President Barack Obama’s administration will engage in “direct diplomacy” with Iran, the newly installed U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said Monday.
Not since before the 1979 Iranian revolution are U.S. officials believed to have conducted wide-ranging direct diplomacy with Iranian officials. But U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice warned that Iran must meet U.N. Security Council demands to suspend uranium enrichment before any talks on its nuclear program.
“The dialogue and diplomacy must go hand in hand with a very firm message from the United States and the international community that Iran needs to meet its obligations as defined by the Security Council. And its continuing refusal to do so will only cause pressure to increase,” she told reporters during a brief question-and-answer session.
Her comments, reflecting Obama’s signals for improved relations with America’s foes after eight years under President George W. Bush, came shortly after meeting with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on her first day in her new job.
Iran still considers the U.S. the “Great Satan,” but a day after Obama was sworn in, said it was “ready for new approaches by the United States.” Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said his country would study the idea of allowing the U.S. to open a diplomatic office in Tehran, the first since 1979.
Rice said the U.S. remains “deeply concerned about the threat that Iran’s nuclear program poses to the region, indeed to the United States and the entire international community.”
“We will look at what is necessary and appropriate with respect to maintaining pressure toward that goal of ending Iran’s nuclear program,” she said.
The differences between Washington and Tehran run deep. They include U.S. suspicions about Iran’s nuclear program, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s threats to annihilate Israel, and Tehran’s support for Hamas.
(Source: Huffington Post)
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14 Responses
Oy, YWEditor, can’t you put a tichel on the face on this murderous thug like they do to their women? He is too much to look at. UCH!!!!!!!!!!
Given that Iranians and Israelis can freely email each, and view each other’s websites, it isn’t so clear that the concept of “direct” talks means anything anymore. It sounds “so 20th century”.
This is all diplo-babble: “U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice warned that Iran must meet U.N. Security Council demands to suspend uranium enrichment before any talks on its nuclear program.”
That’s a non-starter for Iran, so Suzie and Barack can look good, while still not having to deal with Iran.
# 1 – Flatbush Bubby, you are too deep a thinker for the common man.
what is going on with the world….?!
#5. the answer can be found in the general news section
is anyone else seeing it or does this gehinum in the photo look cockeyed to me he looks barmy
#2 E-mailing by individuals is hardly the same as direct diplomacy, which lends credibility to those you speak with.
Obama is a Chamberlain in the making. No doubt he too would engage in “Direct Diplomacy” with Hitler himself.
It took Obama a week to show his true colors. I’m very surprised at him. I thought it would take 2 days. He’s not as swift as I thought he was.
To Flatbush Bubby…yeuch! Dos iz ah meirskeit! You are SO right! (We golden oldies see it so much clearer than the young ‘uns, correct??)
Now let’s see what can we two talk about?
US: stop the nuclear
Iran: How much will you pay us?
Iran: ok yes the holocaust did happen, but we still reserve the right to wipe israel off the map.
US: I allways said we can talk sense to these people!
wellcome back “Neville Chamberlain”