Azerbaijan, Baku, August 28 / Trend , T.Konyayeva /
Some experts say that the quid pro quo agreement proposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Europe would help Israel enlist the support of the West on the issue of Iran's nuclear program, but according to other experts, the new tactics of the Israeli Prime Minister will have no action.
This week the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a four-day trip to Europe, during which it was planned to discuss a peaceful settlement in the Middle East and Iran's nuclear program.
During his European tour, Netanyahu said that Israel would agree to partially freeze construction of Jewish settlements on the West Bank in exchange for a tough U.S. position against Iran's nuclear program, Guardian reported.
Netanyahu's offer to resume peace talks with the Palestinians in exchange for a tougher position of the West on Iran's nuclear program prior to the meeting of 5+1 group next week can earn the approval of the Western countries and the United States, as a result of which the pressure on Iran is likely to intensify, said Australian expert.
"Netanyahu's new tactics is likely to lead to increased pressure on Iran. Israel will be more inclined to negotiate about peace with the Palestinians if the international community is prepared to take a tougher position on Iran," Deputy Director of the National Center for Islamic Studies at the University of Melbourne, Professor Shahram Akbarzadeh, told Trend via e-mail.
He said that the new tactics, which differs from the previous statements of official Israel regarding bombing of nuclear facilities in Iran, can find approval in Europe.
On September 2, a meeting of representatives of the six largest countries (USA, UK, France, Germany, Russia and China) will take place in Frankfurt, the agenda of which will include Iran's nuclear program, RIA Novosti reported.
During the meeting, the Six international mediators will try to convince Iran of giving up its nuclear program in response to some privileges, Lenta.ru website reported.
Yossi Mekelberg, an associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, said that Netanyahu's visit to Europe and meeting of the mediating countries will increase pressure on Iran, but the main question is that how the Iranian side will react to this.
"Currently there are many unresolved domestic problems in Iran, which may cause increased nationalism in the country," Mekelberg told Trend by telephone.
Mekelberg believes that Netanyahu should not make much effort to convince the Europeans to share his point of view. The main issue is how to improve the effectiveness of his policies, he said.
However, Philip Carl Salzman, Professor of Anthropology at McGill University, believes that Netanyahu's visit will not affect the meeting on Iran's nuclear program for several reasons.
"Netanyahu's visit will have no positive effect on the meeting on Iran's nuclear program for several reasons, one of which is that many European countries have their own economic interests in Iran and are looking to expand them," Salzman told Trend via e-mail.
An Iranian expert on the Middle East and Asia Hasan Hanizadeh also thinks that the current U.S. Administration will not support Netanyahu's statement regarding his proposed compromise, since the U.S. plans to expand its ties with Iran.
"Despite the visit of the Prime Minister of Israel to Europe in order to influence the future meetings of the 5 +1 group and create a tense atmosphere around Iran, the U.S. point of view on Iran's nuclear program has mitigated, Hanizadeh told Trend via e-mail. - At the meeting of the Six, the United States will demonstrate a position contrary to the opinion of the European Union, since the United States wants to develop relations with Iran."
He also added that "if Netanyahu will force the EU countries to take a tough position at the meeting of the mediating countries, the United States, together with Russia and China, will support Iran's peaceful nuclear activities."
According to the Iranian expert, the U.S. has repeatedly expressed concern over the construction of new Jewish settlements on the Palestinian territory, but Netanyahu called for the continuation of the construction. Therefore, disagreement appeared between the United States and Israel over the peace process in the Middle East.
Nevertheless, it is expected that at the meeting next week, four states (the United States, Britain, France, Germany) will ask Russia and China to join the development of the fourth series of UN sanctions, which are likely to affect vitally Iran's oil industry if the states do not stay away from the talks by the end of September, Reuters reported.
T.Jafarov contributed to the article.