HAS Iranian President Mah moud Ahmadinejad won his first diplomatic victory since his disputed re-election in June?
Last Thursday, Tehran presented what it calls "an updated package" as the basis for fresh talks with the G+1 (the UN Security Council's five permanent members, plus Germany).
On Friday, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley called the package "unacceptable" but added that America would seek "an early meeting" and give the Islamic Republic until year's end to make up its mind.
On Monday, Iran announced that fresh talks would start on Oct. 1. The official Islamic Republic News Agency reported that European Union foreign-policy czar Javier Solana accepted the date after studying the Iranian "package."
If the proposed round -- the first since last fall -- occurs, Ahmadinejad could claim a diplomatic victory, for three reasons.
1) For the first time since the nuclear dispute started a decade ago, the agenda would be set by the Islamic Republic -- not the big powers.
Even before his election, President Obama had promised "direct and unconditional talks" with the Islamic Republic. Yet he's wound up with conditional talks -- with Iran fixing the conditions.
Nor did Obama get the one-on-one talks he wanted. America will be "engaged" in a multilateral context, with China and Russia acting as "restraining powers" to prevent undue pressure on Iran.
HAS Iranian President Mah moud Ahmadinejad won his first diplomatic victory since his disputed re-election in June?
Last Thursday, Tehran presented what it calls "an updated package" as the basis for fresh talks with the G+1 (the UN Security Council's five permanent members, plus Germany).
On Friday, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley called the package "unacceptable" but added that America would seek "an early meeting" and give the Islamic Republic until year's end to make up its mind.
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