Region | Iran
Arabs hope for reformist win in Iran
Arabs will be closely following the Iranian elections tomorrow, hoping a reformist candidate will be elected, according to analysts.
- By Jumana Al Tamimi, Associate Editor
- Published: 23:16 June 10, 2009
- Image Credit: Reuters
- Supporters of Iran's presidential candidate Mir Hussain Mousavi stage a campaign rally in Tehran.
Dubai: Arabs will be closely following the Iranian elections tomorrow, hoping a reformist candidate will be elected, according to analysts.
The belief is that a new reformist leader for the Shiite majority country will restore "stability status" with other Arab countries, as was the case under previous reformist presidents.
However, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad still enjoys considerable support from Arabs, mainly because of his "humble attire" and "fiery" statements against Israel and the United States.
Depending on the outcome of the election, bilateral relations with other Arab countries is expected to expand or decrease. Among the key issues, Arab's are fearful of Tehran's nuclear programme, Iran's interference in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq, as well as the regional security in the Gulf.
"Surely, and for many reasons, it is in the interest of Arab causes to have a reformist president in Iran" Amr Hamzawy, senior Associate at the Middle East Centre of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said.
A reformist president will be more inclined to open dialogue with the US on issues relating to Gulf security and Iran, and to initiate talks over Iran's nuclear programme with the International Community, Hamzawy explained in an interview with Gulf News.
Moreover, "a reformist president will not play the tune of divisions among the rejectionists and moderates [among Arab countries], and will try to have a consensus over the region's affairs," Hamzawy added.
When eminent Iranian reformist president Mohammad Khatami came to power in 1997 and served two terms until 2005, "Iran became a source of stability, not a source of tension and conflict in the region," noted Hamzawy.
When Khatami was elected for his first term, heavy-weight Saudi Arabia, in a rare move, sent an envoy with a ministerial rank to congratulate him even before Khatami's official inauguration, and the Iranian president also held a rare meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, analysts recall.
While analysts pointed out to the differences between reformists and conservatives in Iran in handling issues, they noted that many issues, namely the nuclear programme, had started long before Ahmadinejad came into power, but has only grabbed major attention in the past four years.
"Our relations with the neighbouring countries were distinguished," Ali Nourizada, head of the London-based Centre for Iran and Arab studies, said of Khatami's period.
"Iran has to take into consideration the interests of the other countries, and can't solely take the decisions in Lebanon, or Iraq or Palestine," he added.
In Lebanon, Iran's main ally, Hezbollah, and its allies were defeated in its recent polls. But, it is Iran's support for resistance against Israel that keeps Ahmadinejad's favourable among many Arabs.
Arab countries believe, meanwhile, there are two ways to deal with Iran, Hamzawy noted. Either peacefully, through dialogue with the US, or military through a pre-emptive strike against its controversial nuclear facilities - an option which is unlikely under the current US administration of Barack Obama.
"The American-Iranian dialogue is coming even if [President] Ahmadinejad is re-elected," Hamzawy noted.
In this case, the Arab countries are left with only the option of presenting their issues and concerns to the Americans.
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