Ahmadinejad sends letter to Bush - content unknown

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Tehran - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has sent a letter to his arch-foe, US President George W Bush, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Monday.

The contents of the letter would be revealed in due course, Hamid- Reza Assefi told the ISNA news agency.

The Iranian president was said to have made recommendations in the letter on how to resolve the present 'fragile status quo in the world.'

The letter was reportedly sent to Washington via the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which represents US interests in Iran.

Ahmadinejad announced last month in a press conference that he would write messages to Western heads of state, with Bush apparently the first on his list. The letters were expected to address Iran's controversial nuclear programme among other things.

The letter is the first direct contact between the presidents of Iran and the US in the last 27 years.

The two states severed diplomatic ties following the 1979 occupation of the American embassy in Tehran by radical students' groups.

Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki was quoted by ISNA as saying that 'the letter introduced new solutions for solving the current problems.' He gave no further details.

Iran's National Security Council secretary, Ali Larijani, said that the letter could lead to a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear dispute.

The head of the foreign policy commission of the parliament, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, told ISNA that the letter would be a positive step and open a new phase to remove American doubts about Iran.

Referring to critics who say that no contacts should be established with the 'Great Satan', the term used by hardline Iranian officials for the US, Boroujerdi said that global diplomacy was an undisputed part of Iran's foreign policy.

'Iranian leaders have several times announced that except the Zionist regime (Israel), which we do not consider as a legitimate state, connections with all other countries would be permissible,' the MP said, not ruling out talks with US officials.

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middlee...known__Roundup_

[Fischkoepfin 1]

I read about the letter this morning and thought it was interesting because of the way Ahmadinejad is normally portrayed in the media. I mean, he's considered a hardliner, but then he's writing this letter to the POTUS which is the first letter from an Iranian leader since 1979. I would really like to know what's in the letter, but I think we'll never find out as the White House is already pretending it didn't happen (or that's what the AP notice said this morning).

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

...the White House is already pretending it didn't happen (or that's what the AP notice said this morning).

Negroponte's been quoted as saying he hasn't "studied" the letter. I take that as their way of saying they have it.

[Fischkoepfin 1]

...the White House is already pretending it didn't happen (or that's what the AP notice said this morning).

Negroponte's been quoted as saying he hasn't "studied" the letter. I take that as their way of saying they have it.

Well, that's something; I haven't had the time to check on any developments during the day, so I apoogize for being not quite informed. So, we might find out what all this is about. Cool.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

...the White House is already pretending it didn't happen (or that's what the AP notice said this morning).

Negroponte's been quoted as saying he hasn't "studied" the letter. I take that as their way of saying they have it.

Well, that's something; I haven't had the time to check on any developments during the day, so I apoogize for being not quite informed. So, we might find out what all this is about. Cool.

We will. The Iranians are saying they will release the contents to the media after Bush reads it.

[almaty 19]

hopefully, it can only help the situation and some concessions are mentioned

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I read about the letter this morning and thought it was interesting because of the way Ahmadinejad is normally portrayed in the media. I mean, he's considered a hardliner, but then he's writing this letter to the POTUS which is the first letter from an Iranian leader since 1979. I would really like to know what's in the letter, but I think we'll never find out as the White House is already pretending it didn't happen (or that's what the AP notice said this morning).

Ahmadinejad's public comments have already done a pretty good job of demonizing Iran, assuming Ahmadinejad wrote anything even remotely progressively diplomatic it likely won't get much press. Its in the White House's interests to sit on anything that doesn't show that Iran is a 'rogue state' and 'danger to world peace'.

Of course, if all this letter amounts to is a racist tirade against jews and the west, you can bet it will air on primetime evening news...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

hopefully, it can only help the situation and some concessions are mentioned

Who knows. Letters don't always have good outcomes. For more detail, check out the letter from Hitler to Chamberlain...

[Fischkoepfin 1]

I read about the letter this morning and thought it was interesting because of the way Ahmadinejad is normally portrayed in the media. I mean, he's considered a hardliner, but then he's writing this letter to the POTUS which is the first letter from an Iranian leader since 1979. I would really like to know what's in the letter, but I think we'll never find out as the White House is already pretending it didn't happen (or that's what the AP notice said this morning).

