By JOHN NORTH

While the prospects are slim, opportunities exist for thawing relations between the United States and Iran, especially because of the two nationsí mutual interests, former U.S. ambassador L. Bruce Laingen, who once was held hostage in Iran, said in a May 1 speech at UNC Asheville.

In pondering a resolution to the strife between the U.S. and Iran, he said he saw much wisdom in the old saying, ìPatience is a bitter cup that only the strong can drink.î

Moreover, Laingen termed rapprochement with Iran ìas important as any issue the United States has today ... It is essential that rapprochement be achieved.î

Laingenís lecture, titled ìWhat Would It Take to Achieve Rapprochement From Iran?î drew about 75 people to the Humanities Lecture Hall. His talk was the season finale for the series sponsored by the World Affairs Council of WNC. Laingen later fielded questions from the audience. (A story on the question-and-answer session appears on Page 18.)

As U.S. ambassador to Iran at the time, Laingen was the principal hostage for 144 days during the Iranian seizure of the American embassy in Tehran from 1979 to 1981. He wrote ìYellow Ribbonî about his experiences and has maintained an active role in U.S.-Iranian relations. His awards include the State Departmentís Award for Valor, its Speaker of the Year Award and the Department of Defenseís Distinguished Public Service Award.†

Regarding the topic of rapprochement with Iran, Laingen began by noting, ìI could very easily say the prospects are so nil, Iíll just sit down and take your questions. I wonít do that, though, because I do have some things I want to say on this subject.î

He then thanked the audience for its support during the hostage crisis, noting, ìThis country does not unite in a cause easily.î

Laingen said the prayers, vigils and other expressions of concern, such as yellow ribbons tied around the trunks of trees, put pressure on Iran to release him and his fellow hostages.

In citing Mark Bowdenís book, ìGuests of the Ayatollah,î Laingen said, ìI donít need to tell aboutî the hostage crisis ìbecause it tells the story so well.î

He said there are 42 of the 53 original hostages still living ìand we still get together on occasion. Regarding the support of Americans, Laingen said, ìYou were magnificent and Iíll never forget it.î

At that point, the former ambassador defined ìrapprochementî as ìcoming together.î After a pause, he said, ìItís been a long time and I think it can only come with regime change ó in both countries.î

He added, ìIt is a sordid state of affairs that two great countries with so many shared interests have not been able to establish a dialogue with each other in 28 years. Historically, it doesnít make sense ... Itís taken less time with the old Soviet Union and with China.î

Among the shared interests of the U.S. and Iran, he listed Iraq, Afghanistan, energy policy and nuclear nonproliferation, freedom of navigation through the Straits of Hormuz, narcotics that heavily flow from Iran into the U.S. and Americaís ranking as the second-largest Iranian-speaking country in the world.

He admitted that the adverse rhetoric between the leaders of the two countries ìspells division, while our shared interests should induce dialogue.î

Laingen referred to a recent column by Nicolas Kristof, where he ìdescribed our relations with Iran as ëdiplomacy at its worst.íî Kristof writes for The New York Times.

Specifically, Laingen cited the U.S. govermentís references to Iran as ìhaving unelected leadershipî and as ìpartners in the Axis of Evil.î

Conversely, Iranís government has referred to the U.S. repeatedly in recent years as ìthe Great Satan,î he noted.

After a pause, Laingen pointed out, ìItís hard to see how any trust can be built with that kind of rhetoric.î

Moreover, ìall that mistrust is symbolized by empty embassies on both sides.î He quickly amended his aforementioned assertion to note that the U.S. embassy building in Tehran is being used by Iran as a museum featuring what it terms ìwar crimesî by the U.S.

Despite the mutual mistrust between the two governments, Laingen said he has hope because ìfundamentally, Americans are optimists and are known as ëcan-doí people on the world scene.î

As for himself, ìI grew up on the dusty plains of Minnessota and I know damn well that you canít be a farmer without being an optimist.î Laingen then quipped, ìOf course, you can remind me that a pessimist is an optimist with experience.î

He noted that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki were to have been in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, this past weekend at a conference on the future of Iraq. ìHopefully, for the first time, theyíll be sitting face to face and talk.î

To that end, Rice has said before that the U.S. is prepared to talk with Iran, if Iran would suspend its nuclear enrichment program, Laingen said.

In the aftermath of the U.S. proposal, the United Nations Security Council expressed criticism of Iranís failure to respond ìand has put up a united front against Iran,î he said.

Behind the scenes, Laingen noted, lower-level officials (from both countries) have been meeting and talking about some kind of arrangement.

Thus, he said he sees hope in a compromise in which Iran agrees to suspend ó ìand only temporarilyî ó its nuclear enrichment program in exchange for the Westís suspension of sanctions that already are in place.

ìTough talk continues in Iran,î Laingen said. ìIím no nuclear expert, but I think itís still possible ... to allow it (enrichment) to continue, but subject to inspections and full transparency ... and a multi-lateral security arrangement for the Iranian gulf.

ìUltimately, respecting Iran as a major powerî by the U.S. and other Western powers is critical to achieving some degree of harmony, he said. ìIt seems to me, with diplomacy, that that kind of an arrangement could be achieved.î

In addition, he noted, ìSome kind of arrangement needs to be offered in the Persian Gulf to interest Iran.î

Laingen then alluded to the ìtwo-track diplomacyî that is going on unofficially between the U.S. and Iran that is aimed at ìlaying the basis for understanding so that official government contacts later could be established.î

As an example of the U.S. effort to increase contacts with Iran, he said, ìThere is a real, live ayatollah teaching a class at Catholic University in Washington, D.C.î (ìAyatollahî is a high ranking title given to Shiía clerics. The word means ìsign of God.î)

Whatís more, Laingen said Iranian students continue to attend colleges and universities in the U.S., although ìnot in large numbersî as before the hostage crisis and ìmost of us donít appreciateî their presence here. ìBut it gives hope for future understanding,î he asserted.

ìWe havenít heard much lately from President (George) Bush about the Axis of Evil. It (the rhetoric) doesnít work. Weíre (now) hearing more from President Bush about American appreciation for Iranís culture and people ó along with criticism of the government.î

Laingen said that when Americans visit Iran, they always seem to return surprised to learn that most Iranians like Americans ìand they return with an appreciationî of Iranian culture.

The former ambassador expressed frustrations at Americansí lack of knowledge about Iran and the difficulty in finding people here with fluency in Arabic.

ìThere are eight people working on Iranian affairs at the U.S. State Department, but nobody at a polcymaking level has (ever) visited Iran,î he lamented. ìThis bothers me.î

However, he concluded, ìI remain an optimist. I remain obsessedî with the expressions translated from Arabic, ìIf God willsî and ìwith Godís help.î