By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 8, 2006
Amid noisy protests and tight security, former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami issued a call at the Washington National Cathedral yesterday for leaders in both the West and the Islamic world to launch a historic dialogue to "rescue life from the claws of the warmongers and violence-seekers and ostentatious leaders."
But Khatami, who served as president between 1997 and 2005, signaled that the time is not yet right for direct dialogue between the United States and Iran. He warned that the language of threats needs to end for any negotiation to have a chance -- an indirect reference to U.S. and U.N. pressure to impose new sanctions on Iran because of disputes over its nuclear program.
Khatami said Iran is prepared to discuss the suspension -- both the timing and the scope -- of its uranium enrichment in negotiations.
The former Iranian leader, who was elected on a reform platform but failed to deliver significant change, called the United States a "great" country "with great people, great capacities, and potential" -- language that stood in stark contrast to more than a quarter-century of Iran calling the United States "the Great Satan."
But he also condemned its unilateral foreign policy, and he cautioned at a news conference before last night's speech that Washington would be more effective if it worked alongside other nations.
Khatami, who is a mid-level Shiite cleric and wears the black turban of a descendant of the prophet Muhammad, focused heavily on religious themes and the need for the three Abrahamic faiths -- Judaism, Islam and Christianity -- to work together.
"Jesus is the prophet of kindness and peace. Muhammad is the prophet of ethics, morality and grace. Moses is the prophet of dialogue and exchange," he said. "It's good at the present time, where war, violence and repression is so prevalent across the world, for all of us who are followers of God's religion to pursue all efforts for the establishment of peace and security."
Khatami said he was not concerned about the vitriolic criticism that his five-city speaking tour of the United States has prompted in Iran. "If you want to accept to live in a democratic state, a democratic society, we have to tolerate the voices of dissent," he said.
Critics have charged that Khatami's trip is riddled with hypocritical contradictions since, during his presidency, the Islamic republic was guilty of widespread human rights abuses. Although Iran's hard-line judiciary is widely blamed for the arrest of dissidents, Khatami was unable to restrain political rivals.
Pressed on Iran's abuses, Khatami said he would not deny that his country has serious problems, but he cautioned that democracy is a "process" that cannot reverse centuries of despotic rule overnight. Iran was ruled by various dynasties for some 2,500 years.
As Khatami spoke inside the limestone Gothic cathedral, hundreds of diplomatic security agents, including their own SWAT teams, surrounded the church grounds.
On the other side of Wisconsin Avenue, a crowd of about 200 shouted, "Shame on you," as invitees waited to pass through security and enter the cathedral gates. Khatami spoke before an audience of 1,300.
Many of the protesters waved photographs of victims of Iranian government torture and pictures of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last shah, toppled in the 1979 revolution. Banners urged, "No dialogue, no war, only regime change," and "Free all political prisoners in Iran."
Police cars lined up in front of the crowd and helicopters with searchlights circled overhead, but there were no incidents reported and no noticeable traffic delays from the protest.
Khatami is the highest-ranking Iranian figure to visit Washington since the United States severed ties in 1979, after its embassy in Tehran was overrun by revolutionaries who took 52 hostages and held them for 444 days.
He comes at a time when the United States is pressing for new international sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program, and on a day when officials from the five countries with permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council joined German officials in Berlin to discuss those sanctions.
The visit prompted condemnation not only in some Iranian circles but also from some lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
At a news conference yesterday morning organized by Iranian dissidents, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) announced that he planned to mark Khatami's visit by introducing the Iran Human Rights Act, to ensure that the United States supports opposition groups.
The proposal calls for a new U.S. special envoy to coordinate with Iranian opposition groups, authorizes $100 million for new U.S. programs that focus on Iran's human rights practices, and requires more broadcasting into Iran on democracy and human rights issues.
Brownback also called on the State Department to give visas to liberal professors whom the Iranian government this week threatened to purge.
"For too long, the focus on Iran's nuclear program has overshadowed the human rights violations perpetrated by its tyrannical regime," Brownback said. His legislation would make Iran's human rights practices a top priority of U.S. foreign policy.
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) criticized the Bush administration for allowing U.S. taxpayers to "subsidize" the former Iranian leader's visit by providing a security detail -- particularly after the treatment of U.S. diplomats in Iran during their captivity. The State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security is in charge of such protection.
A handful of former prisoners, as well as the sister of a student activist who was arrested during Khatami's presidency and died last month in jail, spoke emotionally to reporters about the incarcerations and their opposition to the regime.
"Don't be deceived by his smile," said Roya Tolooei, who said she once thought Khatami would be different. "It didn't take us long to realize he wasn't the one."
Reza Pahlavi urged the international community not to "waste time" on negotiating with Iran since an Aug. 31 deadline has passed for Tehran to comply with a U.N. demand that it stop uranium enrichment.
Before coming to the cathedral, Khatami spoke yesterday in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia, where he excoriated the idea of dividing the world into "us and them."
"This 'us' is a small circle encompassing a few that have the right to arrive at any verdict they please regarding the ones they consider 'the other.' They can force this 'other' to submit to their whims or even eliminate 'the other' altogether," Khatami said.
Staff writer Allan Lengel contributed to this report.
View all comments that have been posted about this article.