Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian ambassador to Germany and Visiting Research Collaborator with the Program on Science and Global Security at Princeton University, has published an op-ed calling on Germany to reach back to its best diplomatic traditions to play a constructive role in overcoming five decades of hostility between the U.S. and Iran. He cites, as one example, Hans-Dietrich Gensher’s outreach to Iran’s then-President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani (1989-1997), “with the full support of Chancellor Helmut Kohl” for strategic talks. The objective was to establish a system of “collective security and cooperation among the eight littoral states of the Persian Gulf,” Mousavian writes.
“Today, the world needs a form of diplomacy based not on geopolitical confrontation but on shared interests, collective security, and economic cooperation. Given its diplomatic tradition, economic strength, and special relationships with the United States, Israel, and numerous Middle Eastern countries, Germany is uniquely positioned to once again play an active and constructive role,” according to Mousavian.
He proposes four areas in which Germany could make “decisive contributions:”
“First, promote the establishment of a comprehensive security and cooperation architecture in the Persian Gulf, including a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (NWFZ) and a Zone Free of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDFZ). This should include reviving the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding as a basis for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, ending the maritime confrontation, and negotiating a lasting security order for the Persian Gulf.
“Second, support a comprehensive process of rapprochement between the United States and Iran that could overcome nearly five decades of mutual hostility.
“Third, promote a lasting Israeli-Palestinian peace based on relevant United Nations resolutions and a negotiated two-state solution.
“Fourth, foster new strategic energy partnerships linking the Persian Gulf, the Caucasus, Russia, and Europe to strengthen long-term energy security and economic interdependence.”
“The most important lesson of the 1990s is that lasting peace can be achieved by building robust institutions for cooperation,” Mousavian concludes. “Germany has demonstrated in the past that it can build bridges between deeply divided parties and develop innovative diplomatic solutions. At a time when the international order is undergoing profound transformation and regional conflicts are having increasingly global consequences, Germany could once again play an active and constructive role in shaping a more stable international order. A return to this tradition would serve not only the interests of Germany and Europe but also make an important contribution to peace, security, and sustainable development in the Middle East and beyond.”
