Ahmadinejad sends letter to Bush

**~~platinum786~~** · 08 May 06,, 14:47

Ahmadinejad sends letter to Bush

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written to George W Bush proposing "new solutions" to their differences. The letter will be sent via the Swiss Embassy which represents US interests in Iran, a government spokesman said.

Mr Ahmadinejad proposes "new solutions for getting out of international problems and the current fragile situation of the world", he said.

Reports say it is the first letter from an Iranian president to a US leader since the Iranian revolution in 1979.

The spokesman, Gholam-Hossein Elham, did not say whether the letter mentioned the nuclear dispute, currently one of the major issues between Iran and the US.

This development comes a day after Iran's parliament threatened to pull out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if Western pressure over its programme increases.
A withdrawal would mean the country's programme could no longer be inspected by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Draft resolution

The US has accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons - a charge Iran strongly denies.

Last week, the US and other states tabled a draft resolution at the UN Security Council calling on Iran to suspend uranium enrichment or face "further action".

Foreign ministers of the council members plus Germany are due to meet in New York on Monday night to discuss how to proceed with Iran.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told Iran's Irna news agency that once Mr Bush had received the letter, the contents would be made public.

Significant timing

The BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran says that whatever is in the letter is significant because it is the first such high-level communication between Iran and America for almost three decades.

US-IRAN TIES: KEY EVENTS
1979: Hostages seized at US embassy in Tehran
1980: Secret US mission to rescue them ends in disaster
1981: Hostages finally freed after intense diplomatic activity
1985/86: Iran-Contra affair, crisis in Reagan presidency
1995: President Clinton imposes sanctions for alleged sponsorship of "terrorism"
2002: President Bush calls Iran, Iraq, North Korea "axis of evil"
April 2006: Iran announces successful uranium enrichment
May 2006: US, UK, France table draft UN resolution calling on Iran to suspend enrichment

As such it is a bold step by Mr Ahmadinejad, and the timing is key - just as the West is trying to persuade Russia and China to back tough action against Iran, she says.

Mr Ahmadinejad is reinforcing the point that he is willing to negotiate with anyone, including the US president, to avoid conflict over the nuclear issue, our correspondent adds.

The US and Iran have not had diplomatic relations since Washington severed ties with Tehran after Iranian students occupied the US embassy there and took 52 Americans hostage in 1980.

The White House said it was "unaware" of a letter from Mr Ahmadinejad.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/h...st/4983868.stm

This is a very interesting turn in events. I'd love to be able to read that letter.

**Ray** · 08 May 06,, 19:02

There is a thread "Zaraqawi shat his pants".

It appears Ahemedninja or whatever the name has also done the same.

Brave guys yellowing their pants after so much of bluster!!

The world has called their bluff!

I always am astonished how so much of big talk these guys can give and then they put their tails between their legs, when given a good whipping!

**gunnut** · 08 May 06,, 19:51

Saddam serves as a good example of someone who didn't know when to quit yanking the chain. We just got tired of his antics and put the smack down. We did that to the Libyans and look how well behaved they are now.

**~~Gautam~~** · 08 May 06,, 20:29

He sent a letter & BUSH send him a box of chocolates. How diplomatic.

How about some B-52s up Iran's nuke reactors

**Ray** · 08 May 06,, 22:01

Ahmdninja is a Nice bloke... wrong planet

**highsea** · 11 May 06,, 16:58

Originally Posted by platinum786

This is a very interesting turn in events. I'd love to be able to read that letter.

Here ya go. Nothing special...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/h...ejadletter.pdf

**~~platinum786~~** · 11 May 06,, 22:02

i read it, prtty sh1t...i thought it was a genuine move towards peace.....call it youthful optimism...call it being naive...

**MIKEMUN** · 12 May 06,, 16:08

Iran Declares War

New York Sun Editorial
May 11, 2006

President Ahmadinejad's letter to President Bush, widely interpreted as a peaceful overture, is in fact a declaration of war. The key sentence in the letter is the closing salutation. In an eight-page text of the letter being circulated by the Council on Foreign Relations, it is left untranslated and rendered as "Vasalam Ala Man Ataba'al hoda." What this means is "Peace only unto those who follow the true path."

It is a phrase with historical significance in Islam, for, according to Islamic tradition, in year six of the Hejira - the late 620s - the prophet Mohammad sent letters to the Byzantine emperor and the Sassanid emperor telling them to convert to the true faith of Islam or be conquered. The letters included the same phrase that President Ahmadinejad used to conclude his letter to Mr. Bush. For Mohammad, the letters were a prelude to a Muslim offensive, a war launched for the purpose of imposing Islamic rule over infidels.

I do not subscribe to the NY sun,so I couldn't get the whole article.