Iran's President Writes Letter To Bush, Proposing 'New Solutions' Associated Press May 8, 2006 10:39 a.m.
ANKARA -- Iran's leader has written to President Bush proposing "new solutions" to their differences in the first letter from an Iranian head of state to an American president in 27 years, a government spokesman said Monday. But Iran's top nuclear negotiator warned that the letter did not reflect a softening in Iran's position. The letter from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was delivered by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to the Swiss ambassador Monday. The Swiss Embassy in Tehran houses a U.S. interests section. [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad] In the letter, Mr. Ahmadinejad proposes "new solutions for getting out of international problems and the current fragile situation of the world," spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham told a news conference. Mr. Elham declined to reveal more, stressing "it is not an open letter." Asked whether the letter could lead to direct U.S.-Iranian negotiations, he replied: "For the time being, it's just a letter." Mr. Elham did not mention the nuclear dispute -- the main obstacle between Washington and Tehran. In Turkey, Iran's top nuclear negotiator said the letter "could lead to a new diplomatic opening," but also warned that it did not reflect a softening in Tehran's position. Ali Larijani also refused to give details of the letter's content. "There is a need to wait before disclosing the content of the letter. Let it make its diplomatic way," Mr. Larijani said in an interview with Turkey's NTV television. Earlier Monday, Mr. Larijani said Tehran would like to see a peaceful solution to growing tensions with the U.S. Mr. Larijani was in Turkey for a series of meetings that are apparently part of an Iranian push to boost support in the region as tensions grow with the U.S. over the nuclear issue. The letter is the first time that an Iranian president has written to his U.S. counterpart since 1979, when the two countries broke off relations after Iranian militants stormed the U.S. Embassy and held the occupants hostage for more than a year. In Washington, Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said that he was not aware of any such letter, and he reiterated the administration's position on Iran's nuclear program. "The international community has been very clear to Iran what it needs to do," Mr. Hadley said on NBC's "Today" show. "It needs to return to the suspension of its nuclear activities in order to open the door for a diplomatic resolution." Before the announcement by Iran, Mr. Bush said he was paying close attention to threats made against Israel by Mr. Ahmadinejad, who recently questioned Israel's right to exist and said the country should be wiped off the map. The U.S. is backing efforts by Britain and France to win Security Council approval for a United Nations' resolution that would threaten possible further measures if Iran does not suspend uranium enrichment -- a process that can produce fuel for nuclear reactors to generate electricity or material for nuclear warheads. The Western nations want to invoke Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter that would allow economic sanctions or military action, if necessary, to force Iran to comply with the Security Council's demand that it cease enrichment. But Russia and China, the other two veto-holding members of the Security Council members, oppose such moves. Iran claims its nuclear program is strictly for generating electricity and that it requires enrichment to be self-reliant in fuel for nuclear reactors. But the U.S. and its allies believe that Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons. On Sunday, Mr. Ahmadinejad renewed Iran's threat to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if the Security Council imposes sanctions on Tehran. Mr. Ahmadinejad told the official Islamic Republic News Agency that Washington and its allies "don't give us anything and yet they want to impose sanctions on us." He called the threat of sanctions "meaningless." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:206287 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
