Daily: Iran-US Talks on Iraq in National Interest

Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting:

The US, through its ambassador in Iraq, has offered to hold talks with Tehran on a very limited scope -- issues related to the mounting insurgency in that war-torn country. US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad has urged Iranian officials to "positively consider the proposal in a calm and rational manner," said Iran News in its editorial on Tuesday.

Khalilzad, a Farsi-speaking Afghan, recently told the leading US weekly Newsweek: "I've been authorized by the president to engage the Iranians as I engaged them in Afghanistan directly. There will be face to face meetings," Iran News disclosed.

The Americans, according to Khalilzad, are reaching out to Tehran for help in resolving the insurgency problem in Iraq which has cost thousands of lives. READ MORE

Aside from the fact that he hails from a bastion of insurgents, Khalilzad was one of George W. Bush's chief foreign policy advisers before he became president, the editorial pointed out, adding that he was deeply involved in America's post-Sept. 11 foreign policy.

Khalilzad, it may be recalled, spearheaded the talks between the US and Iraq in 2001. In those six-party talks, Iran along with Russia were brought in after interested parties realized the two held the keys to a solution.

"Some observers believe the U.S. has finally come to the realization that stability in the region is not achievable without Iran," continued the editorial.

Indeed, who can deny the fact that because of Iran's "enormous geo-political, geo-strategic and geo-economic significance, sidestepping Tehran is simply not possible," pointed out the editorial.

The mandate granted to Khalilzad by Washington is said to be "limited, tactical and focused primarily on Iraq and not on the broader and much more contentious Iran-US ties," it went on to say.

But the talks, at the ambassadorial level, "will not mean that the two countries have changed their strategic positions toward one another or that they agree with each other's policies," it added.

Iran News believes Khalilzad's offer of engagement ought to be accepted by Iran since it "has significant long-term interests in Iraq."

"The Islamic Republic's interests in its next-door neighbor to the west include the return of peace and stability, border security, the departure of foreign troops, the fate of the Iraq-based Iranian terrorist group MKO, etc," it said.

It also quoted Mohammad-Javad Larijani, director of international affairs in the Iranian judiciary and older brother of Ali Larijani, the new secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, as saying, "In politics, we should work with our enemies 80% of the time and only 20% of the time with our friends."

Reminding that an occupied country will never really be in a position to make tangible commitments to its neighbors, the editiorial nonetheless is optimistic the Islamic Republic, by agreeing to such talks, would be advancing the country's national interests.

"Although such channels and contacts between America and Iran are likely to be mid-level and limited...they are still better than no contact at all," concluded the editorial.

In conclusion, although such channels and contacts between America and Iran are likely to be mid-level and limited, but they are still better than no contact at all.