Iranian Foreign Minister praises U.S. moves in Iraq

[bemildred]

Source: AP

DAVOS, Switzerland: Iran's foreign minister offered measured praise Saturday for recent U.S. moves in Iraq but urged Washington to expedite handing over full control of all affairs — including security — to the Baghdad government.

Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the Washington's plan to reduce troop strength in Iraq "will be a good decision." And he spoke approvingly of Britain transferring military control of Basra to Iraqi forces last month.

Mottaki also told reporters outside the World Economic Forum that Tehran believed that the U.S. government had decided to back the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki — a move he said had led to increased support for him among all Iraqi political factions.

This means that "the domestic dossier of Iraq should be given to the ... Iraqi elected government, including the security dossier of Iraq," he said.



Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/26/europe/EU-GEN-World-Forum-Iran-Mottaki.php

[ohio2007]

1. Iran says break with U.S. won't last forever

Sat Jan 26, 2008 4:24pm EST
By Dominic Evans

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister said on Saturday he could envisage the Islamic Republic resuming diplomatic ties with the United States one day but that many hurdles remained to normal relations.

Manouchehr Mottaki said Tehran was not committed to "cutting relations with the United States forever", despite tensions with Washington over its nuclear program and U.S. accusations that Iran has fomented violence in neighboring Iraq.Iran regularly calls for a change in behavior from the United States, which cut diplomatic ties in 1980 after radical students seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took diplomats hostage during the 1979 Islamic revolution."How and when this relationship can take place again, it depends on so many factors," Mottaki told reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss alpine town of Davos..

Asked if this year's U.S. presidential election could mark a turning point in relations, he said: "We are trying not to look at the individuals, to the parties, but looking...at the policies."Mottaki said he had not detected any change in the U.S. approach towards his country, but his measured comments followed a speech to the forum by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice which included a conciliatory note towards Tehran.

After weeks of anti-Iranian rhetoric by the Bush administration, Rice said on Wednesday that Washington had no desire for Iran to be a permanent enemy.

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SENDING SIGNALS

"For the time being we do not see any important changes in the policy of the United States," Mottaki said. "Some people here and there send signals but the administration sets its policy which we do not accept".

In a public discussion at the forum on Saturday Mottaki angrily accused the United States of fabricating video footage of an incident between U.S. and Iranian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this month for political purposes.He also urged President George W. Bush "to be brave and tell the truth for once" about Iran after a U.S. intelligence report concluded that Tehran had stopped trying actively to weaponize nuclear material in 2003.

But in his remarks to journalists on Saturday he offered a qualified compliment to Washington over recent policy in Iraq.

"The Americans have announced they will reduce their troops in Iraq. I think that will be a good decision," he said.
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http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=359_1201400661



Iran USA Israel Alliance - Post Media Reply
Is USA attacking Iran or helping it out?

We all know Iran biggest enemies were Saddam and Taliban. Both Forces were taken out by USA!!

Guess what? USA even sold Iran weapons right before invasion of Afghanistan. Iranian Special forces were working side by side along with Nato members fighting the Taliban.


During Yugoslavia war, Iranian special forces with blessing of USA were training Kosovo's
guerrillas.

Read about Iran contra affair

snip

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ce3_1193342917