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| Axis of Evil |
| Iranian conservative backs US ties |
| 2002-12-03 |
| A prominent Iranian conservative official has criticised the country's foreign policy, saying that opportunities for restoring ties with the United States have been missed. Oh? Today's an odd-numbered date, right? In comments in the Iranian press, Muhammad-Javad Larijani, deputy chief of the judiciary's international affairs department, said he also regretted the 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran, and the religious decree calling for the death of British author Salman Rushdie. He added that Iran should not be afraid to express opinions over recent events in the Middle East - such as the prospect of war in Iraq - which may divert from the position of other Arab countries in the region. "We should have plans in our foreign policy and execute our plans bravely," he was quoted by French news agency AFP as saying. "I believe that we should take risks over Iraq and the Persian Gulf." It must be tough being an ayatollah. You never know what you're going to say next. I'm waiting for "We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our good friend, the Great Satan, oppressors of Muslims throughout the world..." |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #2 Maybe. Or perhaps it's just a way of getting the students (slightly) off his back. ("See? See? We're engaging with the West! Now bugger off!") Faux-Kremlinology doesn't help much...more data needed. |
| Posted by: Tripartite 2002-12-03 22:56:37 |
| #1 "I believe that we should take risks over Iraq and the Persian Gulf." Is that a subtle way of confirming what Fred's been saying about the Medes and Persians moving west in the tumult that follows our attack on Iraq? |
| Posted by: Steve White 2002-12-03 21:51:03 |