Iran Urged To Suspend Chris de Burgh Enrichment Plans
Posted on | August 8, 2008
De Burgh announces his concert plans in Tehran
earlier this year
US President George Bush has again urged the Iranian government to halt its planned Chris de Burgh concert, scheduled to go ahead in Tehran this November.
Speaking at his weekly press conference yesterday Mr Bush said Iran should accept the musical incentives the five world powers have offered in exchange for abandoning the show which commentators agree would enrich the Argentinian-born singer to a significant degree.
Mr De Burgh, who has a small but loyal fan base in Iran, made his first visit to the Islamic republic in May of this year. It was during this trip that he made public his intention – with the blessing of the Iranian authorities – to play Tehran’s 12,000 Azadi Stadium.
The announcement did not go down nearly as well outside Iran however, and since then Western governments have issued various threats to the Iranians in the hope they will abandon this event which would likely relaunch the singer’s career – substantially enriching him in the process.
Last week the Bush administration announced they were to dispatch a top diplomat to meet with senior Iranian negotiators over the disputed concert. The move was welcomed in Europe and the Middle East as a softening of the US position on the situation.
It represents a break with Washington’s previously stated policy that it would not engage in talks with Tehran before it suspends its de Burgh enrichment activities. Previously, the US had threatened “military action” if the Iranians did not comply with this demand.
Tom Blackburn, a US under-secretary of state, will join EU, Russian and Chinese envoys, along with U2 lead singer Bono in a round table meeting with Majid Roqani, the head of public relations of Iran’s Cultural and Artistic Ministry.
The diplomatic ball is now seen to be in Iran’s court – with the pressure on them to make the negotiations work – amid speculation that the de Burgh dispute will prompt an Israeli military strike on Iranian concert facilities.
The aerial manoeuvres carried out by the Israeli military in June were believed to be a rehearsal for such an attack. The Lady In Red singer is regarded as a pariah in Israel since his “collaboration” with Lebanese singer Elissa in 2002.
“We’re delighted the US has decided to join the talks process,” said Kirsten O’Gallagher, spokeswoman for Bono. “A relaunch of Chris de Burgh’s career would not only be a disaster for world music, but would also massively contribute to global noise pollution levels – yet we are all of the opinion that a military solution remains the absolute last resort.
“Nevertheless Mr Bono and the other world powers believe the situation has not yet reached that point. They are of the firm belief that the Iranians can be persuaded at the negotiation table to abandon, or at the very least scale back, their concert plans. If not, then we can look at our military options.”
White House press secretary Dana Perino said American participation in the talks process was strictly a “one-off thing”.
“Let me be clear on this – our involvement in this diplomatic initiative is only due to the fact that we are all big U2 fans. If it wasn’t for Bono’s efforts, right now we’d be in the middle of a hastily organised, blood lust-fueled attack on Iran, followed by the inevitable ill-thought out post-invasion strategy…
“Despite our misgivings, we and our international allies all agree that this planned concert must be halted at all costs. If the Iranians are so intent on dragging music back to the dark days of Chris de Burgh, cock rock and the New Romantics – then we’ll be happy to bomb them back to the mid-80s.”
However political analysts see America’s involvement as merely a way of gauging Iran’s response to the incentives offered by the international community, rather than a show of faith in the talks themselves.
The offer includes a huge concert to be held in Tehran – Shi’a Aid – to replace the Chris de Burgh one, and featuring the already-enriched U2, Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney; thereby removing the risk of his material being disseminated throughout Iranian and the wider Middle Eastern media.
It also includes the so-called track-for-track deal: for six weeks, existing Iranian de Burgh fans can continue to listen to his albums, but authorities must ensure his music is not spread among the rest of the people – in exchange the UN Security Council will suspend the current move toward sanctions on Iran.
Those six weeks will then be used to organise real negotiations that would only commence after Iran fully abandons their de Burgh enrichment.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (pictured), earlier today suggested that suspension of the concert remains off the table. However Tehran insiders insist their leader would seriously consider the Shi’a Aid offer if Diana Ross or Aretha Franklin were added to the bill, and if U2 left the “Christian stuff” off the set list.
Said one Iranian official: “Ayatollah Khamenei is rather nonplussed by the chance to see U2, Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan live in Tehran as he believes all of them are well past their best. Although he thought Time Out Of Mind was pretty good, it wasn’t in the same league as Blonde On Blonde.”
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