It appears that tactically thwarting Iran’s nuclear ambitions is not the only concern on the mind of state representatives in managing relations with the Persian nation. A document from the WikiLeaks batch of US cables, dated July 2009, exposes the back-room politics of EU diplomats as they prepared to attend the inauguration of Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Although prepared to send ambassadors to the ceremony in the Iranian parliament, member states had reportedly agreed to a secret caveat that would see them walk out if the leader crossed the “Durban Red Lines”. Any denial of the Holocaust or threats against the State of Israel would trigger leaders’ exit from the ceremony.
Despite their best intentions, the leak exposes the concern of members regarding the plan’s practicality. Never having entered the building in Tehran where the event was to take place, attendants feared that their lack of territorial knowledge might prevent them from staging a successful escape.
Though threatened by seating layouts, floor plans and aisle widths, diplomats’ greatest fear is said to have been the danger that the Iranians would simply lock them in:
They are not sure how they will stage their walkout, logistically, should they need to do so. They are worried that the doors may be locked.
Officials presumably felt that Iran might take its cue from China, who used the “locked-door” tactic to great effect in 2005. After facing hostile questions at a Beijing news conference, President George W Bush attempted to make a hasty exit from the room, only to find his way blocked. His shock and embarrassment at being held awkwardly in the conference has been replayed millions of times online.
The threat of viral videos exposing a stalled diplomatic stampede at the doors of the Iranian parliament would be enough to scare even the most seasoned ambassador. International relations can be a dangerous battlefield, and it is the responsibility of any serious professional to plan not only his strategies, but also his exits.
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