CAIRO: A security pact that includes Iran, Israel and the Arab countries is essential for any future peace in the Middle East, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Monday.
Speaking at a foreign policy forum in the Austrian parliament in Vienna, ElBaradei said that a security arrangement involving all these countries was an essential part of any peace arrangements in the Middle East.
“Iran could be a positive force in the region, or it could be a source of confrontation and conflict, he said.
As such, ElBaradei castigated Arab countries for not making an effort to engage Iran, leaving it to Western nations to take the initiative.
“It is surprising that Arab countries are not participating in the dialogue between Iran and the West. The neighbors are at the moment content with sitting on the fence . any solution to the Iranian affair must include its neighbors, he said.
Iran’s purported nuclear program is cause for concern for Arab states, Israel and the Western world. Arab nations are afraid of a possible nuclear arms race kicking off in the region if Iran cements its program.
Ashraf Keshk, expert on Gulf affairs at the Diplomatic Center, believes Arab reticence to engage Iran is due to a lack of trust between Iran and its Arab neighbors.
“The Gulf countries do have trade relations with Iran but are worried that their nuclear program would be a direct threat. Iran also tried to play on the polarization of Arab countries. Trust is lacking between both sides so confidence building measures are needed, he said.
ElBaradei had talked at length about Iran during a visit to Egypt last month and had also indicated that trust was the key factor to reaching a resolution.
“The Iran issue is fundamentally a security issue. The solution to the Iranian issue is through dialogue, he said. “We now have Barack Obama who expressed his readiness to have a direct dialogue with Iran, without preconditions. This is the way to go; it’s a question of trust. Trust is not going to be built by applying sanctions; trust will be built by putting all your grievances on the table and trying to find a solution.
“The Arabs have to be part of this dialogue and an Iranian security structure without the Arabs being part of it will not be complete. Unfortunately the Arabs are keeping their distance and are not trying to voice their concerns.
“There is a lot of concern about the Iranian program and Iran still has a lot of work to do with the IAEA to clarify concerns about the nature of its program, he added.
