CARROTS AND STICKS
Speaking of a letter sent to President Bush, which Washington shrugged off as
an attempt to divert attention from the nuclear issue, Ahmadinejad said sending
it was the right decision and that he had no comment on the U.S. reaction.
The United States has pushed for international action on the issue, and with
a group of nations including China and Russia has authorized Britain, France and
Germany to work on a package of carrots and sticks to entice Iran to change its
program.
President Bush received the 18-page letter from Ahmadinejad on Monday, the
first publicly announced personal communication from an Iranian president to his
U.S. counterpart since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Despite Washington's initial cool reaction, analysts say the letter might buy
Tehran more time to pursue its program and improve its standing as a regional
leader.
Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla met with Ahmadinejad on Wednesday
afternoon at the Iranian's luxury hotel in Jakarta. Kalla told reporters after
the near-hour-long discussion that "Indonesia will take a role behind the scenes
for peaceful purposes on Iran issues."
He also said without elaborating that Indonesia supported nuclear programs
for peaceful use.
Kalla plays an influential role in Yudhoyono's administration and helped
broker a successful peace deal last year in Aceh province, where a separatist
rebellion had simmered for decades.
Despite the attention to the nuclear issue, the prime stated purpose of
Ahmadinejad's visit to Jakarta is not the nuclear issue but development of
economic ties.
Iran is in the process of investing several billion
dollars in the oil and gas sector of fellow Organization of the Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OPEC) member Indonesia and both countries are eager to boost trade.
On Friday afternoon, Ahmadinejad is due to fly to Bali for a meeting of the
Developing Eight group that also includes Indonesia, Nigeria, Malaysia, Egypt,
Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Economic development, including peaceful uses of nuclear energy, figure high
on the agenda for the meeting, which will end on Saturday.
