How diplomacy works

Being busy and out of London restricts me to reprinting interesting news articles I find. Here's one from tomorrow's FT:

Washington ‘hawks’ oppose EU3 incentives plan for Iran
>By Guy Dinmore in Washington and Daniel Dombey in London
>Published: May 23 2006 18:44 | Last updated: May 23 2006 18:44
>>

Opposition by US “hawks” led by Dick Cheney, the vice-president, is complicating efforts by the main European powers to put together an agreed package of incentives aimed at persuading Iran to suspend its nuclear fuel cycle programme, according to diplomats and analysts in Washington.

London is hosting on Wednesday political directors of the “EU3” of France, Germany and the UK, together with China, Russia and the US to look at the twin tools of incentives and sanctions.

Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state, was said by one diplomat to have “gone out on a limb” in an attempt to back the EU3’s package of incentives but was facing resistance from Mr Cheney who is playing a more visible role in US foreign policy. Another diplomat said US internal divisions were holding up an agreement with the Europeans.

Some European diplomats believe that Washington will back the package – which includes guarantees for the construction of light-water reactors in Iran, promises of nuclear fuel and a new regional security forum – if Moscow endorses a tough chapter seven United Nations Security Council resolution that would require Iran to suspend uranium enrichment.

US officials would not comment on Washington’s internal debate. However, one official said the EU3 had only presented certain elements of the proposed package to the US, including the sale of a light-water nuclear reactor. The US did not respond, he added.

Ms Rice has denied reports that the EU3 asked the US to provide security assurances to Iran. Accusing Iran of being the “central banker of terrorism”, she made clear that such assurances were “not on the table”.

Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, has already rejected what the EU3 is reported to be offering. Diplomats are doubtful Iran will accept a deal that does not allow it to continue at least small-scale uranium enrichment. The US and EU3 have ruled that out.

Mr Cheney is said to oppose the notion of “rewarding bad behaviour” following Iran’s alleged breaches of its nuclear safeguards commitments. The hawks – who include John Bolton, the US envoy to the UN, and Bob Joseph, a senior arms control official – fear a repeat of a similar agreement reached with North Korea in 1994 which did not stop the communist regime from pursuing a secret weapons programme.

Ministers are still bruised from angry exchanges between Ms Rice and Sergei Lavrov in New York two weeks ago when the Russian foreign minister attacked US policy and condemned a tough speech directed at Moscow by Mr Cheney.

Margaret Beckett, the newly appointed UK foreign secretary, leaped to the defence of Nicholas Burns – the number three in the State Department – when Mr Lavrov targeted him, according to a western diplomat. Ministers should not attack civil servants, Ms Beckett is said to have responded.