US carrot and stick policy on Tehran doomed to fail

An American political commentator believes that any negotiation between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s nuclear energy program will prove to be ‘completely unhelpful’ since the United States has adopted a carrot and stick approach towards the issue.

On February 02, the US Vice President Joe Biden said the United States is ready for direct talks with the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program. The United States, the Israeli regime and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program. Iran argues that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it is entitled to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Press TV has conducted an interview with Denis Halliday, a former UN Assistant Secretary General in New York, to further talk over the issue. The following is an approximate transcript of the interview.

Press TV: How do we come to terms with the fact that the United States has called for dialog and yet brings in these sanctions?

Halliday: It sends, in my view, a very confused signal to the people of Iran. You know that I spent time in Iraq overseeing the Oil-for-Food Program under sanctions. I am very much familiar with the consequences of sanctions on the people of Iraq and those of the lower income group.

In Iraq of course, that was comprehensive. In Iran, the Americans will tell us these are smart sanctions and smart sanction targets trade, banking, finance, the government itself. But the reality is, I believe in the case of Iran, that food prices, very basic needs, the price of drugs and pharmaceuticals have gone up, together with other needs of rural and urban people.

So I am totally opposed to sanctions of any sorts, in any country, anywhere and the other thing the United States under [John] Kerry, the new Secretary of State, and hopefully Mr. [Chuck] Hagel who would be the new Secretary for War that they will begin to have these talks with Iran which is the only common sense way to go and to do this pressure tactic at this moment makes no sense to me. That is a typical confused output from Washington.

Press TV: So the Mr. Halliday, going into these talks that Vice President Joe Biden spoke about and even the Iranian foreign minister said that he was encouraged by the talk of Mr. Biden, you know why would the Iranian government even go into these talks when these harsh sanctions are being put on it? What kind of a scenario, what kind of an atmosphere does that create?

Halliday: It is completely unhelpful but you know the Americans have this very odd concept of, as they call it, carrot and stick approach, meaning they offer you something at the same time they hit you over the head with the stick and that is exactly what they are offering, I guess, right now.

It makes no sense to me and they forget of course that Iran is an ancient country, a sovereign state and there is no way that the government and the people of Iran need to accept this weird approach from the United States.

Press TV: So then going forward, what prospects do exist for successive talks in real world terms?

Halliday: Regardless of the confusion of American policy, sanctions or other things like that, I would recommend of course to Iran that any opportunity to talk is that of a none and once a dialog begins with reasonable people hopefully from Washington, then I think you can begin to see ways that you can live with each other and convince the Americans that they are not under the threats of nuclear weapons which of course is there. It is clear, given the media and propaganda they have faced for the last several years.

Press TV: And then of course, Mr. Halliday, I also wanted to ask what does this do then for the US relationship with the likes of Russia and China, considering those countries have stood by Iran throughout these sanctions?

Halliday: Well, sadly the relations with Russia and China are both in a sad state of affairs. The Russian relationship is somewhat damaged and they are now organizing military activity in the Pacific which again is threatening China because the Americans are afraid that China is becoming a significant military power which in the reality of the Pentagon budget of course really makes no sense.