Rohani Could Ease Nuclear Tension
21/06/2013 - 6:34pm
THESSALONIKI – The recent Iranian presidential elections and the win by Hassan Rohani may help resolve the nuclear dispute with the United States and Europe and stabilise the region but many obstacles remain. “President Rohani, who has been a chief negotiator before, would be in an ideal position to finalise it,” Narsi Ghorban, Secretary to ICC Environment and Energy Commission, Iran Committee, told New Europe on 21 June on the sidelines of an IENE conference.
“It’s not in the interest of the parties negotiating to drag this process and have Iran isolated in a place where there is a big turmoil in Syria, there is a big turmoil in Iraq and there are problems in Lebanon, and Afghanistan. I hope that logic would prevail,” Ghorban said.
He noted, however, that the nuclear issue is not the main issue. “This has been used by both sides. The Europeans and the Americans are using the nuclear issue because it is a sensitive issue. Everybody is worried about non-proliferation and having a nuclear weapon which is the public concern,” the Tehran-based official said. “This is also used by the Iranians because they can get the public behind them, saying: ‘How come we’re not allowed to do peaceful nuclear research while Iran is the signatory to the non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)?’ So both sides are using this - one for domestic public opinion, one of international public opinion - to pursue their own interests,” Ghorban said.
“I think this can be very easily resolved because Iran has declared at all levels that we are not after the bomb so the only thing that is remaining is a system to verify it. In return all the sanctions have to be removed,” Ghorban said, adding that it’s not easy because it’s not all in the hands of the negotiating team. Lots of sanctions are done by the US Congress which is not under the control of the US President, he said.
Meanwhile, experts say China and Russia are benefitting from the sanctions. Removing sanctions would open the door to European and American companies to benefit from rebuilding of the Iranian infrastructure and developing Iran’s rich oil and gas resources, they add.
Ghorban told New Europe that Tehran can be an important factor in stabilising the situation if it is considered as a partner to the US and the EU rather than an adversary. The problem is that if the war in Syria is not solved by negotiations, there is a possibility that Syria may be broken into Alawites, Sunnis and Kurds areas of influence, he said. Alawites will go to their own stronghold, which is between Turkey and Lebanon and could form their own enclave, he said, adding that the Sunnis in Syria may get most of Syria and the Sunnis in Iraq might join them because they are not happy with the current government in Iraq. Iraq might also be divided between Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds, Ghorban said. “This tsunami will severely impact Jordan and Lebanon and the whole area will be facing a new major challenge unless it is resolved quickly,” he said, adding that in this scenario Iran is the big player due to its size, population, culture and influence in the region.
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