iran offered an olive branch prior/during/after invasion of iraq....

darkcrow

Was watching the news and apparently a letter sent to the US (not sure which dept, i am guessing the embassy to be forwarded on to the foriegn office) saying they would withdraw support for the shiites in iraq, lebannon and palastine if the us helped to dismantle the muja hadin (Sp??)

cant find the news story online just yet

RockinInCanada

Funny that a nation viewed as half ass backwards and comparable to a soceity in the Stone Ages has the gall to ask for civil discussions....the madness....

redrock

darkcrow wrote:

Was watching the news and apparently a letter sent to the US (not sure which dept, i am guessing the embassy to be forwarded on to the foriegn office) saying they would withdraw support for the shiites in iraq, lebannon and palastine if the us helped to dismantle the muja hadin (Sp??)

cant find the news story online just yet

..and also open their doors to their nuclear developement..... heard it on the news too.... It was desert storm time (I think). They would have done that if the US would have helped disband the Mujahedin while they were in Iraq.

sponger

Why would they make this offer through a letter? Usually they like to hold press conferences when they have something they want to say.

darkcrow

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6274147.stm

Washington 'snubbed Iran offer'

Iran gives millions of dollars to support the Hezbollah movement
Iran offered the US a package of concessions in 2003, but it was rejected, a senior former US official has told the BBC's Newsnight programme.
Tehran proposed ending support for Lebanese and Palestinian militant groups and helping to stabilise Iraq following the US-led invasion.

Offers, including making its nuclear programme more transparent, were conditional on the US ending hostility.

But Vice-President Dick Cheney's office rejected the plan, the official said.

The offers came in a letter, seen by Newsnight, which was unsigned but which the US state department apparently believed to have been approved by the highest authorities.

In return for its concessions, Tehran asked Washington to end its hostility, to end sanctions, and to disband the Iranian rebel group the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq and repatriate its members.

But as soon as it got to the White House, the old mantra of 'We don't talk to evil'... reasserted itself

Lawrence Wilkerson
Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had allowed the rebel group to base itself in Iraq, putting it under US power after the invasion.

One of the then Secretary of State Colin Powell's top aides told the BBC the state department was keen on the plan - but was over-ruled.

"We thought it was a very propitious moment to do that," Lawrence Wilkerson told Newsnight.

"But as soon as it got to the White House, and as soon as it got to the Vice-President's office, the old mantra of 'We don't talk to evil'... reasserted itself."

Observers say the Iranian offer as outlined nearly four years ago corresponds pretty closely to what Washington is demanding from Tehran now.

Since that time, Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah inflicted significant military losses on the major US ally in the region, Israel, in the 2006 conflict and is now claiming increased political power in Lebanon.

Palestinian militant group Hamas won power in parliamentary elections a year ago, opening a new chapter of conflict in Gaza and the West Bank.

The UN Security Council has imposed sanctions on Iran following its refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment programme.

Iran denies US accusations that its nuclear programme is designed to produce weapons.

darkcrow

sponger wrote:

Why would they make this offer through a letter? Usually they like to hold press conferences when they have something they want to say.

it is called diplomacy. when a country offers something that might lose it face they often to it behind the scenes until something is agreed (if agreed at all). that way if it fails they dont look like idiots.

qtegirl

darkcrow wrote:

But Vice-President Dick Cheney's office rejected the plan, the official said.

Really? I thought all foreign policy decisions rested witht the President. I am being sarcastic, of course. But this leaves little doubt as to who is making the decisions up in Washington.

Also, I think that going to war with Iran has been in the back-burner for a while. Remember the "axis of evil" speech? They took down Iraq as a first step... had they not gotten so bogged down, they would've extended the war into Iran sooner. But things have changed.

Now we can see a slow build-up of propaganda against Iran again. The US raided their consular offices in Iraq and kidnapped 5 Iranian diplomats. They have stationed a carrier just off the shores of Iran and are deploying a second one. They replaced the General in charge of Iraq with a Navy Admiral. What's all this for? It's certainly not for diplomatic reasons.

Last Exodus

darkcrow wrote:

Was watching the news and apparently a letter sent to the US (not sure which dept, i am guessing the embassy to be forwarded on to the foriegn office) saying they would withdraw support for the shiites in iraq, lebannon and palastine if the us helped to dismantle the muja hadin (Sp??)

cant find the news story online just yet

Well i guess if it's on TV it must be true. Insightful research there...

darkcrow

Last Exodus wrote:

Well i guess if it's on TV it must be true. Insightful research there...

open your eyes. i found the article and posted it. i expect an appology. thank you.

Last Exodus

darkcrow wrote:

open your eyes. i found the article and posted it. i expect an appology. thank you.

um post the letter than and something to cooberate it other than TV and the articles. Journalists aren't gods and make mistakes. back it up. i owe u nothing

Last Exodus

darkcrow wrote:

open your eyes. i found the article and posted it. i expect an appology. thank you.

Um a BBC article dude. Not the most objective when it comes to American politics these days pal

darkcrow

Last Exodus wrote:

Um a BBC article dude. Not the most objective when it comes to American politics these days pal

the bbc is one of the most respected news services in the world. they as close to unbias as anyone is going to get. if you dont want to beleive it then dont.