April 19, 2006: Iran: Legislators React With Caution to Move To Change Ambassadors

Political desk: The publication of the report on the change of 60 ambassadors this year has come in spite of the fact that ambassadors recalled from European states have yet to be replaced, or the countries concerned have yet to approve proposed replacements. Iran's embassies in those countries have been run without ambassadors for the past six months. And yet it has been announced that as ambassadors were not changed last year due to a changing government, 60 envoys would be changed this year. Most observers reacted to the report yesterday, and believe move constitutes another weakening of the diplomatic apparatus. Some deputies have doubted the veracity of the news and the government's determination to change 60 envoys in one go, given its record of changing certain ambassadors without finding replacements for them. One member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has said nevertheless that the move may be due to the ambassadors' inability to defend Ahmadinezhad's image around the world, allowing a negative image of the president and his government to be conveyed across the world. Another committee member says systemic interests should not be sacrificed for individual interests.

Qodratollah Alikhani, a member of the minority faction and the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said the most important issue in this regard is who is going to take the place of these ambassadors. "Changing ambassadors is natural, but the important point is who is going to replace them. One has to see if the replacements are political appointments are not, and if they can adequately undertake their responsibilities."

The Bo'inzahra and Avoj representative commented to the Aftab-e Yazd correspondent that four ambassadors have already been recalled before the end of their terms, two have been replaced, "one is in Malaysia and the other is on his way to Germany, and Germany has accepted him." He disapproved the recalling of ambassadors to Great Britain, France and Germany, and said this "was not correct, especially when their services were overlooked and they were personally insulted. That did not have a good effect on the countries where they were assigned, especially when most of the countries were states with which we were having problems. In those conditions strong ambassadors should have been sent to Germany and France."

I hope changes will be for better:

A member of the Plan and Budget Committee in parliament said that governments often make changes at home and abroad when they begin their work, "but one has to pay attention so these changes do not cause harm and bring down our foreign policy." Esma'il Jabbarzadeh said he hoped the changes would lead to improvements. "There is no need at any managerial level for one effective and experienced administrator to be replaced by someone who does not have the abilities and art of the predecessor, whether in the foreign ministry or among domestic administrators, unless this change is an improvement." He said foreign policy lines have their place, and "the change of ambassadors is on that basis. These extensive changes must not give the system's governing structure a downward direction. If these changes do not become improvements, this itself will harm our foreign policy."

A solution should be thought of, to prevent the "crisis" of ambassadorial changes when governments change:

The deputy-head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of parliament said that at a time of a nuclear crisis and the attacks being made on the Islamic Republic of Iran, caution should be exercised in the change of ambassadors and Iran's envoys abroad, and the country's defence taken into account, ISNA reported. Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, representative for West Eslamabad, said the Islamic Republic should think of ways to prevent the "crisis" of changes in ambassadors whenever there was a change of government, allowing "diplomats to act within the framework of their specialized profession. Fortunately in foreign policy there is no difference between the country's political factions, and positions are implemented in unison."

Systemic interests should not be sacrificed to individual interests:

A member of the parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee expressed confidence the foreign ministry would not show "haste" in changing the ambassadors, and "I doubt 60 ambassadors will suddenly change."

Gholamreza Karami commented to ILNA on the precise supervision of the conduct of embassies abroad by the foreign ministry and parliament's National Security Committee. He said "the important point in the changeover of our ambassadors and foreign envoys is that systemic interests must not be sacrificed to personal interests, because we do not have enough time to take account of people's personal interests." The Kerman deputy commented on important priorities in the diplomatic changes to strengthen Iranian diplomacy: "European countries and the countries with a role in Iran's nuclear issue are the countries that must be subject to priority changes, with more powerful and effective representatives taking over there. The government must certainly have made the necessary forecasts in that regard," he said.

Failure to adequately defend Ahmadinezhad image around the world a betrayal:

A member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee says ambassadorial changes are natural and "any government has a right to send envoys around the world that agree with its policies and foreign diplomacy." Soleyman Ja'farzadeh said the changes were "a necessity that should have taken place much sooner." He said the Ahmadinezhad government's decision to make extensive changes to its diplomats was a "great step" toward the implementation of the new government's diplomatic goals. "Westerners and America have for now been pushed into a reactive position with Ahmadinezhad's good policies, and this can only be conveyed to the world through ambassadors and representatives that believe wholeheartedly in Ahmadinezhad's performance. The change of ambassadors and foreign envoys does not mean a settling of accounts, and it is the government's right to be certain of its ambassadors and envoys abroad. One might say that one of the reasons why the Ahmadinezhad government has not had a suitable image abroad is the failure by ambassadors to adequately defend his image around the world, and that is actually a betrayal of Ahmadinezhad. They had no profound knowledge of the Ahmadinezhad team."

(Description of Source: Tehran Aftab-e Yazd (Internet Version-WWW) in Persian -- reformist daily published in Tehran and Yazd; affiliated with the leftist Militant Clerics Society (Majma'e Rowhaniyun-e Mobarez))