[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 7061-7062]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      TIME HAS COME FOR THE UNITED STATES AND IRAN TO HAVE DIRECT 
                             COMMUNICATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, Bruce Langden was a hostage in Iran with the 
takeover of the embassy; and as he has stated many times in the past 
couple of years, it is time for the two countries to talk.
  It has now been 20 years since the United States and Iran have had 
any direct communications with each other. Official exchanges have all 
been indirect via the Swiss. Its embassy in Tehran today officially 
represents the American interests there. But these have been very rare 
and limited amounts of contact.
  On the face of it, that fact makes little sense, for either country 
to not talk, given the way the interests of the United States and Iran 
in that part of the world overlap. We cannot ignore the reality of 
Iran. Neither can Iran ignore the reality of America's strategic 
interests and military presence today in the Persian Gulf.
  We have some obvious shared interests. An improved situation in the 
Mideast is good for the world and good for us and good for Iran. We 
obviously also share interests of better control of traffic in 
narcotics in the region and freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf 
for everyone.
  But the absence of dialogue with Iran inevitably impacts even more 
broadly on our strategic interest throughout the region. More 
specifically, Mr. Speaker, it complicates our relationship with the 
Central Asian states that evolved out of the former Soviet Union, with 
whom Iran has had historic cultural and strategic interests.
  It also denies contact in commerce between the two countries, which 
can benefit many of the Iranian people and also the American people. It 
leaves the vast oil and gas sector of Iran, in serious need of 
infrastructure modernization and expansion, open to European interests 
but not to the Americans.
  It also postpones the time when we inevitably will need to accept the 
reality of Iran's naval presence in the Gulf and the need for Iran to 
be included in essential long-term, multilateral security arrangements 
in those waters.
  It denies us conduct with the emerging generation of future leaders 
in that country, particularly amongst the young people. Some 50 percent 
of Iran's population are under the age of 25, and the educational 
exchanges between the two countries would be of benefit to everybody.
  Now, we never are going to be able to communicate by saying, ``These 
are the four points that we are unhappy with with Iran,'' and Iran 
saying to the United States, ``These are the four points we are unhappy 
with.'' I think we simply have to agree to begin to talk and to 
communicate.
  Now, regrettably, the Tehran government continues to assert that it 
is not open to dialogue except under conditions that make dialogue 
impossible; in other words, no dialogue from government to government. 
And it is clear that the continuing political confrontation in Iran 
between conservative elements and those preaching moderation makes 
overtures towards the U.S. unlikely soon.
  We also have our own amounts of arguments in our democracy here about 
whether we should or should not commune. I am sure other Members of 
Congress would take a different point of view, Mr. Speaker, from what I 
am saying today.
  But on our part, I think we need to make it clear that we are ready 
to communicate and agree to talk with each other. One immediate way to 
signal that interest would be for us to facilitate the license that 
would be needed under our current trade embargo for the sale of up to 
500,000 tons of American agricultural commodities that American and 
Iranian private interests seek to complete. According to Secretary of 
Agriculture Glickman, the request remains under review.
  Former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, in a speech at the Asia 
Society in New York, urged the reestablishment of relations between the 
two countries. Looking down the road, a restored relationship between 
Iran and the United States would find special strength in one important 
factor. The U.S. today is the second largest Persian-speaking country 
in the world.

[[Page 7062]]

  Some million and a half Iranian Americans now live here in the United 
States. Many had fled the country or emigrated since the Iranian 
revolution. Like the many other ethnic minorities who make up our 
country, that is a special strength for the long term. Families should 
be able to go back and forth. Iranians should be able to visit their 
families here.
  So I conclude, Mr. Speaker, by just saying that the time has come to 
at least begin to agree to communicate so that differences that we have 
can be brought to the table, and I think it will make for a better 
world and a better Mideast and more of a resolve to have peace on our 
planet.

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