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ASIA TIMES


December 17, 2010


[Re Tehran downplays Arab Wiki-dness December 17, 2010)] Why not downplay? Iran knows full well that these Arab "leaders" are sitting on thrones of sand and that they are dramatically out of step with their own people.

Witness what polling data showed in July 2010. In that poll, conducted by Zogby International, in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, for the University of Maryland, an overwhelming majority of Arabs (77%) stated that Iran has the right to develop nuclear weapons and should it do so, that outcome would be a positive one for the Middle East.

Furthermore, the reality is, if you want to engage with Iran and end 30 years of enmity, negotiations must be based on mutual respect, with no preconditions - what President Obama has offered a number of times.The leaked WikiLeak cables show a different reality and Iran has known it. No matter how you want to interpret the leaks, it is clear that behind the scenes, constant pressure was being applied to US allies and others to impose "crippling" sanctions on Iran. Moreover, China was being wooed by a guaranteed supply of oil, and Russia a different European missile shield more to its liking.

Unfortunately, the genuine intentions of Obama have been sabotaged at every step by the Israel-can-do-no-wrong crowd, composed of sympathizers in the congress, the US media and the Obama administration itself. Conversely, they have their counterparts in Iran who also do not want engagement to succeed and are doing everything they can to sabotage any attempt by the Iranian government to engage.

Any right-thinking person who is not enveloped in the fog of stupidity that passes for Iran policy in Washington knows that the only way forward, despite all obstacles, must be engagement - honest engagement. It is vital for the national security of the United States.

Fariborz S Fatemi

United States (Dec 17, '10)