Simon Tisdall-01/06/2007

Simon Tisdall, (Guardian)

"The Bush administration's offer of face-to-face talks with Iran is a step back from the abyss. While hedged in with caveats and conditions, it represents a significant shift in the US position after a quarter of a century of undeclared warfare with Tehran's post-revolutionary leadership. And after months of fearful speculation about military confrontation, it has brought an almost audible sigh of relief in European and Middle Eastern capitals.

Yesterday's statement by Condoleezza Rice was first and foremost an internal Washington victory. It offered the clearest proof yet of her foreign policy-making ascendancy and of the declining influence of neo-conservative ideology in George Bush's second term. Ms Rice, who succeeded Colin Powell as US secretary of state last year, has pursued a pragmatic or "realist" line. She has also worked hard to rebuild relationships with traditional allies damaged by past unilateralism.

"The wording of her statement also suggested that the administration is listening to its European allies again - a reversal that brought an immediate welcome from Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy chief. "We are agreed with our European partners on the essential elements of a package containing both benefits if Iran makes the right choices and the costs if it does not," Ms Rice said."

"Ms Rice said she had removed Iran's "last excuse" for refusing a compromise. And here was another shift. After out-sourcing the problem to others, the US has taken ownership of the issue. From now on, it will lead from the front."

"If, after serious consideration, Iran formally rejects the offer and the accompanying carrots-and-sticks package to be finalised in Vienna today, the US will be able to say that it has tried its best."

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