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Former senior diplomat Vidya Bhushan Soni said on Thursday that the ongoing differences between the United States and Iran over ceasefire negotiations reflect diplomatic challenges, stressing that conflicts cannot be resolved through unilateral announcements.
Speaking to ANI, Soni said Iran's response to statements by US President Donald Trump regarding negotiations was expected, given the country's strong sense of national identity and history. "Iran is a proud nation, a nation which has ancient history, civilisation, culture, and traditions. So they are not swayed by what are called the theatrics, " he said. Referring to the US stance on ending the conflict, Soni said it was unrealistic for one side to determine the course of the war. "You first go and attack them unprovoked when the negotiations were going on. And suddenly, you decide when the war is not going your way that you can call it off as per your convenience on your terms," he said. "It's not for US to dictate terms. The other side has options, has their own agenda, and has their own roadmap," he added. Soni also said that while Iran may be willing to engage in dialogue, negotiations would require a more diplomatic approach. " Iran will be keen to talk, but you have to decide how you approach them. And this is not the niceties have not been followed. And there is a procedure, standard procedure, protocol procedure, and I am a diplomat, and I would be surprised if the American diplomacy doesn't understand or know the nuances, " he said. "If you are really serious about sorting out a problem, how to go about doing the situation, which is what surprises me, that they have the best diplomatic foreign service in the world, I mean that's what they claim, they have all the facilities and yet they lose sight of the semantics, how to go about doing it, how to bring them, how to massage their ego, because every individual, every country has self-respect, ego. And if you just say that you are dancing to their tune or they are accepting your command, then that's not going to work," he added. Highlighting the broader consequences of the conflict, Soni noted that the global economy and vulnerable populations were likely to be severely affected. "The whole world is affected. The economy is disrupted, the lives of poor people are affected, particularly as collaterals, if you go to Africa, if you go to certain countries in Asia, they are going to pay through their nose, and they have not done anything to deserve that kind of treatment, " he said. On India's role, Soni said New Delhi should continue supporting diplomatic initiatives aimed at ending the conflict following recent conversations between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump on Tuesday. "For us, yes, we have missed the chance, we have missed the boat. But we should support any effort which is made anywhere irrespective of whether it is X, Y, and Z country," he said. "It's in the interest of humanity, it's in the interest of the world peace, and it's in interest of India and the countries in the region," he added. (ANI)
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