DATE=9/25/98 TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT NUMBER=5-41462 TITLE=U-S / IRAN RELATIONS BYLINE=PAMELA TAYLOR DATELINE=WASHINGTON CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: HOPES FOR A THAW IN RELATIONS BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND IRAN RECEIVED A SETBACK THIS WEEK WHEN IRANIAN PRESIDENT MOHAMMED KHATAMI DENIED TEHRAN IS READY FOR A DIPLOMATIC OPENING WITH WASHINGTON. HOPES OF A THAW WERE FIRST RAISED IN JANUARY WHEN MR. KHATAMI CALLED FOR A CULTURAL EXCHANGE TO BREAK DOWN WHAT HE CALLED THE 'WALL OF MISTRUST' BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES. THESE HOPES WERE RAISED FURTHER EARLY THIS MONTH, WHEN IRAN JOINED THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER NATIONS IN CONDEMNING THE TALEBAN GOVERNMENT IN AFGHANISTAN. HERE'S PAMELA TAYLOR WITH A REPORT ON U-S-IRANIAN RELATIONS. TEXT: WHEN IRAN'S PRESIDENT MOHAMMED KHATAMI CAME TO NEW YORK TO ADDRESS THE U-N GENERAL ASSEMBLY THIS WEEK, U-S OFFICIALS HOPED THERE MIGHT BE AN OCCASION FOR A HIGH-LEVEL MEETING BETWEEN U-S AND IRANIAN DIPLOMATS. THE OCCASION WHICH PRESENTED ITSELF WAS A U-N SPONSORED MEETING TO ADDRESS THE RISING TENSIONS BETWEEN IRAN AND AFGHANISTAN FOLLOWING THE KILLING OF SEVERAL IRANIAN DIPLOMATS BY THE TALEBAN. IN RESPONSE TEHRAN HAD DEPLOYED TROOPS ALONG THE AFGHAN BORDER AND WAS CONDUCTING MILITARY EXERCISES. THE U-S GOVERNMENT HAS CONDEMNED THE SLAYINGS BUT URGED IRAN NOT TO RESPOND WITH FORCE. PRESIDENT KHATAMI TOLD THE UNITED NATIONS IRAN HOPES TO AVOID AN ARMED CONFLICT WITH AFGHANISTAN. THE WEEK BEFORE PRESIDENT KHATAMI DOWNPLAYED HIS COUNTRY'S INTENTIONS TO IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH WASHINGTON, SOME U-S CONGRESSMEN MADE IT CLEAR THEY ALSO OPPOSE ANY SOFTENING OF U-S POLICY TOWARD IRAN. A BIPARTISAN GROUP IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SIGNED A STATEMENT CALLING FOR A STRONG U-S POLICY AGAINST IRAN. THE LAWMAKERS SAID TEHRAN REMAINS IN THE TERRORISM BUSINESS AND IS STILL SEEKING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. CONGRESSMAN GARY ACKERMAN OF NEW YORK DISPUTED THE IDEA THAT PRESIDENT KHATAMI IS A MODERATE, SAYING THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE REAL CHANGE IN IRAN SINCE HIS ELECTION LAST YEAR. /// ACT 1 ACKERMAN [FR MCDONOUGH #2-238762] /// (IN SHORT) WE REMAIN DISTURBED AT THE NOTION THAT AT THE SAME TIME THAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS PROFFERING SOME GOODWILL GESTURES TO THE IRANIAN GOVERNMENT, PRESIDENT KHATAMI DOES NOT GIVE US ANY INDICATION OF A CHANGE IN HIS GOVERNMENT'S BEHAVIOR. FOR ALL THE TALK THAT MR. KHATAMI IS A "MODERATE", WE HAVE SEEN NO ACTIONS TO BACK THAT UP. THAT IS ALL WE ASK FOR. /// END ACKERMAN ACT /// TEXT: CONGRESSMAN GARY ACKERMAN OF NEW YORK SUGGESTING THAT IRAN IS NOT YET READY TO JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY. MANY DIPLOMATS AND ANALYSTS BELIEVE CLOSER U-S RELATIONS WITH IRAN COULD HELP RESTORE PEACE IN THE REGION, NOTABLY AFGHANISTAN. THE DANGER, THEY SAY, IS THAT IRAN MAY SEEK TO BECOME THE DOMINANT INFLUENCE IN THE REGION AT THE EXPENSE OF THE WEST. FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE RICHARD MURPHY BELIEVES IMPROVED RELATIONS ARE INEVITABLE. BUT HE SAYS HE'S NOT SURPRISED THAT A SERIOUS THAW DID NOT HAPPEN DURING PRESIDENT