.Europe’s Foreign Ministers were reluctant to express optimism to the change of regime in Iran, following incoming President Hassan Rouhani’s inauguration pledge to “recapture (Iran’s) deserving position among nations” on Sunday.
Reiterating his self-determination as the moderate candidate, the western-educated leader nevertheless called for a cessation of international sanctions over its contested nuclear programme, as he insisted: “The only way to interact with Iran is through negotiations on equal grounds, reciprocal trust-building mutual respect and reducing hostilities”.
The western world by contrast has called on Iran to seize the initiative presented by Rouhani’s June election to open a new phase in diplomacy with international negotiators in an effort to earn their confidence in the supposedly peaceful nature of the Islamist regime’s nuclear ambitions.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who leads international talks with Iran on its disputed nuclear programme, urged the new Iranian president to agree a fresh round of ‘’meaningful talks’’ as soon as possible, her spokesperson, Michael Mann, told reporters.
In a letter, she offered her congratulations on Rouhani's inauguration and said he had won "a strong mandate to engage in dialogue and cooperation with the international community to seek a swift resolution to its serious concerns about Iran's nuclear activities.
"I hope that we can schedule meaningful talks with your negotiating team as soon as practicable," she said.
Six of the world’s major powers hope to resume nuclear talks with Iran once the country’s president-elect takes over next month.
Ashton reportedly held meetings with diplomats from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the US, Russia, China, France, Britain) and Germany in Brussels.
“We wait now for the team to be appointed by Iran, we very much hope that will be soon and we look forward to meeting them as soon as possible,” Ashton said.
Despite Iranian denials, the West is convinced Tehran is pursuing a nuclear bomb.
Meanwhile, Italian Deputy Foreign Foreign Minister Lapo Pistelli announced a two-day visit to Iran beginning Tuesday to meet with Iranian authorities, the aim of which, he said, was to “underscore the Italian government’s interest in Iran after the election of a new President...(as well as) to encourage the new Iranian administration to take concrete steps to open a new era of dialogue with the international community”.
Pistelli also confirmed that the so-called P5+1 talks with Tehran would also feature on the agenda in his meetings with his Iranian counterparts, despite the fact that Italy is not part of the international team of negotiators.
Other European leaders took a yet-more cautious stance, with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle issuing a statement Sunday saying he had “taken careful note of Hassan Rouhani’s inaugural speech and especially of the willingness to enter into international cooperation he voiced”.
“We will be looking very closely to see whether this is the first step towards a readiness to enter into constructive talks. We are ready to engage in substantive talks. We will measure Iran by its actions,” he concluded.
His French counterpart Laurent Fabius meanwhile received Iran’s envoy to Paris Ali Ahani Tuesday, as he called for the apparent popular move for change prompted by Rouhani’s election to “open a new stage in relations with Iran”.
A statement by the French foreign ministry stressed he had reiterated France’s expectation for “Iran to (adopt) concrete actions in response to international concerns about the purpose of its nuclear program, its commitment to Syria and the human rights situation”.
Last week, British Foreign Secretary William Hague confirmed he had spoken by phone with his then Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi in advance of Rouhani’s official inauguration, when he had “reiterated the need for urgent progress to resolve the international community’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme”, as well as committing to a “bilateral relationship with Iran, on a step-by-step and reciprocal basis”. Hague also agreed to meet with the Iranian FM at September’s forthcoming UN General Assembly in New York.
Following his inauguration, Rouhani set to work on delivering his promise of an experienced cabinet with strong ties to the West, in the interest of “saving Iran’s economy and constructive engagement with the world”. Amongst his first appointments were US-educated American citizen Mohammed Nahavandian as chief of staff of Chamber of Commerce and Industry and US-education former UN envoy Mohammed Javad Zarif as foreign minister.
The leaders of the principal EU institutions remained quiet on the subject of the weekend’s inauguration, apparently preferring to wait for signs of change from the new administration. By contrast, a statement by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton following the President’s June election expressed caution, serving only to confirm Rouhani’s resounding election to a four-year mandate. “I wish Mr. Rohani well in forming a new government and in taking up his new responsibilities. I remain firmly committed to working with the new Iranian leadership towards a swift diplomatic solution of the nuclear issue,” she said.
Meanwhile in Washington, White House spokesman Jay Carney told a press briefing Monday that the US administration had noted “that President Rouhani -- recognise his election represented a call by the Iranian people for change. And we hope that the new Iranian government will heed the will of the voters by making choices that will lead to a better life for the Iranian people. The inauguration of the new President presents an opportunity for Iran to act quickly to resolve the international community's deep concerns over Iran's nuclear weapons program. Should this new government choose to engage substantively and seriously to meet its international obligations and find a peaceful solution to this issue it will find a willing partner in the United States”.
“Now, as we've said consistently, we are open to discussions with Iran both through the P5-plus-1 and through bilateral talks. The focus of those talks would be, and needs to be, on Iran's willingness to forsake its nuclear weapons ambitions. And should it be willing to do that in a verifiable way, there's an opportunity for Iran to reenter the international community, to ease the burden of its isolation, and thereby to do what the new leadership in Iran has identified as its goal, which is to improve the lot of the Iranian people. And that would be both very good news for the Iranian people, as well as for the region and the world,” he concluded.