In Europe, Fears Grow of a Coming Iran Conflict

Der Spiegel

Berlin — Remarks by United States President George W. Bush on Tuesday that he would not rule out the possibility of war against Iran have generated serious criticism in Germany. Leading German foreign policy experts have warned that a diplomatic solution is the only one for Iran.

German politicians have reacted with great concern over United States President George W. Bush's Tuesday statement that he would not rule out the possibility of going to war against Iran if the country does not stop its plans to develop a nuclear weapon. Many here fear the tense diplomatic impasse could lead to an escalation in the Middle East conflict and derail European efforts to negotiate a settlement with Tehran.Claudia Roth, chairwoman of the Green Party, has called on the US to support Europe's negotiations with Iran. Germany, France and England are seeking a deal with Tehran that would guarantee the mullah rulers would abandon their nuclear ambitions in exchange for assistance in building a legitimate nuclear power plant. In an interview with the Berliner Zeitung newspaper, she said: "What we need is a diplomatic solution — not the threat of force." Roth insisted there could be no escalation of the situation in the region.

A report released this week in the New Yorker magazine by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh over apparent preparations for a US military strike against Iran has sparked worry worldwide that Iran is the next country after Iraq on the US war agenda. Secretary of State designate Condoleeza Rice included the country on the list of six "outposts of tyranny" she described during her confirmation hearing Tuesday before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, D.C.

Rice Refutes Hersh Article

Rice also refuted the contents of the Hersh article, which alleged that US commandos — in preparation for possible future strikes — have been scoping out sites in Iran where the country may be developing nuclear and chemical weapons. "The article is inaccurate and does not represent U.S. policies toward Iran or its expectation of policies toward Iran," she told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Neither, she said, had Washington engaged in any secret dealings with Pakistan over the apparent activities in Iran as the article alleges.

But in Europe, many politicians and newspaper editorials are giving Hersh, a dogged investigative reporter with an award-winning track record, the benefit of the doubt.

On Wednesday, the leading foreign policy coordinator for German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's Social Democratic Party, Gernot Erler, joined the Greens in warning against any escalation. "If the reports about the corresponding US plans are cofirmed, it would have a ricochet effect on Europe's policy of negotiating with Iran," he told the Berliner Zeitung. The EU, he said, has adopted a specific plan for pulling Iran out of the margins without using military threats. He described the US government's denial of the Hersh article as "tepid" and said this raises concerns that Washington may be continuing with its "disastrous" Iraq policies.

Hans-Christian Stroebele, a member of parliament from the Green Party, described the signal being sent from Washington was "highly alarming." I fear, he told the newspaper, "that through his re-election, the American president sees his Iraq policies as validated and legitimate — and that he's now on track toward a new war with Iran."

He said Europeans must speak out decisively against the use of military force. "It is the duty of German politics and it has to be discussed during the American president's visit to Germany." Bush is expected to briefly meet with Schroeder at a stopover in Mainz, Germany, on Feb. 23.

The Iran expert in the conservative opposition Christian Democratic Union's parliamentary group, Ruprecht Polenz, also criticized the fact that Washington hasn't made any political offers in its negotiations with Tehran. "We could achieve results a lot faster if the Americans wouldn't just sit their with their arms folded across their chests watching the Europeans."

Straw: "Nuclear dispute can only be solved diplomatically"

Britain has also come out strong in saying that a diplomatic solution is the only way to stop the Iranian nuclear program. In an interview with the Financial Times, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw defended its joint diplomatic strategy with France and Germany against the US's hard-line stance. "It's a better strategy than the alternative," he said.

 "Those who said we'd be split apart by the Iranians are wrong," he told the paper. "Those who said we would not be able to negotiate any substantial text (with the Iranians) are wrong. Those who said we could not build up a degree of trust with the Iranians — at the same time as building up a strong consensus with the US and non-aligned countries — are wrong."

Both the US and Europe see Iran's nuclear program as potentially one of the most dangerous international conflicts in the crisis-plagued Middle East. The US has accused the country of seeking to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of its civilian nuclear energy program — a charge Tehran has disputed. Under a European Union mandate, Germany, France and Britain have reached a preliminary deal with Tehran putting a stop to important elements of the nuclear program, and now they are negotiating a guarantee from the ruling mullahs that they will not use their civilian nuclear program for military purposes. But the US has viewed the negotiations skeptically.

Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations's nuclear watchdog, is requesting to search another Iranian military complex the US has fingered as a possible site where tests are being conducted in the development of nuclear weapons. Last week, inspectors from the IAEA took samples at the site in the city of Parchin, but access to some parts of the facility was restricted. Diplomats have told the Associated Press they want to take further samples and visit other sites at the facility.