US allies urge direct dialogue with Iran - by Guy Dinmore
US efforts to form a new "coalition of the willing" that would impose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme are running into objections from European and Asian allies who say the Bush administration must first exhaust all diplomatic options, including the United Nations process and direct talks with Tehran.A call for US-Iran dialogue was first raised in public last month by Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany's foreign minister. Mr Bush is also under pressure from some Republicans and Democrats in Congress to stop outsourcing negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme to Europe.
Whether Iran's leadership is prepared for wide-ranging talks with the US is a matter of debate. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, made an important statement on March 22 when he accepted a US offer of talks on the issue of Iraq. But he also warned that the US wanted to use negotiations to impose its will, not reach a mutual agreement on wider issues.
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