KHATAMI'S VISIT TO THE UNITED NATIONS THIS WEEK: /// ACT 2 TAYLOR / MURPHY /// (MURPHY) PRESIDENT KHATAMI WAS VERY CLEAR IN HIS INTERVIEW LAST JANUARY ON C-N-N, THAT THE POINT HAD NOT BEEN REACHED FOR A DIRECT, OFFICIAL DIALOGUE, OR A DIALOGUE WITH OFFICIALS. IT WAS A TIME FOR IMPROVING THE ATMOSPHERE BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES THAT HAD BEEN LONG ESTRANGED THROUGH CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE, AND THEN AT SOME POINT, AND HE WAS NEVER SPECIFIC ON THE TIMING, THERE COULD BE AN OFFICIAL DIALOGUE. BUT I DON'T THINK ANYONE HAD REASON TO ASSUME THAT HIS VISIT WOULD BE, SHALL WE SAY, THE KICK-OFF (START) FOR THAT DIALOGUE. (TAYLOR) COULD IT HAVE BEEN NIPPED IN THE BUD (HALTED) WHEN THERE WAS A MOTION IN U-S CONGRESS TO STRONGLY OPPOSE ANY IMPROVEMENT IN RELATIONS WITH IRAN? (MURPHY) LET ME SAY ONLY THIS: THERE ARE SOME VOICES CRITICAL OF IRAN WHICH ARE JUST AS STRIDENT AND DETERMINED TO FORESTALL ANY IMPROVEMENT AS THERE ARE VOICES IN THE MAJLIS (PARLIAMENT) IN THERAN. BOTH LEADERS, BOTH PRESIDENT CLINTON AND PRESIDENT KHATAMI, HAVE IN THEIR RESPECTIVE LEGISLATURES DIFFERENCES OF OPINION, WHICH SHOULDN'T SURPRISE ANYONE. LET ME SAY I HOPE THERE IS ENOUGH UNDERSTANDING OF THE WAY THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT WORKS ON THE PART OF THE SENIOR LEVELS OF IRANIAN OFFICIALS THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE UPSET BY A STATEMENT OR A MOTION EVEN IF IT WAS A SENSE OF THE HOUSE RESOLUTION THAT WAS PASSED IN THE CONGRESS AS REPRESENTING THE VIEWS OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT. (TAYLOR) COULD THIS BE A CASE OF OFFICIALS SAYING ONE THING BUT PERHAPS THE PEOPLE WANTING SOMETHING ELSE. A LOT OF PEOPLE GOT THEIR HOPES UP WHEN MR. KHATAMI ANNOUNCED THESE CULTURAL EXCHANGES BACK IN JANUARY THAT FINALLY WE WERE GOING TO SEE A BREAK IN THESE HOSTILE RELATIONS BETWEEN THESE TWO COUNTRIES. DO YOU THINK THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN EVENTUALLY? (MURPHY) NO, IT HAS STARTED. I DON'T MINIMIZE WHAT'S HAPPENED. THERE HAVE BEEN, WELL, THERE ALWAYS HAVE BEEN VISITS BY ACADEMICS, EXCHANGES BETWEEN VARIOUS UNIVERSITIES, SPECIALISTS IN IRANIAN HISTORY, IRANIAN CULTURE, AND SPECIALISTS ON THE ECONOMY AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS COMING TO THE UNITED STATES FROM IRAN. IT'S ALL USEFUL AT REMINDING PEOPLE IN BOTH COUNTRIES THAT WE EACH HAVE A VERY RICHLY VARIED SOCIETY AND THERE ARE GROUNDS IN WHICH WE CAN MEET IN REAL FRIENDSHIP, OF COURSE AS WE MET IN THE WORLD CUP MATCH. THAT WASN'T DELIBERATELY ARRANGED BY EITHER GOVERNMENT, IT HAPPENED BECAUSE WE WERE IN THE SAME DIVISION, COMPETING IN SOCCER, AND IT CAME OUT TURN TO PLAY THE IRANIANS, AND THEY HAD A BETTER TEAM - THEY WON THAT DAY. BUT IT'S SLOW, AND I THINK AGAINST THE BACKGROUND OF A VERY VENOMOUS AND POISONOUS RELATIONS AND THE RHETORIC THAT HAS BEEN HURLED BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THERAN AND WASHINGTON OVER THE LAST NINETEEN YEARS - I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE SURPRISED THAT IT IS TAKING TIME TO SEE A SERIOUS WARMING. TEXT: RICHARD MURPHY IS CURRENTLY A FELLOW WITH THE COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS IN NEW YORK. (SIGNED) NEB/PAM/TW/KL 25-Sep-98 2:36 PM EDT (1836 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
