Posted on 11/22/2008 12:16:59 PM PST by Libloather
Even Iran gives a cheer
NAZILA FATHI IN TEHRAN
8/11/2008 1:00:01 AM
IRAN'S President has sent a letter congratulating Barack Obama for his victory in the US presidential race, even though the two nations have had no diplomatic ties for nearly three decades.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has written to world leaders in the past, including one to the US President, George Bush. But this is the first time since the 1979 revolution that an Iranian leader has congratulated the winner of a US election.
Diplomatic ties were severed in April 1980, five months after radical students attacked the US embassy in Tehran and took American diplomats hostage.
Iranian leaders continued to use hostile language towards the US, and Mr Ahmadinejad had said that he did not think a black candidate could be elected because of racial discrimination.
"I congratulate you for attracting the majority of votes in the election," he wrote in his message on Thursday. "As you know, opportunities that are bestowed upon humans are short-lived." He hoped Senator Obama would make the most of the opportunity.
The letter coincided with a move by the Bush Administration to put more pressure on Iran by further restricting US financial dealings with Iran.
**SNIP**
But exceptions will be granted in certain cases, such as individual remittances and humanitarian aid.
In his letter, Mr Ahmadinejad said that people in America and around the world expected Senator Obama to make big changes in domestic and foreign policy, and to limit US interference in other parts of the world.
**SNIP**
Italy's famously impolitic Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has described Senator Obama as "young, handsome and even tanned". He appeared to be joking at a news conference on Thursday following talks with Russia's President, Dmitry Medvedev.
(Excerpt) Read more at cessnock.yourguide.com.au ...
Ahmanutjob hasn’t heard that Rahm Immanuel is POO’s COS.
This is called restoring US image in the world !
Thank you Mr.OSAMABAMA everybody loves USA now!
You have gooood “friends”
Maybe Comrade 0bama could send Jimmy Carter to Tehran as a special ‘peace envoy’ on a 444 day mission to patch things up between Iran and Washington.
I’ll even chip in on the blindfold.
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