[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 100 (Tuesday, June 17, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1248-E1249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IT'S TIME TO TALK TO IRAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 17, 2008

  Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, on Tuesday of this week I had the wonderful 
experience of participating in a very important and worthwhile exercise 
in civilian diplomacy.
  Coordinated by the Campaign for a New American Policy in Iran, 
Tuesday's event, called ``Time to Talk with Iran,'' brought together a 
bipartisan gathering of Members of Congress, citizen groups, and 
religious organizations calling for bilateral negotiations without 
preconditions between the United States and Iran to dissuade Iran from 
seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.
  Our message was simple: It is time to talk to Iran.
  In fact it is past time we talk to Iran.
  Because we hear the same people who supported a disastrous war of 
choice in Iraq now steadily beating the drum for war with Iran.
  We have been down this road before and Americans have learned a 
simple truth from five hard and bitter years in Iraq:
  No unjust war ever produced a just and lasting peace.
  It has not worked in Iraq. It will not work in Iran.
  We do not need another rush to unwarranted, unnecessary, and 
misguided military action. We need instead to launch a diplomatic surge 
for peace and reconciliation.
  That is why earlier this year I introduced H.R. 5056, the Iran 
Diplomatic Accountability Act of 2008, which directs the President to 
appoint a high-level envoy empowered to seek to conduct direct, 
unconditional, bilateral negotiations with Iran for the purpose of 
easing tensions and normalizing relations between the United States and 
Iran.
  My bill takes a common sense approach and it is one the American 
people understand.
  Six out of 10 Americans do want their president to talk to Iran's 
president, according to the most-recent Gallup poll.
  Many leading organizations active in the nuclear nonproliferation 
movement support this approach as indicated by the attached letter in 
support of diplomatic dialogue with Iran from the Friends Committee On 
National Legislation, FCNL.
  Foreign policy experts also support direct negotiations without 
preconditions. In fact, a group of 5 bipartisan former U.S. secretaries 
of state have called for the U.S. to open talks with Iran to find 
common ground and resolve differences on Iraq, Iran's nuclear program, 
and other issues.
  They understand that the current policy of avoiding serious 
negotiations with Iran until Iran suspends uranium enrichment has not 
worked. They understand that an offer of bilateral negotiations with a 
precondition is essentially no offer at all, when the precondition is 
the object of the negotiations.
  Not only is talking to Iran the most sensible approach--it is far 
superior to preemptive military action against Iran. We know from the 
misadventure in Iraq that the humanitarian, economic, political, and 
military consequences of military conflict with Iran would be 
staggering.
  Simply put: this Nation cannot afford these costs--especially on top 
of the tremendous costs of the debacle in Iraq.
  Finally, Madam Speaker, although many persons were responsible for 
planning this extraordinary exercise in civilian diplomacy, I would 
like to single out for special recognition Carah Ong of the Center for 
Arms Control and Nonproliferation; Bill Goold, Executive Director of 
the Congressional Progressive Caucus; and Nicole King of my personal 
staff. They did a wonderful job organizing this event.
  It is time to talk to Iran. As the ``Time to Talk to Iran'' event 
this past Tuesday, all it takes to begin is one ``Hello.''
                                              Friends Committee on


                                         National Legislation,

                                     Washington, DC, June 3, 2008.
       Dear Member of Congress, We write to call your attention to 
     the recent call from five former U.S. secretaries of state 
     for the U.S. to open talks with Iran. We urge you to speak 
     out in favor of such talks and to support legislation to 
     encourage them.
       Colin Powell, Henry Kissinger, James Baker III, Madeleine 
     Albright, and Warren Christopher all urged the U.S. to open a 
     dialogue with Iran to find common ground and resolve 
     differences on Iraq, Iran's nuclear program, and other 
     issues.
       The administration's policy of avoiding serious 
     negotiations with Iran until Iran suspends uranium enrichment 
     has not worked. We agree with those in Congress and elsewhere 
     who have argued that to offer bilateral negotiations with a 
     precondition is no offer at all, especially when the 
     precondition is the object of the negotiations. This position 
     guarantees that the negotiations with the best chance of 
     settling U.S.-Iran differences will not begin.
       Former national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski and 
     the late former National Security Agency director William 
     Odom wrote recently that ``Current U.S. policy toward the 
     regime in Tehran will almost certainly result in an Iran with 
     nuclear weapons.'' They and many other analysts have 
     concluded) that U.S. military action against Iran would only 
     delay an Iranian nuclear weapons program and insure their 
     determination to acquire nuclear weapons. Extreme elements 
     would be strengthened and the cause of reform in Iran would 
     be set back for years to come. Military action would also 
     increase animosity toward the U.S. in the Middle East and 
     elsewhere. It would prompt a big spike in the price of oil 
     and would likely lead to retaliatory actions against the U.S. 
     in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[[Page E1249]]

       Current U.S. policy not to seriously negotiate with Iran 
     has failed. The absence of talks and the addition of ever 
     more stringent economic sanctions will resolve nothing. 
     Military action would be disastrous. The only sensible option 
     that serves the interests of the U.S. and the nations of the 
     Middle East is to explore the possibility of finding common 
     ground with Iran through direct negotiations. Common ground 
     is not hard to imagine. For starters, both countries have an 
     interest in a stable Iraq, a Taliban-free Afghanistan, and 
     increased oil production capacity in Iran. The U.S. need not 
     wait to develop leverage.
       Please add your voice to those of the five former U.S. 
     secretaries of state and other senior figures who are urging 
     the U.S. to open talks with Iran. And please look for 
     legislative opportunities to put Congress on record in 
     support of such talks.
       Thank you for your consideration.
           Sincerely,
                                                         Jim Fine,
     Legislative Secretary for Foreign Policy.

                          ____________________