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The Actors in the Spring 2003 Iran Proposal to the U.S.
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To tell the full story of the Spring 2003 dance that Iran, the U.S., and Europe briefly engaged in regarding a set of proposals -- allegedly from both sides that would have led to normalizing US-Iran relations -- one has to set the parameters of both stage and performers in this drama.
I plan to write this story in pieces, as there are parts of it that are still incomplete -- and some parts still unknown. I will then tie these pieces together.
As I offer these pieces on this interesting proposal, I look forward to any "privately sent" communications that can help me focus, retool, or amend the story, the stage and players as I see them coming together.
My email is steve@thewashingtonnote.com -- and all confidences will be completely maintained and protected.
Here are the relevant actors as I currently see them:
Tim Guldimann -- Former Swiss Ambassador to Iran and currently Professor of International Relations at the University of Frankfurt; Co-Author of the Report on the Nuclear Impasse in Iran (International Crisis Group)Sadeq Kharrazi -- Former Iran Ambassador to France; Nephew of Former Iran Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi and brother-in-law to the son of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
Javad Zarif -- Ambassador of Iran to the United Nations
Kamal Kharrazi -- Former Foreign Minister of Iran; stepped down August 24, 2005
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- Supreme Leader of Iran
An Undisclosed U.S. Businessman -- a person in some accounts of this story who has not yet been revealed
Flynt Leverett -- Former Senior Director for Middle East Affairs at the National Security Council; Former Middle East specialst at the CIA and Department of State; currently Senior Fellow and Director, Geopolitics of Energy Initiative, New America Foundation
Lawrence Wilkerson -- Former Chief of Staff, Department of State; currently a visiting professor at the College of William & Mary
Colin Powell: Former Secretary of State of the United States
Richard Haass -- Former Director of Policy Planning, Department of State; currently President of the Council on Foreign Relations
Richard Armitage - Former Deputy Secretary of State
William J. Burns -- former Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; currently US Ambassador to Russia
Bob Ney -- Former Congressman from Ohio's 18th District (R-OH); resigned in November 2006 and now serving prison sentence after being found guilty of corruption; was only Farsi-speaking member of Congress when he served
Trita Parsi -- Former aide to Congressman Bob Ney; now President of the National Iranian American Council and author of the forthcoming Treacherous Triangle: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States
Richard Cheney -- Vice President of the United States
George Bush -- President of the United States
Condoleezza Rice -- Former National Security Advisor to the President and now Secretary of State
Elliot Abrams -- Deputy National Security Advisor for Global Democracy Strategy
Karl Rove -- Former Senior Adviser to President George W. Bush and now Deputy Chief of Staff to the President
Stephen Hadley -- Former Deputy National Security Advisor to the President; now holds the office of National Security Advisor
Ryan Crocker -- Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs; then Ambassador of the US to Pakistan; now nominated to serve as US Ambassador to Iraq
James Dobbins -- Former Special Envoy for Afghanistan; Organizer of the Bonn Conference; now Director, International Security and Defense Policy Center, RAND Corporation
Zalmay Khalilzad -- Former Special Presidential Envoy to Afghanistan; Former US Ambassador to Iraq; nominated to serve as US Ambassador to the United Nations
Hillary Mann -- Former career foreign service officer in the State Department focusing on the Middle East and Persian Gulf regions
Jillian Burns -- Career foreign service officer previously working in the Department of State's Bureau of Near East Affairs; now serving in US Consulate in Dubai
Philo Dibble -- Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs; currently Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, International Organization Affairs
John Bolton -- Former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security; former US Ambassador to the United Nations; now Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
If there are more who should be added to this list, let me know who -- and why.
More later.
-- Steve Clemons
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Reader Comments (6) - post a comment
Steve, Gareth Porter is already writing about this episode, with most of the same cast of characters - based apparently on information from Trita Parsi. Here is his report.
Thanks Den -- I know. Gareth Porter covered the event that I organized with Trita and which featured Leverett, Wilkerson, Parsi and others. Gareth has some of the story, but not a key part.
Steve Clemons
It looks like we are missing Irving S Libby, vice president Cheny right arm...
I wonder if Jim Gibbons, NV's worst ever Governor and former Congressman, was involved. I know he was humping for WMD in Iraq on behalf of the Bush administration back then. And like Ney, he seems to have some sticky involvement with defense contracts.
Gareth Porter covered the event that I organized with Trita and which featured Leverett, Wilkerson, Parsi and others. Gareth has some of the story, but not a key part.
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