Tehran set to normalize relations with world
By Evangelos Antonaros
TEHRAN: The journey should have taken place months ago, but was canceled when the thorny subject of drinks at the state banquet arose. Now that a compromise has finally been reached, Iran's President Muhammad Khatami will travel to France on Wednesday.
There will be no official luncheon, though, which means that the mere mention of wine or alcohol will be avoided. The otherwise so proud wine-bibbing French have backed down because Iran is more important both politically and financially than risking a tipple in its president's presence.
For his part, the politically isolated man from Tehran is hoping to entrance the outside world by cautious steps towards rapprochement.
In April he became the first Iranian head of state since the Islamic Revolution to set foot in the West after journeying to Italy and the Vatican. After France, there are plans for a visit to Germany -- provided that the case of the German businessman, Helmut Hofer, currently facing charges of spying in Iran, is solved by then.
There is even talk of an improvement in relations with Britain, after contacts suffered strains over the issue of the fatwa, or religious death sentence, issued against the Anglo- Indian writer Salman Rushdie over a book which Muslims claim insults the prophet Muhammad. The acts between London and Tehran are back on the agenda, especially since a secretary of state at the Foreign Office praised Khatami's reformist progress.
Iran expects much from a strengthening of relations with western Europe: according to a report by Azad, a newspaper allied to Khatami's reform movement, France looks set to approve a loan of US$1.5 billion.
Two large Italian banks have also provided Tehran with a credit line of $2.2 billion. The Iranian finance ministry is hoping that an easing of bureaucratic hurdles at home will soon smooth the path for foreign investments.
"We want to throw open the door to strategic investors," Secretary of State Navvab told Die Welt in an interview. Numerous western European firms have reached the conclusion that the Iran now emerging on the world trade scene has the potential to become a very attractive market for consumer and investment goods.
From Khatami's point of view, the exercise in foreign relations also looks likely to boost his image at home. Because he has proved himself only partially successful at defeating the obstacles put in his way by the clerical hardliners, his promises to create a "civil society" have been swapped for policies which it is hoped will alleviate the disappointment felt by the country's impatient youth. Among the new ideas is constructive dialogue with western governments.
With the notable exception of the United States, very few countries are now subject to public criticism in Iran. Europe especially is viewed by the Foreign Ministry as an important partner worthy of better relations.
For the first time since the toppling of the Shah and the introduction of a strict Islamic regime 20 years ago, two western European leaders have visited Iran. They are Austrian President Thomas Klestil and his Greek counterpart Konstantinos Stefanopoulos.
But it would be wrong to think that Iran's largely remolded foreign policy is geared exclusively to the West. In fact, Khatami and Kamal Kharrazi, his foreign minister, are expending most of their energies on defusing conflicts with Iran's closest neighbors.
Progress has already been made with Saudi Arabia, leading some other Gulf states still involved in territorial disputes with Iran -- chief among the United Arab Emirates -- to feel decidedly left out.
-- Die Welt