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Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani (R) greets Italian Foreign Minister Emma Bonino
during
their meeting in Tehran on December 22, 2013 (AFP/File, Behrouz Mehri)
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Tehran —
Six months after the inauguration of Iran's moderate President Hassan Rouhani,
Western diplomats and businessmen are racing to Tehran hoping that a diplomatic
thaw will reopen lucrative markets.
A landmark
agreement reached with world powers on Iran's controversial nuclear programme
in November has raised hopes that Western sanctions could be lifted on the
oil-rich country with a population of 76 million.
A
delegation of 110 members of MEDEF-- France's largest employers' union-- is due
in Tehran on Monday to resume talks after an absence of several years.
No
contracts will be signed due to the strict international sanctions still in
place, but the visit is seen as a key step towards regaining a foothold in the
country.
Iran's auto
market was once dominated by French giants including Peugeot, which halted
operations in 2012, and Renault, which sharply scaled back its presence due to
US sanctions on spare parts deliveries in June 2013.
The French
firms hope to regain their share against Asian rivals, particularly Chinese
firms, which are not bound by the Western sanctions.
The number
of cars produced in Iran was more than halved between 2011 and 2013, from 1.7
million to just 500,000.
Iran
clinched the interim deal in November with the P5+1 group -- Britain, China,
France, Russia, the United States and Germany -- under which it agreed to curb
its nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
The
six-month agreement, which took effect January 20, is aimed at buying time for
a comprehensive agreement.
Western
nations have long accused Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapons capability
alongside its civilian programme, charges denied by Tehran.
The
breakthrough in the talks has been largely attributed to the election last year
of Rouhani, a reputed moderate who had vowed to pursue a diplomatic solution to
the nuclear impasse.
"Among
the regional countries and compared to Syria, Iraq, Egypt and Libya, Iran is
paradoxically known to enjoy a remarkable stability," an Iranian analyst,
speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
Western
diplomats return
Iran has
also seen recent high-profile political visits, including by Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who led a delegation last week aimed at boosting
economic ties between the two countries, which back opposite sides in Syria's
civil war.
Italian
Foreign Minister Emma Bonino visited Tehran in December.
And Swedish
Foreign Minister Carl Bildt is due to arrive in Tehran on Monday, while his
Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski is expected in late February.
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Former
British foreign secretary Jack Straw (L) shakes hands with Iranian MP,
Abbasali
Mansouri (R), leading Iranian members of the British-Iran Friendship
Group of
the Parliament, in Tehran, on January, 7 2014 (AFP/File, Behrouz Mehri)
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The recent
visits of former British foreign minister Jack Straw and ex-UN chief Kofi Annan
could be also added to the list.
Iran's
diplomatic ties with Western countries were severely strained under Rouhani's
predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, known for his hard line on the nuclear
programme and incendiary rhetoric towards Israel.
"These
visits are a sign that the taboo of sanctions has been shattered," Amir
Mohebian, a political analyst, told AFP.
"This
is already a major success for the diplomacy of President Rouhani."
There is no
sign of any diplomats from the United States -- still dubbed the "Great
Satan" by Iran's hardliners -- making their way to Tehran.
But US
Secretary of State John Kerry has met repeatedly with his Iranian counterpart
Mohammad Javad Zarif, and on Sunday the two met on the sidelines of a Munich
security conference to discuss the next round of nuclear talks.
Iran is set
to resume negotiations with the P5+1 in Vienna on February 18.
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