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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Archives)
Last update - 10:31 15/07/2008
Ahmadinejad: Direct talks with U.S. possible in 'near future'
By The Associated Press
Tags: nuclear arms, Bush 

Iran's hardline president said Monday he would welcome direct, bilateral talks with the U.S. if both parties are on equal footing.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told state television such talks could happen in the near future. He did not elaborate nor say whether any definite plans were under way.

"We will hold talks with the United States if they come to us on equal footing," Ahmadinejad said in a live speech on state TV near midnight.
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Washington has no diplomatic ties with Iran because it regards the country as a state sponsor of terror. But recognizing its influence on Iraq stability, officials last year opened limited discussions with Iranian officials by demanding the country stop arming Shiite militias there.

The U.S. has also said it will not talk with Iran about its disputed nuclear program unless Tehran agrees first to halt uranium enrichment - a process that can be used to generate electricity, or make a nuclear bomb.

"Equal footing means that when two people want to talk, both have to be on equal terms. Dialogue doesn't make any sense if one side stands in a higher position and the other in a lower position," Ahmadinejad said Monday.

For years, Iran has vehemently opposed any direct talks with Washington, though it has held limited, trilateral discussions with the U.S. and Iraq recently.

The father of Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, likened any relationship between Washington and Tehran as that of a wolf and sheep.

But Iran's current top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - who repeatedly rejected such talks in the past - has softened his tone in recent months.

In January, Khamenei said Iran's relationship with the United States might not be severed forever. He said he would be the first to support resuming diplomatic ties with Washington, but that doing so now would be harmful to Iran's interests.

There is no indication, however, that Washington would be open to direct talks.

Tension remains high between Tehran and the West over Iran's nuclear ambitions. But the country's defiance to the U.S. demand that it stop enriching uranium could embolden Iranian leaders and give them confidence to stand up to the U.S. in direct talks.

The United States cut diplomatic ties with Iran shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when militant students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and published sensitive documents they found inside documenting American intelligence-gathering in the country.

The embassy, labeled by Iran as a den of spies, is occasionally opened to the public as a museum documenting American misadventures in Iran and the wider Middle East.

The Swiss Embassy in Tehran looks after U.S. interests in Iran, while the Iranians have an interest section in Pakistan's embassy in Washington.

Last month, the Bush administration said it was considering setting up a diplomatic outpost in Iran in what would mark a dramatic U.S. return to the country nearly 30 years after the two nations severed relations.

They haven't demanded it (formally) yet. But if they do...we will study it with a positive view, Ahmadinejad said Monday.

