The Great Satan Deliberates with Iran's Leader (Rahbar) Khamenei

Nasr Al Majali from London: Last month's statement of the US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice that the United States is preparing for a dialogue with Iran and making contacts with it as a part of efforts to end terrorism in Iraq has been confirmed.

The United States has requested Iran to close its borders against the insurgents in Iraq and avoid arousing sedition among the Shiaas in Iraq. In a statement to Newsweek Magazine, the American ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad has admitted launching contacts with Iran. Nevertheless, the American department of state has undervalued such news. It said that the contacts would not affect the nature of the current relations. Such developments coincide with resuming European negotiations with Tehran, regarding the nuclear file.

In case such information on contacts between the Guide Ali Khomeini, who is usually described as the Leader (Rahbar in Persian) of Tehran, which usually accuses Washington of being "The Biggest Satan ", this would be the first public contacts between the two countries, since the collapse of relations after the incident in which Iranian students occupied the American embassy, upon the triumph of The Islamic Revolution in 1979. The relations are still cut.

The current talk about the approach of launching contacts with Iran, which would be at the highest level for decades; on behalf of the US ambassador to Baghdad ; Zalmay Khalilzad. This ambassador, of Afghani origin holding American nationality, has conducted hard tasks in two hot cases during the past four years. These are Afghanistan, until it reached its current semi-stable status with elected government and parliament, and Iraq, where he was appointed as an ambassador. Khalilzad has participated in wide-scale activities, which let to the success of the referendum on the new constitution, upon which the elections would be conducted next month.

US State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack confirmed Khalilzad's plans for making contacts with Tehran, for requesting the assistance of the latter in tranquilizing the current violence in Iraq. Nevertheless, the spokesman added that these talks would not affect the nature of the American-Iranian relations, which were cut in 1979, when Iranian students occupied the American embassy in Tehran and took diplomats as hostages. The United States had formerly made contacts with Iran through Switzerland or the United Nations.

Last month, Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, stated that the United States is studying the possibility of making direct contacts with Iran, as a part of the attempts for alleviating the violence waves in Iraq. McCormack did not disclose whether Khalilzad has already held meetings with Iranian officials, or whether such meetings were on his agenda. Nevertheless, he insisted on stating that establishing relations with Iran is logical, due to Iran's closeness to Iraq, according to a report by BBC.

Speaking about contacts between the mortal enemies coincides with European statements, which are positive towards Iran, regarding its nuclear file.

It is worth mentioning that last Sunday; the spokesman for the EU said to the CNN network that the European Troika, which consists of Germany, Britain, and France, has sent a message to the Iranian government offering resuming the deliberations relating to Tehran's nuclear program.

Christina Galjak, one of the consultants of Javier Solana, the European Foreign Policy Commissioner, in the EU, said that the EU has suggested discussing, whether there are sufficient common points for resuming negotiations relating to the nuclear program. She added that no date has been specified in the message for resuming these negotiations.

It is worth mentioning that the European situation has been announced in Barcelona on Sunday, where the Euro-Mediterranean Summit is held. On Sunday, the Iranian news agency, however, confirmed that the three European countries are ready to resume negotiations with Tehran next December.

Finally, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for National Security, Ali Larijani, has sent a message to the foreign affairs ministers of the European Troika on November 6. In the message, he announced that Iran welcomes holding logical and constructive talks, within the framework of international laws.

It is worth mentioning that the Europeans set a condition for Iran to stop the uranium enrichment in order to resume official negotiations. The International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors has decided not to send the Iranian file to the Security Council for allowing time for the efforts exerted to reach a settlement.

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