Ahmadinejad's public comments have already done a pretty good job of demonizing Iran, assuming Ahmadinejad wrote anything even remotely progressively diplomatic it likely won't get much press. Its in the White House's interests to sit on anything that doesn't show that Iran is a 'rogue state' and 'danger to world peace'.

Of course, if all this letter amounts to is a racist tirade against jews and the west, you can bet it will air on primetime evening news...

True. Ahmadinejad is definitely not the victim of some smear campaign by the western press, but it seems that some of the recent reporting on his nationalist, warmongering speeches has bordered on the absurd, similar to portrayals of Saddam in the months preceding the Iraq war.

I think you're also right that the content of the letter will determine the amount of coverage we get...

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I read about the letter this morning and thought it was interesting because of the way Ahmadinejad is normally portrayed in the media. I mean, he's considered a hardliner, but then he's writing this letter to the POTUS which is the first letter from an Iranian leader since 1979. I would really like to know what's in the letter, but I think we'll never find out as the White House is already pretending it didn't happen (or that's what the AP notice said this morning).

Ahmadinejad's public comments have already done a pretty good job of demonizing Iran, assuming Ahmadinejad wrote anything even remotely progressively diplomatic it likely won't get much press. Its in the White House's interests to sit on anything that doesn't show that Iran is a 'rogue state' and 'danger to world peace'.

Of course, if all this letter amounts to is a racist tirade against jews and the west, you can bet it will air on primetime evening news...

True. Ahmadinejad is definitely not the victim of some smear campaign by the western press, but it seems that some of the recent reporting on his nationalist, warmongering speeches has bordered on the absurd, similar to portrayals of Saddam in the months preceding the Iraq war.

I think you're also right that the content of the letter will determine the amount of coverage we get...

I expect it will receive similar treatment to the speeches that Bin Laden comes out with now and again. Along with the fundamentalist anti-western hatred, you do get a feel for what's behind it as well - both politically and historically. Yet ultimately, and perhaps not surprisingly, its the 'extremist' comments which get almost all of the coverage in the news media. Its really a shame that that's all we focus on, because there is a whole other perspective there that we end up losing in order to relegate him to a simple cardboard cutout bad guy. Rather similar to what people often do with Hitler.

Edited May 8, 2006 by Fishdude

[scooby 0]

hopefully, it can only help the situation and some concessions are mentioned

Who knows. Letters don't always have good outcomes. For more detail, check out the letter from Hitler to Chamberlain...

good point...but at least it is a different avenue...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

hopefully, it can only help the situation and some concessions are mentioned

Who knows. Letters don't always have good outcomes. For more detail, check out the letter from Hitler to Chamberlain...

good point...but at least it is a different avenue...

hey dean, why the new screename?

[scooby 0]

hopefully, it can only help the situation and some concessions are mentioned

Who knows. Letters don't always have good outcomes. For more detail, check out the letter from Hitler to Chamberlain...

good point...but at least it is a different avenue...

hey dean, why the new screename?

just a change....i like to start over again...i like the scooby avatar, but if you going to change...then change... unless, i get hassled by the girls i use it for awhile

Edited May 8, 2006 by scooby

[chri'stina 190]

hopefully, it can only help the situation and some concessions are mentioned

Who knows. Letters don't always have good outcomes. For more detail, check out the letter from Hitler to Chamberlain...

good point...but at least it is a different avenue...

hey dean, why the new screename?

hey I asked him first! (well, in a completely different thread!!) But no answer yet!

[Fischkoepfin 1]

Its really a shame that that's all we focus on, because there is a whole other perspective there that we end up losing in order to relegate him to a simple cardboard cutout bad guy. Rather similar to what people often do with Hitler.

Yup. But it comes in more handy when you need to mobilize public opinion; by dehumanizing someone like Ahmadinejad, it makes it possible to think in clear black and white terms and more importantly to think of Iranis as somehow less entitled to certain rights or rules.

It would certainly nice to have more balanced coverage of what is actually happening in Iran besides Ahmadinejad. But as the whole thing is indicative of the polarized world we live in currently, there are not many avenues to find out anything else. And historically, it fits what we're supposed to know; we've forgotten of anything prior to the Iran-hostage crisis, making it easy to see Iran as THE enemy and us as the poor victims.

I sometimes do wonder what would happen if the news media for a single week or even jsut a day would try to be less biased. Would that actually change the way people view the world or would it lead to a huge confusion?