WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is anticipating lengthy negotiations
between Iran and the United States.
Officials said the administration would not set benchmarks or deadlines
in the U.S. reconciliation dialogue with Iran. They said the White House had
determined that any engagement with Iran would take years.
"We are in a process that we expect will take some time," National
Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said. "We've had a difficult — at
best — relationship in the past with Iran, and we're looking to see what is
possible. But we're under no illusions that there will be any change in the
near term."
In a briefing on April 29, Hammer dismissed calls by members of Congress
and Israel for a limited U.S. dialogue with Iran.
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Instead, the
administration said it would seek ways to enhance any reconciliation effort
with Iran and end its threats to the region.
"It's not appropriate at this time to be trying to establish timetables,
but rather seeing how the engagement can move forward," Hammer said. "There
are opportunities there for us to engage with the Iranian government."
The administration was also expected to revive efforts to establish
a Palestinian state in the West Bank. Hammer said the administration would
press Israel and the Palestinian Authority to remove obstacles toward such a
state.
"The initiative, in a sense, is what already is happening," Hammer said.
"We have a president who is putting a high premium [on] seeing if we can
make progress in the Middle East."
