By IRNA
London : An influential group of MPs Monday called on the British government to change its policy and “engage constructively and coherently with Iran” at a time Tehran was rapidly increasing its influence across the Middle East.
The Foreign Affairs Select Committee also said it was “encouraged by signs that the US Administration is now accepting the wisdom” of Britain’s long-standing approach to engage with Iran regarding the situation in Iraq.
“We conclude that it is vital that the UK and the international community engage constructively and coherently with Iran on these difficult issues,” the all-party committee said in a report on global security dimensions of the Middle East.
The report referred to Iran having an “impact on regional dynamics of the Middle East in a number of different ways and quoted Foreign Office Minister Kim Howells saying that the country was an “emerging great power” in the region.
The MPs said that they were focusing on government policy towards Israel, its Arab neighbours, Iraq and the “increasing influence” of Iran.
In the report, the committee also called on the government to “urgently consider ways of engaging politically with moderate elements within Hamas,” given the failure of the boycott on the elected Palestinian government to achieve results.
“The decision not to speak to Hamas in 2007 following the Mecca agreement has been counterproductive,” it said, suggesting that the UK should have supported the setting up of a failed Palestinian government of national unity much earlier.
“The Committee recommends that the Government urge President Abbas to come to a negotiated settlement with Hamas with a view to re-establishing a national unity Government across the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” MPs concluded.
In Lebanon, the report also urged the UK to change its policy and “engage directly with moderate Hezbollah Parliamentarians” to play a part in mainstream politics.
“We are concerned that the damage done to the Government’s reputation in the Arab and Islamic world may affect its ability to influence the political situation in the Middle East,” it also concluded.
Such phrases used by ministers as the ‘war on terror’ and ‘arc of extremism’ are “unhelpful” and such oversimplifications may lead to “dangerous policy implications,” the MPs warned.
They recommended that the government should pay “closer attention to the impact of its foreign policy in the Middle East than it has done.”
Britain, the report suggested, should publish a public strategy paper on its relationship with the Middle East, that sets “measurable targets for progress” considering the political situation in different countries.
We believe that such an approach will help ensure the Government continues with a comprehensive outlook improving the public confidence in the Government’s approach to the Middle East,” it said.