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Ahmadinejad: Iran wants peace, friendship with U.S.
By The Associated Press

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appealed to the American people during a live television show, saying his country wanted peace and friendship with the U.S. despite mounting tensions between the two
countries, the official IRNA news agency reported Monday.

"Our message to the American nation is a message of peace, friendship,
br
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otherhood and respect for humans," the agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying in on the state-owned Jame Jam satellite TV channel late Sunday. The TV station, which is broadcast in Farsi from Tehran, is shown outside Iran and caters to Iranians living abroad.

But Ahmadinejad also called on the U.S. to leave Iraq, saying its presence there was proof that Washington wants to plunder Iraqi resources, because the Bush administration could not prove claims that Saddam Hussein was secretly storing weapons of mass destruction.

"If the U.S. leaders allow, then the situation of this country - Iraq - will be different," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.

Ahmadinejad's comment comes at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and the United States. Washington was angered by Tehran's arrest earlier this year of four Iranian-Americans accused of plotting against the government. Iran, meanwhile, has protested the detention of eight Iranians by U.S. forces in Iraq.

The United States accuses Tehran of helping to fuel Shiite militias in Iraq - charges Iran denies. Washington also says Iran is secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies those accusations, saying its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes including generating electricity.

Despite Ahmadinejad's frequent anti-U.S. rhetoric, he has tried to appeal to the American people since he came to power in 2005. He opposed a law that imposed fingerprinting Americans upon their arrival in Iran and proposed direct flights between the two countries. But he failed to see both his wishes realized. Ahmadinejad has also sent letters to the American people, in which he criticized Bush's Middle East policy.

