Posted on 05/03/2008 3:15:09 PM PDT by freerepublic_or_die
A senior member of Iran's negotiating team with the United States on Iraqi security demanded a halt to US attacks in Iraq before any new round of talks with Washington, the Fars news agency reported on Saturday.
"If US savage attacks against the Iraqi people are stopped, we will examine the US request for a fourth round of talks," the unnamed official said, quoted by Fars.
Iran and the United States held three rounds of talks on Iraq last year despite mounting tensions over Tehran's nuclear programme. The talks have been stalled amid controversy over Iran's role in its conflict-torn neighbour.
Tehran, which strongly opposes the US military presence in Iraq, has been repeatedly accused by Washington of arming and training Shiite militia groups in its neighbour.
Iran, whose ties with Washington have been severed since 1980, strongly denies the allegations.
An Iranian delegation travelled to Baghdad in March expecting a new round of talks which never took place. Iran said the United States cancelled the talks at the last minute, but US officials said a date was never set.
"The Iraqi government and the United States have officially invited Iran for the fourth round," the Iranian official said.
"Under the current circumstances and given the US widespread attacks against Iraqi people in different cities, Iran does not feel these negotiations are necessary."
In early April, the United States said it had informed the Iraqi government it was prepared to resume the long-delayed talks with Iran.
US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Kazemi Qomi held face-to-face talks in May and July 2007, in the highest level public contact between the two sides for 27 years.
(Excerpt) Read more at afp.google.com ...
Is the savage official too scared to be named? Friggin cowards and thugs.
If they are complaining about our attacks against Mookie’s Army than they must be working. Please double or tripple the attacks right away. Make it hurt!!!!
I’m having great difficulty understanding why IRAN would have a “negotiating team” for Iraqi security. I guess ya gotta be a politician where common sense doesn’t come into play.
We are hurting them badly right now. Good news.
They are on double, triple probation as far as I can tell.
When those Israeli jets come flying over;
what Americans are doing in Iraq will be the least of the Iranians’ problems.
Too funny how THEY are making the conditions for talks...what a crack up. Legends in their own minds! ---toooo much.
snort
Once again:
NUKE those ignorant Persian sumb!tches and make it HURT!!!!
In my view, we should have been training Iranian Freedom Fighters in Iraq, starting the minute Saddam's statue came down. We should have training camps in Iraq, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and elsewhere on the border. Wasn't Iran one of the original Axis of Evil? Why the hell haven't we attacked them? That should be our message.
Iran wants a stand down so they can re-man those areas we have cleaned out.
We should make our own demand: Get all Iranian forces and weapons out of Iraq or we will hurt Iran with stategic military strikes.
They’ll be sorry when President Hillary nukes them.
As much as I think OpChaos needs to change tack, and support Obama, I appreciate whatever rat infighting it induces.
If they go to the convention, we could do whatever we want to Iran and it’d go unnoticed amidst the convention coverage.
US demands that Iran blow it out their fourth point of contact.
“If US savage attacks against the Iraqi people are stopped, we will examine the US request for a fourth round of talks,”
Translation,
Holy crap! We’re having our collective asses handed to us daily!
Time to sound like we’re kicking their collective asses instead!
Looks like Baghdad Bob has a new gig.
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