DATE=01/13/98
TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-10529
TITLE=AN IRANIAN OLIVE BRANCH?
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
CONTENT=
INTRO: WITH A LENGTHY INTERVIEW ON CABLE NEWS NETWORK LAST WEEK,
THE NEW PRESIDENT OF IRAN MADE HIS MOST DIRECT APPEAL YET FOR A
CHANGE IN THE HOSTILE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIS COUNTRY AND THE
UNITED STATES. BUT NOT ALL U-S NEWSPAPERS EITHER AGREE THAT IS
WHAT HE REALLY MEANT, OR THAT IF IS, IT IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS
OF THIS COUNTRY. WE TURN NOW TO _________________ WHO HAS A
SAMPLE OF COMMENT IN TODAY'S U-S OPINION ROUNDUP.
TEXT: C-N-N BROADCAST A LONG INTERVIEW WITH IRAN'S NEW PRESIDENT
MOHAMMAD KHATAMI LAST WEEK AND SINCE THE BROADCAST, U-S PAPERS
HAVE BEEN TRYING TO ASSESS WHAT HE SAID AND HOW THIS OVERTURE MAY
CHANGE THE LONG-TERM HOSTILE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO
NATIONS. INSTEAD OF TALKING TO THE U-S GOVERNMENT IN SOME OF HIS
COMMENTS, MR. KHATAMI SAID HE WAS ADDRESSING HIS COMMENTS TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE, FOR WHOM HE EXPRESSED GREAT RESPECT.
THE U-S PRESS HAS BEEN FILLED WITH REACTIONS TO THE BROADCAST THE
PAST FEW DAYS, AND WE BEGIN OUR SAMPLING IN THE PACIFIC NORTH
WEST, WHERE "THE OREGONIAN" DID NOT APPROVE OF HIS TACTICS.
VOICE: PEOPLE WHO ARE AT ODDS [IN DISAGREEMENT] WITH THE
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT HAVE ADOPTED THE ANNOYING HABIT OF
TRYING TO BYPASS IT AND DIRECT THEIR POLITICAL RHETORIC
TO THE PEOPLE' OF THE 'UNITED STATES. IRAN'S NEW
PRESIDENT MOHAMMAD KHATAMI IS THE MOST RECENT TO ADOPT
THIS GAMBIT, WHICH IS INSULTING BOTH TO THE AMERICAN
GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE IT REPRESENTS. [PRESIDENT]
KHATAMI WAS INTERVIEWED ... ON CABLE NEWS NETWORK, AND
HE OFFERED MODERATE RHETORIC, PRAISE OF MANY OF
AMERICA'S DEMOCRATIC TRADITIONS AND THE SUGGESTION THAT
UNOFFICIAL CULTURAL EXCHANGES BEGIN TAKING PLACE. MOST
IMPORTANT, HE IS THE FIRST OFFICIAL IRANIAN TO EXPRESS
ANY REGRET ABOUT THE TAKING OF 52 AMERICANS AS HOSTAGES
IN IRAN IN 1979. HOWEVER WELCOME THESE SUGGESTIONS ARE,
[MR.] KHATAMI IS WRONG IF HE REALLY BELIEVES THAT MOST
AMERICANS DISAPPROVE OF THEIR GOVERNMENT'S POLICY TOWARD
IRAN. ... [HOWEVER] OUR POLICY OUGHT TO BE GUIDED BY
THE IDEA THAT, IN THE LONG RUN, PEACE AND DIALOGUE WITH
IRAN IS THE BEST POLICY.
TEXT: TAKING A SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT VIEW IS "THE ST. LOUIS
POST-DISPATCH," WHICH FEELS THE VERY GRANTING OF THE INTERVIEW
WAS A SIGNIFICANT STEP TOWARD BETTER RELATIONS.
VOICE: HIS INTERVIEW REPRESENTED A THAW IN NEARLY TWO DECADES
OF HATRED, SUSPICION AND DEMONIZATION -- ON BOTH SIDES.
THE SUBSTANCE OF PRESIDENT KHATAMI'S REMARKS WAS MODEST.
