'Middle East peace talks haven't succeded in 75 years, unlikely to be solved in 75 days': Ex MoS MEA MJ Akbar

New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): MJ Akbar, Former Minister of State (MoS) MEA, said that it would be a misnomer to describe US-Iran talks as peace talks, as it would have to club Syria, Gaza, Israel, Lebanon and the whole region in the umbrella; not just Iran.

Akbar, in conversation with ANI, said that such peace talks have been failing since the last 75 years, and will not succeed even in the next 75 days.

‘The first, I think, misunderstanding and even misnomer is to describe them as peace talks. Peace talks will have to deal with that whole region. Peace talks will have to deal with Lebanon. Peace talks will have to deal with Syria. Peace talks will have to deal with Gaza, the future of Palestine, what will be the map of Israel. It’s a huge enterprise which will take a generation. These peace talks have not succeeded over the last 75 years. They’re highly unlikely to be solved over the next 75 days,’ he said.

Akbar said that these are essentially talks for the disengagement of the US from the war that US President Donald Trump started against Iran.

‘They are essentially talks for the disengagement of America from the war that President Trump started against Iran. And this is really what Iran and America are negotiating, how to step out of that direct confrontation, which certainly Iran didn’t want. But I think President Trump may have been mis-implied into the belief that it could get over in 48 hours. Right? Iran has proved that not only it’s not going to get away in 48 hours,’ he said.

Akbar said further that America has admitted that its arsenal is exhausted and is in a position of vulnerability of the kind that it has rarely experienced before.

‘But there is something very important that has happened which may have escaped people’s notice. America has admitted that its arsenal is exhausted. Its missile arsenal is exhausted. And therefore, America is in a position of vulnerability of the kind that it has rarely experienced before. Once again, because inventory and reality, there was a huge mismatch. And why was there a mismatch? Because you underestimated the enemy,’ he said.

Akbar said that while Trump is not committing to any American money as the price of disengagement, the point is that Iran will have to be compensated in some way or the other.

‘Once that happened, now I actually give credit to President Trump for being a realist. You can say what you like about his bluster and about his language, but these talks show that he’s a realist and he knows that there is a price for disengagement. And while he is not committing to any American money as the price of disengagement, the point is that Iran will have to be compensated in some way or the other. In any case, these talks are about the methodologies as well as the hard realities of cash and the hard realities of compensation that are involved, that are going to be involved in creating a new strategic map of the region. And there will be a new strategic map,’ he said.

He said that despite everything, Iran has always considered that India should be at the high table of engagement.

‘You know, one of the things that we have forgotten in the great, great noise as well as the inevitable fog that surrounds any war and any post-war situation is that Iran has always considered that India should be at the high table of engagement. It is up to India, of course, to determine the level of its engagement because I think Iran understands that India has become a decisive power in Asia. And in this region, without India’s involvement in the solution, India is not part of the problem, but India has to be part of the solution,’ he said.

Iran has seen Pakistan as a good neighbour, but mostly exists as a proxy of the US. While India is seen as an independent power.

‘The Iranian view of Pakistan and India is actually, if I may anecdotally put it, they look at Pakistan as a good neighbour, as a friendly neighbour, but they know that at the root Pakistan is a client state of the Americans. Right? They deal with it. They are a mature people, they’re a mature country. They deal with it. So they put it like this, that if India disagrees with us, then it is because India’s national interest makes India disagree with us. But if Pakistan disagrees with us, then it is under instructions of America. So their recognition that India is an independent power and Pakistan is actually to a large extent, and that we know for a variety of reasons, is a dependent power,’ Akbar said.

Akbar said that Trump has been miffed with Europe as it makes a lot of claims and a lot of demands, but is not ready.

‘You know, President Trump has been walking away from NATO for a long while. There are two reasons. One is, I think, his irritation that Europe makes a lot of claims and a lot of demands, but is not ready. It wants to be the adult in the room, but it’s not willing to pay the price of being an adult. If NATO, mean, countries do not step up their defense, make the defense of Europe their strategic objective and then pay for it as they used to, right, then they’re just riding on America’s back. And he’s tired of the European on America’s back and Europe picking and the America picking up all the expense. He’s telling them very bluntly and he’s told them from the moment he came in, so it’s not new that look you have to get the act together and you have to become what you think you should be,’ he said.

He said further that after Trump’s experience with Europe’s refusal to support his war on Iran, that pace of withdrawal from NATO, the pace has increased.

‘Now I think after his experience with Europe’s refusal to support his war on Iran, that pace of withdrawal from NATO, the pace has increased. He will not withdraw completely from NATO because that is not in America’s interest, but he will be in Europe to a very measured extent, dependent purely on what Washington’s strategic relationship with Russia is. Europe will be dependent on the US-Russia relationship, Russia will not be dependent or not be threatened by the America-Europe relationship,’ he said.

Since the beginning of the US-Israel war on Iran, Trump has been critical of his European allies for not supporting the military campaign against Tehran. On Wednesday, he expressed his displeasure with members of the transatlantic alliance during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. (ANI)