Steven Emerson: Admadinejad Letter "a very effective ploy"

By Andrew Cochran

Steven Emerson appeared on Fox News discussed the letter from Iranian President Admadinejad to President Bush. You can see the interview video on the website of the Investigative Project on Terrorism, and here is the transcript:

BILL HEMMER: More now with Chrystia Freeland, joining me now, who is managing editor of the Financial Times and counterterrorism analyst, Steve Emerson, with me as well. Good afternoon to both of you. Chrystia, is this letter to be considered serious and, if so, do you listen to it and in what way?

CHRYSTIA FREELAND: I think Condoleezza Rice is absolutely right that the content of the letter is not substantive. It’s rambling. It touches on a number of points and most of the content is not content which we would be sympathetic to. But the fact of the letter is really interesting, both as an overture and as really quite a clever diplomatic gambit.

HEMMER: Do you think it is clever, Steve? Do you listen to it? What do you get out of it?

STEVE EMERSON: I don’t get anything out of it. It is clever on their part, because this is typical of their strategy of basically trying to preempt pressure by appearing conciliatory. But, honestly, there is nothing in the letter we can agree on and it is only designed basically to pull the wool over our eyes or those of our allies.

HEMMER: If that is the case, Steve, why write it?

EMERSON: Well, he was certainly effective in trying to fool some of our allies. Perhaps the Chinese and Russians are going to use this as paper for their decision not to go along with the resolution invoking article seven in the U.N. this week that would be a prerequisite to sanctions or even military action. It is a very effective ploy and the only question is whether we can basically poke holes in it to show that it is really not sincere.

HEMMER: Chrystia, I get the impression from your first answer that you see some sort of a diplomatic opening. Do I read your words right?

FREELAND: What I think is interesting about the letter is that it really is raising attention to the issue of whether there should be some sort of direct talks between the U.S. and Iran, and interestingly, we have had some Republican senators calling for that to happen as well.

HEMMER: He makes mention, Steve, in this letter that any time there is some sort of advance by a country like Iran that the rest of the world sees it as a threat to Israel. Yet, how do you justify that when you go publicly and you state time and time again that Israel should not exist as a country, that it should be wiped off the map?

EMERSON: I think that goes to the heart of the problem here. Their reality is really not our reality and they don’t see the fact that they have been threatening the very existence of Israel , as you pointed out, threatening to wipe it off the face of the map. They think that is somehow defensive, or that it doesn’t exist. And the language that has been issued by [Iranian President Mahmud] Ahmadinejad in the last six months has been absolutely horrific. So, we have to convince them that we are not going to change our minds because of a letter like this.

HEMMER: I asked Chrystia, the same question, [now] to you; diplomatic opening? Do you see one there, Steve, or not?

EMERSON: No, I don’t see one there. The ambassador to Iraq is already on record saying he is willing to talk to them directly. So there is a record. There is a possibility of talking to them and they know where the address is.

HEMMER: A heck of a PR move, isn’t it, Chrystia?

FREELAND: Absolutely. It’s really changed the negotiations for this week.

HEMMER: Do you think it has changed negotiations considerably?

FREELAND: The negotiations at the U.N.

HEMMER: So you think they have?

FREELAND: Absolutely. I think as we suggested in the discussion earlier, the Russian, the Chinese position will be effected by this.

HEMMER: We’ll see. Chrystia Freeland, thank you. Steve Emerson, thanks to you as well.

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