HE ADVOCATED CULTURAL EXCHANGES OF PROFESSORS,
JOURNALISTS, SCHOLARS AND TOURISTS. THERE IS CERTAINLY
NO HARM IN THAT; EXCHANGES FOSTER FRIENDSHIPS. FOR
IRANIANS, THOUGH, THAT SUGGESTION MAY BE MORE
SUBVERSIVE, BUILDING ON THE LIBERALIZATION IN SPEECH AND
PUBLISHING THIS FORMER MINISTER OF CULTURE HAS
INAUGURATED. BY DEFINITION, CULTURAL EXCHANGES WOULD
EXPOSE MORE IRANIANS TO MORE WESTERNERS. EXCHANGES ALSO
ASSUME THAT EACH SIDE HAS SOMETHING TO LEARN FROM THE
OTHER. THAT IS NOT POPULAR IN IRAN, WHERE
ANTI-WESTERNISM IS AN ARTICLE OF FAITH FOR HARD-LINERS.
...THOSE WHO HAVE FELT MOST OPPRESSED BY THE ISLAMIC
REVOLUTION -- WOMEN, YOUTH AND MINORITIES -- ARE AMONG
THOSE WHO ELECTED PRESIDENT KHATAMI. IF THE UNITED
STATES REALLY WANTS TO SEE IRAN MOVE AWAY FROM RELIGIOUS
EXTREMISM, IT NEEDS TO BUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH
PRESIDENT KHATAMI AND THOSE IN IRAN LIKE HIM.
TEXT: CONSERVATIVE COLUMNIST WILLIAM SAFIRE, OF "THE NEW YORK
TIMES," IS STILL VERY SUSPICIOUS OF IRAN AND FEELS THE CLINTON
ADMINISTRATION IS BEING DUPED [DECEIVED] BY THE APPEARANCE OF A
THAW IN RELATIONS WITH WHAT HE FEELS IS STILL A VERY HOSTILE AND
DANGEROUS COUNTRY.
VOICE: AS SOON AS IRAN'S NEW PRESIDENT ... CUT THE GREAT-SATAN
RHETORIC AND SPOKE KINDLY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THE
CLINTON DOVECOTE [A HOUSE FOR KEEPING DOVES: IN THIS
CASE THE "DOVES" IN THE WHITE HOUSE] BEGAN UNDERMINING
OUR LAWS PUTTING ECONOMIC PRESSURE ON NATIONS LIKE
RUSSIA AND FRANCE EAGER TO SELL TEHERAN NUCLEAR-WEAPONS
KNOW-HOW. /// OPT /// ... THE UNANNOUNCED SHIFT [IN U-S
FOREIGN POLICY] FOLLOWS THE DESIRE OF THE SAUDI
MONARCHY, WORRIED ABOUT FUNDAMENTALISTS. RIYADH
APPEASES ITS ENEMIES NOT ONLY BY OPPOSING U-N SANCTIONS
ON IRAQ, BUT ALSO BY REFUSING TO COOPERATE WITH THE
F-B-I IN FINDING THE IRANIAN TRUCK BOMBERS WHO MURDERED
19 AMERICANS IN THEIR RIYADH BARRACKS. /// END OPT ///
...AS IRAN CROOKS ITS FINGER, ACCOMMODATIONISTS WILL
COME RUNNING. [PRESIDENT] CLINTON WILL GO ON IRANIAN
TV. HE WILL IGNORE [THIS] EVENT ... ON DECEMBER 15TH,
ONE OF OUR SATELLITES PICKED UP THE HEAT SIGNATURE OF A
MISSILE ENGINE BEING TESTED AT THE SHAHID HEMAT FACILITY
SOUTH OF TEHERAN. THIS NEW GENERATION OF IRANIAN
MISSILES ... IS CAPABLE OF CARRYING AN ALMOST
ONE-THOUSAND KILOGRAM WARHEAD MORE THAN 1287-KILOMETERS.
THAT PROJECTS IRANIAN POWER FAR BEYOND IRAQ, TAKING
HOSTAGE THE POPULATIONS OF ANKARA AND TEL AVIV, NOT TO
MENTION 25-THOUSAND U-S TROOPS. DON'T BE TAKEN IN BY
THE PRETENSE OF A GENUINE POLICY DEBATE WITHIN THE
ADMINISTRATION. ... 'DEEDS, NOT WORDS' SAYS MR. CLINTON
-- AS HE QUIETLY CHANGES OUR GULF POLICY TO RELY ON
WORDS, NOT DEEDS.
