 Iran's powerful former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has called on the United States to make a gesture of goodwill towards Iran as a precursor to reopening dialogue. "We want good relations with the American people," the top cleric said in an exclusive interview published on Monday in leading US daily USA Today. "There has to be a dialogue between the governments, but what can one do when your government has always wronged us? We need to see evidence that this process will be reversed."
| This is curious. This is the second time Rafsanjani's made this kind of overture that I can recall. Asefi, Kharrazi, and the other face-makers never seem to bring it up at all, and Khatami's been pretty much non-committal for obvious reasons. |
Rafsanjani, Iran's president from 1989 to 1997 said he had not decided whether to run for president in the June presidential election, but could announce a candidacy in two to three months. Rafsanjani, 70, described himself as someone who can improve relations with the United States. "I'm not the only one but I am one of them," he said. But the charismatic cleric insisted Washington had to take the first step, by freeing at least eight billion dollars in Iranian assets frozen in the United States, or some other gesture of goodwill.
| Just off the top of my head, I'd say "hell no!" |
"When I was the president, several times I mentioned this to the United States, that if they show goodwill we would enter a dialogue with them. And I gave this directive to them, that if they free our assets in the United States, that would be a sign of goodwill. I have the same idea this time. The first step has to be from the US part. They have to show positive signs for us so we can believe they are sincere."
| What the hell do you want? They sent you a cake once... |
Rafsanjani, now the head of the Expediency Council political arbitration body, said US lawmakers would be welcome to visit Iran. "They can come. We have no objection," he said. But he added that "we do not trust the goodwill of the US", and had withering words for the current US administration by calling recent tough statements from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "emotional." |