Iran and the U.S. have not had diplomatic relations since Washington cut its ties with Tehran after Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.
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  1.   POLITICAL SPIN WILL FOLLOW 11:08  |  indrajaya 17/09/07
  2.   If Iran Wants Peace... 11:14  |  Yosemite 17/09/07
  3.   No Need to Kow 12:03  |  Clickfool 17/09/07
  4.   If Iran wants peace..... 12:15  |  Carolyn 17/09/07
  5.   indrajaya 12:28  |  leon 17/09/07
  6.   Last year Mr.A. made a very strong impression on the internationa 12:34  |  lakshmi 17/09/07
  7.   Part 2 Ahmedinajad,there have been horrific world disasters 12:44  |  lakshmi 17/09/07
  8.   Indy we have heard it all........ 12:56  |  Lynn 17/09/07
  9.   A bit inconsistent...... 13:03  |  Esther 17/09/07
  10.   Ad. Yosemite 13:05  |  Hanoman 17/09/07
  11.   Clickfool, Lakshmi, Indraya 13:11  |  Petya 17/09/07
  12.   to @1 Indrjaya from Jakarta 13:12  |  Hilda 17/09/07
  13.   ClickFOOL from Sussex 13:18  |  Hilda 17/09/07
  14.   And while he was saying 13:21  |  Joe 17/09/07
  15.   What this guy needs 13:23  |  Joe 17/09/07
  16.   Yosemite (from Hollywood) 13:24  |  fk 17/09/07
  17.   For Clickfool #3 13:29  |  Esther 17/09/07
  18.   lakshmi for your response 13:32  |  fk 17/09/07
  19.   Iran wants peace and that hurts usa 13:34  |  Adnan 17/09/07
  20.   Oh dear Clickfool you and your secret zionist organisation 13:41  |  British Academic 17/09/07
  21.   Re lashmi #6 13:42  |  Esther 17/09/07
  22.   How to win friends and influence people 13:44  |  British Academic 17/09/07
  23.   # 6 lakshmi.... I usually do not insult people 13:57  |  Lynn 17/09/07
  24.   OH SURE 13:59  |  Stephen Connor 17/09/07
  25.   Adnan on Ahmadinejad 14:00  |  Lynn 17/09/07
  26.   Petya 14:07  |  Stephen Connor 17/09/07
  27.   British Academic or the vote from military 14:17  |  Lynn 17/09/07
  28.   the Joker is wild... 14:19  |  Nechama 17/09/07
  29.   Peace with the Palestinians is the road to peace with Tehran 14:22  |  Ivar 17/09/07
  30.   Befor WW2 Hitler was seeking peace on the paper too. Ahmadinejad 14:29  |  Vittorio 17/09/07
  31.   why do the west is stupid ? 14:33  |  alan 17/09/07
  32.   Wanting peace with th great satan 14:33  |  James McNamara 17/09/07
  33.   The bell tolls for Ahmadinhijad 14:47  |  Stupidpom 17/09/07
  34.   THE PIPSQUEAK HAS SPOKEN 14:47  |  Ian 17/09/07
  35.   Dollar per barrel oil will not gain them Americas friendship 14:47  |  Natallie Durson 17/09/07
  36.   Mossad Fake Clickfool strikes again # 3 14:49  |  Clickfool 17/09/07
  37.   For Esther # 17 14:51  |  Clickfool 17/09/07
  38.   For "British Academic" # 20 14:53  |  Clickfool 17/09/07
  39.   Clickfool secret organisations? 14:58  |  Jasmine Murphy 17/09/07
  40.   A-MAD-djini-Dud 14:59  |  Paul 17/09/07
  41.   18fk,greetings! Now that the racists are out in full swing! 15:06  |  lakshmi 17/09/07
  42.   Bush attacking Iran would be a disaster 15:13  |  Michael 17/09/07
  43.   # 41 lakshmi main point in the ME 15:19  |  Lynn 17/09/07
  44.   Lakshmi and the sainted Mr. Ahitlernejad 15:21  |  Hannah 17/09/07
  45.   THE STORM CLOUDS GATHERING 15:23  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 17/09/07
  46.   Durson on defrosting Iranian relations 15:24  |  Lynn 17/09/07
  47.   Read the wisdom of Clickfool 15:25  |  Mike 17/09/07
  48.   On the other hand 15:29  |  Jasmine Murphy 17/09/07
  49.   Clickfool # 36 is FAKE Clickfool 15:37  |  Clickfool 17/09/07
  50.   For Cliclfool #37 15:37  |  Esther 17/09/07
  51.   So what was the point of all those shouts of "death to America"? 15:38  |  Briton 17/09/07
  52.   Oh Natallie #35...... 15:55  |  Esther 17/09/07
  53.   Peace and friendship with Iran 15:55  |  NDM 17/09/07
  54.   Isn`t it an odd coincidenc? 15:57  |  Harry 17/09/07
  55.   friendship 16:06  |  Del 17/09/07
  56.   SO DOES BIN-LADEN. RIGHT AFTER THE MASS CONVERSION BY THE SWORD. 16:11  |  ATTA TYPPESH 17/09/07
  57.   I believe the west has already decided 16:12  |  J.J. Doring 17/09/07
  58.   Personal ad: Hitler looking for Chamberlain 16:13  |  FOX 17/09/07
  59.   #2 and 3. Iran does want peace 16:17  |  ManInTheMiddle 17/09/07
  60.   Peace and Friendship Always Better 16:19  |  Jane 17/09/07
  61.   Making Peace With US Will Topple Him 16:25  |  Jane 17/09/07
  62.   He`s trying to buy time 16:33  |  Sam 17/09/07
  63.   #1 - FAKE INDRAJAYA ALERT 16:37  |  indrajaya 17/09/07
  64.   Clickfool - my post number 22 says it all 17:03  |  British Academic 17/09/07
  65.   Re1 Is it a new year or just th same old one. 17:13  |  Alan the real one 17/09/07
  66.   Only thing AhMADdinejad wants is to make us think he wants peace 17:17  |  Shepherd 17/09/07
  67.   Re 36 A wasted life 17:22  |  Alan the real one 17/09/07
  68.   clickfool # 3 your posts are always wrong WAKE UP 17:25  |  Hausman 17/09/07
  69.   lakshmi "israel supporters jumping up and down" 17:39  |  ravi 17/09/07
  70.   Appealing to the knee-jerkers won`t stop the storm 17:50  |  Denton 17/09/07
  71.   I respect Mr.Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 17:52  |  Atilla Karagozoglu 17/09/07
  72.   idiot George Bush and even worse Ahmadinejad 17:52  |  yousef 17/09/07
  73.   Clickfool the Clueless Fool 17:53  |  MilitaryMan 17/09/07
  74.   irans great mathematical engineer has recomputed his formulas 17:57  |  de sterix 17/09/07
  75.   C/FOOL - Holy See is against anti-Semitism 18:08  |  17 17/09/07
  76.   59Man in the Middle,well said,but the 67 border is based on the 18:15  |  lakshmi 17/09/07
  77.   peace ? 18:25  |  ka 17/09/07
  78.   YATA YATA YATA 18:34  |  pat 17/09/07
  79.   Leon - go see a doctor 18:42  |  JDross 17/09/07
  80.   #3 the yellow streak and fu manchu 18:44  |  victor hardman 17/09/07
  81.   For Jasmine Murphy who called me a liar 18:49  |  Clickfool 17/09/07
  82.   Ahmadinejad 18:53  |  tadchase 17/09/07