TEXT: A DIFFERENT VIEW IS TAKEN BY "THE BOSTON GLOBE" WHICH
TITLES ITS RESPONSE TO THE C-N-N INTERVIEW: "A NEEDED EXCHANGE
WITH IRAN."
VOICE: THERE HAVE BEEN SIGNS AND PORTENTS FOR SOME TIME THAT A
THAW IS UNDERWAY IN RELATIONS BETWEEN IRAN AND THE UNITED STATES.
... THE UNPRECEDENTED INTERVIEW [MR.] KHATAMI GAVE TO C-N-N LAST
WEDNESDAY NIGHT SHOULD BE SEEN AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THOSE
PREPARATORY MESSAGES AND GESTURES. ... [MR.] KHATAMI'S APPEARANCE
ON CNN WAS THE MOMENT WHEN THE IRANIAN SIDE WENT PUBLIC WITH A
FLIRTATION THAT UNTIL THEN HAD BEEN VEILED AND TENTATIVE. OF
NECESSITY, [PRESIDENT] KHATAMI'S APPROACH TO AN AMERICAN AUDIENCE
WAS SUBTLE AND SHADED. HE HAD TO MANEUVER DEFTLY TO AVOID
CENSURE BY HARD-LINERS WHO STILL CONTROL KEY LEVERS OF POWER IN
THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC. ... IT WILL BE UP TO OTHERS --
PARTICULARLY PRESIDENT CLINTON AND HIS FOREIGN POLICY ADVISERS --
TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT [PRESIDENT] KHATAMI'S APPEAL FOR A
DIALOGUE CAN SUCCEED. ... TO MAKE A POLITICAL DIALOGUE WITH
TEHRAN POSSIBLE, THE U-S SIDE WILL HAVE TO BE AS SUBTLE AS [MR.]
KHATAMI. HE HAS SIGNALED THAT HE WANTS AMERICAN HELP IN
OUTFLANKING IRAN'S HARD-LINERS. THE HARD-LINERS CANNOT PREVENT
CULTURAL EXCHANGES, AND ONCE SUCH EXCHANGES BEGIN, THEIR
ANTI-AMERICAN FULMINATIONS WILL LOOK MORE LUDICROUS THAN EVER.
... THIS PHASED APPROACH TO DIALOGUE BEST SUITS THE INTERESTS OF
BOTH PARTIES.
/// OPT ///
TEXT: AND LASTLY, SUPPORT FOR TAKING THE OVERTURE AT FACE VALUE
AND EXPLORING IT FROM "THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER."
VOICE: IRANIAN PRESIDENT MOHAMMED KHATAMI ... OPENED A CRACK IN
THE WALL OF MISTRUST THAT HAS PLAGUED U-S-IRANIAN
RELATIONS SINCE 1979. MR. KHATAMI CALLED FOR A DIALOGUE
BETWEEN THE AMERICAN AND IRANIAN PEOPLES, WHILE SAYING
THE TIME WAS NOT YET RIPE FOR A DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE TWO
GOVERNMENTS. ... IT IS A CHANCE THE CLINTON
ADMINISTRATION CAN'T AFFORD TO MISS... AND THE CLINTON
TEAM SHOULD DELAY ANY SANCTIONS AGAINST FRENCH, RUSSIAN,
AND MALAYSIAN FIRMS OVER A TWO-BILLION-DOLLAR GAS DEAL
SINGE WITH IRAN. ...THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY THE WRONG WAY
TO TRY TO CHANGE OBJECTIONABLE IRANIAN BEHAVIOR.
/// END OPT ///
TEXT: WITH THAT, WE CONCLUDE THIS BRIEF SAMPLING OF COMMENT
FROM THE U-S PRESS ON THE LENGTHY C-N-N INTERVIEW LAST
WEEK WITH IRANIAN PRESIDENT MOHAMMAD KHATAMI.
NEB/ANG/RAE
13-Jan-98 1:29 PM EST (1829 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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