Can Obama Be As Firm With Iran As Fiamma Nirenstein?

During a debate yesterday in the Italian Parliamentary Assembly, Fiamma Nirenstein--the Vice-President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs--made the following statement about negotiating with Iran:

Given the recent demonstrations in Iranian cities, with the Iranian people once again proving their profound enmity towards a government that violates all their human rights; given the violence perpetrated by the Iranian security forces; and given the disconcerting images, in all today’s newspapers, of the Iranian parliament demanding the hanging of the opposition leaders, I announce that, in my capacity as Vicepresident of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I will not participate in tomorrow’s meeting of my Committee with a delegation of Iranian parliamentarians, headed by the President of the Iranian Foreign Affairs Committee.


I feel that a dialogue with Iran’s official representatives is completely pointless. On the contrary, I think it's extremely useful to express and give concrete solidarity meeting its oppositions. Indeed, until now, international meetings with Iran's representatives on human rights or nuclear facilities, has served no useful purpose. They have only helped to give more time and legitimacy to the regime of the ayatollah. Iran has to date proven its extreme determination to pursue its aggressive, imperialist and anti-Semitic course, as it is proved by Ahmadinejad’s latest declarations de facto inciting to genocide. The opposition, on the other hand, nothwistanding the fierce repression it faces, still continues to express a desire for freedom and peace which deserves all our support

.In comparison, Obama's response to the Iranian opposition will be easily ignored:

President Obama addressed the Iranian demonstrations Tuesday with a large measure of caution, calling on Iran's leaders to allow protesters to express their grievances but stopping short of calling for a change in government.

...In the final days of Egypt's unrest, Obama aligned himself with the demonstrators' demand for a new government. With Iran he has not been so bold. His call Tuesday for Iran's Islamic government to allow peaceful protest echoed the one he made after the opposition Green Movement emerged on Tehran's streets in June 2009 following a disputed presidential election, a response many conservatives criticized as tepid.

"We were clear then and we are clear now that what has been true in Egypt should be true in Iran - that people should be allowed to voice their opinions and their grievances and seek a more responsive government," Obama said. "What's been different is the Iranian government's response, which is to shoot people and beat people and arrest people."

Which response is more likely to get Iran's attention?
Just one more example why the US has been reduced to a minor player as new forces realign themselves in the Middle East.

Hat tip: EG

Technorati Tag: Iran and Obama and Fiamma Nirenstein.