British PM to meet Iranian, Egyptian leaders

PanARMENIAN.Net - David Cameron is to hold the first bilateral talks between a British prime minister and an Iranian president since the 1979 revolution when he has a face to face meeting with President Hassan Rouhani in the next two days in New York, the Guardian reports.

The meeting, a significant thaw in diplomatic relations between the countries, is designed to explore the support the Iranians can give to the fight against Islamic State (IS, or ISIS) in Iraq and Syria.

The Iranians were not allowed to attend the recent Paris talks on building an international coalition against the IS, and have also been excluded from all talks about dislodging President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, including the two conferences in Geneva.

Cameron is expected to make clear that Isis is a common and extremely serious threat that can only be tackled in Iraq and that Iran must drop its support for President Assad, who, in the words of Downing Street, has “created the conditions that have allowed terrorism to flourish”, according to the Guardian.

Cameron will also send a tough message to the Iranians on the long-running nuclear negotiations on behalf of the E3 + 3 group that: “Iran has a rare opportunity to embolden its prosperity through a deal but this is only possible if Iran is willing to show flexibility and be realistic about the future scope of its nuclear program, in particular the issue of enrichment.”

Speaking from the presidential palace in Tehran before his visit to the UN, Rouhani questioned Barack Obama’s decision to go after Isis with air strikes.

“Are Americans afraid of giving casualties on the ground in Iraq? Are they afraid of their soldiers being killed in the fight they claim is against terrorism?” Rouhani said.

“If they want to use planes and if they want to use unmanned planes so that nobody is injured from the Americans, is it really possible to fight terrorism without any hardship, without any sacrifice? Is it possible to reach a big goal without that? In all regional and international issues, the victorious one is the one who is ready to do sacrifice.”

“Maybe it is necessary for air strikes in some conditions and some circumstances,” he added. “However, air strikes should take place with the permission of the people of that country and the government of that country.”

According to the report, Cameron will also hold talks with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el Sisi on Tuesday. He will say the UK wants to work with Egypt in the region, but can only do so when there are inclusive governments, strong institutions, safeguards for minorities and respect for human rights. He will also use his visit to speak to U.S. business executives in New York to launch a campaign for transatlantic prosperity through the conclusion of the elusive EU-US trade deal in 2015.