Date: 08 Mar 2000
Time: 07:34:52
Remote Name: 156.29.145.175
03/08/2000 Agence France-Presse (Copyright 2000)
TEHRAN, March 8 (AFP) - Iran 's foreign ministry has welcomed hints of an easing in US economic sanctions, official media reported Wednesday.
"If the American government has made such a decision we welcome that," an Iranian foreign ministry official told the state news agency IRNA.
The official, who was not identified in the report, added Iran "was not yet aware of any US government decision" on the lifting of sanctions.
A senior US State Department official toldTuesday that Washington was close to easing economic sanctions against Iran following a spectacular victory by reformers in last month's Iranian parliamentary elections.
The official said that while a decision was near, no action had yet been taken.
US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, speaking in Prague Tuesday, said she backed dialogue with Iran after the polls, but reaffirmed US fears over Tehran's alleged backing of terrorism and plans to acquire nuclear arms.
She insisted Iran "must not seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction ... The other is their continued support for terrorist groups, and the third is, they need to support the Middle East peace process."
"We have indicated an interest in a government to government dialogue, but the main thing here is their need to not pursue those three activities," Albright said.
The comments were made in response to a Los Angeles Times report that said a decision on lifting import bans on Iranian caviar, carpets and pistachio nuts was imminent.
Such a move would be the most significant US public overture to Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, shortly after which a hostage- taking at the US embassy led Washington to sever relations with Tehran.
However, the State Department official said it was not certain that all three restrictions would be lifted.
"It may not be all three, it could be one, it could be two," he said, adding also that other measures not mentioned in the Times story might also be considered.
Following the Iranian elections in February, State Department spokesman James Rubin told reporters the United States was weighing "appropriate" responses to the moderates' victory, and would "follow these developments very closely and make any appropriate responses."
Rubin pointedly did not deny a newspaper report that the responses being considered included a message to the Iranian people from President Bill Clinton marking the Persian New Year this month or a Clinton interview with an Iranian news organization.
Tuesday's Los Angeles Times story said Washington was not considering removing a ban on purchases of Iranian oil and gas, the country's most important exports.
The Times said Clinton administration officials have defended the possible removal of the carpet, caviar and pistachio bans by saying the potential sales of these products to US buyers would not be significant enough to enable Iran to finance development of weapons of mass destruction.
In Los Angeles on Saturday, Clinton himself said he hoped Iran 's new parliament would usher in a new period of "openness and freedom."
Speaking at a Democratic Party fundraiser attended by many Iranian expatriates, Clinton extolled Iran as "one of the most wonderful places in all human history."
For its part, Iran regularly asserts it is waiting for a gesture from the US as a precursor to any decision on opening up official dialogue between the two countries.
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