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| U.S. eases ban on non-oil Iranian goodsOverture to Tehran's reformers a bid for better relations
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In a gesture to encourage dialogue with Iranian reformers, the United States said Friday it is lifting its import ban on several Iranian luxury items, including Persian carpets, caviar and pistachio nuts.
In making the announcement, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright did not include oil on a list of now-sanctioned Iranian items to be allowed into the United States. The two countries have had estranged relations since the Islamic revolution of 1979 that led to the taking of U.S. hostages. Three U.S. gestures to Iran"Today, I am announcing a step that will enable Americans to purchase and import carpets and food products such as dried fruits, nuts and caviar from Iran," Albright said in a Washington speech. Albright also said the Clinton administration will look for ways to increase contacts between American and Iranian scholars, artists, professionals, athletes and nongovernment groups. "We believe this will serve to deepen bonds of mutual understanding and trust," she said. In a third step, Albright said the United States is willing to work with Iran to settle legal claims the two nations have against each other. Washington's actions are designed to show Iranians that "the United States bears them no ill will," the secretary said. Iran's responseSo far, Iran, a Persian Gulf country that the Clinton administration accuses of promoting terrorism, has not responded to the U.S. overtures. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Morteza Sarmadi said this month his government would buy U.S. wheat if the United States allowed imports of Iran's non-oil products. Private Iranians have bought about 600,000 metric tons of U.S. corn since the United States last year lifted the ban on agricultural and medical products. Since then, however, the Iranian government has refused to purchase.
'Wall of mistrust'The U.S. overtures were the most far-reaching attempt by the Clinton administration to improve ties with Tehran, where reformist President Mohammed Khatami was elected in 1997 and a large reformist majority elected to the parliament last month. The election shifted the balance of power away from hard-liners who dominated Iranian politics for years and who continue to call the United States the "Great Satan." The movement toward democratic reform in Iran is "plainly gathering steam," Albright said. "We want to work together with Iran to bring down what President Khatami refers to as the 'wall of mistrust,'" she said. Nevertheless, Albright made clear that the administration has "no illusions" that the United States and Iran will be able to overcome their hostility overnight. "We can't build a true relationship on carpets and grain alone," she said. In her speech, Albright reiterated U.S. allegations that Iran sponsors terrorism, seeks weapons of mass destruction and persecutes religious minorities. Without apologizing, Albright also acknowledged past American meddling in Iran, including: "Significant" U.S. involvement in the 1953 overthrow of leftist Iranian premier Mohammed Mossadegh Support for Shah Reza Pahlavi's "brutal repression" of political dissent Washington's "shortsighted" support of Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. U.S. hostility to the Islamic fundamentalists who run Iran has its roots in the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by revolutionaries in 1979 and the holding of Americans seized there hostage in what Albright called a "disgraceful breech" of traditional diplomatic practice.
'Iranian economy in terrible shape'Even the partial lifting of U.S. sanctions could provide a boost to the weak Iranian economy, said Geoffrey Kemp of the Nixon Center. "I think (Washington) needed to do something," he told CNN. "The pistachios, carpets and caviar may not be terribly important for the United States, but they are very important for a lot of Iranians because these are export earners and the Iranian economy is in terrible shape." 180K/16 sec. WAV sound But the biggest prize for Iran is persuading the United States to lift the ban on U.S. investment in Iran's oil and gas industry, which dominates the economy. "I think American (oil and gas) companies are itching to do (business with Iran) because they see the European firms getting a head start on them in the energy sector," said Shaul Bakhash, professor of history at George Mason University near Washington and an expert on Iranian politics. 125K/12 sec. AIFF or WAV sound President Clinton extended the ban on Monday, citing Iran's support for "international terrorism," its alleged attempts to develop weapons of mass destruction and its opposition to Middle East peace talks and agreements sponsored by the United States. Albright's speech was sponsored by the American Iranian Council. The private group based in Princeton, New Jersey, seeks better relations between Washington and Tehran. Robert Pelletreau, chairman of the council and a former U.S. ambassador in the Middle East, said the lifting of sanctions on Iran's non-oil exports was just one step along the road to reconciliation and that dialogue may have to wait a while. "The American administration is recognizing the results of the elections as a positive development and they're signaling a positive development in return, but this is all part of a very slow process," he said. "It's a question of unwinding and unraveling a whole lot of obstructions on both sides, and we shouldn't expect dramatic breakthroughs on either side," he added. State Department Correspondent Andrea Koppel and Reuters contributed to this report. RELATED STORIES: RELATED SITES: CIA -- The World Factbook 1999 -- Iran | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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