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      1.   Strange piece of news!! 02:57  |  Tommy Ginn 15/07/08
      2.   DIRECT TALKS IN THE NEAR FUTURE MEANS AFTER HE HAS ACQUIRED HIS 03:10  |  glenna 15/07/08
      3.   Specific Cause 03:17  |  Matthew Houston 15/07/08
      4.   Cosmically well connected 03:41  |  allang 15/07/08
      5.   Ahmadinejad is a fink 03:48  |  Manuel 15/07/08
      6.   maybe direct talks with israel is next! 04:06  |  bashar 15/07/08
      7.   As it should be. It is ling overdue 04:35  |  American in NY 15/07/08
      8.   An opportunity missed by the US 04:58  |  lydia 15/07/08
      9.   the flim-flam man 05:33  |  Harry 15/07/08
      10.   But two parties are almost sure to be on different levels 05:33  |  McQueen 15/07/08
      11.   #1 tommy ginn CAN write but CANNOT read??? 06:40  |  CK Tan 15/07/08
      12.   #6 bashar - Hope is good but oftimes the rhetoric gets in the way 06:57  |  CK Tan 15/07/08
      13.   Ahmadinejad: direct talks with U.S. possible in `near future` 07:09  |  Joel 15/07/08
      14.   tremors felt from earthquake in greece 07:54  |  Dror 15/07/08
      15.   Depends in how he dresses 07:58  |  Zulema 15/07/08
      16.   Iran-US talks 08:01  |  Bruce 15/07/08
      17.   Need Direct Talks? 08:03  |  MiddleStanian 15/07/08
      18.   Blink 08:57  |  Gregor 15/07/08
      19.   Ahmad tries to do a `Olmert-Assad` strategy with Ahmad-Bush? 09:00  |  Marco 15/07/08
      20.   Ahmadinejad will make it difficult for Bush to justify an attack 09:12  |  Natallie Durson 15/07/08
      21.   Bruce 09:44  |  Valerie 15/07/08
      22.   Iran says direct talks with US are possible 09:46  |  Millicent 15/07/08
      23.   #13 09:55  |  Daniel 15/07/08
      24.   sure it is. AHMEDINEJAD IS NOT TYPICAL DICTATOR OF OLD TIMES. 10:23  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 15/07/08
      25.   personally; I LOVE THE PERSIAN PEOPLE! 10:23  |  eric 15/07/08
      26.   MODERN TIMES ! WE ARE LIVING IN. TOO MUCH PANIC IS UNNCESSARY ! 10:24  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 15/07/08
      27.   THE THIRD EYE ! WHAT IS THIRD EYE ? HAVE YOU HEARD ? 10:24  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 15/07/08
      28.   THIRD EYE IS ME. ITS YOU MOSHE. ITS JOHN. ITS AHMED ... 10:25  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 15/07/08
      29.   ITS AYSA, ITS ESTER, ITS MARRY, ITS .... 10:26  |  ... 15/07/08
      30.   MODERN WORLD ! WE LIVE IN. THE US MUST MAKE HERSELF TO FIT IN. 10:28  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 15/07/08
      31.   MODERN WORLD ! WE LIVE IN. THE US MUST MAKE HERSELF TO FIT IN. 10:28  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 15/07/08
      32.   SILENCE WORLD. SILENCE ISLAM WORLD, JEWISH, CHRISTIAN WORLDS ... 10:29  |  LETS REMEMBER 15/07/08
      33.   WE SHOULDNT LET THE THIRD EYES BECOME DARK AT THE MASTERS ... 10:29  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 15/07/08
      34.   WE ARE MODERN TIMES INSANES. HUMAN RIGHTS ARE OUR FIRST CARE. 10:30  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 15/07/08
      35.   Ahmadinejad - Irans nightmare 10:30  |  Sammy 15/07/08
      36.   Men`s talking, boring, repetitive 10:32  |  Zulema 15/07/08
      37.   NEIGHTER AHMEDINEJAD NOR BUSH OR OTHERS ARE MY FAMILY BUT ... 10:32  |  ...ALL ITS PEOPLE 15/07/08
      38.   GREAT PEOPLE OF TODAYS MODERN WORLD ! GO ON FOR THE POZITIVENESS 10:34  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 15/07/08
      39.   THIS IS SOFT DAYS ! WE CAN GET OVER SO EASY. DONT WE ? 10:35  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 15/07/08
      40.   WO WILL ORGANIZE THE SILENCE WORLD PEOPLE ? WHO ! WHO ? 10:35  |  ... 15/07/08
      41.   WHO ARE MY TRUE LOVERS, FOLLOWERS, BELIEVERS ? 10:36  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 15/07/08
      42.   FIND ME. GIVE POWER TO ME. THAN LETS START WINNING IN LOVE ... 10:37  |  WHY NOT ! 15/07/08
      43.   WE ARE MUCH GREATER THAN ALL HOLI ANGELS. LETS BE IN UNITE 10:38  |  ... 15/07/08
      44.   ARENT WE THE POWER ? ARENT WE CALLED AS MODERN TIME SILENCE POWER 10:39  |  ... 15/07/08
      45.   ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU IS NOT DRUNK. I DONT DRINK DAY TIMES. 10:39  |  DONT YOU EVER SAY IT 15/07/08
      46.   I LEARNED THAT ME IS NOT HOLI. NO WISE. NO POWER. BUT ... 10:40  |  CREATE ROCK IN ROLL 15/07/08
      47.   I A POEM. YOU ARE MY WORDS. 10:41  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 15/07/08
      48.   I AM A LOVE. YOU ARE MINE. 10:41  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 15/07/08
      49.   I AM A DREAM. YOU ARE ALL IN. 10:42  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 15/07/08
      50.   DAMN IT :) I AM EVERYTTHINGGGGGG :) 10:42  |  JUST KIDDING :) 15/07/08
      51.   YOU ALL HAVE PIECES OF MY HAPPINESS 10:43  |  ... 15/07/08
      52.   Please don`t attack us until we have our Nukes 10:47  |  H 15/07/08
      53.   More stalling tactics from iran - lets hit the f*ckers NOW! 10:49  |  Ivor Dwatt 15/07/08
      54.   No to Iran?s nuclear program. 10:54  |  Jean Van Daem 15/07/08
      55.   Iran is buying time 11:13  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 15/07/08
      56.   Someone needs to teach the US manners 11:21  |  Edith 15/07/08
      57.   Wrong Natallie....AGAIN!! 11:51  |  Michael Durson 15/07/08
      58.   53 Ivor Twatt. The US won`t allow bombing Iran. Read Rosner. 11:51  |  Michael 15/07/08
      59.   WHAT A LOT OF OLD DRIVEL 12:25  |  Harvey(Chaim) 15/07/08
      60.   It`s mostly about oil interests 12:53  |  Miss Kane 15/07/08
      61.   Most welcome development 13:31  |  Ivar 15/07/08
      62.   Who knows what Iran has already smuggled into Gaza and Lebanon? 13:52  |  Marco 15/07/08
      63.   Ahmandinejad realises the game is over 13:58  |  Ronnie Wolman 15/07/08
      64.   AfterUS/AIPACelections,Israel should be worried about USIran-deal 14:09  |  Marco 15/07/08
      65.   Has Iran something in Leb, Gaza, Syria to counter attack with? 14:10  |  Marco 15/07/08
      66.   Ladies and gentlemen 14:29  |  Zulema 15/07/08
      67.   No problem, just wait for Bush to disappear 14:57  |  Tosefta 15/07/08
      68.   It all comes down to one simple thing.... 15:22  |  bob_boston 15/07/08
      69.