 | Different spin than the story posted by Fred below. |
TEHERAN - Iran’s influential former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Wednesday said Teheran was prepared to ”remove obstacles” in starting talks with the United States if Washington showed goodwill. “If the United States makes a signal of its goodwill relating to Iran, we will remove the obstacles for starting talks,” the IRNA agency quoted Rafsanjani as telling students in the holy city of Mashhad.
“The main obstacle to resuming relations is America’s domineering and arrogant behaviour with other countries,” said Rafsanjani, who now heads Iran’s main political arbitration body the Expediency Council.
| And who would know more about arrogant behavior than an Ayatollah from the Master Race? |
RafsanjaniÂ’s comments reaffirm the position of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who has repeatedly said Iran was prepared to talk to the United States if Washington changed its attitude towards Teheran.
| Actually, it might be a sneaky signal that Rafsanjani and others want to undercut Mahmoud. The two were rivals in the last 'election', when Rafsanjani was the supposed favorite. There have been signs that some of the Mad Mullahs™ are uncomfortable with Mahmoud, and getting Rafsanjani out front is one way to signal that. |
US President George W. Bush meanwhile on Wednesday flatly rejected direct talks with Iran, amid mounting international tensions over the Iranian nuclear programme, which the United States alleges is cover for a weapons drive. “If I thought we could achieve success, I would sit down, but I don’t think we can achieve success right now,” the US president said at his first press conference of 2007.
| Bush would be smart to start cutting DVDs to be slipped into Iran. Do a 30 or 60 minute 'sit-down with the Iranian people', with Farsi subtitles and translations. Put different versions to the Kurdish region and Balochi region. Talk directly with the Iranians and make clear we regard Mahmoud as insignificant. |
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