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Iran’s Khatami calls for an end to threats, in US visit
(AFP)
8 September 2006
WASHINGTON - Standing in the National Cathedral where US presidents have spoken, former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami said late on Thursday that threats must end for dialogue to be restored between Washington and Teheran.
The most senior Iranian to visit the US capital since relations broke off in 1979 told reporters that aggressive rhetoric should end before top US and Iranian officials can meet.
‘Before we can talk and engage in dialogue we have to eliminate the language of threat -- for this dialogue to be successful,’ Khatami, who was president from 1997-2005, said through an interpreter.
‘Relations between our respective governments should be resolved through dialogue,’ said Khatami, who arrived in the United States last week.
‘Using violent language by every side is not conducive to dialogue and would exacerbate the problem,’ he added.
Khatami, considered a reformist, has visited Chicago and will speak at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sunday. He will not meet with US officials, but the US State Department has provided security for his trip.
The United States broke off relations with Iran after the seizure of the US embassy in Teheran in 1979 during which Americans were held hostage for 444 days.
His visit has been criticized by US lawmakers and Jewish groups.
Scores of protesters shouted ‘Freedom for Iran’ oustide the Cathedral late Thursday and booed people on their way to hear Khatami speak.
Washington branded Iran a state sponsor of terrorism during Khatami’s tenure and US President George W. Bush famously said in 2002 that Iran was part of an ‘axis of evil,’ along with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and North Korea.
The Episcopalian-run Cathedral defended its decision to invite Khatami. ‘We recognize him as a moderate voice for reconciliation,’ said Cathedral spokesman Greg Rixon.
The cleric’s visit comes as the Bush administration seeks UN Security Council sanctions against Iran over its refusal to stop controversial nuclear work.
Iran failed to meet an August 31 deadline, laid out in a UN resolution, to freeze uranium enrichment, which makes nuclear reactor fuel but also atomic bomb material.
The five permanent Security Council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany have offered to open negotiations to give Iran trade, security and technology benefits, on condition that it suspend uranium enrichment.
Khatami said the freezing of nuclear activities could be discussed during negotiations but that its suspension should not be a pre-condition to talks.
‘During the course of negotiations we could even talk about suspension, the nature of suspension, the timing of suspension and the duration of suspension,’ he said.
After speaking with reporters, Khatami, wearing a black robe with a black turban, delivered an address on interfaith dialogue as he stood in the nave of the Cathedral.
He was applauded and several people gave him a standing ovation after his remarks.
The Cathedral has been used to mark dramatic events in US history, from national prayer services to remember the victims of September 11 and Hurricane Katrina, to president Ronald Reagan’s state funeral in 2004. Bush and other presidents have spoken at the Cathedral.
The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane said he hoped the Khatami’s visit could be a turning point in diplomacy.
‘His presence among us presents the real hope for an emerging, constructive dialogue at the highest international level,’ Chane said after Khatami’s address.
Khaleej Times
(AFP)
8 September 2006
WASHINGTON - Standing in the National Cathedral where US presidents have spoken, former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami said late on Thursday that threats must end for dialogue to be restored between Washington and Teheran.
The most senior Iranian to visit the US capital since relations broke off in 1979 told reporters that aggressive rhetoric should end before top US and Iranian officials can meet.
‘Before we can talk and engage in dialogue we have to eliminate the language of threat -- for this dialogue to be successful,’ Khatami, who was president from 1997-2005, said through an interpreter.
‘Relations between our respective governments should be resolved through dialogue,’ said Khatami, who arrived in the United States last week.
‘Using violent language by every side is not conducive to dialogue and would exacerbate the problem,’ he added.
Khatami, considered a reformist, has visited Chicago and will speak at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, on Sunday. He will not meet with US officials, but the US State Department has provided security for his trip.
The United States broke off relations with Iran after the seizure of the US embassy in Teheran in 1979 during which Americans were held hostage for 444 days.
His visit has been criticized by US lawmakers and Jewish groups.
Scores of protesters shouted ‘Freedom for Iran’ oustide the Cathedral late Thursday and booed people on their way to hear Khatami speak.
Washington branded Iran a state sponsor of terrorism during Khatami’s tenure and US President George W. Bush famously said in 2002 that Iran was part of an ‘axis of evil,’ along with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and North Korea.
The Episcopalian-run Cathedral defended its decision to invite Khatami. ‘We recognize him as a moderate voice for reconciliation,’ said Cathedral spokesman Greg Rixon.
The cleric’s visit comes as the Bush administration seeks UN Security Council sanctions against Iran over its refusal to stop controversial nuclear work.
Iran failed to meet an August 31 deadline, laid out in a UN resolution, to freeze uranium enrichment, which makes nuclear reactor fuel but also atomic bomb material.
The five permanent Security Council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany have offered to open negotiations to give Iran trade, security and technology benefits, on condition that it suspend uranium enrichment.
Khatami said the freezing of nuclear activities could be discussed during negotiations but that its suspension should not be a pre-condition to talks.
‘During the course of negotiations we could even talk about suspension, the nature of suspension, the timing of suspension and the duration of suspension,’ he said.
After speaking with reporters, Khatami, wearing a black robe with a black turban, delivered an address on interfaith dialogue as he stood in the nave of the Cathedral.
He was applauded and several people gave him a standing ovation after his remarks.
The Cathedral has been used to mark dramatic events in US history, from national prayer services to remember the victims of September 11 and Hurricane Katrina, to president Ronald Reagan’s state funeral in 2004. Bush and other presidents have spoken at the Cathedral.
The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane said he hoped the Khatami’s visit could be a turning point in diplomacy.
‘His presence among us presents the real hope for an emerging, constructive dialogue at the highest international level,’ Chane said after Khatami’s address.
Khaleej Times
