Debate over ties with Iran intensifies

Date: 06/07/2000

By Shada Islam

IRANIAN President Mohammad Khatami's visit to Germany next week is set to accelerate ongoing EU discussions on reviving relations with Tehran.The trip comes as Union governments are seeking to balance expressions of support for the growing number of reformists in Iran with continuing worries about the state of human rights in the country.

Jail sentences meted out last week to ten Iranian Jews on charges of spying for Israel have complicated the EU debate, prompting British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook to call off a scheduled visit to Tehran.

The Union has voiced concern at the verdict, but diplomats admit to some relief that the Iranian court did not impose the death penalty on the accused. Human rights groups and defence lawyers are also hoping for an amnesty from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini, who has the authority to pardon prisoners under the constitution.

In addition to bilateral relations, Khatami's visit to Germany next Monday (10 July) will focus on Iran's ties with the EU.

Elected in 1997 on a reformist-modernising ticket, the Iranian leader sees closer relations with the Union as part of a drive to re-establish his country as an important international player.

While relations with the US remain strained, the Iranian president has made state visits to Italy and France in recent months , and is also scheduled to visit China, Japan and Moscow. Portugal's Deputy Foreign Minister Francisco Seixas de Costa flew to Tehran last month for a fifth round of EU-Iran political discussions, which are held every six months.

The Union's efforts to inject new momentum into the relationship are strongly supported by European businesses which are bidding to win lucrative contracts in Iran and capture a bigger slice of the country's expanding market.

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's forthcoming visit to Germany is set to accelerate ongoing EU discussions on reviving relations with Tehran.