27 February 2004	Friday	06 Muharram 1425

TEHRAN: It may sound paradoxical but the victory of conservatives in Iran's widely decried parliamentary election might just open the way for a rapprochement between the Islamic Republic and the United States after 25 years of enmity.

Washington and the European Union both criticized the poll after an unelected hardline clerical body barred 2,500 mainly reformist candidates, including 80 sitting lawmakers, from standing, guaranteeing a conservative victory.

But Western diplomats acknowledge that promoting democracy is not their top priority with Iran. They need a united government able to deliver results on an array of pressing concerns, such as Iran's nuclear programme, its stance on detained Al Qaeda militants, its role in Iraq and Afghanistan, and support for groups hostile to Israel.

Iranian and Western officials say the fierce power struggle between reformists backing President Mohammad Khatami and hardliners under the mantle of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has hampered progress in recent years.

Khatami was able to ease tensions with Iran's neighbours and boost relations with European countries, projecting a gentler and more democratic image of Iran. But he lacked the authority to strike a grand bargain with Washington.

"My forecast is that the strategy of detente in foreign relations should be continued, maybe faster than before because the system has more trust in the new people in parliament," influential conservative commentator Amir Mohebian said. He said Iran had seen some positive signals from the United States but not yet sufficient to move forward.

FIRST MOVE: The conservative winners of last week's election say they are prepared to deal with the United States if it makes the first move by recognising the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic.

Ahmad Tavakoli, one of the leaders of the main conservative list, said the United States kept setting preconditions and using an accusatory tone. It should start by freeing billions of dollars in Iranian assets frozen since 1980, he said.

Mohebian believes a grand bargain based on mutual interest and mutual benefit is possible between Tehran and Washington. Both countries share an interest in stabilising Iraq and Afghanistan, where US diplomats acknowledge privately Iran has played a generally constructive role.

Diplomats say exploratory talks, denied by both sides, have been going on for several months in New York and Geneva. The key point man is Iran's UN ambassador Mohammad Javad Zarif, a US-educated political scientist whose connections in Tehran straddle all factions.

Zarif was finally allowed to visit Washington last month and a group of congressional staff was invited to Iran, although the trip was later postponed by Iran. A senior Western diplomat said the contacts were making little headway as neither party had a real negotiating mandate.

Both sides must first resolve difficult internal debates over whether to restore ties, and neither is in a hurry because of the domestic political calendar.

STRATEGIC DECISION: The United States is unlikely to take a strategic decision on whether to seek a Libya-style accommodation with Iran or tighten its policy of isolation until after the US presidential election in November, said Judith Yaphe, an expert on Iran and Iraq at Washington's National Defence University.

Iran's conservatives may well wait until they have completed their reconquest of all the institutions of power in a presidential election in May 2005 before weighing a deal. -Reuters