Iran must take firm stance at Baghdad talks

TEHRAN, May 23 (MNA) -- As the world powers prepare to head into nuclear talks with Iran in Baghdad on Wednesday, pundits are pontificating about possible outcomes of the negotiations and the impact of the talks on relations between Iran and the West in the future. Over the past few years, Iran has bravely resisted Western countries’ illogical demand to halt the uranium enrichment component of its peaceful nuclear program. The Iranian nation believes that access to nuclear technology is one of their inalienable rights, which is non-negotiable. Meanwhile, Iranian officials have done their utmost to build trust with the Western side and to clear up the ambiguities about the country’s nuclear activities. The recent successful round of talks in Istanbul clearly proved Iran’s goodwill and intention to restore the international community’s confidence and trust. Now it is time for the West to respond positively to Iran’s measures and gain the trust of the Iranian nation. The Baghdad meeting on Wednesday provides an excellent opportunity for the Westerners to start interactions with Iran and to discard the old confrontational policies. This could be achieved through lifting the bans and sanctions that have been unfairly imposed on Iran’s economic and industrial sectors over the past few months. Iran is also expected to take into account some critical issues. Iranian officials, including those outside the foreign policy apparatus, must adopt stances that are consistent with the current status quo of relations between Iran and the West. In other words, hasty statements must be avoided, especially pessimistic remarks about the talks, like the recent comments by conservative Mohsen Rezaii, since they will not help the efforts to improve the current situation. Such a course of action can also create problems for the Iranian negotiators in Baghdad. The Iranian negotiating team, headed by Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili, should be trusted by all Iranian political groups and parties. This trust can encourage the team to firmly defend the rights of the Iranian nation and to communicate better with the Western negotiators. The Iranian side should be wary about some short-term promises made by Western governments, including the United States, which can only serve the interests of the incumbent government in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. The West should understand that this will be one of the last opportunities to earn the trust of Iranians and to make progress in communication with a nuclear Iran. Therefore, resistance seems to be the only option left for the Iranian side to convey its message to the West and to uphold the inalienable rights of the Iranian nation. Mojtaba Sadeghian is a Tehran Times columnist who is a member of the editorial department of the daily. (By Mojtaba Sadeghian )