All the Presidents' Men

Maryam Kashani, Rooz Online:

A European correspondent, astonished by Iranian president's shocking act of sacking the country’s senior ambassadors says, “When the president treats his country’s important ambassadors in such a manner, foreigners should take heed.” He then expresses his astonishment by asking: “Is it true that on the orders of Mr. Ahmadinejad, Iran’s remaining ambassadors are going to be summoned?”

Kazem Jalali, the spokesman for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Majlis (Parliament) says that there is a list of 30 to 40 Iranian ambassadors around the world that will be sacked by the end of the Iranian calendar year, on March 21st, 2006. He says this is not a trouble-free issue and the Majlis committee will soon look into it. But Ahmadinejad will not care what the Majlis thinks the dismissed Iranian envoys are deeply offended by such an undiplomatic and unethical behavior on the part of new inexperienced president.

In a meeting with the new President, a number of them expressed their dissatisfaction and the harm that his comments had inflicted on the country's foreign policy, and that Iran needed to rebuild the lost trust. Some attribute this radical action to the shadowy but highly influential man behind the president, Mojtaba Samareh. Samareh had accused ambassadors as being bad Moslems, and it seems that his simple comment has convinced the president to dismiss those who have been critical of his foreign policy. The mass dismissal is unprecedented in Iran's diplomatic history.

The sacked ambassadors were professional career diplomats who seemed to ignore the President's sensitivity and who had taken positions contrary to the views that he had expressed during his presidential election campaigns. Some had expressed dismay over the election of Ahmadinejad as Iran's new president. They were shocked soon after that when they saw his signature on their job-termination papers.

Political circles involved in Iran’s diplomatic activities have said that the constructive role played by two ambassadors, one in Paris and the other in Berlin, over Iran’s nuclear discussions is undeniable, but still both have been removed. Former Director General of the Foreign Ministry’s Political and International Department is among those that have been sacked by the president. He too is reported to have played an active role in the confidence building phase of Iran’s nuclear negotiations with the Europeans during the last two years.

Initially, the ambassador's were instructed to return to Tehran for consultations. When they arrived, they were handed their dismissal papers. One conclusion from such a move by Iran's ultra-hard line president is that Iran's foreign policy is going to dramatically chance in the near future. The difficult days awaiting Iran well symbolize the men that surround president Ahmadninejad. READ MORE