Financial Times
"The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad has been unusually silent about the Iraqi government’s approval of the security pact with the US. But that may be because it has been loathe to publicise its dramatic change of attitude towards the agreement.
People close to the government in Tehran said that after initially opposing it – and asking its Shia allies in the Baghdad government to resist it – Tehran has been relatively satisfied with the last-minute changes demanded, and won, by Iraq.
Analysts see an additional reason for the about-turn: the election of Barack Obama as US president. The National Iranian American Council said, the election “has provided a new incentive for Tehran to modify its antagonistic policy toward the security agreement and demonstrate that it can help Washington by not becoming a major stumbling block to US efforts to establish military ties with Baghdad.”
The shift, it said, suggests that Tehran “sees the future of US policy in a new light and seeks to cooperate with Washington, if its interests are also recognized through mutual diplomacy.” .......
“Iran has adopted active silence which means it is generally okay with the moderated version even though it does not agree with all of it,” said Sadegh Kharrazi, Iran’s former ambassador to Paris. “Iran’s silence at least shows that it is not unhappy,” said Mohammad Sadr, a former deputy foreign minister for Arab and Africa affairs. “The US accepted changes in the pact at eight phases which was a difficult retreat for them.”........"
"The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad has been unusually silent about the Iraqi government’s approval of the security pact with the US. But that may be because it has been loathe to publicise its dramatic change of attitude towards the agreement.
People close to the government in Tehran said that after initially opposing it – and asking its Shia allies in the Baghdad government to resist it – Tehran has been relatively satisfied with the last-minute changes demanded, and won, by Iraq.
Analysts see an additional reason for the about-turn: the election of Barack Obama as US president. The National Iranian American Council said, the election “has provided a new incentive for Tehran to modify its antagonistic policy toward the security agreement and demonstrate that it can help Washington by not becoming a major stumbling block to US efforts to establish military ties with Baghdad.”
The shift, it said, suggests that Tehran “sees the future of US policy in a new light and seeks to cooperate with Washington, if its interests are also recognized through mutual diplomacy.” .......
“Iran has adopted active silence which means it is generally okay with the moderated version even though it does not agree with all of it,” said Sadegh Kharrazi, Iran’s former ambassador to Paris. “Iran’s silence at least shows that it is not unhappy,” said Mohammad Sadr, a former deputy foreign minister for Arab and Africa affairs. “The US accepted changes in the pact at eight phases which was a difficult retreat for them.”........"
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