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| Middle East |
| Jordanian king trying to broker deal between US and Iran |
| 2003-12-08 |
| Jordan’s King Abdullah is quietly trying to broker a deal that would lead Tehran to surrender about 70 al Qaeda operatives, including the son of Osama bin Laden, in exchange for U.S. action on the largest Iranian opposition group now based in Iraq, according to U.S. and Middle East officials. Snip. In congressional testimony, Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage said in October that Washington is not interested in governmental change in Tehran and is open to dialogue if the al Qaeda issue is resolved. "We and others have made clear what Iran needs to do: hand over al Qaeda members to the United States or their country of origin," Sean McCormack, a National Security Council spokesman, said yesterday. A key stumbling block is the People’s Mujaheddin, or MEK, about 3,800 Iranians who launched attacks against Iran from camps in Iraq. In 1999, the State Department listed the MEK as a terrorist organization, and since the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the MEK has been confined to camps. "The Mujaheddin-e Khalq is a terrorist organization and will be treated like a terrorist organization," McCormack said. Yet U.S. officials concede that the MEK still broadcasts anti-government programs into Iran and none of its members have been prosecuted or turned over to Iran -- as the United States demands Iran do with al Qaeda suspects. Iran says it is unwilling to cooperate on al Qaeda as long as the United States does not take similar steps on the MEK. U.S. officials counter that many senior MEK officials fled to Europe, particularly France, and those left behind are largely "worker bees" and children. U.S. military officials continue to investigate whether any of the 3,800 should be prosecuted for terrorist acts. The MEK’s fate has divided the administration, however, with the State Department pressing the Pentagon to fully disarm the MEK and treat it as a terrorist organization -- rather than as a potential ally. Jordan is interested in al Qaeda in part because a top official still on the loose is Jordanian-born Abu Musab Zarqawi, who has been reported in northern Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon and Iran. Among those suspected of being in Iran are Saad bin Laden, the son of the al Qaeda founder; military organizer Saif Adel; al Qaeda spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, and Abu Mohammed Masri, who was tied to the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #4 In congressional testimony, Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage said in October that Washington is not interested in governmental change in Tehran and is open to dialogue if the al Qaeda issue is resolved. Armitage says that "Washington is not interested"? Washington's a big place. Who does he think doesn't want to see the mullahs toppled? (I strongly suspect that it's really the State Department that isn't warm to the idea of Iranian mullah removal) |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-12-8 11:56:00 AM |
| #3 methinks we're keeping the MEK in existence purely to bargain for the AQ guys in Iran. We DO want regime change in Iran, but we want the Iranians to take the lead, not to send 4th ID charging in. But if Iran doesnt cooperate on AQ, all bets are off. So far they seem to think they can use AQ against us, to keep Iraq from settling into a stable democratic state (if its one thats led by Shiites thats even MORE threatening to the Teheran mullahs) And at the same time stirring up the region with AQ hits in Saudi and Turkey. Well we cant let them play that game - so we need credible sticks, until they do a deal. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-12-8 10:15:43 AM |
| #2 Yeah, but trying to disarm them probably means fighting them. It's probably easier and safer to use them up against Iran. |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-12-8 8:41:14 AM |
| #1 Not sure about women and kids, but MEK is hardly going to become an asset to us - their problem with Iran is that they do not think it is Islamist enough. |
| Posted by: John Anderson 2003-12-8 8:22:05 AM |