EU-DIGEST

EU ready to enforce travel bans on Iran officials among rumors from Iran that Ahmadinejad is on the way out

The Financial Times Deutschland reported today that the European Union is considering banning some Iranian officials from traveling to Europe in response to the recent political unrest in Iran following the rigged election. The Swedish EU presidency which has just taken over from the Czech Republic has warned that the EU is ready to take serious action if Iran does not free British embassy staff still detained in Tehran. Another plan being circulated around the 27 member EU is to recall ambassadors for a few days as a sign of protest.

Out of Iran come persistent rumors that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is discussing the possibility within the Iran leadership to declare the election null and void and agree to new elections supervised by some international body like the UN. It is said that he understands the cards are presently stacked against Iran, if President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad remains in power, and that distancing himself from Ahmadinejad would reestablish him as a a credible political broker.

Labels: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, EU, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iran-Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ready to dump Ahmadinejad who is facing diplomatic isolation- by Jeffrey Fleishman and Borzou Daragahi

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can in one instant appear the diplomatic equivalent of damaged goods and in the next a confident leader whose bellicose speeches leave the West wondering how to deal with him and his perplexing nation now that he's won a much-disputed reelection. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev publicly greeted Ahmadinejad at a recent meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, but did not grant him a private meeting as he had the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan. In Belarus, the Iranian leader was met not by President Alexander Lukashenko, but by the speaker of the upper house of parliament.A similar pattern has emerged in the Middle East, where Arab regimes have long been wary of Iran's ambitions. Authorities in Jordan withdrew licenses for two Iranian news organizations this week and the sultan of Oman reportedly canceled a trip to Tehran following the unrest after Iran's June 12 election.

Note EU-Digest:Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could, if he wanted to, change the perception of the Iran leadership immediately, and even qualify himself as an honest broker, by declaring the election null and void and agreeing to new elections supervised by some international body like the UN. It would certainly take the pressure off him. Will he do so? Nobody really knows, but he certainly is clever enough to see how the cards are stacked against Iran if President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad remains in power, and this charade continues.

Labels: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

When Obama Administration Iran czar Dennis Ross and top U.S. Iran negotiator William Burns were planning the details of the President's outreach to Tehran with senior European diplomats earlier this spring, they discussed a possible nightmare scenario for the June 12 presidential elections in Iran. It was not, however, the prospect that incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might win, or even that he might steal the election, as many are alleging he now has, that had them worried. Quite the opposite, it was the possibility that the provocative Iranian President might lose to a moderate challenger.

Ahmadinejad's win may increase Washington's chances of getting tougher sanctions on Iran if they refuse to negotiate, the officials said. Ahmadinejad personifies Iran's unpredictable, dangerous side. He made even more hostile and threatening statements toward Israel and the U.S. during the campaign. And though they dare not say it publicly, Administration officials privately say that the messier and more contentious the post-election period, the more it sends the message to the outside world that even if some Iranians want moderation the hard-liners will not allow it.

Labels: EU, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, US

Primary results say Ahmadinejad is winner of elections in Iran

Primary results of the 10th Presidential Elections show that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has got the majority of the votes. According to the head of Elections Headquarters Kamran Daneshjoo, Ahmadinejad has recieved 69.04 percent of the counted votes until 23:50 hours local time. Daneshjoo said Mir Hossein Mossavi has got 28.42 percent, Mohsen Rezaee 1.62 percent and Mehdi Karrobi 0.9 percent of the votes.

Labels: Elections, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Iran signals interest in talks with U.S. following Obama's overtures to Iran (Impact on Israel) - by Warren P.Strobel

Iran gave its first sign Tuesday it's interested in exploring President Barack Obama's offers of dialogue, with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad saying his country "is ready to hold talks, but talks in a fair atmosphere with mutual respect." It was the most positive response yet by an Iranian leader to Obama's repeated signals that he'll offer a new approach. "The new U.S. government has announced that it wants to create change and follow the path of talks. It's very clear that true changes should be fundamental and not tactical," Ahmadinejad said.

Note EU-Digest: "The recent "rapprochement" between President Barack Obama and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should probably also be seen as a signal to Israeli President Shimon Peres to give Tzipi Livni, the head of the more moderate Kadima party, winner of yesterdays Israeli election, a fair chance to form a moderate Israeli unity government instead of one run by right-wing hardliner Benjamin Netanyahu and ultra-nationalist Avigdor Lieberman, who is battling a corruption investigation again him. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni appealed today (Wednesday)to rightist Likud party leader Benjamin Netanyahu to join a national unity government that Livni would lead at the head of her centrist Kadima party."

Labels: Barack Obama, EU, Iran, Israel, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Shimon Peres, US

Putin tells U.S. not to strike Iran - by Oleg Shchedrov and Parisa Hafezi

President Vladimir Putin made clear to Washington on Tuesday that Russia would not accept military action against Iran and he invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Moscow for talks. Earlier, in comments aimed at the United States, Putin said during his talks in Iran: "We should not even think of using force in this region." "We need to agree that using the territory of one Caspian Sea (state) in the event of aggression against another is impossible," he told the presidents of Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan at a summit of Caspian Sea states.

Labels: EU, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Putin, Russia, US