• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

 
DATE=12/14/97
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-224110
TITLE=IRAN/U-S (L)
BYLINE=JESSICA JONES
DATELINE=CAIRO
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: 
INTRO:  PRESIDENT MUHAMMAD KHATAMI OF IRAN SAYS HE WANTS TO HAVE 
WHAT HE CALLS -- THOUGHTFUL -- DIALOGUE WITH THE UNITED STATES.  
IT IS IRAN'S MOST PRONOUNCED CALL FOR POSSIBLE RECONCILIATION 
WITH THE U-S SINCE THE COUNTRY'S ISLAMIC REVOLUTION IN 1979.  
JESSICA JONES HAS MORE FROM OUR MIDDLE EAST BUREAU. 
TEXT:  PRESIDENT KHATAMI TOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE SUNDAY IN TEHERAN
HE WANTS TO HAVE A TALK SOON WITH THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED 
STATES, BUT HE DID NOT SAY WHAT FORM THAT DIALOGUE WOULD TAKE.
HE IMPLIED SUCH A DIALOGUE WOULD INCLUDE THE U-S GOVERNMENT, 
THOUGH HE ACCUSED U-S POLITICIANS OF HAVING FALLEN BEHIND THE 
TIMES.  HE SAID IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD THAT HAS BECOME 
MULTI-POLAR, THE UNITED STATES STILL IMAGINES IT IS THE SOLE 
POWER AND IT MUST IMPOSE ITS POWER ON THE WORLD AT ANY COST. 
MR. KHATAMI IS A MODERATE SHITTE MUSLIM WHO WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT
LAST MAY.  SINCE THEN HE HAS SOFTENED RELATIONS WITH OTHER ARAB 
NATIONS, INCLUDING PRO-WESTERN SAUDI ARABIA.  
HE HAS ALSO RE-ESTABLISHED DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH THE EUROPEAN 
UNION, WHILE AT HOME HE HAS EASED THE STRICT RULES GOVERNING HOW 
WOMEN CAN DRESS AND WHETHER IRANIANS CAN WATCH SATELLITE 
TELEVISION.  NOT ONCE SINCE TAKING OFFICE HAS HE USED THE OLD 
IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY DEFINITION OF THE UNITED STATES AS -- THE 
GREAT SATAN.
HE TOLD REPORTERS (SUNDAY) INSTEAD OF SPEAKING TO EACH OTHER WITH
THE LANGUAGE OF FORCE, WE SHOULD LEARN TO SPEAK WITH THE LANGUAGE
OF REASON.
MR. KHATAMI ALSO DISMISSED EFFORTS TO ESTABLISH PEACE WITH 
ISRAEL, WHICH HE DESCRIBED AS -- RACIST AND EXPANSIONIST.  HE 
SAID ARAB COUNTRIES THAT HAD TRIED POLITICAL DIALOGUE WITH ISRAEL
HAD GAINED NOTHING.
THE UNITED STATES SEVERED TIES WITH IRAN IN 1979 AFTER ISLAMIC  
MILITANTS STORMED THE U-S EMBASSY IN TEHERAN AND TOOK 52 
AMERICANS HOSTAGE FOR MORE THAN A YEAR.  THE UNITED STATES HAS 
TRIED TO OSTRACIZE IRAN AND HAS CALLED IT A TOP SPONSOR OF 
TERRORISM. 
BUT A WELL-ATTENDED INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC SUMMIT HELD IN TEHERAN 
LAST WEEK SHOWED IRAN HAS GAINED WIDE ACCEPTANCE FROM OTHER 
MUSLIM COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD.   (SIGNED) 
NEB/JJ/DW/RAE 
14-Dec-97 2:35 PM EST (1935 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.