Iran Should Not Blow US's WTO Support--Daily Star, Lebanon

[TexasLawyer]

Did this WTO thing just come out of the blue? Amid all the controversy and the threats and the speeches before AIPAC, the US support for Iran's WTO membership seems odd. I hope this is for real.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=17&article_id=15418

Approval on WTO entry talks is the rare carrot Iran must not jeopardize

Friday, May 27, 2005

It isn't every day that the international community offers Iran a carrot. But it got one yesterday. After almost 10 years of trying, the Islamic Republic was finally approved to begin negotiations to join the World Trade Organization after the United States lifted its longstanding veto.

Washington's approval is geared toward supporting the EU's nuclear negotiations with Iran. If Washington isn't satisfied with what emerges from those talks, the possibility looms that all WTO bets will be off. The White House has even gone so far as to warn Tehran that certain commitments must be made before any nation can join the WTO, citing the nuclear issue and the need for transparency in Iran's election later this month as paramount.

But having been fond of using a stick in most of its dealings with Iran, the fact that the U.S. has finally produced a carrot shouldn't be ignored. Saudi Arabia has been in the WTO's waiting room for some time, while China had been negotiating for 15 years before it was finally able to join the club. No one is saying Iran is on a fast track to membership, but it probably has more friends than foes in the international trading system.


In the meantime Iran's conditional embrace from the world's trading system offers Tehran a golden opportunity to ease tensions among its neighbors in the Gulf. For Iran, more than most, badly needs to dispense a liberal dose of goodwill toward its neighbors.

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