Save the Last Dance*
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator and the head of the Supreme National Security Council, viewed by the West as a moderating influence in Tehran, resigned before crucial talks with Europe this week over Iran's nuclear programme. This has been announced today morning by President Ahmadinejad's spokesman. Despite the announcement, it was not clear whether Ali Larijani was let go because of his differences with President Ahmadinejad or if he had resigned voluntarily. Deputy foreign minister "Saeid Jalili" apparently has been appointed to take his place.
Little information has surfaced thus far about Larijani's reasons and I believe the man named to replace Ali Larijani could present the West with a harder line in a long-running dispute over Tehran's atomic stance. Little is known about Jalili except that he is one of the new faces in the foreign ministry and has a promising diplomatic career. Observers believe that the new chief nuclear negotiator is expected to adopt the same line with Mr. Solana as his predecessor, but many question whether he will have the same charisma and diplomatic skills as Ali Larijani.
On paper and perhaps often in practice, Ali Larijani held more sway over Iranian foreign policy than President Ahmadinejad. The Supreme National Security Council formulates foreign and security policy under the authority of Iran's Supreme Leader and the SNSS chief has thus played a more influential role than the president, who is merely one member of the council. Evidently, Ali Larijani was among a small group of officials who, while supportive of Iran's nuclear programme, have tried to press back against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his more radical approach, which excessively has left Iran increasingly isolated lately.
At any rate, Mr. Lijani is out now, and Mr. Solana, who is tasked with reporting back by mid-November to a consortium of nations including Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the United States on Iran's willingness to forswear its uranium enrichment programme, is left with no one decent and charismatic to dance with at the present time!
* taken from a movie directed by Thomas Carter.
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