America and Iran: Secret Talks in Geneva 'Revealed'
"It is essential that Iranians and Westerners talk because we
may have perceptions of one another that are sometimes far removed from
reality. The worst case is when we dehumanize each other … When there are no
cameras, the fear of speaking freely disappears. Participants no longer feel compelled
to play games."
--
A participant in secret Iran-U.S. 'Track II' talks
For
the past six years, American, European and Iranian researchers have been
meeting in secret. All but two of the meetings took place in Geneva. The objective:
to establish informal bridges to avoid the worst. This process, called “Track
II,” revealed today by 'Le Temps', was inspired by the Oslo Accords.
Will
informal diplomacy allow Iranians and Americans to reconcile, 30 years after
the severance of diplomatic relations between Washington and Teheran? For six
years, academics from the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States, but
also from Europe, Switzerland, the Arab states and even Israel, have ignored the
restrictions to meet regularly in Europe. Several meetings, which included an
average of thirty participants, have taken place in Geneva. The last two were discretely
held in another European country. The most recent was held from March 6 to
March 8.
BACKING
FROM WASHINGTON AND TEHERAN
Participants
at these meetings call the process “Track II,” a term that refers to a secret,
informal form of diplomacy. One professor who participates in these meetings
but who wishes to maintain his anonymity out of fear of losing his job, says,
“The Oslo process began at this level. It is essential that Iranians and
Westerners talk because we may have perceptions of one another that are
sometimes far removed from reality. The worst case is when we dehumanize each
other." The professor added, "When there are no cameras, the fear of
speaking freely disappears. Participants no longer feel compelled to play
games.”
The
informal diplomacy of Track II is not disconnected from the official policies
of Washington and Teheran. It is pursued with support in high places. At the
last meeting held in early March, a close friend of the Iranian government was
present as well as an ambassador from another country. This dialogue seems to
have had the approval of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council and its chairman,
[former Iran President] Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
The leaks Le Temps has reported seem to be an attempt to influence the campaign
leading up to the Iranian presidential election on June 12. This transparency
also seems to reveal the urgency of the situation: Teheran is on the verge of reaching
the nuclear threshold.
PARTICIPANT
PROFILES
The
university professors have profiles that are related to regional issues in the
Middle East and U.S.-Iran relations. Some are experts in strategy and others in
international relations. Still others are nuclear experts or work for
international organizations. Another participant, who also wishes to remain
anonymous, says, “Certain Iranian professors swear by this continuation of this
process. By participating in Track II, they are putting their lives at risk.”
Apparently, some professors whose names appeared in Greek newspapers a few
years ago ended up in prison.
The
professor thinks that the Track II process carries another advantage. “In Iran,
decisions are made by consensus. From the outside, it’s difficult to identify
those who are really in power. Through our discussions between academics, we are
more capable of knowing who the real decision makers are. Sometimes a person may
have no official title but has privileged access to those who really do decide.”
CONCERNS
ABOUT IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Though
during their meetings, the academics don’t directly discuss the Iranian nuclear
problem, they don't ignore it, either At the March 6-8 meeting, two views
became clear. Some argues that it would be better to deal with the nuclear
controversy separately without associating it with other problems. Others made
the case for negotiating a “global package,” as was the case with the European
Union and its representative Javier Solana, who proposed a "freeze in sanctions
in exchange for a freeze of Iran's uranium enrichment program." Other
questions have been raised: what to do when a state like Iran is about to cross
the nuclear threshold? According to our sources, Teheran now has 4,000
centrifuges and 800 kilos of lightly enriched uranium. It takes 10 kilos of
highly-enriched uranium to make a bomb. Is the program becoming militarized?
What would be the impact of a new president after the June 12 election?
OBAMA'S NEW YEAR MESSAGE TO IRANIANS
AMERICAN
UNCERTAINTIES
At
the March 2009 Track II meeting, the Iranians were less present than at
previous meetings. The reason: they seem to be awaiting the concrete effects of
the change promised by the Obama Administration. According to our sources,
Washington was due to complete its review of its Iran policy by the end of
March. The Americans are wondering … "Should we continue with the
multilateral approach of the P5 + 1 powers (the U.S., France, United Kingdom,
China, Russia and Germany), or would it be better to choose a bilateral way
forward with Iran? Within the American administration, internal rivalries are
slowing things down.
U.S.
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, William Burns, who was at the
talks in Geneva in July 2008 (formal diplomacy, Track I) with the Iranians,
finds himself competing with Richard Holbrooke and especially Dennis Ross, the veteran
Middle East envoy for the Clinton Administration, who has been appointed [by
Hillary Clinton] as special envoy for the Middle East. “But who's in charge?”
asks one expert who recalls that in Teheran, Dennis Ross is perceived as a [pro-Israel]
hardliner. “It’s as if we sent a member of the Revolutionary Guard to negotiate
with Washington.”
ORGANIZED
COMPLICITY
For
the time being, Track II meetings are no longer being held in Geneva. The
reason? With the intense diplomatic activity that characterizes the city,
discretion can no longer be assured. But it's not out of the question that as U.S.-Iran
relations evolve - and with the relative success of Track II, this type of
informal meeting may become more media-friendly and return to Geneva. This
hypothesis would become even more probable if the Obama Administration’s policy
of diplomatic openness toward Iran began to produce results.
Up
to now, some 400 universities have taken part in these meetings. The context in
which they take place recalls the secret negotiations that took place in Oslo
concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict. The participants choose a discrete
location where there are few distractions, preferably in the countryside. Small
groups are formed to discuss the thorniest problems. Often, the scholars
continue their discussions during walks in nature. The participants at the
meetings, which generally last about three days, pass all their time together,
from breakfast to dinner, in order to create a quasi-complicity more conducive
to cooperative problem-solving.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seeks an
apology
from the Obama Administration for past
American policy,
It's
difficult to say now whether this process of informal diplomacy will lead to an
agreement between the United States and Iran. One expert thinks that the
support of Iranian authorities is somewhat limp: “The State, in Iran, is
omnipresent. It's doubtful whether the authorities accord too much importance
to the process. But they do like it when others talk about Iran.” Another
highly-placed Iranian expert says, “It proves that we are taken
seriously."
Posted by
WORLDMEETS.US
The
Track II process, however, has the merit of breaking with official channels and
realpolitik, which offer only limited room to maneuver. Particularly since the United
States has had no direct contact with Iran for the last 30 years, and since
President George W. Bush included the Islamic Republic in the “Axis of Evil” during
his State of the Union address in January, 2002. The first Track II discussions
seem to have coincided with the onset of the Iraq War in March 2003, when
Mohammad Khatami was still Iran's president.
Today,
although the Iranian presidency has been occupied by the ultra-conservative
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since 2005, Track II continues …
