Is Iran More Constructive Than the Tea Party?
By Marc Champion - Oct 16, 2013
Right now, Iran is looking like a more constructive negotiating partner than certain U.S. House Republicans.
Before throwing any crockery at that proposition, consider that the price of oil fell to a three-month low Tuesday, in part on the impression from day one of Iranian nuclear talks in Geneva that the Iranians may actually want a deal. Meanwhile, Fitch Ratings put the U.S.'s triple-A credit rating on a negative watch, based on the decision by House Republicans to reject the latest Senate bill, because some of them don't want a deal.
Of course, the latest Iran talks have barely started. The hard part -- detailing Iranian concessions and commensurate sanctions relief -- is all to come. Most people assume the U.S. will somehow avoid a default, despite the best efforts of Senator Ted Cruz. Not so many are confident that a comprehensive deal will be reached with Iran. Still, the approach the Iranians are taking in Geneva is new and refreshing.
To start with, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and his lead negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, are speaking in English. That might not sound like much, but using the language of the Great Satan for such sensitive business is a departure that suggests these particular Iranians want to get something done. What it is they want to achieve is a different matter.
Zarif showed up in Geneva with a plan and a PowerPoint presentation to explain it. This wasn't one of the usual Iranian offerings of recent years, which had little direct relation to the business at hand (not unlike raising an unrelated health-care law as a condition for budget talks, for example). Instead, Zarif proposed a framework for the nuclear negotiations to proceed: Agree to the end goal the two sides want to reach, figure out the detailed steps to get there and set a timeframe to complete the process so that neither side suspects it is being strung along.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-16/is-iran-more-constructive-than-the-tea-party-.html