West Can’t Isolate Iran: British Journalist

London, Feb 6, IRNA -- British broadcaster and journalist, Yvonne Ridley said traditionally the West needs an enemy but “Western Powers” cannot isolate Iran on the international scene. “Iran seems to have solidified and strengthened its relationship with Russia and...China, making it much more difficult for the Western powers to attempt to isolate Iran,ˈ Ridley told IRNA in an interview. She also commented on Iran-US relations and new round of nuclear talks which will be held in Kazakhstan on February 26. The following is the full text of the interview: - How do you assess Iran’s position in the region and international scene? * The conflict in Syria has overshadowed many events in the region so it has been more difficult for surrounding countries to shine a positive light for their own contributions to the Middle East and Asia. However Iran seems to have solidified and strengthened its relationship with Russia and to a certain extent with the emerging superpower that is China, making it much more difficult for the Western powers to attempt to isolate Iran on the international scene. - There have been many important developments during the last three decades, but relations between Islamic Iran and some western countries are still tense, how do you see the future of these relations? * Traditionally the West needs an enemy and Iran has proved to be a convenient focus of negativity from the majority of the G8 countries. I do not see a thawing of these relations in the immediate future as Iran has become a useful diversion for many states wishing to deflect attraction from the failure of their domestic policies especially in this global recession. What is clear is that ordinary citizens are more wary of government attempts to demonize Iran and this is largely down to US and British duplicity, lies and deceit which emerged in the wake of the Iraq War making it far more difficult for Western powers to convince voters of a case for war. - Do you think recent changes in US State Department and Pentagon would lead to practical shifts in Washingtonˈs foreign policy toward Iran? * John Kerry, recently sworn in as the 68th Secretary of State of the United States, becoming the first sitting Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman to become Secretary in over a century, is essentially an unknown quantity. As the first man in the post in eight years - his immediate predecessors being Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice - it is difficult to predict how he will define his role. He is a former military man who served in the unpopular Vietnam War and spoke out against that conflict. Perhaps he will be less combative and rely less on the aggressive rhetoric which defined the Rice and Clinton years. If this is the case, then he may want to encourage Obama to revive his initial ˈolive branchˈ policy towards Iran and try and improve the relationship between the two powers. The big question is could Kerry be the man to redefine the tense, unproductive relations between the two countries which have been defined by blood, bitterness and brutal sanctions for more than three decades. - Iran and 5+1 have agreed to hold the next round of nuclear talks on February 26th. What is your view on that? Can you see any positive sign for a peaceful resolution of this long-standing dispute? * The dispute will only be resolved when the US and its Allies acknowledge that Iranˈs nuclear program is designed purely on energy and not in creating a nuclear arsenal. And until that happens, no amount of initiatives is going to make the slightest difference./end