Rep. calls for restoring ties to Iran

WASHINGTON - In the most sweeping initiative toward Tehran by a U.S. official since Iran's 1979 revolution, a ranking congressional Democrat called Tuesday for the White House and Congress to take far-reaching steps to end containment of Iran and open the way to restoring diplomatic ties.

By proposing strong steps to hasten the thaw in relations, Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.) former chair and now senior Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, issued a direct challenge to his peers in Congress, which has usurped control of U.S.-Iran policy in recent years. His position may also give the White House more room to maneuver on the controversial issue.

"Confrontation has benefited neither country. Why continue to follow a policy that for 20 years hasn't worked?" Hamilton said in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations. "Our policy is not isolating Iran. It's isolating the United States."

Among his proposals, Hamilton urged a compromise on Iran's nuclear capability that would enable Tehran to develop reactors for civilian purposes - under international safeguards and potentially with U.S. help - much like the 1994 pact crafted with North Korea. He envisions U.S.-Iran talks, held under auspices of the United Nations or the International Atomic Energy Agency, which would help guard against Iran's development of nuclear weapons.

The White House also should signal to Iran that official talk on this and other issues would lead to easing of an executive order banning U.S. trade with Iran, Hamilton said, starting with licensing U.S. companies to talk to Tehran in preparation for the lifting of sanctions.

Diplomatic moves should include sending the first U.S. diplomat since the 1979-81 U.S. Embassy takeover to Tehran to initiate and coordinate American-Iranian exchange programs, Hamilton said.

He hopes to nudge congressional debate on the issue in a new direction and to provide support for a White House trying to forge a new relationship with Iran despite wariness on Capitol Hill. "I felt it was an opportune time to do it - both due to developments in Iran and the U.S. reaction," Hamilton said in an interview. "I want us to take advantage of it, and I know a lot of people in the administration are now thinking about Iran."

Despite White House calls for a government-to-government dialogue, Hamilton said Washington has been unwilling to take steps to facilitate such communication. "We need to begin a policy of engagement," he told the Council on Foreign Relations.

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