Iran welcomes establishment of U.S. Interests Section in Tehran
Published: Monday, July 14, 2008
13:26GMT—9:26AM/EST
IRAN – US – INTERESTS - SECTION
Washington, 14 July (IranVNC)–Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said in a press conference in Tehran yesterday that he welcomes the idea of US diplomatic presence in Iran under the rubric of “U.S. Interests Section in Iran”, and added that Iran would be willing to negotiate with the U.S. “if that serves the interests of the Iranian nation.” He said he would welcome any proposal, even from the White House.
The idea of setting up the U.S. Interests Section in Tehran was first floated by some U.S. media and Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State, implicitly indicated that the U.S. officials were entertaining the idea.
The U.S. has had no diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic since its Embassy in Tehran was invaded and U.S. diplomats taken hostage in the first year of the Islamic revolution.
Ahmadinejad said Iran had not yet received any official request from U.S. but that any proposal about that could be considered and will be welcome.
The news about possible negotiations comes on the heels of a recent caution by former foreign minister, Ali Akbar Velayati, who is currently foreign relations advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, leader of the Islamic Republic. In an interview with Jomhouri Eslami Newspaper, Velayati warned Ahmadinejad and officials in his administration to refrain from harsh and irresponsible declarations about the West. His comments triggered speculations about possible negotiations between Iran and the U.S.
“We do not need an intermediary for talks with the U.S. We can enter into negotiations with the U.S. any time we find it necessary, Ahmadinejad said. “I have said already that I am willing to have face-to-face talks with Mr. Bush.”
Reacting to U.S. pre-condition that Iran should suspend uranium enrichment before negotiations can begin, Ahmadinejad said: “The U.S. should not set pre-conditions for negotiations. If any pre-condition is to be set, it should be set by Iran. … If the U.S. does not negotiate, the Iranian nation does not stand to lose.”
Responding to a question as to whether the recent statements by a number of officials, including Velayati, indicate that Iran is retreating in its position or there is a disaccord within the system, Ahmadinejad said, “Mr. Velayati is a respectable person and he is free to express his thoughts but he has no place in decisions about the nuclear program.”
Concerning reports about rising tensions and possibility of war with Iran, Ahmadinejad said; “we are not affected by such propaganda and will not do something unnecessarily but they will see in the future that our deterrence power is hundreds of times greater than demonstrated [in the recent maneuvers].” He stressed that Iran’s enemies are incapable of hurting Iran: “Our armed forces are at the height of their preparedness and any hand that is raised against the Iranian nation shall be cut off before it can press the trigger.”
While Ahmadinejad emphasized the need for making no pre-conditions for negotiations with Iran, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, foreign ministry spokesman who will soon be a deputy foreign minister, said in Beijing: “There have been reports lately that the U.S. is eager to enter negotiations with Iran. The Americans have accepted to talks with no pre-condition, following the trend set by [Javier] Solana, [European Union’s foreign affairs chief].”
“If the reports and published news stories are correct, and if the Americans concentrate and show greater objectivity about their past positions, things will be different.”
Sources: Mehr News Agency, IRNA, ISNA
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