By IRNA,
Berlin : The West needs to have “fresh ideas” on its policy towards Iran, said a leading German Middle East expert Tuesday at a conference, organized by the Bertelsmann Foundation. Talking at a question-and-answer session at the international confab, the head of the Hamburg-based Leibniz Institute of Global and Area Studies, Udo Steinbach said, “We need to have fresh ideas ,if the Iranians do not accept our conditions. ”
He urged a continued political dialogue with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Steinbach called also on Europe to follow a more independent policy from the US in the Middle East.
“The Europeans lack an approach. They first wait to see what the US does,” he added.
The renowned German scholar lambasted the US policy in the volatile Mideast region.
“The US has dramatically lost influence and reputation in the Middle East,” Steinbach said.
The expert has repeatedly urged the West to revise its current hostile policies vis-a-vis Iran, given its importance and significance as a regional Mideast power.