Iran

IRAN -- (House of Representatives - April 15, 2008)

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Mr. ELLISON. I would like to thank you, Congressman WATERS and Congressman LEE. Before I got to Congress I thought both of you just were towering heroes of peace. Now that I have been here and had the chance to get to know both of you, I am certain that I was right from the very first impression I had of you. Thank you for standing up and calling this special order tonight.

The point I would like to make is simply this. We see in Iran a country we have not had any open diplomatic relationships with since 1979, except for brief moments around IEDs last summer. The meetings have not been continued, and, in essence, we have had no real diplomatic relationships with Iran in many, many years.

Many Americans don't remember the day when we did have relationships with Iran. Yet, despite all these years of having no diplomatic ties to Iran, no open communications, channels of communications, it really has not solved any of the problems. Not talking has not helped.

I want to join with Representative Waters and Representative Lee in calling for an open dialogue, unconditional bilateral dialogue. Dialogue is not a gift, dialogue is not a present, dialogue is not a reward.

Dialogue is a tool that can help us stabilize the world, bring peace to millions and millions of people all over the world. Dialogues should not be used as some sort of a gift. It doesn't make sense for any nation to say capitulate to our demands, and then we will talk to you. The very purpose of negotiation is to say, let's talk, and the first agenda item could be serious problems we have with one another.

But the start is talking, unconditional talking, talking with a clear agenda in mind, talking with no illusions about differences. But talking, nonetheless, is something that I think we need, and we need it now.

I want to say that our effort to isolate Iran by not talking to Iran, reminds me of our effort of trying to isolate Cuba by not talking to Cuba. Now everybody in the world does business with Cuba except the United States. American farmers wanting to sell grain, Cubans want to buy stuff from the U.S., people wanting to see family, those things are hampered because we are the only ones in the world maintaining this policy of nondialogue. I fear that we could end up in the same way with Iran.

Let me just point out an article in the Times online from March 3, 2008. The headline is, ``Four kisses, then the band played: the day former foes became friends.''

It starts out describing a meeting between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Nouri al-Maliki. It goes on to talk about how a young girl dressed in a white dress clutched a bouquet of flowers as she waited with a small boy in a smart suit to greet President Ahmadinejad of Iran, who began a historic visit to Iraq.

Earlier today, we heard a speaker who I won't name say that, oh, the United States needs to get with China and Russia to isolate Iran. China and Russia, we can't even get Iraq to isolate Iran.

We can't even get Iraq, a country we have invaded and essentially have taken over, though it does operate under the guise of sovereignty, we can't even get them to say don't talk to Iran. They have open relationships with Iran and are building them more and stronger every day. It doesn't make any sense.

Now, it's not just Iraq that has a welcome mat for Iran. But let me just say that when Americans, Members of Congress go to Iraq, all of us know we go into military aircraft that takes evasive maneuvers into Baghdad, because we are concerned about our safety.

This is a fact. So much for isolating Iran from Iraq. Okay, well, then, what about another country, Pakistan. We send a lot of money to Pakistan. Yet Pakistan announced in a March 5, 2008 article, the Times of India, Iran, on Wednesday, said it was ``ready to sign the India-Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline deal,'' but technical issues between the two are hindering the process.

``We are ready to sign the agreement as soon as possible,'' Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs said. ``Everything is okay from our side. There are some technical issues between India and Pakistan,'' he said.

``The India-Pakistan-Iran pipeline, which is dubbed as the 'Peace Pipeline,' is stuck over issues such as price and transition fees.''

So much for isolating Iran from Pakistan and India. All right, so Iraq, they are talking to them, Iran, Pakistan and India are talking, but, okay, maybe we can still get Russia and China, countries that have militaries, countries that have economies, countries that have been freestanding and independent for many, many, many, many, many years.

Okay, what about Afghanistan? Isn't that country essentially a failed state which we invaded and kicked out the Taliban and now are trying to reconstruct today?

``In the electricity substation just outside of Herat, western Afghanistan, there's the loud hum of power--Iranian power,'' that's right. ``More electricity reaches Herat than the city can use, but the industrial park just across the road from the NATO military base is putting it to good use.

``Small plastic bottles of fizzy orange juice shuffle along the conveyor belt to be labeled and packed--the building is noticeably Iranian in design and the markings on the machinery show exactly which country helped these Afghan businessmen.

``The camels grazing outside cautiously cross the fast, straight, asphalt road--one of the best roads in Afghanistan stretching 120km to the border.

``Soon a railway will link Afghanistan to Europe, or so boasts the Iranian government.''

I would just mention, with a quick Google search, Iraq, India, Pakistan and, now, Afghanistan are all coalescing economically with Iran. We are not talking to Iran. We don't talk to Iran. We don't want to try to get into that market of 70 million people. We don't want to try to open up diplomatic ties and work on issues.

We are not trying to solve this nuclear conflict with dialogue, discussion and open conversation. We are just trying to isolate them, but nothing suggested we are being successful at doing that.

The fact is maybe isolation of Iran is not the right tactic. Maybe the right tactic is to try to talk to them, to try to build a better relationship, to try to have cultural exchange, try to have exchange of views, different though they may be, with an eye toward a more peaceful world, with an eye toward a world in which people can have security and in which an eye toward which the world can rest and feel their children are safe at night.

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The fact is this saber rattling, I remember that it was about maybe 16 months ago that I sat in my first meeting that I ever had with the President, with, I believe, Representative Lee and Representative Waters. I think it was Representative Lee who said, are you, Mr. President, planning on hitting Iran? He gave us a sure statement that he was not.

Yet ever since that time, all we have been hearing, time and time again is that Iran is the problem.

I don't know how Iran could be the problem in Iraq without the complicity of the Iraqi government. I mean, I need somebody to correct me on this point because I just don't get it. How can Iran be an issue in Iraq unless Iraq wants them in the country. It just doesn't

make any other kind of sense to me, and I need somebody to explain that, because maybe I have just not been in Congress long enough to get it.

Let me just say, I want to move aside now, and I want to thank the two Members who have been leading the charge, along with Congresswoman Woolsey, who is recovering from back surgery. I know if she was feeling better she would be right better with you, the triad, the triad for peace. I admire you so much.

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