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Sun, Dec 26, 2010 | The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center

Saeed Jalili was Iran's chief nuclear negotiator during the two-day Geneva talks between Iran and the five United Nations Security Council permanent members plus Germany on the Iranian nuclear issue in Geneva, Switzerland, Dec. 7, 2010. The next round would be held in Istanbul by the end of next month.

Geneva Talks Revive Debate Over Recent Years’ Performance of Iran’s Nuclear Negotiators

A commentary article which spoke in favor of the Iranian negotiating team in the nuclear talks held earlier this month in Geneva provoked strong reactions from those close to Iran’s former chief negotiator, Hassan Rouhani.

Earlier this week, the conservative daily Javan published an article titled “Jalili has restored the dignity of Sa’dabad in Geneva” (referring to talks held in Tehran’s Sa’dabad palace in 2003 in which Iran announced it was willing to sign the Additional Protocol of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and suspend uranium enrichment). The article strongly criticized the performance of the negotiating team on the nuclear program held during former president Mohammad Khatami’s government.

The daily claimed that, in the talks held in Geneva in early December, the West had been forced for the first time to recognize Iran’s right for peaceful nuclear technology. The recognition is Iran’s greatest achievement, and it was made possible thanks to the policy of the current government. The success of the negotiators in Geneva, however, begs the question why the West refused to recognize Iran’s rights before, and how did the nuclear program, which proceeds in accordance with international law, became a tool for the West to exert pressure on the Iranian people. According to Javan, the answer lies in the policy followed by President Khatami’s reform government. Back then, it was the reformist diplomats who conducted the negotiations with the West, which resulted in the shut-down of Iran’s nuclear facilities and the suspension of all nuclear activity for years. The suspension led to a delay in the process of Iran’s nuclearization. Western negotiators, who had obtained intelligence information on members of the Iranian negotiating team, managed to control them and force them to accept Western demands. Britain’s former PM Tony Blair admitted himself, according to the daily, that the European negotiators had no concerns whatsoever about the negotiations with Iran, and that they had submitted the demands formulated by the West to the approval of the Iranian negotiators before the talks even started.

Mistaken analysis coupled with lack of vision and insufficient information on the position of Europe and the U.S. and on Iran’s internal capabilities prompted the West to toughen its stance on the nuclear program. At that time, not only did no centrifuge spin at the nuclear facilities, but the West went as far as to demand the complete halt of all nuclear activities, including those completely unrelated to uranium enrichment. It was only well into the reformist government’s term, when the Supreme Leader intervened and gave an explicit order to resume nuclear activities, that the “nuclear train” started moving once again. The West did not agree, however, to let a new member join the nuclear club, and imposed sanctions on Iran. In light of the sanctions’ failure, the West was now forced to come to terms with a reality where Iran is a nuclear power. Iran is now the side that calls the shots, and the West has to accept its terms. Comparison of Iran’s current situation, where it enriches uranium to 20 percent and sets the agenda for the talks with the world powers, to its situation until several years ago clearly shows the significance of the victory achieved by Iran (Javan, December 18).

In response to the article, the Center for Strategic Research (CSR), affiliated with Hassan Rouhani, former chairman of the Supreme National Security Council and chief nuclear negotiator, issued a memorandum of opinion strongly contesting the claims made by Javan.

The previous negotiating teams were appointed by top regime officials and followed their instructions for the good of Iran’s national interests, the memo said. The talks held at Sa’dabad palace led to significant achievements: the threats made at the time against Iran by the U.S. and Israel were removed; “forced suspension” of uranium enrichment gave way to “voluntary enrichment”; the definition of uranium enrichment was narrowed to include only enrichment using gas; an opportunity was formed to fully implement theretofore incomplete nuclear technology at the nuclear facilities of Esfahan, Bandar Abbas, Natanz, and Arak; the consensus between the U.S. and Europe over the nuclear issue was dissolved; and an opportunity emerged to solve many of the legal issues pertaining to the nuclear program through the IAEA.

Several days after the Sa’dabad talks, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said himself that they reflected no surrender on the part of Iran or compromised its interests.

As the government was engaged in negotiations, Iran’s nuclear scientists completed the development of nuclear technology, which included the opening and completion of the uranium enrichment facility in Esfahan, the production of 1274 centrifuges, obtaining heavy water, and the completion of more advanced centrifuges (P2 models). According to the Center for Strategic Research, Iran’s nuclear achievements have to do with previous years’ developments. Time will tell, the memo says, how each Iranian negotiating team performed over the years and what each achieved. Unfortunately, the sensitivity of the issue and the confidentiality of the documents make it impossible to discuss these matters; one must therefore be patient and wait for the right time (Aftab, December 20).

The conservative daily Jam-e Jam also showed appreciation for the work done by the Iranian negotiating team in Geneva. An article published by the daily claimed that the West, whose policy against Iran was proving to be a failure so far, believed it could attain its objectives through negotiations. Little did it know that the talks in Geneva would turn into a tribunal where it would be accused of cooperation with terrorists in the assassination of the Iranian nuclear scientist. Iran was more prepared than ever for the talks in terms of its regional, political, and economic power.

The West must abandon the mistaken strategy of the past, the daily argued, and engage in negotiations with Iran based on willingness to cooperate with it. The talks in Geneva have been a diplomatic and PR victory for Iran. It managed to prove to the international public opinion that the G5+1 had cooperated with the terrorists and that there was a division of labor between the IAEA, the Security Council, and the terrorists. Iran has proved that the Western strategy, based on exerting pressure while engaging in negotiations, was a failure, and that the sanctions, instead of breaking the will of the Iranian people, only make them more eager to progress (Jam-e Jam, December 18).