah, ok, that would be ok for the Iranians, but we should be sticking with using

since it's much less likely we could get strangled with a clip on!

[Cecily]

“Rice said this new relationship could be defined not by fear and mistrust but growing cooperation, expanding trade and exchange, and the peaceful resolution of differences.”

Would the Iranians and their proxies stop killing/helping to kill our soliders in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East? You should add it to your daydream list, Condi.

[Blogatron]

Fresh hostages!

[Cecily]

“Diplomats always believe everything can be resolved through negotiations: meetings, meetings, more meeting, a press statement, and still more meetings. For the State Department mind, there is no difference between inertia and resolution.”

Don’t forget the boondoggles, summits, conferences, and fact-finding junkets. Those accomplish a lot (of nothing) too.

[dainbramaged]

Maybe she can play the piano for them.

[RightWhale]

Pres Bush already yelled this across the Persian Gulf a couple weeks ago. The USA is the best friend they could ever have. All they have to do is stop the silliness.

[Ann Archy]

Condi....GO AWAY!

[america4vr]

Rice Offers Iran Prospect of Normal Ties.
Iran is a theocracy, its goals,objectives driven first and foremost by their religious convictions which obligates them to be in a perpetual state of war with infidels, without accommodation.
If the administration is using this simply as a tactic to demonstrate its willingness to resolve the coming global Iranian immolation diplomatically that's understandable. Otherwise, to the megalomaniac minds of
the Iranians it simply resonates with palpable weakness that the US, the world does not possess the wherewithal to stop the them.

[JasonC]

Earth to Rice - they don't want "normal ties". They want 20 nuclear weapons a year and Russian patronage. And no, you are not "holding" anybody to "international obligations", you are just making the US an international laughingstock.

[Count of Monte Logan]

A diplomatic opening to Iran is good. Do you want to kill them instead?

I want to WIN against Iran, but if you can win by getting the Mullahs to look at the China route and change them economically, that eliminates the post-war rebuilding effort as well as the war itself(and terroristm attacks from Iran’s people here in the US.. and they will try!) the whole world wins.

With Iraq there now, the foundation for Iran to change helps us there and in Afghanistan.. and Syria. If we can win against Iran this way, it kills terrorism at it’s root.

[Cecily]

“A diplomatic opening to Iran is good.”

Neville Chamberlain thought he had Hitler squared away too. Diplomacy doesn’t work with irrational mad dogs, as we are probably going to find out the hard way eventually with Iran. We never seem to learn.

[demshateGod]

I just really can’t wait till these people are out of office.

[tpanther]

I’d agree if she offered it to Iranian citizens that are hungry for a new govt.

[pierrem15]

It's really sad that, as far as foreign policy goes, the ATFE, amnesty, etc., etc., I'm counting the days until Jorge is out.

Bush has zero control over any of the bureaucracies, and it's getting harder and harder to tell the difference between him and the Rats on a lot of issues.