Sunday, May 18, 2003
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By Atul Aneja
Mr. Khatami's remarks assume importance, as Bahrain is the headquarters of the U.S. fifth fleet that is deployed in the Persian Gulf area. Iran's emphasis on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the region is not surprising because of the prevailing antagonistic relations between Washington and Teheran since the Iranian Islamic revolution in 1979. Iran already feels threatened by the presence of the U.S. forces along its borders with Afghanistan. It is now alarmed at the prospects of witnessing a permanent U.S. presence along its borders with Iraq. Not surprisingly, the pullout of U.S. forces from the region has been a running theme during Mr. Khatami's weeklong four-nation tour, which also took him to Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. During his visit to the region — the first after the Iraq war, the Iranian President repeatedly stressed another point: Washington should not expect unilateral support from Teheran to fulfil its plans in West Asia, unless it also simultaneously restrained Israel. The Iranian President specifically seemed to rebuff the U.S. demand that Tehran should terminate its support to the Hizbollah group operating in Lebanon. Iranian leaders, which see the Hizbollah as an effective counterforce to Israel, have stressed during the visit that their disposition towards it is linked to Israel's continued occupation of the Shebba farms— a strategic area on the tri-junction of Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories. In a joint statement in Lebanon, the Iranian side had made it clear that it would continue to support the Hizobollah until Israel vacated the Shebba farms. Against the backdrop of U.S. pressure on Iran against pursuing its alleged nuclear weapons programme, Mr. Khatami made it evident that it would be incorrect to expect any unconditional concessions from Teheran. Linking the consideration of its disarmament to the alleged presence of Israeli atomic weapons, Mr. Khatami had told a news conference earlier "if our region is going to be free of nuclear weapons we should first focus on Israel which does not restrict itself to any limit and does not respect international laws." On Iraq, Mr. Khatami has maintained Teheran was seeking a U.S. withdrawal from Baghdad. Significantly, he made this observation in Damascus earlier this week in the presence of the Syrian President, Bashar al Assad. Mr. Khatami's comment did not go unnoticed as both Iran and Syria have the leverage inside Iraq to spark a resistance movement against US occupation. Both countries oppose the foisting of a pro-U.S. Government in Baghdad, led by Iraqis in exile such as Ahmad Chalabi. The U.S. on its part is against the emergence of an "Islamic" regime in Iraq, led by Shias that owes its allegiance to Iran. The stage is therefore set for complex negotiations, which could address Iranian security concerns, and the U.S. demand for post-war stability in Iraq.
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