Obamaˈs Offer For Talks, Unrealistic: Envoy

Rome, Feb 24, IRNA -- US President Barak Obamaˈs offer for talks is not realistic, Iranian Ambassador to Italy Seyyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini said on Friday. He made the remarks in an interview with the Italian leading news agency, Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (ANSA). ˈObama administrationˈs anti-Iran actions have been much more than other US administrations, including George W. Bush administration and his offers for negotiations are not in accordance with the realities on the ground; US should stop its anti-Iran policy and should prove its good will as prelude for any kind of direct talks between Tehran and Washington,ˈ Hosseini said. Hosseini called the sanctions imposed on Iran during Obamaˈs as unprecedented, adding that Washington pressures have gone beyond the nuclear field and have included Iranˈs oil and natural gas exports, its credit institutes activities, human rights issues and terrorism (US removed MKO anti-Iranian terrorist group from its terror black list). The envoy underlined that the sanctions have affected Iranˈs civil society by impeding the way of transfer of some drugs and food into the country. ˈObama administration has used economy as a political tool against the World Trade Organization (WTO) proposed goals and the philosophy of its establishment and in the meantime, against the humanitarian principles.ˈ Iranˈs ambassador to Italy called the Obama administration approach towards Iran as paradoxical, adding that such paradoxes roots in the influence of different lobbies on the process of decision making in the White House. Earlier, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei dismissed the US offer of direct talks with Iran, saying that the proposal has been made in word, while Washingtonˈs actions show a different course, meaning that the offer is nothing but a ˈcunning moveˈ. Addressing a gathering of Iranian Air Force commanders and personnel in Tehran, the Leader rejected the US statesmenˈs remarks that the ball is now in Iranˈs court, and said, ˈThe ball is in your court because you should answer and say if speaking of negotiations concurrent with pressures and threats basically bears any meaning.ˈ ˈNegotiation is meant to prove the goodwill. But you make tens of (hostile) actions with ill-intention and then speak of negotiations in words. Can the Iranian nation believe that you are driven by goodwill,ˈ the Leader continued. He further stated that the US needs talks with Iran because Washingtonˈs Middle-East policy has proved to be a failure and Americans need to show a winning ace to repair their damaged reputation. The Iranian Supreme Leaderˈs remarks came after US Vice-President Joe Biden, speaking at this yearˈs Munich Security Conference, reiterated previous indications that the US was prepared to talk one-on-one with Iran. The United States and Iran broke diplomatic relations in April 1980, after Iranian students seized the United Statesˈ espionage center at its embassy in Tehran. The two countries have had tense relations ever since, but have shown willingness to attend talks to help resolve regional issues, including security in Iraq. Yet, the two countries have avoided talks on bilateral issues for the last thirty years. Washington and its Western allies accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program, while they have never presented any corroborative evidence to substantiate their allegations. Iran denies the charges and insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only./end