[A-List] US May Open Diplomatic Outpost in Iran + Iran May Allow U.S. to Open Diplomatic Post in Tehran

["Yoshie Furuhashi" <critical.montages@xxxxxxxxx>]

<http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iVp6OcsznLJpeFv8SenE_EhxIpmgD91G3FB80>
US may open diplomatic outpost in Iran

By MATTHEW LEE and ANNE GEARAN – 19 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration is considering setting up a
diplomatic outpost in Iran in what would mark a dramatic official U.S.
return to the country nearly 30 years after the American embassy was
overrun and the two nations severed relations.

Even as it threatens the Iranian regime with sanctions and possible
military action over its nuclear program, the administration is
floating the idea of opening a U.S. interests section in Tehran
similar to the one the State Department runs in Havana, diplomatic and
political officials told The Associated Press on Monday.

Like the one in communist Cuba, an interest section, or de facto
embassy, in the Iranian capital would give the United States a
presence on the ground through which it can communicate directly with
students, dissidents and others without endorsing the government, one
official said.

It would process visa applications and serve as a center for American
cultural outreach to locals, the officials said, speaking on condition
of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

Now, the U.S. has no diplomatic presence in Iran and relies on the
Swiss Embassy in Tehran to serve as its "protecting power." The Swiss
now pass messages to the Iranian foreign ministry on Washington's
behalf and handle the affairs U.S. citizens in the country.

The idea of a separate U.S. flag office was born in part out of
concern about Switzerland's decision earlier this year to sign a long
term gas contract with Iran.

The United States now has a small office in the Gulf state of Dubai
that handles routine visa matters for Iranians but officials say it is
not easily accessible and unable to do the work that an interests
section could do.

The interests section concept is an old idea now being revisited by a
very small group of diplomats and political officials at the State
Department, with the blessing of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Rice declined to confirm or deny the idea, which was first reported in
a Washington Post opinion column on Monday.

But, without being asked, she said the United States wanted more
Iranians to come to the United States and hinted that the current
arrangement in Dubai was not satisfactory.

"We know that it's difficult for Iranians sometimes to get to Dubai,"
she told reporters Monday aboard her plane en route to a conference in
Germany. "We want more Iranians visiting the United States. ... We are
determined to reach out to the Iranian people."

Rice is intrigued by the idea and has asked for an analysis of its
feasibility and implications, the officials said.

Iran has operated an interests section in Washington for years,
processing visa applications and having eyes on the ground in the U.S.
capital. But the United States has refused to have any diplomatic
presence in Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and embassy
hostage crisis.

The officials said Iran would be hard pressed to deny the United
States permission for a reciprocal presence in Tehran.

The idea of an interests section has percolated at the State
Department for several years, and was championed by the former
third-ranking diplomat, Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns,
several officials said. The renewed effort is now being led by Burns'
successor, William Burns, officials said.

Asked about the possibility of opening the office, State Department
spokesman Tom Casey said he was not aware of any such plans.

"I can't guarantee you that there aren't people somewhere in the U.S.
government talking about it, but it's certainly not anything that's
been decided nor is it anything that I would expect to see decisions
on in, you know, the near future," Casey said.

In earlier incarnations, the idea was opposed by some White House
officials, and at times by other officials at the State Department.
Its fate in the waning days of the Bush administration is far from
clear, although a variety of events in the past six months probably
have given the idea greater currency.

A U.S. intelligence analysis last year concluded that Iran was not
actively working to build a nuclear warhead, although it could resume
such work. The conclusion took the air out of the notion that the
United States might launch a military strike on Iran's nuclear
facilities before President Bush leaves office.

At the same time, U.S. diplomatic outreach to Iran has gone nowhere.
Opening an interests section now would thus not put at risk fruitful
talks.

William Burns, the officials said, is eager to demonstrate U.S.
goodwill to the Iranian people even while tensions between the
governments run high amid speculation that either the United States or
Israel may use military force against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Burns and his backers see exchange programs and direct on-the-ground
outreach to Iranians as the best way to overcome years of hostility,
the officials said.

Lee reported from Berlin, where he's traveling with Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice.

<http://en.rian.ru/world/20080624/111949962.html>
Iran may allow U.S. to open diplomatic post in Tehran

24/06/2008 20:02 TEHRAN, June 24 (RIA Novosti) - Iran may consider a
request by the United States to open a diplomatic mission in Tehran if
Washington sends it through official channels, the IRNA news agency
reported on Tuesday.

The U.S. has not had any diplomatic presence in Iran since the 1979
Islamic Revolution and the embassy hostage crisis.

The Associated Press earlier said "the Bush administration is floating
the idea of opening a U.S. interests section in Tehran."

"In theory, Iranian officials always consider such requests if they
are sent officially," IRNA quoted an anonymous Iranian diplomatic
source as saying.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has neither confirmed nor
denied the reports, only saying that the U.S. wanted as many Iranian
visitors as possible, "We are determined to find ways to reach out to
the Iranian people," she said.

Washington, which continues to insist Iran's controversial uranium
enrichment program is aimed at creating a nuclear weapon, has
repeatedly threatened to use force if Iran continues on its current
path and refuses to give up enrichment.

U.S. President George W. Bush said during a recent European tour: "We
have got to work to stop them from learning how to enrich [uranium],"
adding that a nuclear enrichment program "aimed at blackmail or
destruction" was unacceptable.

Iran is currently under three sets of relatively mild UN Security
Council sanctions for defying demands to halt its nuclear program,
which it says it needs purely for electricity generation despite
Western allegations it is geared toward weapon production.