Washington, September 05: Former US undersecretary of state for political affairs, Nicolas Burns, says that negotiations are now the ‘right way to go’ in dealing with Iran’s nuclear program.
In an interview with World Politics Review published on Friday, Burns — who served as the point man on Iran under former President George W. Bush — deemed both negotiations and sanctions necessary while maintaining that diplomatic measures may fail to solve Iran’s nuclear dispute.
“If you want to design a policy to leave the US completely alone, then I think you should spurn negotiations,” he said. “I think negotiations are the right way to go. I don’t think they have a strong possibility of succeeding, but the ability of the US to get countries to support sanctions depends on the US going to negotiations.”
Burns also supported US President Barack Obama’s policy of diplomatic engagement with Iran as ‘sensible’. “I am a strong supporter in negotiations and believe President Obama’s policy is sensible. I do not believe the use of force makes sense at the present time.”
He said, however, if ‘force’ was chosen as a last resort, then the ability to get countries to support the use of coercion depended on the US having already entered talks, which would show the international community that all other options regarding Tehran’s nuclear dispute had been exhausted.
On Iran’s openness to possible talks, Burns said that, in his eyes, Tehran would try to ‘resist serious negotiations’, adding that the option of ‘harsher sanctions’ should be on the table should talks prove to be of no avail.
“Iran has not complied with the three UN Security Council sanctions resolutions that have already been agreed to in recent years. That is why the US and others need to be tough-minded as well, and ready to impose harsher sanctions if need be.”
The US and Israel, along with some other Western countries, accuse Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapons program under the guise of uranium enrichment.
Tehran, which is under the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, defends its nuclear program as being totally peaceful and within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The veto-wielding members of the United Nations Security Council — the US, Britain, China, France and Russia — plus Germany (P5+1) have called on Iran to ‘engage in direct talks based on mutual respect’.
Iran says it is open to talks but will not compromise on its rights as a signatory to the NPT, which grants its members the right to pursue peaceful nuclear technology.
—–Agencies