Clinton calls for "better understanding" between U.S., Iran

 2009-02-11 05:00:32  

·Clinton on Tuesday called for "a better understanding" between the United States and Iran. ·Clinton said that Tehran's insistence on the matter is "a very unfortunate course for them to pursue." ·Obama renewed on Monday his call for direct talks between Washington and Tehran.

    WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) --

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday called for effort to "develop a better understanding" between the United States and Iran.

    Criticizing Iran's stand not to give up nuclear program, Clinton said that Tehran's insistence on the matter is "a very unfortunate course for them to pursue," noting "We still persist in our view that Iran should not obtain a nuclear weapon."

    "And we hope that there will be opportunities in the future for us to develop a better understanding of one another and to work out a way of talking that would produce positive results for the people of Iran," Clinton told reporters at the State Department.

    Clinton made the remarks after U.S. President Barack Obama renewed on Monday his call for direct talks between Washington and Tehran over tense bilateral relations.

    In response to Obama's call, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a rally on Tuesday that "The Iranian nation is ready to hold talks but talks in a fair atmosphere with mutual respect."

    "The new U.S. administration has announced that they want to produce changes. Iranian nation welcomes real changes, and it is quite clear that real changes must be fundamental and not tactical," he said.

    Washington has long accused Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program. Iran rejects the U.S. charges, saying its nuclear program is a peaceful drive to generate electricity so it can export more oil and gas.

Obama: U.S-Iran talks expected in months

2009-02-10 09:34:02  

    WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) --

U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday attached great importance to solve thorn issues in Iran and Afghanistan, vowing to engage directly with Iran while beefing up coordination with allies in Afghanistan to deal with Al-Qaeda and Taliban.

    Speaking to reporters at his first press conference since swearing-in on Jan. 20, Obama said that his administration is "looking for openings" to start face-to-face talks with Iran.

    "My expectation is, in the coming months, we will be looking for openings that can be created where we can start sitting across the table, face-to-face diplomatic overtures, that will allow us to move our policy in a new direction," he said.

    Noting that there's been a lot of mistrust between Washington and Tehran over the decades, Obama also said that "it's important that, even as we engage in this direct diplomacy, ...Iran understands that we find the funding of terrorist organizations unacceptable, that we're clear about the fact that a nuclear Iran could set off a nuclear arms race in the region that would be profoundly destabilizing.

    "So there are going to be a set of objectives that we have in these conversations, but I think that there's the possibility at least of a relationship of mutual respect and progress."

    Washington has no diplomatic relations with Teheran since April1980, five months after Iranian students occupied the American embassy in Teheran. Fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days.

    Despite Obama's call for face-to-face talks with Iran, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters last week that Obama will preserve "all his options" to deal with the Islamic Republic.

    "The president has not changed his viewpoint that he should preserve all his options," Gibbs told reporters when asked if military strikes were an option.

    The latest saying by the White House sounds very much like what Obama's predecessor George W. Bush said when the former U.S. president vowed to curb Iran's nuclear program.

    Iran denies the U.S. allegation that it is pursuing a covert weapons program and insists its accelerated nuclear development program is aimed at producing electrical power.

    On Afghanistan, Obama called for effective coordination with U.S. allies to deal with Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants in Afghanistan.

    Speaking to reporters on Monday's press conference, Obama also vowed not to let Al-Qaeda or Taliban militants "act with impunity" in Afghanistan.

    There is no doubt that terrorists were operating in safe havens in the tribal regions of between Afghanistan and Pakistan, he noted, urging Islamabad to make sure to control the situation.

    "We have to make sure that Pakistan is a stalwart ally with us in battling this terrorist threat."

    Pakistan has been a U.S. ally since the latter launched anti-terrorism war in Afghanistan in October 2001 soon after "9.11" terror attacks. However, Islamabad is under more pressure from Washington to take more effective action to prevent from being haven of foreign militants.

Editor: Sun Yunlong

Biden says U.S. willing to talk to Iran conditionally

2009-02-07 23:20:42  

·Biden: U.S. is willing to talk to Iran conditionally, and would try to avoid the last resort to war. ·Biden: We would act to isolate and pressure Iran if it continues its "current course." ·"We need to set a new tone in relations with countries around the world," said Biden.

    MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) --

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Saturday that the United States is willing to talk to Iran conditionally, and would try to avoid the last resort to war with the Gulf country.

    "Our government is reviewing our policies to Iran. We will be willing to talk to Iran and offer various choices," but would act to isolate and pressure Iran if it continues its "current course" and does not scrap its nuclear ambitions and support for terrorism, Biden said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference.

    Biden, who is on his first trip abroad since taking office, also promised that Washington would try to "act preventively, and not preemptively" to avoid the choice between the last resort to risks of war and the dangers of inaction.

    In his much anticipated speech, Biden delivered to the world the new U.S. administration's foreign and security policy.

    "We need to set a new tone in relations with countries around the world," said Biden.

    The three-day conference, which opened Friday, focused on major global and regional security issues with participation of a dozen world leaders and officials from over 50 countries.

President: Iran ready for fair talks with U.S.

2009-02-10 16:58:49  

·Ahmadinejad said Tuesday Iran was ready for "fair talks" with the United States. ·"The United States must give up threats and sanctions," Ahmadinejad said. ·Obama said Monday U.S. is "looking for openings" to start face-to-face talks with Iran.

    TEHRAN, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) --

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that Iran was ready for "fair talks" with the United States.

    Ahmadinejad made the remarks in a rally in Tehran's Azadi (liberty) Squarea to mark the 30th anniversary of the victory of Iran's Islamic Revolution.

    "The Iranian nation is ready to hold talks but talks in a fair atmosphere with mutual respect," Ahmadinejad told the rally.

    "The new U.S. administration has announced that they want to produce changes. Iranian nation welcomes real changes, and it is quite clear that real changes must be fundamental and not tactical," he said.

    Referring to the slogan of "change" by U.S. new President Barack Obama, Ahmadinejad said "the new U.S. administration has said that they want to do changes and to follow the course of dialogue ... but the change must be essential not a tactic."

    "The Iranian nation welcomes true changes and Iran is ready to talk in fair atmosphere with mutual respect," stressed the Iranian president.

    "The United States must give up threats and sanctions," he said, adding Iran has now become "a real and true superpower."

    "Here, I officially announce, Iran today is real and true superpower, but the Iranian nation is fond of justice and the friend of the other nations," and is not the threat for them, he added.

    On Sunday, Iran urged the United States to change the strategy before talks between the two countries are initiated.

    Iran's parliament (Majlis) Speaker Ali Larijani who had participated at the three-day Munich Security Conference, which opened on Friday afternoon, told Iran's IRNA news agency that the U.S. needs a change of strategy to facilitate the direct talks with Iran.

    U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that his administration is "looking for openings" to start face-to-face talks with Iran.

    There is a possibility of mutual respect between the United States and Iran, Obama told a press conference, the first of its kind since his inauguration on Jan. 20.

    "My expectation is, in the coming months, we will be looking for openings that can be created where we can start sitting across the table, face-to-face diplomatic overtures, that will allow us to move our policy in a new direction.

    Noting that there's been a lot of mistrust between Washington and Tehran over the decades, Obama said that "there are going to be a set of objectives that we have in these conversations, but I think that there's the possibility at least of a relationship of mutual respect and progress."

    Washington has been trying to beef up the UN-passed as well as its own sanctions against Tehran for being involved in anti-U.S. coalition forces activities, and for allegedly developing nuclear weapons secretly.